43 h. ago James Bond film director Lee Tamahori who also worked with Alec Baldwin and Melanie Griffith dies at 75 after long illness

His feature directorial debut, Once Were Warriors, was a widespread critical and commercial success, and is considered one of the greatest New Zealand films ever made.

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5 d. ago There Was, There Was Not review – how four women’s dreams are destroyed by the shock of war

Emily Mkrtichian’s feature debut was shot in the now defunct republic of Artsakh, a tender, intimate meditation on the impermanence of lifeWith a title taken from the traditional opening phrase of Armenian fairytales, Emily Mkrtichian’s feature debut hints at the impermanence of life itself. Shot in the now defunct republic of Artsakh, the film follows four extraordinary women who find their hopes and ambitions cruelly derailed by war. The breakaway state was formed in 1991, after decades of political discrimination under the Soviet Union and military conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan. For the predominantly Armenian population here, their peace has always been under threat.The personal journeys of Mkrtichian’s subjects feel even more remarkable in the face of these uncertainties. A judo champion, Sose aspires to represent her country at the Olympics; Siranush campaigns to be on the city council; and Gayane runs a support group for women. For those living in Artsakh, memories o...

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1 week ago David Lynch collaborator who starred in Twin Peaks spotted during rare LA outing... can you guess the celeb?

After making her feature debut in the 1979 film Norma Rae, she moved to Hollywood in her mid-30s and proceeded to nab a slew of roles.

Politics

3 w. ago Lady review – outrageous mockumentary is like Saltburn on shrooms

With supreme entitlement, Sian Clifford’s Lady Isabella shines as ‘aristocracy’s answer to the Kardashians’ in this barnstorming comedy Those of us pining for Sian Clifford since the end of Fleabag, in which she played Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s fierce sister, have been rewarded with an outrageous barnstormer in this bizarre mockumentary comedy, a feature debut for director Samuel Abrahams. Clifford plays haughty but troubled aristocrat Lady Isabella who welcomes a young film-maker into her gorgeous country estate (filmed at Somerleyton Hall in Suffolk) with calamitous results, and the film plays like a scuzzier, shroomier B-side to Saltburn. Maybe it’s a bit reliant on Clifford’s overwhelming firepower of performance, and we have to indulge the way it cheats strict mockumentary rules about how exactly the camera comes to be where it is at every moment. But there are laughs and unexpected tenderness in this very peculiar sentimental education.Laurie Kynaston plays Sam, a pushy, insecure...

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3 w. ago Good Fortune review – An angelic Keanu Reeves rises above the muddle of Aziz Ansari’s feature debut

Seth Rogen and Keke Palmer fill out the supporting cast of this high-concept fantasy comedy that is sometimes profound and sometimes sitcommy

Politics

3 w. ago ‘She does terrible things’: what can a Marvel director do with Ibsen’s ruthless heroine Hedda Gabler?

She made her name with a horror reboot and a mega-budget Marvel. So what drew Nia DaCosta to the dour Norwegian’s work? We meet the film-maker and Tessa Thompson, who plays Hedda as a sexy, sultry, machiavellian messNia DaCosta and Tessa Thompson are reminiscing about the first time they met, at Sundance film labs where DaCosta was workshopping her debut feature, Little Woods. “Honestly, Tessa had a great vibe,” says DaCosta. “She was super open, super generous and very intelligent.” A smile creeps on to her face. “Like – that was a fucking relief.”Thompson gives a look of mock offence. “I really just like working with smart actors,” adds DaCosta, filling the silence. “Why did you assume that we’re dumdums?” asks Thompson, turning to look directly at her director, as they sit in a Soho hotel in London. “I didn’t,” she is told. “I was just like, ‘What a pleasant surprise.’ Who would have thought it? Not me.” Continue reading...

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