His passion for the arts is matched equally, or even more so, by his passion for food and cuisine, especially that stemming from his own Italian heritage and now, with National Geographic, he embarks on an incredibly moving documentary to capture the stories and cuisine of his ancestral homeland of Italy in Tucci in Italy. And it is just a real joy to watch.

National Geographic invites audiences on a mouthwatering journey with Academy Award®-nominee and Emmy, and Golden Globe-winner Stanley Tucci in Tucci In Italy. Produced by Tucci’s SALT Productions and BBC Studios Specialist Factual Productions, the five-part series follows Tucci across Italy’s stunning landscapes as he explores the deep connections between food, culture and history. More than a travelogue, it’s a rich, narrative-driven dive into the country’s iconic culinary traditions. Along the way, Tucci meets locals, chefs, artisans—and even cowboys—to uncover hidden gems and untold stories with National Geographic’s signature storytelling and his trademark wit. Tucci indulges in a Sienese feast in Tuscany, samples farm-to-table innovation in Lombardy, and rediscovers Lazio’s rustic soul. For the first time, he visits Trentino-Alto Adige for pine needle pesto in the Alps and explores Abruzzo’s wild seafood rituals atop a centuries-old trabocco. This is Italy like you’ve never seen it—flavourful, heartfelt and unforgettable.

In recent years, Stanley Tucci’s passion and love for food and cuisine has become rapidly apparent to the masses everywhere. Not only did he break the internet when he took to Instagram to make the perfect Negroni, but he’s produced two acclaimed food memoirs, 2021’s Tatse and 2024’s recently published What I Ate In One Year, all written with his trademark wit and passion, and showcasing his exuberance for life and the joys of the senses.

Now he teams with National Geographic for an incredibly rich and moving new documentary experience in Tucci In Italy, which follows on from his work showcased in Stanley Tucci: Searching For Italy and sees him explore the customs, culture and cuisine of five diverse landscapes across Italy: Tuscany, Lombardy, Trentino-Alto Adige, Abruzzo and Lazio. And his journey will prime your palette and make you salivate with all he presents.

Tucci explores all of these regions with an open mind, and his genial, gentlemanly persona is fully displayed. Audiences will bask in the joy and happiness that he experiences as he highlights the region, its characters and most importantly, its food. He takes audiences from the height of dining opulence in Michelin starred-restaurants to back alley locally owned family establishments, and even into the very homes of the people he meets where he is welcomed warmly and is treated to a gorgeous array of dishes and specialities from each of the regions. Tucci’s conversations with the people he meets are open, friendly and polished, with intuitiveness to learn about how their food shapes their lives and the national flavour of Italy itself.

Many surprises are in store for audiences, and Stanley’s journey opens him up to many new discoveries that he never previously learnt about Italian cooking, which is very much infused by the landscape in which it is made. The dishes are bountiful, and he looks on with keen interest and devoted love at each new dish and recipe that he is introduced to. But more than that, it is the stories that he comes to witness and the people he meets, and with open interest and empathy, as he listens to with his full heart across his travels, and these moments are certain to warm your heart.

Tucci in Italy offers a comforting escape, inviting viewers to immerse themselves in its tranquil charm. As Stanley Tucci shares his deep passion for food and culture, the series becomes a heartwarming journey that resonates with anyone who appreciates the beauty of culinary experiences and personal connections and is a delightful reminder of the joy that comes from exploring the world around us.

Tucci In Italy is streaming NOW on Disney+

Image: Walt Disney Pictures

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Cardinal Thomas Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes) is tasked with one of the world’s most secretive and ancient events, participating in the selection of a new pope. Surrounded by powerful religious leaders in the halls of the Vatican, he soon uncovers a trail of deep secrets that could shake the very foundation of the Roman Catholic Church.

Edward Berger cements his status as one of contemporary cinema’s most visionary filmmakers with Conclave, a haunting and masterfully crafted tale of political intrigue and spiritual crisis. This is a film that grips you from its opening moments and holds you in its thrall until its final, soul-stirring frame. Adapted from Robert Harris’ novel, Conclave unfolds in the aftermath of the pope’s death, as the College of Cardinals convenes to elect a new pontiff. At the centre of this intense drama is Cardinal Thomas Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes), a man grappling with his own crisis of faith while navigating the treacherous political machinations within the Vatican. Berger’s direction transforms this story into a gripping thriller, one that feels both deeply intimate and grand in its scope.

Ralph Fiennes delivers what might be the performance of his career as Cardinal Thomas Lawrence. His portrayal is layered and profound, capturing a man torn between duty and doubt, conviction and despair. Fiennes commands every scene, imbuing Lawrence with a quiet intensity that becomes all the more compelling as the film’s secrets unfold. His nuanced performance reveals a man at war with himself, his faith tested to its breaking point as he confronts the weight of his responsibilities and the darkness within the institution he serves.

What sets Fiennes apart in this role is his ability to convey the internal conflict of Cardinal Lawrence with minimal dialogue, using subtle shifts in expression and body language to communicate the profound turmoil beneath the surface. From the quiet moments of prayer, where his eyes betray a haunting sense of doubt, to the explosive confrontations with his fellow cardinals, where his voice quivers with a mix of anger and desperation, Fiennes brings a raw vulnerability to the character. His portrayal is a masterclass in restraint, allowing the audience to feel every ounce of Lawrence’s struggle without ever overplaying the drama. As the narrative progresses and secrets are unearthed, Fiennes’ performance only grows more riveting. He captures the heartbreak of a man who begins to see the cracks in the very foundation of his beliefs yet must maintain a facade of strength and composure in the face of mounting pressure. The layers of his character unfold with each revelation, culminating in a series of emotionally charged moments that are as devastating as they are cathartic. His performance anchors the film, providing a deeply human perspective amidst the grandeur and political intrigue of the Vatican.

The supporting cast is equally stellar, each bringing depth and nuance to their roles. Stanley Tucci shines as Cardinal Bellini, whose liberal ideals clash with the institution’s traditions, yet who remains a trusted confidant to Lawrence, even if in this feverish election for the papacy, their opinions begin to clash. John Lithgow is delightfully sinister as the manipulative Cardinal Tremblay, his ambitions simmering beneath a veneer of civility. And Isabella Rossellini is a revelation as Sister Agnes, the enigmatic keeper of the Vatican’s deepest secrets. Her performance is a masterclass in subtlety, adding a layer of mystery and wisdom to the narrative.

Visually, Conclave is nothing short of breathtaking. Stéphane Fontaine’s cinematography captures the grandeur and opulence of the Vatican with a painterly quality, evoking the works of the Baroque masters. Every frame is meticulously composed, a testament to Berger’s exacting vision. Complementing this visual splendour is Volker Bertelmann’s hypnotic and operatic score, which elevates the film’s emotional and thematic weight.

At its heart, Conclave is more than a political thriller. It is an exploration of faith, truth, and the human condition. The film poses challenging questions about belief, integrity, and the nature of power, all while maintaining a taut narrative pace that keeps you on the edge of your seat. It is as intellectually stimulating as it is emotionally resonant, a rare combination that sets it apart as a cinematic triumph.

Conclave is a testament to the power of cinema to provoke thought and stir the soul. With Edward Berger’s masterful direction, Ralph Fiennes’ towering performance, and its rich tapestry of themes and visuals, this is a film that will linger in your mind long after the credits roll.

Image: Roadshow Films

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Watch the full trailer for Conclave below:

Here’s the official synopsis:

Cardinal Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes), tasked with finding the successor to the deceased Pope, discovers the former Pope had a secret that must be uncovered.

Leading from the front with Conclave is two-time Academy Award nominee Ralph Fiennes, who takes on the role of Cardinal Lawrence, a highly intelligent, thoughtful and questioning Cardinal who is given the responsibility to host the conclave that will elect the new Pope to rule over the Catholic faith, and who in his duty discovers a dangerous conspiracy that threatens the very foundation of the Church itself.

Fiennes brings his considerable presence and range to bear in the role of Cardinal Lawrence, who begins to suffer from a severe crisis of faith as he is encircled by a nest of vipers, all with their own ambitions as they vie to lead the church into the future.

A stacked supporting cast lends their considerable talents to the picture, including Sergio Castellito as the rigidly conservative Tedesco, John Lithgow as the potentially corrupt Tremblay, Stanley Tucci as the modest (and liberal) Bellini, and Carlos Diehz as the intriguing Benitez. All of these actors have a considerable force of drama at their disposal, and all will bring their aptitude for theatrics to this picture. And it shows in this gripping first trailer.

From the movement of this trailer, it’s clear that Berger is ramping up the energy with Conclave. The tension and stress placed upon Fiennes’ Cardinal Lawrence lead to a cinematic event that is a pure boiling point of intrigue and double-dealing, and you’ll be holding on for dear life with this picture.

Audiences seeking a highly intelligent piece of cinema that offers a pure rush of thrilling intrigue will be in for a very special cinema experience when Conclave arrives on the big screen on January 9, 2025.

Image: Roadshow Films

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Sam (Colin Firth) and Tusker (Stanley Tucci), partners for 20 years, travel across England to the Lake District, reuniting with friends and family. As Tusker is diagnosed with early onset dementia, the pair spend as much time together as they can before Tusker dies.

Best described as a simple story of two people on one last road trip together, Supernova is a broad study of the notions of love and how we react when we have to come to terms with its loss. Director Harry Macqueen focuses on the examination of the interpersonal relationship that exists between our protagonists, Sam and Tusker, a loving couple who have made a life together and who are now faced with a sad future that can’t be turned back. Macqueen’s focus is on the silent moments that exist between these two characters, and his resulting film is sure to have you welling up in tears.

Colin Firth takes the lead in Supernova as Sam, an esteemed concert pianist who has long given up on his art, and who has to come to terms with a future that neither he nor his lover could have ever predicted. Firth’s performance as Sam is one shadowed by grief and the inevitable, and this is a side to Firth that we’ve never really seen before. His focus as an actor in this film is pinned to one emotion alone, and as he desperately fights for every last moment with his beloved Tusker we see a man coming to terms with the inevitable and undergoing the most profoundly human moments of his life. Firth’s performance is compellingly brave and he really invests his audience in the narrative and character study presented in Supernova.

Playing opposite Firth in Supernova is Stanley Tucci, and as he is prone to do he completely steals the movie in every single scene. As a lauded and respected writer, Tusker is a totally extraverted character and is the centre of attention in every scene he appears in. He is also suffering from early-onset dementia, and a deep pain is brought on by his condition that he can’t escape. Tucci is amazing in his performance going from the life and soul of the party in one moment, to a complete shell of a man in the next. His performance is entirely honest in its realness, and anyone who has lived with a relative who has suffered from dementia will see his performance and assert its realness. Tucci’s bravery is to be celebrated with this performance and I assert that he’s never been better in a role.

Both Firth and Tucci are brilliant in their performances, and you feel the weight of emotions that exists between them and the end that awaits their great love due to an uncontrollable condition and outcome. Supernova is a film about how we must say goodbye, and how in essence the act of saying goodbye to the one we love is the ultimate expression of our love for that person, in that we will continue to hold onto their memory, and onto them because of this. I myself found this film incredibly hard to watch, having lost members of my own family to dementia while now still witnessing others suffering from such an awful affliction, and Macqueen’s film is a powerful love letter to the expression of love and care we give to those in our lives.

Supernova is a film that pulls at your heart from the very start right on through to the very end. You feel every emotion with this one, and it’s hard not to well up at the sight of these two people having yo say goodbye to one another. It’s an utterly beautiful piece of cinema and one the audience should hold onto for it takes us to the very centre of what it means to love.

Image: MadMen Films

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Set in Paris in 1964, Final Portrait tells the story of the meeting between acclaimed writer James Lord (Hammer) and master painter Alberto Giacometti (Rush) and the long journey they both took together to craft a piece of remarkable artwork.

I must first say that I myself was unaware of the work of Giacometti when I first saw this film, but following it I research the artist in great depth. I was fascinated to learn of his story and of how he stunned the contemporary art world of the 1950s and 1960s with his extraordinary genius. Tucci is himself a lifelong admirer of Giacometti’s work and in watching this film you feel his passion for this story and the subject that it explores. With Final Portrait he dissect’s the intention and the madness of what it means to create, and how the idea of creation affects both the lives of the artist (Giacometti) and the subject (Lord).

Key to Final Portrait’s success is Tucci’s selection of his principal cast members, Geoffrey Rush and Armie Hammer. With Rush, he taps into Giacometti’s immense self-loathing that plagued the artist for the majority of his life, and the inadequacy that he felt as a creative. As Giacometti Rush is demanding, temperamental, standoffish, obsessive and depressive. Traits that are all with-in keeping with the real-life Giacometti, and while as an audience member I initially saw Rush, by the end of the film I was only seeing Giacometti. The actor’s performance is so good and is so far from Rush’s own general optimistic outlook on life that to not applaud him for his performance would be criminal.

Juxtaposing Rush’s self-loathing as Giacometti through all of this is Hammer’s portrayal of Lord, who while enamoured by Giacometti’s style begins to falter when he see’s how destructive the artist is in his life. But while it would be easy to see it as a depressing tale, Tucci provides the film with plenty of light-hearted moments, as well as the fascinating conversations that follow between Giacometti and Lord as they work together to create Lord’s portrait. Ultimately what Hammer’s Lord comes to understand is that all this anger and frustration is just a part of Giacometti’s process and that this frustration is driven by his desire to create extraordinary works, which the painter invariably did with Lord’s portrait.

While Final Portrait is essentially a character study of two artists and is not driven by action or movement, Tucci does ground his film in a superb setting. His production design, cinematography and costuming mimics the gorgeousness of the French New Wave. Think Chabrol, Truffaut and Godard, French masters of the art of cinema who created works that were completely elegant and packed out with sizzling style. From the inclusion of vintage cars to Hammer’s mod suits and skinny black ties, Final Portrait is packed out with details that will really resonate with film connoisseurs.

If you want to experience a deep meditation on what it means to be creative then Final Portrait is a film worth experiencing. It will make you ponder how you see forms of creativity, and will make you think about what art, and it’s expression, really means to you.

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