37 h. ago Under the Stars review – picturesque Italian setting is backdrop for AI prompt of a romcom

The tale of two strangers finding love ticks all the right boxes – including big-name support in Toni Collette and Andy Garcia – yet feels clunky and unconvincingAnyone who thinks it’s easy to make a romcom should take a look at this. It has all the ingredients: good-looking leads (Alex Pettyfer, Eva De Dominici), picturesque locations (the film is mainly set in Puglia, and benefits from funding from the region), lightly comic music underlining the scenes, charismatic veterans in supporting roles (“with Toni Collette and Andy Garcia”), transparently engineered third-act jeopardy, and so on and so forth. But like a failed soufflé on Bake Off, it never rises to the necessary level.Pettyfer plays the hero, a romance novelist named Ian. (Yes, Ian. The sitcom Peep Show made great capital out of the ludicrousness of naming a baby Ian in the 21st century. Without wishing to do down the name, it’s an odd choice and speaks to a wider tone-deafness in the script.) In fact the plotline for Und...

Politics

4 d. ago Louis Lynagh inspires dramatic Italy win to ramp up Australia misery

Italy 26-19 AustraliaWallaby legend Michael Lynagh’s son inspires famous winItaly upset Australia with a come-from-behind 26-19 victory on Saturday with the son of a Wallaby great, Louis Lynagh, scoring one try and Australian-born winger Monty Ioane the other to snatch a famous win for the hosts.Lynagh, born in Italy when his father, Michael, played for Treviso, and Melbourne-born Ioane proved Italy’s heroes as they won for only the second time in 20 tests against the Wallabies. Continue reading...

Events

4 d. ago Ryanair refuses to refund Huntingdon hero who could not fly to watch his beloved football team play because of knife injuries when he saves passengers in train stabbing attack

Stephen Crean, 61, was returning from watching his side Nottingham Forest when he heard the screams of injured passengers before he came face to face with the attacker.

Events

4 d. ago Guitar Hero at 20 – how a plastic axe bridged the gap between rock generations

Guitar Hero’s controllers let anyone become a star in their own living room – and made the bands featured in the game household names againIt is 20 years since Guitar Hero was launched in North America, and with it, the tools for the everyday gamer to become a rock star. Not literally of course, but try telling that to someone who has nailed Free Bird’s four-minute guitar solo in front of a packed living-room audience.Developed by Harmonix, published by RedOctane and inspired by Konami’s GuitarFreaks, Guitar Hero gave players a guitar-shaped controller with which to match coloured notes scrolling down the screen in time with a song. Each riff or sequence corresponded to specific notes, creating the feel of a genuine performance. Continue reading...

Politics

4 d. ago Ryanair refuse to refund Huntingdon hero who could not fly to watch his beloved football team play because of knife injuries when he saves passengers in train stabbing attack

Stephen Crean, 61, was returning from watching his side Nottingham Forest when he heard the screams of injured passengers before he came face to face with the attacker.

Events

5 d. ago Erling Haaland will have Premier League copycats chugging raw milk but the idea it makes a difference is total rubbish

ERLING HAALAND will have hoards of copycat Premier League players chugging raw milk to try to match his Manchester City heroics. The striker offered a behind-the-scenes look at his life and it turns out all you need to be one of the greatest strikers ever is raw milk and tomahawk steaks. That’s a load of...

Politics

5 d. ago ‘I was the only out queer guy in rock’: Faith No More’s Roddy Bottum

The keyboard player on his heroin overdose, how Kurt Cobain wanted to be gay and why his memoir will ruin his Christian relatives’ Thanksgiving dinnerWhen Roddy Bottum began work on his remarkable autobiography The Royal We, the Faith No More keyboard-player knew exactly the book he didn’t want to write. “The kind that has pictures in the middle,” he says, via video-call from Oxnard, California, where he’s completing a new album by his group Imperial Teen. “I’m not a big fan of rock memoirs – they’re the most predictable, name-droppy, sub-literature experiences.”The Royal We certainly isn’t name-droppy – Bottum doesn’t even use the surnames of his bandmates. And while he outlines the group’s origins and early development, this takes a back seat to his “youth escapades” in San Francisco, “before the internet, before that city got ruined”. Much of the focus is on his sexual awakening, and how the related secrecy and shame have affected his life. “I was having sex with men when I was v...

Politics

7 d. ago Newcastle make major matchday change ahead of Athletic Bilbao clash after players’ demand

NEWCASTLE UNITED have dropped the much-loved Local Hero walk-out anthem after the request from the PLAYERS! The huge change came into effect for the first time in tonight’s Champions League showdown with Athletic Bilbao. Although Mark Knopfler’s famous song has not been ditched entirely. The “Going Home: Theme of the Local Hero” tune is STILL...

Sport

8 d. ago Wrexham hero could've played last game for the club after major blow confirmed

A Wrexham star who has played a key role in their rise through the leagues is facing a long spell on the sidelines which could signal the end of his time at the Racecourse

Politics

9 d. ago The Line Of Beauty is faultlessly acted and elegantly staged, with echoes of Saltburn. But it's strangely soulless, says theatre critic Patrick Marmion

Our hero Nick Guest is played as a charmingly evasive aesthete by Jasper Talbot. His name suggests he might be a social interloper and he duly ingratiates himself into the Fedden clan.

Events

1 week ago Keira Knightley: ‘Early motherhood is definitely more exhausting than shooting films!’

She’s played a Jane Austen hero, a swashbuckling aristocrat, and a wartime cryptanalyst. Now, the beloved actor steps into her most unexpected role yet, as a children’s author. She talks to Jessie Thompson about her daughter’s teething problems, getting equal pay, and that famous ‘Vanity Fair’ photoshoot

Events

3 w. ago 'I’ve had offers': Celtic icon addresses 1,696 day exile and names Scotland heroes he wish he'd played with

The former Celtic midfielder opened up on his spell away from management.

Politics

3 w. ago 'I’ve had offers': Celtic icon in addresses 1,696 day exile and names Scotland heroes he wish he'd played with

The former Celtic midfielder opened up on his spell away from management.

Politics

3 w. ago Two Man Utd players prove they 'deserve to be in the shirt' after Liverpool heroics

Manchester United's summer signings Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha were both singled out following the landmark win at Liverpool with the duo delivering under pressure

Sport

3 w. ago Playing against Rangers left me shaking as Celtic hero reveals no one can believe astonishing trophy record

The former Hoops winger - now starring with Copenhagen - sat down in an exclusive interview with Record Sport

Politics

3 w. ago Premier League cult hero desperate to play again after nearly 1,000 days since last game

Former Everton star Gerard Deulofeu has been dealing with a number of injury issues but the Spanish winger is determined to return to the pitch following his near three-year layoff

Politics

4 w. ago Coronation Street spoilers as Dev breaks down, Theo lashes out and Ollie plays hero

Glenda Shuttleworth is also furious with George, while Abi Webster is suspicious in the ITV soap's upcoming scenes

Politics