MOVIE REVIEW: Does animated life suit the titular creature in 'Predator: Killer of Killers?'
For its sixth solo outing - and eighth overall flick if you include clashes with Aliens - the Predator enters the world of animation for the first time.
Helmer Dan Trachtenberg is bridging the gap between his well received 2022 entry Prey and Predator: Badlands, due for release later in the year, with this anthology tale.
Three of the fiercest warriors in human history take on the titular beasts across different time periods which take in Vikings, samurai and World War II pilots.
Using animation allows Trachtenberg to go to town with historically accurate surroundings and weapons as well as graphic, gory kills that would otherwise possibly fall foul of the censors.
Killer of Killers builds on the series' selling point of seeing Predators take on humans in different environments, which really travelled to an exciting world in Prey after the previous more modern settings.
Perhaps the anthology's greatest flaw is that it peaks with its first instalment - the epic The Shield.
Viking warrior Ursa is a truly wonderful warrior who is gifted remarkable depth - involving her father and son - considering her solo tale lasts less than half-an-hour.
The 17th-century Japan-set The Sword is visceral and shy of dialogue as brothers Kenji and Kiyoshi collide with each other and a Predator.
The Bullet is a long way off bad but suffers in comparison to its chapter predecessors, with WWII pilot Torres full of too many wisecracks, although it's cool to see an airborne battle involving the alien antagonist.
Without wishing to spoil too much, the epilogue sees Predators square off with more than one foe in a gladiator arena-like sequence containing flowing blood and self-sacrifice.
However, it's how this comes about, and a jaw-dropping mid-credits coda, that really gets the excitement flowing for where the franchise could go from here.
Another triumph for Trachtenberg, Killer of Killers keeps the Predator series going in the right direction - and leaves you counting down the days until Badlands hits cinemas.
● What is your favourite Predator film? Pop me an email at ian.bunting@reachplc.com and I will pass on your comments – and any movie or TV show recommendations you have – to your fellow readers.
● Predator: Killer of Killers is streaming now on Disney+.
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Scottish Sun
an hour ago
- Scottish Sun
Who is Amanda Knox and was she found guilty in Meredith Kercher murder slander case?
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) AMANDA Knox is part of a new documentary about her wrongful conviction releasing on Disney+. Read more about the latest updates in the slander case against her, and what she's been up to since her murder conviction was overturned. 4 Amanda Knox returns to an Italian courtroom for the first time in more than 12½ years to clear herself "once and for all" of a slander charge Who is Amanda Knox? Amanda Knox is an American author and journalist, best known for being wrongly convicted of the murder of British student Meredith Kercher in 2007. Knox was attending the University for Foreigners in Perugia on an exchange year from the University of Washington. While there, she started dating Raffaele Sollecito, a 23-year-old Italian student, and worked in a bar. But on November 2, 2007, Amanda's life changed forever. Knox arrived at her home, later telling police that she noticed that the front door was open and there was dried blood in the bathroom. After calling the police, the body of roommate Meredith was found inside her locked bedroom. Knox and then-boyfriend Sollecito were convicted of stabbing 21-year-old Kercher to death at a flat in Perugia, Italy, in 2007. In 2009, the pair were jailed, with Know receiving a 26 year sentence, and Sollecito receiving 25 years. Knox and Sollecito were acquitted of murder on March 27, 2015, by the Italian supreme court. Judges said that there were a litany of errors regarding the case, including a stark lack of evidence to suggest that either Knox or Sollecito were involved. After her experience, she said that people had flocked to apologise to her - even stopping her in the street to say sorry for jumping to conclusions about her. Knox recently spoke to a panel of lawyers and discussed the effect the case had on her family and how the case came to define her; and featured in a Netflix documentary about her experiences. She married poet and author Christopher Robinson in 2018. In 2021, Knox and Robinson welcomed their first child together. The baby was named Eureka Know Robinson. She took to Instagram to share her news. Since my exoneration, I've struggled to reclaim my identity and protect the people I love from being exploited as tabloid content. It's not easy, and I often feel like I'm trying to invent good choices out of bad whole cloth. I know that I cannot 100% protect my daughter from the kind of treatment I've suffered, but I'm doing the best I can. Which is why this will be the only picture of her I will ever share on social media. I'm so grateful to everyone who has wished @emceecarbon and I well on our journey to parenthood. Thank you for believing in us." Amanda Knox Knox believes that she has had to carry the burden for the murder of Kercher, saying that her real killer, Rudy Guede, is almost forgotten due to the high media presence surrounding the case. In 2024, Knox was back in court in Italy. She was re-convicted of a charge related to the brutal 2007 killing of Meredith Kercher. On June 5th, I will walk into the very same courtroom where I was reconvicted of a crime I didn't commit, this time to defend myself yet again. I hope to clear my name once and for all of the false charges against me. Wish me luck." Amanda Knox Knox was found guilty of slander for falsely accusing Patrick Lumumba, a Congolese bar owner, of killing Kercher. Lumumba was held for two weeks in 2007 before he was freed without charge. But despite being sentenced to three years in jail, the mum-of-two will not serve any more jail time, as the three years count as time already served. Who was Meredith Kercher? Meredith Kercher was born in Southwark, South London on 28 December, 1985. She lived in Coulsdon, a town within the London borough of Croydon. 4 British exchange student Meredith Kercher was murdered in Perugia The 21-year-old was last seen on November 1 of that year, with her body found in a pool of blood in her bedroom the next day. An autopsy conducted on her body found that her throat had been cut and she had been stabbed almost 50 times. It also found that she had 16 bruises, including on her nose and mouth, as well as suffering injuries related to sexual assault. In 2007, fingerprints were identified at the scene as belonging to Rudy Guede, who was ultimately charged and sentenced for the brutal murder. He was granted early release in November 2021. The case attracted global media interest, with Knox at the centre. Did Amanda Knox get any compensation? Knox was awarded a £16,000 payout after winning a European Human Rights Court case against the Italian government on January 24, 2019. At the Court, she said Italian police had infringed her rights by failing to provide her with a lawyer, an interpreter, and not following proper procedure. She also insisted she had been slapped by cops during questioning but judges ruled there was no proof of that. They wrote: "There was insufficient evidence to conclude that Ms Knox had actually sustained the inhuman or degrading treatment of which she had complained." Within minutes of the decision, Knox, who now lives in Seattle, issued a statement again insisting she was hit. She said: "I was interrogated for 53 hours over five days, without a lawyer, in a language I understood maybe as well as a ten-year-old. "When I told police I had no idea who had killed Meredith I was slapped in the back of the head and told to 'Remember.'" Sources in Italy said Knox had been looking for £1.7m compensation but the ECHR gave her £9,000 damages and £6,900 towards costs. There was no immediate response from the Italian government, which has three months to reply. What happened to Raffaele Sollecito? Raffaele Sollecito was cleared of the 2007 murder of Meredith Kercher after spending nearly four years in jail. The Italian man has since said that the convictions ruined his life, demanding £400,000 to cover legal costs that he incurred while trying to clear his name. 4 Italian student Raffaele Sollecito, murdered British woman Meredith Kercher and her American roommate Amanda Knox This bid was rejected in 2017, on the grounds that Sollecito made "contradictory or even frankly untrue" statements in the early stages of the investigation, which equated to "intent or gross negligence." He said: "There were many victims in this case. Amanda [Knox] 's parents, my parents, all our families... there are many others made by the prosecution's mistakes." He then added that people did not understand why he had been acquitted, saying: "I have to face this kind of society. I have to face anybody that doesn't support me." Sollecito now works as a computer engineer in Milan. He reunited with Knox in 2022 to visit the historic Italian town of Gubbio, a town they were planning to visit before being arrested for Kercher's murder. What happened to Rudy Guede? Rudy Guede was born December 26, 1986, in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. He was convicted of the murder and sexual assault of Meredith Kercher in October 2008, and sentenced to 30 years behind bars. However, this was reduced to 16 years. 4 Rudy Guede arrives at the Perugia courthouse for the sitting of his appeal against the sentence he received in the Meredith Kercher murder trial in 2009 Guede was released from prison on November 24, 2021 after having served 13 years of his sentence. He was allowed out 45 days early for good behaviour. What's in the Disney+ documentary? A new documentary illustrating the story of Amanda Knox has been released by Disney Plus, with the first two episodes premiering on August 20. The TV show will be eight episodes long, with new instalments arriving every Wednesday until concluding on October 1. "The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox" depicts Amanda's 15-year fight to clear her name, focusing on the investigation, courtroom twists, and shocking narratives- inspired by Amanda Knox's real life story. Amanda Knox executively produced the limited series herself, giving a real understanding to her own characters emotional struggle and mental state throughout the series. How to watch the Amanda Knox documentary The Amanda Knox documentary is available to watch on streaming platform Disney+ for UK and Hulu for US subscribers. Grace Van Patten stars as Amanda Knox in the programme, which is billed as a fascinating blend of media bias and of courage, hope, and forgiveness. UK viewers can sign up to watch Disney+ on smart devices or through the TV. Packages start from £4.99 a month.
Daily Mirror
an hour ago
- Daily Mirror
Two Hollywood A-listers join Rivals cast for second series
Hayley Atwell and Rupert Everett join the cast as Emily Atack says she loved playing sexy Sarah Stratton: 'I am her. I'm a flawed woman' When the adaptation of Jilly Cooper's bonkbuster Rivals hit screens last year, it quickly became Disney's best performing TV drama. Now Rupert Everett and Hayley Attwell are to join the cast for the much-anticipated second series, playing lead character Rupert Campbell Black's former showjumping boss and his bitter ex-wife - who are now married to each other. Atwell, best known for her roles in the Marvel and Mission Impossible films, will be playing Helen Gordon, mother of Rupert's two children, Marcus and Tabitha - who will also appear this time around. Everett, who starred alongside Julia Roberts in My Best Friend's Wedding, takes on the role of her husband Malise Gordon, Campbell Black's former show-jumping coach and mentor. In Cooper's original story Helen was treated badly by her ex-husband and remains very bitter towards him after their divorce. She is now married to the former chef d'équipe of the British showjumping team, Malise. Speaking in a session at the Edinburgh TV Festival yesterday where the castings were announced, Emily Atack joked that her character Sarah Stratton, the regularly unfaithful wife of an MP, had not been much of a stretch. 'I had to dig real deep,' she quipped. But the actress, who found fame with hit series The Inbetweeners, said she had no qualms about playing a flawed temptress.. 'I've been typecast my whole life and I've loved every minute," she declared. " I'll carry on playing these sexy women for as long as I can.' Emily said that shooting the infamous naked tennis scene alongside Alex Hassell as Rupert had been great fun. Alex said that many discussions had taken place over whether or not he should wear a prosthetic over his privates for the scene, but in the end he'd decided to go without. Emily declared that she had had a bit of help for that particular scene. 'I had a stick on muff," she laughed. "A murkin, it's called. A proper 80s bush - I felt like I had furry knickers on. It's so jarring seeing yourself like that.' But the actress said she'd soon got used to it. 'I didn't want to put my clothes back on! I did a couple of cartwheels.' Emily, 35, said part of the appeal of playing Sarah, was that while she is flawed, she also also has vulnerabilities that were recognised. 'These types of women are never written with nuance,' she said. 'I am her, I am a flawed woman, I've made terrible decisions in my love life - so I wasn't scared to identify with her. Her bad behaviour isn't being celebrated, but it's being understood.' Bella McClean, whose character Taggie O'Hara found love with Rupert in the final episode of series one, revealed she was so pleased with her audition as Taggie - and chemistry with Alex - that she walked straight into a wall afterwards. The actress she had enjoyed playing a character who was so wholesome and good, it had made her take a look at her own life and decisions. She loved the long, simmering build-up to the romance between Taggie and Rupert, saying: 'They see though all the crap and just adore each other for who they are,' she explained. 'It's about their love.' The show's creator Dominic Treadwell-Collins said that Jilly Cooper had told him early on how she expected the male heroes of her 1980s books to behave. He said: 'She told me 'my men don't cry'. My men are macho.' Dominic added: 'We are utterly thrilled to have Hayley and Rupert join us to play Jilly Cooper's legendary characters Helen and Malise Gordon. Alongside our other new wonderful actors and truly brilliant returning cast, Rivals series two absolutely showcases the best of British and Irish talent. We can't wait for everyone to see what's next for the residents of Rutshire.' Disney boss Lee Mason said he was also thrilled that Everett and Atwell were joining the cast. 'They are a perfect match for the world of Rutshire, so lovingly created by Dame Jilly and the team at Happy Prince.' Rivals is filming in the UK until February and is expected to return, for an extended season of twelve episodes, later in 2026. Set against the backdrop of the Cotswolds countryside and the glamorous, high-stakes world of 1980s British television, the second run will see the return of the all-star cast including Danny Dyer, Katherine Parkinson, Aidan Turner and David Tennant. Next time around viewers will find that many careers, marriages and reputations hang in the balance as personal and professional lives collide in a world where secrets can't stay hidden for long.
The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
Who is Amanda Knox and was she found guilty in Meredith Kercher murder slander case?
AMANDA Knox is part of a new documentary about her wrongful conviction releasing on Disney+. 4 Who is Amanda Knox? Amanda Knox is an American author and journalist, best known for being wrongly convicted of the murder of British student Meredith Kercher in 2007. Knox was attending the University for Foreigners in Perugia on an exchange year from the University of Washington. While there, she started dating Raffaele Sollecito, a 23-year-old Italian student, and worked in a bar. But on November 2, 2007, Amanda's life changed forever. Knox arrived at her home, later telling police that she noticed that the front door was open and there was dried blood in the bathroom. After calling the police, the body of roommate Meredith was found inside her locked bedroom. Knox and then-boyfriend Sollecito were convicted of stabbing 21-year-old Kercher to death at a flat in Perugia, Italy, in 2007. In 2009, the pair were jailed, with Know receiving a 26 year sentence, and Sollecito receiving 25 years. Knox and Sollecito were acquitted of murder on March 27, 2015, by the Italian supreme court. Judges said that there were a litany of errors regarding the case, including a stark lack of evidence to suggest that either Knox or Sollecito were involved. After her experience, she said that people had flocked to apologise to her – even stopping her in the street to say sorry for jumping to conclusions about her. Knox recently spoke to a panel of lawyers and discussed the effect the case had on her family and how the case came to define her; and featured in a Netflix documentary about her experiences. She married poet and author Christopher Robinson in 2018. In 2021, Knox and Robinson welcomed their first child together. The baby was named Eureka Know Robinson. She took to Instagram to share her news. Since my exoneration, I've struggled to reclaim my identity and protect the people I love from being exploited as tabloid content. It's not easy, and I often feel like I'm trying to invent good choices out of bad whole cloth. I know that I cannot 100% protect my daughter from the kind of treatment I've suffered, but I'm doing the best I can. Which is why this will be the only picture of her I will ever share on social media. I'm so grateful to everyone who has wished @emceecarbon and I well on our journey to parenthood. Thank you for believing in us.' Amanda Knox on Instagram Knox believes that she has had to carry the burden for the murder of Kercher, saying that her real killer, Rudy Guede, is almost forgotten due to the high media presence surrounding the case. In 2024, Knox was back in court in Italy. She was re-convicted of a charge related to the brutal 2007 killing of Meredith Kercher. On June 5th, I will walk into the very same courtroom where I was reconvicted of a crime I didn't commit, this time to defend myself yet again. I hope to clear my name once and for all of the false charges against me. Wish me luck.' Amanda Knox Knox was found guilty of slander for falsely accusing Patrick Lumumba, a Congolese bar owner, of killing Kercher. Lumumba was held for two weeks in 2007 before he was freed without charge. But despite being sentenced to three years in jail, the mum-of-two will not serve any more jail time, as the three years count as time already served. Who was Meredith Kercher? Meredith Kercher was born in Southwark, South London on 28 December, 1985. She lived in Coulsdon, a town within the London borough of Croydon. The 21-year-old was last seen on November 1 of that year, with her body found in a pool of blood in her bedroom the next day. An autopsy conducted on her body found that her throat had been cut and she had been stabbed almost 50 times. It also found that she had 16 bruises, including on her nose and mouth, as well as suffering injuries related to sexual assault. In 2007, fingerprints were identified at the scene as belonging to Rudy Guede, who was ultimately charged and sentenced for the brutal murder. He was granted early release in November 2021. The case attracted global media interest, with Knox at the centre. Did Amanda Knox get any compensation? Knox was awarded a £16,000 payout after winning a European Human Rights Court case against the Italian government on January 24, 2019. At the Court, she said Italian police had infringed her rights by failing to provide her with a lawyer, an interpreter, and not following proper procedure. She also insisted she had been slapped by cops during questioning but judges ruled there was no proof of that. They wrote: 'There was insufficient evidence to conclude that Ms Knox had actually sustained the inhuman or degrading treatment of which she had complained.' Within minutes of the decision, Knox, who now lives in Seattle, issued a statement again insisting she was hit. She said: 'I was interrogated for 53 hours over five days, without a lawyer, in a language I understood maybe as well as a ten-year-old. 'When I told police I had no idea who had killed Meredith I was slapped in the back of the head and told to 'Remember.'' Sources in Italy said Knox had been looking for £1.7m compensation but the ECHR gave her £9,000 damages and £6,900 towards costs. There was no immediate response from the Italian government, which has three months to reply. What happened to Raffaele Sollecito? Raffaele Sollecito was cleared of the 2007 murder of Meredith Kercher after spending nearly four years in jail. The Italian man has since said that the convictions ruined his life, demanding £400,000 to cover legal costs that he incurred while trying to clear his name. 4 This bid was rejected in 2017, on the grounds that Sollecito made 'contradictory or even frankly untrue' statements in the early stages of the investigation, which equated to 'intent or gross negligence.' He said: 'There were many victims in this case. Amanda [Knox] 's parents, my parents, all our families… there are many others made by the prosecution's mistakes.' He then added that people did not understand why he had been acquitted, saying: 'I have to face this kind of society. I have to face anybody that doesn't support me.' Sollecito now works as a computer engineer in Milan. , a town they were planning to visit before being arrested for Kercher's murder. What happened to Rudy Guede? Rudy Guede was born December 26, 1986, in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. He was convicted of the murder and sexual assault of Meredith Kercher in October 2008, and sentenced to 30 years behind bars. However, this was reduced to 16 years. 4 Guede was released from prison on November 24, 2021 after having served 13 years of his sentence. He was allowed out 45 days early for good behaviour. What's in the Disney+ documentary? A new documentary illustrating the story of Amanda Knox has been released by Disney Plus, with the first two episodes premiering on August 20. The TV show will be eight episodes long, with new instalments arriving every Wednesday until concluding on October 1. 'The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox' depicts Amanda's 15-year fight to clear her name, focusing on the investigation, courtroom twists, and shocking narratives- inspired by Amanda Knox's real life story. Amanda Knox executively produced the limited series herself, giving a real understanding to her own characters emotional struggle and mental state throughout the series. How to watch the Amanda Knox documentary The Amanda Knox documentary is available to watch on streaming platform Disney+ for UK and Hulu for US subscribers. Grace Van Patten stars as Amanda Knox in the programme, which is billed as a fascinating blend of media bias and of courage, hope, and forgiveness. UK viewers can sign up to watch Disney+ on smart devices or through the TV.
