Latest news with #BetterThings
The Guardian
28-03-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
A Real Pain to Con Mum: the seven best films to watch on TV this week
How the Holocaust echoes down the generations is the core concern of this deceptively light-hearted comedy drama from writer-director Jesse Eisenberg. He also stars as David, a Jewish American who joins his extrovert cousin Benji (Oscar winner Kieran Culkin) in Poland for a tour of sites associated with the genocide – funded by their beloved late grandmother. The men's fluctuating relationship is a source of quick-witted humour but also great drama. Benji's scattershot attempts to honour the traumatic events, alongside the more repressed David's reluctance to open up to his once-close relative, give the film an emotional pull that's both historical and personal. Wednesday 2 April, Disney+ There are plenty of true-crime documentaries out there about people duped into giving away money through catfishing and the like. But what if the grifter is your own mother? Nick Green's truly gobsmacking film tells the story of pastry chef Graham Hornigold, who was contacted in 2020 by the mum he never knew. Dionne turned out to be a very wealthy entrepreneur – but she only had six months to live, so Graham grabbed at the chance of a parental relationship, however brief. There are many, many twists in this tale of love, manipulation and devastating consequences. Out now, Netflix Pair Broad City's writer-star Ilana Glazer and the creator of Better Things, Pamela Adlon, and you can guarantee an unabashed, gloriously funny story about women's lives. Glazer and Michelle Buteau play New York best friends, yoga teacher Eden and dentist Dawn. The latter has just given birth (the scene where her waters break is hilarious) when the former finds out she is pregnant. As the pressures of parenthood and potential single motherhood intensify, their intimate bond – utterly candid, sharply witty – begins to fray. Saturday 29 March, 1.05pm, 6.10pm, Sky Cinema Premiere For his feature debut, actor turned director Neil Maskell has clearly adopted the off-kilter, darkly comic stylings of his friend and regular collaborator Ben Wheatley. Klokkenluider is the Dutch word for whistleblower, which is what UK government IT guy Ewan (Amit Shah) is. He's hiding in a Belgian holiday let with his wife Silke (Sura Dohnke), waiting for a journalist to spill the beans to about his world-shattering discovery. Tom Burke and Roger Evans play the minders who join them in a thriller that manages to be unsettling and slyly mundane at the same time. Saturday 29 March, 11.10pm, Film4 Sign up to What's On Get the best TV reviews, news and features in your inbox every Monday after newsletter promotion Wanda (Edie Falco) is a giver in a family of takers – from her heavily pregnant daughter and recovering addict son to a secret lover who's only in it for the sex. She could just be an annoying doormat of a character, but in the estimable Falco's hands she is an engagingly flawed woman who relies on being wanted to give meaning to her life. There aren't many rough edges in Brendan Walsh's middle America drama, but it's finely acted and completely relatable. Sunday 30 March, 11.35am, 7.15pm, Sky Cinema Premiere Chris Bernard's Liverpool-set romance was one of a string of features funded by Channel 4 in the 1980s that revitalised the moribund British film industry. Like much of the broadcaster's early content, it's sparky, politically edged fare, following two young women – jobless Elaine (Alexandra Pigg) and chicken factory worker/force of nature Teresa (Margi Clarke, sister of the film's writer Frank) – on a night out in the city. They meet two Russian sailors, and while Teresa gets off with Alfred Molina's Sergei, Elaine falls heavily for Peter (Peter Firth). But love and cold war realities soon collide. Sunday 30 March, 11.35pm, BBC Two The smoke sauna tradition in Estonia is recognised by Unesco, and Anna Hints's season-traversing documentary pays due homage to its rituals and idyllic woodland setting. But the female visitors to the isolated cabin are the film's real focus. In this safe space, they sit and talk – about body image, sex, relationships, family – naked physically but also exposing themselves emotionally. Viewed in a beautiful play of light and steam, it's a moving insight into troubled individuals given succour through a collective endeavour. Thursday 3 April, 2.10am, Film4
The Independent
03-03-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Breakout star Mikey Madison wins best actress Oscar for ‘Anora' over Hollywood veteran Demi Moore
Mikey Madison won the best actress Oscar on Sunday for ' Anora,' a role that catapulted the 25-year-old into a burgeoning film career after achieving initial success on television. The Brooklyn-set comedy-drama had received six nominations. Madison had been best known for playing a sullen teenager in the FX comedy series 'Better Things,' which ended in 2022. She also appeared in the hit movies 'Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood' and the fifth installment of the horror franchise 'Scream.' Those jobs attracted the attention of director-writer Sean Baker, who penned the title role in 'Anora' for Madison. She studied Russian and did her own stunts in the film, in addition to learning to pole dance to play an exotic dancer who marries the son of a Russian oligarch. The film debuted to critical acclaim at Cannes last year, winning the Palme d'Or. It has gained momentum ever since, with its box-office success easily outearning its $6 million budget. Hollywood veteran Demi Moore of 'The Substance' had been the Oscar front-runner, having won over Madison at the Golden Globes and SAG Awards. However, Madison beat out Moore for the BAFTA two days before Oscar voting ended, as well as at last weekend's Independent Spirit Awards. She was born Mikaela Madison Rosberg in Los Angeles, one of five children of psychologist parents. Her mother signed her up for an acting class in her mid-teens after Madison had trained in competitive horseback riding, which she found lonely compared to the collaborative nature of acting. In addition to Moore, the other nominees were Cynthia Erivo for 'Wicked,' Karla Sofía Gascón for 'Emilia Pérez" and Fernanda Torres for 'I'm Still Here.' ___
Yahoo
03-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Breakout star Mikey Madison wins best actress Oscar for ‘Anora' over Hollywood veteran Demi Moore
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Mikey Madison won the best actress Oscar on Sunday for 'Anora,' a role that catapulted the 25-year-old into a burgeoning film career after achieving initial success on television. The Brooklyn-set comedy-drama had received six nominations. Madison had been best known for playing a sullen teenager in the FX comedy series 'Better Things,' which ended in 2022. She also appeared in the hit movies 'Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood' and the fifth installment of the horror franchise 'Scream.' Those jobs attracted the attention of director-writer Sean Baker, who penned the title role in 'Anora' for Madison. She studied Russian and did her own stunts in the film, in addition to learning to pole dance to play an exotic dancer who marries the son of a Russian oligarch. The film debuted to critical acclaim at Cannes last year, winning the Palme d'Or. It has gained momentum ever since, with its box-office success easily outearning its $6 million budget. Hollywood veteran Demi Moore of 'The Substance' had been the Oscar front-runner, having won over Madison at the Golden Globes and SAG Awards. However, Madison beat out Moore for the BAFTA two days before Oscar voting ended, as well as at last weekend's Independent Spirit Awards. She was born Mikaela Madison Rosberg in Los Angeles, one of five children of psychologist parents. Her mother signed her up for an acting class in her mid-teens after Madison had trained in competitive horseback riding, which she found lonely compared to the collaborative nature of acting. In addition to Moore, the other nominees were Cynthia Erivo for 'Wicked,' Karla Sofía Gascón for 'Emilia Pérez" and Fernanda Torres for 'I'm Still Here.' ___ For more coverage of this year's Academy Awards, visit:
Associated Press
03-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Associated Press
Breakout star Mikey Madison wins best actress Oscar for ‘Anora' over Hollywood veteran Demi Moore
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Mikey Madison won the best actress Oscar on Sunday for 'Anora,' a role that catapulted the 25-year-old into a burgeoning film career after achieving initial success on television. The Brooklyn-set comedy-drama had received six nominations. Madison had been best known for playing a sullen teenager in the FX comedy series 'Better Things,' which ended in 2022. She also appeared in the hit movies 'Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood' and the fifth installment of the horror franchise 'Scream.' Those jobs attracted the attention of director-writer Sean Baker, who penned the title role in 'Anora' for Madison. She studied Russian and did her own stunts in the film, in addition to learning to pole dance to play an exotic dancer who marries the son of a Russian oligarch. The film debuted to critical acclaim at Cannes last year, winning the Palme d'Or. It has gained momentum ever since, with its box-office success easily outearning its $6 million budget. Hollywood veteran Demi Moore of 'The Substance' had been the Oscar front-runner, having won over Madison at the Golden Globes and SAG Awards. However, Madison beat out Moore for the BAFTA two days before Oscar voting ended, as well as at last weekend's Independent Spirit Awards. She was born Mikaela Madison Rosberg in Los Angeles, one of five children of psychologist parents. Her mother signed her up for an acting class in her mid-teens after Madison had trained in competitive horseback riding, which she found lonely compared to the collaborative nature of acting. In addition to Moore, the other nominees were Cynthia Erivo for 'Wicked,' Karla Sofía Gascón for 'Emilia Pérez' and Fernanda Torres for 'I'm Still Here.'
Yahoo
02-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Kevin Pollak Jokes He Was Once 'Accosted' by Peter Falk at the Grocery Store About His 'Columbo' Impression (Exclusive)
Peter Falk appreciated a good Columbo impression — at least according to actor and comedian Kevin Pollak! Pollak — who is known for his stellar impressions — recently spoke to PEOPLE exclusively while attending the premiere of the new show Nine Bodies in a Mexican Morgue in Culver City, Calif. During the conversation, Pollak revealed that Falk once 'accosted' him in a grocery store in order to compliment his impression of him. 'Oh, he loved it,' Pollak, 67, recalled, adding, 'After the first time I did it on The Tonight Show, I ran into him a few weeks later in the produce section at Ralphs where he accosted me in front of the produce with, 'Excuse me: How do you do that with your eye? Me, I understand, but how do you do that?' That's a quote. And we became friendly from that moment on, and he was a hero and a unicorn in every regard.' Falk, who died in 2011 at the age of 83, per The New York Times, famously had a glass eye, which became a signature trait of his detective character. Pollak went on to say that he has been 'very lucky' in that all of the people he has impersonated in his 40-year career — from William Shatner to Christopher Walken — have seemed to enjoy the experience. 'I really did people that I loved and admired as opposed to feeling the need to attack. And I've spent time with everyone from Shatner to Christopher Walken to Alan Arkin, and I just did a two-hour interview on stage in San Francisco with Albert Brooks — my ultimate comedy unicorn hero — and he loves the impression. And Peter absolutely adored it. So yeah, I've been very, very lucky.' Related: Daughter Claims Peter Falk Has Alzheimer's Pollak — who worked with 2025 Oscar nominees Demi Moore and Mikey Madison in A Few Good Men and the series Better Things, respectively — also weighed in on which actress he hopes to see take home the Academy Award for best actress this year. The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now! 'It's difficult for me because I played the uncle to Mikey Madison in Better Things. And so I'm a tad torn, but [...] I believe, especially now that I've seen Mikey in Anora, that there are maaaany brilliant performances ahead of her, and she's already won so many awards. So let's give the Oscar to Demi,' he concluded. Pollak went on to recall his time on set with Moore in the now-iconic 1992 military courtroom drama, which also starred Tom Cruise and Jack Nicholson, noting that The Substance actress was a caretaker to everyone around her. Related: Demi Moore Recalls Studio Executive Wanted Her and Tom Cruise to Have a Sex Scene in A Few Good Men 'That movie for me was being brought up to the majors, and I was rooting for everyone in such a big way. And what I was surprised and delighted and adored Demi for what a mother hen she was to everyone, cast and crew. Just lovely.' Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Pollak also revealed to PEOPLE that he is a part of one of Hollywood's most delightful unofficial clubs: The Character Actors Dining Society (CADS), which also includes the likes of fellow character actors Richard Kind and Steven Weber, as well as about 10 other performers. He shared that in addition to a group chat, the crew attempts to meet up for in-person dinners once a month. 'It's a great group with great stories. It's really the heart and soul of the group — and having each other's backs,' he added. Read the original article on People
