http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/?service=Rss http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/law-abiding-citizen-f-gary-gray-108-mins-18brnativity-debbie-isitt-106-mins-u-1830351.html http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/law-abiding-citizen-f-gary-gray-108-mins-18brnativity-debbie-isitt-106-mins-u-1830351.html <p> It's been a tough few weeks for cinema-going punctuation sticklers, what with October's Couples Retreat, and this week's big American film, Law Abiding Citizen. </p> Reviews Sun, 29 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/paranormal-activity-oren-peli-85-mins-15brbunny-and-the-bull-paul-king-101-mins-15-1830352.html http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/paranormal-activity-oren-peli-85-mins-15brbunny-and-the-bull-paul-king-101-mins-15-1830352.html ]]> <p> While Hollywood continually searches for new and ever more expensive ways to get our attention, what really makes the film industry sit up is the Holy Grail of the no-budget marvel. </p> Reviews Sun, 29 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/swiss-ready-polanskis-chalet-for-house-arrest-1830247.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/swiss-ready-polanskis-chalet-for-house-arrest-1830247.html <p> Swiss security experts are preparing Roman Polanski's Alpine chalet for the movie director's house arrest. </p> Europe Sat, 28 Nov 2009 11:45:07 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/when-friends-fall-out-the-story-of-facebooks-creation-1829898.html http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/when-friends-fall-out-the-story-of-facebooks-creation-1829898.html ]]> <p>It began with a 2am email. A Harvard undergraduate emailed author Ben Mezrich – who was fresh from the Hollywood success of Bringing Down the House, his book about six MIT students who took Vegas for millions – to tell him about his friend, Eduardo Saverin. A friend, he said, who had helped found Facebook, now a multi-billion pound company, with Mark Zuckerberg. But one that no-one had heard of.</p> Features Sat, 28 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/taiwan-indie-drama-wins-chineselanguage-oscars-1830632.html http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/taiwan-indie-drama-wins-chineselanguage-oscars-1830632.html ]]> <p>Taiwanese director Leon Dai's low budget family drama on Saturday swept the Golden Horse Film Awards, considered the Chinese-language "Oscars," bagging the best picture and best director gongs.</p> News Sat, 28 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/list-of-2009-golden-horse-film-awards-winners-1830678.html http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/list-of-2009-golden-horse-film-awards-winners-1830678.html ]]> <p>The following is a list of winners of Taiwan's 46th annual Golden Horse Film Awards announced here on Saturday:</p> News Sat, 28 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/indy-choice-best-of-the-new-films-1829462.html http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/indy-choice-best-of-the-new-films-1829462.html ]]> <p> Whether you want to take a trip to the cinema or save those pennies and stay at home with a DVD, here's a selection of the best films for you to watch this weekend. </p> Features Fri, 27 Nov 2009 16:16:50 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/win-a-pair-of-tickets-to-the-premiere-of-where-the-wild-things-are-1828247.html http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/win-a-pair-of-tickets-to-the-premiere-of-where-the-wild-things-are-1828247.html ]]> <p> To celebrate the release of the highly anticipated <i>Where The Wild Things Are</i>, from acclaimed director Spike Jonze, we have a pair of tickets to give away to the premiere on Wednesday 2 December. </p> News Fri, 27 Nov 2009 15:50:19 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/seraphine-pg-1829500.html http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/seraphine-pg-1829500.html <p> Séraphine Louis was an impoverished cleaner in Senlis in northern France until the German art dealer Wilhelm Uhde, an early collector of Cubists and the discoverer of Douanier Rousseau, discovered her brightly coloured, intricate paintings of fruit and flowers and declared her a painter of genius. </p> Reviews Fri, 27 Nov 2009 15:28:38 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/nativity-u-1829499.html http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/nativity-u-1829499.html <p> You thought that after Hammer closed the British film industry had given up on horror: you hadn't sat through this pathetic comedy about a no-hope primary school which, for reasons too contrived and unconvincing to relate, becomes convinced that Hollywood casting agents coming to this year's nativity play. </p> Reviews Fri, 27 Nov 2009 15:27:32 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/mr-right-15-1829498.html http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/mr-right-15-1829498.html <p> The second awful British film of the week, a shoddy, mildly comic drama about contemporary gay life in London's art and media scenes. </p> Reviews Fri, 27 Nov 2009 15:26:00 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/law-abiding-citizen-18-1829493.html http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/law-abiding-citizen-18-1829493.html <p> Gerard Butler, having seen his wife and sick-makingly cute daughter knifed to death, is distressed to be told that the murderer has plea-bargained his way to a slap-on-the-wrist sentence. </p> Reviews Fri, 27 Nov 2009 15:23:08 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/bunny-and-the-bull-15-1829488.html http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/bunny-and-the-bull-15-1829488.html <p> Contrary to what you might think, a lot of films get made in this country – three of them released just this week; but most of them are terrible. </p> Reviews Fri, 27 Nov 2009 15:20:31 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/jessica-biel-out-of-this-world-1828333.html http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/jessica-biel-out-of-this-world-1828333.html ]]> <p> Jessica Biel is an actress who has somehow slipped into the collective male consciousness, so that today her name is uttered in the same breath as A-listers like Scarlett Johansson or Rachel McAdams. </p> Features Fri, 27 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/film-sequels--love-at-second-bite-1828346.html http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/film-sequels--love-at-second-bite-1828346.html ]]> <p>The stellar first-weekend box-office take of New Moon left few surprised, as the Twilight sequel made $279.4m (£167.3m) worldwide. That figure was at the top end of analysts' expectations and the film looks like it will easily surpass the final gross estimate made by a group at the Cass Business School in London who have come up with a formula for predicting the success of sequels.</p> Features Fri, 27 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/paranormal-activity-15-1828341.html http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/paranormal-activity-15-1828341.html ]]> <p>The publicity surrounding Paranormal Activity has concentrated on the paucity of its budget – a mere $15,000 – and the terror it will inspire in you. Both these claims should be taken with a pinch of salt. The Blair Witch Project, the plainest precedent for this film, was supposed to have cost $20,000; but when you'd added in the costs of editing, sound-mixing and a bit of discreet re-shooting prior to release to the general public, the final tab came to nearer three-quarters of a million – still ridiculously small by Hollywood standards, and still an astonishingly tiny fraction of its box-office take. By all accounts, the multiples for Paranormal Activity are even more mouth-watering. As for terror: I suspect that to anyone who has sat through any of the Saw franchise, or indeed The Blair Witch Project, this will seem very milk-and-water. I scare easily, and in general find the modern horror film, with its imperative to turn the stomach and loosen the sphincters, repugnant; but this I could take with equanimity – with a good deal of pleasure, in fact. </p> Reviews Fri, 27 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/observations-steven-soderbergh-on-the-high-cost-of-intimacy-1828459.html http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/observations-steven-soderbergh-on-the-high-cost-of-intimacy-1828459.html <p> My new film The Girlfriend Experience is about a high-class Manhattan escort named Chelsea, who sells intimacy as well as sex. The whole thing that drew me to that world... basically, there was an incredibly steep surcharge for kissing. </p> Features Fri, 27 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/the-movie-that-mattered-to-me-1828427.html http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/the-movie-that-mattered-to-me-1828427.html ]]> <p> The idea that someone is so overwhelmed by an individual film that it changes their lives and turns them, almost instantly, into a movie director is, perhaps, far-fetched. </p> Features Fri, 27 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/special-edition-anniversary-collections-and-gift-sets-from-mel-brooks-to-kurosawa-1828872.html http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/special-edition-anniversary-collections-and-gift-sets-from-mel-brooks-to-kurosawa-1828872.html ]]> <p>Released in time for the holiday season, a selection of movie gift sets includes 70th anniversary editions of the <em>Wizard of Oz</em> and <em>Gone with the Wind </em>and some classics that are on DVD for the first time in the North American market.</p> News Fri, 27 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/taiwan-social-drama-tipped-to-win-chineselanguage-oscars-1828972.html http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/taiwan-social-drama-tipped-to-win-chineselanguage-oscars-1828972.html ]]> <p>Taiwanese director Leon Dai's social drama "No Puedo Vivir Sin Ti" is tipped for top honours Saturday at the island's Golden Horse Film Awards, considered the Chinese-language "Oscars", critics said.</p> News Fri, 27 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/kate-winslet-giorgio-armani-and-shakira-all-win-at-germanys-bambi-awards-1829827.html http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/kate-winslet-giorgio-armani-and-shakira-all-win-at-germanys-bambi-awards-1829827.html ]]> <p>Hollywood star Kate Winslet won best international actress for her part in <em>The Reader</em> at Germany's most important media awards November 26.</p> News Fri, 27 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/new-moon-will-keep-shining-this-weekend-1828473.html http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/new-moon-will-keep-shining-this-weekend-1828473.html ]]> <p>After a massive performance at the US box office last weekend, <em>The Twilight Saga: New Moon</em> is expected to see a surge again in 4,000 theaters over the coming five-day Thanksgiving holiday weekend.</p> News Thu, 26 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/news/the-big-question-does-charlie-chaplin-merit-a-museum-in-his-honour-and-what-is-his-legacy-1826871.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/news/the-big-question-does-charlie-chaplin-merit-a-museum-in-his-honour-and-what-is-his-legacy-1826871.html ]]> News Wed, 25 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/disney-remaking-high-school-musical-in-chinese-1827282.html http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/disney-remaking-high-school-musical-in-chinese-1827282.html <p>Disney is re-making its international smash hit "High School Musical" in Chinese with a film set to be released here next summer, a Disney spokeswoman said Wednesday.</p> News Wed, 25 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/weekendrsquos-us-box-office-bounty-old-dogs-fantastic-fox-and-new-moon-1827425.html http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/weekendrsquos-us-box-office-bounty-old-dogs-fantastic-fox-and-new-moon-1827425.html ]]> <p>With the long Thanksgiving weekend (November 26- 29) ahead in the US, there is an abundance of films at the box office -- and no turkeys. From comedy to action-adventure, children's fare and powerful dramas, the new offerings will appeal to a wide spectrum of tastes. But can anything outshine <em>The Twilight Saga: New Moon</em>?</p> News Wed, 25 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/iraqikurd-migrant-film-wins-eu-parliament-prize-1827540.html http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/iraqikurd-migrant-film-wins-eu-parliament-prize-1827540.html ]]> <p>The European parliament on Wednesday handed its Lux 2009 film prize to the story of an Iraqi-Kurd refugee hell-bent on swimming illegally to Britain from France.</p> News Wed, 25 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/vampires-from-freak-to-chic-1826736.html http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/vampires-from-freak-to-chic-1826736.html ]]> <p> In literature vampires are terrifying, shadowy figures who "vant to suck your blood", and whose heads need to be cut off and stuffed with garlic to prevent them returning from the dead. But in cinema vamps appear to be, well vampish. </p> Features Tue, 24 Nov 2009 18:12:45 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/londons-film-locations-time-for-some-new-ones-1826408.html http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/londons-film-locations-time-for-some-new-ones-1826408.html ]]> <p>A group of young troublemakers dressed in identical boiler suits wreak havoc against a backdrop of concrete brutalism – it could be A Clockwork Orange all over again. The other connection between E4's excellent new drama, Misfits, about a bunch of kids on community service who develop superpowers, and Stanley Kubrick's 1971 movie of Anthony Burgess's dystopian novel, is the filming location. Residents of Thamesmead, south-east London, could be forgiven for emitting a low groan at seeing their neighbourhood once again used as shorthand for the ills of modern society.</p> Features Tue, 24 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/features/twilight-the-worlds-richest-bloody-franchise-1826440.html http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/features/twilight-the-worlds-richest-bloody-franchise-1826440.html ]]> <p> Have you been bitten? If you’re over 20, or happen to own a Y chromosome, the answer is probably not. But if you talked to a teenage girl at the weekend, or stepped into the crowded foyer of a cinema , you’ll almost certainly have been touched by the all-conquering vampire phenomenon that is Twilight. </p> Features Tue, 24 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/chinese-cinema-gears-up-for-its-biggest-night-of-the-year-1826525.html http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/chinese-cinema-gears-up-for-its-biggest-night-of-the-year-1826525.html ]]> <p>It wouldn't really be the Chinese film industry's night of nights without a little controversy -- and a hint of a scandal. And Taiwan's Golden Horse awards -- to be held in the capital Taipei this Saturday) -- have already delivered a little bit of both.</p> News Tue, 24 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/this-weekrsquos-us-film-releases-disney-duo-and-oscar-contenders-1826791.html http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/this-weekrsquos-us-film-releases-disney-duo-and-oscar-contenders-1826791.html ]]> <p>This week, most film releases in the US are scheduled for Wednesday, November 25, the day before Thanksgiving to take advantage of the long holiday weekend.</p> News Tue, 24 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/hugh-jackman-to-star-in-scifi-boxing-tale-1826913.html http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/hugh-jackman-to-star-in-scifi-boxing-tale-1826913.html ]]> <p>Australian heartthrob Hugh Jackman is joining forces with Steven Spielberg in a futuristic movie about robot boxers, entertainment industry press reported Tuesday.</p> News Tue, 24 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/15-films-to-compete-in-marrakech-festival-1826568.html http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/15-films-to-compete-in-marrakech-festival-1826568.html ]]> <p>Fifteen films of as many nationalities will be in competition at the Ninth Marrakech International Film Festival, hosted by the Moroccan city from December 4 to 12, organisers said Monday.</p> News Tue, 24 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/meet-tiana-a-disney-heroine-like-no-other-1825937.html http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/meet-tiana-a-disney-heroine-like-no-other-1825937.html ]]> <p>Our heroine is young, wholesome and effortlessly beautiful. Tiana works hard, smiles sweetly, and flutters her eyelashes – a lot. After a series of unlikely events she ends up marrying her Prince Charming. Then, we must presume, everyone lives happily ever after. So far, so normal, in the cotton-candy nature of fairytale romance, but do not be fooled. This leading lady is tearing down cultural barriers. </p> Features Mon, 23 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/new-moon-number-one-around-the-world-breaks-records-1826362.html http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/new-moon-number-one-around-the-world-breaks-records-1826362.html ]]> <p>The third highest grossing movie in Hollywood history, <em>The Twilight Saga: New</em> Moon won the highest opening day score with $67.2 million, the film's studio Summit Entertainment reported.</p> News Mon, 23 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/the-informant-steven-soderbergh-108-mins-15brglorious-39-stephen-poliakoff-129-mins-12abrthe-twilight-saga-new-moon-chris-weitz-130-mins-12a-1825232.html http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/the-informant-steven-soderbergh-108-mins-15brglorious-39-stephen-poliakoff-129-mins-12abrthe-twilight-saga-new-moon-chris-weitz-130-mins-12a-1825232.html <p> It's ironic that Steven Soderbergh's new film should be called The Informant!, given that the director's primary tactic is to keep the audience as ill-informed as possible. </p> Reviews Sun, 22 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/a-serious-man-joel-and-ethan-coen-105-mins-15-1825234.html http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/a-serious-man-joel-and-ethan-coen-105-mins-15-1825234.html <p> You should pardon the cliché, but you don't have to be Jewish to like the new Coen brothers film. Admittedly, Jewish viewers may get more out of A Serious Man, but then so might anyone who grew up in a suburb in the Midwest in the 1960s. </p> Reviews Sun, 22 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/bella-bella-beauties-and-their-beasts-1825394.html http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/bella-bella-beauties-and-their-beasts-1825394.html ]]> <p>A record-breaking number of filmgoers has been bitten this weekend by the film New Moon, the latest instalment in the Twilight saga. Teenage hearts both sides of the Atlantic have been set fluttering by the vampire tales featuring the British actor Robert Pattinson.</p> News Sun, 22 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/dvd-land-of-the-lost-for-retail--rental-universal-1825800.html http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/dvd-land-of-the-lost-for-retail--rental-universal-1825800.html ]]> <p>This terrible Will Ferrell sci-fi comedy can't decide whether to aim for small children or teenagers, and ends up alienating them both.</p> Reviews Sun, 22 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/dvd-ice-age-3-for-retail--rental-20th-century-fox-1825799.html http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/dvd-ice-age-3-for-retail--rental-20th-century-fox-1825799.html ]]> <p>Instead of bothering with a plot, the screenwriters of IA3 have devised enough fast and furious set pieces to furnish a videogame and a theme-park ride, and then glued them together with the pun-heavy babblings of a cast consisting almost entirely of wacky sidekicks.</p> Reviews Sun, 22 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/john-woo-exporting-hollywood-values-to-china-1825604.html http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/john-woo-exporting-hollywood-values-to-china-1825604.html ]]> <p>Fittingly for a director who has scored cinematic hits in Hong Kong and Hollywood, John Woo says his next film will depict Chinese and Americans working side-by-side successfully.</p> News Sun, 22 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/twilight-sequel-a-bleeding-moneymaker-1826010.html http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/twilight-sequel-a-bleeding-moneymaker-1826010.html ]]> <p>The "Twilight" vampire romance sequel "New Moon" raked in 140.7 million dollars in its premiere weekend, a spectacular showing for the cult series, Exhibitor Relations said Sunday.</p> News Sun, 22 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/weekend-top-5-studios-estimates-november-2022-2009-1825888.html http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/weekend-top-5-studios-estimates-november-2022-2009-1825888.html ]]> <p>'The Twilight Saga: New Moon' topped the box office this weekend with an estimated $140.7 million.</p> News Sun, 22 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/twilight-sequel-breaks-opening-day-record-1825628.html http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/twilight-sequel-breaks-opening-day-record-1825628.html ]]> <p>All the hype surrounding the "Twilight" vampire romance sequel is scoring big at the box office, with industry reports estimating Saturday it took in the largest opening-day receipts on record.</p> News Sun, 22 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/bollywood-changes-its-tune-with-english-lyrics-1825708.html http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/bollywood-changes-its-tune-with-english-lyrics-1825708.html ]]> <p>First came offshore locations, then foreign special effects experts, fashion designers and movie titles.</p> News Sun, 22 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/twilight-sequel-scores-monster-box-office-opening-1825050.html http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/twilight-sequel-scores-monster-box-office-opening-1825050.html ]]> <p>The hotly anticipated sequel to vampire romance "Twilight" scored a monster hit at the North American box office on Friday, shattering previous records for midnight openings, reports said.</p> News Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/ranbir-kapoor-tipped-as-bollywoods-next-male-superstar-1825068.html http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/ranbir-kapoor-tipped-as-bollywoods-next-male-superstar-1825068.html ]]> <p>For years, Amitabh Bachchan and the three Khans -- Shah Rukh, Aamir and Salman -- have been Bollywood's leading male actors.</p> News Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/the-etruscan-roots-of-the-twilight-saga-1824664.html http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/the-etruscan-roots-of-the-twilight-saga-1824664.html ]]> <p> Were there vampires in Volterra? Probably not, but the Etruscans had their own brigade of gods and demons representing night, death and resurrection. </p> Features Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:08:29 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/win-an-amazing-trip-for-two-to-washington-dc-1824567.html http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/win-an-amazing-trip-for-two-to-washington-dc-1824567.html ]]> <p> Academy Award winner Matt Damon (<i>Good Will Hunting</i>, the <i>Bourne</i> movies) stars in <i>The Informant! </i>which comes from Oscar winning director Steven Soderbergh (<i>Traffic</i>, <i>Ocean’s Thirteen</i>). </p> News Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:48:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/indy-choice-best-of-the-new-films-1824515.html http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/indy-choice-best-of-the-new-films-1824515.html ]]> <p> Whether you want to take a trip to the cinema or save those pennies and stay at home with a DVD, here's a selection of the best films for you to watch this weekend. </p> Features Fri, 20 Nov 2009 11:24:00 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/dvd-terminator-salvation-12-1824511.html http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/dvd-terminator-salvation-12-1824511.html ]]> <p> Though it may have no more than a few seconds of Arnie (and a digitally reconstructed version, no less), Salvation proves the Terminator franchise is still alive and just about kicking. </p> Reviews Fri, 20 Nov 2009 11:14:55 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/dvd-supernatural-season-4-15-1824510.html http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/dvd-supernatural-season-4-15-1824510.html ]]> <p> The boys from the dark side are not only decking demons but, God forbid, kicking angel ass through season 4 of Supernatural. </p> Reviews Fri, 20 Nov 2009 11:13:49 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/dvd-star-trek-12-1824509.html http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/dvd-star-trek-12-1824509.html ]]> <p> James T Kirk hotwires cars and gets into bar brawls; Spock loses his cool and tries to strangle Kirk to death. </p> Reviews Fri, 20 Nov 2009 11:12:13 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/dvd-the-sopranos-season-1-18-1824508.html http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/dvd-the-sopranos-season-1-18-1824508.html ]]> <p> HBO's finest achievement – The Wire was excellent, this was better – gets the Blu-ray treatment. </p> Reviews Fri, 20 Nov 2009 11:10:41 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/dvd-ice-age-3-1824507.html http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/dvd-ice-age-3-1824507.html ]]> <p> Perhaps not quite as witty as the previous films, Ice Age 3 is great for post Sunday lunch viewing. </p> Reviews Fri, 20 Nov 2009 11:09:00 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/interviews/poliakoff-original-work-takes-arrogance-1823814.html http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/interviews/poliakoff-original-work-takes-arrogance-1823814.html ]]> <p>Take a country house, some beautiful English landscapes, a family secret, some fabulously stirring music, and a rich sense of history, and what do you get? A Stephen Poliakoff, of course. It's a combination that has worked to brilliant effect in much of his work, and one that has won him a reputation as one of our best writers and directors of film and TV drama, and carte blanche (and massive budgets) at the BBC. Pretty much no one else, these days, gets carte blanche, or massive budgets, at the BBC.</p> Interviews Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:00:28 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/ashley-jensen-ricky-and-extras-changed-my-life-1823709.html http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/ashley-jensen-ricky-and-extras-changed-my-life-1823709.html ]]> <p>I find myself thinking, 'how did I get here?'", says Ashley Jensen, shaking her head in disbelief. "When I'm walking up the red carpet at the Golden Globes. Or they're announcing my name next to Dame Eileen Atkins in the Emmy nominations, I just think, 'this is mental'."</p> Features Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/the-first-day-of-the-rest-of-your-life-15-1823713.html http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/the-first-day-of-the-rest-of-your-life-15-1823713.html <p>Remi Bézançon's intimate drama examines the fractures and foibles of an ordinary bourgeois French family over the last 12 years of the 20th century.</p> Reviews Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/the-informant-15-1823716.html http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/the-informant-15-1823716.html <p>Mark Whitacre, protagonist of The Informant!, believes himself to be "a serious man", with disastrous consequences. </p> Reviews Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/a-sideways-look-from-east-to-west-1823717.html http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/a-sideways-look-from-east-to-west-1823717.html <p>Picture the scene: two bachelors decide to take a road trip round Californian vineyards to celebrate an impending marriage. One is a down-and-out writer, unlucky in love and a tad self-conscious; the other is a swaggering lothario, ignorant about wine but great with the ladies. The first wants to bond over Merlot; his affianced friend wants to hit Las Vegas.</p> Features Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/glorious-39-12a-1823715.html http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/glorious-39-12a-1823715.html <p>How does Stephen Poliakoff get away with this stuff? Glorious 39 begins, in mildly intriguing fashion, in the run-up to the Second World War, positing an appeasement conspiracy cooked up by a bunch of toffs who believe Britain hasn't a chance against Hitler. </p> Reviews Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/story-of-the-scene-poltergeist-1982-1823723.html http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/story-of-the-scene-poltergeist-1982-1823723.html ]]> <p>The final and cataclysmic destruction of the haunted house in Poltergeist was one of the last great model-inspired special effects before CGI became the norm. It cost well over $25,000 to make.</p> Features Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/a-serious-man-15-1823725.html http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/a-serious-man-15-1823725.html ]]> <p> Is it possible to admire a body of work for its smartness, deadpan humour, irreverence, visual bravura, and yet feel thoroughly alienated and even dismayed by it at the same time? </p> Reviews Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/the-twilight-saga-new-moon-12a-1823728.html http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/the-twilight-saga-new-moon-12a-1823728.html ]]> <p>Second time out for the star-crossed high-school lovers Bella and Edward: she's human, he's a vampire, it could never work between them. </p> Reviews Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/southern-softies-u-1823726.html http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/southern-softies-u-1823726.html <p>Graham Fellows follows up his earlier spoof It's Nice Up North with another investigative outing for his alter ego John Shuttleworth, Sheffield's least fashionable singer-songwriter. </p> Reviews Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/will-ferrell-tops-list-of-overrated-film-stars-1824133.html http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/will-ferrell-tops-list-of-overrated-film-stars-1824133.html ]]> <p>He can make people laugh. But is Will Ferrell worth it? If you're a Hollywood film studio, the answer is almost certainly "no". Why else should the comic actor suffer the indignity of being named and shamed as 2009's most "overpaid" major film star? </p> News Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/party-of-the-week-lily-cole-breaks-the-ice-at--somerset-house-1823809.html http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/party-of-the-week-lily-cole-breaks-the-ice-at--somerset-house-1823809.html <p> The actress and supermodel Lily Cole, wearing a white Chanel coat, whizzed around Somerset House's ice rink for its VIP opening party in London on Monday night. </p> Features Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/the-sea-wall-nc-1823724.html http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/the-sea-wall-nc-1823724.html <p>Isabelle Huppert's brittle poise dominates this adaptation of Marguerite Duras's novel of colonialism in eclipse. </p> Reviews Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/taiwan-director-plans-chen-shuibian-assassination-movie-1824295.html http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/taiwan-director-plans-chen-shuibian-assassination-movie-1824295.html ]]> <p>Leading Taiwanese movie director Chu Yen-ping plans a black comedy titled "Assassinating Chen Shui-bian" about a plot to kill the island's former president, a report said Thursday.</p> News Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/werner-herzog-to-head-berlin-film-festival-jury-1824347.html http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/werner-herzog-to-head-berlin-film-festival-jury-1824347.html ]]> <p>Oscar-nominated German director Werner Herzog will lead the international jury at the 60th Berlin Film Festival from February 11-21, organisers said on Thursday.</p> News Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/unindian-bollywood-promo-sparks-protests-1824810.html http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/unindian-bollywood-promo-sparks-protests-1824810.html ]]> <p>Promotional posters for a new Bollywood thriller, showing leading actress Kareena Kapoor from behind and apparently naked from the waist up, have got some people's backs up in India.</p> News Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/bollywood-podcast-kareena-kapoor-aka-bebo-1823759.html http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/bollywood-podcast-kareena-kapoor-aka-bebo-1823759.html ]]> <p> Plenty to get our teeth into around Indian cinema recently, so just to recap... Tum Mile ("I Met You", Vishesh Films) is a romantic drama set against the backdrop of the Mumbai floods in the summer of 2005. </p> Features Thu, 19 Nov 2009 17:53:19 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/exclusive-preview-of-new-eva-green-film-lsquocracksrsquo-1823644.html http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/exclusive-preview-of-new-eva-green-film-lsquocracksrsquo-1823644.html ]]> Features Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:16:43 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/new-movie-reveals-tragedy-ambition-of-brazils-president-1823348.html http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/new-movie-reveals-tragedy-ambition-of-brazils-president-1823348.html ]]> <p>The premiere of a new movie about the early life of Brazil's phenomenally popular president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, left an audience in tears -- and some critics on Wednesday predicting Oscar glory.</p> News Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/jennifer-hudson-to-play-winnie-mandela-report-1823349.html http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/jennifer-hudson-to-play-winnie-mandela-report-1823349.html <p>Oscar-winning actress Jennifer Hudson is to play Winnie Mandela in a film charting the turbulent life and times of the ex-wife of South Africa's first black president, it was reported Wednesday.</p> News Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/15-documentary-oscar-nominees-unveiled--with-glaring-omissions-1823795.html http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/15-documentary-oscar-nominees-unveiled--with-glaring-omissions-1823795.html ]]> <p>The Academy Awards announced on November 18 the shortlist of 15 films in the Documentary Feature category selected from the preliminary round. Next, they will be voted on by the Documentary Committee who will choose the five final nominees.</p> News Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/clerics-cringe-as-indonesians-flock-to-doomsday-film-2012-1824070.html http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/clerics-cringe-as-indonesians-flock-to-doomsday-film-2012-1824070.html ]]> <p>Hollywood's latest doomsday offering "2012" has caused a storm in Indonesia, with conservative clerics condemning it Thursday as a "provocation against Islam".</p> News Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/avatar-soundtrack-details-unveiled-1822575.html http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/avatar-soundtrack-details-unveiled-1822575.html ]]> <p>Atlantic Records revealed details about Canadian-American director James Cameron's latest 3D film <em>Avatar</em>, which will feature Grammy-nominated singer Leona Lewis singing the film's title song "I see you."</p> News Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/twilightrsquos-new-moon-fastestselling-ticket-in-us-opening-worldwide-1822845.html http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/twilightrsquos-new-moon-fastestselling-ticket-in-us-opening-worldwide-1822845.html ]]> <p><em>The Twilight Saga: New Moon</em> ticket sales are breaking records at online outlets in the US, accounting for 90 to 94 percent of sales for the second instalment in the teen vampire series. But moviegoers in Europe and countries around the world will get the first peak at the much anticipated film.</p> News Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/why-teens-are-staying-up-until-twilight-1822118.html http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/why-teens-are-staying-up-until-twilight-1822118.html ]]> <p> He turned to look at me with a wistful expression. His golden eyes held mine and I lost my train of thought. I stared at him until he looked away. </p> News Tue, 17 Nov 2009 11:54:09 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/the-best-films-never-made-1821716.html http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/the-best-films-never-made-1821716.html ]]> <p>Can you imagine if The Godfather had never been made? If Star Wars, E.T. and Pulp Fiction had never graced our cinema screens and become classic movies of their time? It's hard to think of cinema history without films like these and yet it could all have been so different. For every film that's made it to the silver screen over the years, there are plenty that could have been equally as good, equally as successful if only they'd got off the ground. It's not often that those "if-only" films are given any thought, especially at a film festival – until now. This Thursday, for the first time, the annual Cine City Brighton Film Festival is introducing a "never-mades" strand – a dummy film programme that reveals the British films that won't be playing at the cinema.</p> Features Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/wicker-man-star-woodward-dies-aged-79-1821738.html http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/wicker-man-star-woodward-dies-aged-79-1821738.html ]]> <p>Edward Woodward, the actor best known for his roles in the 1973 film The Wicker Man and The Equalizer television series, has died, aged 79. </p> News Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/son-of-a-lion-shooting-with-the-enemy-1821744.html http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/son-of-a-lion-shooting-with-the-enemy-1821744.html ]]> <p>As any Hollywood director will tell you, finding the perfect match to play the protagonist in your film can be a notoriously time-consuming and frustrating procedure. First you have to hold auditions, separating the few grains of wheat from an often wide field of chaff. Then once you've found a star, you have to deal with their money-hungry agents and the non-stop demands of Hollywood's elite.</p> Features Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/chinese-cinema-brings-out-the-big-guns-over-next-month-1822178.html http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/chinese-cinema-brings-out-the-big-guns-over-next-month-1822178.html ]]> <p>The heavyweights of Chinese film are steeling themselves for a box office battle as the country enters its traditionally lucrative end-of-year cinema season.</p> News Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/blockbusters-and-breakthroughs-the-weeks-us-movie-releases--twilight-fever-high-1822290.html http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/blockbusters-and-breakthroughs-the-weeks-us-movie-releases--twilight-fever-high-1822290.html ]]> <p>The second installment of the romantic teen vampire hit of 2008, <em>Twilight Saga: New Moon</em> starring Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart, is destined to take the biggest bite of the box office when it releases in the US the weekend of November 20.</p> News Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/ryan-reynolds-in-the-know-for-tmi-1822369.html http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/ryan-reynolds-in-the-know-for-tmi-1822369.html ]]> <p>Rising Canadian star Ryan Reynolds is getting in the know after signing up for romantic comedy "TMI," entertainment industry press reported Tuesday.</p> News Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/news/actor-edward-woodward-dies-aged-79-1821558.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/news/actor-edward-woodward-dies-aged-79-1821558.html ]]> <p> Veteran actor Edward Woodward, who was known for his roles in The Wicker Man and The Equalizer, died today. </p> News Mon, 16 Nov 2009 12:31:09 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/2012-gets-ahead-of-rivals-at-us-box-office-1821388.html http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/2012-gets-ahead-of-rivals-at-us-box-office-1821388.html ]]> <p>North American film-goers favored the apocalypse over Christmas this weekend as disaster flick "2012" beat Disney's "A Christmas Carol" to top the box office, according to early estimates Sunday.</p> News Mon, 16 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/screen-legend-lauren-bacall-given-oscar-for-lifes-work-1821595.html http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/screen-legend-lauren-bacall-given-oscar-for-lifes-work-1821595.html ]]> <p>Hollywood presented its first Oscars of the awards season late Saturday, honoring screen acting legend Lauren Bacall with a statuette for her life's work in film.</p> News Mon, 16 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/dvd-star-trek-xi-paramount-1820778.html http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/dvd-star-trek-xi-paramount-1820778.html ]]> <p> This Star Trek prequel, directed by J J Abrams (Lost, Alias), has a host of young actors filling in for Shatner, Nimoy, et al. </p> Reviews Sun, 15 Nov 2009 00:00:55 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/the-white-ribbon-15-1820728.html http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/the-white-ribbon-15-1820728.html ]]> <p> When you watch the films of Austrian director Michael Haneke, you're not so much looking at a screen as gazing into a mirror, and a pretty forbidding one. You the viewer, with your cultural assumptions, are always Haneke's real focus, the target of his critique. You're not merely involved in the story but implicated. It's a bit like finding yourself the subject of a police investigation </p> Reviews Sun, 15 Nov 2009 00:00:36 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/2012-12a-1820730.html http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/2012-12a-1820730.html <p> Following on from <i>Harry Brown, 2012 </i>is a similarly balanced and thoughtful piece of work. It's directed by Roland Emmerich, the maker of <i>Independence Day, Godzilla </i>and <i>The Day After Tomorrow</i>, and it must have come about when Emmerich looked back at his oeuvre and decided that it was all a bit too subtle. </p> Reviews Sun, 15 Nov 2009 00:00:36 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/dvd-michael-mcintyre-hello-wembley-universal-1820780.html http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/dvd-michael-mcintyre-hello-wembley-universal-1820780.html ]]> <p> McIntyre has at last found his métier: playing arenas where the audience wants to be entertained and non-believers stay away. </p> Reviews Sun, 15 Nov 2009 00:00:35 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/harry-brown-18-1820729.html http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/harry-brown-18-1820729.html <p> There are about five seconds in <i>Harry Brown </i>which sum up the film's political stance. A skin-headed thug is sitting in his car, having a sexual act performed on him by the reluctant young man in the passenger seat, and then – blam – a single bullet shatters the windscreen and the thug's skull. The sharpshooter is none other than a smartly dressed, well-spoken, and rigidly heterosexual retired soldier. You can almost hear the Daily Mail readers cheering. </p> Reviews Sun, 15 Nov 2009 00:00:07 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/tulpan-12a-1820731.html http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/tulpan-12a-1820731.html <p> After all <i>2012's </i>digital prestidigitation, it's a breath of fresh air to see Tulpan, a life-affirming film set on the plains of Kazakhstan, where an apprentice shepherd is failing to find a wife. It may be a finely crafted comedy drama, but it's also a window to a real location populated by real people – and, indeed, real camels. All the special effects in 2012 can't compete with a long, unbroken shot of the leading man assisting in the birth of a lamb. </p> Reviews Sun, 15 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/fashion/features/on-the-agenda-were-off-to-the-shops-at-st-martins-lane-hotel-then-on-to-a-wainwright-christmas-1818795.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/fashion/features/on-the-agenda-were-off-to-the-shops-at-st-martins-lane-hotel-then-on-to-a-wainwright-christmas-1818795.html ]]> Features Sun, 15 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/olivia-williams-i-just-do-what-im-told-1818815.html http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/olivia-williams-i-just-do-what-im-told-1818815.html ]]> <p> Do actors ever feel truly secure in their chosen profession? In the past year, Olivia Williams has spent six months filming the Joss Whedon sci-fi TV series Dollhouse, shot a movie in Berlin with Roman Polanski, played Ian Dury's wife in the upcoming biopic Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll and taken a supporting role in Nick Hornby's adaptation of Lynn Barber's memoir, An Education – as tasty and varied a body of work as any actor could ask for. Yet, this very morning, the 41-year-old actress tells me, she considered once again whether she shouldn't have followed in her parents' and older sister's footsteps and become a barrister.</p> Features Sun, 15 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/hollywoods-most-glamorous-studio-prepares-to-sell-up-1820950.html http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/hollywoods-most-glamorous-studio-prepares-to-sell-up-1820950.html ]]> <p>Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, once the most powerful and prestigious film studio in all Hollywood, is looking for a buyer to bail it out of nearly $4bn (£2.4bn) of debt. The company that gave the world Tom and Jerry cartoons, The Wizard of Oz, and a host of other classic musicals has said it has begun to explore a "potential sale". </p> News Sun, 15 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/heartthrobs-hollywoods-leading-leading-men-1820964.html http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/heartthrobs-hollywoods-leading-leading-men-1820964.html ]]> <p>He has set millions of teenage hearts a-flutter and now the Twilight star Robert Pattinson is raising pulses among film executives keen to cash in on his profile.</p> News Sun, 15 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/chinas-zhang-yimou-to-release-black-comedy-report-1821149.html http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/chinas-zhang-yimou-to-release-black-comedy-report-1821149.html ]]> <p>Award-winning Chinese director Zhang Yimou has engineered another career shift with his latest movie -- a comedy remake of a Coen brothers thriller with a theme song rapped by the filmmaker himself.</p> News Sun, 15 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000