The Ward
Director: John Carpenter
Starring: Amber Heard, Jared Harris, Danielle Panabaker, Mamie Gummer
***
After nine years away from cinema screens, the Halloween director John Carpenter returns to salvage his reputation from younger imitators and lame remakes. That's the theory, at least. Set in 1966, The Ward stars Amber Heard as an amnesiac arsonist imprisoned in an all-female psychiatric ward. Led by Jared Harris as a creepy shrink, the doctors and nurses in this fortress-like hospital are less than sympathetic. But their sinister scowls are nothing compared to the ghostly creature who stalks the corridors, apparently abducting Heard's fellow patients one by one. Carpenter's feature-directing comeback was reportedly inspired by working on the American TV series Masters of Horror. He applies the same low-budget pulp approach to The Ward, which helps explain its cheap and clunky tone in places. Thus, sketchy stock characters, cheesy plot twists and jolting shocks might generously be seen as tongue-in-cheek nods to formulaic genre rules, rather than lazy errors. That said, Carpenter clearly retains a flair for nerve-snapping tension and breaks new ground by including enough graphic gore to satisfy fans of the Saw series. There are passing nods here to cult classics including Shock Corridor, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and The Shining, but The Ward is most similar in setting and theme to Scorsese's recent retro-schlockfest, Shutter Island. Carpenter's polished B-movie is hardly a glorious return to form, but it looks pleasingly glossy, moves along at a lively pace, and presses all the right slasher-shocker buttons. Next time, we can only hope the celebrated pulp-horror maestro chooses a script worthy of his talents.
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
Tree of Hell
Starring: Raed Zeno, Hadi Awada, Dr Mohammad Abdalla
Director: Raed Zeno
Rating: 4/5
Results
2-15pm: Commercial Bank Of Dubai – Conditions (TB) Dh100,000 (Dirt) 1,400m; Winner: Al Habash, Patrick Cosgrave (jockey), Bhupat Seemar (trainer)
2.45pm: Al Shafar Investment – Handicap (TB) Dh80,000 (D) 1,200m; Winner: Day Approach, Ray Dawson, Ahmad bin Harmash
3.15pm: Dubai Real estate Centre – Handicap (TB) Dh80,000 (D) 1,600m; Winner: Celtic Prince, Richard Mullen, Rashed Bouresly
3.45pm: Jebel Ali Sprint by ARM Holding – Listed (TB) Dh500,000 (D) 1,000m; Winner: Khuzaam, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson
4.15pm: Shadwell – Conditions (TB) Dh100,000 (D) 1,600m; Winner: Tenbury Wells, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer
4.45pm: Jebel Ali Stakes by ARM Holding – Listed (TB) Dh500,000 (D) 1,950m; Winner: Lost Eden, Andrea Atzeni, Doug Watson
5.15pm: Jebel Ali Racecourse – Handicap (TB) Dh76,000 (D) 1,950m; Winner: Rougher, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson
ABU%20DHABI'S%20KEY%20TOURISM%20GOALS%3A%20BY%20THE%20NUMBERS
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MATCH INFO
Champions League quarter-final, first leg
Ajax v Juventus, Wednesday, 11pm (UAE)
Match on BeIN Sports
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
COMPANY PROFILE
● Company: Bidzi
● Started: 2024
● Founders: Akshay Dosaj and Asif Rashid
● Based: Dubai, UAE
● Industry: M&A
● Funding size: Bootstrapped
● No of employees: Nine
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
The specs
Engine: Long-range single or dual motor with 200kW or 400kW battery
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Max touring range: 620km / 590km
Price: From Dh250,000 (estimated)
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MATCH INFO
Serie A
Juventus v Fiorentina, Saturday, 8pm (UAE)
Match is on BeIN Sports
A%20QUIET%20PLACE
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Singham Again
Director: Rohit Shetty
Stars: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Deepika Padukone
Rating: 3/5
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MATCH INFO
World Cup 2022 qualifier
UAE v Indonesia, Thursday, 8pm
Venue: Al Maktoum Stadium, Dubai