39 h. ago TV shows and films inspire one in four adults to pick up new hobbies, study shows

A poll of over 4000 television viewers found 18 to 24 year olds are twice as likely as the average adult to take on a new hobby after watching something on TV

Culture

42 h. ago Wife robbed two banks while eight months pregnant and duped unwitting husband to be her getaway driver after telling him he was collecting her from a check

Anna A., 37, robbed two banks in the Lublin region of Poland in October and November 2023 after being inspired by gangster films she watched during her pregnancy.

Events

3 d. ago MAIL ON SUNDAY COMMENT: In any other era, heroic police officers would be lauded. But not today

In its great days, Hollywood would have made Tim Bradshaw the hero of a fine, inspiring film, perhaps played by James Stewart.

Events

5 d. ago ‘I was surprised how common it is’: the director of Sebastian on his controversial film about an author who enters sex work

In Sebastian, a writer sells his body to provide material for his debut novel, then doesn’t give the night job up. Mikko Mäkelä explains what inspired his film – and remembers his cinematic sexual awakeningGrowing up in a small Finnish town close to the Russian border, Mikko Mäkelä knew he was gay from the age of 11. “I think I was happy until then,” says the shy 36-year-old, whose slippery second film Sebastian is about to be released. Isolated he may have been, but at least the young Mäkelä had movies. Alone in his room, he watched queer gems such as Mysterious Skin, Presque Rien and Beautiful Thing, keeping the volume low in case his parents heard. Then a trip to the cinema to see Brokeback Mountain changed everything.“When I got home, they asked me, ‘Did you like that film?’ They had read about it and wanted to make sure I wasn’t like the characters. That was the night I ended up coming out to them.” He didn’t stay in Finland much longer, movingNottingham to attend university. “...

Culture

8 d. ago Tell us: did you end a relationship after being inspired by a certain song, book, TV show or film?

We would like to hear from people who have uprooted their life for a piece of artThe Guardian’s Saturday magazine is looking for people who filed for divorce after being inspired by a certain song, book, TV show or film. Did Taylor Swift make you realise it was time to leave a disappointing partner? Has watching a really great sex scene ever made you realise that the passion in your relationship was dead?We are interested in hearing stories about how a particular piece of culture gave you the strength to end a relationship. Whether you came out as gay after watching Brokeback Mountain, or confronted your cheating spouse after watching The Affair, we would love to hear from you about what it’s like to uproot your life in response to a piece of art. Continue reading...

Culture

1 week ago How ITV's 'Squid Game inspired' gameshow 99 To Beat works and where it was filmed

Adam and Ryan Thomas are presenting the gameshow inspired by the Netflix series

Culture

1 week ago Boat Race sinks to academic snobbery lows amid ‘slimy’ eligibility row

Dispute between Oxford and Cambridge proves even rowing can be a contact sport when it comes to blue boatsWith almost 200 years of intense rivalry the Boat Race has already inspired several major films, and after an extraordinary week Hollywood producers now have plenty more material to go at.What began last December as a disagreement between various alumni of Oxford and Cambridge over eligibility criteria for next month’s race exploded into a full-blown incident this week, with allegations of “slimy tactics,” academic snobbery and female rowers being viewed as collateral damage in a dispute between the male boat clubs. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago Netflix announces competition series inspired by hit film and Squid Game fans will love it

Squid Game fans are in for a treat as Netflix has just announced a brand new competition series.

Sport

1 week ago Good American Family review – the strange case of Natalia Grace

Ellen Pompeo plays a mother disturbed by her adopted daughter in a mostly entertaining limited series based on the tabloid sagaThere remains unending interest in the bizarre story of Natalia Grace, the Ukrainian girl adopted by an American family who then claimed she was actually an adult. The saga starts in 2010 but a similar tale had already been told in 2009’s Orphan, a horror film hinged on a similar twist, itself inspired by the real case of the Estonian impostor Barbora Skrlová. It’s the ghoulish stuff of nightmare, shocking enough to turn Orphan into an unlikely franchise (the second was released in 2022, the third now in the works) and Grace into a tabloid sensation and, easily vilified, hate figure.But the lurid People.com headlines only told half of the story or barely a third as it turns out, an unfolding series of revelations soon starting to show that things were not what they appeared to be. After a popular, and even more revelatory, docuseries, we now have the inevita...

Politics

2 w. ago Adam Thomas breaks down in tears filming new Squid Game inspired ITV show 99 To Beat

Former Emmerdale actor Adam Thomas has opened up about his first presenting role as he hosts brand new Saturday night game show 99 To Beat alongside his brother Ryan Thomas

Culture

2 w. ago Clueless The Musical actress Emma Flynn on playing icon Cher

The noughties classic has been given a musical makeover, but it's not just the film where the actors can draw on for inspiration

Culture

2 w. ago Netflix film The Electric State's inspiration is 'perfect for Fallout and Black Mirror fans'

The Russo brothers have spoken out about the source material

Politics

3 w. ago An underseen UK film with a 94% Rotten Tomatoes score is airing on TV tonight

The film was a roaring success and inspiration for other aspiring indie filmmakers

Sport

3 w. ago Maximum points: what is the most influential video game ever?

As Bafta launches a survey asking the public to nominate the most influential game of all time, we asked people from across games and culture for their picksAhead of the 21st Bafta games awards this April, the institution is running a public survey asking people to nominate the most influential video game of all time. As the survey points out, this is an open-ended question: early, groundbreaking titles such as Space Invaders and Pong regularly crop up as answers because they helped write the rules of the form, but on a personal level, the right game at the right time can be exceptionally influential, too. For players, it’s often the games that made us feel differently about what games could do that feel the most influential. For a game designer, a film director, a writer or a musician, one particular game might inspire a whole creative era.Inspired by Bafta’s survey, we asked people from across games and culture for their most influential game – and not one name cropped up twice. C...

Politics