The Guardian Culture

Sanctuary review – tender, uplifting portrait of love in the Aids crisis

Pleasance Dome, EdinburghJacob Sparrow’s award-winning two-hander finds hope and humanity amid the prejudice and loss of the 1990sOne of the highlights of the Edinburgh international festival is a revival of Tony Kushner’s Angels in America, an era-defining play set at the height of the Aids crisis. In a smaller room of the same city is Jacob Sparrow’s debut – an award-winning two-hander that captures the desperation and hope of young men with Aids in the 1990s.It is a miniature piece, relativel

entertainment  Aug 10, 2026

Variety

Ritesh Sidhwani and Farhan Akhtar Launch Excel Origins, Initiative to Discover Filmmakers Under 30, as India’s Excel Entertainment Marks 25th Anniversary (EXCLUSIVE)

Excel Entertainment is marking its 25th anniversary with the launch of “Excel Origins,” an initiative from co-founders Ritesh Sidhwani and Farhan Akhtar dedicated to discovering, developing and backing the next generation of Indian filmmakers under 30. Sidhwani and Akhtar were 26 years old when they founded Excel Entertainment and began work on their first film, […]

entertainment  Aug 10, 2026

Hollywood Reporter

China Box Office: ‘Spider-Man’ Holds No. 1 as ‘The Odyssey’ Storms Previews

Christopher Nolan's epic took $6.9 million from Imax-only previews before its Friday release, while Sony's superhero sequel pushed its 12-day total past $185 million.

entertainment  Aug 10, 2026

Variety

Korea Box Office: ‘The Odyssey’ Bests ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’

“The Odyssey” sailed to the top of the South Korean box office during the weekend of Aug. 7–9. According to data from KOBIS, the tracking service operated by the Korean Film Council, the Christopher Nolan-directed epic generated $10.3 million from 1,333,569 admissions over the three-day frame across 1,798 screens, capturing a 45.13% share of total […]

entertainment  Aug 10, 2026

Variety

Germany’s Patra Spanou Film Boards Rodrigo Plá’s ‘The Newcomers’ After World Premiere at Locarno’s Kids Screenings (EXCLUSIVE)

Düsseldorf, Germany-based Patra Spanou Film has picked up world sales rights to “The Newcomers” (“Los nuevos”), the latest film from Mexico’s Rodrigo Plá (“The Other Tom”) in his first venture into kid-targeted films. According to Patra Spanou, she acquired it soon after its world premiere at Locarno’s Kids Screenings. “I have been following Rodrigo Plá´s […]

entertainment  Aug 10, 2026

The Guardian Culture

Wholesome animal chat that will melt your cynicism: best podcasts of the week

Matt Baker invites celebrities to talk about their pets. Plus, US soccer legend Megan Rapinoe makes her hosting debutThis series by Blue Peter and One Show alumnus Matt Baker is a wholesome entry into the well-worn celebrity interview genre. Indeed, it’s hard to be too cynical when you’re listening to Bill Bailey detail his menagerie, which has included everything from parrots and lizards to armadillos and the dog he is ostensibly on the show to talk about, a Japanese chin named Chocho. Other gu

entertainment  Aug 10, 2026

The Guardian Culture

John Berger: From Life by Tom Overton review – a vibrant biography of the pioneering critic

This multi-layered portrait is a fitting tribute to the man behind Ways of SeeingThe cultural critic John Berger was still alive and kicking when he donated his literary archive – heaped boxes of letters and notepads, sketches and scripts – to the British Library in 2009. From his home in the Alps, he proceeded to liaise with the collection’s curator, Tom Overton, sorting each item and recounting the wild stories behind them. When Overton sought permission to write Berger’s biography, though, th

entertainment  Aug 10, 2026

The Guardian Culture

Mermaid Beach review – Wales gets its mermaidcore moment in teen-empowerment tale

When discontented Lily becomes a fantastical sea creature her low-budget transformation is strikingly unconvincing, rather in tune with the whole filmMermaidcore comes to the Welsh coastline in this somewhat stilted family movie about a teenager called Lily who turns into a mermaid. You could imagine it being developed into a series for kids’ TV but as a film it unfortunately falls at the first hurdle – failing to pull off a convincing mermaid transformation. Poor Lily’s shimmering tail is very

entertainment  Aug 10, 2026

The Guardian Culture

An indigenous photographic history of America – in pictures

Spanning generations and multiple Indigenous societies and nations, In Light and Shadow traces the visual importance of Indigenous photographers. Representing work in different genres, the book presents more than 250 images with an accompanying exhibition at Obscura Gallery from 14 August Continue reading...

entertainment  Aug 10, 2026

Variety

China Box Office: ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ Retains Crown as ‘Once Upon a Time in the Middle East,’ ‘The Odyssey’ Surge in Previews

Sony’s blockbuster “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” held onto the top spot at the mainland China box office during the Aug. 7–9 weekend, pulling in RMB196.6 million ($28.9 million) in its second full frame. The film has now amassed a cumulative total of $185.4 million since its July 29 opening. Pearl Studio’s animated fantasy feature “All […]

entertainment  Aug 10, 2026

The Guardian Culture

TV tonight: killer fridges on the loose in a new sci-fi comedy

This zany time-travelling show is a bit like Doctor Who: The Sitcom. Plus, Martin and Roman Kemp take an Irish road trip. Here’s what to watch this evening10.10pm, Sky ComedyA zany sci-fi comedy that is a bit like Doctor Who: The Sitcom. Warren has a mysterious glittering portal in his shed, but he only ever uses it to dump leaves in. When his teenage daughter is sucked into it one day – leaving her trusty vape behind – he jumps in after her. They find themselves in 2043, where evil refrigerator

entertainment  Aug 10, 2026

Variety

John Oliver Takes Shots at Own Company’s DC Superhero Movies on ‘Last Week Tonight’

On Sunday’s edition of “Last Week Tonight,” John Oliver aimed his ire at President Trump’s Department of Justice that has, under former Attorney General Pam Bondi, designate Attorney General Todd Blanche (Trump’s personal lawyer who’d defended him for concealing hush-money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels) and attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro, […]

entertainment  Aug 10, 2026

Variety

Kiran Abbavaram’s Mythological Action-Fantasy for India’s Zee Studios Reveals Title as ‘Indraputra’ (EXCLUSIVE)

Kiran Abbavaram’s mythological action-fantasy for Zee Studios has revealed its title as “Indraputra,” with the pan-Indian project, directed by Srikanth Puppala, set to begin principal photography in October. Abbavaram takes on a mythology-rooted part built around the conflict between dharma, the principle of righteous duty and moral order in Hindu philosophy, and adharma, its violation. […]

entertainment  Aug 10, 2026

Hollywood Reporter

Aubrey Plaza and Christopher Abbott Are Parents to a Baby Daughter

This marks the first child for the couple.

entertainment  Aug 10, 2026

Hollywood Reporter

Tedde Moore, Who Played Ralphie’s Teacher in ‘A Christmas Story,’ Dies at 79

The actress, the mother of Grammy-winning music producer 40, portrayed Miss Shields in the 1983 Christmas classic opposite Peter Billingsley.

entertainment  Aug 10, 2026

The Guardian Culture

‘This is asking a lot of the buttocks’: my 23-hour Wagner marathon on a rock hard seat in a heatwave

How does it feel to be locked into a venue notorious for its unpadded seating to experience a full-throttle Ring cycle and more? Our critic found out at the 150th anniversary of the mighty Bayreuth festivalLiszt and Bruckner were there from the start. Debussy, Mahler and Puccini all subsequently made the journey. So did writers from Virginia Woolf and Thomas Mann to WEB Du Bois, not to mention choreographer Sergei Diaghilev, anarchist Emma Goldman, British fascist Diana Mosley (wife of Oswald) a

entertainment  Aug 10, 2026

The Guardian Culture

Movie paradise? How Malta became a magnet for big film shoots

EU’s smallest country has played ancient Rome, the Land of Spells and Bay of Pentos and draws more than 30 productions annuallyWhat links the Caribbean, ancient Rome, Enid Blyton’s Land of Spells, the south of France and the Bay of Pentos from Game of Thrones? They are all places that have been portrayed in recent and forthcoming films by a sunny archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea, no bigger in size than Sheffield.Malta has over the last decade risen to become one of the most popular places in

entertainment  Aug 10, 2026

The Guardian Culture

Olga Koch: Fat Tom Cruise review – surefire standup pirouettes through the punchlines

Pleasance Courtyard, EdinburghThe fast-talking comic considers fraternity culture, gender discrimination and an unrequited crush in a cleverly engineered showFrom the outset, Olga Koch’s show Fat Tom Cruise looks like it’s got something meaningful to say. It’s not just the screens and sleek stage furniture, on to which details of several US legal cases are projected (alongside many a glib punchline, admittedly). It’s also our host’s swaggering authority: Koch powers through her show like a woman

entertainment  Aug 10, 2026

Hollywood Reporter

‘House of the Dragon’ Star Shares the Bright Side of That Tragic Finale Twist

"I'm just happy I made it three seasons," the HBO drama's latest victim tells The Hollywood Reporter about exiting Westeros at the end of season three.

entertainment  Aug 10, 2026

Hollywood Reporter

‘House of the Dragon’ Boss Explains Finale’s Big Book Change

Showrunner Ryan Condal also promises "a very worthy final season" after that season three ending.

entertainment  Aug 10, 2026