The Guardian Culture

The Odyssey becomes highest grossing R-rated film of all time

Christopher Nolan’s epic has achieved $1.35bn at the global box office, overtaking 2024’s Deadpool & WolverineThe Odyssey has overtaken Deadpool & Wolverine to become the highest grossing R-rated film of all time.According to figures compiled by the Numbers, Christopher Nolan’s adaptation of Homer’s epic poem has achieved $1.35bn (£990m) at the worldwide box office, compared with the Ryan Reynolds/Hugh Jackman superhero movie, which stands at $1.34bn (£980m) since its release in 2024. Co

entertainment  Aug 21, 2026

The Guardian Culture

Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol 2 review – once more unto the mercenary breach

PC, Nintendo Switch/Switch 2, PS5, Xbox Series X/S; KonamiThis second collection remasters another three titles from the illustrious stealth espionage series, but their world has changed little since the original releases‘War has changed,” claims Old Snake in Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots. Back in 2008, the team at Kojima Productions waxed poetic about people recruited to fight in proxy wars they have no political or ideological stake in. As these mercenaries follow their orders, trad

entertainment  Aug 21, 2026

Variety

Meghan Markle Eyeing Acting Return After Move Back to the U.K.

Meghan Markle is eyeing a return to the screen as she and Prince Harry move back to the U.K., Variety has confirmed. Following the shock announcement on Wednesday that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are returning to England after six years in California, Australian outlet News.com.au reported on Friday morning that Meghan has been […]

entertainment  Aug 21, 2026

Variety

Meghan Markle Eyes Acting Return After Move Back to the U.K.

Meghan Markle is eyeing a return to the screen as she and Prince Harry move back to the U.K., Variety has confirmed. Following the shock announcement on Wednesday that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are returning to England after six years in California, Australian outlet News.com.au reported on Friday morning that Meghan has been […]

entertainment  Aug 21, 2026

Variety

‘The Voice of Hind Rajab’ Director Calls Israeli Investigation Into Killing of Palestinian Girl a ‘Smokescreen’: ‘What Is Needed Is Justice’

Kaouther Ben Hania, the director of last year’s Oscar-nominated docudrama “The Voice of Hind Rajab” — about the killing of a 5-year-old Palestinian girl in Gaza by Israeli forces — has rejected the news that Israel is launching an investigation into Rajab’s death, describing it as “a smokescreen.” On Wednesday, the Israeli military admitted that […]

entertainment  Aug 21, 2026

Variety

Woody Harrelson Ready to Direct Another Live Film, Compares Jason Bateman’s ‘The Cackling of the Dodos’ to Martin McDonagh and the Coen Brothers

Almost a decade after taking on an unusually challenging directorial debut with the world’s first live-streamed feature film in “Lost in London,” Woody Harrelson is finally ready to direct again. The actor revealed his desire to be back behind a camera, as well as his latest creative venture as a budding stand-up comic, while at […]

entertainment  Aug 21, 2026

Variety

Sriram Raghavan Developing New Thriller in the ‘Johnny Gaddaar’ Zone for India’s Matchbox Shots as ‘Operation Safed Sagar’ Soars on Netflix Charts (EXCLUSIVE)

Indian auteur Sriram Raghavan is developing a new thriller for Matchbox Shots set in the tonal zone of his 2007 film “Johnny Gaddaar,” as the Mumbai production house grows its slate on the strength of the global Netflix success of war series “Operation Safed Sagar.” “Johnny Gaddaar” was a twist-laden neo-noir heist thriller that marked […]

entertainment  Aug 21, 2026

Variety

Folk Horror ‘Wolf Days,’ Family Drama ‘The First Week of August’ Win at Sarajevo Industry Awards

Emilija Gašić’s folk horror “Wolf Days” and Filip Mojzeš’ family drama “The First Week of August” won the top prizes in the Sarajevo Film Festival’s CineLink Industry Days, the industry section focused on projects in different stages of development from Southeast Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. Gašić’s sophomore feature, which is produced by Serbia’s […]

entertainment  Aug 21, 2026

Variety

Jacob Elordi Ducks James Bond Question at London World Premiere of Ridley Scott’s ‘The Dog Stars’ When Asked if He’s Been Auditioning: ‘I’m Here on Holiday’

Jacob Elordi was the star guest in London on Thursday night as he touched down for the world premiere of Ridley Scott’s latest feature “The Dog Stars.” The actor’s arrival in Leicester Square was immediately soundtracked by the noise of screams from fans, including from a group of girls leaning out of nearby window, who […]

entertainment  Aug 21, 2026

The Guardian Culture

Gaia Wilmer Large Ensemble: Parabólico review – gorgeous reinvention of Gilberto Gil’s grooves

(Sunnyside)Saxophonist and composer Wilmer brilliantly transforms Gil tunes, changing tempos and adding breathy melodies, flourishes of horns or undulating rhythms to luscious effectOver the past three years, Brazilian saxophonist and composer Gaia Wilmer has reimagined the catalogues of her country’s virtuosos so radically that it’s become a signature art. Folia: The Music of Egberto Gismonti transformed his finger-picked melodics into an almost prog-influenced cacophony; Trem das Cores, celebr

entertainment  Aug 21, 2026

Variety

‘The Marching Band’ Review: Brothers From Opposite Worlds Are United by Music in a Finely Tuned French Crowdpleaser

“The Marching Band” blasts through more story in its first 12 minutes than many films now manage in two hours. In those first 720 seconds we meet Thibaut (Benjamin Lavernhe), a well-heeled classical music conductor in Paris, who discovers that he will need to find a blood marrow transplant as he has leukemia; he learns […]

entertainment  Aug 21, 2026

The Guardian Culture

Stella Lefty: Long Way Home review – Boston singer’s debut is bland, boilerplate and beyond banal

(Atlantic Outpost)The breakout 24-year-old country star’s debut is stunningly unremarkable, offering little in the way of artistic identity or her peers’ originalityAnyone railing against nepo babies taking over culture has already lost: the rage they engender is as key to the publicity plan as their ready-made profile. But once in a while, you meet one so egregious that it’s hard not to want to flip a table. The breakout 24-year-old country star Stella Lefty is the daughter of a multibillionair

entertainment  Aug 21, 2026

Variety

‘Good People’ Review: Milcho Manchevski’s Haunting Documentary Revisits the Kočani Nightclub Fire Through Survivors’ Eyes

On March 16, 2025, a fire broke out at the Pulse nightclub in the small North Macedonian town of Kočani, injuring hundreds and killing 63 people due to burn damage, smoke inhalation and other physical traumas sustained while attendees scrambled to flee through the venue’s sole exit. The club had only one fire extinguisher and […]

entertainment  Aug 21, 2026

Variety

Icelandic Producer Hlín Jóhannsdóttir Sets ‘Just a Kid’ With Alief Ahead of Haugesund and Reunites with ‘Driving Mum’ Team (EXCLUSIVE)

Veteran Icelandic producer Hlín Jóhannsdóttir of Ursus Parvus, behind titles from some Iceland’s most renowned filmmakers including Fridrik Thor Fridriksson, Dagur Kári and Rúnar Rúnarsson, has signed with French-U.K. sales outfit Alief on the coming-of-age “Just a Kid” (“Bara barn”) by up-and-coming writer-director Vala Ómarsdóttir. To be pitched at New Nordic Films’ Works in Progress […]

entertainment  Aug 21, 2026

Variety

Amazon MGM Studios Unveils Teaser for Kunal Kemmu’s ‘Vibe’ (EXCLUSIVE)

Amazon MGM Studios has released the teaser for “Vibe,” an action comedy written and directed by Kunal Kemmu that follows two ordinary friends who unexpectedly become the country’s last line of defense. The teaser introduces Hardik (Kemmu) and Bugs (Sparsh Shrivastava), a pair of accidental heroes who are neither trained nor willing for the job […]

entertainment  Aug 21, 2026

The Guardian Culture

Anthony Hopkins: Life Is a Dream album review – easy on the ear melodies written from the heart

Philharmonia Orchestra/Dudamel(Decca)There’s a cinematic flourish to many of Hopkins’ compositions, together with fine arrangements of Welsh tunes and pieces dedicated to familyAnthony Hopkins has, it turns out, has been composing music all his life. Now, at the age of 88, the Welsh-born Hollywood actor makes his Decca debut, securing the services of LA Philharmonic’s outgoing music director Gustavo Dudamel to bring his music to life.So, what does an Oscar winner sound like? Not surprisingly, th

entertainment  Aug 21, 2026

The Guardian Culture

Life of M by Rachel Cusk review – is this story of a film star based on Natalie Portman?

A teasing tale of the friendship between a writer and an actor explores the fallout from fame, and the blurring between pretence and realityM is a celebrated film actor. A star since childhood, now the face of a major fashion brand, she has been famous all her life. That her career closely resembles Natalie Portman’s has been gleefully seized upon by the press, something Rachel Cusk must surely have anticipated: in the novel, M’s first film has its sex scenes cut at her mother’s insistence,

entertainment  Aug 21, 2026

The Guardian Culture

TV tonight: Brooke Shields stars in a silly murder-mystery comedy

A novelist and a podcaster are an unlikely crime-solving team in You’re Killing Me. Plus: get ready to cry over a robot. Here’s what to watch this evening8pm, U&DramaAllie (Brooke Shields) is a bestselling “menopausal mystery” novelist; Andi (Amalia Williamson) is an aspiring true-crime podcaster. When they meet at a writing convention, it’s a boomer and gen Z culture clash. But then a murder takes place and the two team up to solve the case … Light, rompy crime drama fun. Hollie Richardson

entertainment  Aug 21, 2026

The Guardian Culture

Stupid Never Dies – a zombie fights for the love of a frozen corpse

Free from a big brand’s audience expectations, new studio GPTrack50 has created a wacky action-packed romp through a monster-filled world for its first gameLove is blind. In Stupid Never Dies, it is also frozen solid and technically dead as Davy, the weakest zombie in monster society, discovers Julia’s body in a shopping centre and falls in love at first sight. He wants to bring her back to life and take her on a date. Unfortunately, that means defeating the King of Monsters (KOM) and accidental

entertainment  Aug 21, 2026

Hollywood Reporter

Billy Bob Thornton Says “Holly­wood Wasn’t Nice” to Taylor Sheridan, But That “Texas Accepted” Him

After leaving Los Angeles, the prolific TV creator went on to build a ranching empire in Texas.

entertainment  Aug 21, 2026