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Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F review – fish-out-of-water Eddie Murphy chases past glories

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Murphy’s maverick cop – and his theme music – are back to fight corruption, but four decades on there’s little energy to enliven their formulaic reunion Eddie Murphy isn’t finished yet – as he proved with his barnstormer of a performance as Blaxploitation pioneer Rudy Ray Moore in Dolemite Is My Name . But there’s something a bit tired and formulaic about this further go-around for his iconic Detroit cop Axel Foley from the Beverly Hills Cop action-comedy franchise which 40 years ago made Murphy an explosive Hollywood star – and whose catchy Axel F theme became an 80s anthem, duly revived here. He’s back for the fourth film, yet again leaving his Detroit turf to be a scruffy fish-out-of-water in the hilariously chi-chi world of Beverly Hills, yet again wryly noticing from the wheel of his car, on the way in, a montage of all the crazy California stuff, including a car registration plate reading: PRE-NUP. Axel’s grownup lawyer daughter Jane (Taylour Paige) is in Beverly Hills, menace
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Selfiee star Akshay Kumar lauds PM Narendra Modi asking party workers to not comment on films to grab headlines; says, "He is India’s biggest influencer"

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Akshay Kumar, who launched the trailer of Selfiee on Sunday, lauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi's remark who cautioned BJP leaders to not make unnecessary comments on movies, and personalities. This came in after protests against Pathaan in multiple states. During the BJP National Executive meeting in New Delhi, PM Modi said last week, “No one should make unnecessary comments that would overshadow the hard work we do." At the trailer launch of Selfiee on Sunday, Akshay Kumar was asked about PM Modi's remarks. He said, “Positivity is always welcome. And if our Prime Minister is saying something like this. He is India’s biggest influencer. If he is saying something and if things change it’ll be great for the industry. And why not, things should change, because we go through so much." “We make films, go to the censor board, get them passed and then someone says something and phir gadbad ho jati hai (it becomes messy). But now that he’s said it, I think it’ll be bet
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Eileen review – Anne Hathaway transfixes in off-kilter thriller

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Sundance film festival: the Oscar winner gives a pitch-perfect turn in an adaptation of Ottessa Moshfegh’s hit novel that doesn’t push its weirdness far enough There’s a fantastically well-measured performance from Anne Hathaway in the strange, if not quite strange enough, thriller Eileen, an adaptation of Ottessa Moshfegh’s Booker prize-shortlisted novel . She’s an actor who doesn’t always find her sweet spot, admirably trying to show extensive range for a star of her high wattage, yet often not proving to be the right match for her material, big swings frustratingly filed away as big misses. Hathaway has an outsized energy that can jar with roles that require a performer who can more convincingly, quietly disappear, and so in Eileen, where her character Rebecca is exploding into the drab world of 1960s Massachusetts as a glamorous, and potentially dangerous, bombshell, it’s a match-up that feels like kismet. Her arrival is a ground-shifter for bored 24-year-old Eileen (Thomasin Mc
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Polite Society review – inventive action comedy soars, then falters

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Sundance film festival: We Are Lady Parts creator Nida Manzoor’s initially refreshing film follows two sisters torn apart by impending marriage but a big swing is taken that sinks what follows Polite Society, the feature debut from British writer-director Nida Manzoor, traffics in several familiar lanes: the coming-of-age high school comedy, a Bollywood movie, the light gravity-bending and slo-mo shots of a martial arts flick. Its particular flavor, however, is immediately distinctive and winning – at least at first. The 104-minute film from the creator of the TV series We Are Lady Parts has one of the most refreshing first halves of a comedy that I’ve seen, with a promising set-up: genuine sibling concern over what an older sister’s engagement means for their bond and creative dreams, crossed with a teenage girl’s capacity for self-centered fantasies. The younger sister in question is Ria Khan, played by delightful newcomer Priya Kansara, a London-based Pakistani Muslim girl who dr
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Cat Person review – viral short story becomes violent big screen thriller

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Sundance film festival: Kristen Roupenian’s nuanced internet-breaking story of modern dating is uneasily turned into a more literal horror As utterly inescapable as Kristen Roupenian’s viral, pop culture-piercing New Yorker short story Cat Person was in 2017, it didn’t seem like an obvious fit for any form of adaptation – a button-pushing speed-read that was as popular as it was self-contained. It told the story of a 20-year-old female student who briefly dates a schlubby, unreadable guy in his mid-30s (who may or may not have cats) in a way that many found instantly, uncomfortably, relatable. It was messy and uneasy and ultimately rather chilling as briefly dating someone can often be. Its success was such that more was sought, insisted upon even. Its author got a book deal (a collection of short stories that landed with a bit of a thud) and sold a spec script (for Gen Z whodunnit Bodies Bodies Bodies, which was ultimately almost entirely rewritten). Cat Person was bought for exte
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Rajkumar Santoshi and Sunny Deol to team up after 27 years for Lahore: 1947, film expected to go on floors soon

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Rajkumar Santoshi and Sunny Deol were a formidable director-actor pair in the 1990s with films like Ghayal , Damini and Ghatak gaining the status of iconic films. Following this, the two did try coming together again but things never fell in place. But now, after around 27 years, the two have joined hands for a film titled Lahore: 1947 . Santoshi shared the news during a conversation with PinkVilla. He also revealed that the film will go on floors soon and it will be “bigger” than his earlier films with Sunny. “Yes, my immediate next film is called Lahore: 1947 . It’s set against the backdrop of partition with Sunny Deol in lead. Sunny and I were trying to make a film for a long time but nothing worked out. But now, I am confident that this film will be bigger than Ghayal , Damini and Ghatak ,” said the filmmaker. Sharing more details about the shoot, Santoshi added, “If everything goes as planned, we will take the film on floors from March 1 in Mumbai. We will be creating Lahore
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Nora Fatehi was always jealous of Jacqueline Fernandez, claims conman Sukesh Chandrasekhar: “Nora used to try calling me at least 10 times a day”

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Nora Fatehi and Jacqueline Fernandez have been in the headlines for almost a year for their alleged involvement with conman Sukesh Chandrasekhar who is in jail in Rs 200 crores extortion case. Both the actresses have been questioned by the Economic Offences Wings and Enforcement Directorate respectively. In a recent development, the EOW filed a supplementary chargesheet in connection to the case. Meanwhile, Sukesh claimed that Nora was always jealous of Jacqueline. As reported by NDTV, Sukesh, in a press statement issued through his lawyers Anant Malik and AK Singh, claimed that Nora Fatehi was always brainwashing him against Jacqueline Fernandez and that she wanted him to leave her and date Nora. “Nora used to try calling me at least 10 times a day and if I don't answer the call, she used to keep on calling me,” Sukesh claimed. “As I and Jacqueline were in a serious relationship, I started avoiding Nora, but she kept irritating me by calling and also, asking me to help Bobby (N
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Baz Luhrmann: ‘I need freedom above all else’

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The film director, 60, on what inspires him, the life-changing meeting he had with his wife, and why running away from home was his first act of rebellion I grew up in a tiny country town in New South Wales, about 180 miles north of Sydney. It was like living on an island. There were 11 or so houses, and a gas station, and a farm. For a while we ran the local cinema. When my father came out of the Vietnam war we were forced to have extremely short hair. This was the 70s, when if you didn’t have long hair you were a dead person, so it was a big problem. My parents broke up, I got estranged from my dad, and ended up in Sydney with the freedom to grow my hair. I’ve got really curly hair, and all the mean kids at the Christian Brothers’ College I went to started calling me Basil Brush, which then became Baz, which I then painted on the side of my school bag. When I was 19 I changed my name by deed poll to Bazmark. I’d always thought Mark was a boring name. Continue reading... from F
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Jiah Khan suicide case: Special court directs CBI to expedite trial; Sooraj Pancholi’s lawyer claims agency is using tactics to delay the proceedings

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Bollywood actress Jiah Khan was one of India’s rising film stars. However, at the age of 25 in June 2013, she was found dead in her family’s apartment after she ended her life. Post her demise, Khan’s mother, Rabia Khan, accused actor Sooraj Pancholi of abetting the suicide of his then-girlfriend, Jiah. As per the latest development, a special court has directed the CBI to expedite trial into actor Jiah Khan’s death by summoning the remaining witnesses against Sooraj Pancholi. On Friday, Pancholi argued that the prosecution was purposefully dragging out the case and rejected the CBI's request for an adjournment. In response, the court said, “The prosecution is hereby directed to expedite the trial by calling the rest of the witnesses without fail.” Reportedly, Pancholi said in an application submitted through his attorney Prashant Patil that 19 witnesses had already been questioned in the ongoing case since 2014. His plea further added, “The last witness was examined on October
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Kangana Ranaut mortgages all her property for Emergency; says, “It may seem I sailed through it comfortably”

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Apart from her controversial statements on various ongoing matters, Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut is lately making headlines for her second directorial project, Emergency . The actress was busy shooting the film for the past few weeks. Now, after months of shooting, she has wrapped Emergency as an actor. Announcing the same, the actress penned an emotional note on her social media while revealing that she mortgaged all her property for this movie. On Saturday morning, the Queen actress took to her verified Instagram handle and dropped three BTS pictures from the sets of Emergency . In the photos, Kangana can be seen behind the camera, shouldering the responsibilities of a director. Meanwhile, she was also seen sporting the look of her character, Indira Gandhi. Captioning her post, the Tanu Weds Manu actress wrote, “As I wrap Emergency as an actor today…. a tremendously glorious phase of my life comes to its full completion… It may seem I sailed through it comfortably but the t
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Fair Play review – knockout thriller pits a couple against each other

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Sundance film festival: Phoebe Dynevor and Alden Ehrenreich give top-tier performances in a juicy crowd-pleaser about a couple competing at the same workplace In the first scene of the punchy Sundance thriller Fair Play, a New York couple, Luke (Alden Ehrenreich) and Emily (the Bridgerton breakout Phoebe Dynevor), are covered in blood. They’re at his brother’s wedding and are so desperately in heat for one another that they soon find themselves in the bathroom, him performing oral sex before group photos are taken. But Emily is on her period and between cleaning themselves off and laughing at the unfortunate timing, a ring falls out of Luke’s pocket and suddenly they’re engaged. A marriage forged in blood. It’s no real spoiler to say that it’s a nasty omen of what’s to come, the writer-director Chloe Domont’s ruthless, and ruthlessly entertaining, feature debut taking a happy young couple and throwing them into chaos. There’s something darkly gratifying about that formula, one we ha
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