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Epic film marks Christopher Nolan’s best opening since 2012’s The Dark Knight Rises when adjusted for inflation The Odyssey has stormed the global box office, taking US$264m (£196m, A$378m) in its opening weekend, according to studio Universal Pictures. Starring Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway and Zendaya, the blockbuster is an adaptation of Homer’s ancient Greek epic poem, which follows Odysseus, the king of Ithaca, as he makes his perilous 10-year journey home after fighting in the Trojan war. Continue reading... from Film | The Guardian https://ift.tt/foaVv2e via IFTTT

Powerful animation portrays experiences of a French-Iraqi journalist Feurat Alani, with anecdotes about his father, a prominent leftist exile With a title translated a little inelegantly from Le Parfum d’Irak to “flavours of Iraq” when “the perfume of Iraq” might have been simpler and better, this film is a powerful, vivid animation co-directed by Léonard Cohen with its author, French-Iraqi journalist Feurat Alani, robustly narrated in Alani’s first-person by the actor Malik Zidi. The animation style is stylised and expressionist: shapes and forms like silhouette cutouts suggest the piercingly insistent forms of memory. It is about Alani’s childhood and fractured family experience growing up in Paris in the 80s as the son of a prominent leftist Iraqi exile who was forced out of his native country on account of his opposition to Saddam Hussein. The story itself is told through a loose series of flashbacks occasioned by his father’s funeral, at which mourners, members of Iraq’s 1970s soc...

Kunal Kohli, who made a mark with films like Hum Tum (2004) and Fanaa (2006), has now taken a leap, graduating to making international films. In June, he wrapped up the shoot of a British English feature film, All About Her. It stars Hollywood actor Nick Sagar, best known for his role in The Princess Switch film franchise. The female lead is played by British actress Amelia Gething, who caught attention with her performances in Emily and The Spanish Princess. Kunal Kohli opened up about All About Her in an interview with Bombay Times last month. He said, “Directing an English film and working with a full British and international crew is a whole new chapter in my life. Shekhar Kapur has always been my inspiration, and I am hoping this starts a trend of more Indian filmmakers working globally. Though English is not my first language, the experience of directing a film in English has been incredibly rewarding.” He also said, “Shooting a film in the UK with British actors and crew gave m...

At 78, the king of horror and sci-fi movies is as much of a rebel as ever. He talks about creativity, compromise (he’s not a fan) and how he became addicted to moviemaking In 2024, John Carpenter had a dream that sounds like one of his movies: it involved a portal to the underworld beneath a disused church, monstrous demons and people being turned inside out. “I woke up and thought: wow! What an elaborate story,” he says. “I rarely have cinematic dreams, but this was one of them.” He liked it so much that he has turned it into a graphic novel, Cathedral, with an accompanying soundtrack. “It seemed to fit this heavy metal groove that we were starting on, and it worked out pretty well.” Most people would consider this a nightmare rather than a dream, I suggest. “No. Nightmares, for me, are personal – something that happened to me,” he replies. “Usually my nightmares are, I’m directing a movie and no one will listen to me. No one will follow my directions. Seriously, that’s what I wake up...

Actor who was the first Irish woman to win an Oscar for her role in the 1989 film classic My Left Foot Brenda Fricker, who has died aged 81, was only the second Irish actor – and the first female one – to win an Oscar, for her role as Daniel Day-Lewis’s mother in the 1989 film My Left Foot, after shooting to fame in the original cast of the BBC medical drama Casualty. As the nurse Megan Roach, she was the Mother Earth of the fictional Holby City hospital’s A&E department for the programme’s first five series (1986-90). “We knew the show had to have compassion,” said Casualty’s first producer, Geraint Morris . “We made Megan the person everyone could talk to.” Continue reading... from Film | The Guardian https://ift.tt/FexHVzJ via IFTTT

The makers of The India Story: Slow Poison in Progress have unveiled the official trailer of the upcoming social drama, offering a glimpse into a story centred around the issue of pesticide farming and its impact on society. Starring Kajal Aggarwal and Shreyas Talpade in the lead, the film aims to bring attention to a subject that affects millions while weaving it into a dramatic narrative of truth, justice and resilience. The trailer hints at an emotionally charged story that follows characters caught in the middle of a larger crisis, while raising questions about the long-term effects of pesticide farming. With its blend of courtroom drama, social commentary and emotional conflict, the film seeks to spotlight an issue that often remains overlooked. Speaking about the film, director Chettan DK said, "The India Story is more than just a film—it's a conversation we need to have. Through this story, we wanted to shine a light on an issue that silently impacts every household. T...

The director’s more-is-more approach to the 1986 sequel gave us seat-edge action and an indelible performance from a rule-breaking Sigourney Weaver James Cameron loves tough female characters. That seems like a given now, after three Avatars and two particularly muscular arms belonging to Linda Hamilton in Terminator 2. Even the lushly romantic Titanic is about a supportive, sweet-natured boyfriend lending his love the extra smidge of strength she needs to live a rich and iconoclastic life without him, until she’s freely chucking diamonds into the sea at 100 years of age. But in Cameron’s 1984 de facto feature debut The Terminator (after a Piranha sequel that he attempted to disown), T2’s Hamilton is stalked and appropriately terrified by Arnold Schwarzenegger’s slasher-like killer robot. She’s a great character who gets majorly pumped up for the sequel in 1991. By then, Cameron had plenty of practice: he had already written and directed Aliens, maybe the best pumped-up sequel ever mad...

A year after Saiyaara emerged as one of the biggest box office successes, Yash Raj Films marked the film's first anniversary with a special celebration at London's Wembley Stadium. Lead actors Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda visited the iconic venue to unveil an exclusive Collector's Edition Vinyl LP, commemorating the film's music and its enduring popularity among audiences. The venue holds special significance in Saiyaara, as it serves as the backdrop for one of the film's most memorable moments, where Ahaan Panday's character Krish Kapoor recognises Vaani Batra through her eyes on the stadium's giant screen. The film's climactic reunion between Krish and Vaani also takes place at Wembley, making it a fitting location for the anniversary celebration. The newly launched Collector's Edition is a two-disc vinyl set featuring the complete musical experience of Saiyaara. The first LP includes all nine songs from the film's soundtrack, while the second...

The actor seemed destined for a long but unflashy career in musical theatre – until a role as a football club owner in the TV hit changed everything. She talks about her new Hollywood era, calling out misogyny and why she’s ‘more than just camp’ Hannah Waddingham clears her throat. Her voice is a little scratchy. Two days before we meet, the star of Ted Lasso hosted the TV comedy show Saturday Night Live UK. She took part in almost all of the sketches that night, from a skit about “two top-heavy, Reading-based drama teachers” called Janet, to a musical number about how many glasses of wine to drink at a bar, to a bit in which she played the stern northern leader of a speed awareness course. In her opening monologue, she zipped through a variety of accents and impressions. “You see?” she told the cheering crowd. “Range! Range. ” I should have remembered this line when making small talk. We are tucked away in the hidden private dining room of a hotel in London, the city where the actor w...

The film-length finale to the teen LGBTQ+ show has poignant moments but feels like fan service by numbers If it were up to Kit Connor , Heartstopper would have ended quite differently. “If I’d had my way, I would have had Nick and Charlie cheating on each other and doing all those stupid things,” he recently told the Guardian. “Because young people do that and don’t necessarily need to be villainized for it.” Midway through Heartstopper Forever , the film-length finale of Netflix’s series, I started to see his point. The central star-crossed lovebirds of Alice Oceman’s megahit are now 18 and 17, and like most teenagers they have sex, get drunk and fight with their annoying siblings. Unlike most people their age, they don’t vape, don’t use sex apps and they definitely don’t cheat. Continue reading... from Film | The Guardian https://ift.tt/7iRZGVx via IFTTT

In an exciting development for Bollywood, two major upcoming films will share the same international cinematographer. Bollywood Hungama has exclusively learnt that Juan Carlos Gil, the acclaimed DOP of Netflix’s global series Narcos and who has shot Vikrant Massey’s big-scale political drama White, has come on board for Ranveer Singh’s upcoming mega-budget film Pralay. A source told Bollywood Hungama, “The team of Pralay is mounting the film on a lavish scale and wants it to have a Hollywood-style visual treatment. Juan Carlos Gil fits the bill perfectly. He is equally excited to come on board, while the team is thrilled to have him shoot this ambitious zombie film.” About Pralay Pralay is highly awaited not just because it’s a mega-budget zombie thriller but also because its Ranveer Singh’s immediate next after the all-time blockbuster, Dhurandhar. It is directed by Jai Mehta and produced by Birla Studios and Hansal Mehta. About White Vikrant Massey’s White is a big-scale human polit...

Paresh Rawal has claimed that the original idea behind OMG 2 came from him, adding that the film underwent significant changes after Akshay Kumar came on board. Speaking to Vickey Lalwani, the veteran actor also alleged that he did not receive credit for the story or concept despite being closely involved in its early development. Paresh Rawal recalls developing the original concept Rawal said he first approached filmmaker Amit Rai with the idea after watching Road to Sangam. He asserted, "I had approached Amit Rai, the director of Road to Sangam, and asked him if he was planning another film. I admire him a lot. I told him, 'I have an idea. Let's sit and write it.' I told him I wasn't a writer, but I could contribute ideas and help identify where we were going wrong because I understand screenplay to some extent." He went on to reveal, "The story was about a boy who gets caught masturbating, and a video of the incident goes viral, making his life miser...