Shah Rukh Khan to be honoured at Locarno Film Festival for redefining cinema
Switzerland's Locarno Film Festival opens on Wednesday with Shah Rukh Khan, Jane Campion, Alfonso Cuaron and Irene Jacob set to be honoured with special awards. Founded in 1946, Locarno is one of the...
View ArticleHow viral marketing stunts turned 'Deadpool' into a billion-dollar hit
From cameos in K-pop videos to cooking chimichangas with celebrity chefs, movie stars like Ryan Reynolds are trying ever-more unorthodox stunts to reach fragmented Gen-Z audiences, according to...
View ArticleFour films, four felines: Hollywood hits that wouldn't be the same without cats
Cinema has a way of turning the most ordinary into the extraordinary, and few creatures embody this alchemy more than cats. These enigmatic beings have padded their way into some of the most iconic...
View ArticleDavid Fincher at 62: Four essential viewings from his claustrophobic cinema
As August 28 turns one of Hollywood's most visionary directors a year older, it's time to dim the lights, silence your phone, and settle in for a journey through the dark and twisting corridors of...
View ArticleLies movies told us: the characters to root for as a disenchanted adult
You know those movie adults who are extremely fun authority figures and use singing to entice children to do their bidding? I am talking specifically about Mary Poppins, Fräulein Maria in The Sound of...
View Article‘It Ends with Us’ review: A film worse than its already-bad book counterpart
Walking into the theatre to see It Ends with Us, I was armed with a zero-expectation policy - a wise choice, considering the book by Colleen Hoover, which I read some odd years ago, already left me...
View ArticleFrom book to film: A treacherous journey laden with potholes
As all book lovers will be aware – and I consider myself one of the leading figures of this esteemed pack – the news that a novel is now in the hands of an overenthusiastic director is rarely a cause...
View ArticleCan’t wait for Halloween? Start early with three spine-chilling horror flicks
Sure, it's only September, but as the first hints of autumn chill creep into the air, it's never too early to start planning your Halloween horror film marathon. As the leaves begin their...
View Article60 years of 'Mary Poppins': Still pitch perfect with a spoonful of sugar
In 1964, Walt Disney’s Mary Poppins gracefully floated onto cinema screens around the world via umbrella, on a quest to mend the cracks deep within the Banks family. Sixty years ago, with a spoonful of...
View ArticleThe Room Next Door’ secures Venice Film Festival’s Golden Lion award
The pro-euthanasia film The Room Next Door has clinched the prestigious Golden Lion award at the Venice Film Festival. The film, directed by Pedro Almodovar and starring Tilda Swinton and Julianne...
View ArticleGhosts, love and clichés galore: Five Bollywood horror flicks that embrace...
If you’re the type who thrives on cinema’s weirdest concoctions, where screams blend with laughter and terror meets hilarity, Bollywood has a treasure trove of horror flicks just for you. Here’s a...
View ArticleTrailer review: Lady Gaga, Joaquin Phoenix take ‘Joker: Folie à Deux’ to...
The first trailer for the much-anticipated Joker: Folie à Deux dropped recently, and let's just say, it’s the tease we didn’t know we needed. For those of us who were spellbound by Joaquin Phoenix's...
View ArticleReview: ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ is Marvel’s apology letter to its fans
Well, well, well, look who finally showed up to the MCU party fashionably late. It’s everyone’s favourite comic book duo Deadpool and Wolverine. After what felt like a decade of legal red tape and...
View ArticleFrom Tom Cruise to Lady Gaga: Hollywood A-listers fill Olympic stands
Hollywood is out in force at the Paris Olympics -- perhaps taking notes before the United States' turn to host with the next Games in 2028. Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman, Steven Spielberg, Lady Gaga --...
View ArticleWhy does Suhana Khan get the worst of the nepo baby debate and not Tiger Shroff?
In the showbiz industry, the term "nepo baby" has become synonymous with the offspring and family members of the rich and famous who conveniently slip into the limelight. These progenies, born with...
View Article'Deadpool & Wolverine' topples records in US theatres
Disney/Marvel superhero comedy Deadpool & Wolverine continued on a record-setting pace this weekend in North American theatres, clawing its way to an imposing $97 million in ticket sales, industry...
View ArticleAre Disney remakes as enchanting as the originals?
Once upon a time there was an apple-prone princess whose story launched a certain animation studio to greater heights (take, USD177 million heights in a present estimation) and altered the trajectory...
View ArticleCrooning like a bilious pigeon to waltzing at an embassy ball: 'My Fair Lady'...
Whisper the words ‘Audrey Hepburn’, and most people will instantly picture a black-clad gloved fashionista gazing back at them soulfully from underneath a marvellous beehive holding an extendable...
View Article25 years of Bebo: Bollywood's ultimate performer
With over 60 films to her name, Indian film-star Kareena Kapoor Khan officially hallmarks 25 years since her entry into the industry. The silver jubilee of the Bollywood supernova's career was...
View ArticleRanked: The Best Films at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival
Film festival season always brings out some of the most anticipated movies of the year, and after a quieter 2023 edition due to the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, the 2024 Toronto International Film...
View Article2WEI and the internet's growing obsession with trailer music
Have you ever gotten pumped up over a trailer that teased the culmination of your favourite cinematic franchise? Do you ever feel goosebumps while watching good trailers, though you rarely ever...
View ArticleReview: Spooked by clichés, ‘Stree 2’ is a nostalgic dive into Bollywood's...
On most fronts, Stree 2 has nothing new to offer. All its tropes from the reluctant hero down to the band of quirky friends who set off to save the town are decades past their peak. It’s demons parade...
View ArticleJoke's on me if Lady Gaga can save jukebox musical ‘Joker: Folie à Deux’
Praise be, the jukebox musical Joker: Folie à Deux is out at last in all its blazing glory. Joaquin Phoenix is back to spread more mischief and mayhem as the face-painted Arthur Fleck riddled with a...
View Article30 years of 'The Lion King': The circle of life that never ends
It’s hard to believe that 30 years ago, the glowing sun of the Serengeti rose above Pride Rock for the first time, but believe it you must. If you are part of the esteemed subset who saw The Lion King...
View ArticleFar beyond the edge of reason: Does ‘Bridget Jones 4’ serve any purpose?
Are you brave enough to peer down the bottomless pit of cash-grab sequels popping out of Hollywood? Then kick aside the detritus of Joker 2 and Inside Out 2 and make way for Mad About The Boy, also...
View ArticleWhen friends become family in fiction
Subplots take various shapes in fiction, with romance usually being a top contender in most media forms. Without an additional layer adding flavour to a film or show, the art piece is denied an...
View ArticleWitches enchanting their way into the 2000s
Something wicked this way comes. Literally. John M Chu's Wicked is slated for a November 22 release this year, and that is worth a celebration. The Broadway musical-based film is set to explore the...
View ArticleA Potterhead's plea: Ditch Lupin's moustache and make Sirius cool
It is a truth universally acknowledged that where there is a film version of a book, there will be a legion of contemptuous sneering fans hell-bent on seeking fault. With the film, that is. Never the...
View ArticleThree tortured, brooding period drama heroes to swoon over
Gather round, fellow cultured film fans, as we extoll the greatest virtue of period dramas: the brooding hero. If there is one thing you can count on a period drama to provide, it will be the...
View ArticleHalloween's costume picks that will never get old
The spooky season has reached its peak as the big day is finally here! The streets are overrun with creative costumes, but we all know that the preparation commences months in advance for some. A...
View Article3 Pakistani films for your low-effort karaoke needs
If you have an active and dedicated friend circle, you have probably experienced countless movie nights. By this point, you might be tired of merely watching films for the sake of it, so why not amp...
View ArticleWhen multi-industry talents took over the spotlight beyond borders
In a recent interview with Mashable India, Raees' director Rahul Dholakia put speculations to rest and clarified why he hired Mahira Khan as the female lead in his film. According to Rahul, the role...
View Article‘Venom: The Last Dance’ review: A hilariously chaotic goodbye to Marvel’s...
Marvel and Sony are odd bedfellows, and Venom: The Last Dance is the proof. Despite the fact that Venom hails from Marvel's pantheon of characters, this isn't a typical Marvel Cinematic Universe flick....
View Article‘Gladiator II’ review: Rome may have fallen, but this sequel stands tall -...
It is said that the Roman Empire crosses the mind of the average male at least once a day. Clearly, this is true for Ridley Scott, as he has returned with a sequel that not only honours its predecessor...
View ArticleBewitchingly fetching: Three of the wiliest, wildest witches you could ever meet
There is nothing like a juicy old-fashioned wicked witch to really spice things up. And by ‘juicy old-fashioned wicked’, I mean the type of individual powered exclusively by the glee that comes with...
View ArticleMystery of the missing music: Why Hollywood continues to shy away from...
If you thought that musicals were a niche market, one weekend of Wicked in all its pink and green glory will have trampled that tragic, misguided little notion to death one dollar at a time. Hundreds...
View ArticleOnscreen girl-dads that remind us just how far a father's love can go
When a father figure serves a prominent role in a narrative, you know you're signing up for a bucket of tears. It doesn't matter what kind of role it is, good or bad, the emotional ride is inevitable....
View ArticleYellow brick road to greatness
A lime-green witch cloaked in black. Sparkly ruby slippers. And a yellow brick road. If this dazzling series of images does not instantly tattoo the words 'The Wizard of Oz' inside your brain, you...
View ArticleWe need to talk about Kevin, Harry, and Marv: Adulting with 'Home Alone'
We are well and truly in the bull's eye of the festive season, meaning that if you are considering getting on a plane, it is time to leave a young blond boy in charge of your home to ward off a pair of...
View ArticleThe year in bodies: How women told their own stories in 2024
2024 was a strange year for women and their bodies. The Victoria's Secret fashion show, scrapped in 2019 over a lack of diversity, plummeting ratings, and mounting criticism, returned without fanfare —...
View Article2024: The year SRK became a feminist sweetheart and no one knows why
In one of the most iconic scenes from Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995), Shah Rukh Khan teeters on the edge of every woman’s worst nightmare. His character, Raj, finds himself locked in a train...
View ArticlePainting timeless portraits: Usman Riaz dissects 'The Glassworker', the...
When illustrating history with every indelible mark of the pen, an artist must prepare to live life out of a suitcase — though no one told Usman Riaz this when he joined the Oscar race. Riding high...
View ArticleReview: 'Captain America: Brave New World' flies high but falls short
Minutes after you settle in for a screening of Captain America: Brave New World, the Marvel Cinematic Universe doesn't welcome you back with yet another glorious rundown of its many superheroes....
View Article'Nadaaniyan' review: Khushi and Ibrahim remind us why some inherit fame but...
There is something indescribably fun about hating nepo babies. And not just any nepo babies. An unusually potent vitriol greets them when they appear on our screens. Unlike industrial and political...
View ArticlePakistani cinemas shutting down at an alarming rate
An estimated 40 per cent of screens across Pakistani cinemas have shut down since 2018. According to a document provided by exhibitor Nadeem Mandviwalla, 58 screens across 36 cinemas have been closed,...
View ArticleOne Eid, 16 films, and Pakistani cinema’s desperate attempt at survival
A record 16 films are being released this Eidul Fitr in Pakistani cinemas. Among them are six Pakistani films, two Hollywood, three Indian Punjabi films and four foreign horror films from several...
View ArticleFinding David Lynch
Life is funny. And absurd. On January 16, 2025, I premiered my debut feature film Indus Echoes at Cinepax Cinemas. The same night, around the same time, the filmmaker I considered my spiritual mentor,...
View ArticleDying for a living
Mickey Barnes (Robert Pattinson) wakes up as a "meat popsicle". Frozen stiff, vacuum-sealed, and utterly disposable, he's not even the first version of himself to see this bleak fate. This opening...
View ArticleNot so bad after all?
One of the most memorable moments in the film Joker (2019) is when Arthur Fleck, a man beaten down by society, commits an irreversible act of violence on live television. What should be a moment of...
View ArticlePride, prejudice and disaster
My fellow Jane Austen fans, you are going to need strength. This July, we will be coming up to the three-year anniversary of the carnage that Netflix deemed fit to tell us was Persuasion. If you have...
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