Latest news with #films
New York Times
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- New York Times
How We Chose the Best Movies of the 21st Century
Times Insider explains who we are and what we do and delivers behind-the-scenes insights into how our journalism comes together. When a group of Culture editors at The New York Times considered the idea of choosing the best films of the 21st century late last year, it seemed like a daunting task. There have been more than 200,000 films released since 2000, in hundreds of languages. How could they choose just 100? So, they had a solution: They wouldn't. They would ask more than 500 influential directors, actors and other notable names in Hollywood and around the world to make the selections for them. 'A lot of lists are done by critics, and Hollywood often takes issue with them,' said Stephanie Goodman, The Times's film editor. 'We were saying, 'Look, this is your chance to have your say.' I think people really appreciated that.' For seven months, Ms. Goodman and Leah Greenblatt, the project manager, led a team of editors, writers and critics from the Culture desk in collaboration with designers, photo editors and journalists from The Upshot, a Times team that specializes in data-driven journalism, through the production process. In all, more than 75 people helped bring the project to life. The resulting list was published online last month and appears in the Arts & Leisure section of Sunday's paper, along with a selection of celebrity ballots and readers' own top 100 films. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
The Guardian
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Ciarán Hinds: ‘Who is my celebrity crush? Penélope Cruz and Javier Bardem'
Born in Belfast, Ciarán Hinds, 72, studied at Rada. In 1987, he joined Peter Brook's cast of The Mahabharata – an epic play that toured the world; he went on to perform for the RSC and the National Theatre. His films include The Cook, the Thief, His Wife and Her Lover, Belfast and Frozen. On television, he has appeared in Game of Thrones and The Terror, and will star in the new BBC adaptation of The Narrow Road to the Deep North. He is married to actor Hélène Patarot with whom he has a daughter, and lives in London and Paris. What is your greatest fear? I'm not fond of snakes. What is the trait you most deplore in yourself? Vagueness. What is the trait you most deplore in others? Pomposity. What was your most embarrassing moment? Falling off the stage and on to the pianist during the opening number in the Mother Goose pantomime at the Citizens theatre in Glasgow. Describe yourself in three words Hopeful, egalitarian, overweight. What makes you unhappy? The slaughter of innocents. What do you most dislike about your appearance? My gut. What is your most unappealing habit? Where to begin? If you could edit your past, what would you change? My penchant for having just one too many. What scares you about getting older? Not being able to fend for myself and being a burden to others. Who is your celebrity crush? Penélope Cruz and Javier Bardem. Which book are you ashamed not to have read? Ulysses by James Joyce, but I might make a start next week – or the week after that … What is the worst thing anyone's said to you? As a young actor, again at the Citizens theatre, I was making an exit and a theatregoer leaned over the balcony and said, 'You're terrible!' What is your guiltiest pleasure? A perfect pint of Guinness. What or who is the greatest love of your life? My wife and daughter – in no particular order. Sign up to Inside Saturday The only way to get a look behind the scenes of the Saturday magazine. Sign up to get the inside story from our top writers as well as all the must-read articles and columns, delivered to your inbox every weekend. after newsletter promotion What does love feel like? Overwhelming, discombobulating, irrational and unreasonable. Have you ever said 'I love you' and not meant it? Oh yes, many times – and then had to do another take because it didn't look like I meant it. What has been your closest brush with the law? I was once approached by a New York cop who said he was sorry but he was going to have to book me for impersonating a Roman emperor. What keeps you awake at night? An inability to get myself to bed at a reasonable hour. Would you rather have more sex, money or fame? Oh, all right then, sex. How would you like to be remembered? As not being a total bollix. What is the most important lesson life has taught you? We're not here for long so don't be wreaking havoc along the way. Tell us a joke Two cows in a field. One of them says, 'I hear there's another outbreak of mad cow disease.' The other one says, 'Yep, thank God I'm a penguin.'
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Our TV experts have picked the 20 best shows and films to stream this weekend, from Keeley Hawes on killer form in the Mediterranean to Danny Dyer reprising the outrageous comedy role that won him a Bafta
Back by popular demand, our TV experts are on hand with their weekly roundup of the best films and shows to watch right now. If you're in the mood for a new comedy show from a British icon or a thrilling spy series from the creator of Peaky Blinders, then this is exactly the list for you.
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Welsh actor looks unrecognisable almost 30 years after his breakout role in iconic film as he strolls through London - but can YOU guess who it is?
A Welsh-born actor known for his roles in breakthrough films Twin Town and Notting Hill looked unrecognisable out in London on Friday. After his breakthrough, the actor went on to star in The Amazing Spider-Man and Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows, most recently making an appearance in the House Of The Dragon. He presented Welsh-language television programmes on S4C after leaving school, before making a play for the stage by studying at the Guildhall School Of Music & Drama. The BAFTA-winning actor a low profile as he stepped out in the capital on Friday on a rainy summer's day. For his outing, he wore a simple black t-shirt and grey jeans and trainers, adding a pop of colour with a colourful baseball cap. He appeared to be sporting a recent injury as he could be seen with a black wrist support glove on one hand - but can YOU guess who it is? It's none other than Rhys Ifans, who played the iconic role of Spike in the 1999 film Notting Hill alongside Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts. Rhys previously revealed how he led a double life of studying in an elitist drama college while breaking off doors to live illegally in around fifteen squats for months at a time. The Welsh actor said he would remove steel doors of empty council properties and change the locks before using them as his accommodation for over four years. The Notting Hill star recalled his 'great life' squatting while studying at Guildhall School of Music and Drama in the Nineties, but added he knew it was 'illegal and dangerous'. He told Rob Brydon's podcast: 'I'd been in London a year before I went to drama school. I moved down with a mate of mine. 'For my whole period in drama school I lived in squats. I lived in about fourteen, fifteen different squats. 'It was of course illegal, and I guess looking back, dangerous. But it was a great life. 'It would be council properties, council flats. You take the steel door off in the middle of the night and then as soon as you change the locks put a notice on the door. 'They had to then switch the gas and electricity on and then you could be in it for weeks to months.' He added: 'But it was a constant case of we moved around a lot with a group of lads and girls from Belfast who I'd met at a Cramps gig and we lived together for four or five years moving in and out of different squats of varying degrees of comfort and discomfort. 'In a sense I had this real double life, which was wonderful. 'I had this kind of elitist wonderful life in college and then this extraordinary kind of vagabond existence when I went home each night. 'It was easy to do then. It's nigh on impossible now to break a squat but then it was relatively simple.' In recent years, Rhys has played Fool to Glenda Jackson's King Lear, and Scrooge at the Old Vic. He led the National's Exit The King; and then starred at the Royal Court in Ed Thomas's play On Bear Ridge. It comes after Rod Stewart revealed in 2020 that he wants a movie to be made about his life, following the success of Bohemian Rhapsody and Rocketman - and tapped actor Rhys to play him. Sharing his thoughts on why the Notting Hill star was perfect, he said: 'Yeah, Rhys would be a very good idea. [But] he has got to do something with his barnet.'
Arab News
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Arab News
The best movies of the year so far
DUBAI: From awesome animation to devastating documentary, here are our top films of 2025 to date. For the latest updates, follow us on Instagram @ 'A Complete Unknown' Starring: Timothée Chalamet, Edward Norton, Elle Fanning, Monica Barbaro Director: James Mangold Chalamet gained deserved plaudits for his portrayal of arguably the greatest singer-songwriter in the history of modern Western music, Bob Dylan, in Mangold's biopic — and he does a fine job, capturing the star's fragile ego and magnetic charisma. But the true star of 'A Complete Unknown' may be Barbaro as Dylan's fellow folk-music star Joan Baez, she embodies Baez's fiery nature, intelligence and talent brilliantly. Mangold navigates the many myths (often self-generated) surrounding Dylan to create an utterly convincing look at his early career, up to the infamous furor created when he turned his back on folk purism by using electric instruments. Biopics of musicians have a checkered past, but 'A Complete Unknown' is definitely one of the good ones. 'Ocean with David Attenborough' Directors: Toby Nowlan, Keith Scholey, Colin Butfield Starring: David Attenborough Perhaps the year's most vital movie so far is a documentary fronted by a 99-year-old. In 'Ocean,' the venerable English biologist and broadcaster presents a gorgeously shot, awe-inspiring and immersive film that examines the damage done in the depths of Earth's oceans by the thousands of super-sized fishing trawlers operating around our planet constantly. With his trademark authority and passion, Attenborough lays out just what is at risk if they continue their destruction. But crucially, he also offers hope: the oceans, scientists have discovered, can recover at remarkable rates. 'As nature documentaries go, it's hard to imagine 'Ocean' being bettered,' our reviewer wrote. 'Flow' Director: Gints Zilbalodis Writers/producers: Gints Zilbalodis, Matiss Kaza Quite how a film with no dialogue manages to be so engaging, thought-provoking and moving is a mystery. But this Latvian animation about a black cat struggling to survive alongside a small group of other animals in a post-apocalyptic world in which water levels are rising dramatically is all of that and much more. It's a slow-burner, meditative at points, but with moments of great peril and small heroics. From the beautifully rendered landscapes to the astonishing attention to small details in the animals' movements, noises and behavior, 'Flow' is clearly a labor of love, and deservedly picked up Best Animated Feature at both the Oscars and the Golden Globes. 'The Phoenician Scheme' Starring: Benicio del Toro, Mia Threapleton, Michael Cera, Riz Ahmed Director: Wes Anderson This 1950s-set story of an arms dealer whose near-death experience leads him to try and fix his relationship with his estranged daughter, a nun, is not the best Wes Anderson movie, but it's still a Wes Anderson movie, and so delivers typically stunning cinematography, great (and heavily stylized) performances from a stellar ensemble cast (including those mentioned above plus Tom Hanks, Bryan Cranston, Richard Ayoade, Jeffrey Wright, Scarlett Johansson, Benedict Cumberbatch, Willem Dafoe, Bill Murray, and many more), plenty of dark humor, and a singular world view. If only every director's 'not their best' work could match up. 'Black Bag' Starring: Cate Blanchett, Michael Fassbender, Marisa Abela Director: Steven Soderbergh The conceit at the heart of 'Black Bag' — a husband-wife spy duo — is nothing new; nor is its 'twist' of one being assigned to investigate the other when they are suspected of being a traitor. But with Soderbergh at the helm, and actors as accomplished as Blanchett and Fassbender as the leads, this super-stylish thriller sets itself apart. Fassbender plays British intelligence officer George Woodhouse, whose wife Kathryn (Blanchett) is just one of five people suspected of leaking some top-secret software, but she quickly climbs to the top of that list when George discovers her secret Swiss bank account. 'Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl' Voice cast: Ben Whitehead, Peter Kay, Lauren Patel, Reece Shearsmith Directors: Nick Park, Merlin Crossingham There is so much to admire about Aardman Animations' sixth installment in this action-comedy series about a provincial English inventor and his long-suffering dog. Not least that it proves to certain film studios (hey Marvel) that it's still possible to tell an entertaining yarn in 90 minutes or less. With Aardman's usual jaw-dropping stop-motion skills providing the arresting visuals, and Park and co-writer Mark Burton's knack for creating storylines that produce giggles and feels for all ages as strong as ever, this was a very welcome return for our two unlikely heroes and their arch enemy Feathers McGraw, out to frame Wallace in revenge for his imprisonment back in 1993's 'The Wrong Trousers.' 'Sinners' Starring: Michael B. Jordan, Hailee Steinfeld, Miles Canton Director: Ryan Coogler One of the most entertaining vampire films we've seen for a while. Jordan is excellent in dual roles as Elijah and Elias Smoke — twin brothers returning to their hometown and trying to outrun their criminal past. Set in the Mississippi Delta in 1932, it's partially inspired by the legend of the blues musician Robert Johnson selling his soul to the devil. The blues plays a major role in the movie too (with some not-so-subtle digs at the fact that some of the blues' biggest fans would also likely be adversaries of the Black musicians making it), as the twins' cousin Sammie is a hugely talented musician. The brothers set up their own juke joint, at which Sammie's the resident star. Then the joint becomes a target for undead forces of evil. 'Sinners' is brash, bold, and a lot of fun.
