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Mark Kermode on… Kathryn Bigelow, a stylish ruffler of feathers

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From vampire noir to Bin Laden, Point Break to Detroit, the first woman to win an Oscar for best director has never pulled her punches Watching new Jeff Nichols release The Bikeriders , starring Austin Butler and Tom Hardy as 60s Chicago greasers, I was reminded of two other movies: László Benedek’s 1953 Marlon Brando vehicle The Wild One , explicitly cited as an inspiration, and The Loveless , the 1981 feature debut of Kathryn Bigelow , the American film-maker (b.1951) who would go on to become the first woman to win a best director Oscar with her 2008 war drama The Hurt Locker . A symphony of leather-clad posing (with just a touch of Kenneth Anger ), The Loveless was a staple of the late-night circuit in the 80s, often on a double bill with David Lynch’s Eraserhead . Sharing directing credits with Monty Montgomery, Bigelow playfully deconstructed masculinity and machismo in a manner that was one part wry to two parts relish. I remember seeing The Loveless at the Phoenix in East
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Atomic Hope review – a powerful case for pressing the nuclear power button

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It’s not the first doc to herald the eco-nuclear movement but, even so, this is still a convincing argument in favour of the long-tabooed energy source Here is a film that returns us to a thorny revisionist subject which I haven’t seen aired in documentary form since the film Pandora’s Promise in 2013 – which isn’t mentioned here, though a poster for it is visible in one shot. For many environmentalists, the last realistic hope we have to avert climate disaster is the great unthinkable, the great unmentionable: stop worrying and learn to love nuclear energy, because nuclear is a colossally efficient and very clean energy source. Like Pandora’s Promise, Atomic Hope revisits the case studies of Chornobyl and Fukushima and argues that, although clearly catastrophic, a mythology of horror has grown up around these events that has stymied all debate and shut down thought. The film doesn’t say so, but another way the eco-nuclear movement became tainted was perhaps a speech by Margaret Tha
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Karan Johar refutes reports about signing a three-film deal with Sidharth Malhotra and Kiara Advani

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Sidharth Malhotra and Kiara Advani got married last week, much to the delight of their fans not only in India but all over the world. The keen excitement to see the first pictures of their wedding was proof enough of how much they trended online then. But there was another update that kept the couple in the news,. Some recent reports claimed that Sidharth and Kiara have signed a three-film deal with the filmmaker and producer Karan Johar. However, the head honcho of Dharma Productions has rubbished off all such reports as rumours. E Times quotes Karan replying to their question about whether he has signed a three-film deal with the two of them saying, “Not at all.” The publication also quoted a source saying that considering the relation Karan shares with the couple, he doesn’t need to sign any deal with them. “Sid and Kiara are very close to Karan Johar. He doesn’t need to bind them in any contract. All he has to do is ask them. And they will be a part of any film he offers them. The
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Finite: The Climate of Change review – powerful case against climate crisis fatigue

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Focusing on two communities where local activists are making a stand, Rich Felgate’s film is a corrective to what’s-the-point despair about the environment Climate activist-turned-film-maker Rich Felgate brings us two victories from the frontline of the environmental movement. If nothing else, his documentary makes a persuasive and powerful case against climate crisis fatigue: the helpless feeling that whatever you can do as an individual is too little, too late; and besides what’s the point when it’s fossil fuel companies driving the crisis? In County Durham, he joins locals who have been fighting off plans for a new open-cast coal mine in the gorgeous countryside of the Pont Valley for decades. He arrives as they mount a last-ditch battle, occupying the valley in a makeshift camp. The mining company needs to build an access road before its licence expires. The clock is ticking. Continue reading... from Film | The Guardian https://ift.tt/SXPKRDo via IFTTT
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Amazon Prime Video decides to defer the release of Nawazuddin Siddiqui starrer Tiku Weds Sheru

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It seems like Nawazuddin Siddiqui, who is wading through troubled waters is sinking deeper. While on one side his personal life is taking centre stage on social media, on the other we hear that the fallout has now affected his projects as well. If what the grapevine says is true, then apparently OTT streaming giant Amazon Prime Video, which had announced the release of the Nawazuddin Siddiqui starrer Tiku Weds Sheru, has now decided to defer the release of the film. Revealing details about the same a source close to the development informed Bollywood Hungama, “Earlier this year Amazon Prime Video held a massive press conference where they announced a number of shows and films that were to release in 2023. Among them was the Nawazuddin Siddiqui starrer Tiku Weds Sheru. Though there was no date, Prime Video did claim that the film would release this year. However, now looking at the issues Nawaz is facing, the streaming giant has decided to defer the release and put it on the back burner
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Send us your questions for Michael Douglas

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Itching to ask the actor and director something? Send it our way and we’ll put it to him We’ve come up trumps this week: we’ve only gone and got Michael Douglas to do the reader interview. Yes, that Michael Douglas, the one you’ll recall interrogating Sharon Stone in that scene in Basic Instinct , or trying to order breakfast in Falling Down; or wearing that white stage suit as Liberace in Behind the Candelabra . He’s won two Oscars: best actor for the lizardly Gordon “Greed is good” Gekko in Wall Street and – amazingly – best picture for One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest , on which he served as producer (after buying the rights off his dad Kirk). Douglas has since joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Hank Pym, the quantum physicist who invents the Ant-Man shrinking technology. He has so far appeared in four Marvel films, including Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania , out this Friday, which is the reason we’re speaking to him. Continue reading... from Film | The Guardian https
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It’s official! Saif Ali Khan to play lead in the Hindi version of The Bridge

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Endemol Shine India, a Banijay company, and Black Knight Films have announced they will be adapting the hit Danish/Swedish scripted series, Bron/Broen (The Bridge).  The all-new original Hindi edition will star Saif Ali Khan, who will also jointly produce the project under the Black Knight Films banner. The concept of The Bridge has universal appeal, as it can be understood and appreciated by a global audience that is used to living in a world of borders. The show opens with a dead body discovered on a border that is shared by two countries - half the body lies in one and the other half in another. This discovery leads to a joint investigation by the police forces of the two regions, forcing detectives from both sides to work together to solve the crime. A gem from the Banijay library, the unique global premise of The Bridge has led to its adaptation in multiple languages, set across the international borders of US/Mexico, UK/France, Germany/Austria, Singapore/Malaysia and Russia/Eston
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The Subject review – white liberal guilt is big villain in death on camera drama

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In this timely but unsubtle film, Jason Biggs plays a documentary maker who questions his ethics after his wannabe-gangster subject is murdered This New York-set drama from 2020 was directed by Lanie Zipoy who died last year aged 49; it was on the ball in grappling with Black Lives Matter themes of systemic racism and white liberal guilt. The Subject poses thorny questions about the ethics of documenting marginalised black communities and what constitutes rightful representation – but proceeds at a dogged pace more suited to the stage (it’s written by playwright Chisa Hutchinson) and is perhaps a little too crude in setting up the character assassination of its hypocritical protagonist. American Pie’s Jason Biggs plays Phil Waterhouse, an award-winning documentary director feted for his harrowing latest work, whose subject, wannabe gang member Malcolm (Nile Bullock), was beaten to death in front of the camera. Phil has reaped the benefits: a swanky apartment, where he cosies up with
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Bigg Boss 16 contestant Priyanka Chahar Choudhary responds to reports about doing Shah Rukh Khan starrer Dunki and a Salman Khan film

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Popularly known for her role as Tejo in Udaariyaan, Priyanka Chahar Choudhary won hearts yet again on the reality show Bigg Boss 16. After becoming the top three finalists in the season, Priyanka, however, unfortunately lost the trophy to rapper MC Stan. But it seems that the actress has had a massive impact on the film fraternity along with other audiences. Reports of her being offered Shah Rukh Khan starrer Dunki and a Salman Khan film has been doing the rounds, and after the actress came out to the Bigg Boss house, she opened up on these reports. In an exclusive interview with ETimes, Priyanka Chahar Choudhary confessed that she is not aware of any such offers because she has not spoken to her team after coming out of the house. Readers may recall that the contestants have to be locked in the house until their elimination, because of which, the actress stated that she has been out of touch with the outside world for almost four months now. Priyanka was quoted saying in these reports
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Attachment review – queer horror romcom is a rare Valentine’s Day treat

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Director Gabriel Bier Gislason deftly combines dry Jewish humour with horror to create a surprisingly compelling and emotionally complex date-night thriller For a horror film about the terror of demonic possession, Gabriel Bier Gislason’s feature-film debut is unexpectedly charming. Having fallen in love after an adorable meet-cute, Danish has-been performer Maja (Josephine Park) impulsively moves in with Jewish academic Leah (Ellie Kendrick), who suffers from a mysterious injury. Their romance is watched over by Leah’s ultra-Orthodox mother, Chana (The Killing’s Sofie Gråbøl), who fusses over Leah’s every need with an insistence that borders on possessiveness. The awkward interactions that spring out of this clash between an overbearing parent and a gentile outsider are portrayed with that entertaining dry humour of classic Jewish comedy, yet there are also darker forces at play. As Maja bumbles through a series of cultural faux-pas – imagine frying bacon for your Jewish hookup! – s
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Painter Lalitha Lajmi, sister of filmmaker Guru Dutt, passes away at 90

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Late filmmaker Guru Dutt’s sister Lalitha Lajmi, noted painter, has passed away at the age of 90. The news of her demise was shared by the National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA) on Monday. "With Profound grief and sorrow NGMA, Mumbai, Ministry of Culture, Government of India shares the news of demise of veteran artist and printmaker Smt. Lalitha Lajmi who left for heavenly abode this morning (13.02.2023). Our Deepest Condolences. RIP," NGMA wrote in the post on Twitter. The note read, “Supported by the Ministry of Culture, Govt. of India , we were honoured to present "The Minds Cupboard" - a retrospective of Lalitha Ji's large body of work at the NGMA on January 12th, 2023.” “Lalitha Lajmi was born to a poet father and a poly-linguist writer mother in Kolkata in 1932. Coming from a family involved in the arts, Lajmi was very fond of classical dance and painting. She found her calling in painting. An unparalleled watercolourist, through her works she narrates a la
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