The Critic review: Ian McKellen shows his dark side in twisty thriller September 11, 2024 After 25 years as a major Hollywood star, and many decades of stage success before that, Sir Ian McKellen shows no sign of stopping. Fresh from reports that he may play Gandalf one last time in the forthcoming Lord of The Rings spin-off The Hunt for Gollum, the 85-year-old stars this week in British thriller [...]
Firebrand review: Alicia Vikander and Jude Law in royal flop September 7, 2024 At the beginning of historical drama Firebrand, a title explains how history often tells only of “men and war”, leaving the rest to our imagination. Adapted from Elizabeth Freemantle’s novel The Queen’s Gambit, Firebrand offers an alternative history of Catherine Parr (Alicia Vikander), the last wife of Henry VIII (Jude Law). Taking a hands-on role [...]
Watch: Guy Ritchie’s short film for Joshua-Dubois fight night September 5, 2024 Guy Ritchie has made a short film to promote this month’s bumper boxing card at Wembley headlined by Anthony Joshua’s fight with Daniel Dubois. Joshua, Dubois, Hamzah Sheeraz, Josh Kelly, Liam Smith and other British boxers set to feature on the 21 September card appear in the film, titled Touching Hands. The short draws on [...]
Hollywood’s slow transition: Transgender representation is slowly, slowly improving September 3, 2024 The work of Elliot Page shows that transgender inclusion is about adding more voices rather than anything being taken away, says Victoria Luxford. This week sees the release of Close To You, Elliot Page’s first film role since coming out as a transgender man in 2020. The story of Sam, a trans man who returns [...]
Mandoob (Night Courier) film: Drama shows another side to Saudi August 29, 2024 The changing face of Saudi Arabia provides the setting for Ali Kalthami’s debut feature. Mandoob (Night Courier in English) is a thriller about Fahad (Mohammad Aldokhei), a man working in Riyadh who is struggling to make ends meet with an ailing father to support. Things get worse when he dramatically loses his job at a [...]
Venice Film Festival: An insider’s guide to all the gossip, parties and deals August 27, 2024 The 81st Venice Film Festival kicks off tomorrow and it’s set to continue its legacy as a hotbed of dealmakers, party goers and luxury brand sponsorship. Our man on the inside gives the lowdown on what to expect this time around. “The Ghost with the Most is Back” proclaim the Venetian billboards for Tim Burton’s [...]
Sven film review: A graceful goodbye to the former England boss August 21, 2024 Amazon’s latest profile of a sporting hero should be a cause for nostalgia, coming 20 years after Sven-Göran Eriksson peak as England manager in Euro 2004. However, it’s tinged with sadness, as in January the Swedish football manager announced he has around a year to live having battled pancreatic cancer. This documentary, filmed both before [...]
Five stars: Kneecap film is among the best of the year August 21, 2024 Kneecap, the rap group that perform in the Irish language, tell their story in a riotous rise to fame comedy-drama. Liam Ó Hannaidh and Naoise Ó Cairealláin are listless members of ‘The Ceasefire Generation’ in West Belfast, living off dealing drugs and avoiding the police. One night, when Liam gets arrested, an Irish interpreter (JJ [...]
Zoe Kravitz unsettling Blink Twice is a chilling debut August 21, 2024 Zoe Kravitz, star of The Batman and Fantastic Beasts films, steps behind the camera for a startling debut that signals the beginning of a second stage in her career. Blink Twice stars Naomi Ackie as Frida, a cocktail waitress who by chance meets tech billionaire Slater King (Channing Tatum). The pair hit it off, with [...]
Hollywoodgate: Documentary behind the scenes of Taliban rule August 14, 2024 A year in Kabul offers up some startling footage in this documentary that goes behind the scenes of Taliban rule. Director Ibrahim Nash’at spends twelve months documenting the transition from US occupation in Afghanistan to Taliban control, focusing on alleged American military base Hollywood Gate. Taliban Air Force Commander Mawlawi Mansour discovers over $7billion of [...]