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Alain Resnais obituary
1 hour ago
Complex and avant-garde French film director best known for Night and Fog and Last Year in Marienbad
Alain Resnais, who has died aged 91, was a director of elegance and distinction who, despite generally working from the screenplays of other writers, established an auteurist reputation. His films were singular, instantly recognisable by their style as well as through recurring themes and preoccupations.
Primary concerns were war, sexual relationships and the more abstract notions of memory and time. His characters were invariably adult (children were excluded as having no detailed past) middle-class professionals. His style was complex, notably in the editing and often — though not always — dominated by tracking shots and multilayered sound.
He surrounded himself with actors, musicians and writers of enormous talent and the result was a somewhat elitist body of work with little concern for realism or the socially or intellectually deprived. Even overtly political works, Night and Fog, »
- Brian Baxter
Acclaimed French film director Alain Resnais dies aged 91
1 hour ago
Arthouse director rode crest of French new wave movement of 1960s and was still making films as he reached 90
Peter Bradshaw on 60 years of sensational, cerebral film-making
Alain Resnais, the acclaimed French film director whose 60-year career included such classics as Hiroshima Mon Amour and Last Year in Marienbad, has died aged 91.
His death on Saturday, the day after the Césars French cinema awards and on the eve of the Oscars, came as he prepared to launch his latest film, The Life of Riley later this month.
The film, which stars two of his favourite actors – his wife, Sabine Azéma, and André Dussollier – was awarded the Silver Bear Alfred Bauer prize when it premiered at last month's Berlin film Ffestival. It is based on an Alan Ayckbourn; the playwright and his wife witnessed the film-maker's marriage to Azéma in Scarborough.
Pierre Arditi, another member of Resnais's "troupe" of favourite actors, »
- Anne Penketh
Razzie awards: success of sorts for Will Smith at celebration of worst films
2 hours ago
M Night Shyamalan's After Earth picks up awards for worst actor, worst supporting actor, and worst screen combo
Big-budget sci-fi flop After Earth and ensemble comedy Movie 43 led the Razzie awards on Saturday, while annual favourite Adam Sandler went home empty-handed at the ceremony that mauls Hollywood's worst films and performances of the year.
After Earth, starring Will Smith and his teenage son Jaden, picked up three gold spray-painted raspberry accolades: Jaden Smith for worst actor, Will Smith for worst supporting actor and worst screen combo for the father-son stars.
The $130m (£78m) film, co-written by Will Smith and directed by M Night Shyamalan, was a major flop for Sony's Columbia Pictures last year, grossing just $60m at the Us and Canadian box office.
Relativity Media's Movie 43, which features 16 off-beat comedy sketches with stars including Halle Berry, Kate Winslet and Hugh Jackman, won worst picture, worst screenplay for its 19 screenwriters, »
Blunt instruments are not the way to persuade educated Scots to vote No
4 hours ago
A country's independence is a matter of national identity, not esoteric economic argument
Every proud country has its trove of foundation myths, and Scotland is among the richest in national stories, from Robert Bruce's spider to Rob Roy, Flora MacDonald and Archie Gemmill in the 68th minute against Holland. But as yet no country, Scotland included, has rooted its national identity in the fiscal consequences of a dissolved monetary union – or any esoteric economic argument.
Standard Life, a pillar of the Scottish financial establishment, last week joined George Osborne and other London-based politicians in attempting to sway the Scottish electorate against independence with a warning over the volatility that would be unleashed by a vote to go it alone. The No campaign is a leaden mass of economic argument, backed by baroque thinktank papers and contributions from company bosses brave enough to put their heads above the parapet but »
Prime suspect in murder of Irish journalist Veronica Guerin is shot
5 hours ago
Drug trafficker John Gilligan in hospital after gun attack
One or Ireland's most notorious drug traffickers and the chief suspect in the murder of the journalist Veronica Guerin was in hospital on Saturday night after being shot twice in a gun attack while at a Christening party.
John Gilligan hid in a downstairs toilet after two masked men broke into the home and opened fire. The 61-year-old was hit in the leg and arm while attending what was believed to be a family celebration at his brother's house in Clondalkin, on the outskirts of Dublin. Police described the attack as an attempted murder.
Gilligan was released in October last year after serving 12 years of a 20-year term for masterminding a major operation to traffic cannabis into Ireland. It is understood that he had recently been warned about threats to his life and was reportedly targeted in an attempted attack in »
- Barry Neild
Beetlejuice: Michael Keaton reaps a whole new reputation
6 hours ago
This afternoon at 2.50pm we shall see how Channel 5 copes with the profane, graphic, sexual antics of Tim Burton's cult film
• Michael Keaton to return in Beetlejuice sequel with Tim Burton
"Let's turn on the juice and see what shakes loose" – Beetlejuice
Today, Channel 5 is broadcasting a timely showing of Tim Burton's 1988 classic Beetlejuice. Why so timely? Because just last week its star Michael Keaton suggested that Burton was keen on the idea of a sequel. All of which makes this the perfect time to assess whether or not Beetlejuice 2 needs to happen. Or at least it would, were Channel 5 not broadcasting it in the middle of the day. This is Beetlejuice, after all – scary, sweary, faintly graphic, prostitute-starring Beetlejuice. It might have been turned into a cartoon at one point but, still, Beetlejuice is a little too adult for Channel 5's Jumanji slot, isn't it?
So who »
- Stuart Heritage
Best actor beckons for McConaughey
6 hours ago
Matthew McConaughey is being hailed for his role as an HIV sufferer in Dallas Buyers Club and for his part in HBO's acclaimed series True Detective. He has escaped his romcom image and is tipped to take the best actor award tonight
By the end of the night, west coast time, it could all have been worth it for Matthew McConaughey. If he nets the best actor Oscar for his portrayal of the Aids sufferer Ron Woodroof in Dallas Buyers Club, then his dramatic weight loss, his bold choices and the careful repositioning of his screen talent will have paid off.
Many of the stars lining up with him outside the Dolby Theatre, following their annual red carpet stroll down Hollywood Boulevard, will have nothing more to worry about than the forecast of heavy rain. But for those in the running for a major prize at the academy's 86th awards, »
- Vanessa Thorpe
We Are What We Are review – a Us take on a modern Mexican horror
7 hours ago
Mark Kermode: eating people runs in the family in this laudable Us remake
Americanised remakes of "foreign language" horror movies (from The Vanishing to The Ring to Let Me In et al) have tended too often to gut the cultural meat of the originals, leaving nothing more than a saleably glossy reanimated husk. While this English-language "companion piece" to a modern Mexican classic may not rival the fetid air or alarming impact of its source, it makes a firm fist of respectfully reinventing the key themes of Jorge Michel Grau's ravenous gem. The result is an ambitious (if somewhat uneven) slice of downbeat American gothic which interweaves grim melancholia with pointed satire, doomy portent and moments of gnawing revulsion.
Relocating the grim action of 2010's Somos lo que hay from the teeming, hot suburbs of Mexico City to remote sodden backwoods of the Catskills, this third feature from »
- Mark Kermode
Yves Saint Laurent: the battle for his life story
8 hours ago
Six years after he died, the 'truth' over Yves Saint Laurent's hedonistic and tortured life is being fought over by two new films
In 2001, seven years before he died, Yves Saint Laurent agreed to be filmed by documentary-maker David Teboul for a rare behind-the-scenes look at his work. In the opening scene, watching a slideshow of family photographs, he grimaces: "J'ai joué le 'grand couturier'…" His voice is both sad and self-mocking; the voice of an old man looking back across a great distance at his frail 16-year-old self, head bowed over his lavishly dressed paper dolls.
Growing up in 1940s French Algeria, the young Yves Henri Donat Mathieu-Saint-Laurent dreamed of Paris: a bullied outcast at school, he escaped into fantasy at home – devouring his mother's fashion magazines, sketching endlessly, and predicting (in the safety of his adoring family circle, at least) a future of spectacular fame.
Six decades on, »
Harvey Weinstein interview: 'I discovered I was a teddy bear instead of a grizzly bear'
8 hours ago
The movie mogul on why he loves the Brits, making films for his children and how giving up M&Ms made him a better person
How are you and what are you doing?
I'm in New York City, it's snowing, freezing cold and for some unfathomable reason, I'm about to walk down the street to my office. Other than that, I'm fabulous.
Your new film, Escape from Planet Earth, is the Weinstein Company's first animation, right?
The first one we've made from scratch, yeah. Funnily enough, it's about two brothers who squabble all the time. I wouldn't know anything about that, of course [Harvey runs the Weinstein Company with his brother Bob]. One of the brothers is a larger-than-life alien hero who gets sent to Area 51, where he's imprisoned, so the quieter brother has to go and rescue him. Every weekend, my four daughters insist I drive them to the movie theatre and watch the latest animated film. So »
- Michael Hogan
Mark Kermode's wishlist
15 hours ago
Statuettes for Lupita Nyong'o and Chiwetel Ejiofor, best film for 12 Years a Slave, and some good chase-off music – Mark Kermode's hopes for the 2014 Academy Awards
1 Proper Red Carpet Catastrophes
It's all very well turning up in smart suits and designer frocks that look fabulous on the pages of the glossy magazines, but here in the cheap seats what we really want is Celine Dion wearing a white tuxedo back to front, or Björk dressing up as a swan – these are the things that we remember and treasure, not some well-considered fashion statements that shine a spotlight on deserving up-and-coming designers while promoting ethical trade practices.
2 Brilliant Presenters
After the embarrassment of watching Seth MacFarlane singing We Saw Your Boobs last year (the sexism was ironic, apparently) things can only get better. Indeed, hopes are high for the returning host and all-round good egg Ellen DeGeneres to right the Mc »
- Mark Kermode
Slavery is a violent and cruel trade that the world must finally stamp out | Observer editorial
15 hours ago
As 12 Years a Slave is tipped for the Oscars, trafficking's misery continues
In the opening chapter of Twelve Years a Slave, first published in 1853, the protagonist Solomon Northup, a New York carpenter, violinist and free man – until tricked into brutal bondage – reports modestly: "It has been suggested that the account of my life and fortunes would not be uninteresting to the public."
He was right. Today at the Oscars, the film version of Northup's experience, already garlanded with awards, and directed by Steve McQueen, is nominated in nine categories, including best film, best director and best actor. Last month, at the Baftas, McQueen, a patron of the charity Anti-Slavery International took the opportunity of being presented with the prize of best film to make a point that he may well repeat in Hollywood if he wins today. "There are 21 million people in slavery as we sit here," he told the audience, »
- Observer editorial
Half a century on, Goldfinger's Van Gogh goes up for auction
15 hours ago
Landmark painting Le Moulin de la Galette was once owned by man who inspired James Bond's famous villain
A painting that made Vincent van Gogh's name will go on sale this month after almost half a century hidden away in private ownership.
Le Moulin de la Galette depicts a windmill against a sunny sky above Montmartre in Paris. It was first shown in public in Amsterdam, 15 years after Van Gogh's death. Later it was the proud possession of the powerful American industrialist who inspired Ian Fleming to create his arch-villain Auric Goldfinger, the quintessential enemy of James Bond, whose closest companion was a fluffy white cat.
Van Gogh painted the work in April 1887 at a key point in the development of his vibrant, colourful style. During a two-year period, just after he had moved to Paris to live with his brother, Theo, the impoverished painter moved away from »
- Vanessa Thorpe
Guy Lodge's DVDs and downloads – Oscars special
15 hours ago
Need a last-minute prep session for tonight's Academy Awards? Turn to Blinkbox and Amazon Instant Video for everything from Captain Phillips to The Act of Killing
A night of sparkly distraction for most film lovers, but a veritable six-month industry in Hollywood, the Academy Awards will finally be dished out tonight. And once you've exhausted the Oscar-party cocktails and made the annual wisecracks about Sarah Jessica Parker's absurd dress, there's not much in it for you if you haven't seen the films in competition.
Happily, 19 of the nominees across various categories can now be viewed online, if you fancy doing some pre-ceremony prep work. Blinkbox has the widest range, including best picture nominee Captain Phillips, sure-fire best actress winner Blue Jasmine, best foreign film hopeful The Great Beauty and documentary favourite The Act of Killing. Amazon Instant Video (the recent reincarnation of LoveFilm), meanwhile, can help you out with Ernest & Celestine, »
- Guy Lodge
Serpico DVD review – Philip French on one of New York's grittiest cop films
15 hours ago
(Sidney Lumet, 1973; Eureka!, 18)
An enduringly entertaining thriller, Serpico is important in three related contexts. First, it belongs to a remarkable cycle of police pictures made in the turbulent last years of the Vietnam war. Influenced by the success of Patton and its ambivalent appeal to Vietnam hawks and doves, Hollywood jumped off the youth bandwagon and on to the police paddy wagon with pictures about maverick cops fighting a lonely battle on America's lawless streets.
The most controversial were films on the right – The French Connection and Dirty Harry. The most amenable to liberals was this true story of the quietly idealistic Frank Serpico, an Italian-American hippy type, bearded and hairy, who first attempts to find a modus vivendi in the endemically corrupt New York police before blowing the whistle and nearly paying with his life. One of the grittiest, least romantic movies ever shot in New York, it's incisively edited by Dede Allen, »
- Philip French
Non-Stop review – plane thriller stays grounded
15 hours ago
Mark Kermode: Liam Neeson and Julianne Moore indulge in risible nonsense at 30,000 feet
Fasten your seatbelts, please, it's Shakes on a Plane time, as alcoholic air marshal Liam Neeson tries to figure out who's sending him threatening texts before passengers start getting killed at the rate of one every 20 minutes – probably by him. With it's simple set-up and "everyone's a suspect" plot, Non-Stop promises enjoyably meat-headed thrills, with Neeson doing what he now does best – looking haggard and punching people really hard, often in confined spaces, while worrying about his daughter. Meanwhile Julianne Moore decides to sit back and enjoy the flight as the only-marginally-mysterious next-seater whose flirty/probing conversation marks her variously as friend and foe, often both. It's risible nonsense, blessed with plot holes that make the fractures in the fuselage seem insignificant, and not a patch on Wes Craven's Red Eye (or indeed Robert Schwentke »
- Mark Kermode
Ride Along review – an action-comedy, but nobody's laughing
15 hours ago
Mark Kermode: cop-couple cliches abound as Kevin Hart joins Ice Cube for a dreary ride
An action-comedy short on both action and comedy, this turgid dirge recycles all the usual mismatched cop-couple cliches (from 48 Hours to Cop Out) with dreary results. Ice Cube is the rock-hard detective willing to bend rules and break heads in pursuit of justice; Kevin Hart is the wannabe new recruit who's hot to become both a cop and Cube's new brother-in-law. Hilarious! Together, they run around swapping wisecracks and bickering until finally a massive warehouse blows up and Laurence Fishburne shows everyone how to shoot people in the chest properly. Displaying little of the flair that made Taxi an unexpected hit, director Tim Story plods through on autopilot, keeping the noisy bangs turned up loud enough to cover the sound of no one laughing at the jokes.
Rating: 1/5
Action and adventureComedyIce CubeMark Kermode
theguardian. »
- Mark Kermode
The Book Thief review – war drama comes a cropper
15 hours ago
Mark Kermode: this child's-eye view of life under the Nazis is smothered by tasteful restraint
While films as diverse and powerful as The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas and Lore have offered insightful and moving child's-eye perspectives on the horrors of the second world war, this staid adaptation of Markus Zusak's bestseller comes a cropper as it tries to blend heartwarming moral observation with ill-fitting metaphysical contrivance. Narrated in awkwardly sporadic fashion by Death himself (Roger Allam in fine if ill-fitting voice), the drama follows the titular young girl as she observes the rise of the Nazis with a mixture of bewilderment and resolve – her passion for reading growing even as their literary bonfires burn. Taken in by foster parents (Geoffrey Rush, avuncular; Emily Watson, grumpy on the outside only) who hide a Jewish refugee in their cellar, Liesel retains a powerful sense of right and wrong, untainted by »
- Mark Kermode
Unforgiven (Yurusarezaru mono) review – Japan pays homage to Clint Eastwood
15 hours ago
Mark Kermode: a handsome translation of Eastwood's 1992 western offers a grand spectacle
Westerns have traditionally borrowed from Japanese legend (The Magnificent Seven reworking Seven Samurai etc) so now it's time to repay the compliment with this handsome translation of Clint Eastwood's Oscar-winner from Korean-Japanese film-maker Lee Sang-il. Set on the northernmost island of Japan at the dawn of the Meiji era (the time period matches that of the original), the narrative unfolds as before; a bounty offered on the heads of two men who assaulted and scarred a young woman draws vigilantes from afar. Ken Watanabe steps into Clint's Bill Munny boots as Jubei Kamata, a retired warrior whose promise to abandon the sword has been weakened by the death of his wife. Teaming up with an ageing comrade and a young firebrand, Jubei leaves his two children to head off once again into the fray, and back into the abyss. »
- Mark Kermode
As the Palaces Burn review – from Spinal Tap to courtroom drama
15 hours ago
Mark Kermode: a would-be rockumentary changes tack in gripping fashion when Lamb of God's singer stands trial for manslaughter
Virginia-based metal merchants Lamb of God make music that sounds like the demon Pazuzu attempting to remove your ears with a cheese-grater, but which means much to millions – specifically the hardcore fans on whom this would-be rockumentary originally intended to focus. Yet upon arrival in the Czech Republic as part of their 2012 world tour, singer Randy Blythe was arrested and charged with manslaughter in connection with the death of a concert-goer two years earlier. Paroled only after lengthy negotiations (he was held for 38 days), Blythe opted to return to Prague to stand trial, where he faced the very real possibility of a lengthy prison sentence. As it veers unexpectedly from Spinal Tap-esque concert movie to gripping courtroom drama, Don Argott's access-all-areas account unearths an admirable sense of emerging »
- Mark Kermode
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