# comedy films (news sources) — RSS Amplifier Recent posts from the 1 feeds in the RSS Amplifier directory that cover comedy films. Page: Feed: --- ## [Meghan reportedly in talks to join Guy Ritchie’s TV series The Gentlemen](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2026/aug/21/meghan-duchess-of-sussex-guy-ritchie-the-gentlemen) _2026-08-21 · Benjamin Lee · Culture | The Guardian_ The Duchess of Sussex is said to be discussing a return to acting in the third season of Netflix’s hit crime series The Duchess of Sussex is in talks to make her acting return in Netflix’s hit series The Gentlemen. According to Variety , Meghan is in discussions to join the third season, which has yet to receive an official greenlight. The Gentlemen is a spin-off from the 2019 crime comedy of the… ## [David Harbour has blown Tony Stark’s cover in Avengers: Doomsday. It might just be what Marvel needs](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/aug/21/avengers-doomsday-robert-downey-jr-tony-stark-david-harbour-marvel) _2026-08-21 · Ben Child · Culture | The Guardian_ The actor, who plays Red Guardian in the film, made a cryptic comment to Variety that raised more Robert Downey Jr-shaped questions than answers. But was it a clanger, or expert trolling? Nobody knows exactly what solemn blood oaths Marvel uses to prevent spoilers. But we do know that Andrew Garfield spent most of the run-up to 2021’s Spider-Man: No Way Home – in which he would eventually turn up… ## [‘We’re barely above porn’: why would a film-maker choose to make a deliberately bad ‘mockbuster’?](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/aug/22/anthony-frith-documentary-mockbuster-the-land-that-time-forgot) _2026-08-21 · Luke Buckmaster · Culture | The Guardian_ With a tiny budget and six days, Anthony Frith directed a film for the studio behind Sharknado – and then made Mockbuster, a documentary about the experience Directors don’t tend to appreciate having their films eviscerated by critics. And us critics, well practised in lobbing proverbial grenades from the safety of our pretentiously book-lined, Cahiers du Cinéma-strewn offices, don’t tend to look… ## [When TV turns sour: the shows we simply can’t stomach any more](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2026/aug/21/when-tv-turns-sour-the-shows-we-simply-cannot-stomach-any-more) _2026-08-21 · Sirin Kale, Stuart Heritage, Alexi Duggins, Rachel Aroesti, Isabelle Aron, Chitra Ramaswamy, Phil Harrison, George Francis Lee, Michael Hogan, Leah Harper, Ann Lee and Jack Seale · Culture | The Guardian_ They were once the hottest shows on television – gripping, sexy, hilarious, zeitgeisty. But for our writers, the likes of America’s Next Top Model, House of Cards and The Office are now part of their viewing history they feel tainted by When I think of the summer holidays when I was a teenager, I think of watching America’s Next Top Model for hours on end, critiquing each contestant with my… ## [Mike D: ‘After Yauch died I couldn’t make music. I’d open a computer file and just feel sadness’](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2026/aug/21/mike-d-diamond-beastie-buys-inteview-solo-album-thank-you) _2026-08-21 · Alastair Shuttleworth · Culture | The Guardian_ As part of the Beastie Boys, the rapper shot to fame and notoriety in the 80s, before bandmate Adam Yauch’s death saw him withdraw from the spotlight. He returns with a solo album that sees him reckon with greed, mortality – and his past ‘It’s funny how far a joke will get you,” Michael Diamond grins. This time 40 years ago, the New York rapper known as Mike D was working with schoolfriends Adam… ## [Add to playlist: the righteous jangle and snaking melodies of Jawdropped and the week’s best new tracks](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2026/aug/21/add-to-playlist-jawdropped) _2026-08-21 · Huw Baines and Laura Snapes · Culture | The Guardian_ The LA-based powerpop project’s triumphant debut is a celebration of low-stakes creativity in the slacker-skater tradition From Los Angeles Recommended if you like the Lemonheads, Sugar, the Muffs Up next Secret to Spare released 18 September Maybe it’s to do with getting older, maybe it’s to do with the broad-spectrum grimness of it all, but the thrill of low-stakes creativity, of making… ## [Daily Mail accused of stalking woman mistaken as White Stripes drummer Meg White](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2026/aug/21/meg-white-daily-mail-white-stripes) _2026-08-21 · Sean Craig · Culture | The Guardian_ The tabloid boasted in a now-deleted article that they found White and promised to reveal her ‘secret new life’ The Daily Mail newspaper secretly tailed and photographed a woman in Detroit and then published an article and photographs falsely accusing her of being former The White Stripes drummer Meg White, even after she told the newspaper it had mistaken her identity, multiple sources have told… ## [The Odyssey becomes highest grossing R-rated film of all time](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/aug/21/the-odyssey-highest-grossing-r-rated-film-of-all-time) _2026-08-21 · Andrew Pulver · Culture | The Guardian_ Christopher Nolan’s epic has achieved $1.35bn at the global box office, overtaking 2024’s Deadpool & Wolverine The Odyssey has overtaken Deadpool & Wolverine to become the highest grossing R-rated film of all time. According to figures compiled by the Numbers , Christopher Nolan’s adaptation of Homer’s epic poem has achieved $1.35bn (£990m) at the worldwide box office, compared with the Ryan… ## [Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol 2 review – once more unto the mercenary breach](https://www.theguardian.com/games/2026/aug/21/metal-gear-solid-master-collection-vol-2-review) _2026-08-21 · Diego Nicolás Argüello · Culture | The Guardian_ PC, Nintendo Switch/Switch 2, PS5, Xbox Series X/S; Konami This second collection remasters another three titles from the illustrious stealth espionage series, but their world has changed little since the original releases ‘War has changed,” claims Old Snake in Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots. Back in 2008, the team at Kojima Productions waxed poetic about people recruited to fight in… ## [‘She had this divine calling’: the incredible and transporting art of Minnie Evans](https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2026/aug/21/minnie-evans-whitney-museum-outsider-artist) _2026-08-21 · Veronica Esposito · Culture | The Guardian_ Just over 50 years after she was one of the first Black artists to have a solo show at the Whitney, the museum gathers some of her most remarkable paintings for a new exhibition Surprisingly, the term “outsider art” was coined fairly recently – in 1972, when the art historian Roger Cardinal made it the title of the book with which he introduced the idea to the English-speaking world. Since then,… ## [Open directory of blogs for agents (Sponsored)](https://crawlproof.com/a/w9nVXT00o2nr) _2026-08-21 · **Sponsored**_ Submit URLs or OPML; receive feed pages with summaries, plus JSON/OPML/plain text ## [Marvel’s Wolverine: Spider-Man developers turn to a more cutthroat character](https://www.theguardian.com/games/2026/aug/20/marvel-wolverine-spider-man-developers-turn-more-cutthroat-character) _2026-08-20 · Alex Spencer · Culture | The Guardian_ Even film-makers have been inspired by Insomniac’s take on Spidey. But the studio’s tried and tested format might not fit a superhero with such sharp claws The recent Marvel’s Spider-Man games have become so tightly interwoven with the character’s core that they’ve been cited, by both actor Tom Holland and director Destin Daniel Cretton, as an influence on this year’s blockbuster film Spider-Man:… ## [Ukrainian publishers call for support after Russian attacks destroy 10m books](https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/aug/20/help-ukrainian-publishers-russia-attacks-books) _2026-08-20 · Emma Loffhagen · Culture | The Guardian_ The country risks ‘the collapse of the entire book ecosystem’ following destruction of warehouses in July and August, say Ukrainian publishers The Ukrainian Book Institute has called on the international publishing community to support Ukrainian publishers after Russian attacks in July and early August destroyed about 10m books and a significant share of the country’s book production capacity. The… ## [‘I need to think like a CEO’: Weezer on the shifting sands of success, ugly feelings and the joy of spreadsheets](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2026/aug/20/weezer-rivers-cuomo-patrick-wilson-ceo) _2026-08-20 · Stevie Chick · Culture | The Guardian_ As the self-professed geeky rockers release their conceptual 20th album, Rivers Cuomo and Patrick Wilson discuss dodging failure, being saved by fans and their obsessive creativity The first song Rivers Cuomo wrote for Weezer’s new album, their 20th, blatantly mimics the US rockers’ 1994 debut single, Undone (The Sweater Song). On the track CEO, the singer-guitarist grumbles over a slow, Velvets-y… ## [Amy Lee of Evanescence: ‘I could happily do an entire album of nothing but Portishead covers’](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2026/aug/20/amy-lee-of-evanescence-i-could-happily-do-an-entire-album-of-nothing-but-portishead-covers) _2026-08-20 · As told to Dave Simpson · Culture | The Guardian_ As her band hits the road, the metal trailblazer answers your questions on sexualisation in show business, finding inspiration in dreams and Spinal Tap moments on tour You wrote Bring Me to Life when you were 19 . When you perform it now, how do you relate to the younger you? becgoldsmith I was in an abusive relationship, so Bring Me to Life was partly about processing the reality of that abuse… ## [‘All the watering places are crammed with hot people’: on holiday with Dickens](https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/aug/20/holiday-charles-dickens-exhibition) _2026-08-20 · Caroline Davies · Culture | The Guardian_ Exhibition at Charles Dickens Museum in London looks at writer’s holiday pursuits, from Kent to the Isle of Wight It’s summer in the city, the pubs are crowded, and the coast beckons. In a year that has so far brought five significant heatwaves , it is a fair description of the current holiday season. But the same was true, too, of the much less frequent hot, dry summers of the past, including 186… ## [Hazy sunshine, factor-50 smiles and Cliff Richard at the wheel: the 20 best summer holiday movies – ranked!](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/aug/20/best-summer-holiday-movies-ranked-seasonal-romance) _2026-08-20 · Xan Brooks · Culture | The Guardian_ From feelgood romances to heated interactions, here are the films that best capture the seasonal moment Let’s begin at the end. 2 September 1962: the final night of the summer vacation; one last big blowout before adult life intervenes. George Lucas’s rambunctious salute to footloose youth paints vivid vignettes of Modesto, California, rocking around the clock with its loose-knit gaggle of… ## [Lambchop: Punching the Clown review – spectral, spellbindingly ambiguous stirring of US history](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2026/aug/20/lambchop-punching-the-clown-review) _2026-08-20 · Alexis Petridis · Culture | The Guardian_ (City Slang) Sounding weathered but undimmed, Kurt Wagner feels as if he’s standing right in front of you as he sings superb, choir-swathed songs that invite and unsettle Thirty-two years on from their debut album – and 26 from Nixon , the gorgeous country/soul confection that brought “Nashville’s most fucked-up country band” to a wider audience – Lambchop find themselves in a curious position.… ## [Post your questions for Beck](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2026/aug/20/post-your-questions-for-beck) _2026-08-20 · Guardian Staff · Culture | The Guardian_ The genre-hopping hitmaker’s new album fingerpicks the same melancholy heartstrings as Sea Change. You can ask him anything in our upcoming reader interview News of a Beck album is always cause for celebration, especially when it’s seven years since the last one – 2019’s Hyperspace – but even more so when it’s recorded with the same wrecking crew as the melancholy classics Sea Change and Morning… ## [It Ends review – gripping micro-budget horror ranks among the year’s best](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/aug/20/it-ends-horror-movie-review) _2026-08-20 · Owen Myers · Culture | The Guardian_ Led by a stellar cast of gen-Z newcomers, Alex Ullom’s directorial debut is an expertly crafted nightmare about a road trip gone wrong Time loops often feel like the movies’ favorite zany stylistic trick: Bill Murray plotting to win Andie MacDowell’s heart, a college student solving the mystery of her own grizzly murder, or as a ruse for Anne Hathaway to face off with a T rex . The excellent new… ## [‘It was a damn unicorn’: the pioneering, divisive power of Paul Simon’s Graceland at 40](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2026/aug/20/paul-simon-graceland-anniversary) _2026-08-20 · Ethan Beck · Culture | The Guardian_ On its anniversary, the author of a new book about the album explains the complex legacy and masterful musicianship of the 1986 classic It was the summer of 1984 and things weren’t going well for Paul Simon . The year prior, a blockbuster Simon and Garfunkel tour ended in bickering. Meanwhile, even though the 1980 single Late in the Evening reached the US Top 10, Simon’s last two albums had not… ## [One platform, from silicon to agent (Sponsored)](https://crawlproof.com/a/h8BBl2409w0l) _2026-08-20 · **Sponsored**_ Serverless inference plus Inference Router to optimize cost and latency at scale. ## [‘I love provocative stories’: producer Christine Vachon on fighting for her ‘offensive’ movies](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/aug/19/producer-christine-vachon-offensive-movies-kids-poison-swoon) _2026-08-19 · Ryan Gilbey · Culture | The Guardian_ The maker of indie classics Kids, Swoon and Poison on daring to have a temper in the 90s, what some producer credits mean – and what happened between her and Joaquin Phoenix Trailblazing producer Christine Vachon bestrides the world of US independent film-making like a colossus. She has championed idiosyncratic American cinema for more than 35 years, scoring hits such as the romcom Materialists,… ## [Mutiny review – Jason Statham’s fight-by-numbers action thriller just about stays above water](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/aug/19/mutiny-movie-review) _2026-08-19 · Benjamin Lee · Culture | The Guardian_ The hard-working action hero gives us exactly what we expect, and often want, in this sturdy cargo ship-set caper The dog days of August have already seen the trotting out of some usual suspects from a junky Eli Roth horror to a belated nostalgia comedy sequel to a Mike Pence-approved Ronald Reagan drama . This weekend, yet more howls will be heard in cinemas with a lower-tier horror instalment… ## [Insidious: Out of the Further review – evil returns but so does boredom](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/aug/19/insidious-out-of-the-further-review) _2026-08-19 · Scott Tobias · Culture | The Guardian_ Uninteresting mythology and junky effects push a once-promising horror franchise further from what it once was When the Insidious franchise started in 2010, it felt like a liberating moment for director James Wan and writer (and later director) Leigh Whannell, the Australian duo who captured the zeitgeist with the original Saw movie, which imported the gonzo energy of low-budget Ozploitation… ## [Christian metal band sues Netflix over KPop Demon Hunters name](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/aug/19/kpop-demon-hunters-netflix-lawsuit) _2026-08-19 · Marina Dunbar · Culture | The Guardian_ 25-year-old band Demon Hunter says name of streamer’s hit movie creates ‘substantial confusion’ among consumers Christian metal band Demon Hunter is suing Netflix , accusing the entertainment giant of trademark infringement and unfair competition tied to the blockbuster “KPop Demon Hunters” name. The lawsuit was filed on Tuesday by Hyde Lane, the company behind Demon Hunter, and alleges that… ## [In Big Walk, players just walk and talk – and find joy along the way: ‘Some stories we’ve heard are punch-in-the-gut beautiful’](https://www.theguardian.com/games/2026/aug/20/in-big-walk-players-just-walk-and-talk-and-find-joy-along-the-way-some-stories-weve-heard-are-punch-in-the-gut-beautiful) _2026-08-19 · Alexandra Neill · Culture | The Guardian_ After their hit Untitled Goose Game, Australian studio House House is back with a new game where your only goal is to go exploring with friends – so we took them on a big walk inside Big Walk When I arrive to meet with the tiny team at Melbourne game developer House House, they’re sitting in a circle under a eucalyptus tree. After introductions, the five of us set off into the scrub. Over the… ## [Post your questions for kd lang](https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2026/aug/19/post-your-questions-for-kd-lang) _2026-08-19 · Laura Snapes · Culture | The Guardian_ As her supergroup with Neko Case and Laura Veirs celebrates the 10th anniversary of its sublime album, the Ingénue herself will answer your questions A decade ago, three of the finest voices in Americana got together to make a sublime supergroup record. Case/Lang/Veirs, in case the title didn’t make it plain, brought together Neko Case of the New Pornographers, stalwart Portland songwriter Laura… ## [Freefall: A Reckoning for Boeing review – like a horror movie … only this is real life](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2026/aug/19/freefall-a-reckoning-for-boeing-review-like-a-horror-movie-movie) _2026-08-19 · Ellen E Jones · Culture | The Guardian_ In 2022, Rory Kennedy exposed the aviation safety scandal in which 346 people died – but since then, a plane door has blown out mid-flight and more whistleblowers have come to the fore. Will anyone pay for this? It is unfortunate that a sequel was required to Rory Kennedy’s 2022 documentary feature, which alleged that the profit-driven culture at a US aeronautics firm led to two plane crashes and… ## [Tom Holland set to earn $100m from Spider-Man: Brand New Day](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/aug/19/tom-holland-pay-100m-spider-man-brand-new-day) _2026-08-19 · Laurence Phelan · Culture | The Guardian_ In a year that’s seen the British actor star in the season’s two biggest blockbusters – and marry his co-star from both – he is reportedly earning a huge pay packet thanks to box-office bonuses The British actor Tom Holland is expected to “make at least $100m” for starring in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, according to the Wrap . Unnamed sources “with knowledge of Holland’s deal” say he was paid $20m… ## [Coyote Vs Acme review – quirky comedy returns from the dead to flip Wile E Coyote’s slapstick-violent world](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/aug/19/coyote-vs-acme-review-wile-e-coyote-roadrunner) _2026-08-19 · Peter Bradshaw · Culture | The Guardian_ After being shelved as a tax-writeoff, this Looney Tunes reboot redraws the hapless hunter as the Erin Brockovich of the cartoon world Here is a quirky, peculiar, yet strangely diverting live-action-toon hybrid of the kind that hasn’t been popular at the movies for many a day; it gives us a new twist on the surreal forever war between Wile E Coyote and the speedy Road Runner (catchphrase “beep… ## [‘Jim Crow must go’: the artists and everyday heroes who fought injustice – in pictures](https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/gallery/2026/aug/19/turn-the-volume-up-nasher-museum-of-art) _2026-08-19 · Curated by Briana Ellis-Gibbs · Culture | The Guardian_ Turn the Volume Up! at the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University highlights the activism of everyday people who have confronted injustice. New York’s mayor, Zohran Mamdani, quoting the Bronx rapper KRS-One’s song Turn The Volume Up during his election-day victory speech inspired the name of the exhibit. Featuring work by artists such as Kara Walker, Carrie Mae Weems and the Guerrilla Girls, the… ## [Point a Domain, Start a Pit (Sponsored)](https://crawlproof.com/a/5APYbPAuCnJa) _2026-08-19 · **Sponsored**_ Point any domain to a blacked-out, poison-green coming-soon page with an email waitlist. ## [ZZ Top drummer Frank Beard dies aged 77](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2026/aug/18/frank-beard-dies-zz-top) _2026-08-18 · Owen Myers · Culture | The Guardian_ Tributes paid to ‘great friend and collaborator’ who played with band for 56 years and died in hospice care in Texas The ZZ Top drummer Frank Beard has died at the age of 77. A spokesperson for the band confirmed that Beard died on 17 August in hospice care at his ranch in Richmond, Texas. His family were by his side. Continue reading... ## [Wladimir Klitschko pays tribute to ex-partner Hayden Panettiere: ‘She left this world too soon’](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2026/aug/18/hayden-panettiere-wladimir-klitschko-daughter-tribute) _2026-08-18 · Richard Luscombe · Culture | The Guardian_ Boxing champion says he will raise their daughter, Kaya, to remember the late actor’s ‘immense talent’ Hayden Panettiere ’s daughter will be raised to remember her mother’s “immense talent” and “incredible career”, according to a tribute posted on social media on Tuesday by Wladimir Klitschko, the ex-lineal world heavyweight boxing champion and the late Hollywood actor’s former partner. Their… ## [Kanye West to become biggest western act to play in Russia since start of Ukraine war](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2026/aug/18/kanye-west-announces-tour-dates-st-petersburg-russia-ye) _2026-08-18 · Pjotr Sauer · Culture | The Guardian_ Artist also known as Ye, who has attracted controversy in recent years over antisemitic outbursts, to perform two shows in October Ye, the rapper formerly known as Kanye West, will perform two shows in St Petersburg this October, becoming the most well-known western star to play in Russia since its invasion of Ukraine four years ago. The artist has attracted controversy in recent years, with his… ## [Brain-breaking sex, bad boys in leather and queer glory: why TV vampires are so intoxicating](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2026/aug/18/why-tv-vampires-are-so-intoxicating-vampire-lestat-lsd-blood) _2026-08-18 · Kayleigh Dray · Culture | The Guardian_ The Vampire Lestat has seduced fans around the world with his eye-popping antics. But this obsession with hot vamps goes way beyond forbidden love, bare chests and a taste for LSD-laced blood If you want TV audiences to forgive a fictional man for absolutely anything, just sharpen his fangs and stick him in velvet. Case in point? The horny musical drama The Vampire Lestat, which became a cult hit… ## [Phyllida Law, prolific performer across stage and screen, dies aged 94](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/aug/18/phyllida-law-performer-stage-screen-dies) _2026-08-18 · Andrew Pulver · Culture | The Guardian_ As adept at comedy and musicals as she was drama, Law also acted alongside daughters Sophie and Emma Thompson in a career spanning eight decades Phyllida Law, whose prolific acting career encompassed a wide range of stage, TV and film roles – a number of which were alongside her daughters, Emma and Sophie Thompson – has died aged 94. Her personal manager, Jacky Leggo, said in a statement that she… ## [‘The truth about Diana’: Charles Spencer to publish book about late sister](https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/aug/18/charles-spencer-diana-book-swan-song) _2026-08-18 · Ella Creamer · Culture | The Guardian_ Earl says he wanted to ‘write down my own thoughts and memories’ with 30th anniversary of Diana’s death ‘on the skyline’ Charles Spencer is to publish a book about his sister Diana in September. In the book – titled Swan Song: Diana, My Sister – Spencer recounts the story of Diana’s life and the week of her death. It marks “the first time that Earl Spencer has spoken openly and at length about his… ## [‘The ultimate gamers’ mascot’: Sonic the Hedgehog at 35 – from 2D to 3D to a billion-dollar film franchise](https://www.theguardian.com/games/2026/aug/18/sonic-the-hedgehog-at-35) _2026-08-18 · Keith Stuart · Culture | The Guardian_ Sonic’s creators explain how the speedy scamp has kept on running through generations as an enduring avatar of ‘attitude in the face of adversity’ One day in the early 1990s, I came home from university for the weekend and discovered that my dad had bought himself a Sega Mega Drive, bundled with a copy of Sonic the Hedgehog 2. I knew about Sega’s mascot of course. The launch of the original Sonic… ## [How architect Paul Revere Williams fought racism and changed the face of Los Angeles](https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2026/aug/18/architect-paul-revere-williams-racism-los-angeles) _2026-08-18 · Paula Mejía · Culture | The Guardian_ Creating homes for Frank Sinatra, Cary Grant and Lucille Ball made Williams a star. A trio of new exhibitions shows he belongs among the 20th century’s greats When you fly into the Los Angeles airport LAX, a spindly space-age contraption is the first thing that greets your eyes outside the window. Built in the early 1960s, the Theme Building – which once attracted travelers to its in-house… ## [‘There was a certain hostility’: how Wet Hot American Summer went from miss to hit](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/aug/18/wet-hot-american-summer-film) _2026-08-18 · Matthew Cantor in Los Angeles · Culture | The Guardian_ Critics might have been sniffy back in 2001 but the silly summer camp comedy has endured and director David Wain has been enjoying the ‘slow-burn’ appreciation In the summer of 2001, the film critic Roger Ebert wrote a scathing film review in song form, with lyrics set to the tune of a classic song about summer camp. “ Hello muddah, hello fadduh / Here I am at Wet Hot American Summah,” it began.… ## [‘I’ve always been fond of hairy creatures!’ Visual effects maestro Rick Baker on a monstrously good career](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/aug/18/rick-baker-interview-visual-effects-makeup-gremlins-thriller) _2026-08-18 · Rory O'Connor · Culture | The Guardian_ Rick Baker helped define Hollywood’s creature features with his wild makeup effects skills. From Locarno, he talks Gremlins, his love of simians– and why AI will never replace expert design When Rick Baker was 22 years old and laying the first bricks of what would become one of the great Hollywood careers, he travelled to Hatra in Iraq with director William Friedkin to assist with Max von Sydow’s… ## [Tupac Shakur murder trial: gang leader plotted killing to avenge beating of nephew, court hears](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2026/aug/17/tupac-shakur-murder-trial-duane-davis) _2026-08-17 · Dani Anguiano and Sam Levin · Culture | The Guardian_ Prosecutors accuse Duane Davis of orchestrating 1996 shooting in retaliation for attack by rapper’s entourage The trial of a former gang leader accused of orchestrating the 1996 killing of rap star Tupac Shakur began in a Las Vegas courtroom on Monday, featuring testimony from a witness to the shooting and a former police officer. Duane “Keffe D” Davis is on trial for murder for his alleged role… ## [Hollywood continues to fail child stars and Hayden Panettiere is the latest casualty | Jesse Hassenger](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2026/aug/17/hayden-panettiere-hollywood-child-stars) _2026-08-17 · Jesse Hassenger · Culture | The Guardian_ The untimely death of the Heroes and Scream star was a tragic ending to a life filled with darkness in an industry that still lets its younger stars down Hayden Panettiere: an actor so magnetic that entire shows were rewritten for her Hayden Panettiere – a life in pictures Hayden Panettiere obituary For a little while, it looked as if maybe former child actors had shed the stigma, long… ## [John Oliver on fetal personhood: ‘It effectively treats women as incubators’](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2026/aug/17/john-oliver-abortion-fetal-personhood) _2026-08-17 · Guardian staff · Culture | The Guardian_ The host discussed problems with giving fetuses equivalent rights to humans after the overturning of Roe v Wade On his HBO show on Sunday night, John Oliver discussed the debate over fetal personhood and how the topic has become central to the anti-abortion movement in the US. About a third of US states have established fetal personhood by law, giving legal rights and protections to fetuses and in… ## [The Sinking City 2 review – Ukrainian cosmic horror, come hell or high water](https://www.theguardian.com/games/2026/aug/17/the-sinking-city-2-review-ukrainian-playstation-5-xbox-series-pc-frogwares) _2026-08-17 · Nic Rueben · Culture | The Guardian_ PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S/X, PC; Frogwares Frogwares’ Lovecraftian action-horror is full of grim tenacity and pulp paperback charm, despite a few frayed edges I’m standing in the prosthetics lab of a campy horror hospital, hunting for a preacher’s flayed face to wear so I can trick the world’s grisliest smart doorbell. Pinned to a board in the corner of the room are a dozen X-rays: shattered… ## [Beatles film recreates iconic Abbey Road album cover](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/aug/17/beatles-film-recreates-iconic-abbey-road-album-cover-sam-mendes) _2026-08-17 · Andrew Pulver · Culture | The Guardian_ Social media footage this weekend revealed the cast of Sam Mendes’ four-film band biopic on the zebra crossing near the studio, posing for the famous image The production team behind the forthcoming four-film Beatles biopic, directed by Sam Mendes, has been spotted filming outside Abbey Road studios in London; this included a recreation of the celebrated Abbey Road album cover, for which the band… ## [Johnny Depp in talks to return to Pirates of the Caribbean franchise](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/aug/17/johnny-depp-in-talks-pirates-of-the-caribbean-return) _2026-08-17 · Laurence Phelan · Culture | The Guardian_ The actor, who previously said he would not play Captain Jack Sparrow again for ‘$300m and a million alpacas’, is being lined up for sixth film in the series according to producer Jerry Bruckheimer Johnny Depp is in talks to return as Captain Jack Sparrow in a sixth Pirates of the Caribbean film, according to the producer of the series, Jerry Bruckheimer. Bruckheimer told Deadline : “We’re talking… ## [Ithaca: a scintillating eco-thriller RPG that aims to confront our violent moment](https://www.theguardian.com/games/2026/aug/17/ithaca-pixel-hunt) _2026-08-17 · Lewis Gordon · Culture | The Guardian_ The latest game from ‘reality-inspired’ studio the Pixel Hunt sees you transporting precious human cargo – and deciding what to do with it Ithaca has one hell of an opening: Penelope, a disillusioned environmental lawyer, stops her car at a petrol station. But upon returning, she discovers something shocking: the unconscious body of an oil company CEO in her boot, his hands hog-tied together,… ## [Chris Carter is mistaken if he thinks more gore will bring The X-Files: I Want to Believe back to life](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/aug/17/chris-carter-x-files-i-want-to-believe-directors-cut-critique-spoilers) _2026-08-17 · Ben Child · Culture | The Guardian_ The director’s cut includes a host more body parts but no more insight into the villains’ personalities. What could be a gothic masterstroke is turned into a dreary procedural in the snow Warning: this article contains spoilers Everyone loves a director’s cut. But unlike some, The X-Files: I Want to Believe – Vrach Frankenshteyn, which debuted on Friday on Disney+, is not the kind of director’s… ## [‘Can we accept what we have done or not done?’: harrowing film follows doctors in Gaza](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/aug/17/gaza-doctor-documentary) _2026-08-17 · David Smith in Washington · Culture | The Guardian_ American Doctor follows three volunteer doctors as they try to save lives on the frontline and then return to the US to become advocates in congress When she wanted to confront Americans about the consequences of their actions – or inactions – in Gaza, Poh Si Teng reached for a genre with mass popular appeal: the medical drama. “Whether it’s The Pitt, Grey’s Anatomy, House, ER, even a comedy like… ## [‘Fated to become a cult classic’: why Barcelona is my feelgood movie](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/aug/17/my-feelgood-movie-barcelona-whit-stillman) _2026-08-17 · Ryan Chapman · Culture | The Guardian_ The latest in our series of writers detailing their most pleasurable comfort films is a trip to 1980s Spain courtesy of Whit Stillman An hour into Whit Stillman’s 1994 film, Barcelona, the protagonist, Ted Boynton (Taylor Nichols), considers using “maneuver x” in his stalled romantic life. He’s an American working in the Spanish branch of an auto conglomerate, looking for love in the titular…