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The Odyssey becomes Christopher Nolan’s highest grossing film as it passes $1.1bn at box office

The film-maker’s take on Homer’s epic has beaten his previous record holder The Dark Knight Rises The Odyssey has become the highest grossing film of Christopher Nolan’s career, having made more than US$1bn at the global box office less than a month after its release. The blockbuster, which was released on 17 July, is an adaptation of Homer’s ancient Greek epic and follows Matt Damon as Odysseus, the Greek king of Ithaca, on his perilous 10-year journey home after the Trojan war. Continue reading... from Film | The Guardian https://ift.tt/dWoDNrG via IFTTT

‘These cooks ripped each other apart’: Dominic Sessa on playing Anthony Bourdain, kitchen bullies and the joys of being a 70s barfly

After his breakthrough in The Holdovers in 2023, Sessa has gone back to the 70s again for Tony, the biopic of bad-boy chef and Kitchen Confidential author Bourdain. And, he says, a big part of him would like to stay there Despite being just 23, Dominic Sessa is perhaps as intimately acquainted with the 1970s as those who grew up then. Although the New Jersey-born actor has only starred in five films, two of them are marinated in the fashions, sounds and mores of the decade. In his new movie, Tony , he plays the 19-year-old Anthony Bourdain, future bad-boy celebrity chef, bestselling author of Kitchen Confidential and host of its hit TV spin-off. Tony restricts itself to one summer in 1975, when Bourdain bummed around the coastal resort of Provincetown, Massachusetts, falling in love, scrubbing pans in a seafood joint and catching the cooking bug. “For a rootless young man with sensualist inclinations,” he wrote, “it was the perfect getaway.” A 70s retro vibe also hung over Sessa’s debu...

Priyanka Chopra Jonas to star opposite Academy Award winner Russell Crowe in sci-fi action thriller Bluefly

Priyanka Chopra Jonas has added another major international project to her growing Hollywood slate. The actor is set to share screen space with Academy Award-winning actor Russell Crowe in the upcoming sci-fi action thriller Bluefly. The film will be directed by Nimród Antal, known for Predators and Stranger Things, while the screenplay has been penned by David Frigerio, William Eubank, and Carlyle Eubank. The announcement follows another significant career update for Priyanka, who was recently confirmed to star opposite Orlando Bloom in the survival thriller Reset. Earlier this year, she headlined Prime Video's The Bluff, which debuted at the top spot globally. She also featured alongside Idris Elba and John Cena in the action-comedy Heads of State, which became Prime Video's fourth most-watched film. The film has since received a nomination for Outstanding Television Movie at the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards. Priyanka also earned a nomination for Best Actress in an Action Movi...

How to Feed a Dictator review – what was on the menu for some of the world’s most evil men

Andrew Neel’s documentary contrasts the lavish dishes eaten by heads of repressive states – served by largely unrepentant staff – with the starvation faced by their citizens There are moments in this sly documentary that evoke regular food porn, with crisply lit footage of vegetables being chopped and simmered, meat getting grilled, fat bubbling and browning – all the culinary sizzle is on display. Then there are climactic money shots, obligatory overhead views of the finished product, elegantly garnished, accompanied by text identifying the dish as, say, a Chilean country stew, or a whole roast goat, made precisely to suit the taste of a very specific client. It’s just that the clients these chefs served were despots, including Pol Pot, Idi Amin, Saddam Hussein, Augusto Pinochet and Kim Jong-il. Charles Otonde Odera once prepared a human heart “perfectly” for Amin, though at the time he thought better than to ask where the raw offal came from. Director Andrew Neel and editor Brad Turn...

Netflix launches ‘India Storytelling Initiative’ to strengthen creative talent pipeline

Netflix has announced a major step towards strengthening India's creative landscape with the launch of the ‘Netflix India Storytelling Initiative’, reaffirming its long-term commitment to the country's growing entertainment industry. The announcement comes after Netflix Co-CEO Ted Sarandos met Hon'ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi to discuss the increasing global appeal of Indian stories and the company's continued investment in India's creative economy. Having worked with India's creative community for over a decade, Netflix has produced more than 200 Originals and filmed across over 100 locations in the country. Building on this foundation, the newly launched initiative aims to support the next generation of storytellers through a multi-phase investment focused on talent development. The programme will establish strategic collaborations with leading Indian institutions to equip aspiring creators with industry-relevant skills across the Animation, Visual E...

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...