| Killer whale calf born at SeaWorld Orlando By 2010-10-10T17:27:07ZORLANDO, Fla. (AP) -- A killer whale has given birth to her seventh calf at SeaWorld Orlando.... hosted.ap.org |
O'Brien to miss this week's 'Strictly Come Dancing' with illness Tina O'Brien will miss this week's 'Strictly Come Dancing' after falling ill with chicken pox. feeds.breakingnews.ie |
The action and war 25: the full list Just the list, no snazzy extras? You've come to the right place1) Apocalyse Now2) North by Northwest3) Once Upon a Time in the West4) The Wild Bunch5) Deliverance6) City of God7) Paths of Glory8) Wages of Fear9) Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon10) The Thin Red Line11) Raiders of the Lost Ark12) Ran13) Bullitt14) Die Hard15) The Adventures of Robin Hood16) The Searchers17) Goldfinger18) The Last of the Mohicans19) Full Metal Jacket20) The Deer Hunter21) Gladiator22) Rome, Open City23) Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid24) Where Eagles Dare25) The Incrediblesguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Chinatown voted best film ever Roman Polanski's 'neo-noir' starring Jack Nicholson and a killer last line takes first place in poll of Guardian and Observer criticsThe best romance filmsThe best horror filmsThe best crime filmsThe best comedy filmsThe best action and war filmsThe best sci-fi and fantasy filmsThe best drama and art fllmsIt's the film that cemented Jack Nicholson's reputation as the best American actor of his generation, and it was the last film Roman Polanski would make in the US before he fled the country in disgrace. Now, almost 40 years later, their 1974 release Chinatown has now been named the greatest film ever made.The Chandleresque "neo-noir", with an Oscar-winning script by Robert Towne and a superlative performance by Nicholson as detective JJ Gittes, was voted into first place by a panel of Guardian and Observer critics.Chinatown beat six other films in a shortlist drawn from the top-named films in the recently-published seven-part series of the 25 greatest films in seven genres, which concluded today. In joint-second place were Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho (from the Horror section) and Andrei Tarkovsky's Andrei Rublev (the leading film in the Arthouse section).The Guardian's film critic, Peter Bradshaw, said: "Chinatown is such a powerful piece of myth-making, a brilliant evocation of Los Angeles as a spiritual desert." The Observer's Philip French considers it a movie of "near perfection", ending "unforgettably with the line 'Forget it Jake, it's Chinatown!'".Alongside Nicholson, Chinatown features career-best performances from Faye Dunaway – who notoriously clashed on set with director Polanski – and legendary film-maker John Huston, who played sinister landowner Noah Cross. Polanski himself had a cameo as a stiletto-wielding hoodlum who slices Nicholson's nose open.Originally titled Water and Power, Chinatown was intended by scriptwriter Robert Towne to be the first of a trilogy examining the corrupting effects of Los Angeles's natural resources on the development of the city. But production of the second film, The Two Jakes, was much delayed and only emerged in 1990, with Nicholson himself as director. The disappointing critical and commercial reaction meant the third film, Gittes Vs Gittes, was never made.The full result:1) Chinatown (Roman Polanski, 1974)=2) Psycho (Alfred Hitchcock, 1960)=2) Andrei Rublev (Andrei Tarkovsky, 1966)4) Annie Hall (Woody Allen, 1976)5) 2001: A Space Odyssey (Stanley Kubrick, 1968)6) Brief Encounter (David Lean, 1945)7) Apocalypse Now (Francis Ford Coppola, 1979)Roman PolanskiJack NicholsonAlfred HitchcockStanley KubrickAndrew Pulverguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Can Nicole Kidman pull an Oscar out of a Rabbit Hole? She weeps, she wails ... even her forehead puts in a moving performance. But is it enough to win Nicole an Academy Award? Watch the Rabbit Hole trailer and decide for yourselfNicole Kidman may have spent the last few years loitering in the wilderness, but that hasn't weakened her desire to win another Oscar. She couldn't do it with Fur, or Margot at the Wedding, or Australia, or Happy Feet. But could she finally achieve her dream with Rabbit Hole? That's what some are saying. Kidman's turn in Rabbit Hole is already picking up Oscar buzz, and the film isn't even out until the end of the year. But how are we supposed to know if she deserves an Oscar or not? Fortunately, the Rabbit Hole trailer has just been released, and that should give us all some indication. Let's run through it to see if she ticks all of the required boxes …1) Is the film bleak enough?It certainly looks that way. Nicole Kidman might not actually be in this shot, but it's a nice scene-setter. Red eyes, tissues, a general atmosphere of gloomy desolation. Yes, this is Oscar material all right.2) Has Nicole Kidman deliberately made herself look ugly?To an extent. Her hair's a bit bedraggled, there are bags under her eyes and, unusually for Kidman, you can see traces of wrinkle on her forehead. It's a good effort but if, say, Reese Witherspoon rush-releases a film where she plays a one-eyed hunchback soon, then it will have all been for nothing.3) Does Nicole Kidman just stand around numbly looking at things?Yes. Even better, she's looking at pictures drawn by a dead child. This increases the likelihood of Rabbit Hole being thoroughly depressing by about 75%. Great work, Nicole!4) Do the pictures, in their own charmingly rudimentary way, reflect the beauty and innocence of the child?No. A drawing of Nicole Kidman would have been good, or even of an angel going up to heaven if the film-makers wanted to be really heavy-handed, but this? This looks like projectile diarrhoea. It's awful. That Oscar's slipping away, Nicole. Claw some buzz back however you can.5) Does Nicole Kidman just stand around numbly looking at things?That's better, Nicole. That's better.6) Does the film contain an overwrought emotional scene that the Academy can play during the nominations VT?A vital question. You'll never win an Oscar if the pre-award clip showed you riding a tiny unicycle and singing circus music, for instance. Luckily Nicole Kidman seems to have pulled the big emotional scene off with aplomb here. And never mind her; if there's any justice in the world, then the veins in Nicole's neck should win an Oscar of their own.7) Is Nicole Kidman well supported?A Best Actress nominee is only as good as her supporting cast, so it's fortunate that Nicole Kidman has Aaron Eckhart to fall back on. Here he is, putting in an admirable effort to win an Oscar of his own by despondently wiping his nose on a dog's back. Sorry Colin Firth, maybe it's best if you don't write an acceptance speech this time.8) Remember that big emotional scene? Was it emotional enough?Relax, would you? Nicole Kidman has got this covered. She's been here before. She knows that a couple of bulging neck veins won't win you an Oscar, or else Deirdre Barlow from Coronation Street would be the world's most celebrated artiste. No, to win an Oscar you need anguish. Full-on, runny-nosed, wailing-in-the-seat-of-your-car anguish. To be honest, it looks like Nicole Kidman has got the Best Actress Oscar in the bag. Pooey painting aside, she's done everything asked of her and more. You may as well just hand her the Oscar now. Unless...9) Wait a minute, there isn't any smiling in this film, is there?Oh Nicole Kidman, you terrible disappointment. Look, just don't bother turning up to the Oscars, OK? You're no longer welcome. Smiling indeed. Cuh.Nicole KidmanOscarsDramaStuart Heritageguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |