The Guardian Culture

The original Moana: did a 1926 documentary give birth to a 21st century Disney blockbuster?

Long before the 2016 hit animation and its forthcoming live-action remake came a pioneering silent film that established a whole new genreNext week sees the release of Moana, the live-action remake of the 2016 Disney animation smash – again starring Dwayne Johnson. But that was not the original Moana. That honour goes to a Moana released a full century ago: a glimpse of Polynesian life now largely forgotten but none the less offering some inspiration to the makers of today’s iteration.“Someone a

entertainment  Jun 30, 2026

Variety

‘Trainspotting’ Marks 30th Anniversary at Edinburgh Film Festival With Cast Reunion – Global Bulletin

CHOOSE CINEMA The Edinburgh International Film Festival will mark the 30th anniversary of Danny Boyle‘s “Trainspotting” with a screening featuring live commentary from cast and crew, followed by a club night with DJ sets from Irvine Welsh and Darren Emerson at Leith’s historic Leith Theatre on Aug. 14. The event takes place during EIFF’s 79th […]

entertainment  Jun 30, 2026

Variety

Romantic Dramedy Series ‘La Vida Barcelona,’ Directed by Katina Medina Mora, Boarded by Beta Film (EXCLUSIVE)

Beta Film has come on board to handle world sales on romantic dramedy series “La Vida Barcelona.” The female-driven story is directed by Katina Medina Mora, whose credits include “Emily in Paris,” “The Summer I Turned Pretty” and “XO, Kitty,” alongside Charlotte Scott-Wilson, who helmed Tribeca winner “Hold On,” and Ayla Spaans, whose titles include […]

entertainment  Jun 30, 2026

The Guardian Culture

It’s a love story – or is it? The surprising conflict and chaos in Taylor Swift’s songs about commitment

A pop superstar widely perceived as a romantic has in fact mostly written love songs troubled by strife, ghosts and delusion. Ahead of her wedding, we strip away the gossip to see what Swift-as-songwriter has spent 20 years telling usWhen she was 19 and already had her second album under her belt, Taylor Swift made a point of telling a would-be beau he was all wrong for her: “I’m not your princess, this ain’t our fairytale … It’s too late for you and your white horse to catch me now,” she sang i

entertainment  Jun 30, 2026

The Guardian Culture

The Invite review – Seth Rogen adds zest and bite to fruity dinner party comedy

Olivia Wilde directs and stars alongside Penélope Cruz and Edward Norton in bizarrely moving tale, with Rogen’s levity keeping the outrageous plot points in checkHere is a four-way sex comedy of embarrassment, as if JB Priestley had written a play about swinging. But as well as embarrassing, it is intriguing, amusing and, finally, somehow bizarrely moving.Middle class married life is satirised in the personae of two couples having an excruciating dinner party. A failed musician and his wife, pla

entertainment  Jun 30, 2026

Variety

Josh O’Connor-Led Revival of ‘Golden Boy’ at London’s Almeida Theatre Rounds Out Cast, Unveils Trailer (EXCLUSIVE)

The London revival of Clifford Odets’ classic American play “Golden Boy” at the Almeida Theatre has bulked out its cast while revealing a trailer of Josh O’Connor in the lead role. Joining the production alongside O’Connor, currently on cinema screens in “Disclosure Day,” are Jason Barnett (“Bridgerton,” “3 Body Problem”), Richard Fleeshman (Olivier nominated for “Company”), […]

entertainment  Jun 30, 2026

The Guardian Culture

‘Four white presenters feels retro’ – is the BBC Today programme doomed?

With bosses at the BBC prioritising social media platforms over radio, things feel apocalyptic at the broadcaster’s flagship news show – especially given the lack of diversity. Is this it?For Radio 4’s Today programme, last week’s biggest story was off-air: a BBC News edict that the corporation’s correspondents should in future prioritise platforms such as TikTok and Instagram over traditional TV and radio franchises, including Today.This policy serves to “chip away the relevance of Today to th

entertainment  Jun 30, 2026

Hollywood Reporter

Dave Portnoy Claims ‘Call Her Daddy’ Co-Hosts Planned to Accuse Barstool of Sexual Harassment to Exit Company

The Barstool mogul discussed Alex Cooper and Sofia Franklyn's acrimonious exit from his company in 2020.

entertainment  Jun 30, 2026

Variety

‘Toy Story 5’ Stays Dominant No. 1 at U.K. and Ireland Box Office

Disney’s animated powerhouse “Toy Story 5” maintained its absolute stranglehold on the U.K. and Ireland box office during its sophomore frame, dropping a modest 36% to collect a commanding £9.1 million ($12.1 million). The Pixar title has re-energized the summer marketplace, cumulative receipts rocketing to an exceptional $38.3 million after just 10 days in theaters. […]

entertainment  Jun 30, 2026

The Guardian Culture

From card game to a tool of divination: the artistic history of tarot

A new exhibition follows the unlikely route of tarot cards all the way from 15th century Italy to its association with the occult nowOnce the territory of bohemians such as Pamela Colman Smith – an intimate of William Butler Yeats whose art won the admiration of Alfred Stieglitz – and mystics such as Aleister Crowley (among other things, inventor of his own religion), the tarot has now gone mainstream. Searches for how to do tarot readings skyrocketed during the pandemic, and decks are prolifera

entertainment  Jun 30, 2026

Variety

Colin Farrell, Steve Coogan, Charlie Heaton, Domhnall Gleeson and More Join Emilia Jones and Alison Oliver in Netflix’s Irish Period Thriller ‘Bad Bridgets’

“Bad Bridgets” the Irish period thriller from “Kneecap” director Rich Peppiatt, has added a starry ensemble of names as it gears up to start filming in Northern Ireland in July. Joining its two leads Emilia Jones and Alison Oliver are Colin Farrell (“Banshees of Inisherin,” “In Bruges”), Steve Coogan (“Philomena,” “Legends”), Charlie Heaton (“Stranger Things,” […]

entertainment  Jun 30, 2026

Hollywood Reporter

A Qualified Plumber, Colombia and More: Karlovy Vary Has Lined Up Several Firsts for Its 60th Edition

In its 80th year, the world’s second-oldest film festival, taking over a Czech spa town, is still celebrating premieres, and some are more surprising than others.

entertainment  Jun 30, 2026

Hollywood Reporter

Colin Farrell, Steve Coogan, Charlie Heaton, Domhnall Gleeson Join Netflix Period Thriller ‘Bad Bridgets’

Himesh Patel, Niamh Algar and Simone Kirby also join Emilia Jones and Alison Oliver in the Irish revenge movie from 'Kneecap' filmmaker Rich Peppiatt, inspired by a history book about Irish women emigrants.

entertainment  Jun 30, 2026

Variety

Kieu Chinh Returns to Vietnam for the First Time in Competition at Danang Film Fest With ‘Chrysalis,’ Daniel K. Winn’s Adaptation of His Memoir

Kieu Chinh has spent 68 years as an actor, and most of those years carried her further from the country where she began, through Hollywood, through “The Joy Luck Club,” through “The Sympathizer,” through a career built largely outside the borders of the country that shaped her. This week, that arc bends back. “Chrysalis,” adapted […]

entertainment  Jun 30, 2026

The Guardian Culture

‘I felt like Orpheus’: how the designer of Gears of War bounced back from studio closure by producing Hadestown

After suffering the schadenfreude of gamers online, the Tony-winning Broadway musical offered redemption to Cliff Bleszinski‘It was utterly heartbreaking, to be honest, and it certainly didn’t help with my drinking. I’ll leave it at that.” Cliff Bleszinski is recalling the launch of LawBreakers, the arena first-person shooter he put out in 2017. It had been his first project as the CEO of his own studio, Boss Key Productions. Before that, he was the creative figurehead behind hugely successful s

entertainment  Jun 30, 2026

The Guardian Culture

Not a Pretty Picture review – Martha Coolidge’s recreation of her rape remains shockingly powerful

Fifty years after its release, Coolidge’s dramatisation of the key moments before and after her rape is still absolutely essentialMartha Coolidge’s overwhelmingly candid and courageous personal docudrama from 1976 is a pioneering study of rape made more powerful by the radical modes of scrutiny that she devised. Coolidge set out to dramatise the key moments leading up to and following the rape she survived a decade or so before, as a teen co-ed, by a fellow student. The rapist is shown driving h

entertainment  Jun 30, 2026

The Guardian Culture

International Freak by M Syd Rosen review – the British Timothy Leary

Robin Farquharson was a prize-winning game theorist, anti-apartheid activist and countercultural chaos merchantEven as an undergraduate, Robin Farquharson was famous for being erratic. He provoked anxiety and goodwill in equal measure. His aim in life, according to an anonymous writer in an Oxford student newspaper, was “to become a contradiction in terms. Since last October, he has been cutting friends in the street; sleeping alternate nights in mysterious George Street

entertainment  Jun 30, 2026

The Guardian Culture

From developing photos in a toilet to a viral Messi shot: 40 years shooting the World Cup – video

From taking the photo that became the most-liked post on Instagram as of recording, to developing film in the stadium toilets, legendary World Cup photographer Shaun Botterill speaks with Guardian Australia's picture editor, Carly Earl, about how capturing the World Cup has changed throughout his 40-year career Continue reading...

entertainment  Jun 30, 2026

Variety

Autographed Lionel Messi Jerseys Drop Online, As Argentine Star Leads Team Into World Cup Knockout Round

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is into the knockout rounds and all eyes will be on Lionel Messi, as the soccer legend leads Argentina onwards in their campaign to claim a second consecutive World Cup title. Argentina finished atop Group J with a perfect 3-0 record and now head into the Round of 16 for […]

entertainment  Jun 30, 2026

The Guardian Culture

Louis CK: Ridiculous review – the troubled comedian returns … with a whimper

The fallen star, who was accused of sexual misconduct in 2017, is back in a Netflix special which has its moments but not enough of themLouis CK is back, again. It’s been nearly a decade since the comedian, actor and writer-director admitted his guilt in a series of sexual misconduct allegations, resulting in a number of organizations severing ties and sending him into relative exile – for a few months, anyway. Since then, he’s toured extensively (often to a crowd reception implying he was the o

entertainment  Jun 30, 2026