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 [...]
Sing Sing film review: Colman Domingo shines in imaginative prison drama August 29, 2024 Colman Domingo, a talented character actor only just beginning to get his due as a star, leads a thrilling ensemble in this uplifting true-life drama. He plays John “Divine G” Whitfield, an inmate at the infamous Sing Sing correctional facility just outside of New York. Wrongly convicted and awaiting a parole verdict, he puts everything [...]
Elliot Page proves he is a force in first film since transitioning August 29, 2024 Oscar nominee Elliot Page stars in his first film role since announcing his transition in 2020. In Close To You, he plays Sam, a transgender man living in Toronto making the journey to the small town where he grew up for his father’s birthday. It’s the first time in four years he has visited, and [...]
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 [...]
Downton Abbey maker Carnival Films scraps dividend as earnings dip ahead of third film August 22, 2024 Earnings at the production company behind TV hits such as Downton Abbey dipped in 2023 after the income it generates from its back catalogue fell, it has been revealed. Carnival Films has reported a turnover of £43m for its latest financial year, according to newly-filed accounts with Companies House. The figure comes after the business [...]
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 [...]
Marv Studios: Record year for Matthew Vaughn and Claudia Schiffer’s Kingsman maker August 21, 2024 Marv Studios, the production company founded by Matthew Vaughn and Guy Ritchie, achieved the best year in its history as it surged back into the black. The firm, which is now owned by Vaughn and his wife Claudia Schiffer, has posted a pre-tax profit of £72.7m for the year to 30 June, 2023. The company [...]
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 [...]