The China Mail - Culture

Featured

Julia Roberts looks to 'stir it up' with cancel culture film at Venice

Julia Roberts hopes to "stir it all up" for viewers of her new film about a university professor grappling with fraught US campus politics, as the Hollywood star made her debut at the Venice Film Festival on Friday.

Italy's Meloni slams photo sharing in lewd sites scandal

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Friday urged women to immediately report intimate photographs shared online without their consent, after it emerged that even the premier herself had been targeted.

Last news

Long-lost Klimt painting resurfaced in Austria

A late painting by Austrian artist Gustav Klimt has resurfaced in a private collection and will be sold in April, Viennese auction house Kinsky said Thursday.

'Fauda' actor wounded in Gaza vows return to Israel screen

An Israeli actor in the hit Netflix television series "Fauda" vowed Thursday to return to the screen after he was wounded while fighting Hamas militants in Gaza.

Russian woman jailed for record 27 years for killing anti-Ukraine blogger

A Russian court on Thursday sentenced a woman to a record 27 years in prison for blowing up an anti-Ukraine military blogger in what prosecutors say was a brazen killing ordered by Kyiv.

Japanese man sentenced to death in anime arson trial

A Japanese court on Thursday sentenced to death the perpetrator of a 2019 arson attack on an animation studio that killed 36 people, local media reported.

'We don't hit women': How Yakuza differs from GTA

The "Yakuza" gangster series has long been seen as a Japanese "Grand Theft Auto" but Masayoshi Yokoyama, one of the main designers of the hugely successful games, dismisses any such comparison.

Death sentence expected in Japan anime arson trial

A Japanese court found guilty on Thursday the perpetrator of a 2019 arson attack on an animation studio that killed 36 people, with a death sentence widely expected later in the day, local media reported.

Malaysia's Hindu devotees celebrate Thaipusam festival

Hundreds of thousands of Hindus celebrated the annual Thaipusam festival on Thursday, gathering in temples across Malaysia, with many displaying their devotion by piercing their bodies with hooks and skewers.

Tom Holland's 'Avengers' bonus sent to... actor Tom Hollander

British actor and "White Lotus" villain Tom Hollander often gets mistaken for "Spiderman" star Tom Holland, but occasionally it works in his favor -- like when he got the payslip for the other man's seven-figure film bonus.

Defendant convicted in Japan arson trial, sentencing later: media

A Japanese court found guilty on Thursday the perpetrator of a 2019 arson attack on an animation studio that killed 36 people, with sentencing expected later in the day, local media reported.

Aww, cute: new London show explores the world of the adorable

From cats and plushies to emojis, a new central London exhibition opening on Thursday is exploring the "irresistible force" of "cuteness".

Actor Tom Hollander got Tom Holland's 'Avengers' bonus

British actor and "White Lotus" villain Tom Hollander often gets mistaken for "Spiderman" star Tom Holland, but occasionally it works in his favour -- like when he got the other man's seven-figure film bonus.

Possible death sentence due in Japan anime arson trial

A Japanese man who admitted to starting a fire that killed 36 people at an animation studio in 2019 faces a possible death sentence on Thursday when a court delivers its verdict.

French dance music duo Justice returns

French dance music duo Justice made its comeback on Wednesday, releasing first new tracks in eight years ahead of upcoming album "Hyperdrama".

'Literally the plot of the movie': Fans outraged by Barbie snubs

The announcement of Oscar nominations always generates a bit of buzz, with fans weighing in on which movies and which actors deserved recognition and didn't get it.

Britain's Posy Simmonds wins top prize at Angouleme comics fest

Britain's Posy Simmonds on Wednesday won the Grand Prix at the Angouleme comics festival in France, considered the world's most prestigious awards for graphic novelists.

Vietnam's incense village turns into Instagram hotspot

In a tiny village in northern Vietnam, Dang Thi Hoa ties up a bundle of freshly dried incense sticks ahead of Lunar New Year and watches a line of tourists waiting to pose for pictures.

AI audience row at Sundance sparks walkout, highlights division

An audience member was ejected from a Sundance festival event Tuesday in a spat over artificial intelligence, triggering a walkout that illustrates the divisions the technology has rapidly wrought in the film industry.

Netflix subscribers jump despite price hikes

Netflix subscription numbers rocketed more than 13 million in the final three months of last year, the company said on Tuesday, despite price hikes at the leading streaming service.

LA Times slashes a fifth of its newsroom jobs

The Los Angeles Times announced Tuesday it is laying off more than a fifth of its journalists, as yet another once-storied US paper fell victim to the disruptions of the internet age.

Oscar-nominated '20 days in Mariupol': from normality to ruins

Laying out the horrors of the early days of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, documentary "20 days in Mariupol" was on Tuesday nominated for an Oscar.

Will Ferrell hits the road with trans friend in Sundance documentary

Will Ferrell taking a road trip across the United States with his buddy might sound like stock comedy fare, but the "Anchorman" star's latest project is an emotional documentary about gender transition.

Abandoned Singapore mall becomes unlikely art haven

In Singapore, where graffiti is banned, young creatives have taken over an abandoned mall, spray painting colourful murals and holding art workshops to bring the space back to life.

As France woos India, its ex-colony recalls the past

Seventy years after France quit once hard-fought for territories seized from India, the dwindling influence of Paris on the bustling streets of Puducherry is still reflected in language, architecture and cuisine.

'Barbenheimer' expected to lead the way at Oscar nominations

The film world will learn Tuesday who is in the running for this year's Oscars, with box office blockbusters "Oppenheimer" and "Barbie" expected to top the nominations list.

'Heat of the Night,' 'Moonstruck' director Norman Jewison dead at 97

Norman Jewison, the Oscar-nominated director of "In the Heat of the Night" and "Moonstruck" has died at the age of 97, his publicist said Monday.

Imane Ayissi brings African tradition to Paris couture

Imane Ayissi is on a mission to put authentic African textiles in the spotlight but faces an uphill battle as a pioneer African couturier at Paris Fashion Week.

Musk visits Auschwitz and will address anti-Semitism online in Poland

Elon Musk visited Auschwitz and was due to address anti-Semitism online at an event in Poland on Monday just weeks after sparking a firestorm by endorsing a anti-Jewish conspiracy theory on his social media platform X.

'Mean Girls' fetches top spot at N.America box office

The Plastics rule North Shore High once again in Paramount's musical remake of "Mean Girls," which won most popular at the North American box office for the second weekend in a row, industry watcher Exhibitor Relations reported Sunday.

Eisenberg sells 'dream' film as Sasquatch saga prompts Sundance walkouts

Jesse Eisenberg sold his whip-smart road trip movie to Disney for a reported $10 million Sunday -- as his second film at the Sundance festival, a bizarre scatological tale about Sasquatches, caused audience walkouts.

AI and death: Sundance films grapple with our digital afterlife

Artificial intelligence promises to make death "optional," as the technology learns to perfectly emulate our personalities, memories and dreams, keeping a version of ourselves alive long after our physical bodies have perished.

Anti-Israel protest at Italy jewellery fair turns violent

Protesters clashed with police in the Italian city of Vicenza on Saturday after a demonstration against the presence of Israeli exhibitors at an international jewellery fair.

Saoirse Ronan explores 'ugliness' of addiction with Sundance film 'The Outrun'

"The Outrun," a memoir about recovery, has sold well over 100,000 copies in the United Kingdom alone, becoming a lifeline to countless readers battling with alcoholism.

The China Mail - Culture (English)