Movies

Like most movie stars, John Wayne had some huge hits but also big turkeys over his Hollywood career.The Conqueror, in which Duke played Genghis Khan after Marlon Brando backed out, may have made a profit at the box office but is now ranked as one of the worst films ever made.Duke is widely believed to have been terribly miscast, even at the time, with The New Times calling the 1956 epic “an Oriental Western” with a script featuring “few unintentional laughs.”Yet what’s even worse is what happened after the production, which created huge controversy and a question over who was to blame.The Howard Hughes-produced movie was partly shot in Utah while the US government were conducting atmospheric nuclear testing one state over. In 1953 alone, 11 above-ground nuclear weapons tests had taken p...

Tom Hardy is at his growly best in this jaw-dropping action spectacle that’s like an injection of pure, liquid adrenaline.Helmed by the martial arts mastermind behind the Raid films as well as Sky’s exhilarating crime thriller Gangs of London, Gareth Evans, his first film in seven years is definitely worth the wait when it comes to stunning fight sequences.Unfortunately, with filming predominantly in Cardiff substantially pushed back by scheduling conflicts and the SAG-AFTRA strike, Havoc often has a plot as messy as its production.Hardy spearheads the narrative like a blunt axe as Walker, a taciturn detective distracting himself from a recent disaster by throwing himself headfirst into his latest murder case - a bloodbath involving the death of a notorious drug dealer.When he discovers...

Clint Eastwood turns 95 next month after directing Juror No 2, which hit cinemas last year.He’s not acted since 2021’s Cry Macho, while back in 2018 he directed, produced and starred in The Mule, an updated true story of a World War II veteran in his 80s who became a drug courier for the Cartel.The film co-stars Bradley Cooper, Laurence Fishburne, Michael Peña, Dianne Wiest and Andy García.Clint also had his own child Alison Eastwood, play his character’s daughter Iris, although she found it hard due to the nature of the roleSpeaking previously with Fox News, Alison was asked: “Your father ended up directing you. What was that like?”She replied: “Oh, he directed me multiple times *laughs*. I worked with him as a kid, and then I worked with him as a young adult. I last worked with him in...

Amazon Prime has subtly added a 'phenomenal' sci-fi horror film to its catalogue, which is being hailed as a cross between The Thing and Alien.The movie, titled Ash, has recently been included in the retail behemoth's ever-evolving streaming library. This comes just a month after its debut at the renowned SXSW festival.Set on a remote planet, the story follows an astronaut named Riya (portrayed by Elza Gonzalez), who awakens to discover that her entire space station crew has been murdered and she is suffering from amnesia.Haunted by fragmented memories of her colleagues and their mission, and plagued by paranoia, she is unsure whether to trust a man (played by Breaking Bad's Aaron Paul), who insists he knows her and was dispatched to save her.Ash was directed by Flying Lotus, whose real...

David Lean died at the age of 83, after 61 years of filmmaking (Image: Getty)Known for his sweeping visuals and emotionally layered storytelling, British filmmaker David Lean directed some of cinema’s most enduring masterpieces.Whether adapting classic literature or staging sprawling war dramas, Lean balanced precision with grandeur like few others could. Here are his 12 greatest films, ranked by Letterboxd user ratings - each reflecting a different era of his remarkable career.12. A Passage to India (1984)David Lean’s final film before retirement, - and his first one in 14 years - A Passage to India adapts E.M. Forster’s novel about colonial tensions and cultural misunderstandings in 1920s British-ruled India.Starring Judy Davis, Victor Banerjee, Peggy Ashcroft and Alec Guinness, the s...

This exciting new movie is one that’s grabbed the attention of many film-lovers with its star-studded cast. The Accountant 2 will hit cinemas on April 25 and stars Ben Affleck as Christian Wolff.Gavin O'Connor directed the first film which premiered in 2016 and follows Christian, an autistic mathematics savant who works as a freelance accountant for dangerous criminal organisations. With the U.S. Treasury Department sniffing around, Christian takes an above-board job auditing the books at Living Robotics. While there, he makes a shocking discovery and teams up with another accountant named Dana to protect themselves after they find out the CEO has embezzled $60 million from the company.In The Accountant 2, Christian works with his brother to solve the murder of Ray King (J.K. Simmons) -...

Richard Osman’s best-selling murder mystery about a group of OAP amateur sleuths has been adapted into a Netflix film from producer Steven Spielberg, who visited the set.Directed by Home Alone and Harry Potter’s Chris Columbus, the upcoming crime comedy boasts an impressive A-list cast:Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan, Ben Kingsley, Celia Imrie, David Tennant, Jonathan Pryce, Naomi Ace, Daniel Mays, Richard E Grant and more.Now, Netflix has unveiled the first look at The Thursday Murder Club movie, which has four images ahead of a trailer.The film’s synopsis reads: “Based on Richard Osman’s international bestselling novel of the same name, The Thursday Murder Club follows four irrepressible retirees - Elizabeth (Helen Mirren), Ron (Pierce Brosnan), Ibrahim (Ben Kingsley) and Joyce (Celia Im...

Quentin Tarantino has always said he was only going to write and direct 10 movies.Once Upon a Time in Hollywood was his ninth film, and he almost helmed a spin-off as his final film with Brad Pitt reprising his Oscar-winning role as stuntman Cliff Booth.Despite changing his mind, Tarantino has penned a script that David Fincher will now direct at Netflix instead.The latter filmmaker previously directed Pitt in Fight Club, Se7en and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and has made his last couple of films, Mank and The Killer, at the streamer with a short cinematic release prior.Now, the title of Once Upon a Time in Hollywood 2 of sorts has been revealed.In a recent interview with Sinners director Ryan Coogler, Deadline let the info slip.The outlet said: “Quentin Tarantino creates these ...

Hailed as one of the standout science fiction films of the 21st century, "Children of Men" is now available for viewing on BBC iPlayer, but fans will need to be quick as it won't be around for long.The 2006 dystopian thriller, co-written and directed by the visionary Alfonso Cuarón, has been celebrated as a 'masterpiece' by aficionados of the genre.Adapted from PD James' novel penned in 1992, the film's narrative unfolds in a 2027 London, depicting a society teetering on the edge of collapse due to widespread infertility.Featuring an all-star cast including Clive Owen, Julianne Moore, Michael Caine, Charlie Hunnam, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Pam Ferris, "Children of Men" garnered widespread critical acclaim at its release.Boasting an impressive 92 per cent rating on Rotten Tomatoes, the fil...

Even if you haven’t watched Jaws, chances are you’ve probably heard the one line that went on to become one of the most remarkable and quoted moments in the history of cinema.The scene unfolds as Chief Brody and Quint do battle with the monstrous shark in open water, realising their boat is hopelessly outmatched. That’s when Brody, backing into the cabin after his first clear look at the shark, delivers the now-iconic line: “You’re gonna need a bigger boat.” (It’s often mistakenly quoted as “We’re gonna need a bigger boat,” in a kind of Mandela effect.)But how did the moment come about?Steven Spielberg, then an unknown director to the general public, asked his friend Carl Gottlieb — story editor for ABC’s The Odd Couple — if he could take a look at a script he had for an upcoming movie....