49 m. ago Pavements review – US indie rockers and their dream director run four ideas at once

Alex Ross Perry’s intriguing documentary about 90s band Pavement offers a kind of cine-quadriptych, whose effect is to obscure clarityIf ever a film-maker and a band were a match in indie heaven it is lo-fi writer-director Alex Ross Perry and 90s band Pavement, from Stockton, California (described here as “the Cleveland of California”); the latter made critically adored albums throughout the 1990s with comparisons to the Fall and Lou Reed, while never signing to a major label. Now Perry has made a film about Pavement and it seems to be his intention here to avoid, strenuously and at all costs, obviousness – and perhaps the most clunkingly obvious thing for any newbie to ask about is the name. Pavement as opposed to Sidewalk because of a Brit affectation? No: just a functional name chosen almost at random and one that sounded right.Intriguingly, but finally a bit frustratingly, Perry is running four ideas at once, a kind of cine-quadriptych with the plurality signalled by the title. ...

Events

99 m. ago Gregg Wallace rushed to hospital with suspected heart attack

The star says the stress of the investigation into his alleged behaviour brought on heart problems

Events

1 hour ago Lawyers claim more than 1,000 people to join legal action against Marks and Spencer after customer data breach

Suit follows data breach that saw personal details of customers stolen by cyber criminals

Economics

1 hour ago Should you be worried about the new Covid strain Stratus? Signs and symptoms as cases on the rise in the UK

Just because it’s summer doesn’t mean Covid is taking a holiday 🤧

Science

1 hour ago Plans submitted for Scotland's first Center Parcs holiday village with 700 lodges and water park

The proposed development would create approximately 1,200 permanent jobs.

Politics

1 hour ago Ferguson Marine secures work on HMS Birmingham with BAE Systems

Ferguson Marine say steel cutting will begin ‘imminently’ for the components.

Politics

2 h. ago Building the Band review – Liam Payne’s controversial final show is the kind of reality TV that made him

Is it ghoulish to posthumously release this singing contest featuring Payne as a judge? Or a moving tribute? Netflix’s mashup of Love is Blind, The Circle and The Voice certainly claims the latterNetflix’s new series is the latest in a long line of TV shows attempting to talent-spot the next big pop phenomenon. It feels as if the format has been dormant for a while, its role as A&R taken over by social media aeons ago. The glory days of American Idol and The X Factor have passed, and while The Voice trundles steadily on, it has been many years since those on-screen machines churned out the stars they were once capable of creating.Building the Band aims to modernise the format by bolting on parts of other reality TV shows. Its wannabe singers perform to other singers, sight-unseen, who then decide whether they’d like to be in a band with each other, by pressing a button, and collecting “likes”. It is Love Is Blind meets The Circle meets The Voice, though mostly, it is The Voice, ...

Culture

2 h. ago Readers' letters: Corbyn could be the kingmaker at Holyrood with his new far

A reader suggests Jeremy Corbyn’s new far-left party could be a bigger problem for the SNP than Labour

Politics

2 h. ago Why you'll look back in anger if you pass up the Oasis opportunities

Scottish SMEs can give their businesses a supersonic boost as the Gallaghers come to town, writes Martyn Kendrick

Politics

5 h. ago Lewis Capaldi gives fans a health update and says he's feeling 'the best he's felt in a long time' as Scotsman opens up on 'the worst moment of his life' at Glastonbury in 2023

The adored Scotsman, 28, made his return to music almost two weeks ago with an epic and emotional performance at Glastonbury.

Politics

7 h. ago Nicki Minaj mocks Megan Thee Stallion over harassment lawsuit update

Judge denied Megan Thee Stallion and Roc Nation’s request to dismiss sexual harassment lawsuit brought by rapper’s former cameraman

Events

7 h. ago A9: 'Shocking' crash injuries revealed on Scotland's most notorious road

The Scottish Tories have said “enough is enough” as more than 300 injuries in crashes were recorded on A9 in the past four years.

Events

8 h. ago Drug smuggler, 63, who brought 100kg of ketamine into the UK in a motorhome is jailed

Russell King, 63, stored four bin bags of the Class B drug in compartments within the motorhome before crossing the North Sea by ferry from Rotterdam to Hull.

Events

10 h. ago Brendan Rodgers reveals the Celtic talent that excites him most as escalating transfer drive zeroes in on key area

The Hoops boss is set to unleash his big guns in Portugal this weekend

Politics

11 h. ago Superman review – is it a bust? Is it a pain? James Gunn’s dim reboot is both

The Man of Steel – played with square-faced soullessness by David Corenswet – has an uninteresting crisis of confidence in Gunn’s cluttered, pointless franchise restarterHere is a film occupying the heartsinking Venn diagram overlap between franchise exhaustion and AI soullessness: a film fatally unconvinced of the reason for its own existence. We’d all hoped that writer-director James Gunn, who was in charge of Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy movie series, might put some wind back beneath Superman’s wings – or in his cape, or under his boots, or at any rate somewhere near his costumed person. The Man of Steel needed a fresh start after his self-cancelling contest in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice in 2016, and getting muddled together with a lot of other utility superheroes in Justice League a year later – though I will admit to enjoying the pure hubristic craziness of the lengthy Zack Snyder cut of that movie when it saw the light of day.But this? If it was to be a reboot then...

Politics

12 h. ago Carlos Alcaraz swats aside Cameron Norrie to storm into Wimbledon semi

No 2 seed too good for British hopeful in quarter-finalSpaniard will face Fritz in semi after 6-2, 6-3, 6-3 victoryTwo days after his bruising five-set win over Nicolás Jarry and the Chilean’s subsequent criticisms of his frequent cheering, Cameron Norrie immediately made it clear that he would remain true to himself even in the face of one of the greatest young talents his sport has ever seen. After starting his day against Carlos Alcaraz with a positive hold in the opening game, Norrie punctuated that small win with a loud, booming cheer.Although Norrie was angling for a tight tussle, the stratospheric quality presented by his legendary opponent across the net, Alcaraz, ensured that he did not stand a chance. Alcaraz completely laid waste to the last British player standing at Wimbledon with the force of his devastating, astonishingly complete game, effortlessly dismantling Norrie 6-2, 6-3, 6-3 to return to the Wimbledon semi-finals. Continue reading...

Events

12 h. ago I’m a fitness writer – here’s why you can’t miss this Oura Ring Amazon Prime Day deal

For the first time, you can pick up an Oura ring 4 for less than £300 – but its predecessor is available for nearly half that price

Politics

12 h. ago Here are 25 of the best places to see Highland cows in Scotland

You can see Highland cows all around Scotland, from the Highlands and Islands to the Scottish Borders.

Politics

13 h. ago Sorry, Baby is a smart film about sexual assault and it’s here at just the right time | Adrian Horton

Eva Victor’s intelligent and subtle debut film tells the story of the aftermath of an assault and as the backlash to #MeToo increases, it serves an important purposeAbout 25 minutes into Sorry, Baby, writer-director Eva Victor’s debut feature out this summer, a bad thing happens to Agnes, Victor’s twentysomething academic in a small New England town. The film is forthright and economical with the details; Agnes, an English PhD student, goes to meet her thesis adviser (Louis Cancelmi), with whom she shares a light flirtation and a mutual passion for Virginia Woolf. He shifts the meeting to his house, citing logistics and lavishing praise. Agnes enters at dusk; we linger outside as the shot cuts to dark, signaling hours past. She emerges in silence and hustles to her car, expressionless as she drives away for what feels like an eternity.Back at home, Agnes sits in the bath and tells her best friend Lydie (an excellent Naomi Ackie) what happened in clipped, detached details. He was ins...

Events

13 h. ago AI translation service launched for fiction writers and publishers prompts dismay among translators

UK-based GlobeScribe is charging $100 per book, per language for use of its services, but translators say that nuanced work can only be produced by humansAn AI fiction translation service aimed at both traditional publishers and self-published authors has been launched in the UK. GlobeScribe.ai is currently charging $100 per book, per language for use of its translation services.“There will always be a place for expert human translation, especially for highly literary or complex texts,” said the founders Fred Freeman and Betsy Reavley, who previously founded Bloodhound Books, which specialises in crime and thrillers. “But GlobeScribe.ai opens the door to new opportunities, making translation a viable option for a much broader range of fiction.” Continue reading...

Politics