Posts

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

-
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
Post a Comment
Read more

EXCLUSIVE: Sanjay Gupta shares an update on his film with Sanjay Dutt: “We have worked out the script and now, we are working out the logistics”

-
Sanjay Gupta and Sanjay Dutt go back a long way and have worked in several films together. It’s been 17 years since they last collaborated and their fans are eagerly waiting for their next. In 2022, there were reports that their collaboration is finally happening and after that, there has been no update. Bollywood Hungama recently spoke with Sanjay Gupta and asked him about this much-awaited venture. When asked about reports that he and Sanjay Dutt were planning a film, Sanjay Gupta replied, “We are still planning a film together! As a matter of fact, his manager just came to meet me. We have worked out the script and now, we are working out the logistics.” Does he recall his first meeting with Sanjay Gupta? The filmmaker, known for his styling and gritty films, answered, “It must have been 35-40 years ago. I was an assistant director and I met him for the first time on location. Later, we shot for a film called Thanedaar (1990) in Kodaikanal. It was during this outdoor schedule that
Post a Comment
Read more

Shatrughan Sinha wants to say ‘Khamosh’ to people spreading fake rumours about him not attending daughter Sonakshi Sinha’s marriage; asks, “Why won’t I?”

-
While neither the Sinha family nor the Ratansi family are ready to reveal details of the impending wedding ceremony of Sonakshi Sinha and Zaheer Iqbal this week, there have been several reports which are doing the rounds about them. Amid details of the same that are going viral, some reports suggested that the Sinha family is not happy about Sonakshi’s decision and will not be a part of the nuptials. However, denying any such claims, Shatrughan Sinha has lashed out at these reports asserting that he is his daughter’s ‘armour’ and will always support her. Shatrughan Sinha asserts that he will be a part of the wedding In an interview with Zoom, he addressed ongoing rumours about him not attending her wedding wherein he said, “I will be there at the wedding, certainly. Why shouldn't I and why won't I?" and went on to state, “Sonakshi and Zaheer have to live life together. They look very nice together.” He continued to assert that he will always support her as he added, &qu
Post a Comment
Read more

A Dry White Season review – Marlon Brando heads starry cast in ground-breaking apartheid drama

-
This first Hollywood studio feature with a black female director is a compelling account of a South African who turns against the ruling caste In the late 80s, there were a number of films about apartheid South Africa that somehow made the black experience dramatically subordinate to white liberal activism. Chris Menges’s A World Apart from 1988 had Barbara Hershey as the white campaigner based on anti-apartheid activist Ruth First ; the year before that, Richard Attenborough’s excruciatingly well-intentioned Cry Freedom was supposedly about the friendship between white journalist Donald Woods (Kevin Kline) and Steve Biko (Denzel Washington), but contrived to put Woods at the centre of the action, all but forgetting about Biko. Euzhan Palcy’s A Dry White Season from 1989, now released on Blu-ray, looks on the face of it to be the same sort of thing. And yet this movie is much tougher and shrewder on what it would actually mean for white people in apartheid South Africa to side again
Post a Comment
Read more

Netflix counters Gujarat HC’s stay on release of Junaid Khan starrer Maharaj: “Portrayal of facts of legal history cannot be curtailed”

-
Netflix and Yash Raj Films (YRF) are challenging a temporary stay order on the release of Maharaj, a film featuring actor Aamir Khan's son Junaid Khan. The Gujarat High Court is scheduled to hear the case again on Wednesday, June 19, 2024, to decide whether the stay order will be lifted or extended. Movie based on historical Libel case Maharaj is based on the Maharaj Libel Case of 1862, a landmark case adjudicated by British judges. The case stemmed from a libel suit filed by religious leader Jadunathji against social reformer Karsandas Mulji. An article published in a weekly newspaper edited by Mulji alleged that Jadunathji had inappropriate relationships with female followers and expected devotees to offer their wives for sex. Mulji won the case. Legal dispute over Maharaj’s release On June 13, a day before the film's scheduled release on Netflix, the High Court had ordered an interim stay on the release after hearing a petition filed by a group claiming to be devotees of Lo
Post a Comment
Read more

Shraddha Kapoor makes it official with Rahul Mody in this adorable social media post

-
Shraddha Kapoor, who has been busy with her work, recently came into news for her personal life as rumours were rife about her dating writer Rahul Mody. What further added fuel to the fire was the presence of the duo at the famous Ambani – Merchant pre-wedding function in Jamnagar. Now, on June 18, the actress took to Instagram to confirm their relationship leaving her fans excited. Shraddha Kapoor dedicated a sweet post to her man Rahul Mody Although neither Shraddha Kapoor nor Rahul Mody denied their relationship, the actress decided to make it official on social media with a cute post. She shared a photo of her twinning with her bae in white and posted a cheesy albeit adorable caption saying, “Dil rakh le, Neend toh vaapis de de yaar (You keep the heart. At least return my sleep) @modyrahulmody”. While fans expressed their excitement about the actress entering a new phase in her life, many fan clubs also reposted the same on their respective social media page.   View this post o
Post a Comment
Read more

The G review – Dale Dickey is gamechanging gangster granny out for vengeance

-
Dickey is a revelation as a harder-than-nails woman exploited by the US’s legal guardian system in an otherwise overcooked thriller The “G” in this low budget revenge thriller is 72-year-old Ann Hunter. That’s “G” as in “Granny”, a nickname given to her by her granddaughter. The joke is that Ann does not fit anyone’s stereotype of a granny. To call her hard-as-nails would be an understatement: nails can bend, but the G is harder, cold, mean and sarcastic. When she reaches for a bottle, dirty washing stacked up around the sink, no clean glass to hand, she pours her vodka neat into an empty yoghurt pot. The G is played by character actor Dale Dickey, whose TV credits include Breaking Bad and My Name Is Earl. On film, she’s best known for a supporting part in Winter’s Bone , but I have to confess I didn’t recognise her. Having seen her in action here, I’m a convert. The G is heartless and unlikable, her battered face set in a permanent scowl – and yet Dickey conveys a woman shaped by he
Post a Comment
Read more

Prateek Kuhad announces 10-city ‘Silhouettes Tour’ across India: “The love and energy that India pours is unparalleled”

-
After a triumphant international run across the US and Canada, acclaimed singer-songwriter Prateek Kuhad is set to return home to India with his 'Silhouettes Tour'. The highly anticipated nationwide tour spanning ten major cities will kick off on November 8 and conclude on December 22, 2024, with additional tour dates in Australia, UK, Asia and Europe along the way. Tour details and ticket information Starting from Hyderabad, the tour will make its way to Bengaluru, Mumbai, Pune, Gurgaon, Jaipur, Kolkata, Guwahati, Indore, and Ahmedabad. Early Bird Tickets for the 'Silhouettes Tour' will be available starting June 20, 2024, exclusively on BookMyShow. A heartfelt homecoming Renowned for his soulful melodies and evocative lyrics, Prateek Kuhad is looking forward to enthral fans across India once again after his last sold-out tour in 2022. The 'Silhouettes Tour' will feature live performances of his chart-topping hits, including ‘Cold/mess,’ ‘Tum Jab Paas,’ ‘Ka
Post a Comment
Read more

EXCLUSIVE: Ishq Vishk Rebound is the SHORTEST Bollywood film in recent times; CBFC blurs middle finger visuals in Rohit Saraf-starrer

-
The youthful entertainer, Ishq Vishk Rebound, is all set to release this week and its makers completed its Censor process in advance. It received the censor certificate from the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) way back on June 10. The CBFC passed the rom-com with a U/A certificate with two modifications. Firstly, the Examining Committee of the CBFC asked the makers to blur the middle finger visuals. Secondly, a disclaimer on alcohol consumption was displayed at the bottom of the screen in all liquor-related scenes. Interestingly, the length of Ishq Vishk Rebound, as mentioned on the censor certificate, is 106 minutes. In other words, its run time is just 1 hour 46 minutes long. This makes it the shortest significant Hindi film in a long time. There have been some films in recent times that had a duration of or less than 110 minutes like Raksha Bandhan (2022; 110 minutes), Dhokha - Round D Corner (2022; 108 minutes), Kuttey (2023; 108 minutes) etc. Zwigato (2023) was one m
Post a Comment
Read more

Deadland review – melancholy horror smuggles deep themes across the US-Mexico border

-
Lance Larson’s feature debut uses horror tropes to tackle themes of racism, immigration and post-traumatic stress disorder Screened at SXSW last year but still relevant given the ongoing debate about immigration in the US, an especially live issue in election year, this offers a border-set ghost story that’s haunting in more ways than one. For a start, it’s not especially gory or scary; the tone is more melancholy and guilt-freighted, offering a study of masculine and, in particular, paternal anxiety that’s aggravated by divided loyalties. The main protagonist is Angel Waters (Roberto Urbina), a Mexican-American border guard who is the head of his small patrol unit not far from El Paso. The son of a Mexican father he never knew and a white American woman who has recently died, Angel is now devoted to his pregnant wife Hannah (Kendal Rae, achieving a lot with a thinly written part); he only wants to do the best he can for the people who cross the border every day, even if he’s seldom
Post a Comment
Read more

Salman Khan death threat case: YouTuber from Rajasthan remanded in police custody till June 18

-
The Mumbai Police investigation into the recent death threats against Salman Khan has seen a key development. A 25-year-old man, Banwarilal Laturlal Gujar, from Bundi, Rajasthan, has been remanded in police custody till June 18. Accused posted threatening video Gujar was arrested on charges of criminal intimidation after allegedly posting a video on his YouTube channel threatening to kill Salman Khan. In the video, recorded on a highway in Rajasthan, Gujar claimed to be associated with gangsters Lawrence Bishnoi and Goldy Brar. The Mumbai Police traced the IP address to Rajasthan and apprehended Gujar with the help of the anti-extortion cell of the crime branch. Salman Khan death threat case investigation continues Police investigation revealed that Gujar used a fake name and email address while uploading the video. However, he was tracked down using his mobile number. He is charged under Section 506(2) of the Indian Penal Code (punishment for criminal intimidation) and relevant secti
Post a Comment
Read more