TOP 100 ACTOR SITES
| |||
|
| |||
| |||
|
| |||
| This week's cinema events previews Mnemosyne, West BromwichWho better to explore Britain's colonial past and ever-increasing diversity than John Akomfrah? A founding member of the Black Audio Film Collective, his works probe both the black British experience and the nature of documentary itself, and this latest piece, for the Made In England initiative, is a "filmed poetic essay" that pulls at the threads of migrant memory using an intelligent mesh of Greek mythology, Homer's Iliad (narrated over the top of hard-hitting images), archive footage and contemporary "portraits" of Birmingham. With these resources, Akomfrah presents a fascinating look at Britain from a key point in history.The Public, Wed to 21 Feb, visit bbc.co.uk/madeinenglandJacques Audiard, LondonIntentionally unprolific – only five films in 16 years – and antagonistic to audiences and backers alike, Audiard still remains at the top of his game – redefining the French thriller with an intelligence that almost defies the genre itself. Unencumbered by a more commercially minded director's need for likable leading men, his complex protagonists offer something far more interesting: ordinary people struggling to stay afloat in hostile waters. He's in conversation this Sunday along with a preview of his latest film, A Prophet – the story of a resourceful young Arab man in prison. And alongside his earlier films, including The Beat That My Heart Skipped, Read My Lips and A Self-Made Hero, there's also a chance to see comparably excellent examples of the French thriller, from Clouzot's Les Diaboliques, to more recent hits such as Harry, He's Here To Help.BFI Southbank, SE1, Sun to 31 Jan, bfi.org.uk Jacques AudiardAndrea Hubertguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Big Brother star says fame to blame FORMER housemate cites his celebrity status while in court over alcohol-fuelled offences. news.com.au |
Owen blasts Botoxed starlets Clive Owen has blasted actresses who use Botox. breakingnews.ie |
Sneak peek at the new Underbelly CAN'T wait for Underbelly? We have the first peek of The Golden Mile, about Sydney's seedy crime world. news.com.au |
After Booker snub, Adam Roberts in running for SF honour Yellow Blue Tibia joins a distinguished shortlist for the British Science Fiction Association's best novel awardTipped as the science fiction novel that would finally win a Booker prize for the genre, Adam Roberts's Yellow Blue Tibia failed to even make the longlist for the UK's most prestigious literary award last year, but has just been shortlisted for the British Science Fiction Association's best novel prize alongside some of the biggest names in the genre.Set in Russia in 1946, Roberts's novel sees a group of Soviet SF authors concocting a story about aliens poised to invade the earth which, post-Chernobyl, starts to come true. Last summer, acclaimed science fiction author Kim Stanley Robinson said it ought to have won the Booker. A professor of 19th-century literature at the Royal Holloway as well as an author, Roberts is shortlisted alongside Ursula K LeGuin for her historical fantasy Lavinia, China Miéville's surreal venture into crime fiction, The City and the City, and previous winner Stephen Baxter's tale of the survivors of a drowned earth, Ark."I am really delighted to be shortlisted ... The list of winners of the novel prize, going back to John Brunner's marvellous Stand on Zanzibar in 1970, doesn't contain a single second-rate book – not one in all that time," said Roberts on learning of his shortlisting. He pronounced himself "surprised" to be among the finalists, "provoked in part by the fact that I've never been shortlisted for this award before". "That only makes me more chuffed to be on the list this year, of course," he said. "It's particularly nice to be in such extraordinary company: any of the other three could win and deserve it."The contenders for the prize are nominated by BSFA members who then vote for their favourite, with the winners to be announced on 4 April at the Eastercon convention. Niall Harrison, editor of the BSFA's journal, Vector, said he was surprised to see some "much-discussed" books fail to make the shortlist, including Robinson's Galileo's Dream, the late Robert Holdstock's Avilion and Kit Whitfield's In Great Waters. Margaret Atwood's post-apocalyptic The Year of the Flood and Iain Banks's Transition also missed out on a shortlisting. "But the four nominees do showcase the strength and breadth of the SF and fantasy being published in the UK at the moment – from metafictional historical fantasy (Lavinia) to a deep-space voyage (Ark) – and it's hard to pick a front-runner," Harrison said. "It's particularly pleasing to see Adam Roberts receive his (overdue) first nomination, in the light of the Booker fuss kicked up by Kim Stanley Robinson last summer."This year's awards also saw science fiction author Hal Duncan withdraw from contention for the non-fiction prize, after being nominated for his essay "Ethics and Enthusiasm". "There are other voices you should be listening to first," Duncan wrote on his blog, pointing to fellow shortlist Deepa D's essay guardian.co.uk |