70 m. ago Stinker or stonker? Four film critics reveal the reasons they're so divided over the Oscar

With 13 nominations, Emilia Pérez is the most-nominated foreign film in Oscars history, and one of its most controversial. Here writers who loved or loathed it go head to head

Culture

70 m. ago Mark Kermode on director Ken Russell, the king of cult classics who was so much more than a sensationalist

Half a century on from the sublimely ridiculous Tommy, the passionate abandon that distinguished Russell’s films – from composer biopics to the infamous The Devils, among other bonkers oddities – is needed now more than everThis month marks the 50th anniversary of the release of one of the most important and groundbreaking pop movies of all time: Ken Russell’s psychedelic screen adaptation of the Who’s rock opera Tommy (1975). Marketed with the eye-catching tag lines “Your senses will never be the same” and “He will tear your soul apart”, the film starred Roger Daltrey as the traumatised kid who becomes a Pinball Wizard and (more importantly) a cult messiah.Blending themes to which Russell would return throughout his career (the transformative power of music; the alchemical madness of genius; the dark power of false religion), Tommy was a typically wild ride that swung between the sublime and the ridiculous. Among its most memorable set pieces were Elton John in mile-high bovver boo...

Politics

1 hour ago The Leopard in My House by Mark Steel review – finding the funny side of living with cancer

The comedian reflects on mortality and the new course his life has now taken in this warm account of his cancer diagnosis and treatment There are enough cancer memoirs to fill a small bookshop, with bookcases for all the affected body parts. It can feel churlish to apply critical faculties to this of all subjects, but if there is a high bar for the genre, then it’s one Mark Steel clears like Dick Fosbury on a good day.Sporting metaphors are a feature of The Leopard in My House, a new entry in the “throat” section by the comedian, broadcaster and campaigner. While waiting for a radiotherapy appointment in the basement of a London hospital, Steel meets Jules, an army general. As the treatment weakens them, they resolve to take the stairs rather than lift back up to ground level. “We’d describe the previous day’s climb as ‘set off at a good pace but only the first stage of the Tour de France. By the third week it was ‘two sets and a break down with a heavily bandaged ankle, but determi...

Politics

2 h. ago Review: Enabot ROLA Smart Pet Water Fountain keeps your pet hydrated

The ROLA provides pets with fresh, clean water while claiming to offer safety and convenience for owners

Politics

2 h. ago Review: MIXX StreamQ TV fires surround sound right into your ears

Pair of over-the-ear headphones come with an audio transceiver that streams audio from your TV

Events

3 h. ago Jump by Simon May review: a thoughtful salvo in the war on procrastination

Procrastination may be my one true gift. I’m one of those go-getters who, when the going gets tough and a job needs to get done, will find something else to do. Even the smallest thing, like making a cup of tea or providing my child with medication, can be delayed by some dreamy fantasy in my own head.

Events

6 h. ago Virgin River fans obsessed with 'basically the same show' that's perfect before season 7

If you loved Netflix series Virgin River, then you'll be pleased to know there is another series on the streaming platform that is essentially its twin

Politics

6 h. ago Innocence review – monumental achievement shows how essential opera can be

Adelaide festival Finnish opera of staggering depth by Kaija Saariaho and directed by Simon Stone, set in the aftermath of a school shootingGet our weekend culture and lifestyle emailIt’s a cliche as regular as clockwork in the aftermath of an inexplicable tragedy: “That was the day we lost our innocence”. But do we really start from a place of innocence or are we always somehow complicit in acts of violence? Do perpetrators attack from without, or are they an expression of something abominable within the community, its monstrous id? These questions haunt the halls of Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho’s extraordinary contemporary opera as surely as they’ll disturb the dreams of its audience.Innocence opens with a deeply ominous series of chords from the lowest keys on the piano, as swirling strings and smirking bassoons mix with the trills and runs from the higher woodwinds, punctuated by the occasional crash of percussion. Atmospheric doesn’t begin to cover it. The music has shades o...

Culture

11 h. ago Werewolf Of London Review: Funny & Smart, I Can See How This Werewolf Horror Influenced The Monster Movie Genre

Werewolf Of London Review: Funny & Smart, I Can See How This Werewolf Horror Influenced The Monster Movie Genre  Screen Rant

Events

12 h. ago Tories warn against endorsing Islamophobia definition as review group launched

The working group will be chaired by former Conservative minister Dominic Grieve KC.

Events

12 h. ago MOVIE REVIEW: We see if horror reboot 'Wolf Man' is worth howling at the moon over

Creative directorial flourishes and streamlined approach ultimately don't add much to iconic character and his story.

Events

15 h. ago Two GMP officers injured after 90mph police pursuit as teens arrested

'There was a total disregard for the lives of innocent members of the public'

Events

16 h. ago 12 best baby carriers to keep your little one close, reviewed by parents

Bonding while on the move? These baby carriers make it happen

Politics

16 h. ago Yale Sync Smart Home Alarm kit review: a good, basic alarm but lacking smarts

A six-piece smart home alarm kit with an outdoor siren and the option to add dozens of extra devices.

Events

16 h. ago Eufy Home Alarm Kit review: smart, expandable and great value

The DIY Eufy home security system is good value and expandable with cameras, doorbells and more

Events

16 h. ago Fox News host hypes ‘free speech’ college as place where ‘protests are essentially not allowed’

After airing a clip of University of Austin professor Michael Shellenberger describing the school as a ‘place of free thought,’ Brian Kilmeade praised the college for supposedly outlawing student protests.

Events

17 h. ago 'I was diagnosed with stage four bowel cancer after dismissing four symptoms'

One woman has taken to TikTok to share her experience of overlooking four innocuous symptoms of the disease, while urging other people to remain more vigilant

Science

17 h. ago Ungovernable by Simon Hart review: A tale of brothels, backbiting, and Conservative politics

The revelations are out from Simon Hart’s book: The Political Diaries of a Chief Whip. There’s the one about being woken at 4am by an MP who was being held in a Bayswater brothel by blackmailers, not to be confused with another MP, Mark Menzies, who found it difficult to extricate himself from “bad people” and allegedly paid for his release from local party funds (which he denied); then there was Rishi Sunak’s observation about the female minister promoted to the Cabinet who was “f***ing useless but we can’t get rid of her” — which may or may not have been Kemi Badenoch. There was Boris Johnson’s attempt to kill off a disobliging report by the Privileges Committee on his lockdown activities which did not, by that time, shock Hart.

Politics

17 h. ago London court throws out extradition of alleged Thales middleman

London court throws out extradition of alleged Thales middleman  Global Investigations Review

Events

18 h. ago My partner’s unresolved grief is putting a strain on our relationship

Feeling sadness is essential for feeling happiness, but unlearning the avoidance mechanisms your partner has put in place may take time• Every week Annalisa Barbieri addresses a relationship problem sent in by a readerAs a teenager, my partner lost their father to illness. He was their idol, so of course this led to profound grief, which I feel is unresolved.We recently watched a movie that was hauntingly emotional, and my partner was angry afterwards. This led to an argument, with them saying they never want to watch something that will make them feel sadness again. I encouraged them to sit with sadness; they went to bed. Continue reading...

Politics