Posts

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

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

‘Explosive’ secret list of abusers set to upstage women’s big week at Cannes film festival

Crisis management team reported to be in place as Meryl Streep heads roster of female stars and directors collecting accolades For good and bad reasons, on and off the red carpet, the spotlight is trained on women in the run-up to the Cannes film festival this week. As the cream of female film talent, including Hollywood’s Meryl Streep and Britain’s Andrea Arnold, prepare to receive significant career awards, a dark cloud is threatening. It is expected that new allegations of the abuse of women in the European entertainment industry will be made public, which may overshadow the sparkle of a feminist Croisette. Streep’s screen achievements will be celebrated with an honorary Palme d’Or at the opening ceremony, while a day later Arnold, the acclaimed British film director, will receive the prestigious Carosse d’Or from the French director’s guild. And on Sunday another influential British film personality will be saluted when diversity champion Dame Donna Langley, the chairman and chi

Kristen Stewart says Hollywood’s self-congratulation over gender equality ‘feels phony’

The actor said that making movies by a small number of female film-makers was not cause for celebration. ‘You’re like, OK, cool. You’ve chosen four’ Kristen Stewart has chastised Hollywood’s efforts at gender equality, saying that the industry clapping itself on the back for an embrace of female film-makers “feels phony”. Speaking to Porter magazine for the release of Love Lies Bleeding , a violent romance set in the world of female bodybuilding, Stewart said much of the high-profile greenlighting of female stories was lip service. Continue reading... from Film | The Guardian https://ift.tt/kYyfPjw via IFTTT

‘I want to make movies for my people’: Jane Schoenbrun on making a soon-to-be cult classic

The writer-director’s film I Saw the TV Glow brings together themes of fandom, pop culture obsession and trans identity For the writer-director Jane Schoenbrun, making their highly anticipated follow-up to the breakout indie horror We’re All Going to the World’s Fair was a starkly different process. While their debut cost about $100,000 to make and felt like the result of 10 people running wild in the woods somewhere, far off the grid, I Saw the TV Glow was something else entirely: a budget larger than anything they had worked with before, a giant machine where everything had to move in careful synchronization. “It was so different that it was almost like working in a different medium,” Schoenbrun said. “I really tried to take advantage of that with this film. I tried to make something that could be like almost painted. So many images in this film were so labored over.” Continue reading... from Film | The Guardian https://ift.tt/ayVw5QJ via IFTTT

Streaming: Monkey Man and the best revenge movies

Dev Patel’s seething directorial debut joins a thriving genre, from the bloody violence of Tarantino and John Wick to the comic rage of The First Wives Club In real life, most of us don’t get that many opportunities to exact revenge on someone. A passive-aggressive comeback maybe, but that’s not quite the same. In the movies, however, as in Greek mythology, vengeance is one of the driving forces of storytelling: revenge films, both aggressively bloody and more benign, provide cathartic wish-fulfilment for our own petty grievances and unsettled scores. In Dev Patel’s seething directorial debut Monkey Man , the quest is familiar – as his streetwise hero seeks retribution for his mother’s murder – but the sheer gusto of his vengeance is invigorating, down to driving a dagger into a villain’s throat with his teeth. The modern revenge movie is largely characterised by such kinetic action and extreme violence, best exemplified by the John Wick franchise (directly namechecked in Monkey Man

Cannes film festival faces strike disruption over seasonal workers’ rights

Group will protest against government’s treatment of freelance workers at festivals across France The Cannes film festival is facing strike action as it opens next week and could see protests by projectionists, floor managers and press agents who are demanding changes to the French government’s treatment of seasonal film festival staff. The festival on France’s Côte d’Azur has faced major strike action only once before, during the student protests and workers’ strikes that began in May 1968. Continue reading... from Film | The Guardian https://ift.tt/Ruf7FzE via IFTTT

Ananya Panday’s humorous approach towards Met Gala 2024 theme ‘Sleeping Beauties- Reawakening Fashion’

Ananya Panday has been known for her anomalous sense of humour and makes her fans snicker every now and then with her hilarious captions and reels. Few hours ago, she posted a chucklesome picture on her story which seemed to be inspired by this year’s Met Gala theme ‘Sleeping Beauties’. In the picture the actress can be seen getting her makeup done while serenely dozing off with multiple cushions on a sofa while her makeup artist does her sparkling magic giving the actress a special glow. Giving a peak into her vanity Ananya comically enclosed it with “Sleeping Beauties-reawakening fashion,” touching on the Met Gala 2024’s theme. Ananya recently introduced her new family member Riot to her fans by posting a few bewitching pictures of the little puppy which involved an adorable picture of her alongside the pup followed by several pictures of the pup alone. She delightfully captioned it, “Guys, say hello to my baby jaan - “RIOT”. He is the cutest little boy in the whole wide world and

‘I love erotic thrillers, but this so isn’t one’: Damian Hurley on directing his mother, Elizabeth, in a ‘sensual mystery’

At 22, Damian Hurley has made his first feature film, in which his very famous mum is snogged and fondled by her female co-star. He talks about being a nepo baby, finally getting to vote, and coping with the deaths of his father and stepfather Orson Welles was 25 when he directed Citizen Kane . What took him so long? He should have pulled his finger out like Damian Hurley, son of the model and actor Elizabeth Hurley, who was just 20 when he called “Action!” on his own debut, Strictly Confidential. It was filmed on Saint Kitts and Nevis, and could double as a tourist-board commercial for those Caribbean islands were it not for the murder and skulduggery, or lines such as: “You’ve been fucking your dead sister’s boyfriend!” In his journey to the director’s chair, Hurley, who has a lucrative modelling career, has faced few obstacles. He was given a camcorder at the age of eight. His early shorts starred his mother and her ex, Hugh Grant, who happens also to be one of his godfathers. (El

Peter Weir to receive Golden Lion for lifetime achievement at Venice film festival

Australian director of Gallipoli and Dead Poets Society praised by festival for his impact in Hollywood ‘while keeping his distance from the American movie industry’ Peter Weir, the Australian director and screenwriter behind The Truman Show, Dead Poets Society and Gallipoli, will receive a prestigious Golden Lion award for lifetime achievement at this year’s Venice film festival. “With a total of only 13 movies directed over the course of 40 years, Peter Weir has secured a place in the firmament of great directors of modern cinema,” said the festival’s artistic director, Alberto Barbera, on Thursday. Continue reading... from Film | The Guardian https://ift.tt/5gpaAN6 via IFTTT

Prabhas joins Akshay Kumar in Vishnu Manchu's epic actioner Kannappa, elevating it to a Pan-India project

Amidst much anticipation, Prabhas, the renowned actor from the south, steps into the realm of Vishnu Manchu's ambitious project, Kannappa. His addition to the ensemble cast, which already boasts the likes of Akshay Kumar, Mohan Babu, Mohanlal, and Brahmanandam, amplifying the film's Pan-Indian appeal and magnitude. Directed by Mukesh Kumar Singh, Kannappa intricately weaves the tale of Bhakta Kannappa's unwavering devotion to Lord Shiva, promising a cinematic journey of epic proportions. Vishnu Manchu, the visionary behind Kannappa, expresses his delight at Prabhas's involvement, highlighting the actor's dedication and versatility. He remarked, “With my dear friend Prabhas onboard, Kannappa emerges as a true Pan-Indian magnum opus, uniting stars from diverse linguistic backgrounds.” The synergy between Prabhas, Akshay Kumar, and Mohanlal reinforces the film's status as a cultural phenomenon transcending regional boundaries, promising a cinematic experience lik

Iranian director Mohammad Rasoulof sentenced to eight years in prison and flogging

Rasoulof is one of Iran’s leading directors and his film The Seed of the Sacred Fig is due to premiere at Cannes film festival The Iranian director Mohammad Rasoulof has been sentenced to eight years in prison, flogging, a fine and the confiscation of property, his lawyer has confirmed. Writing on X , Babak Paknia, a human rights lawyer representing Rasoulof, said that the judgment was confirmed in a court of appeal and the case had now been sent for enforcement. Continue reading... from Film | The Guardian https://ift.tt/PZmzype via IFTTT