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The 2025 US release of the restored version of Lebanese director Heiny Srour’s fiercely feminist Leila And The Wolves could scarcely be more timely as conflict is again raging in the Middle East. Mixing fiction with archive footage, her Arabian Nights-inspired tale takes us time travelling with her protagonist (Nabila Zeitouni), from 1975 London, through a history of women’s resistance in Lebanon and Palestine – to colonialism and the patriarchy – as well as considering her own future self. Stung by a man’s (Rafik Ali Ahmad) suggestion that “women had nothing to do with politics” in the past Leila takes him with her, as he emerges in various different, often less than flattering, roles along the way.

Beyond being ambitious it was also a dangerous film to make, shot during the Lebanese civil war and with Syrian conflict looming. Srour doesn’t hold back as she weaves together her various stories and.

This is a nifty indie weekend with a busier and higher profile limited release schedule than we’ve seen in some time. The Ballad of Wallis Island, The Friend, Grand Tour, Viet And Nam, Holy Cow and documentaries The Encampments, which is super timely, and Secret Mall Apartment are peppering theaters in major markets.

Many have festival imprimaturs from Cannes on down and great Rotten Tomatoes critics scores. In moderate release, Sony Pictures Classics is out with Steve Coogan in The Penguin Lessons.

Limited openings: Watermelon Pictures debuts Macklemore-produced The Encampments at the Angelika, which has been adding shows, and the doc looks like it’s heading to a super opening of $70+k at one location. The distributor moved up the release date given the timeliness of the film, which follows students at Columbia University who launched a movement protesting the war in Gaza. It features detained student activist...

Runaway Groom: Gomes Charts a Barren Odyssey

In what serves as an extremely taxing personification of cold feet, Miguel Gomes feels as if he’s going through stylistic motions with his latest feature, Grand Tour. A surprise project considering his long gestating adaptation of Euclides da Cunha’s Backlands, it follows on the heels of his experimental pandemic film The Tsugua Diaries (2021), and his sprawling three part epic, Arabian Nights (2015). Blending documentary footage overlaid with heavy narration with a rather comically conceived bad romance, it’s a period piece which initially promises to slide into the unique territory of his 2012 masterwork, Tabu (especially as it’s utilizing the same two actors suffering beneath a different kind of compromised romance).…...

Miguel Gomes’ Best Director victory at Cannes likely struck a small but passionate group of cinephiles as a greater win for the cause. It had been nearly 20 years since his first feature, The Face You Deserve, debuted to extremely limited interest; even if every film since represented an incremental uptick in attention there was still little expectation he’d be handed one of cinema’s five-or-so most prestigious honors from a jury headed by the director of the previous year’s highest-grossing film.

It began an international festival tour that reached one of its final stops at NYFF, during which time I met Gomes for a discursive interview that touches on cigarettes, sunglasses, Pixar, and his next feature as much as Grand Tour itself. Seated inside Film at Lincoln Center’s Café Paradiso––we meant to speak outside on an unseasonably warm October afternoon; security forbidding him from smoking rendered...

Looking for what to see in theaters? Our feature, updated weekly, highlights our top recommendations for films currently in theaters, from new releases to restorations receiving a proper theatrical run.

While we already provide extensive monthly new-release recommendations and weekly streaming recommendations, as distributors’ roll-outs can vary, this is a one-stop list to share the essential films that may be on a screen near you.

Black Bag (Steven Soderbergh)

If a James Bond or Mission: Impossible film excised all its action scenes––save a stray explosion or gunshot––while employing a script with a pop John le Carré sensibility, it might resemble something like Steven Soderbergh’s Black Bag. A hyper-slick, suave spy thriller, it’s mainly relegated to dinner tables and office rooms as stages for rapid-fire, gleefully barbed verbal sparring scripted by David Koepp, returning to the genre after Ethan Hunt’s first outing. Primarily focusing on a...

Note: This review was originally published as part of our 2024 Cannes coverage. Grand Tour opens in theaters on March 28 from Mubi.

If Chris Marker and Preston Sturges ever made a film together, it might have looked something like Grand Tour, a sweeping tale that moves from Rangoon to Manila, via Bangkok, Saigon and Osaka, as it weaves the stories of two disparate lovers towards a fateful reunion. The stowaways could scarcely be more Sturgian: he the urbane man on the run, she the intrepid woman trying to track him down. Their scenes are set in 1917 and shot in a classical studio style, yet they’re delivered within a contemporary travelogue––as if we are not only following their epic romance but a director’s own wanderings.

Grand Tour, which delivered much-needed magic to this year’s Cannes Film Festival lineup, is directed by the one and only Miguel Gomes, the...

Quick LinksThe Peddler Introduces the Story to the ViewersThe Peddler Was Supposed to Be the Genie in His Human FormRobin Williams Didn’t Voice the Genie in The Return of Jafar

Aladdinis one of the most popular and beloved Disney animated films, and Robin Williams' portrayal of the Genie is one of the reasons why. However, not many fans know that Robin Williams also voiced another character in the movie and that this character had a bigger connection to the story. Aladdin is an adaptation of the classic folktale from One Thousand and One Nights and follows the titular Aladdin, a "diamond in the rough." Aladdin is a poor young man who has to steal to find food for himself and for his pet monkey, Abu. But Aladdin's fate changes once he meets Jafar, who gives Aladdin a mission: to steal a lamp from a cave.

Aladdin has no idea...

"I'll hunt him down, whatever it takes." This one is for cinephiles only. Mubi has unveiled the official US trailer for a strange film titled Grand Tour, a unique creation from Portuguese director Miguel Gomes, best known for his films Tabu (2012), The Tsugua Diaries (2021), and his Arabian Nights trilogy (2015). The film premiered at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival last year and it won the Best Director award as part of the competition, with stops at many other festivals after. Described as a "breathtaking odyssey of romance, escape, and pursuit." In 1917 Burma, a British civil servant abandons his fiancée — only to find her then relentlessly chasing him across Asia. A playful yet melancholic reimagining of the "pursuit film," blending luminous 16mm B&w cinematography with archival footage. This stars Gonçalo Waddington & Crista Alfaiate. It is a tragicomedy though also "melancholic and courageous." This is definitely not for everyone - an experimental, abstract...

Miguel Gomes, the Portuguese filmmaker behind The Tsugua Diaries, Arabian Nights, and Tabu, made his long-awaited return at last year’s Cannes Film Festival with the mesmerizing odyssey Grand Tour. After picking up Best Director at the festival, Mubi has now set a U.S. release beginning March 28 followed by a streaming release on their platform beginning April 18. Ahead of the roll-out, the new trailer and poster have arrived.

Here’s the synopsis: “Grand Tour by Cannes Best Director winner Miguel Gomes is a breathtaking odyssey of romance, escape, and pursuit. In 1917 Burma, a British civil servant abandons his fiancée—only to find her relentlessly chasing him across Asia. A playful yet melancholic reimagining of the pursuit film, blending luminous 16mm black-and-white cinematography with archival footage.”

Rory O’Connor said in his Cannes review, “If Chris Marker and Preston Sturges ever made a film together, it might have looked something like Grand Tour,...

Miguel Gomes’ stunning “Grand Tour” is a trek through yearning, spanning both time and space.

The film, which premiered at Cannes in 2024 where Gomes won Best Director, was later acquired by Mubi for release. “Grand Tour” takes it title in stride: The film begins in 1917 Burma, where British diplomat Edward (Gonçalo Waddington) ditches his fiancée Molly (Crista Alfaiate) after getting cold feet before their nuptials. Edward instead sets off on a pursuit across Asia, with Molly following suit.

The film is billed by Mubi as a “melodrama and screwball comedy with a cat-and-mouse chase between lovers.”

“Grand Tour” includes black-and-white period visuals with modern-day documentary footage to span from Saigon to Shanghai onscreen. The film was Portugal’s Best International Feature entry to the 97th Academy Awards.

“I think I’m really attached to Portuguese cinema,” Gomes told IndieWire. “Portugal doesn’t have a film industry. Because of the economical context,...

Paris-based Loco Films has boarded worldwide sales on Mehrnoush Alia’s feature debut 1001 Frames ahead of its world premiere in Berlin’s Panorama strand.

The feature was previously with French sales agent Alpha Violet, who said it withdraw after a disagreement.

1001 Frames will debut on February 15 and centres on an audition in a black box studio where a famous filmmaker is considering young women for the role of Scheherazade in a horror version of 1001 Nights (Aka Arabian Nights).

The process becomes something more disturbing as the questions asked of the auditioning actors become deeply personal, the camera more voyeuristic,...

Pyramide Films has taken on global sales rights for Cagla Zencirci and Guillaume Giovanetti’s Confidante ahead of the film’s world premiere at Berlin Film Festival in the Panorama section.

It is the Turkish-French directing duo’s fourth feature and first since 2018 Locarno prize-winnerSibel. Set in Ankara in 1999, Confidante follows Arzu, a woman working for an erotic call centre. When an earthquake hits Istanbul, a client calls her back begging her to rescue him from the rubble.

It is produced by the filmmakers’ Turkey-based production company ii Films, France’s Les Films du Tambour and 3B Productions, and Luxembourg’s Bidibul Productions.

Paris-based company Alpha Violet has acquired worldwide sales to Mehrnoush Alia’s feature debut 1001 Frames ahead of its world premiere in Berlin’s Panorama strand.

The feature centres on an audition in a black box studio where a famous filmmaker is considering young women for the role of Scheherazade in a horror version of 1001 Nights (Aka Arabian Nights).

Gradually the process turns into something more disturbing as the questions become deeply personal, the camera more voyeuristic, and the arrival of the director’s ex-wife, one of his friends, and a mysterious woman confirms there is more at play. As...

If there's one thing that Dowager Queen Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke) likes to do on House of the Dragon, it's sulk about her life choices. But if there's one other thing she likes to do, it's to wear the color green. The show is about a battle for the Iron Throne fought between two rival factions of the Targaryen dynasty. Alicent's faction is literally called the Greens, named after a green dress she once wore so well it set off a war. So of course her closet is full of nothing but green dresses.

Folks thought of this when they saw a picture of pop star Charli Xcx on the set of her new movie 100 Nights of Hero:

Charli Xcx as Alicent Hightower in 100 Nights of Hero pic.twitter.com/wEzHm9Wgoq

— Winter is Coming (@WiCnet) January 23, 2025

I see it. I'm sorry: if you're in a vaguely...

Sandro Aguilar’s “First Person Plural,” which screens at International Film Festival Rotterdam in the Tiger Competition, has launched its trailer with Variety.

The film is produced by O Som E A Fúria, the company behind Miguel Gomes’ “Tabu” and “Arabian Nights,” Eugène Green’s “The Portuguese Nun” and Lucrecia Martel’s “Zama.”

“First Person Plural” centers on Mateus Lagoa and his wife Irene, who will celebrate their 20th wedding anniversary at a luxurious resort on a tropical island, leaving their teenage son dangerously adrift. Before departure, during an unexpected night apart, vaccine side effects strike —fevers, fainting and hallucinations. A melancholic mood creeps in, fracturing their world and hinting at unforeseen dangers.

In a statement, Aguilar comments: “When Mateus and Irene wake up in their idyllic retreat and the whole landscape changes abruptly: luxury hotels, massages, cocktails, stereotypes of a reward on earth, everything takes on a ceremonial nature,...

Miguel Gomes does not consider himself a genius like Alfred Hitchcock.

The 52-year-old Portuguese director’s ravishing, cross-continental, mostly B&W feature “Grand Tour” — a mix of drama and ethnology — won him the Best Director award at Cannes back in May and is now Portugal’s Oscar submission to the 2025 Oscars. According to Gomes, unlike Hitchcock, he cannot sit around a room and dictate innovative ideas for story arcs and shots.

Speaking with IndieWire at the Sunset Marquis in West Hollywood, in his first time in L.A. and on the first stop of his Oscars press tour amid the film’s upcoming release in France and Italy, the gracious, soft-voiced, sharp-eared Gomes said, “I have, in my case, to open the window, let the world come in, and react to it.” Cigarette puffs later, he said, “I have to catch butterflies.”

It’s fascinating to hear a modern master...

Grand Tour.Grand Tour (2024), director Miguel Gomes’s sixth feature and first to play in competition at Cannes, is a return to the globe-trotting style of his pre-pandemic work. In this follow-up to his remarkably resourceful Covid comedy The Tsugua Diaries (2021), which he codirected with his wife and frequent collaborator Maureen Fazendeiro, the Portuguese filmmaker exhibits an equal but opposite kind of inventiveness as he turns a two-page passage from W. Somerset Maugham’s The Gentleman in the Parlour, a 1930 collection of the English author’s travel writing, into a peripatetic odyssey across Southeast Asia. In 1918, Edward (Gonçalo Waddington), a civil servant for the British government, spontaneously flees Rangoon the day his fiancée, Molly (Crista Alfaiate), arrives to be married. As Edward sets off by boat to Singapore, and from there to Bangkok, Saigon, Manila, Osaka, and Shanghai, telegrams from Molly inexplicably arriving all the while, the story blossoms into a surreal,...

With only three stellar features to her name in the last two-plus decades, The Forest for the Trees, Everyone Else, and Toni Erdmann, every new film from Maren Ade comes with much anticipation. While she’s also stayed busy producing no shortage of great work with Tabu, Arabian Nights, Western, In My Room, The Whistlers, Ahed’s Knee, Corsage, About Dry Grasses, and more, the German filmmaker is now working on her fourth feature.

In an interview with Screen Daily, Komplizen Film producer Janine Jackowski revealed Ade is scripting her next film Zauberwort (aka Magic Word), with plans to shoot in 2026, which means a festival premiere is still likely three years away. “[Ade] is writing very intensely. She is working very hard,” said Jackowski, though was tight-lipped about any other details on the project.

As for whether we’ll ever see that U.S. remake of Toni Erdmann, which at one...

Exclusive: Nicholas Galitzine, the rising star recently tapped to lead Amazon MGM and Mattel’s live-action Masters of the Universe, has signed on to star in 100 Nights of Hero, an adaptation of Isabel Greenberg’s same-name graphic novel from director Julia Jackman (Bonus Track).

A feminist fairy tale inspired by One Thousand and One Nights, The 100 Nights of Hero was published by Little, Brown and Company in December 2016. The story centers around two women, Cherry and Hero, who are in love. Cherry is married to a man named Jerome, who, despite his marriage, makes a bet with his friend, a lecherous villain named Manfred, that Manfred can seduce Cherry within 100 nights. If Manfred succeeds, Jerome will give Cherry to him. Cherry, however, isn’t interested and devises a plan with her lover, Hero, who over the course of 100 nights,...

Streaming Sensations

The Busan International Film Festival‘s sixth annual Asia Contents Awards and Global Ott Awards has revealed its nominees across 11 competitive categories.

Pts Taiwan’s “Imperfect Us” leads with five nominations, followed by Indonesian Netflix series “Cigarette Girl” with four. Wong Kar-wai‘s series debut “Blossoms Shanghai” (Tencent Video) and Korea’s “A Killer Paradox” (Netflix) each have three nods. Other multiple nominees include Korea’s “Daily Dose of Sunshine” (Netflix) and “Lovely Runner” (Cj Enm Studios/Bon Factory) and Thai Prime Video series “Enigma” (Gmmtv).

The best lead actor (male) category sees Hu Ge (“Blossoms Shanghai”), Yim Si-wan (“Boyhood”), Choi Woo-shik (“A Killer Paradox”), Wu Kang Ren (“Living”), Cho Jin-woong (“No way Out: The Roulette”) and Sakai Masato (“Vivant”) competing for the award.

For best lead actor (female), nominees include Dian Sastrowardoyo (“Cigarette Girl”), Park Bo-young (“Daily Dose Of Sunshine”), Nikaido Fumi (“Eye Love You”), Ariel Lin...

The 1992 Disney film Aladdin is a lot of things. An accurate representation of the Middle East is not one of them.

That said, since the movie takes place in the fictional city of “Agrabah,” it’s easy to argue that it was never meant to portray the real world at all. The city was, after all, invented wholly by the creators, since the story from Arabian Nights that it’s based on originally took place in China, which, I’ll admit, is confusing enough that I understand simplifying it to minimize the amount of cultures and geography packed into an animated movie for children.

The city of Agrabah, however, wasn’t the first location change made by the movie’s creators. When they first started working on the movie that would become a modern classic, they set it in a very real city: Baghdad. Most likely because it was one...

Warning: Contains Spoilers for The Boy Wonder #4!

Talia al Ghul is depicted as a daughter and mother with complex motivations and struggles. Talia's eco-conscious intentions give a solid reason why she is often depicted as a villain. Talia's complexity and journey make her more relatable as a strong-willed character than just a romantic interest.

If there's one thing Batman canonically likes, it's bad girls - and I don't blame him. Although one of his more infamous romances is with the head of an assassin organization, there is a lot more to Talia al Ghul than meets the eye. She's not just the Daughter of the Demon, but a person in her own right, struggling under her tyrannical father while trying to care for a son she has abandoned. Finally, the deeper side of her story comes to light and in a story told in the style of her country of origin.

Get the latest scoop on everything you need to know about today’s Jeopardy! episode airing on Tuesday, July 9 2024 including the Final Jeopardy, contestants and today’s winner!

Today’s Final Jeopardy 7/9/2024 (Literature) – Tuesday, July 9 2024

In one story he is enslaved by the old man of the sea & uses apes to pick fruit so he can afford his fare back to Baghdad

Today’s Final Jeopardy Answer – Tuesday, July 9 2024

The Final Jeopardy Answer is: Sinbad

Final Jeopardy Explanation – Tuesday, July 9 2024

The character referred to in today’s Final Jeopardy is Sinbad the Sailor, a legendary figure featured in the Middle Eastern folk tales of the “One Thousand and One Nights,” also known as the “Arabian Nights.” In the story where Sinbad is enslaved by the Old Man of the Sea, he finds himself trapped when the Old Man, who tricks him by asking for a ride on his shoulders, refuses to get off,...

The world of Disney has never once disappointed when it comes to musicals. With sprawling tales of epic love stories and star-crossed lovers finding their way to each other, the studio has never once failed to craft a saga that doesn’t bring a tear or two to the eye. Fairy tales like Snow White and Sleeping Beauty gave way to more ambitious adaptations such as Aladdin and Pocahontas.

Aladdin (1992) [Credit: Walt Disney Pictures]However, without original creations to fill the void left behind by such age-old mythologies, a dozen different adaptations of the same story would mark the downfall of an industry that runs on selling love, hope, and eternity. Now, word through the grapevine suggests that the studio is set on fixing the error of its ways by bringing a new princess into the scene as soon as possible.

Disney Family Expands as a Princess Arrives From India

In...

At this point in his 40+ year career, it can be said that filmmaker George Miller is a mythmaker. Despite his cinematic range, which spans brutal, violent live-action movies to family-friendly animated fare, all of his works have a spark of myth about them, whether he's dealing with women experimenting with the occult (as in "The Witches of Eastwick") or anthropomorphized animals venturing beyond their comfort zones (as in "Babe" and "Happy Feet").

Of course, Miller's magnum opus is what has now been officially dubbed the "Mad Max" saga, a series of films that has spanned the entire breadth of Miller's career to date. The fifth in the saga, "Furiosa," is in theaters now, and it's a picture that should silence anyone who still refers to these films as merely action movies. Unlike the previous "Mad Max" film, 2015's "Fury Road" (which "Furiosa" is a prequel to), this movie is a...

Our times are troubled, our burdens heavy, our passage through life often arduous and the bad kind of absurd. But for anyone feeling a pessimism creeping in like slow poison and taking the edge off any appetite for adventure, Portuguese singularity Miguel Gomes comes like a comet across the Cannes competition with “Grand Tour,” an enchanting, enlivening, era-spanning, continent-crossing travelogue that runs the very serious risk of infecting you with the antidote: a potent dose of wanderlust for life. “Abandon yourself to the world,” says one character, a Japanese monk prone to walking about with a wicker basket on his head, “and see how generous it is to you.” Abandon yourself to “Grand Tour” and reap similar, joyful rewards.

Monkeying around in time like a macaque in a hot spring, trundling through countries like a comically short-legged donkey on a jungle trail, yet somehow also peering down on the action...

Sydney Film Festival (June 5-16) has unveiled the 12 titles that will play in competition at its 71st edition, including six features that are set to premiere at Cannes this month.

Fresh from playing in Competition at Cannes will be Kinds of Kindness, starring Emma Stone and directed by Yorgos Lanthimos, who won the Sydney Film Prize in 2012 with Alps. Further Palme d’Or contenders selected for Sydney include Grand Tour from Portugal’s Miguel Gomes, whose Arabian Nights won the Sydney Film Prize in 2015; Christophe Honoré’s French-Italian comedy Marcello Mio; and Payal Kapadia’s Indian romantic drama All We Imagine As Light.

The red carpet will soon roll out for the 77th Festival de Cannes. The international film festival, playing out May 14-25, has a distinct American voice this year. “Barbie” filmmaker Greta Gerwig is the first U.S. female director name jury president. Many veteran American helmers are heading to the French Rivera resort town. George Lucas, who turns 80 on May 14, will receive an honorary Palme d’Or. Francis Ford Coppola’s much-anticipated “Megalopolis” is screening in competition, as is Paul Schrader’s “Oh Canada.” Kevin Costner’s new Western “Horizon, An American Saga” will premiere out of competition and Oliver Stone’s “Lula” is part of the special screening showcase.

Fifty years ago, Coppola was the toast of the 27th Cannes Film Festival. His brilliant psychological thriller “The Conversation” starring Gene Hackman won the Palme D’Or and well as a Special Mention from the Ecumenical Jury. The film would earn three Oscar nominations: picture,...

Despite its lukewarm final season, HBO's Game of Thrones still ended with the promise of multiple spinoffs. A writer for a scrapped prequel teases what could have been an epic show set in ancient Westeros.

It's almost four years since HBO's Game of Thrones ended, but some fans have yet to recover from the show's underwhelming final episodes. House of the Dragon has redeemed faith in a franchise that was initially slated for multiple spinoffs; fortunately, some of these are in different stages of development, but others have been shelved or outright rejected. In an interview with Inverse, one of the writers of Ten Thousand Ships reveals more details about the proposed prequel, which draws heavy inspiration from the Sinbad films, Homer's The Odyssey, and Moses' Exodus.

Related How Tales of Dunk & Egg Connects to Game of Thrones & House of the Dragon HBO's newest Game of Thrones spinoff has major...

The theory that the events of Aladdin didn't happen exists due to the peddler's storytelling at the start of the movie. The peddler was intended to be revealed as the Genie in the original movie, enhancing the theory. Aladdin's sequels debunk the theory, revealing minor but intriguing perspectives on the original story – but the sequels aren't canon.

Aladdin is one of the most beloved Disney animated movies, but it hasn’t been safe from a variety of theories, among them one that claims none of the events of the movie actually happened. After going through a couple of rough years with critical and commercial failures, Disney rose again with what’s now known as the “Disney Renaissance”. This period between 1989 and 1999 saw the studio producing successful animated movies again, beginning with The Little Mermaid in 1989. Among them was Aladdin, released in 1992, based on the Arabic folktale of the same name...

Among our most-anticipated premieres at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, now less than a month away, is Grand Tour, marking the return of Portuguese director Miguel Gomes. Starring Gonçalo Waddington, Crista Alfaiate, Cláudio da Silva, and Lang Khê Tran, the 1917-set film follows a civil servant who flees from his fiancée, who subsequently attempts to track him down across Asia. Mixed in with this narrative is 16mm footage of contemporary Asia. Ahead of the Cannes premiere, the beautiful first trailer has now arrived.

Here’s the synopsis: “Rangoon, Burma, 1917. Edward, a civil servant for the British Empire, runs away from his fiancée Molly the day she arrives to get married. During his travels, however, panic gives way to melancholy. Contemplating the emptiness of his existence, the cowardly Edward wonders what has become of Molly… Determined to get married and amused by Edward’s move, Molly follows his trail on this Asian grand tour.

Variety has been granted exclusive access to the trailer (below) for Portuguese director Miguel Gomes’ “Grand Tour,” which will have its world premiere in Cannes Film Festival’s Competition section. Variety can also exclusively reveal that that distribution on “Grand Tour” will be handled in France by Tandem, and in Italy by Lucky Red, and that Gomes’ next film will be “Savagery.”

“Grand Tour” kicks off in 1917 in Burma. It centers on Edward, a civil servant for the British Empire, who runs away from his fiancée Molly the day she arrives to get married. During his travels, however, panic gives way to melancholy. Contemplating the emptiness of his existence, the cowardly Edward wonders what has become of Molly… Determined to get married and amused by Edward’s move, Molly follows his trail on this Asian grand tour.

The film stars Gonçalo Waddington and Crista Alfaiate, and the cast also includes...

It’s tough to be a fan of someone when you’re not quite sure what aspect of their work you’re a fan of. I read a big bunch of Osamu Tezuka books, mostly published by Vertical, more than a decade ago – Mw, Ayako , Ode to Kirihito, Apollo’s Song, a few others – and liked them all a lot. They were smart, sophisticated, serious books for adults, with a striking depth of expression and focused imaginative power.

Vertical might have published everything Tezuka did in that vein; I really don’t know. But I haven’t seen anything else similar from Tezuka in my scattered reading since then. The latest attempt was One Hundred Tales , originally published in Shonen Jump magazine in installments in 1971 under the title Hyaku Monogatari and translated by Iyasu Adair Nagata for this 2023 Ablaze edition.

Tales is, I think, part of the main flow of Tezuka’s career,...

Before Blu-ray or DVD, before you could just open up an app on your phone and stream things, there was the beloved VHS tape, that most bulky of physical media. Whether you rented them from Blockbuster, owned a library of them and organized them neatly in the shelves running alongside your home entertainment center, used them to record your favorite movies or TV shows, or simply prayed for your teacher to pull one out on a Friday afternoon in middle school, the VHS tape was king of ’80s and ’90s home media.

There was simply nothing better than the experience that came with popping one of these bad boys into your Vcr — unless the film was a stinker, of course, but then again, you probably still at least remember watching it, unlike so much of the mindless filler on today’s streamers. In fact, let’s take a stroll down...

Historically, the relationship between Hollywood and European comic books has been fraught with mutual distrust and cultural dissonance. Not to disparage Steven Spielberg — one of our national treasures — but his 2011 adaptation of The Adventures of Tintin was a bit of a disaster. And when La Femme Nikita director Luc Besson fulfilled a childhood fantasy in 2017 by bankrolling Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets out of his own pocket, the most expensive independent movie ever made landed with the thud of a global box office bomb.

But there’s hope on the horizon. European comic books — specifically, the Franco-Belgian school spearheaded by the Tintin character and his creator Hergé — are both a multimillion Euro industry and a sumptuous art form with dozens of successful franchises waiting to be developed. N

ow that the offerings of Marvel and DC are beginning to feel a tad fatigued, to say the least,...

Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic creates a vivid world inspired by Arabian Nights, with incredible direction and music. Vinland Saga balances blood-filled Viking action with thought-provoking drama, making it a must-see historical epic. Gurren Lagann takes viewers on a bombastic and fun adventure, emphasizing willpower and infinite possibilities.

Adventure is one of the most prolific genres in all fiction, and adventure anime are no exception. From the very conception of the medium, there have been countless anime of heroes traveling across the world for their sake and the sake of others, and the dangers they have to deal with and the growth that accompanies it always make for incredible stories that almost always stand the test of time.

Adventure is just as prolific a genre in anime as it is in other mediums, and there are some adventure anime, in particular, that stand out as among the best. Some stand...

Oshi no Ko Season 2 draws closer with an official trailer teasing the upcoming anime.

The Oshi no Ko series celebrated the Thanksgiving season with a special event on Nov. 26, 2023, which saw cast members Rie Takahashi (Ai), Takeo Otsuka (Aqua), Yurie Igoma (Ruby), Megumi Han (Kana), Manaka Iwami (Akane), Rumi Okubo (Mem-cho) and Kento Ito (Gorou) in attendance. After the performances and panels came the big reveal that Oshi no Ko Season 2 would be returning in 2024. The news was announced alongside a new trailer and an ominous teaser visual.

"Oshi no Hi" Day Marked By 14 Brand-New Oshi no Ko Illustrations By Official Creators

The new Oshi no Ko Season 2 trailer and visual give a sense of what fans can expect in the upcoming sequel. Aqua ends the trailer reaffirming that he'll put on a performance in order to discover the truth about what happened to his mother. Characters Aqua, Kana and...

Scooby-Doo is undeniably one of the greatest cartoon franchises ever created, with countless films and TV shows being released since its 1969 launch. Crafted from the genius minds of Joe Ruby and Ken Spears, the beloved series follows the lovable talking Great Dane and amateur teen sleuths Shaggy, Velma, Daphne, and Fred as they drive around in The Mystery Machine, solving crimes and cases across the country, uncovering countless great Scooby-Doo villains. Initially titled Mysteries Five with a bongo-playing sheepdog and five teenagers solving spooky mysteries, the program changed its lead pooch to a Great Dane, and the rest is history.

The long-running franchise has been a constant staple in the entertainment industry, producing successful spin-off shows like What’s New, Scooby-Doo, A Pup Named Scooby-Doo, and The New Scooby and Scrappy Show. A multitude of both animated and live-action films have also been created, with 37 direct-to-video pictures being released, including...

A brand new “The Boys” spinoff series, the second season of “Wheel of Time” and football highlight a robust lineup of new movies and shows coming to Amazon Prime Video in September. “Gen V,” a spinoff of “The Boys” set at a college, premieres on Sept. 29, while new episodes of “The Wheel of Time” Season 2 are rolling out all month long after the season premiere on Sept. 1.

Thursday Night Football is streaming starting Sept. 14, and a whole host of library movies worth checking out – from “Four Weddings and a Funeral” to “Dracula” to “10 Things I Hate About You” – are now streaming.

There’s also the premiere of the original film “Cassandro” starring Gael Garcia Bernal as a gay wrestler, and the acclaimed drama “A Thousand and One” comes to Prime Video on Sept. 19.

Check out the full list of what’s new on Amazon Prime Video in September 2023 below.

It’s a deceptively big month on Prime Video in September! To kick things off, The Wheel of Time will be back for a second season on the service, while a live-action The Boys spinoff series called Gen V will be capping off the original series content later in the month.

But there are also some interesting new projects lined up between those two biggies. On September 15, Jenna Coleman and Oliver Jackson-Cohen star in what is sure to be a delicious tale of revenge. Wilderness, based on B.E. Jones’ novel of the same name, stars Coleman as a heartbroken wife who discovers her husband has been cheating on her after she gives up her whole life to move over to America with him and support his career.

You should also keep an eye out for Cassandro, landing on Prime Video on the same day. The film, which has been...

There is no shortage this September of new (and old) things to watch on Prime Video! The Amazon streamer is adding over 300 new TV series and films to its library this month, from highly anticipated season premieres to classic movies.

Included in the list this month are many Amazon Originals, including the highly anticipated “Cassandro,” starring Gael García Bernal, and the Season 2 premiere of the high fantasy series “The Wheel of Time,” starring Rosamund Pike.

But if you’re looking to revisit old favorites, Prime Video will be adding hundreds of movies to its library, including the “Bourne” franchise, “The Birdcage,” and many, many others.

Not sure where to start? Check out The Streamable’s picks below for what’s coming to platform this month!

30-Day Free Trial $8.99 / month amazon.com What are the 5 Best Shows and Movies Coming to Prime Video in September 2023? “The Wheel of Time” Season 2 | Friday, Sept.

Prime Video is nothing if not a goldmine of content, with basically something to watch for everyone, and today we are making a list of the best new shows coming to Prime Video in September 2023 that you can watch in the upcoming month. The shows in this list are ranked according to their availability dates.

Arabian Nights (September 1) Credit – ABC & BBC

Synopsis: Targeted for assassination by his first wife and his evil brother, a young sultan must marry by the next full moon or he will lose his kingdom. His uncertainty over his newfound bride causes her to stall the sultan with a series of fantastic stories to ease the tension and stall her impending execution.

Spin City Seasons 1-6 (September 1)

Synopsis: Michael J. Fox is New York City’s Deputy Mayor Mike Flaherty in Spin City. One of the slickest, smartest guys in town, he manages the daily problems...

There’s plenty to watch on Prime Video and Amazon Freevee, both new originals and old favorites now available to stream, in September. Originals coming to Prime Video include The Wheel of Time Season 2, while over on Freevee, there’s the new chapter of Australian soap Neighbours. Other titles you’ll be able to stream include the first four seasons of the new Magnum P.I., The Bourne Identity and its sequels, 10 Things I Hate About You, and Rocky and Rocky II. Scroll down for a full look at what’s available this September on Prime Video and Freevee. Available for Streaming on Prime Video: September 1 Arabian Nights (2000) Spin City S1-S6 (1997) *The Wheel of Time Season 2 (2023) 10 Things I Hate About You (1999) 2001: A Space Odyssey (1970) 21 Grams (2004) 23:59 (2011) A Bullet for Pretty Boy (1970) A Force Of One (1979) A Man Called Sarge (1990) A Matter of Time (1976) A Rage to Live...

The 55-year-old comic artist Jean-Luc Sala is at the helm of the art department of Assassin’s Creed Mirage, the new installment of the blockbuster video game franchise, this time set in Baghdad in the ninth century, during the city’s Golden Age.

“To rebuild the city, we gathered writings of the scholars of that time,” Ubisoft Bordeaux’s art director told THR Roma. “Historians both inside and outside Ubisoft helped us. We wanted to get the authentic spirit of that Baghdad, with a parkour-oriented style of play.”

“Video games allow you to live numerous lives and can open your mind about what it means to be someone else. We hope to help players open their minds about topics like diversity,” added Sala, speaking at last month’s Giffoni Good Games in Italy on a panel on inclusive and ethical gaming.

Jean-Luc Sala spoke to THR Roma ahead of this...

Crunchyroll shared plenty of exciting news during their Industry Panel at Anime Expo 2023. On July 3, the streaming service revealed its new acquisitions, premiered several trailers, and provided Anime Expo attendees with a glimpse at some pieces from their upcoming streetwear collaboration. Guests were thrilled to learn that Black Butler would (finally) return for a fourth season. Black Butler began as a Manga back in 2006, and was adapted as a 24-episode anime in 2008. The third season of the beloved series, which follows 12-year-old Ciel Phantomhive in Victorian England, aired back in 2014. The trailer for its upcoming season is below.

Audiences were also excited to watch a brand-new trailer (which you can watch below) for the upcoming Solo Leveling, which premieres on the streamer next winter. Based on the popular South Korean web novel series by Chugong, Solo Leveling follows the story of its protagonist, a weak hunter named Sung Jinwoo. Sung...

Prolific Indian studio Maddock Films has three successful projects currently on, 15 more in the pipeline and is developing an ambitious film series based on the “Arabian Nights.”

Laxman Utekar’s comedy-drama film “Zara Hatke Zara Bachke,” a co-production with Jio Studios starring Vicky Kaushal and Sara Ali Khan, has emerged as the sleeper hit of the year grossing $11.1 million theatrically so far. Homi Adajania’s action drama series “Saas, Bahu Aur Flamingo,” starring Dimple Kapadia, is a hit for streamer Disney+ Hotstar, while Arunima Sharma, Hussain Dalal and Abbas Dalal’s coming-of-age Prime Video drama series “Jee Karda,” starring Tamannaah Bhatia, is garnering positive reviews.

Maddock also had a major success earlier this year with Ajay Singh’s Netflix original thriller film “Chor Nikal Ke Bhaga” proving a worldwide hit for the streamer.

The upcoming film slate includes:

An untitled film starring Shahid Kapoor and Kriti Sanon, written and directed...

A tiger on the loose terrorizing the inhabitants of an unnamed city becomes the launching pad for a meditation on love, loss and grief in Romanian filmmaker Andrei Tănase’s feature debut, “Day of the Tiger.” The film, which had its world premiere in the Bright Future strand at the Intl. Film Festival Rotterdam, plays this week at the Transilvania Film Festival.

The movie follows Vera (Cătălina Moga), a rundown and emotionally drained veterinarian grappling with some unknown grief as she plods through her daily routine at the zoo. She’s suddenly shaken by the arrival of a tiger that was being kept as a pet by a local gangster, awakening her long-dormant nurturing instincts.

But revelations about Vera’s failing marriage soon rise to the surface. And as the vet and local authorities play a dangerous cat-and-mouse game to catch the escaped tiger, she must engage in her own...

There wouldn't be "The Little Mermaid" without Howard Ashman. There probably wouldn't be many of the most beloved Disney movies without him. Ashman was credited as a lyricist on 1989's "The Little Mermaid," 1991's "Beauty and the Beast," and 1992's "Aladdin," but he also worked as a storyteller behind the scenes, whipping the movies into shape and helping create the framework of a Disney animated movie that the studio continued to use throughout the '90s.

Don Hahn, who produced "Beauty and the Beast" and "The Lion King," said in his 2009 documentary, "Waking Sleeping Beauty," about the history of Walt Disney Feature Animation, "Howard is referred to by Roy Disney as another Walt. To us, and to our generation, he was a Walt Disney type." Hahn also directed the 2018 documentary "Howard" about Ashman's life and his work for Disney.

"The animation studio was basically shutting down," Jodi Benson, who voices Ariel in the original film,...

It’s been at least decade since Siouxsie Sioux of Siouxsie and The Banshees fame played a proper live show, but that changes this year! Ahead of the enigmatic musician’s European tour this year, she had a warm-up show in Brussels at the Ancienne Belgique, performing a set that included many a Banshees classic.

Along with some of Siouxsie and The Banshees’ best-known songs like “Spellbound,” “Arabian Nights,” and “Cities in Dust,” Sioux also dug up her covers of The Beatles’ “Dear Prudence” and Iggy Pop’s “The Passenger.” She also played a few songs from her 2007 solo album Mantaray.

And although Sioux’s hair has gotten a bit tamer since the Banshees’ heyday — and she’s swapped out the winklepicker boots for sensible sneakers — you could say her stage presence is still pretty “spellbinding” (sorry), complete with plenty of high kicks and weirdo moves. Kids, here’s a real “Wednesday dance” for you.

Mumbai, April 21 (Ians) Adnan Khan and Aditi Dev Sharma, who are seen playing the lead roles of Viaan and Katha in the show ‘Katha Ankahee’, thanked the viewers for their support as their show completed 100 episodes.

‘Katha Ankahee’ is a Hindi remake of the Turkish drama ‘Binbir Gece’ (1001 Nights in English) which is inspired by Arabian Nights and the original series features actors such as Halit Ergen, Berguzar Korel, Tardu Flordun, and Ceyda Duvenci. It started in 2006 and wrapped up in 2009.

Adnan, who essays the role of Viaan, said: “Time really flies by fast, it feels like it was only yesterday when I was approached for Viaan’s role and now we’ve already completed 100 episodes. Over the course of this narrative, Viaan’s character has also evolved and I enjoy bringing alive this complex young man who has successfully managed to touch many hearts.”

On the other hand,...