Once a rising star in films such as American Beauty and Ghost World, Thora Birch says she found herself discarded by the studios when she wouldn’t conform. Hollywood has never been kind to its young. It is an industry that famously venerates youth and, infamously, has casually destroyed so many young people, used them up … Read more
As someone who was born and grew up in Northern Ireland, I’ve always been aware of the pitfalls of labelling something “British”. I’ve been surprised many times about how messy it gets in the world of film. Everyone remembers Colin Welland’s battle cry when Chariots of Fire triumphed at the Oscars in 1981: “The British … Read more
The UK’s box office fell by the largest figure in more than 20 years in 2013, according to a new report. The 1% drop saw the total haul made by films in UK cinemas hit £1.17bn. It was the first fall in a decade in real terms in the world’s fourth largest box office, according … Read more
Holding out for a hero ⦠Ben Affleck’s casting as Batman in Zack Snyder’s forthcoming Superman vs Batman has had fans in uproar. Photograph: Warren Toda/EPA There are many things worth getting upset about in the world today: civil war in Syria; melting ice-caps; falling standards of living. Ben Affleck being cast as Batman in … Read more