This Month
Elusive Val Kilmer, star of Top Gun and Batman, dies
A wide-ranging actor who earned critical praise, he was known to be charismatic but unpredictable. At one point he dropped out of Hollywood for a decade.
February
10 of Gene Hackman’s best movies
Most people have at least one favourite Gene Hackman performance. The actor, a chameleonic everyman with a movie star’s charisma, was found dead with his wife.
August 2024
Like a French film, it was genius and difficult, but a fitting end
The closing ceremony was slow, and some people walked out, but the fans stayed until the end and only the Hollywood part was a bit off.
JB Hi-Fi rallies; CFMEU jail warning; A luxury home agent speaks
Read everything that’s happened in the news so far today.
Tom Cruise dives into star-studded Paris closing ceremony
With golden fireworks, celebrities and thousands of athletes partying into the night, the closing ceremony put a final flourish to Paris’ first Games in a century.
April 2024
How the Spice Girls look so good at 50
The group were glowing at Victoria Beckham’s birthday party – here’s how they achieve their youthful look.
My strange journey into the doomsday bunkers of the super-rich
The first season of Amazon’s ‘Fallout’ has captured the reality of some of the places that I had actually visited in “meatspace”.
July 2023
Watch out for the fake Tom Cruise
Be careful what you wish for, Hollywood studios, as you mess with the primal force of AI.
May 2023
Coronation pomp gives way to a royal concert for all
Charles and Camilla and other senior royals joined an audience of 20,000 members of the public and invited guests for the ‘Coronation Concert’ at Windsor Castle.
March 2023
Why the Oscars are terrified of horror movies
Horror thrives at the box office and yields incredible performances. Why is it always snubbed by the academy?
January 2023
At rehabbed Globes, Yeoh, Spielberg and White Lotus win
Stars and studios boycotted last year’s ceremony, which NBC opted not to televise, saying the awards needed time to make ‘meaningful reform’.
Elvis v Avatar: Golden Globes battle for credibility after scandals
One of the glitziest awards ceremonies is back on the Hollywood calendar after the event was abandoned over controversy around race and ethics.
November 2022
Lee Child on the joys of legal marijuana and a run in with Weinstein
After selling $4.6 billion worth of books and buying a Renoir with Hollywood money, the Jack Reacher creator is putting his pen down but not without the last word.
September 2022
Cruise, Bullock say Paramount is cheating them out of millions
Actors and producers in Paramount films say their earnings are below what they should be because the studio receives less from its cable station than other studios.
July 2022
Why Tom Cruise is Hollywood’s last real movie star
Sheer force of will is now part of his potent mix of athleticism and charisma. That combination goes a long way to explain why Top Gun: Maverick is a hit.
May 2022
Top Gun’s Maverick risks China’s anger with Taiwan flag
The much-lauded sequel features Cruise’s character wearing a bomber jacket with the Taiwanese flag, something considered an independence symbol by Beijing.
Eight signs that you’re actually posh (and not just wealthy)
It’s getting harder every day to distinguish who’s who. But there are still ways to catch people out when they are pretending to be above their station.
Tom Cruise is still the Top Gun
After a gap of 36 years, the sequel to the star’s signature film is a perfect piece of formula film-making.
January 2022
‘Power of the Dog’, ‘West Side Story’ lead in Golden Globes
Actors and directors largely ignored the Globes this year after criticising the Hollywood Foreign Press Association for its ethics and lack of black members.
December 2021
2022 is a big year for big films
January will see the year off to an exceptionally strong start and if the cinemas only manage to stay open, we’ll have something good to remember.