The best Steven Spielberg films, chosen by directors, critics and super-fans: ‘pure popcorn perfection’

-
From franchise hits to historical epics, joyous musicals to autobiographical family sagas: Steven Spielberg has done it all. As his latest sci-fi film Disclosure Day is released, film-makers, authors and Guardian critics reveal which of his movies means the most to them Steven Spielberg is often described as the inventor of the “event movie” – or as the creator of our new age of IP supremacy, in which the genre property is more important than any above-the-title film star. But that isn’t quite it. He came of age in the American new wave era but in spirit belonged neither to that nor fully to Hollywood’s golden age studio system that preceded it. In fact, he synthesised both into a directing style that was audacious and fluent. He availed himself of the subversiveness of the new wave, and yet was classically oriented, drawing upon his love of – and alienation from – the all-American suburb, making him the Edward Hopper or the Andrew Wyeth of the movies. Tellingly, it was François Truffa...
Post a Comment

‘Why are our black boys hurting each other?’ Letitia Wright on the deaths that inspired her directorial debut

-

The Black Panther star made her name with intense roles in indie films before Marvel came calling. Now she’s telling her own stories, starting with a cast of ‘young kings’

Days before we meet, Letitia Wright found herself cheek-by-jowl with a far-right march in London. This is the year when St George’s flags have been displayed in suburban windows and tied to lamp-posts, and when thousands of people – some more intimidating than others, especially to people of colour – have marched on the centre of the capital and beyond. A friend of Wright’s was visiting the city, and they had moseyed down to the South Bank, unaware of what awaited them. “It was jam-packed,” she says, recalling their struggle to get out of the fray. “I  was in the middle of it, and then I was out of it. They were doing their thing – and I was doing mine.”

The actor has played refugees twice: once in the BBC Three drama Glasgow Girls, where she portrayed a Somali teenager, Amal, and then in the 2022 film Aisha, where she took on the role of a woman from Nigeria navigating Ireland’s often Kafkaesque immigration system. With this insight – and as a black woman – how does it feel to see far-right rhetoric being spread in the way that it is now? “Sometimes people need to see the humanity behind these things that they assume the worst of, which isn’t true,” she says. “And I’m an immigrant, my parents are immigrants … It’s an interesting conversation. And it’s interesting to see [it unfold] in a country that has done so much to other countries historically …” She was close to the London Eye when she caught sight of the march, but also a rainbow in the sky. “I try and find the peace,” she says, sounding – understandably – a little exhausted by it all.

Continue reading...

from Film | The Guardian https://ift.tt/RUzbMwy
via IFTTT

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Miracle Club review – Maggie Smith can’t save this rocky road trip to Lourdes

-
Laura Linney is upstaged by older co-stars Smith and Kathy Bates in this sentimental tale about a group of Dublin women who go on a spiritual journey together Who’s up for a golden-hued heartwarmer set in 60s Ireland starring Kathy Bates and Maggie Smith about women with secret fears and dreams going on a church trip to Lourdes and finally finding the real miracle is their new compassion for each other? The answer to this question could well have been … me. I have a liking for a gentle tale and there is nothing necessarily wrong with, just occasionally, showing Ireland and the church of this period with something other than outrage and horror. But The Miracle Club does not at any time, to use a discredited metaphor, throw away its crutches and walk. And it’s painful to note that this is largely because of the way film can’t convincingly use that estimable actor Laura Linney in a central role. She is upstaged by the older, fruitier performances and doesn’t hold her own with a more seri...
Read more

‘I lost a friend of almost 40 years’: Nancy Meyers pays tribute to Diane Keaton

-
Film-maker who directed Keaton in Something’s Gotta Give, and wrote Baby Boom and Father of the Bride, says ‘we have lost a giant’ Film-maker Nancy Meyers has paid tribute to the late Diane Keaton, her “friend of almost 40 years” and collaborator on celebrated comedies Something’s Gotta Give, Baby Boom and Father of the Bride. On Monday, Meyers wrote on Instagram that she’d had a difficult 48 hours since Keaton’s death was announced on Saturday, but “seeing all of your tributes to Diane has been a comfort.” Continue reading... from Film | The Guardian https://ift.tt/TFc820j via IFTTT
Read more

Malaika Arora scolds 16-year-old dancer for inappropriate gestures: “He is winking, giving flying kisses”

-
Bollywood diva Malaika Arora found herself at the center of an unexpected controversy during the filming of Hip Hop India Season 2. The popular dance reality show, judged by Arora alongside choreographer-director Remo D’Souza, took an awkward turn when a 16-year-old contestant made suggestive gestures toward her during his performance. The incident, which left Malaika visibly uncomfortable, was captured on video and has since gone viral. What Happened on Hip Hop India Season 2? The incident unfolded during a recent episode of Hip Hop India Season 2, which streams on Amazon MX Player and showcases India’s top hip-hop talent. While judging a contestant’s performance, Malaika noticed the young dancer directing inappropriate gestures her way, including winking and blowing flying kisses. Clearly taken aback, the actress and fitness icon didn’t hold back her disapproval. In the now-viral footage, she can be heard reprimanding the teenager, sternly demanding, “Mummy ka phone number do!” (Giv...
Read more