51 h. ago Sandalheimer: can Christopher Nolan restore the grandeur of ancient

Once a prestige genre with lavish spectacle and global stars, it’s since grown pretty dusty and drear. But Nolan’s Odyssey may yet revive its bronzed vigourBack in the 1950s and 60s in the twilight of Hollywood’s golden era, the sword-and-sandals movie stood as tall as the Colossus of Rhodes. It was a time when burly men in togas and gleaming bronze breastplates fought existential battles with fate. When Ben-Hur had its chariot race, Spartacus roused cries of defiance and the odd moment of splendid anachronism, and Cleopatra had Elizabeth Taylor burning through costume changes like a pharaoh with an Amex card.And then, it all collapsed. By the 1970s, audiences weren’t interested in ancient glories any more; they wanted Vietnam war movies, paranoid political thrillers and antiheroes who didn’t spend half their films glistening in olive oil. By the time Star Wars arrived in the late 70s and early 80s, the genre had been survived only through low-rent Italian productions, where togas w...

Politics

3 d. ago Kanye West thanks Adam Sandler ‘for the love’ after SNL50 tribute song

Comedian and actor appeared to reference the rapper in his ‘SNL’ performance

Politics

4 d. ago Heartbroken mum pays loving tribute to 'remarkable' son who defied medical odds

Dad-of-one Ryan Bryden, from Scotland, suffered a rare spinal stroke that left him paralysed from the neck down but went on to defy medical expectations

Politics

5 d. ago Heartbroken Scots mum pays loving tribute to 'remarkable' son who defied medical odds

Despite being given only months to live after being paralysed from a spinal stroke, Ryan Bryden survived an extraordinary 14 years beyond his prognosis.

Politics

5 d. ago Heartbroken Scots mum pays loving tribute to 'remarkable' son who defied odds after rare spinal stroke

Despite being given only months to live, Ryan Bryden went on to defy medical expectations regaining significant use of his hands and arms and survived an extraordinary 14 years beyond his prognosis.

Politics

6 d. ago The parents of Apprentice star who quit after making offensive remark insist their son is not racist

Cosmetic dentist Dr Jana is thought to have used the term 'coloured' to describe a black person during a task.

Politics