Posts

Stockard Channing: ‘I cried at the election of Joe Biden, thinking we were out of the woods. Wrong!’

The actor on being told she was no Ingrid Bergman, forgetting her lines on stage, and not caring about getting older Born in New York City, Stockard Channing, 82, played Rizzo in the 1978 film Grease. In 1985, she received a Tony for her performance in A Day in the Death of Joe Egg, and in 1994 was Oscar-nominated for her role in the film Six Degrees of Separation. She has three Emmys for her TV work, which includes The West Wing. She makes her directorial debut at the Edinburgh festival with Krapp’s Last Tape, in aid of the Wembley to Soweto Foundation, Upstairs at the Roxy until 31 August. Her latest film is Practical Magic 2. She lives in London. What is your greatest fear? Climate change. Continue reading... from Film | The Guardian https://ift.tt/tU3oZP1 via IFTTT

American witchhunt: how the McCarthy blacklist annihilated the Hollywood left

A retrospective at the Locarno film festival looks back at the era of Huac’s domination of US culture, uncovering some sobering lessons for now In September 2025, Disney and ABC announced that Jimmy Kimmel and his late-night talkshow would be taken off the air indefinitely , after a conservative backlash against the host’s comments about the murder of far-right influencer Charlie Kirk. President Donald Trump personally championed the decision, calling it “great news for America” . He further called for other programmes critical of his administration to be removed. Though Kimmel’s suspension was reversed within a week, many commentators viewed this concerning development not as a sudden escalation of crisis, but a continuation of Hollywood’s habitual acquiescence to authoritarian pressure. In a guest essay for the New York Times , journalist and Trump biopic] The Apprentice screenwriter Gabriel Sherman explicitly linked Kimmel’s cancellation to the Hollywood blacklist of the 1940s and ...

‘They slammed their M16s against his skull’: inside the film about Amy Goodman’s fearless reporting

As Steal This Story, Please! charts her astonishing reports on everything from climate summits to earthquakes to massacres, Goodman talks about dissent, censorship – and her ‘magic moments’ ‘I consider an exclusive a failure,” Amy Goodman says. It is not a typical observation for a journalist to make, but it is the approach at the heart of a documentary about her career, Steal This Story, Please! If an article, item, narrative or interview is significant enough “it should be shared around the world,” she insists. This time, however, her goal is not to share a particular news story, but rather an entire professional philosophy. To do so, Goodman had to let “two Oscar-nominated stalkers into my life” in an effort to “spread the word about this critical form of independent journalism” that she has practised over four decades. Continue reading... from Film | The Guardian https://ift.tt/Skcb23h via IFTTT

Saiee M Manjrekar begins shooting for new romantic drama in Italy; official announcement expected soon

Saiee M Manjrekar has reportedly commenced work on yet another project, adding to her growing slate of films across multiple industries. The actress is currently in Italy, where she has begun shooting for what is being described as a romantic drama, although an official announcement regarding the film is still awaited. According to sources, Saiee has travelled to the picturesque European country to begin the first schedule of the yet-untitled project. The film is said to be helmed by a debutant director and is expected to be extensively shot across scenic locations in Italy, with the story unfolding against a summer backdrop. While the makers have remained tight-lipped about the project, the development has sparked curiosity among fans eager to know more about the actress' next outing. Details regarding the film's cast, title and production banner are currently under wraps, with an official announcement expected in the coming days. A source close to the development shared, ...

Vishesh Bhatt responds to Awarapan 2 clash with Sunny Deol’s Batwara 1947: “It's our fortune and luck that we get to share this release date with Sunny Deol”

With the trailer of Awarapan 2 set to launch on August 6, anticipation around Emraan Hashmi’s much-awaited sequel continues to grow. The film, which arrives in cinemas on August 14 during the Independence Day holiday weekend, will face competition from Sunny Deol’s Batwara 1947. Despite the high-profile box office clash, producer Vishesh Bhatt has expressed confidence and gratitude, saying the release date was chosen with audiences in mind rather than competition. Addressing the much-discussed clash, Vishesh Bhatt said, “We came on the date that seemed best. It's our first release coming into 14th August on a holiday and it's our fortune and luck that we get to share this release date with the legend Sunny Deol and and it's with a lot of humility we would like to bring the film on a holiday so more people can also come and watch this film.” #Awaarapan2 producer Vishesh Bhatt answers the question on the Independence Day clash with #Batwara1947. He says it's THEIR fortun...

Big Chicken: A Fast Food Conspiracy review – Mo Gilligan ruffles feathers in battle against ultra-processed foods

The ultra-likable comedian decides to go on a chicken shop diet for 28 days, but like a gen-Z Super Size Me uncovers some dark truths behind this billion-dollar industry ‘I think you’re going to die,” says a teenager bluntly to comedian Mo Gilligan when he tells her about his plan to eat only from chicken shops for one month. Spoiler: he lives. But after 84 fried chicken meals, Gilligan is heavier, unhealthier and starting to feel depressed. In this funny, slick and accessible Netflix documentary he takes on “Big Chicken”, the industrialised poultry farming industry. Flavouring doc-journalism with his brand of ultra-likable humour, he’s gen Z’s answer to Michael Moore or Morgan Spurlock (who pulled a similar trick 20 years ago, eating nothing but McDonald’s for one month in his 2004 documentary Super Size Me). At the start of the film, there is no guilt in Gilligan’s pleasure walking into a chicken shop (“Bring on the wings!”). Growing up in a low-income household in London, a bucket o...

Post your questions for Imelda Staunton

She’s acting royalty – literally, having played Queen Elizabeth II in The Crown – but what questions would you ask her? It is perhaps fitting that Imelda Staunton ended up playing Queen Elizabeth II in the last two series of The Crown, considering she has been acting royalty for years. Her film career has seen her voice champion egg-layer Bunty in 2000’s Chicken Run, followed by roles in Mike Leigh’s 2004 drama Vera Drake and the 2005 comedy Nanny McPhee. In 2014, she played the formidable Welsh miners’ strike campaigner Hefina in Pride . She also plays Lady Maud Bagshaw in the first two Downton Abbey films, and voices Paddington’s beloved Aunt Lucy in all three Paddington films. For a whole generation, however, she will always be Dolores Umbridge in two of the later Harry Potter films, where she somehow made a pink cardigan almost as frightening as Voldemort. On TV, she has cropped up in everything from Little Britain and Doctor Who to Psychoville, Brassic and a memorable guest appear...

The Summer Book review – Glenn Close powers sweet-natured take on Tove Jansson’s kids’ classic

This sensitive adaptation of Jansson’s 1972 novel, set in the beatific Gulf of Finland, is a quiet treatise on life and death Glenn Close brings her totemic presence to this gentle movie – as well as a makeup-enhanced grandmotherly face. This is a sweet-natured adaptation of Tove Jansson’s 1972 novel; it has charm, though it’s sometimes becalmed in its own sensitivity. Close plays a tough, wise, humorous-yet-cantankerous eightysomething woman who likes cigarettes and walking around outside stark naked when there’s nobody else around. She brings her recently widowed son (Anders Danielsen Lie) and six-year-old granddaughter Sophia (newcomer Emily Matthews) to a tiny, idyllic island in the Gulf of Finland, where they have a summer cottage. The grandmother may, incidentally, have unresolved feelings for local man Eriksson, in a fleeting cameo for veteran Icelandic actor Ingvar Sigurdsson. Continue reading... from Film | The Guardian https://ift.tt/Byd3OvG via IFTTT

Careless whispers: what really happened between George Michael and Lindsay Anderson? The Wham! movie producer reveals all

How did the pioneering director get involved – then fall out – with the 80s’ poppiest band? How are Sam Peckinpah and Michael Jackson’s Thriller involved? Prepare for a tale of ambition, deception and shuttlecock-stuffed shorts When Wham! squashed Lindsay Anderson’s China film Andrew Ridgeley on Wham’s surreal trip to China It was the evening of 3 April 1985 in a hotel in Hong Kong. Lindsay Anderson, who I’d engaged to direct the theatrical documentary I’d instigated of Wham!’s historic trip to China, had called a meeting of the film crew. He wanted to give a pep talk the night before we flew to Beijing. The 30-strong team my production company had recruited for this adventure duly assembled. Lindsay gave a speech in the stentorian tones of an elder statesman addressing the House of Commons and rooted in Henry V’s St Crispin’s Day oration. And typical Lindsay, he mixed shrewd observation with sardonic wit. “Tomorrow we embark on a great adventure,” he said. “We travel into communist Ch...

EXCLUSIVE: SVC63 makers DISMISS reports about Salman Khan’s remuneration: “Purely speculative and factually incorrect”

Recently, reports claimed that Salman Khan had charged just Rs. 70 crores for Vamshi Paidipally’s upcoming untitled film. It was further alleged that the superstar, whose usual remuneration is said to exceed Rs. 120 crores, had agreed to reduce his fee by nearly 40% for the action entertainer. However, Bollywood Hungama has now received an exclusive statement from the film’s producers, categorically denying these claims. The producers, Sri Venkateswara Creations, have shared the following statement with Bollywood Hungama: “We have come across several reports circulating regarding Salman Khan’s remuneration for SVC63. We would like to categorically state that these reports are completely false and baseless. As producers, we do not comment on or disclose confidential business or financial arrangements related to our projects. The figures currently being circulated, including those relating to the film’s budget, are purely speculative and factually incorrect. We sincerely request members...

‘Am I 68? 69?’ Irvine Welsh on growing old, getting clean, bashing out his new novel – and flirting with guns

Three decades after he channelled his heroin addiction into the cult classic Trainspotting, the Scottish author has discovered the joys of yoga, breathwork and standing desks. But is he quite as ‘Zen’ as he claims? By rights, Irvine Welsh ought to be photographed somewhere gritty, looking grumpy, he says: “That’s the brand.” Beside a graffitied wall or at the docks, with a beanie pulled low, and definitely not smiling. But here he is, clear-skinned and wholesome in shorts and a T-shirt, drinking tea and – it’s hard to think of anything more off-brand – talking about the health benefits of yoga. Given his reputation for having lived in the worlds his books portray, he should or could look a lot worse. He guffaws at this, eyes a delighted blue, and repeats the phrase as if he’s found a new personal tagline: “Could look a lot worse!” Over the three decades since his cult debut, Trainspotting, was published in 1993, Welsh’s fiction has explored with humour the darker side of life. Drugs, c...