11 h. ago 15 times directors ditched major blockbusters: ‘I’m not going to be happy doing this’

Some disputes go far beyond the oft-given excuse of so-called creative differences. Tom Fordy on 15 times when a filmmaker has exited a project early

Politics

3 d. ago Frankie Freako review – cheap and cheesy comedy horror channels 80s schlock

Ineffectual office worker Conor calls on the services of a gremlin that looks like someone dipped a Muppet in latex, covered it in caustic soda, and ran a car over it a few timesCanadian writer-director Steven Kostanski has been one of the creative forces behind a bunch of silly-sweet horror pictures such as The Void and PG: Psycho Goreman that appear to skew towards a younger demographic. Or perhaps his target audience is really the gen X crowd that never outgrew its affection for 1980s fare such as Critters or Gremlins, cheap and cheesy schlock reliant on practical special effects. Luckily, the latter happens to be Kostanski’s speciality; he’s also worked as a prosthetic FX artist on bigger budget films such as Crimson Peak and the TV series Hannibal. All of that comes together for this daft comedy horror farrago, seemingly set in the 80s, about a nebbishy Canadian office worker called Conor (Conor Sweeney).Conor’s beige jumper alone bespeaks a man deeply risk averse and afraid of...

Events

2 w. ago Woman knifed her film director sister to death by stabbing her eight times in Camden flat before she made off with her diamond Rolex watch, court hears

Jennifer Abbott, 69, was discovered in her flat stabbed eight times by her sister, Nancy Pexton, 69, who was later found with her diamond Rolex watch, a court heard today. 

Events

2 w. ago Film director, 69, discovered murdered in her Camden flat was stabbed eight times by her sister whose diamond Rolex watch was found in her bag when she was arrested, court hears

Jennifer Abbott, 69, was discovered in her flat stabbed eight times by her sister, Nancy Pexton, 69, who was later found with her diamond Rolex watch, a court heard today. 

Events

2 w. ago Film director 'stabbed eight times by her sister and found dead missing Rolex watch'

Nancy Pexton is accused of murdering her sister at her home in Camden

Events

2 w. ago Prince William to ditch 'ridiculous' royal tradition in major shake

Prince William may abandon a royal tradition that has been passed down through the generations and is reminiscent of a Disney movie, a royal source has claimed

Politics

3 w. ago ‘No one is immune to grief’: the team turning A Single Man into a sexy, grimy, heartbreaking ballet

Musician John Grant was blown away by Christopher Isherwood’s 1964 novel, finding deep resonances in its tale of gay love and loss. Now, he’s put songs to choreographer Jonathan Watkins’s new dance adaptation“I can’t believe that somehow I was able to make it all the way to the age of 55 without having read that book!” says American singer-songwriter John Grant. “It’s a transformative book. I was just completely blown away by it; I’ve been trying to get everybody that I’ve ever met to read it.”The book Grant is telling me about, enthusing from his sofa at home in Reykjavík, is Christopher Isherwood’s A Single Man, published in 1964, turned into 2009’s most stylish film by first-time director Tom Ford, starring Colin Firth, and now about to be a ballet, premiering at this year’s Manchester international festival. Grant, the former Czars frontman and now an acclaimed solo artist (with albums including Pale Green Ghosts and his latest, The Art of...

Politics

3 w. ago Elio review – Pixar’s goofy, giddy guide to the galaxy offers charm and vulnerability

Spielbergian twists and an aggressive, deal-oriented alien are among the familiar beats of the Inside Out animator’s latest, about a lonely boy who finds friendship in spaceThere are some sweet retro-Spielbergian thrills in Pixar’s amiable new family animation, whose release was delayed a year due to the strikes; it also has some touches of Douglas Adams as well as John Lasseter’s Toy Stories. There are co-director credits for Pixar stalwarts Adrian Molina (who was the co-director and co-screenwriter of Coco) and feature first-timer Madeline Sharafian, and Pixar will be hoping for a handsome return here to match the success of its recent box office champ Inside Out 2.Elio may well indeed do the business. It has charm, likability and that potent ingredient: childhood loneliness and vulnerability. Its opening act is set aboard a military base where an ambitious young officer has postponed or even abandoned her dream of being astronaut to look after her orphaned nephew. But once the fi...

Politics

3 w. ago Elio review – Pixar’s goofy, giddy guide to the galaxy offers charm and vulnerability | film of the week

Spielbergian twists and an aggressive, deal-oriented alien are among the familiar beats of the Inside Out animator’s latest, about a lonely boy who finds friendship in spaceThere are some sweet retro-Spielbergian thrills in Pixar’s amiable new family animation, whose release was delayed a year due to the strikes; it also has some touches of Douglas Adams as well as John Lasseter’s Toy Stories. There are co-director credits for Pixar stalwarts Adrian Molina (who was the co-director and co-screenwriter of Coco) and feature first-timer Madeline Sharafian, and Pixar will be hoping for a handsome return here to match the success of its recent box office champ Inside Out 2.Elio may well indeed do the business. It has charm, likability and that potent ingredient: childhood loneliness and vulnerability. Its opening act is set aboard a military base where an ambitious young officer has postponed or even abandoned her dream of being astronaut to look after her orphaned nephew. But once the fi...

Politics

4 w. ago Liverpool agree £116m deal with Bayer Leverkusen for Florian Wirtz

Fee of £100m plus £16m add-ons is possible British recordCoveted playmaker will seal move when window reopensLiverpool have agreed a club-record deal to sign Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen. The Premier League champions will pay a guaranteed £100m for the coveted Germany international, plus potential add-ons of £16m that would make Wirtz the most expensive British transfer of all time.Richard Hughes, Liverpool’s sporting director, has been engaged in negotiations for the attacking midfielder for several weeks and a deal was finally struck on Friday morning. Leverkusen had wanted €150m (£127.6m) for the 22-year-old, who had also attracted interest from Bayern Munich, Manchester City and Real Madrid, but made it clear to the German club that Anfield was his preferred destination. He will undergo a medical in the coming days and finalise the transfer once the window reopens next week. Personal terms have already been agreed, with Wirtz understood to have rejected more lucrative off...

Economics

4 w. ago Coronation Street star Colson Smith teases start of major move after soap and ditching UK

It comes after heartbreaking scenes in the ITV soap last month when Craig Tinker was brutally killed in the line of duty

Politics

4 w. ago Air India Ahmedabad Plane Crash Live Updates: 'Wait for the investigation to conclude and explain where things went wrong,' says former Air India executive director Jitender Bhargava

Air India Ahmedabad Plane Crash Live Updates: 'Wait for the investigation to conclude and explain where things went wrong,' says former Air India executive director Jitender Bhargava  Times of India

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