Hergé's comic-book hero is about to enthral a new generation in a Spielberg film. But who was he modelled on? Tony Paterson reports

Karen Gillan, Doctor Who's feistiest assistant so far, is busy setting screens alight with a new British horror film and a Christmas special. James Mottram meets her

Readers review this week's big film

On my tenth birthday my mother gave me a copy of 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'. Charles Lutwidge (the archaic form of Lewis, just as "Carrroll" is a form of "Charles") Dodgson published the book on 26 November 1865; maybe my copy was already called 'Alice in Wonderland' - I don't remember. But I read it in a single afternoon, and have been re-reading it ever since.

Continued use of distorted female stereotypes as 'eye candy' blamed on male-dominated industry

The 'Midnight's Children' author leads us through the Mists of Time in search of the Heart of Magic

Relative unknown lands coveted role in Hollywood take on Stieg Larsson bestseller

For more than 70 years, Foley artists have knocked coconut shells together, snapped vegetables and stamped in gravel pits to provide films with their sound effects. To them, a stick of celery or a frozen lettuce is not the staple of a decent salad but a bone ready to be broken. A heavy staple gun becomes a .44 Magnum, and scrunched cellophane a crackling log fire.

You don't have to go too far afield this summer to take a break. Make the most of a weekend, or shape a whole staycation around some fun events. Simone Kane picks her favourites from across the country

Readers review this week's film

Mark Rylance is absurdly funny in David Hirson's rhyming-couplet costume comedy, but typically he lets you see the insecurity beneath the swagger

Cineworld, the second-biggest cinema chain in the UK, struck an upbeat note on a "promising" line-up of 3D films over the summer, including Toy Story 3, as it admitted that the World Cup had left it with empty seats in recent weeks.

It's once more into Wonderland with Tim Burton's attempt to give the children's classic a makeover for the 3D age.

Music: I have always been a fan of the Guillemots. Fyfe Dangerfield, the lead singer, has recently produced a debut solo album called 'Fly Yellow Moon'; he has the most amazing voice ever. I got an advanced copy of the new Paul Weller album, 'Wake Up the Nation', which I really like. Sometimes I just set my playlist to shuffle and listen to a lot of different songs, which always brings up some new finds. My latest discovery is the song "You're the Best" from 'The Karate Kid'.