Latest news with #TomHiddleston
Tom's Guide
4 days ago
- Tom's Guide
I tested the Leica Q3 43 for a week and fell in love — there's just one problem
I test some of the best mirrorless cameras here at Tom's Guide. I've tested ones from Sony, Canon, Fujifilm, Nikon, you name it. And I own a Nikon and Fuji for personal use too. And when you think real hard about cameras, there's one name that always comes up, and that's Leica — premium, classic, sharp, and usually out of most people's budgets. But as is the nature of my job, I'm very lucky that I get to test Leica cameras too. I recently reviewed the Leica M11-D rangefinder and the Leica Q3 43 compact camera. Both of them got glowing recommendations for me, and when I had to return the loan units, I had tears in my eyes (slight exaggeration but you get the sentiment). Pin-sharp precision is what the Leica Q3 43 is all about. Featuring a 60.3MP CMOS sensor and utilizing Leica's best-in-class autofocus system, the Q3 43 captures stunning images with beautiful color reproduction. The new 43mm lens has a standard field of view and comes with a dedicated macro mode. The camera itself is compact and comfortable to use, and for those who like shooting video, it can record 8K/30fps and 4K/60fps footage. Leica cameras are the pinnacle of sharpness and image quality, as my in-depth testing has proven. And I, for one, wish I could get one for myself. But there is a very big hurdle here: four figures that usually come after or before a currency symbol. So what makes the Q3 43 worth the premium? Let me show you. If you were active back in the good ol' days of Tumblr, remember how everyone used to say things like, "That's sharper than Benedict Cumberbatch's cheekbones"? (Or Tom Hiddleston's or Cate Blanchett's, fill in the blanks with your celebrity of choice.) That's how I'd describe the Leica Q3 43's image quality — it's sharper than all the knives in my kitchen. The Q3 43 has a 60.3MP sensor and utilizes Leica's latest Maestro IV processor to make images feel almost ethereal yet lifelike. Color reproduction is absolutely fantastic with a great balance between shadows and highlights. Plenty and plenty of detail is packed in these images, even when you zoom in. Just take a look at the photo of the swan in the gallery above. Feathers? Sharp. Water droplets? Crystal clear. You could use these images straight out of the camera without having to do any post-processing. That's the beauty of the Q3 43. It is a ridiculously good camera that gives you barely anything to complain about. The Leica Q3 43 won me over as soon as I took it out of the box, to be honest. Its ability to capture gorgeous photos and video were the cherries on top of an already delicious cake. There aren't many cameras I test that make me go, "That's a beautiful camera," but the Q3 43 did. It made me actually gasp when I unboxed it. It looks like a million bucks, sporting a compact yet premium look, its front wrapped in a leather-like material. It's as comfortable to hold as it is a treat for the eyes to look at. If you think the Q3 43 is good for stills only, think again. This camera can shoot 4K/60fps and 8K/30fps video, making it great for casual video — I say "casual" because it doesn't have a 3.5mm headphones/mic input/output port, limiting its use out in the field for videography. "So, Nikita, should I buy the Leica Q3 43?" I hear you ask, and I say yes, you should. But if you aren't familiar with the vast world of cameras and have heard whispers about Leicas being great, I have some news for you. These cameras do not come cheap. The Q3 43 retails for $7,380 / £5,900 — but at least it's a fixed-lens camera so you won't need to spend extra on glass over the years. If money is a concern, I completely get it. If you can afford it, though, I don't see any reason why you shouldn't buy the Q3 43. I wouldn't let the price tag put me off because this camera is so ridiculously easy to use with a straightforward control scheme. If it's pure power and image clarity you're after, I can't think of a better camera to recommend. I'm transferring some extra money to my savings account every month now so that I can eventually, one day, get the Q3 43 for myself. That red dot sure costs a lot but to me, it feels like it's worth every cent.
Express Tribune
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
‘The Night Manager' returns with steamy Colombia-set sequel and fresh Latin cast
After vanishing for nearly a decade, The Night Manager is back, and it's hotter, darker, and deadlier than ever. Season 2 of the acclaimed spy saga has ditched cold European glamour for the tropical intensity of Colombia, with six brand-new episodes soaked in local colour, corruption, and blood-soaked intrigue. The BBC and Prime Video series has shifted gears both visually and narratively, plunging Jonathan Pine, played again by Tom Hiddleston, into a gritty new operation against the backdrop of Colombia's fraught post-conflict reality. Production insiders say the country isn't just a setting, it's the pulse of the new story. From drug money to military scars, the region's raw political past heavily informs the plot, adding a brutal edge to the sleek espionage world viewers once knew. Behind the camera, director Georgi Banks-Davies and creator David Farr pushed for authenticity. The team embedded themselves in Colombia, filming in sweltering heat across Medellín, Cartagena, and the lush valleys around Girardot. Local festivals, cultural landmarks, and street-level chaos all made the cut. The cast and crew braved 50°C heat and 100% humidity, sweating through long days to capture the tension onscreen. Aside from returning leads Tom Hiddleston and Olivia Colman, Season 2 also introduces new blood. Diego Calva and Camila Morrone join the espionage mayhem, bringing a Latin American presence that feels not just timely but necessary. And though Hugh Laurie's villainous Roper is still missing from the trailer, rumours swirl about a surprise return. The Night Manager returns to BBC One in the UK and drops globally on Prime Video in 2026. With Colombia's grit front and centre, this sequel is going to be a reawakening.
Forbes
14-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Tom Hiddleston's ‘The Life Of Chuck' Gets Streaming Date, Report Says
"The Life of Chuck" partial poster featuring Tom Hiddleston. The Life of Chuck, director Mike Flanagan's movie adaptation of the Stephen King story starring Tom Hiddleston, is coming soon to streaming. The Life of Chuck opened in limited release in theaters on June 6 before it expanded to a wide release on June 13. The official summary for the movie reads, 'From the hearts and minds of Stephen King and Mike Flanagan comes The Life of Chuck, the extraordinary story of an ordinary man. "This unforgettable, genre-bending tale celebrates the life of Charles 'Chuck' Krantz as he experiences the wonder of love, the heartbreak of loss, and the multitudes contained in all of us.' Rated R, The Life of Chuck also stars Jacob Tremblay, Benjamin Pajak and Cody Flanagan as the younger versions of Chuck. The film's cast also includes Chiwetel Ejiofor, Mia Sara, Karen Gillan, Carl Lumbly, David Dastmalchian, Matthew Lillard, Harvey Guillén and Mark Hamill. The Life of Chuck is expected to be released on digital streaming via premium video on demand on Tuesday, July 29, When to Stream reported. While When to Stream's PVOD reports are typically accurate, the streamer tracker noted that The Life of Chuck's release date for digital streaming has not been announced or confirmed by its studio, Neon, and it is subject to change. Currently, The Life of Chuck is available for pre-order for $19.99, which will be the film's purchase price on digital. Since digital rental prices are generally $5 less than purchase prices, viewers can expect to rent the film for 48 hours for $14.99. How Did Audiences And Critics React To 'The Life of Chuck'? The Life of Chuck has earned $6.3 million domestically and $1.1 million internationally for a worldwide box office tally of $7.4 million to date. The film's production budget is not available. The Life of Chuck received an 81% 'fresh' rating from Rotten Tomatoes critics based on 211 reviews. The RT Critics Consensus for the film reads, 'Showing a sweeter side of director Mike Flanagan's deeply-felt emotional register, The Life of Chuck is a buoyant and often wonderful adaptation of one of Stephen King's more cosmically optimistic tales.' Audiences gave The Life of Chuck an 88% 'fresh' score on RT's Popcornmeter based on 500-plus verified user ratings. The RT audience summary for the film reads, 'The Life of Chuck refreshingly defies the norm, delivering a heartfelt non-linear experience that brings joy in the form of a dancing Tom Hiddleston.' The Life of Chuck is expected to be released on PVOD on July 29.
Geek Tyrant
09-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Geek Tyrant
Marvel Studios Reportedly Still Hasn't Finalized AVENGERS: DOOMSDAY's Third Act — GeekTyrant
Marvel Studios may be knee-deep in production on Avengers: Doomsday , but according to a new report, the film's third act still hasn't been locked in. That might sound wild considering the scope of the project, but for longtime MCU watchers, it's basically business as usual. Originally slated for release in May 2026, Doomsday was recently pushed to December 18, giving Marvel a bit more breathing room. While fans were understandably bummed by the delay, most agreed it was the right call, especially if it helps the film stick its big landing. As it turns out, Doomsday started rolling cameras without a fully finished script from longtime MCU scribe Stephen McFeely. Scooper Daniel Richtman claims the third act still isn't finalized. But, Marvel has a long history of shaping major set pieces mid-production. Richtman also offered a peek at what's currently filming in the UK. Scenes are being shot in The Void, the realm of pruned realities where we last saw in Loki. That is sure to open the door for some wild multiversal surprises. He also shared that Marvel is filming scenes set on The Fantastic Four's Earth, one of which takes place during a baseball game. There's also a mention that Marvel is still 'mulling over a Silver Surfer project,' which, if true, lines up with the cosmic scale Doomsday seems to be aiming for. Tom Hiddleston, who's confirmed to return as Loki, recently weighed in on his surprising return. While many thought Loki Season 2 was his swan song, even Hiddleston didn't know what Marvel had planned. Her said: "I didn't know that, so I was sincere in my conviction that I thought it was the end [Laughs]. I wasn't lying to you, I promise. I didn't know then what the plan was. I'm trying to think how long I've known... it's very exciting." He's all in for what's next: "[Laughs] Yes. I do know some things. It's an extraordinary privilege to still be on the team, and there are more stories to tell. I feel like the character has grown as I've grown. It's genuinely an honour to still be in the squad." Avengers: Doomsday is directed by the Russo Brothers. Their return brings major expectations, especially as they set the stage for Avengers: Secret Wars in 2027. For now, the movie remains a multiversal mystery in motion. Avengers: Doomsday is set to be released on December 18, 2026, with Avengers: Secret Wars scheduled to arrive on December 17, 2027.
Yahoo
06-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Stephen King is a big 'softie,' and 'Life of Chuck' showcases his joyful side
Mike Flanagan has gone to the movies with Stephen King twice in his life. When Flanagan adapted King's 'The Shining' sequel 'Doctor Sleep' in 2019, he screened it early for King in an empty Maine movie theater near the author's Bangor home and 'it was probably deeply uncomfortable for both of us,' Flanagan says. 'He happened to love the movie, but I was staring at him the whole time, just microanalyzing everything.' Years later, when the writer/director made a cinematic version of King's novella 'The Life of Chuck' (in theaters nationwide June 13), Flanagan just sent him an online screening link. 'He loved it. And then kept asking to see it again,' the filmmaker recalls. 'We kept refreshing Steve's link. By the sixth or seventh time, I'm like, 'He really loves this movie.'' Join our Watch Party! Sign up to receive USA TODAY's movie and TV recommendations right in your inbox So much so that it led to the second time they watched a movie together, with a thousand other people for the "Chuck" premiere last year at Toronto International Film Festival. The buzzy film won the fest's prized audience award − a harbinger of Oscar consideration, considering that the past 12 winners all nabbed best picture nominations – and has earned critical acclaim (80% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes). It's also the rare King movie that, instead of a nightmare scenario, is the life-affirming tale of a seemingly ordinary accountant (Tom Hiddleston). Flanagan kept the author's unconventional three-act structure, told in reverse chronological order, that features the end of the world, an impromptu dance sequence and Chuck's formative kid years. Usually, King's main characters are introduced having to deal with some sort of trauma, horror and/or supernatural clown. Our man Chuck comes alive one warm Thursday afternoon when the businessman hears a busking drummer. 'He puts his briefcase down and starts to move his hips to the beat of those drums,' Hiddleston says. 'And something remarkable happens and all of his interior joy explodes out of it.' The scene expresses 'something really profound,' the actor adds, 'which is that as we get older, perhaps our lives seem to reduce, but we still contain those infinite possibilities that we understood as children.' The dance is King's favorite: Flanagan reports that the author frequently revisits that bit during his "Chuck" viewings. At King's core, 'he's a softie that loves people,' adds Kate Siegel, Flanagan's wife, who plays Chuck's English teacher in the movie. 'He also loves to destroy you and kill off your favorite characters." Like many of the iconic author's Constant Readers, Flanagan has watched his share of bad Stephen King movies over the years. He freely admits that 2017's 'The Dark Tower' movie was one of them. (He's working on turning King's fantasy series into a TV show.) 'When I saw 'Dreamcatcher' opening day, I was like, 'What happened?' ' he says. A lot of filmmakers struggle to understand King's work, but Flanagan inherently gets it, as does Frank Darabont ('The Shawshank Redemption') and Rob Reiner ('Stand By Me'): 'He's not writing horror even when he is writing horror,' Flanagan says. 'He's an optimistic humanist and he's writing about love and humanity.' For example, 'Pet Sematary' is 'the scariest book I've ever read in my life,' Flanagan says. But 'if you're making a movie about zombies coming back reanimated by a cemetery, you're making the wrong movie. If you're making a movie about how a parent could never resist the chance to save their child, then you're making the right movie. 'What always leaps out to me is, what is he really talking about here? Because if you say 'The Shining' is about a haunted hotel, and you don't say 'The Shining' is about alcoholism, you've missed it.' King is 'someone with enormous courage in exploring corners of life that some of us might be too frightened to explore,' Hiddleston adds. But Flanagan smartly 'doesn't pigeonhole Stephen King. He sees King's breadth and range.' Of King's more than 60 novels – plus many short stories and novellas – Mark Hamill figures he's read at least 40. (Currently, he's deep into King's 'On Writing.') For the "Star Wars" icon, who plays Chuck's grandpa Albie, the magic of King's prose is in the language. 'It's not like adjusting to the way Charles Dickens writes, or Mark Twain. He speaks the way we speak,' Hamill says. 'You're comfortable in space and time and familiar with the characters. So when things do go wonky, he already has you in his grip." King's writing is "timeless," says "Chuck" castmate Karen Gillan. "We're all dealing with different things at different stages of life, but ultimately, he's exploring emotions that we can all connect to." When a new King book is released, Flanagan first digs in as a fan. 'He's always been such a visual writer that inevitably there's this imaginary movie that plays in your head when you read it,' he says. With 'Gerald's Game,' Flanagan had that movie in his head for more than a decade before making it for Netflix. 'Doctor Sleep' was 'this incredible puzzle box' where he had to weave together conflicting aspects of King's original 'Shining' narrative and Stanley Kubrick's classic movie, 'and it was nauseating every day to try to navigate it,' he says. And after being emotionally steamrolled by his first reading of King's "Chuck" novella – to the point of "tears on my cheeks" – Flanagan's mission was simple: "Don't mess it up. It's about taking that beautiful story and just getting it up on the screen." This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'The Life of Chuck': New Stephen King movie digs into his humanity
