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Guy Sebastian's surprising new career move

<p>Guy Sebastian has announced his surprising new career move, just weeks after revealing he would be leaving his long-held judges role on <em>The Voice Australia</em>. </p> <p>After spending six seasons on the singing program, Sebastian is set to make a carer pivot into films, as he will make his big-screen debut later this year. </p> <p>Sebastian will appear in <em>Hindi Vindi</em>: an Australian indie film about a teen musician named Kabir, portrayed by Mihir Ahuja, who is trying to bridge a family generation gap through song.</p> <p>The Australian Idol winner was originally approached to just write an original song for the movie, before producers to ask him to take on the acting role of James, the father of the teenage singer.</p> <p>On Thursday, Sebastian was asked on <em>Sunrise</em> about the best part of working on the new film.</p> <p>“Working with great actors — in the film there is Nina Gunter, who has been in 180 Bollywood movies, and the actor who plays my son in the film as well — absorbing the craft,” Sebastian said</p> <p>“I am comfortable in the music world. I can sit in my studio knowing I have done my 10,000 hours but having actor friends and seeing how seriously they take the craft, I knew I was venturing into a world that I needed to pull something out from somewhere."</p> <p>“It is not the hat that I wear all the time. That was good, watching them and absorbing them in being able to turn on a dime and the emotion and that is the biggest thing I took away, how much is involved in bringing a character to life.”</p> <p>Sebastian spoke candidly about delving into his own ancestral roots for the role, tapping into his Malaysian and Sri Lankan Tamil heritage. </p> <p>“I moved to Australia when I was six years old or something,” he said.</p> <p>“There is a lot in this movie that I could draw on personally, my mum is from India and she had a pretty tough life. She was orphaned fairly young. Her story parallels that of my wife in the film."</p> <p>“My character gets married and takes her away from her family and that is kind of what happened to my mum. At 19 she moved away from her family, so there is a lot to tap into."</p> <p>“The accent, it actually came naturally because I generally soften my accent. When I am around my older aunties, you can’t be very Australian because they don’t know what you’re saying.”</p> <p>When asked if Sebastian thought acting would be a new career path for him, he responded, “I don’t know.”</p> <p>“Originally, I was just writing the music — I would be the singing voice of the character of my son — and it changed into me writing some songs for the film and then weirdly they saw a film clip where I played this ’70s porn star detective."</p> <div> </div> <p>“They saw that, and they were like ... ‘You are quite natural on camera, can you try out for the role?’ And now I am in it.”</p> <p>Sebastian has also written an original song, titled <em>Made of Heart</em>, for the film. </p> <p><em>Image credits: Sunrise </em></p>

Movies

Oscars 2025: who will likely win, who should win, and who barely deserves to be there

<div class="theconversation-article-body"><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/ari-mattes-97857">Ari Mattes</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-notre-dame-australia-852">University of Notre Dame Australia</a></em></p> <p>We’ve probably all had a moment when we stopped taking the Oscars too seriously. For me, it was when Denzel Washington <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/timlammers/2024/05/02/why-denzel-washington-once-told-a-co-star-losing-an-oscar-is-better/#:%7E:text=Washington's%20second%20Oscar%20win%20%E2%80%94%20which,called%20at%20the%20Academy%20podium.">won best actor</a> for Training Day (2001), a crime film in which he displays virtually none of his acting chops.</p> <p>And as popular cinema becomes uglier (it’s mostly shot on digital video now, which almost never looks as good as film) and streamers (or logistics companies such as Amazon) take over film production, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to appreciate the point of the ceremony.</p> <p>From this year’s ten nominees for best picture, The Brutalist, Conclave and I’m Still Here are good – while (most of) the other nominees are only okay.</p> <h2>Some well-made films, but nothing outstanding</h2> <p>Writer-director Sean Baker’s Anora is nominated for best picture this year, after already <a href="https://aframe.oscars.org/news/post/2024-cannes-film-festival-winners-list-palme-dor">winning the Palme d’Or</a>. It’s a moderately sweet film in the tradition of Pretty Woman – having more nudity and sex, and a disappointing ending, doesn’t automatically make it edgier. It’s too long by at least half an hour, with some okay performances.</p> <p>It’s certainly not bad, but the idea that this is one of the “best pictures” of 2024 is alarming – or would be, if I wasn’t already so cynical. Most importantly, there’s nothing formally or aesthetically compelling about it, in which case I might have forgiven the silly (anti) Cinderella story.</p> <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vgrXTvL_l_c?wmode=transparent&start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></figure> <p>Another nominee, A Complete Unknown, is similarly well-made. Timothée Chalamet gives a predictably moody performance as Bob Dylan, and it’s fun to learn something about the relationships between Dylan and musical legends Joan Baez and Pete Seeger.</p> <p>But there’s also something fundamentally weird about watching a memoir about a person as iconic as Dylan. It veers too often into the terrain of impersonation, and this is even more off-putting given Dylan is still alive. Throw in Chalamet’s (certainly accomplished) singing of Dylan’s songs, and it feels like we’re watching someone do karaoke really well.</p> <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/FdV-Cs5o8mc?wmode=transparent&start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></figure> <p>The Substance tries to shock and titillate the viewer with its caricature of celebrity in an era of body modification and mega-media corporations. Demi Moore, Margaret Qualley and Dennis Quaid try hard to be funny, but the whole thing plays like an undergraduate essay that makes the same point ad nauseam. Though the actors surely had fun, there’s nothing compelling about their guffawing.</p> <p>This is also the problem with messy hybrid musical-thriller Emilia Pérez, the other over-the-top genre film tipped by some to win the award.</p> <p>The film, following a cartel leader who disappears and transitions into a woman, is overly dependent on making a point about the world outside of itself. This point is so obvious that it rapidly becomes tedious, with insufficient attention given to the formal and narrative tensions and ambiguities that compel an audience to engage with a film on a serious, visceral level.</p> <p>Dune: Part Two sounds and looks good, but is more meandering than Part One in developing Herbert’s unwieldy epic. If you liked Part One, you’ll probably like Part Two, but it’s not exactly cutting-edge material.</p> <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Qlbr7gJgBus?wmode=transparent&start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></figure> <p>Nickel Boys is a low-key, sentimental rendition of Colson Whitehead’s novel about two African American boys sent to a reform school in Florida in the early 1960s, and their coming of age as they survive myriad abuses. It’s watchable, if not particularly memorable.</p> <p>Finally, Wicked is, well … Wicked. If you like the musical you may like the film (although the live aspect of musicals makes this one play better on the stage than on the screen, unlike The Wizard of Oz, which was made for the screen). In any case, it’s not ridiculously bad, even though it is too long.</p> <h2>A few top contenders</h2> <p>Walter Salles’ I’m Still Here – which traces the struggle of an activist in Brazil after the forced disappearance of her husband in 1970 – works well in its evocation of place and time, and should soften the heart of even the most cynical viewer.</p> <p>Based on Marcelo Rubens Paiva’s 2015 memoir, the entire film is washed over with a faint scent of nostalgia that complements the idea of failing to find, and then remembering, that which is missing.</p> <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/gDunV808Yf4?wmode=transparent&start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></figure> <p>Conclave, adapted from Robert Harris’ novel, is another solidly made affair. It follows the political machinations of the Vatican as the Dean of Cardinals sets up a conclave to elect a new pope after the previous one dies of a heart attack.</p> <p>Ralph Fiennes is as effective and sombre as usual in the lead role as Cardinal Lawrence and various twists and turns keep us watching throughout. But one suspects the primary pleasure of the film is that it seems to offer an insider’s view of the Vatican, including all the fetishistic processes and rituals.</p> <p>Despite its serious tone, Conclave is a fun romp. And what a pleasure it is to watch Isabella Rossellini on the big screen once again.</p> <h2>The strongest nominee</h2> <p>The film that is most classically like a best picture nominee is The Brutalist – an epic, visually-magnificent study of the struggles of (fictional) architect László Toth, a Hungarian Jew who moves to America following the Holocaust.</p> <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/GdRXPAHIEW4?wmode=transparent&start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></figure> <p>Testament to the technical accomplishments of the film, and its superb creation of a coherent world, The Brutalist runs close to four hours (thankfully with an intermission) without becoming tedious. It chugs along with the relentless momentum of a steam engine.</p> <p>Adrien Brody is charming as Toth, endowing the character with a roguish and playful quality, and the supporting cast are solid. Akin to one of Toth’s constructions (as we hear in the epilogue section), the film neither indicates nor tells us anything beyond itself.</p> <p>There may be conclusions to be drawn regarding the relationship between art, power and capitalism, but the film gives you the space to devise these yourself. The film is, in a sense, beautifully mute.</p> <p>Out of all the nominations, The Brutalist is the only one that feels like a genuine best picture contender (with something of the grandeur of classical Hollywood cinema about it). Although many critics <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-features/oscars-2025-who-will-win-should-win-1236146220/">are</a> <a href="https://variety.com/lists/2025-oscars-predictions/">predicting</a> Anora will win, The Brutalist is the strongest of the nominees.</p> <p>That said, my pick for the best film of 2024 goes to a production that didn’t get a best picture nomination (as usual). Magnus von Horn’s The Girl With the Needle is a stunning Danish expressionistic nightmare that seamlessly integrates formal experimentation with a thrilling and horrific true crime narrative.</p> <p>It is absolutely sensational – the kind of thing you never forget. Thankfully, it has been recognised through its nomination for best international feature film.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/250783/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /></p> <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/NdjhUNH5v3Q?wmode=transparent&start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></figure> <p><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/ari-mattes-97857"><em>Ari Mattes</em></a><em>, Lecturer in Communications and Media, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-notre-dame-australia-852">University of Notre Dame Australia</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Brookstreet Pictures</em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/oscars-2025-who-will-likely-win-who-should-win-and-who-barely-deserves-to-be-there-250783">original article</a>.</em></p> </div>

Movies

Grease movie costumes sold at auction

<p>The iconic costumes worn by John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John in the film <em>Grease</em> are among the items going on sale in a film memorabilia auction.</p> <p>Their outfits are among more than 1,300 items of "unforgettable" movie memorabilia from films such as <em>Harry Potter</em>, <em>Star Wars</em> and <em>Ghostbusters</em> that are set to be sold an LA auction in March.</p> <p>Travolta's iconic T-Birds leather jacket, worn by his character Danny Zuko in the 1978 movie musical, is expected to fetch between $158,500 and $317,000 (AUD).</p> <p>A patterned dress worn by Newton-John, who died in 2022 aged 73, is also on sale for $47,500-$95,000 (AUD).</p> <p>Newton-John's character, Sandy Olsson, wore the dress in a scene where Sandy confronted Danny in the ice cream parlour about his behaviour while choosing music on a jukebox. </p> <p>Other film items going up for auction include a bomber jacket worn by Tom Cruise as Pete “Maverick” Mitchell in the 1986 action film <em>Top Gun</em>, a ghost trap from 1984 comedy horror <em>Ghostbusters</em>, Angelina Jolie’s jacket from 2003’s <em>Lara Croft: Tomb Raider – The Cradle Of Life</em>, and the robe worn by Sir Michael Gambon as Professor Albus Dumbledore in 2009 fantasy <em>Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince</em>.</p> <p>“This auction brings together an exceptional line-up of some of the most recognisable and well-loved props and costumes in Hollywood history,” Propstore chief operating officer Brandon Alinger said.</p> <p>“From <em>Star War</em>s and <em>Superman</em> to <em>Grease</em> and <em>Ghostbusters</em>, these unforgettable pieces resonate with fans across the globe, sparking nostalgia and deep connection to the films and characters they love.”</p> <p><em>Image credits: Paramount Pictures</em></p> <p class="mb-4 font-serif text-article-body" style="font-family: var(--font-google-newsreader),serif; box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px solid; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 1.2275rem; line-height: 26.514px; caret-color: #2a2a2a; color: #2a2a2a;"> </p>

Beauty & Style

Disney to change content warnings shown before "problematic" classics

<p>Disney will tone down the language of the content warnings on its streaming service that accompany classic movies with racial stereotypes. </p> <p>The current disclaimers played before older titles like <em>Dumbo</em> and <em>Peter Pan</em> said the film “includes negative depictions and/or mistreatment of peoples or cultures” adding, “these stereotypes were wrong then and are wrong now.”</p> <p>The new disclaimers will state: “This program is presented as originally created and may contain stereotypes or negative depictions,” and will not appear as introductory text that plays before the beginning of a film. </p> <p>The disclaimers will also only appear in the details section of certain films, where viewers will have to navigate to find it, decreasing their visibility. </p> <p>Disney will also replace its “Diversity & Inclusion” performance factor used to evaluate executive pay with a new “Talent Strategy”, according to Sonia Coleman, Disney’s senior executive vice president and chief human resources officer. </p> <p>Other rollbacks of its diversity, equity and inclusion measures include the closure of its Reimagine Tomorrow initiative, a website that highlighted stories and talent from underrepresented communities. </p> <p>Disney first added content warnings to older movies like <em>Dumbo </em>and Peter Pan in November 2019, due to racist depictions included in some of the films created by the studio in the 40s and 50s. </p> <p>Disney has become the latest major organisation to roll back its diversity measures following Donald Trump’s re-election as US President.</p> <p><em>Image: spatuletail / Shutterstock.com</em></p> <p> </p>

Movies

Modern memories: Forget the memoir, create a life story film

<p>Every single person has a story to share, and a growing number of older Australians are choosing to record their life memories as short films. While writing memoirs can take years, creating a life story film takes just a few hours—and the resulting films are far more vivid than writing or looking through photo albums.</p> <p>Television producer and director Danika Armytage, known for producing shows like <em>The Block</em>, <em>River Cottage Australia</em>, <em>Travel Guides</em>, and <em>The Living Room</em>, has launched a company called Big Stories Little Films, which specialises in creating life legacy films. Since its inception in 2024, Danika has been busy bringing people's stories to life in film.</p> <p>“Our films tell life stories, capture family ancestry, and allow wisdom to be passed between generations,” Danika explains. “They are often a gift between family members—either commissioned as a birthday present from the kids, or as a film gifted from the grandparents to their grandkids - it’s like a film heirloom to pass between generations.”</p> <p>“I’ve created life story films for people from all walks of life,” says Danika, “from Commodores in the Navy, restaurateurs, fifth-generation sheep farmers, to immigrants who were born in concentration camps or fled war-torn countries. The films and stories are as unique as the people in them.”</p> <p>Danika was inspired to start the company after filming an interview with her own grandmother, Halimah, before she passed away. “The film became priceless to my family, especially after Granny died. Now my own children can meet their great-grandmother and feel connected to our family history, even though they never met her in person. Memories fade, but films are a time capsule that safeguards stories, keeping them as vivid as if you're sitting at the kitchen bench hearing them directly from your grandparent.”</p> <p><img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2025/02/Danika-and-gma.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /></p> <p><em>Big Stories Little Films creator</em> <em>Danika Armytage (L) and her inspiration, her grandmother Halimah </em></p> <p>“One of my favourite films was about brother and sister Raymond and Jennice Kersh (A.M.), now in their 80s, who ran the iconic Sydney restaurant Edna’s Table and were pioneers in serving indigenous ingredients in the Sydney restaurant scene. It was one of the first restaurants to serve Indigenous ingredients. Their story is inspiring, and their recollections of growing up in Pyrmont in the 1940s, a suburb where ‘everyone was poor but no one was lonely’ are a perfect example of how these films capture living history.” </p> <p>“Another of my favourite films was the story of John French, a fifth-generation sheep farmer from Tumut, in regional NSW. John can trace his family history all the way back to 1840, when his ancestors arrived from Scotland to work as shepherds. He still lives and works on the same land at the age of 79. His film was a gift from his daughter.”</p> <p><img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2025/02/Raymond-and-Jennice.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /></p> <p><em><span style="font-size: 16px; caret-color: #212529; color: #212529; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif, 'Apple Color Emoji', 'Segoe UI Emoji', 'Segoe UI Symbol', 'Noto Color Emoji'; background-color: #ffffff;">Raymond and Jennice Kersh, who appeared in one of Danika's first films</span></em></p> <p>Big Stories Little Films began in Sydney but can film across Australia. To view examples of their films and learn more about their packages and pricing, visit their website: <a href="http://www.bigstorieslittlefilms.com.au">www.bigstorieslittlefilms.com.au</a>.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Supplied </em></p>

Movies

2025 Oscar nominations revealed

<p>The nominations for the 97th Academy Awards have been announced after being postponed twice due to the devastating wildfires in LA. </p> <p>Aussie actor Guy Pearce has picked up a best supporting actor nomination for his role in The Brutalist. </p> <p>A few other Aussies who were nominated include Adam Elliot, an Oscar-winning animator, who is up for best animated feature for <em>Memoir of a Snail,</em> and Greig Fraser for his cinematography in<em> Dune: Part Two</em>. </p> <p>This year's early star is Spanish-language Netflix film<em> Emilia Pérez</em>, with 13 nominations, followed by <em>The Brutalist </em>and <em>Wicked</em> on 10 each.</p> <p><em>Emilia Pérez </em>dominated the nominations picking up best picture, as well as best actress for Karla Sofía Gascón, the first openly trans actor ever nominated for an Oscar.</p> <p>The film also landed nominations for directing, original screenplay, two of its songs, and for supporting actress Zoe Saldaña.</p> <p>The Broadway adaptation of <em>Wicked</em> picked up 10 nominations including best picture and acting nods for Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande.</p> <p><em>The Brutalist </em>also scored 10 nominations including best picture, best director, and nominations for actor Adrien Brody, Guy Pearce, and Felicity Jones. </p> <p>The 97th Academy Awards will take place on March 2, 2025, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, which will be around 10am AEDT on March 3. </p> <h3><strong>Here is the full list of nominees</strong></h3> <p><strong>Best Picture</strong></p> <ul> <li>Anora</li> <li>The Brutalist</li> <li>A Complete Unknown</li> <li>Conclave</li> <li>Dune: Part Two</li> <li>Emilia Pérez</li> <li>I'm Still Here</li> <li>Nickel Boys</li> <li>The Substance</li> <li>Wicked</li> </ul> <p><strong>Director</strong></p> <ul> <li>Anora — Sean Baker</li> <li>The Brutalist — Brady Corbet</li> <li>A Complete Unknown — James Mangold</li> <li>Emilia Pérez — Jacques Audiard</li> <li>The Substance — Coralie Fargeat</li> </ul> <p><strong>Leading Actor</strong></p> <ul> <li>Adrien Brody in The Brutalist</li> <li>Timothee Chalamet in A Complete Unknown</li> <li>Colman Domingo in Sing Sing</li> <li>Ralph Fiennes in Conclave</li> <li>Sebastian Stan in The Apprentice</li> </ul> <p><strong>Leading Actress</strong></p> <ul> <li>Cynthia Erivo in Wicked</li> <li>Karla Sofia Gascon in Emilia Perez</li> <li>Mikey Madison in Anora</li> <li>Demi Moore in The Substance</li> <li>Fernanda Torres in I'm Still Here<span style="font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif;"><br /></span></li> </ul> <p><strong>Supporting Actor</strong></p> <ul> <li>Yura Borisov in Anora</li> <li>Keiran Culkin in A Real Pain</li> <li>Edward Norton in A Complete Unknown</li> <li>Guy Pearce in The Brutalist</li> <li>Jeremy Strong in The Apprentice</li> </ul> <p><strong>Supporting Actress</strong></p> <ul> <li>Monica Barbaro in A Complete Unknown</li> <li>Ariana Grande in Wicked</li> <li>Felicity Jones in The Brutalist</li> <li>Isabella Rossellini in Conclave</li> <li>Zoe Saldana in Emilia Perez</li> </ul> <p><strong>Animated Feature Film</strong></p> <ul> <li>Flow</li> <li>Inside Out 2</li> <li>Memoir of a Snail</li> <li>Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl</li> <li>The Wild Robot</li> </ul> <p><strong>Cinematography</strong></p> <ul> <li>The Brutalist — Lol Crawley</li> <li>Dune: Part Two — Greig Fraser</li> <li>Emilia Perez — Paul Guilhaume</li> <li>Maria — Ed Lachman</li> <li>Nosferatu — Jarin Blaschke</li> </ul> <p><strong>Costume design</strong></p> <ul> <li>A Complete Unknown — Arianne Phillips</li> <li>Conclave — Lisy Christl</li> <li>Gladiator II — Janty Yates and Dave Crossman</li> <li>Nosferatu — Linda Muir</li> <li>Wicked — Paul Tazewell</li> </ul> <p><strong>Documentary feature film</strong></p> <ul> <li>Black Box Diaries</li> <li>No Other Land</li> <li>Porcelain War</li> <li>Soundtrack to a Coup d'Etat</li> <li>Sugarcane</li> </ul> <p><strong>Documentary short film</strong></p> <ul> <li>Death by Numbers</li> <li>I Am Ready, Warden</li> <li>Incident</li> <li>Instruments of a Beating Heart</li> <li>The Only Girl in the Orchestra</li> </ul> <p><strong>Film editing</strong></p> <ul> <li>Anora — Sean Baker</li> <li>The Brutalist — David Jancso</li> <li>Conclave — Nick Emerson</li> <li>Emilia Pérez — Juliette Welfling</li> <li>Wicked — Myron Kerstein</li> </ul> <p><strong>International feature film</strong></p> <ul> <li>Brazil: I'm Still Here</li> <li>Denmark: The Girl with the Needle</li> <li>France: Emilia Pérez</li> <li>Germany: The Seed of the Sacred Fig</li> <li>Latvia: Flow</li> </ul> <p><strong>Makeup and hairstyling</strong></p> <ul> <li>A Different Man — Mike Marino, David Presto and Crystal Jurado</li> <li>Emilia Pérez — Julia Floch Carbonel, Emmanuel Janvier and Jean-Christophe Spadaccini</li> <li>Nosferatu — David White, Traci Loader and Suzanne Stokes-Munton</li> <li>The Substance — Pierre-Olivier Persin, Stéphanie Guillon and Marilyne Scarselli</li> <li>Wicked — Frances Hannon, Laura Blount and Sarah Nuth</li> </ul> <p><strong>Music (original score)</strong></p> <ul> <li>The Brutalist — Daniel Blumberg</li> <li>Conclave — Volker Bertelmann</li> <li>Emilia Pérez — Clément Ducol and Camille</li> <li>Wicked — John Powell and Stephen Schwartz</li> <li>The Wild Robot — Kris Bowers</li> </ul> <p><strong>Music (original song)</strong></p> <ul> <li>El Mal from Emilia Pérez; Music by Clément Ducol and Camille; Lyric by Clément Ducol, Camille and Jacques Audiard</li> <li>The Journey from The Six Triple Eight; Music and Lyric by Diane Warren</li> <li>Like A Bird from Sing Sing; Music and Lyric by Abraham Alexander and Adrian Quesada</li> <li>Mi Camino from Emilia Pérez; Music and Lyric by Camille and Clément Ducol</li> <li>Never Too Late from Elton John: Never Too Late; Music and Lyric by Elton John, Brandi Carlile, Andrew Watt and Bernie Taupin</li> </ul> <p><strong>Production design</strong></p> <ul> <li>The Brutalist — Production Design: Judy Becker; Set Decoration: Patricia Cuccia</li> <li>Conclave — Production Design: Suzie Davies; Set Decoration: Cynthia Sleiter</li> <li>Dune: Part Two — Production Design: Patrice Vermette; Set Decoration: Shane Vieau</li> <li>Nosferatu — Production Design: Craig Lathrop; Set Decoration: Beatrice Brentnerová</li> <li>Wicked — Production Design: Nathan Crowley; Set Decoration: Lee Sandales</li> </ul> <p><strong>Short film (animated)</strong></p> <ul> <li>Beautiful Men</li> <li>In the Shadow of the Cypress</li> <li>Magic Candles</li> <li>Wander to Wonder</li> <li>Yuck!</li> </ul> <p><strong>Short film (live action)</strong></p> <ul> <li>A Lien</li> <li>Anuja</li> <li>I'm Not a Robot</li> <li>The Last Ranger</li> <li>The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent</li> </ul> <p><strong>Sound</strong></p> <ul> <li>A Complete Unknown — Tod A. Maitland, Donald Sylvester, Ted Caplan, Paul Massey and David Giammarco</li> <li>Dune: Part Two — Gareth John, Richard King, Ron Bartlett and Doug Hemphill</li> <li>Emilia Pérez — Erwan Kerzanet, Aymeric Devoldère, Maxence Dussère, Cyril Holtz and Niels Barletta</li> <li>Wicked — Simon Hayes, Nancy Nugent Title, Jack Dolman, Andy Nelson and John Marquis</li> <li>The Wild Robot — Randy Thom, Brian Chumney, Gary A. Rizzo and Leff Lefferts</li> </ul> <p><strong>Visual effects</strong></p> <ul> <li>Alien: Romulus — Eric Barba, Nelson Sepulveda-Fauser, Daniel Macarin and Shane Mahan</li> <li>Better Man — Luke Millar, David Clayton, Keith Herft and Peter Stubbs</li> <li>Dune: Part Two — Paul Lambert, Stephen James, Rhys Salcombe and Gerd Nefzer</li> <li>Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes — Erik Winquist, Stephen Unterfranz, Paul Story and Rodney Burke</li> <li>Wicked — Pablo Helman, Jonathan Fawkner, David Shirk and Paul Corbould</li> </ul> <p><strong>Adapted screenplay</strong></p> <ul> <li>A Complete Unknown — Screenplay by James Mangold and Jay Cocks</li> <li>Conclave — Screenplay by Peter Straughan</li> <li>Emilia Pérez — Screenplay by Jacques Audiard; In collaboration with Thomas Bidegain, Léa Mysius and Nicolas Livecchi</li> <li>Nickel Boys — Screenplay by RaMell Ross & Joslyn Barnes</li> <li>Sing Sing — Screenplay by Clint Bentley, Greg Kwedar; Story by Clint Bentley, Greg Kwedar, Clarence Maclin, John "Divine G" Whitfield</li> </ul> <p><strong>Original screenplay</strong></p> <ul> <li>Anora — Written by Sean Baker</li> <li>The Brutalist — Written by Brady Corbet, Mona Fastvold</li> <li>A Real Pain — Written by Jesse Eisenberg</li> <li>September 5 — Written by Moritz Binder, Tim Fehlbaum; Co-Written by Alex David</li> <li>The Substance — Written by Coralie Fargeat</li> </ul> <p><em>Image: Al Seib/AMPAS/ Shutterstock Editorial</em></p>

Movies

Legendary Hollywood director dies at age 78

<p>Hollywood director David Lynch, who was known for directing iconic films such as <em>Mulholland Drive</em> and <em>Twin Peaks</em>, has passed away at the age of 78. </p> <p>Lynch’s family confirmed his passing on social media early on Friday morning with an emotional statement that reads, “It is with deep regret that we, his family, announce the passing of the man and the artist, David Lynch.” </p> <p>“We would appreciate some privacy at this time."</p> <p>“There’s a big hole in the world now that he’s no longer with us. But, as he would say, ‘Keep your eye on the doughnut and not on the hole’,” Lynch’s family added.</p> <p>“It’s a beautiful day with golden sunshine and blue skies all the way.”</p> <p>Lynch's family did not confirm his cause of death. </p> <p>In 2020, the acclaimed writer and director was diagnosed with emphysema, a chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. </p> <p>After being a heavy smoker all his life, Lynch revealed in November 2024 that he needed supplemental oxygen to go on a walk.</p> <p>“What you sow is what you reap,” Lynch told <em>People</em> magazine. “In the back of every smoker’s mind is the fact that it’s healthy, so you’re literally playing with fire. It can bite you. I took a chance, and I got bit.”</p> <p>Lynch's filmmaking career began in the 1960s, although his first feature film was <em>Eraserhead</em> in 1977. </p> <p>His next film was 1980’s <em>The Elephant Man</em>, which was nominated for eight Oscars — including Best Director for Lynch.</p> <p>He followed up <em>The Elephant Man</em> with 1984’s <em>Dune</em>, 1986’s <em>Blue Velvet</em>, 1990’s <em>Wild At Heart</em> and 2001’s <em>Mulholland Drive</em>.</p> <p>Lynch also created the hit TV series <em>Twin Peaks</em> in 1990, as well as the 1992 movie prequel and 2017 reboot season. </p> <p>During his stellar career, Lynch was nominated for four Oscars and nine Emmy Awards. He won the César Award for Best Foreign Film twice and the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival once.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Zuma/Shutterstock Editorial </em></p>

Caring

Denzel Washington's awkward encounter with King Charles

<p>Denzel Washington and King Charles have had an awkward encounter at the <em>Gladiator II</em> premiere in London. </p> <p>The cast of the highly-anticipated film lined up to meet His Majesty, and as the King approached the legendary actor, Washington held out his arm to shake Charles' hand. </p> <p>As the moment took place, the actor told the King with a nervous grin, “I didn’t know if I was supposed to grab your hand or not”.</p> <p>Afterwards, the King asked him about his role in Gladiator II, where he plays the villainous Macrinus, to which Washington joked, “I’m, just an awful … I’m a lovely man you’ll see. I’m a lovely chap”.</p> <p>The King then told Washington, “You’ve been in so many films, it’s fantastic.”</p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DCVGH0lowSg/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DCVGH0lowSg/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by ITV News Royals (@itvnewsroyals)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>Denzel was joined at the premiere by his fellow co-stars Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal, Joseph Quinn, and the film's director Ridley Scott. </p> <p>Gladiator II returns fans to Ancient Rome, but is set 20 years after the original <em>Gladiator</em> - released in 2000 and starring Russell Crowe - focusing on a now grown-up Lucius who is forced into slavery after a Roman invasion sees his home destroyed and his wife killed.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Eddie Mulholland/WPA Pool/Shutterstock Editorial </em></p>

Movies

No more Mr Nice Guy: Tom Hanks blows up at movie critics

<p>Tom Hanks has taken aim at movie critics in a heated on Conan O'Brien's podcast, calling out the entire review section of the entertainment industry. </p> <p>The Hollywood actor launched into his tirade on the <em>Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend</em> podcast as he looked at how movie reviews and the general audience reception to films has changed over the years. </p> <p>“Now what happened is that time has become one of the metrics for how these things matter, right?” he said.</p> <p>“In the day it was just a fist fight. It was every movie you came out, are you going to make the playoffs or not? Guess what? No, kid, you’re 2 and 12 and you ain’t going nowhere. Or, you got a shot.”</p> <p>“It used to be you had these Rubicons that you crossed,” he continued. “First of all, do you love it or not? That’s the first thing. Yes, okay, you have crossed the Rubicon, right? The next Rubicon you cross is when the movie is completely done a year and a half later, and you see it for the first time, and you might like it. It doesn’t matter if it works or not, you look at it and say, ‘Hey, I think we acquitted ourselves pretty good.’ That’s Rubicon No. 2.”</p> <p>Hanks went on, “Then the critics weigh in, that’s Rubicon No. 3, and that’s always up down. ‘We hate it, we like it. This is the worst thing … Oh hey, oh hi Tom, I saw you in a movie. It was cute.’”</p> <p>“That’s when you ask the wife, ‘Hey, honey, could you take the revolver out of the glove box and hide it somewhere, because I think…,” Hanks joked.</p> <p>Podcast host O'Brien then brought up that Hanks was initially “disappointed” with his 1996 film <em>That Thing You Do!</em>, which marked his directorial debut, but the movie has since become a cult classic in pop culture.</p> <p>“Let me tell you something about these c***suckers who write about movies,” Hanks responded, before asking O’Brien and his co-hosts, “Can I say that?”</p> <p>“Somebody who wrote about it is, ‘Tom Hanks has to stop hanging around with veterans of TV, because this is just like the shot on TV and it’s not much of anything,’” Hanks recalled. “That same person then wrote about the cult classic <em>That Thing You Do!</em> Same exact person. They said, ‘All you need is 20 years between now and then, and it ends up speaking some words.’”</p> <p><em>Image credits: Shutterstock </em></p>

Movies

6 reasons why people enjoy horror movies

<div class="theconversation-article-body"><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/shane-rogers-575838">Shane Rogers</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/edith-cowan-university-720">Edith Cowan University</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/coltan-scrivner-1475716">Coltan Scrivner</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/arizona-state-university-730">Arizona State University</a>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/shannon-muir-2237282">Shannon Muir</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/edith-cowan-university-720">Edith Cowan University</a></em></p> <p>The creeping shadows and haunting decorations transform the everyday into something eerie at Halloween. And you might be thinking about scaring yourself with a <a href="https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/guide/best-horror-movies-of-all-time/">good horror movie</a>.</p> <p>Grotesque imagery, extreme violence, startling jump scares and menacing characters are common elements, making viewers feel fear, dread and disgust.</p> <p>We generally aim to avoid these <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1321053/full">negative emotions</a> in our everyday lives.</p> <p>So why would some people seek them out, and enjoy them, in horror movies?</p> <h2>1. Fear can be thrilling</h2> <p>There is lots of <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0149763423002063">overlap</a> between the emotions of fear and <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-024-53533-y">excitement</a>. In both, <a href="https://www.annualreviews.org/content/journals/10.1146/annurev.neuro.051508.135620">stress hormones</a> are released that can produce physical symptoms such as increased heart and breathing rates, sweating and muscle tension. People also feel <a href="https://www.verywellmind.com/the-psychology-of-fear-2671696">more alert</a> and “on edge”.</p> <p>Research has <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02298/full">consistently shown</a> people with personalities that crave intense emotional experiences, including fear and excitement, tend to enjoy horror movies.</p> <p>But for more fearful people, the jump scares and violent scenes can be <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780197535899.001.0001">too intense</a>. This can result in <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0956797620972116">coping behaviours</a> such as looking away or putting their hands over the ears, especially if they are <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/ebs0000152">highly immersed</a> in the movie.</p> <p>Although, if they also happen to enjoy intense emotion, they may still enjoy the thrill of the ride.</p> <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/llpsjbNQIns?wmode=transparent&start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe><figcaption><span class="caption">Movie makers work hard to get these ‘jump scares’ just right. And viewers enjoy the thrill.</span></figcaption></figure> <h2>2. There’s a sense of relief</h2> <p>People may enjoy horror movies because of a <a href="https://osf.io/preprints/psyarxiv/7uh6f">sense of relief</a> after a <a href="https://www.the-scientist.com/ts-digest/issue/science-experiments-from-the-afterlife-24-14?utm_campaign=TS_TS%20Digest%202.0%20Promotion&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=329250194&utm_content=329250194&utm_source=hs_email#why-do-some-people-enjoy-horror-movies-72181">scary moment has passed</a>.</p> <p>Watching a horror movie can be a bit of an emotional rollercoaster, with distinct <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1053811920300094">peaks and troughs</a> of fear and relief over the course of the film.</p> <p>For example, in the <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1396484/">2017 movie It</a> the main protagonists survive a series of scary encounters with a demonic clown. The scary moments are separated by calmer scenes, prompting a rollercoaster of emotions.</p> <p>In the classic <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0073195/">1975 movie Jaws</a>, viewers experience relief from the scary moments, only to be scared again and again.</p> <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/yFXG5QQYOvg?wmode=transparent&start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe><figcaption><span class="caption">Jaws is a rollercoaster of emotions.</span></figcaption></figure> <h2>3. They satisfy our morbid curiosity</h2> <p>Many horror movies feature supernatural themes and characters such as zombies, werewolves and vampires. So horror movies can help satiate a <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0191886921005183">morbid curiosity</a>.</p> <p>The violence, death, destruction and grotesque elements can provide curious people a safe space to explore things that are not safe (or socially appropriate) in the real world.</p> <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZbdMMI6ty0o?wmode=transparent&start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe><figcaption><span class="caption">Horror movies can help people satisfy their curiosity about death. But why are they curious in the first place?</span></figcaption></figure> <h2>4. We can work out our limits</h2> <p>Horror movies can reflect our deepest fears and prompt introspection about our personal thresholds of fear and disgust.</p> <p>So some people may enjoy watching them to get a <a href="https://osf.io/preprints/psyarxiv/sdxe6">better understanding</a> of their own limits.</p> <p>Watching horror might also be a way to push personal boundaries to potentially become <a href="https://osf.io/preprints/psyarxiv/7uh6f">less fearful</a> or grossed out by things in real life.</p> <p>In a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2020.110397">study</a> one of us (Coltan) conducted, horror movie fans reported less psychological distress during the early months of the COVID pandemic compared with people not identifying as a horror movie fan.</p> <h2>5. They can be social</h2> <p>Some people say the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/ebs0000152">social aspect</a> of watching horror movies with others is a big part of their appeal.</p> <p>Watching with others might help some people feel safer. Alternatively, this might help <a href="https://osf.io/preprints/psyarxiv/b8tgs">amplify</a> the emotional experience by <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0223259">feeding off the emotions</a> of people around them.</p> <p>Horror movies are also a common pick as a <a href="https://www.imdb.com/list/ls023286138/">date night</a> movie. Being <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.51.3.586">scared together</a> gives a good excuse to snuggle and take comfort in each other.</p> <h2>6. They give us pleasure in other people’s misery</h2> <p>Horror movies can provide the pleasurable emotion we feel when witnessing the misfortune of others, known as <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/neuroscience/schadenfreude">schadenfreude</a>. This occurs most when we feel the person experiencing misfortune deserves it.</p> <p>In many horror movies the characters that suffer a gruesome fate are only side characters. Much of the time these unfortunate souls are made out to be unlikeable and often make foolish choices before their grisly end.</p> <p>For example, in the 1996 teen witch movie <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0115963/">The Craft</a>, the character Chris Hooker is portrayed as being cruel to women. Then he dies by being blasted out of a window.</p> <p>Despite the grisly nature of horror movies, a <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2024-43893-001">study</a> by one of us (Coltan) found horror fans seem to have the same levels of empathy as anyone else.</p> <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZvLmyts6cEY?wmode=transparent&start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe><figcaption><span class="caption">In The Craft, viewers enjoy witnessing the misfortune of others, particularly if the character is a ‘baddy’.</span></figcaption></figure> <h2>What do I make of all this?</h2> <p>Horror movies allow us to confront our deepest fears through the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1027/1864-1105/a000354">safety of make-believe</a>.</p> <p>People enjoy them for lots of different reasons. And the precise combination of reasons differs depending on the specific movie, and the person or people watching it.</p> <p>What is certain though, is the <a href="https://www.the-numbers.com/market/genres">increasing popularity</a> of horror movies, with <a href="https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/guide/best-horror-movies-of-all-time/">many</a> to choose from.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/241480/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /></p> <p><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/shane-rogers-575838"><em>Shane Rogers</em></a><em>, Lecturer in Psychology, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/edith-cowan-university-720">Edith Cowan University</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/coltan-scrivner-1475716">Coltan Scrivner</a>, Behavioral Scientist, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/arizona-state-university-730">Arizona State University</a>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/shannon-muir-2237282">Shannon Muir</a>, Lecturer in psychology, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/edith-cowan-university-720">Edith Cowan University</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Shutterstock </em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/6-reasons-why-people-enjoy-horror-movies-241480">original article</a>.</em></p> </div>

Movies

Freddy Krueger at 40 – the ultimate horror movie monster (and Halloween costume)

<div class="theconversation-article-body"><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/adam-daniel-301018">Adam Daniel</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/western-sydney-university-1092">Western Sydney University</a></em></p> <p>Movie monsters have captivated audiences since the days of early cinema. They evoke fascination and terror, allowing audiences to confront their fears from the safety of the movie theatre or living room.</p> <p>Arguably one of the most enduring and captivating of these monsters is Freddy Krueger, the villain of the <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0087800/">A Nightmare on Elm Street</a> series who celebrates his 40th screen birthday this November.</p> <p>Memorably played by Robert Englund, Freddy quickly became a cultural icon of the 1980s and 1990s. Beyond his burned face and iconic bladed glove, Freddy’s dark humour and acidic personality set him apart from other silent, faceless killers of the era, such as Michael Myers in <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0077651/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_2_tt_6_nm_0_in_0_q_halloween">Halloween</a> or Jason Vorhees in <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080761/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1">Friday the 13th</a>.</p> <p>Written and directed by horror maven <a href="https://theconversation.com/wes-craven-the-scream-of-our-times-46915">Wes Craven</a>, 1984’s A Nightmare on Elm Street garnered positive reviews for its innovative concept: Freddy stalked and attacked his victims in their dreams, making him inescapable and allowing him to tap into their deepest fears. The series (seven films plus a 2010 remake and <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0329101/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1">Freddy vs. Jason</a> spin offs) blended supernatural horror and surrealism with a dark and twisted sense of humour.</p> <h2>Scary … but funny</h2> <p>Humour was key to Freddy’s “popularity”. Both sinister and strangely charismatic, Freddy’s psychological torture of his adolescent victims often oscillated between terrifying and amusing.</p> <p>A famous kill scene from 1987’s <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093629/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1">A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors</a> demonstrates this paradox.</p> <p>Aspiring actress Jennifer drifts off to sleep while watching a talk show on TV. In her dream, the host of the talk show suddenly transforms into Freddy, who attacks his guest before the TV blinks out. When Jennifer timidly approaches the TV set, Freddy’s head and clawed hands emerge from the device, snatching her while delivering an iconic one-liner: “This is it, Jennifer – your big break in TV!”</p> <p>Freddy turns his victims’ fears or aspirations – their dreams – against them.</p> <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/dCVh4lBfW-c?wmode=transparent&start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe><figcaption><span class="caption">‘Whatever you do, don’t fall asleep.’</span></figcaption></figure> <h2>Creating a monster</h2> <p>Craven has shared how the character of Krueger came to life in <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1510985/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1">Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy</a>, an oral history of the series.</p> <p>He described a childhood experience of seeing a strange mumbling man walking past his childhood home. The man stopped, he said, and looked directly at him “with a sick sense of malice”. This deeply unsettling experience helped shape Freddy’s menacing presence.</p> <p>The character’s creation also emerged from the filmmaker’s interest in <a href="https://www.iflscience.com/nightmare-on-elm-street-was-inspired-by-a-real-life-medical-mystery-60527">numerous reports of Southeast Asian refugees dying in their sleep</a> after experiencing vivid nightmares.</p> <p>In the film, Krueger’s origin story reveals him as a child murderer who was apprehended but released due to a technicality in his arrest. Seeking justice, the parents of his victims take matters into their own hands, and form a vigilante mob. They corner him in his boiler room and burn him alive. But Freddy’s spirit survives to haunt and kill the children of his executioners.</p> <h2>Cultural repression, expressed on film</h2> <p>Film critic and essayist <a href="https://www.cineaste.com/summer2019/robin-wood-on-horror-film-collected-essays-and-reviews#:%7E:text=Freudian%20theory%2C%20a%20crucial%20theoretical,the%20horror%20film%20perpetually%20enacts.">Robin Wood argued</a> horror films often bring to the surface elements society has repressed. These fears, desires, or cultural taboos are not openly acknowledged.</p> <p>But movie monsters act as manifestations of what society suppresses, such as sexuality, violence or deviant behaviour. American academic <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/01956051.1995.9943696">Gary Heba</a> argues Freddy is:</p> <blockquote> <p>an example of America’s political unconscious violently unleashed upon itself, manifesting everything that is unspeakable and repressed in the master narrative (perversion, child abuse and murder, vigilantism, the breakdown of rationality, order, and the family, among others), but still always present in the collective unconscious of the dominant culture.</p> </blockquote> <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/UBrl4H0Uzng?wmode=transparent&start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe><figcaption><span class="caption">Actor Robert Englund calls Freddy Krueger ‘the gift that keeps on giving’.</span></figcaption></figure> <h2>The monster decades</h2> <p>The 1970s and 1980s marked a golden era for the creation of horror film nasties like Krueger, Myers, <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0072271/?ref_=fn_al_tt_3">The Texas Chainsaw Massacre</a>’s Leatherface and <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094862/?ref_=fn_al_tt_19">killer doll Chucky</a>.</p> <p>Since then, the landscape of horror has shifted, with fewer singular monsters emerging. The diversification of horror sub-genres (zombie virus horror, anyone?), the rise of psychological horror (<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7784604/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_2_tt_4_nm_2_in_0_q_heredi">Hereditary</a>), and an emphasis on human-driven terror (<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0416315/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_1_tt_7_nm_0_in_0_q_wolf%2520creek">Wolf Creek</a>) or supernatural forces all contribute to this shift.</p> <p>While modern horror continues to thrive, few characters have achieved the same iconic status as Freddy – although some would argue Art the Clown from the recent <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4281724/">Terrifier</a> franchise and the reinvigorated Pennywise from <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1396484/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_1_tt_6_nm_1_in_0_q_it">IT</a> could join this exclusive group.</p> <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZuYoEtEI_go?wmode=transparent&start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe><figcaption><span class="caption">‘Five, six, grab your crucifix.’ A 2010 Nightmare on Elm St reboot failed to fire.</span></figcaption></figure> <h2>Happy Halloween!</h2> <p>Despite a <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1179056/">failed reboot in 2010</a>, the legacy of A Nightmare on Elm Street is strong, having influenced numerous filmmakers with its skilful mix of surrealism and slasher horror.</p> <p>However, it’s the orchestrator of the titular nightmares whose legacy is perhaps the strongest.</p> <p>With each Halloween, new fans choose Freddy for their costume. All it takes is a tattered striped sweater, a brown fedora hat, and a glove with sharp, finger-lengthening blades. Don’t forget makeup to re-create Krueger’s grisly facial burns. Sweet dreams!<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/240905/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /></p> <p><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/adam-daniel-301018"><em>Adam Daniel</em></a><em>, Associate Lecturer in Communications, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/western-sydney-university-1092">Western Sydney University</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: New Line Cinema - IMDB</em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/freddy-krueger-at-40-the-ultimate-horror-movie-monster-and-halloween-costume-240905">original article</a>.</em></p> </div>

Movies

30 years ago, Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction shook Hollywood and redefined ‘cool’ cinema

<div class="theconversation-article-body"><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/ben-mccann-398197">Ben McCann</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-adelaide-1119">University of Adelaide</a></em></p> <p>What might be the most seismic moment in American cinema? Film “speaking” for the first time in <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8SzltpkGz0M">The Jazz Singer</a>? Dorothy <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F4eQmTizTSo">entering</a> the Land of Oz? That <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yw_D3a2pZtk">menacing shark</a> that in 1975 invented the <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/the-history-of-the-blockbuster-movie/">summer blockbuster</a>?</p> <p>Or how about that moment when two hitmen on their way to a job began talking about the intricacies of European fast food while listening to Kool & The Gang?</p> <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2j_A6e-VESk?wmode=transparent&start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></figure> <p>Directed by Quentin Tarantino, <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0110912/">Pulp Fiction</a> (1994) celebrates its 30th birthday this month. Watching it now, this story of a motley crew of mobsters, drug dealers and lowlifes in sunny Los Angeles still feels startlingly new.</p> <p>Widely regarded as Tarantino’s masterpiece, the director’s dazzling second film was considered era-defining for its memorable dialogue, innovative narrative structure and unique blend of humour and violence. It was nominated for seven Academy Awards, made stars of Samuel L. Jackson and Uma Thurman, and revitalised John Travolta’s career.</p> <p>Pulp Fiction is dark, often poignant, and very funny. It is, as one critic <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/apr/13/my-favourite-cannes-winner-pulp-fiction">describes it</a>, an “intravenous jab of callous madness, black comedy and strange unwholesome euphoria”.</p> <h2>A Möbius strip plot</h2> <p>Famous for its non-linear narrative, Pulp Fiction weaves together <a href="https://thescriptlab.com/features/main/1457-structure-of-pulp-fiction-method-in-the-madness/">a trio of connected crime stories</a>. The three chapters – Vincent Vega and Marsellus Wallace’s Wife, The Gold Watch and The Bonnie Situation – loop, twist and intersect but, crucially, never confuse the viewer.</p> <p>Tarantino has often paid tribute to French filmmakers <a href="https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/jean-luc-godard-quentin-tarantino-ultimate-hero/">Jean-Luc Godard</a> and <a href="https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/director-deeply-inspired-quentin-tarantino/">Jean-Pierre Melville</a>, whose earlier films also presented their narratives out of chronological order and modified the rules of the crime genre.</p> <p>By inviting audiences to piece Pulp Fiction together like a puzzle, Tarantino laid the way for subsequent achronological films such as Memento (2000), Go (1999) and Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998).</p> <h2>Pop culture meets postmodernism</h2> <p>In his influential essay Postmodernism, or the Cultural Logic of Late Capitalism, first published in 1984, political theorist Frederic Jameson coined the term “<a href="https://literariness.org/2016/04/04/fredric-jamesons-concept-of-depthlessness/">new depthlessness</a>” to describe postmodern culture.</p> <p>Jameson perceived a shift away from the depth, meaning and authenticity that characterised earlier forms of culture, towards a focus on surface and style.</p> <p>Pulp Fiction <a href="http://moviemezzanine.com/the-eyes-behind-the-mask-pulp-fiction-and-postmodernity-20-years-later/">fits</a> Jameson’s definition of depthlessness. It is stuffed with homages to popular culture and a vivid array of character types drawn from other B-movies – hitmen, molls, mob bosses, double-crossing boxers, traumatised war veterans and tuxedo-wearing “fixers”. It is a film of surfaces and <a href="https://wiki.tarantino.info/index.php/Pulp_Fiction_Movie_References_Guide">allusions</a>.</p> <p>Jackson, Travolta and Thurman feature alongside established 1990s box-office stars including Bruce Willis and industry stalwarts Harvey Keitel and Christopher Walken, both of whom have brief but memorable cameos.</p> <p>The film’s most iconic scene takes place at the retro 1950s-themed Jack Rabbit Slim’s diner. Thurman’s twist contest with Travolta fondly echoes Travolta’s earlier dancing in Saturday Night Fever (1977) and pays homage to other dance scenes in films such as 8 ½ (1963) and Band of Outsiders (1964).</p> <h2>Words and music</h2> <p>Film critic Roger Ebert <a href="https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-pulp-fiction-1994">once noted</a> how Tarantino’s characters “often speak at right angles to the action”, giving long speeches before getting on with the job at hand.</p> <p>Pulp Fiction is full of witty and quotable monologues and dialogue, ranging from the philosophical to the mundane. Conversations about foot massages and blueberry pie bump up against Bible verses and reflections on fate and redemption.</p> <p>The film’s 1995 Oscar for Best Original Screenplay was a fitting achievement for Tarantino, who many regard as <a href="https://medium.com/word-garden/tarantinos-conversations-are-the-best-in-movie-history-this-is-why-52e06de4f773">the snappiest writer</a> in film history. Countless other filmmakers have looked to replicate Pulp Fiction’s mashup of cool and coarse.</p> <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/S6Vuj8tF-kk?wmode=transparent&start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></figure> <p>Needle drops are <a href="https://medium.com/cuepoint/the-music-of-pulp-fiction-8a13a7cdb5a8">just as important</a> in establishing Pulp Fiction’s mood and tone. The film’s eclectic soundtrack pings between surf rock, soul and classic rock ‘n’ roll.</p> <p>The soundtrack peaked at No. 21 on the Billboard 200 in 1994 and stayed in the charts for <a href="https://www.grammy.com/news/how-pulp-fiction-reinvented-the-film-soundtrack-anniversary">more than a year</a>.</p> <h2>Dividing the critics</h2> <p>Though it was officially released in October 1994, Pulp Fiction had already made a stir earlier that by winning the prestigious Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival.</p> <p>Many expected Krzysztof Kieślowski’s Three Colours: Red to take <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2011/nov/09/three-colours-red-cannes">the top prize</a>. Tarantino himself seemed stunned, telling the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tnS5pXQQmR4&t=188s">Cannes audience</a>: “I don’t make the kind of movies that bring people together. I make movies that split people apart.”</p> <p>The film has divided critics ever since.</p> <p>Many adored Pulp Fiction for its intoxicating allure and sheer adrenaline-fuelled pleasure. To this day it maintains a 92% critic score on <a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/pulp_fiction">Rotten Tomatoes</a>. Film critic Todd McCarthy <a href="https://variety.com/1994/film/reviews/pulp-fiction-1200437049/">called it</a> a film “bulging with boldness, humour and diabolical invention”.</p> <p>But the backlash was equally robust. <a href="https://www.newstatesman.com/culture/2014/10/pulp-fiction-bad-film">Some</a> criticised the film for its excessive gore and irresponsible use of racial slurs. Screenwriting guru Syd Field <a href="https://sydfield.com/syd_resources/pulp-fiction/">felt</a> it was too shallow and too talky. Jean-Luc Godard, once one of Tarantino’s idol, apparently <a href="https://www.worldofreel.com/blog/2022/12/0eav5zg509ajlqjg9xc8em2m3xrorw">hated it</a>.</p> <p>Nonetheless, its financial success (a <a href="https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0110912/">box office return</a> of US$213 million from an $8 million budget) signalled the growing importance and cultural prestige of independent US films. Miramax, the studio that backed it, went on to <a href="https://www.google.com.au/books/edition/Down_and_Dirty_Pictures/aXn_CwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=down+and+dirty+pictures,+biskind&printsec=frontcover">become</a> a major force in the industry.</p> <h2>A lasting legacy</h2> <p>Shortly after Pulp Fiction’s release, the word “Tarantinoesque” <a href="https://www.oed.com/dictionary/tarantinoesque_adj">appeared</a> in the Oxofrd English Dictionary. The entry reads:</p> <blockquote> <p>Resembling or imitative of the films of Quentin Tarantino; characteristic or reminiscent of these films Tarantino’s films are typically characterised by graphic and stylized violence, non-linear storylines, cineliterate references, satirical themes, and sharp dialogue.</p> </blockquote> <p>Pulp Fiction has since been parodied and knocked off countless times. Hollywood suddenly began <a href="http://www.tasteofcinema.com/2016/the-10-worst-copycat-films-of-pulp-fiction/">mass-producing low-budget crime thrillers</a> with witty, self-reflexive dialogue. Things to Do in Denver When You’re Dead (1995), 2 Days In The Valley (1996) and Very Bad Things (1998) are just some example.</p> <p>Graffiti artist Bansky even <a href="https://banksyexplained.com/pulp-fiction-2004/">stencilled</a> the likeness of Jules and Vincent all over London, with bananas in place of guns. The Simpsons <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4u6wR_2S4xQ">got in on the act</a> too.</p> <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4u6wR_2S4xQ?wmode=transparent&start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></figure> <p>Tarantino <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/profile-hollywood-s-hitman-quentin-tarantino-a-sadist-or-just-a-stylist-david-thomson-on-the-boywonder-director-of-pulp-fiction-1444551.html">once summed up</a> his working method as follows:</p> <blockquote> <p>Ultimately all I’m trying to do is merge sophisticated storytelling with lurid subject matter. I reckon that makes for an entertaining night at the movies.</p> </blockquote> <p>I’d say there’s no better way to describe Pulp Fiction.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/236877/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /></p> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/ben-mccann-398197">Ben McCann</a>, Associate Professor of French Studies, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-adelaide-1119">University of Adelaide</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Miramax</em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/30-years-ago-tarantinos-pulp-fiction-shook-hollywood-and-redefined-cool-cinema-236877">original article</a>.</em></p> </div>

Movies

"Super uncomfortable for everyone": Qantas plays R-rated movie for every passenger

<p>Qantas has issued an apology after an R-rated movie was played for every passenger onboard a flight from Sydney to Tokyo. </p> <p>On Saturday, the flight was delayed by an hour due to problems with the in-flight entertainment system, which resulted in cabin crew only being able to play one film on everyone's individual screens. </p> <p>After requests were taken by passengers, the movie <em>Daddio</em> was chosen. </p> <p>The 2023 drama stars Sean Penn and Dakota Johnson as a taxi driver and his passenger as they discuss their relationships, including an affair Johnson’s character had with a married man.</p> <p>One passenger took to Reddit to share their experience of the flight, saying it was "extremely inappropriate", due to scenes of “graphic nudity and a lot of sexting”.</p> <p>“The kind where you could literally read the texts on screen without needing headphones,” the passenger wrote.</p> <p>“It was super uncomfortable for everyone, especially with families and kids on board.”</p> <p>Another passenger said the airline made the switch to <em>Inside Out 2</em> followed by a New Zealand nature show after playing “40 minutes of penis and boobs”.</p> <p>“These poor kids and the parents because y’all should’ve heard the audible gasps across the plane,” the passenger said.</p> <p>Cabin crew members attempted to fix the screens of those who didn't want to watch the R-rated film, but when this didn't work, resorted to switching the movie entirely. </p> <p>“The movie was clearly not suitable to play for the whole flight and we sincerely apologise to customers for this experience,” a Qantas spokesperson stated.</p> <p>“All screens were changed to a family-friendly movie for the rest of the flight, which is our standard practice for the rare cases where individual movie selection isn’t possible."</p> <p>“We are reviewing how the movie was selected.”</p> <p><em>Image credits: Shutterstock</em></p>

Travel Trouble

Jelena Dokic shares exciting news

<p>Former tennis champion Jelena Dokic has announced that a new tell-all documentary about her life is soon to be realised. </p> <p>The film is titled <em>Unbreakable</em>, which is the same title as her first book, and will document Dokic’s life from a young kid under the control of her abusive father, all the way through her tennis career and eventual attainment of peace and happiness.</p> <p>“The trailer for Jelena Dokic’s <em>Unbreakable</em> documentary is so chilling,” tennis commentator Christian’s Court said.</p> <p>“It is set to release Nov. 7 in Australia and internationally sometime in 2025 on streaming,” while the producer's of the show saying, “This is the story of Jelena Dokic’s extraordinary survival.”</p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DAksVevJ1qj/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DAksVevJ1qj/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Roadshow (@roadshow)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>Dokic shared the news on Instagram, posting the trailer for the doco and welcoming messages of congratulations from friends and fans. </p> <p>The former tennis champion has long been very open about her mental health struggles and the abuse she suffered as a child at the hands of her father. </p> <p>She has also been praised for her recent work in the body image space, advocating for all people to feel comfortable in their own skin.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Instagram </em></p>

Movies

‘We’re all Muriel’: why we still love Muriel’s Wedding, 30 years on

<div class="theconversation-article-body"><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/lisa-french-12625">Lisa French</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/rmit-university-1063">RMIT University</a></em></p> <p>P.J. Hogan’s classic Australian film Muriel’s Wedding is 30 and it plays as well today as it did when it had its world premiere. Muriel might have been “terrible” – but the film was a great success.</p> <p>Australians love to laugh at themselves, and everyone loves an underdog. Muriel’s Wedding took more than A$15 million at the box office in Australia — making it one of the <a href="https://www.screenaustralia.gov.au/fact-finders/cinema/australian-films/feature-film-releases/top-australian-films">highest-grossing</a> Australian feature films of all time.</p> <p>As fun as the film is with its kitsch aesthetic, bold colour palette and garish costumes, it has a unique mix of comedy and serious drama. It slips from the absurd to painful realism, with more depth than your average comedy and a twist in the plot that made it an original take on the genre.</p> <p>While Australians generally have received it as hilarious, audiences elsewhere were more attuned to the tragedy, such as Muriel’s mother Betty’s suicide following relentless bullying, and Rhonda’s illness and disability. But it worked for audiences everywhere who warmed to the representation of friendship, its emotional compassion and critique of the narrow mindedness of small-town communities.</p> <h2>‘We’re all Muriel’</h2> <p>Sometimes it is the stars who can bring in an audience and make a film successful. However, although there were a lot of experienced actors in Muriel’s Wedding, Toni Collette (Muriel) and Rachel Griffiths (Rhonda) – whose performances were exceptional – were both playing lead and supporting roles for the first time in a feature film.</p> <p>It was also Hogan’s first feature, so it is unlikely star power drew in audiences (although all of them were to become stars, and Hogan later directed My Best Friend’s Wedding with Julia Roberts, one of the <a href="https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2018/08/best-romantic-comedies-list">top romantic comedies of all time</a>).</p> <p>It did, however, have a wonderful trailer.</p> <p>I asked Rachel Griffiths what she thought was the key to the film’s success and she identified its universality: it translated for an array of audiences and enabled broad identification.</p> <p>She described the film as having one foot in the grotesque and the other in Ridley Scott’s 1991 getaway heist Thelma & Louise – another film about female friendship, independence and individual growth.</p> <p>Griffiths gave the example of going with the film to New York on its release and discovering it was wildly meaningful to the LGBTQIA+ community. In conversation with a gay man in his late 20s, he described it as a parable for AIDS, which at that time was in full-blown crisis.</p> <p>According to Griffiths, he said: “We’re all Muriel. We don’t fit in.”</p> <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/laHqRJeXeVU?wmode=transparent&start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></figure> <p>Growing up in small towns where they are “the freak”, with closet musical tastes, he said:</p> <blockquote> <p>We’re the outcasts in our family. Our fathers belittle us for being feminine. We escape to the big smoke with the promise of becoming ourselves and following our own journey. We replace our families who have rejected us with our chosen family who celebrate us.</p> </blockquote> <p>And when one of their own is struck suddenly by this terrible affliction, like Rhonda, they are sent home in humiliation, to be looked after, which is their worst fear. The aspiration is to be rescued by the adopted family and taken back to the big city and shown unconditional love.</p> <p>Griffiths says:</p> <blockquote> <p>That’s the ending and the survival story of both Rhonda and Muriel, you go back to that kind of pride moment, to be proud of who you are.</p> </blockquote> <p>For Griffiths, Rhonda and Muriel have “a kind of blood-sister friendship, a bond that can’t be broken”.</p> <p>We all long for that deep acceptance. It is a parable of inclusion, where Muriel and Rhonda truly see and accept each other and themselves.</p> <h2>A feminist film</h2> <p>I asked Griffiths if Muriel’s Wedding was received as feminist when it was released. She replied it wasn’t at the time it was made, but more recently this has come up.</p> <p>Her explanation of why this wasn’t considered 30 years ago is informative regarding film criticism. She elaborated that the critics at the time were 90% male and their take on feminism expected powerful female lead characters who pursue their goals and achieve in the face of competition.</p> <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/oykn8YgGkJs?wmode=transparent&start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></figure> <p>In this story, there is a girl escaping patriarchal control. Muriel’s father, Bill Heslop (Bill Hunter), is a bully and narcissist who blames everyone else – especially the women – for his failures.</p> <p>Griffiths aligns Muriel to the Cinderella myth because in the beginning she sees her value will only be ascribed to her once she marries. The film, Griffiths said, is “a fundamental kind of feminist journey”.</p> <p>The central focus is Muriel’s personal growth in rejecting ideology that promotes romantic coupling as the pinnacle of happiness for women. Instead Muriel embraces her own worth and her friendship with Rhonda. Marriage is portrayed as a patriarchal structure that ideologically binds women – the marriages are variously fraudulent, starting with Tanya and Chook, then Muriel and, ultimately, her mother.</p> <p>There are many elements that make Muriel’s Wedding an Australian classic, from the universal themes and relatability to how the story is able to extend beyond national borders. The film leaves us with admiration for resilience in the face of adversity, signalled by Muriel and Rhonda grinning assuredly at each other in the final scene.</p> <p>It is a unique and very real comedy/drama with a highly engaging aesthetic and a feminist message. It is an opportunity to laugh at ourselves, despite quite a lot of tragedy and adversity — which is a very Australian thing to do!</p> <p><em>The author wishes to thank Rachel Griffiths who was interviewed in Melbourne on August 17 2020.</em><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/236793/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /></p> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/lisa-french-12625">Lisa French</a>, Professor & Dean, School of Media and Communication, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/rmit-university-1063">RMIT University</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Miramax</em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/were-all-muriel-why-we-still-love-muriels-wedding-30-years-on-236793">original article</a>.</em></p> </div>

Movies

Readers response: What movie have you rewatched the most?

<p>We all have our favourite movies. The ones that make us feel comforted and happy each time we rewatch them.</p> <p>We asked our readers what movies they have rewatched the most, and the response was overwhelming. Here's what they said. </p> <p><strong>Heather Fuchs</strong> - Pretty Woman, The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile.</p> <p><strong>Nola Schmidt</strong> - Gone with the Wind, Sound of Music and Breakfast at Tiffanys.</p> <p><strong>Isabel Pritchard</strong> - Love Actually, watched it every Christmas since it was released.</p> <p><strong>Angela Chapman</strong> - The Notebook, Back to the Future trilogy, The Sound of Music, Grease, Sleepless in Seattle, and Sweet Home Alabama.</p> <p><strong>Margie Grass</strong> - Grease! Was watched over and over and over, would finish watching and go "oh let’s do it again". My kids knew the words by heart and did a running commentary when they replayed it again.</p> <p><strong>Naomi Thacker </strong>- The Rise of Skywalker, Star Wars. I must have seen it 10 or more times.</p> <p><strong>Terri Cameron</strong> - The Lion King with my eldest grandson who was very young then and is 30 now. Neither of us seemed to tire of it. It was just a wonderful film.</p> <p><strong>Beverley Hoffman</strong> - LOTR, Harry Potter, The Ten Commandments.</p> <p><strong>Christine Thompson</strong> - Sound of Music, Sleepless in Seattle, Pretty Woman. Anything that you would class as a “chick flick” really.</p> <p><strong>Maggie Geeves</strong> - Steel Magnolias.</p> <p><strong>Rhonda Woods</strong> - The Castle. </p> <p><em>Image credits: Shutterstock </em></p>

Movies

The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert at 30: more important, enjoyable and vital than ever

<div class="theconversation-article-body"><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/stephen-gaunson-265553">Stephen Gaunson</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/rmit-university-1063">RMIT University</a></em></p> <p>The lavender painted bus named “Priscilla” continues to pick up new fans while never going out of favour with its legion of original devotees, 30 years after its release.</p> <p>The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert was shot on location in and around Sydney, Broken Hill, Coober Pedy, Kings Canyon and Alice Springs over six weeks in 1993.</p> <p>Directed by Stephan Elliott, the film screened in the <em>Un Certain Regard</em> section of the May 1994 Cannes Film Festival, winning <a href="https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-885750952/view?sectionId=nla.obj-888737519&searchTerm=priscilla+queen+of+the+desert&partId=nla.obj-885806856#page/n13/mode/1up">critical and popular acclaim</a> for its positive portrayal of LGBTQI+ characters.</p> <p>Awards came, most notably for costume designers Tim Chappel and Lizzy Gardiner who won the Academy Award for Best Costume Design for their sparkly, sequin-filled costumes.</p> <p>The film’s cultural brilliance lies in juxtaposing the extreme flamboyance of the costumes and props against the equally extreme rural natural desert landscape. The unexpected revelation for audiences was how perfectly these contrasting elements harmonised.</p> <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/wGWWeourHUg?wmode=transparent&start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></figure> <h2>A smash hit</h2> <p>Less than 12 months since its release, the Film Finance Corporation (FFC) of Australia had the rare success of <a href="https://if.com.au/why-the-adventures-of-priscilla-queen-of-the-desert-turned-the-government-a-profit-in-just-12-months/">fully recouping</a> its A$1.67 million investment.</p> <p>Initially hesitant due to Elliott’s disappointing box office return on his debut feature, Frauds (1993), the FFC was convinced after the screenplay gained attention at Cannes. The film exceeded predictions, grossing more than $16 million in Australia.</p> <p>The film was socially and critically embraced as an instant classic.</p> <p>Ask cinema employees from this time and they will all share similar memories of lines of people outside the cinema doors eager to watch and rewatch (and rewatch again) the musical road movie about a pair of drag queens (Hugo Weaving and Guy Pearce) and a transgender woman (Terence Stamp) as they set out from Sydney on a bus journey across the Australian outback.</p> <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/tex3dw3RjGk?wmode=transparent&start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></figure> <p>The casting today seems like more of a sure bet than it did in 1994. Stamp was a British actor of <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/mar/12/terence-stamp-i-was-in-my-prime-but-when-the-60s-ended-i-ended-with-it">legendary status</a>, having gained critical accolades in the 1960s in films such as Billy Budd, The Collector and Far from the Madding Crowd. However Stamp was equally a <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/event/article-4869258/Terence-Stamp-79-bids-farewell-active-sex-life.html">regular tabloid subject</a> for his high-profile romances with film star Julie Christie and supermodel Jean Shrimpton.</p> <p>Would audiences be willing to go with the idea of this playboy as the trandsgender woman, Bernadette?</p> <p>It is now impossible to consider any actor better able to deliver Terrance Stamps’s deadpan sardonic lines so perfectly: “Don’t ‘Darling’, me, Darling. Look at you. You’ve got a face like a cat’s arse.”</p> <p>Pearce and Weaving also were a risk. Neither were box office marquee stars at the time. Pearce was known as a lovable Mike from the popular television soap opera, Neighbours. Weaving was a critically respected actor known more for his quirky small parts than as a star in his own right.</p> <p>Both were perfect casting, launching them onto Hollywood careers. Pearce as Adam was a remarkable revelation.</p> <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/p2QiCFAQ-qQ?wmode=transparent&start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></figure> <p>The chemistry and connection between the three lead actors makes the film truly succeed.</p> <p>Never do their performances seem showboating or forced. Each has their own arc, personality and journey. And when they climb Kings Canyon in full drag regalia at the film’s end there is something moving about what they have been able to accomplish together.</p> <p>A film that begins to be a slight and joyful comedy about drag performers becomes a deeper essay on the importance of lived experience and friendship (or, dare I say, mateship).</p> <h2>More vital than ever</h2> <p>Drag has a <a href="https://www.remindmagazine.com/article/3894/drag-through-decades-film-tv/">long history</a> in mainstream cinema with its own codes and references.</p> <p>The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert is crucially different by it not being about “straight” men masquerading as women to mask their actual identity. Instead, Elliot’s film rather positively celebrates these characters in drag as their true and authentic selves.</p> <p>This film stood with others as a wave of Australian cinema in the 1990s unashamedly wanting to celebrate an Australia juxtaposing the blokey masculine stereotype.</p> <p>Ocker characters (men and women) appear in this film, but ultimately they are publicly humiliated for their homophobia. Bernadette kneeing in the groin the vicious and vulgar Frank (Kenneth Radley) often receives a big cheer from cinema audiences: “Stop flexing your muscles, you big pile of budgie turd,” Bernadette scorns.</p> <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9nc12yOA4jM?wmode=transparent&start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></figure> <p>Perhaps the true star of the film were not the actors as much as the iconic 1976 Japanese model Hino Freighter Priscilla bus that became the set for several scenes in the film. Because the bus interior was such a small set, there was no room for the crew with many actually in shot, hiding under clothes and other props.</p> <p>The bus, long thought to be lost, was <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-04-12/bid-to-restore-priscilla-queen-of-the-desert-bus/103699136">rediscovered</a> on a farm in New South Wales in 2019. The bus is currently being restored, with an aim to have it on display at the National Motor Museum in Birdwood, Adelaide Hills, in 2026. Perhaps it will be good timing for shooting the recently announced <a href="https://deadline.com/2024/04/priscilla-queen-of-the-desert-movie-sequel-original-cast-1235890358/">potential sequel</a>.</p> <p>30 years after its original release The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert seems more important, enjoyable and vital than ever. All aboard, Priscilla. Long may she run.</p> <hr /> <p><em>RMIT Capitol will be hosting a <a href="https://www.rmit.edu.au/thecapitol/events/2024/september/the-adventures-of-priscilla-queen-of-the-desert">screening and introductory panel discussion</a> on September 11 with the film’s costume designer Tim Chappel, executive producer Rebel Penfold-Russell, Melbourne Queer Film Festival program director Cerise Howard, historian Kristy Kokegei and Stephen Gaunson.</em><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/235424/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /></p> <p><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/stephen-gaunson-265553"><em>Stephen Gaunson</em></a><em>, Associate Professor in Cinema Studies, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/rmit-university-1063">RMIT University</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Metro Goldwyn Mayer</em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-adventures-of-priscilla-queen-of-the-desert-at-30-more-important-enjoyable-and-vital-than-ever-235424">original article</a>.</em></p> </div>

Movies

Craig McLachlan set to return to Aussie screens

<p>Six years after being "crucified" in the public eye, Craig McLachlan is set to make his return to Aussie screens. </p> <p>The 58-year-old was unexpectedly approached by movie producers who asked him to star in a new feature film, almost seven years since his last on-screen project. </p> <p>Speaking exclusively with <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-13716307/Craig-McLachlan-Neighbours-Rocky-Horror-comeback-movie.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em>Daily Mail Australia</em></a>, McLachlan said his return to the big screen had helped him deal with the "poisonous hate" that had eaten away at him since he was hounded out of the industry six years ago.</p> <p>In 2018, McLachlan was forced to quit his leading role as Frank-N-Furter in a 2018 production of <em>The Rocky Horror Picture Show</em> after three of his former female co-stars accused him of serious inappropriate behaviour while performing alongside him four years earlier.</p> <p>The former <em>Neighbours</em> star was charged with 13 offences of assault and indecent assault after Victoria Police investigated the allegations but he was ultimately acquitted on all counts following a four-week trial in December 2020.</p> <p>Now, McLachlan candidly admitted that he was unlikely to ever find it in his heart to forgive the former co-stars who accused him of sexual harassment, and that he still blames them for "ruining" his life.</p> <p>"Here's the thing: hate is a poisonous thing. You have to get rid of the hate – and I've done that," he said.</p> <p>"Forgiveness is a different story. That’s hard s**t to do."</p> <p>McLachlan said he had "fallen out of love" with show business after his "public crucifixion" but decided to accept the role after discussing the opportunity with long-term partner Vanessa Scammell. </p> <p>"I only just went and met with the producers and the director last week and agreed to do it," he said.</p> <p>"I wasn't expecting to be approached about a return to acting… and certainly not about signing on to do a film – it was a complete surprise."</p> <p>"But it's a fantastic Australian production and Vanessa and I sat down and discussed it - and talked about whether it was the right thing for both of us. When you've had your life destroyed like mine has been, you need to take a little time to rest and recalibrate."</p> <p>"I haven't rushed into anything. I needed to think about what we wanted to do and what - physically - I could do. And we decided this was the right thing for us."</p> <p>McLachlan, who has been in therapy since the allegations first came to light, said he was grateful for his partner's support during the difficult few years, and is happy to be making his return to screen with a new lease on life. </p> <p>"When the s**t kicks off in the media, people start running for cover and they're afraid to put their heads up to support you publicly because they're worried about them getting chopped off," he said. </p> <p>"I'll be forever grateful to those people who did stand by me – people like Vanessa – who helped me keep going."</p> <p>"Irrespective of what anyone has ever said or alleged about me, nothing I do or say would ever be done intentionally to make anyone else feel uncomfortable. I know that’s not who I am."</p> <p>"But as for forgiveness? Ask me again about forgiveness a little further down the track."</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images </em></p>

Movies

Robert Downey Jr announces shock Marvel return

<p>Robert Downey Jr. has sensationally announced his return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe at the San Diego Comic-Con on Saturday. </p> <p>The actor, who has been instrumental in the build up of the franchise with his role as Iron Man/ Tony Stark, before the character was killed off in the <em>Avengers: Endgame</em> finale, will return to screens as one of Marvel Comics' original villains, Dr. Doom. </p> <p>The moment Downey Jr.'s return was unveiled has since gone viral.</p> <p>In the video clip, studio head Kevin Feige announced two upcoming films <em>Avengers: Doomsday</em> and <em>Avengers: Secret Wars, </em>while surrounded by rows of figures in green robes wearing Doom's iconic metal mask. </p> <p>Joe Russo, one of the directors for <em>Avengers: Infinity War</em> and <em>Endgame</em>, then said: </p> <p>"As proof of the unlimited possibilities of the Marvel [Multiverse], we give you the one person who could play Victor von Doom."</p> <p>Downey Jr, among the dozens of others wearing metal masks dressed as Dr. Doom, coyly walked to the front of the stage and took of his mask to a thunderous response from the crowd. </p> <p>"New mask, same task," the actor said.</p> <p> He added, "I tell ya, I like playing complicated characters."</p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/reel/C98vrwXvgSc/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/C98vrwXvgSc/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Marvel Studios (@marvelstudios)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>“If we’re going to bring Doctor Doom to the screen — he is one of the most complex characters, most entertaining characters in all of fiction,” said Joe Russo.</p> <p>“If we’re going to do this … then we are going to need the greatest actor in the world,” he added.</p> <p><em>Avengers: Doomsday </em>will be out in cinemas on May 2026, with <em>Avengers: Secret Wars</em> set to be released the following year. </p> <p><em>Image: John Salangsang/ Shutterstock Editorial</em></p> <p> </p>

Movies

Still fab after 60 years: how The Beatles’ A Hard Day’s Night made pop cinema history

<div class="theconversation-article-body"><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/alison-blair-223267">Alison Blair</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-otago-1304">University of Otago</a></em></p> <p>I first saw A Hard Day’s Night at a film festival over 20 years ago, at the insistence of my mum. By then, it was already decades old, but I remember being enthralled by its high-spirited energy.</p> <p>A Beatles fan, mum had introduced me to the band’s records in my childhood. At home, we listened to Please Please Me, the band’s 1963 single, and the Rubber Soul album from 1965, which I loved.</p> <p>Television regularly showed old black-and-white scenes of Beatlemania that, to a ten-year-old in the neon-lit 1980s, seemed like ancient history. But then, I’d never seen a full-length Beatles film. I had no idea what I was in for.</p> <p>When the lights went down at Dunedin’s Regent Theatre, the opening chord of the film’s title song announced its intentions: an explosion of youthful vitality, rhythmic visuals, comical high jinks and the electrifying thrill of Beatlemania in 1964.</p> <p>This time, it didn’t seem ancient at all.</p> <p>Since that first viewing, I’ve returned to A Hard Day’s Night again and again. I now show it to my students as a historically significant example of pop music film making – visually inventive cinema, emblematic of a fresh era in youth culture, popular music and fandom.</p> <h2>Beatlemania on celluloid</h2> <p>A musical comedy depicting a chaotic 36 hours in the life of the Beatles, A Hard Day’s Night has now reached its 60th anniversary.</p> <p>Directed by <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0504513/">Richard Lester</a>, the film premiered in London on July 6 1964, with its first public screening a day later (incidentally, also Ringo Starr’s birthday), and the <a href="https://www.discogs.com/master/24003-The-Beatles-A-Hard-Days-Night">album of the same name</a> released on July 10.</p> <p>The band’s popularity was by then reaching dizzying heights of hysteria, all reflected in the film. The Beatles are chased by hordes of fans, take a train trip, appear on TV, run from the police in a Keystone Cops-style sequence, and play a televised concert in front of screaming real-life Beatles fans.</p> <p>Side one of the album provides the soundtrack, and the film inspired pop music film and video from then on, from the <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0060010/">Monkees TV series</a> (1966–68) to the Spice Girls’ <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120185/">Spice World</a> (1997) and music videos as we know them today.</p> <h2>The original music video</h2> <p>Postwar teen culture and consumerism had been on the rise since the 1950s. In 1960s Britain, youth music TV programmes, notably <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0196287/">Ready Steady Go!</a> (1963–66), meant pop music now had a developing visual culture.</p> <p>The youthful zest and vitality of ‘60s London was reflected in the pop-cultural sensibility, modern satirical humour and crisp visual impact of A Hard Day’s Night.</p> <p>Influenced by <a href="https://nofilmschool.com/french-new-wave-cinema">French New Wave</a> film making, and particularly the early 1960s work of <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000419/">Jean-Luc Godard</a>, A Hard Day’s Night employs <em><a href="https://indiefilmhustle.com/cinema-verite/">cinéma vérité</a></em>-style hand-held cinematography, brisk jump cuts, unusual framing and dynamic angles, high-spirited action, and a self-referential nonchalance.</p> <p>The film also breaks the “fourth wall”, with characters directly addressing the audience in closeup, and reveals the apparatus of the visual performance of music: cameras and TV monitors are all part of the frame.</p> <p>Cutting the shots to the beat of the music – as in the Can’t Buy Me Love sequence – lends a visual rhythm that would later become the norm in music video editing. Lester developed this technique further in the second Beatles film, <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0059260/">Help!</a> (1965).</p> <p>The closing sequence of A Hard Day’s Night is possibly the film’s most dynamic: photographic images of the band edited to the beat in the style of stop-motion animation. Sixty years on, it still feels fresh, especially as so much contemporary film making remains hidebound by formulaic Hollywood rules.</p> <figure class="align-center "><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/604790/original/file-20240704-17-ov77mn.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/604790/original/file-20240704-17-ov77mn.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=453&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/604790/original/file-20240704-17-ov77mn.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=453&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/604790/original/file-20240704-17-ov77mn.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=453&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/604790/original/file-20240704-17-ov77mn.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=569&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/604790/original/file-20240704-17-ov77mn.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=569&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/604790/original/file-20240704-17-ov77mn.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=569&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" alt="A Hard Day's Night movie poster" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A new pop aesthetic: original film poster for A Hard Day’s Night.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Getty Images</span></span></figcaption></figure> <h2>Slapstick and class awareness</h2> <p>As with much popular culture from the past, the humour in A Hard Day’s Night doesn’t always doesn’t land the way it would have in 1964. And yet, there are moments that seem surprisingly modern in their razor-sharp irony.</p> <p>In particular, the band’s Liverpudlian working-class-lad jibes and chaotic energy contrast brilliantly with the film’s upper-class characters. Actor Victor Spinetti’s comically over-anxious TV director, constantly hand-wringing over the boys’ rebelliousness, underscores the era-defining change the Beatles represented.</p> <p>Corporate pop-culture consumerism is also satirised. John Lennon “snorts” from a Coca-Cola bottle, a moment so knowingly silly it registers as more contemporary than it really is. George Harrison deflects a journalist’s banal questions with scathingly witty answers, and cuts a fashion company down to size by describing their shirt designs as “grotesque”.</p> <p>And there is Paul McCartney’s running joke that his grandfather – played by Wilfred Brambell from groundbreaking sitcom <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0057785/">Steptoe and Son</a> (1962–74) – is “very clean”.</p> <p>Even the film’s old-fashioned visual slapstick still holds up in 2024. Showing the film to this year’s students, I didn’t expect quite as much laughter when Ringo’s attempts to be chivalrous result in a fall-down-a-hole mishap.</p> <p>In 2022, the <a href="https://www.criterion.com/">Criterion Collection</a> released a high-resolution restoration of the film, so today A Hard Day’s Night can be seen in all its fresh, black-and-white, youthful vigour.</p> <p>Happy 60th, A Hard Day’s Night. And happy 84th, Ringo. Both still as lively and energetic as ever.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/228598/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /></p> <p><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/alison-blair-223267"><em>Alison Blair</em></a><em>, Teaching Fellow in Music, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-otago-1304">University of Otago</a></em></p> <p><em>Image </em><em>credits: THA/Shutterstock Editorial </em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/still-fab-after-60-years-how-the-beatles-a-hard-days-night-made-pop-cinema-history-228598">original article</a>.</em></p> </div>

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