‘Bride Kidnapping’ Review: A Tough, Handsome, Scathing Indictment of a Barbaric Kyrgyz Custom

If you are going to do a so-called “hilarious” comedy dealing with cancer you better know how to do it. Unfortunately, writer/director Jennifer Cram, for her first feature film in those jobs, does not knock it out of the park.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter It’s Scorsese vs. Swift at the box office. Martin Scorsese’s star-studded crime epic “Killers of the Flower Moon,” this weekend’s only new nationwide release, is targeting $20 million to $30 million from its debut in 3,621 North American theaters.

Dennis Harvey Film Critic As if paying penance for starring in all five “After” films to date — a series that’s been criticized for glamorizing toxic, controlling relationships à la “Twilight” and “50 Shades” before it — Josephine Langford now dallies on the decidedly wholesome side of romantic complication in “The Other Zoey.” This innocuous comedy, hinging on a gimmicky plot contrivance, doesn’t transcend formula even when it’s winking at the clichés it caves to. Still, it’s a pleasant enough diversion for those who want familiar genre beats sounded by the usual attractive actors in the customary attractive settings.

David Benedict There’s a strong case for saying that the song “As If We Never Said Goodbye,” sung during Norma Desmond’s return to Paramount Studios in “Sunset Boulevard,” is Andrew Lloyd Webber’s finest dramatic moment since the chandelier first dropped in “The Phantom of the Opera.” It’s certainly his most richly persuasive song and the focal point of any production of “Sunset Boulevard.” With Nicole Scherzinger slammed into Jack Knowles’ fierce spotlight, the moment, as well as the character, most certainly arrives. Whether it is sustained is another matter. Like almost everything in director Jamie Lloyd’s arresting new production, the effect is undeniably theatrical.

An attempt at a Kramer vs. Kramer-style custody battle through the lens of a gay marriage, Our Son (★★☆☆☆) offers an interesting premise and a semi-notable cast, but not much more.The biggest obstacle is a script that more often than not sounds like a 1980s soap opera.

Married At First Sight bride Erica Roberts has cryptically addressed Luke Worley's axing from the show, after he punched her husband Jordan Gayle. Luke is said to have been removed from the show after a rather heated row led to him punching Jordan, in some dramatic scenes which are yet to be aired. Now Erica appears to have broken her silence over her husband's row, as she shared some photos of herself while out for some drinks.

A cafe has hit out at a customer who threatened staff after being charged £9 for extra slices of toast.

It’s easy to fall in love with Pennsylvania State Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta, the star of Timothy Harris’s Kenyatta: Do Not Wait Your Turn (★★★★☆, CRITIC’S PICK), a behind-the-scenes documentary chronicling some of the key moments from the Philadelphia Democrat’s 2022 U.S.

Jem Aswad Executive Editor, Music Of all the fallen stars of the rock era, Sly Stone is definitely in the top 5 who seemed least likely to be writing an autobiography at 80 years old. As the founder and guiding light of Sly and the Family Stone, he was one of the most brilliant stars of the Sixties, a charismatic and pioneering musician who not only fronted the first major multi-genre/ multi-racial/ multi-gender band, but whose songs addressed the turmoil and the spirit of the era and, initially anyway, landed on the side of positivity and self-empowerment: “Everybody Is a Star,” “You Can Make It If You Try,” “Everyday People,” “Stand!,” “I Want to Take You Higher.” He and the group were undisputed pioneers of funk, rock and soul music (and later became one of the most sampled artists in hip-hop history), and their electrifying performance at Woodstock turned them into one of the world’s biggest acts.

Young love is a well-trodden theme in LGBTQ cinema, but rarely is it depicted with such quiet assuredness as in this standout international feature.Norwegian Dream (★★★★★, CRITIC’S PICK) centers on 19-year-old Robert (a dazzling Hubert Milkowski), the latest Polish immigrant to land on the Norwegian island of Sotra and the newest worker at a fish factory already stuffed to the gills with Polish transplants.We’re offered little information as wide-eyed Robert is put into his uniform and assigned a mentor, Ivar (Karl Bekele Steinland), who gets him up to speed with the cutting and gutting.The film’s trajectory becomes clear when Robert’s Polish comrades, led by roommate Marek (Jakub Seirenberg), tease and make racist jokes about Ivar as he dances in the factory car park during a break.Robert hangs back, studying Ivar with barely concealed intrigue, a trend that continues into the group’s raucous night out after a long shift. Robert drinks and watches Ivar — a gaze that is returned when the alcohol takes over and Robert breaks out of his shell just enough to let loose on the dancefloor.You can probably guess where this is going, but don’t let the familiar “young love in a tough place” narrative fool you.

Plays Friday, Oct. 20, at 3 p.m. at The Eaton.The days of masks, distancing, and endlessly googling symptoms may be long gone for many, but not in Fábio Leal’s Follow the Protocol (★★★☆☆), set during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.The Brazilian filmmaker, who writes, directs, and stars as protagonist Francisco, opens on a familiar pandemic scene: the mind-numbing nothingness of being stuck indoors.

Steven J. Horowitz Senior Music Writer ESPN’s Custom NBA Music Strategy has partnered with Mike Will Made It to serve as its first-ever lead producer to curate music for the 2023-2024 NBA season. Along with collaboration, Mike Will and Ear Drummers/Giant Music have released “Different Breed” alongside Swae Lee and Latto.

An 'outstanding' East Kilbride care home worker has been shortlisted for a coveted national award.

Former Strictly Come Dancing pro James Jordan has taken aim at the BBC series, as he launched a scathing attack on the show's judges.The 45 year old pro dancer, who is married to Ola Jordan, also a dancer, has said that the reason he's never been asked to join the Strictly judging panel is because he's "not a puppet". Currently, the panel includes head judge Shirley Ballas, dancer Motsi Mabuse, former Strictly pro Anton Du Beke, as well as the notoriously hard-faced Craig Revel Horwood. But James, who left Strictly as a pro dancer in 2013, claims that the judges are "told what to say" by producers - and will often use their scores and comments to influence where stars land on the leaderboard.

Africa is one of the fastest growing continents on the planet so it’s no wonder that global streamers have viewed the vast territory as the last frontier of growth in recent years. A young population coupled with a growing middle class and increasing internet connectivity (albeit the latter very slowly) has seen companies like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Canal+ battle it out with more established local players such as MultiChoice’s SVoD platform Showmax.

Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp through the Cotton Patch (★★★★☆) is a complete con artist and long-winded orator. He’s got the best intentions.

The exploitation of the poor guy by corporations is a universal affliction. So is the desire to make art about it.

Foe (★★☆☆☆), director Garth Davis’ sterile adaptation of the 2018 sci-fi novel by Iain Reid. Davis and Reid co-wrote the film, which unfolds like a novel, allowing ample space to imagine the inner lives of its characters, though the filmmakers might have done more to realize the world beyond married couple Hen and Junior, and the tall, handsome stranger who shows up uninvited one day at their isolated Midwest farmhouse.The year is 2065, and, predictably, fresh water and habitable land are globally scarce.

The Age of Adz, when he sings, “I would say I love you/but saying it out loud is hard,” and after a pause, concludes, “So I won’t say it at all.”Echoes of that brief and arresting expression of yearning can be found throughout his body of work over the last decade, whether he is grieving an intense personal loss or marveling at the cosmos itself.Although that finely tuned evasiveness around his own desire has long characterized his music, on his latest release Javelin (★★★★☆) he seems ready to say the quiet parts out loud.Stevens’ songwriting has always been lyrical, evocative, and rich in metaphor, so it should be no surprise that he has again delivered a collection of beautifully written songs.What is notable about his writing in Javelin is how intense and personal it is, containing none of the artful detachment of A Beginner’s Mind nor the grandiosity of its predecessor, The Ascension. Instead, he bares his soul with the same open-hearted frankness he brought to 2015’s Carrie and Lowell, his meditation on his complicated grief for his mother.Unlike Carrie and Lowell, it would be difficult to make the case that Javelin is really “about” anything more than Stevens’ need to be seen and understood.

The Boys is one of Prime Video’s greatest series on its platform.So it makes sense that the Amazon corporate overlords would mine the original comic from Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson for some way to extend the brand.Gen V (★★★★☆), a show about America’s most prestigious superhero college, makes it clear through blood, insanity, and pitch-black humor that this is definitely a spin-off of The Boys.Following a dangerous awakening of her power to control blood, Marie (Jaz Sinclair) gets the opportunity to leave her orphanage for kids with powers for Goldolkin University, a major step forward in her goal to become the first black woman on The Seven.When she arrives, Marie meets her roommate, Emma (Lizze Broadway), who is also a famous YouTuber, Little Cricket, where she showcases her ability to shrink.Together, the two meet the school’s top ten students, including the superpowered Golden Boy (Patrick Schwarzenegger), his mind-controlling girlfriend Cate (Maddie Phillips), bi-gender Jordan (London Thor and Derek Luh), and Andre (Chance Perdomo), the magnetic son of a famous alumni.While Marie’s initial hopes seem fruitful, Gen V constantly reminds you that this is the world of The Boys, almost too much so. Every happy moment is bookended by an insane and usually violent moment of trauma with some zinger or depraved joke.

Thania Garcia “What’s next for Bad Bunny?” has become a polarizing question in the Puerto Rican artist’s fanbase this year. After releasing his culturally shifting record “Un Verano Sin Ti” in 2022, the Grammy award winner has had a magnifying glass pressed up to his career (more recently on his love life) and even more immediately on his newly released, surprise LP “Nadie Sabe Lo Que Va a Pasar Mañana” (“Nobody Knows What Will Happen Tomorrow.”) After spending most of last year on tour, Bunny proclaimed 2023 as his year of rest, emerging only to headline Coachella or to claim verses on Travis Scott’s and Drake’s new albums, but “Nadie” proves he’s had a plan all along — or at the very least, that he’s had a lot on his mind: One hour and 21 minutes’ worth of trap, reggaeton, drill and electronic beats represent his present and previous muses, while lyrically he appears more vulnerable than ever.

, I find myself in a bit of a conundrum. My hair is fine—making it easy for oil to accumulate at the root—but my actual strands are plentiful and dense. When I use dry shampoo, I usually have to spray a very generous amount (like, half the can) to really soak up all the dirt and oil.However, the problem with overspraying is that it usually leads to and a dirty, gritty feeling on my scalp.

Guy Lodge Film Critic Cinema has been a little duller for the eight-year absence of Tarsem Singh Dhandwar, the Indian-born auteur whose flamboyant formal style carried over from the music video realm into a distinctively sensuous strain of mainstream fantasy filmmaking — halted by the relative disappointment of 2015’s lackluster Ryan Reynolds vehicle “Self/less.” That makes Singh Dhandwar’s return with “Dear Jassi” something of an event, even before considering the film’s surprising expansion of his repertoire: Leaving behind Hollywood, genre cinema and his trademark maximalist mise-en-scène for his first film made in his homeland, the director keeps things simple but stately in this fact-based tale of young, star-crossed love in India’s Punjab region. The result is sometimes slack but incrementally powerful, marked by a palpable sense of renewed purpose on the part of its helmer.

Aldi customers have been warned that they could be being charged more than they expect due to an issue with self-checkout machines.

A "wonderful" and "excellent" hotel in the Outer Hebrides is currently available to book for half price, and it looks like an ideal staycation spot.

“Practical Magic” was released in theaters 25 years ago on October 16, 1998 — and Alice Hoffman can’t believe it either.The author, who brought the story of the Owens sisters to life in the 1995 novel of the same name, says it “feels like it was yesterday” that the film was being made.“I think the reason why is because it’s more popular every year,” she tells the Post. “It’s kind of become a cult movie. And I think it’s a movie that really matters to people.”“Practical Magic” was directed by Griffin Dunne, starring Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman as witch sisters Sally and Gillian Owens, respectively.

Katcy Stephan SPOILER ALERT: This review discusses minor plot details and gameplay elements from Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. We all know the adage: “With great power comes great responsibility.” But what happens when great power comes from a sentient alien symbiote with a murderous hive mind? That’s the central conceit of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, the latest entry in the wildly popular video game series from Insomniac Games. When players first reunite with Peter Parker (Yuri Lowenthal) and Miles Morales (Nadji Jeter), the game wastes no time in throwing them directly into action through an epic, larger-than-life battle with Sandman.

Married at First Sight UK will welcome another set of newlyweds on Monday night's show as blonde bombshell Adrienne Naylor will make her debut as she meets her new groom at the altar on the E4 reality show.

Holly Willoughby and her husband Dan Baldwin are reportedly facing their "toughest test yet as a couple" following her shocking exit from This Morning after 14 years of presenting the flagship breakfast programme on ITV.

Strictly Come Dancing professional Karen Hauer is said to be heartbroken after splitting from her second husband Jordan Wyn-Jones.

It was a bit of a jumpscare waking up this morning to frost and a freezing house after the initially warm autumn we'd been treated to, but the temperature drop is also quite a nice excuse to bring out all of our warm and cosy knits. If you're scheduling a wardrobe sort-through to put your skirts and dresses into hibernation, you might want to hold off because we have just the item that's going to allow you to wear them without risking hypothermia: M&S' 200 Denier Thermal Fleece Lined Tights, £8 here.These bargain tights have racked up nearly 300 5-star reviews on M&S' website, with many crediting them as the only reason they can wear skirts and dresses in the autumn/winter.

Hamilton hero Kyle MacDonald was delighted to teach hometown team East Kilbride a lesson - as he revealed his double was his first since high school.

In the five years they've been married, Prince Harry and Meghan have encountered numerous hurdles as a couple – but last week, it was clear they’re set to face their toughest challenge yet: the future safety and wellbeing of their children. The Duke and Duchess gave insight into their concerns as they marked World Mental Health Day during a visit to New York – their first time in the city since their “near catastrophic car chase” back in May.

Holly Willoughby ’s sensational resignation from This Morning sent shockwaves through the nation last week. The 42-year-old presenter broke the news on Tuesday in an emotional statement posted to Instagram, in which she said, “I have to make this decision for me and my family,” before telling ITV fans, “I will miss you all so much.” Now a source close to the Willoughby family exclusively told OK! that Holly’s looking at her exit from This Morning as an opportunity to strengthen her relationship with TV producer husband Dan Baldwin, despite this being the “toughest test” the couple have ever faced.

He wasn’t on the speakers’ list, but Percy Jackson & The Olympians creator Rick Riordan staged a surprise last-minute walk-on Sunday at New York Comic Con with his wife Becky Riordan.

Guy Lodge Film Critic Arriving just as Britain’s dire housing crisis is set to be a key campaign issue in next year’s long-awaited general election, “The Kitchen” offers a solemnly affecting look at what might happen if it’s left to fester. Zooming through a dystopian London in what seems the too-near future, this sharply accomplished feature directing debut from Kibwe Tavares and actor Daniel Kaluuya surprisingly eschews high-concept genre plotting to go with its elaborate sci-fi scene-setting, instead narrowing to an intimate, humane study of Black male bonding in a time of systemic social oppression.