Entertainment
Review: Defending one's homeland and the right to make art become common cause in 'Porcelain War'
Guns, paintbrushes and cameras are tools of national defense for the Ukrainian artists at the center of “Porcelain War,” a sublime and stirring documentary from American filmmaker Brendan Bellomo and Ukrainian ceramicist Slava Leontyev about living, fighting and creating under siege.
The Sundance-honored film is more timely now, not only because of how pivotal this power-shifting moment is for Ukraine but also because we need reminders that culture can be a steady heartbeat of resistance against the world’s darkest forces. The setting could not be starker in its extremes. Only miles from the devastation wrought by Russia’s bombing of Kharkiv, Slava and his wife, Anya Stasenko, work in porcelain, surrounded by rapturous nature. He carefully shapes and polishes the figurines — a snail, an owl, a tiny dragon — that she then hand-colors with Swiss-watch precision, adorning the molded forms with miniature scenes of depth and texture.
But Slava is also, out of pure obligation to the reality of his country being invaded, part of a dedicated special forces unit of Ukrainian civilians — from doctors to farmers — who’ve had to learn the art of warfare: operating guns and drones. That battle-contoured contrast of beauty and survival is what spurred the California-based Bellomo, a friend of the artists, to smuggle in cameras so that Slava, with the help of a family friend, could film their defiantly creative lives under threat of obliteration. To leave, says Anya, would be like “cutting off your own shadow.” But staying can’t help but invite thoughts of the wolf at the door.
The result is a fascinating portrait about holding the line, in which the territory is as much a collective state of mind as an encroached-upon sovereignty. There’s a reason for the text at the beginning letting us know that nearly everything we see in “Porcelain War” was filmed by its subjects, because knowing who’s behind the camera allows us to absorb the images as a willful counterbalance to despair: light bathing a meadow teeming with life, how couples banter with a few drinks in them, the pair’s adorable canine companion, Frodo. The new-toy innocence of these first-time cinematographers is, in some ways, an ideal symbol for the spiritual reinforcement they get from prioritizing their art.
Even tableaux of destruction compel the eye, less war as spectacle than some horrific inverse of the creative process. So when we shift to scenes of Slava’s tight-knit unit securing areas and dropping explosives from (what else?) painted drones, we feel like we’re among a community of more than mere combatants. The concept of the “citizen soldier,” a mantle accepted heavily but with focus and spirit, has never felt more resonant than as depicted by the co-directors of “Porcelain War.”
There are aesthetic touches too that in other films might have seemed too precious, but in “Porcelain War” feel just right, as when Anya’s detailed artwork on their figurines’ porcelain surface is made to move with subtly rendered animation, enriching the idea that these tiny sculptures aren’t just canvases — they’re also portals for experiences that are never still. That sacred meeting place of myth and life is also fully realized by the film’s pulsing, powerful score, a knockout sampling of Ukrainian neo-folk outfit DakhaBrakha’s liberating music, which you can feel traveling from the earth and into your bones like a gathering strength.
“Porcelain War” understands that great art can do that — act as both a bulwark and beacon — and that soulful artists like Slava and Anya know it’s worth fighting to preserve.
‘Porcelain War’
In Ukrainian with English subtitles
Rated: R, for language
Running time: 1 hour, 27 minutes
Playing: Opens Nov. 27, Laemmle Monica Film Center, West Los Angeles
Entertainment
Stagecoach 2026: How to watch Friday’s livestream with Cody Johnson, Ella Langley, Bailey Zimmerman
Choosin’ to stay home instead of trekking out to Indio for this weekend’s Stagecoach festival? Don’t worry, you’ll be able to listen to all the country music your heart desires. You can get your country heartbreak on with Ella Langley, Bailey Zimmerman and Cody Johnson, and then rock out with Counting Crows. If you prefer EDM, you can catch Diplo and Dillstradamus (Dillon Francis and Flosstradamus) as Friday’s closing acts.
The festival will be livestreamed on Amazon Music, Amazon Prime Video and Twitch beginning at 3 p.m. On Sirius XM’s The Highway (channel 56), you can listen to exclusive interviews and live performances along with a special edition of the Music Row Happy Hour. The station Y’Allternative will also be covering the festival on Friday evening.
Here are updated set times for the Stagecoach livestream Friday performances (times presented are PDT):
Channel 1
3:05 p.m. Noah Rinker; 3:25 p.m.; Adrien Nunez; 4 p.m. Ole 60; 4:25 p.m. Avery Anna; 5 p.m. Chase Rice; 5:55 p.m. Nate Smith; 6:50 p.m. Ella Langeley; 7:50 p.m. Bailey Zimmerman; 8:55 p.m. the Red Clay Strays; 10 p.m. Cody Johnson; 11:30 p.m. Diplo
Channel 2
3:05 p.m. Neon Union; 3:25 p.m. Larkin Poe; 4 p.m. Marcus King Band; 4:50 p.m. Lyle Lovett; 5:35 p.m. BigXthaPlug; 6:30 p.m. Noah Cyrus; 7 p.m. Wynonna Judd; 8 p.m. Counting Crows; 8:50 p.m. Sam Barber; 10 p.m. Dan + Shay; 10:45 p.m. Diplo featuring Juicy J; 11:05 p.m. Rebecca Black; 11:45 p.m. Dillstradamus
Sirius XM Music Row Happy Hour
1 p.m. Avery Anna; 2 p.m. Nate Smith; 2:30 p.m. Josh Ross; 3 p.m. Cody Johnson; 3:30 p.m. Gabriella Rose; 5:15 p.m. Nate Smith; 7:50 p.m. Bailey Zimmerman; 9:30 p.m. Cody Johnson; 11 p.m. Diplo
Sirius XM Y’Allternative
5 p.m. Ole 60; 6 p.m. Larkin Poe; 7 p.m. Marcus King Band; 8 p.m. Sam Barber
Movie Reviews
Movie Review: The Mortuary Assistant – HorrorFuel.com: Reviews, Ratings and Where to Watch the Best Horror Movies & TV Shows
Forget the “video game movie” curse; The Mortuary Assistant is a bone-chilling triumph that stands entirely on its own two feet. Starring Willa Holland (Arrow) as Rebecca Owens, the film follows a newly certified mortician whose “overtime shift” quickly devolves into a grueling battle for her soul.
What Makes It Work
The film expertly balances the stomach-churning procedural work of embalming with a spiraling demonic nightmare. Alongside a mysterious mentor played by Paul Sparks (Boardwalk Empire), Rebecca is forced to confront both ancient evils and her own buried traumas. And boy, does she have a lot of them.
Thanks to a full-scale, practical River Fields Mortuary set, the film drips with realism, like you can almost smell the rot and bloat of the bodies through the screen.
The skin effects are hauntingly accurate. The way the flesh moves during surgical scenes is so visceral. I’ve seen a lot of flesh wounds in horror films and in real life, and the bodies, skin, and organs. The Mortuary Assistant (especially in the opening scene) looks so real that I skipped supper after watching it. And that’s saying something. Your girl likes to eat.
Co-written by the game’s creator, Brian Clarke, the movie dives deeper into the demonic mythology. Whether you’ve seen every ending or don’t know a scalpel from a trocar, the story is perfectly self-contained. If you’ve never played the game, or played it a hundred times, the film works equally well, which is hard to do when it comes to game adaptations.
Nailed It
This film does a lot of things right, but the isolation of the night shift is suffocating. Between the darkness of the hallways and the “residents” that refuse to stay still, the film delivers a relentlessly immersive experience. And thankfully, although this movie is filled with dark rooms and shadows, it’s easy to see every little thing. Don’t you hate it when a movie is so dark that you can’t see what’s happening? It’s one of my pet peeves.
The oh-so-awesome Jeremiah Kipp directs the film and has made something absolutely nightmare-inducing. Kipp recently joined us for an interview, took us inside the film, discussed its details and the game’s lore, and so much more. I urge you to check out our interview. He’s awesome!
The Verdict
This isn’t just a cash-grab; it’s a high-effort adaptation that respects the source material while elevating the horror genre. With incredible special effects and a powerhouse cast, it’s the kind of movie that will make you rethink working late ever again. Dropping on Friday the 13th, this is a must-watch for horror fans. It’s grisly, intelligent, and genuinely terrifying.
Entertainment
Former Live Nation executive says he was fired after raising ‘financial misconduct’ concerns
A former executive at Live Nation, the world’s largest live entertainment company, is suing the company, alleging that he was wrongfully terminated after he raised concerns about alleged financial misconduct and improper accounting practices.
Nicholas Rumanes alleges he was “fraudulently induced” in 2022 to leave a lucrative position as head of strategic development at a real estate investment trust to create a new role as executive vice president of development and business practice at Beverly Hills-based Live Nation.
In his new position, Rumanes said, he raised “serious and legitimate alarm” over the the company’s business practices.
As a result, he says, he was “unlawfully terminated,” according to the lawsuit filed Thursday in Los Angeles County Superior Court.
“Rumanes was, simply put, promised one job and forced to accept another. And then he was cut loose for insisting on doing that lesser job with integrity and honesty,” according to the lawsuit.
He is seeking $35 million in damages.
Representatives for Live Nation were not immediately available for comment.
The lawsuit comes a week after a federal jury in Manhattan found that Live Nation and its Ticketmaster subsidiary had operated a monopoly over major concert venues, controlling 86% of the concert market.
Rumanes’ lawsuit describes a “culture of deception” at Live Nation, saying its “basic business model was to misstate and exaggerate financial figures in efforts to solicit and secure business.”
Such practices “spanned a wide spectrum of projects in what appeared to be a company-wide pattern of financial misrepresentation and misleading disclosures,” the lawsuit states.
Rumanes says he received materials and documents that showed that the company inflated projected revenues across multiple venue development projects.
Additionally, Rumanes contends that the company violated a federal law that requires independent financial auditing and transparency and instead ran Live Nation “through a centralized, opaque structure” that enables it to “bypass oversight and internal checks and balances.”
In 2010, as a condition of the Live Nation-Ticketmaster merger, the newly formed company agreed to a consent decree with the government that prohibited the firm from threatening venues to use Ticketmaster. In 2019 the Justice Department found that the company had repeatedly breached the agreement, and it extended the decree.
Rumanes contends that he brought his concerns to the attention of the company’s management, but his warnings were “repeatedly ignored.”
-
Sports3 minutes agoOlympic legend Kaillie Humphries signs with activist sportswear brand XX-XY Athletics amid political rise
-
Technology9 minutes agoFCC router rule raises questions about future updates
-
Business15 minutes agoCalifornia’s jet fuel stockpile hits two-year low as war strangles oil supplies
-
Entertainment21 minutes ago
Stagecoach 2026: How to watch Friday’s livestream with Cody Johnson, Ella Langley, Bailey Zimmerman
-
Lifestyle27 minutes agoL.A. Affairs: I loved someone who felt he couldn’t be fully seen with me
-
Politics33 minutes agoContributor: Carlson’s cautious apology does little to repair Trumpism’s damage
-
Sports45 minutes agoCancer left him blind. When his son was diagnosed, ex-USC long snapper found Trojans had his back again
-
World57 minutes agoOrbán-style vetoes undermine EU democracy, Kallas tells Euronews