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‘Parasite’ star returns to silver screen as elite cop

The actor said his character, Min-jae, is a wary and determined rookie police officer who works undercover as part of a secret anti-corruption campaign…reports Asian Lite News.

‘Parasite’ star Choi Woo-shik will return to the silver screen as an elite police officer in the upcoming crime action film ‘The Policeman’s Lineage’, more than two years after the release of the Oscar-winning masterpiece.

The new movie, a Korean adaptation of the namesake Japanese novel, follows two different policemen, Kang-yoon (Cho Jin-woong) and Min-jae (Choi), who cooperate on a huge crime case that would shake the police organisation, Yonhap News Agency reports.

“Many people liked me in ‘Parasite’, but I wanted to show a stronger character in my next project,” Choi said in an interaction with the media that was streamed online. “I underwent many stunt scenes, as my character acts first before he speaks.”

It is the first film project for Choi since ‘Parasite’ (2019), in which he portrayed a wily and quick-witted 20-something son, as the release of ‘The Policeman’ was put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The actor said his character, Min-jae, is a wary and determined rookie police officer who works undercover as part of a secret anti-corruption campaign.

He is assigned to gather information on corrupt dealings led by Kang-yoon, who is unrivalled in the number of arrests he has made, but doesn’t mind using illegal methods to nab criminals.

“Min-jae is a man of principles. He believes the end cannot justify the means,” Choi said. “So he doubts every action and the intention of Kang-yoon during their joint project.”

Lead actor Cho gave a thumbs-up to Choi, who first looks soft and tender because of his appearance and previous roles in ‘Parasite’ and the megahit zombie thriller ‘Train to Busan’ (2016).

“I thought he was gentle. But when the camera was on, he showed his charisma,” said the 45-year-old actor. “I made some mistakes just because I wanted to have one more take with Choi.”

Director Lee Kyoo-man said he wants to depict the beliefs and values of police officers who deal with a number of criminal cases every day in his fifth feature following the crime thriller ‘Children’ (2011).

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Roger Michell’s last film to hit theatres in 2022

Kempton then sent ransom notes where he stated that he would return the painting on the condition of free television services to the elderly, provided by the government…reports Asian Lite News.

‘The Duke’, the final film from British filmmaker Roger Michell, will arrive in theatres on March 25, 2022.

The film, which stars Jim Broadbent and Helen Mirren, is currently in exhibition at the Laemmle Royal in Los Angeles.

The film, with screenplay by Richard Bean and Clive Coleman, will open in theatres in New York and Los Angeles before expanding to other territories in the following weeks, reports Deadline.

Set in 1961, ‘The Duke’ is inspired by true events and it tells the story of Kempton Bunton, a 60-year old taxi driver, who stole the portrait of the Duke of Wellington painted by Spanish artist, Francisco Goya, from the National Gallery in London, making it the only case of theft in the Gallery’s history.

Kempton then sent ransom notes where he stated that he would return the painting on the condition of free television services to the elderly, provided by the government.

The film is produced by Nicky Bentham and with Cameron McCracken, Jenny Borgars, Andrea Scarso, Hugo Heppell, Peter Scarf, and Christopher Bunton serving as executive producers.

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Adam McKay: Few drafts of ‘Don’t Look Up’ weren’t comedic

He added that then over the course of the next few weeks, this great little analogy kept popping up in all his conversations, including one with David Sirota, a journalist he has known for years…reports Asian Lite News.

Filmmaker Adam McKay, who is gearing up for the release of his satirical science fiction comedy ‘Don’t Look Up’, says a few drafts of the movie weren’t comedic to start with.

Talking about the film, McKay said: “Surprisingly, the first few drafts of ‘Don’t Look Up’ weren’t comedic! I played with the idea at first of making a straightforward drama or a small, intimate character study, but at a certain point I knew I needed to make a comedy, because I felt like after these last few years, we really, really needed to laugh.”

He added: “I’d say the one thing that comedy has to have in order to work in the way you describe is – you need some kind of distance and perspective. You can’t laugh about a monkey if you’re currently being attacked by one, right? But back up 300 feet and watch a monkey behave for a while and you’re probably going to laugh or smile.

“So, in writing this movie, and eventually making it after a pause, there was this sense of everyone collectively exhaling in relief that we could finally laugh after the insanity of the last 2 (or 20) years.”

Sharing his inspiration for the film, the filmmaker said that for a funny movie, the origins are pretty serious.

“I read a book in 2019 called ‘The Uninhabitable Earth’ that I couldn’t get out of my head. It depicts the ways in which global warming will wreak havoc on the planet if nothing is done to combat the climate crisis. And, it all boiled down to this idea I just couldn’t shake: We all know how to react when there is a killer with an ax, or when your house is on fire, but what the author David Wallace-Wells was writing about was a million times worse.”

“How do we get people to realise this is a clear and present danger? How close does that danger have to be for us to have the proper response? I felt like I needed to write this script.”

He added that then over the course of the next few weeks, this great little analogy kept popping up in all his conversations, including one with David Sirota, a journalist he has known for years.

“It’s like a comet is going to hit Earth and no one cares. And at one point, I said, ‘That’s it. That’s the movie.’ Sometimes it’s as simple as that. I knew the movie needed to be laugh-out-loud funny, not just clever or wry, so, I turned to the all-time greats. Comedies like ‘Office Space’ and ‘Idiocracy’ that really capture the way we live in the modern world. (Both of those Mike Judge films were north stars for me.)

“But also movies like ‘Dr Strangelove’, ‘Network’, and ‘Wag the Dog’. I’ve always been intrigued with the idea of finding a way to encapsulate these giant looming threats that we’re faced with in this world, but to show it in a way that has a bit of fun with it.”

Netflix’s upcoming satirical science fiction black comedy ‘Don’t Look Up’ tells the story of two low-level astronomers, who must go on a giant media tour to warn mankind of an approaching comet that will destroy earth.

The film features a stellar cast of Jennifer Lawrence, Leonardo DiCaprio, Meryl Streep, Jonah Hill and Timothee Chalamet. It will start streaming on Netflix on December 24.

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Steven Spielberg: ‘West Side Story’ is the most daunting work

“This film is probably the most daunting of my career. ‘West Side Story’ is arguably the greatest score ever written in the theatre, and that’s not lost on any of us,” Spielberg said…reports Asian Lite News.

Acclaimed Hollywood filmmaker Steven Spielberg says the film adaptation of the musical ‘West Side Story’ is the most daunting work of his career.

From a screenplay by Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winner Tony Kushner, ‘West Side Story’ tells the classic tale of fierce rivalries and young love in 1957 New York City.

Bringing together the best of both Broadway and Hollywood, Spielberg reveals how he felt directing the film.

“This film is probably the most daunting of my career. ‘West Side Story’ is arguably the greatest score ever written in the theatre, and that’s not lost on any of us,” Spielberg said.

“It’s very intimidating to take a masterpiece and make it through different eyes and different sensibilities without compromising the integrity of what is generally considered the greatest music ever written for the theatre.”

Speilberg added: “But I believe that great stories should be told over and over again, in part to reflect different perspectives and moments in me into the work.”

The film stars Ansel Elgort, Rachel Zegler, Ariana DeBose, David Alvarez, Mike Faist, Josh Andres Rivera, Ana Isabelle, Corey Stoll, Brian d’Arcy James and Rita Moreno.

Speilberg said: “What is so wonderful about this story is that, no matter how much the world around us changes, the lessons and insights it offers us do not.”

“It’s a story that has captivated audiences for decades because it is not just a love story but also a culturally significant work with a central premise – that love transcends prejudice and intolerance – that hasn’t lost its relevance over me. ‘West Side Story’ means so much to so many, and I’m thrilled to have this chance to give it new life and share it with a new audience.”

From 20th Century Studios, Disney India will release ‘West Side Story’ on December 10.

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Barbados hails singer Rihanna as ‘national hero’

She added: “On behalf of a grateful nation, but an even prouder people, we therefore present to you, the designee, for the national hero of Barbados.”…reports Asian Lite News.

Singer Rihanna was honoured by Prime Minister Mia Mottley at an event that marked Barbados’s new status as a republic, which was attended by Prince Charles.

Addressing the pop star by her real name, the PM said: “Robyn Rihanna Fenty tomorrow morning shall have conferred upon her the order of national hero of Barbados.”

Rihanna was then summoned from her seat to accept the honour, with the Prime Minister managing to rouse a laugh from the singer when she referenced her 2012 hit ‘Diamonds’, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

She added: “On behalf of a grateful nation, but an even prouder people, we therefore present to you, the designee, for the national hero of Barbados.”

“And to accept on behalf of a grateful nation – you can come my dear – ambassador Robyn Rihanna Fenty, may you continue to shine like a diamond and bring honour to your nation.”

Rihanna, who was born in the St Michael parish of Barbados, found fame in 2005 after being spotted by a record producer and has since gone on to become one of the most successful female artists of all time with sales of over 250 million and recently reached billionaire status through her Fenty beauty brand.

The Prime Minister continued in her speech: “Commanding the imagination of the world through the pursuit of excellence, her creativity, her discipline, and above all else, her extraordinary commitment to the land of her birth.

“Having satisfied that, Ambassador Robyn Rihanna Fenty has given service to Barbados which has been exemplified by visionary and pioneering leadership, extraordinary achievement and the attaining of the highest excellence to the Government of Barbados.”

It comes after a historic move for Barbados, which has become a republic after almost 400 years and welcomes its first president, Sandra Mason, after removing Queen Elizabeth as head of state.

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Helen Mirren would sort herself into Slytherin


The Oscar-winning actress Mirren said that the show was a lot of “hard work”, she was also amazed at the Potter passion still held by many…reports Asian Lite News.

Veteran star Helen Mirren, who is set to host the upcoming series ‘Harry Potter: Hogwarts Tournament of Houses’, feels she would have to choose the green-themed house Slytherin in the magical school of Hogwarts.

She said: “If I had to choose, I’d probably choose Slytherin, because there’s a punkishness about Slytherin that appeals to me. You know, the bad boys on the motorbikes kind of thing.”

In the best-selling book series by noted author J.K Rowling and its spin-off film franchise starring Daniel Radcliffe, the Slytherin house is full of darker wizards including the Malfoy family, Bellatrix Lestrange and the infamous Lord Voldemort.

Mirren’s admissions come as she is fronting the four-part competition for Cartoon Network which will see players compete in teams of three for their respective Hogwarts Houses – whether that be Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw or Slytherin.

Each house will then battle it out to answer questions on the beloved series in a bid to win a trip to the ‘Wizarding World’ theme park locations in New York and Orlando, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

The Oscar-winning actress Mirren said that the show was a lot of “hard work”, she was also amazed at the Potter passion still held by many.

She told PEOPLE: “Gosh, it’s hard work. “It’s really hard work! What these people do, it’s not a picnic. But I have to say, I had such fun. I loved it. It was exhausting. At the end of each day, I just fell into bed completely exhausted. But it was enormous fun.

“I had no realization of how profound and widespread the absolute engagement with these stories is all across the world, all across races, across genders, across ages. People really, really have engaged with these stories and I find that, in and of itself, a very beautiful story.”

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Adele’s ’30’ becomes best seller of 2021

These two superstars are generally regarded as the last two who are guaranteed to sell massive amounts of physical product — CDs as well as the more in-vogue vinyl versions…reports Asian Lite News.

Grammy winning-singer Adele’s ’30’ enjoyed the biggest opening numbers of any blockbuster album in 2021, as expected, with 839,000 album-equivalent units, according to an announcement by Billboard Sunday night.

Her big premiere beats the previous mark set by Drake’s ‘Certifiable Lover Boy’ when it bowed with 613,000 back in September, reports variety.com.

It also comes in ahead of Taylor Swift’s ‘Red (Taylor’s Version)’, which just a week ago had the second-biggest debut of the year, with 905,000 album units, and now is bumped to the third most sizable of 2021.

The biggest part of Adele’s tally came in full-album sales, as was true of Swift’s massive debut last week.

These two superstars are generally regarded as the last two who are guaranteed to sell massive amounts of physical product — CDs as well as the more in-vogue vinyl versions.

’30’ racked up a staggering 692,000 in actual album sales, by far the most for any release this year.

’30’ was no slouch in the streaming world either, registering 185 million on-demand streams during its first week out, according to Billboard.

Although vinyl sales can outdo CD sales for many artists nowadays, Adele fans were attracted first and foremost to the compact disc, so Swift’s ‘Red (Taylor’s Version)’ still holds the record for the most LPs sold in a week.

Adele’s album sales amounted to 378,000 as CDs and 108,000 in the vinyl format.

Digital album sales came in between those two formats, with 205,000 downloads sold. A cassette version sold exclusively in the artist’s web store sold just under 2,000 to serious completists.

The numbers are indisputably huge by today’s standards, although the unit figure doesn’t come close to matching what Adele’s previous album, ’25’, did when it came out six years ago. In the land of 2015, a very different time for physical sales and mind-boggling album numbers, ’25’ debuted with 3.38 million copies, still an all-time record.

With Adele’s album having been released just a week before Black Friday promotions that saw Adele racks being positioned at the front of Target stores, she’s due for another big sales number next week, and a likely stronghold on the No, 1 position for the remainder of 2021, with no other superstar releases currently scheduled to come out.

The other debut in Billboard’s top 10 was aRaising the Roof’, Robert Plant and Alison Krauss’ first joint album in 14 years. It came in at No. 7 with 40,000 album units.

As with Adele, Plant and Krauss have a mature audience that primarily wants to own the new record and not stream it. Of that 40K figure, 38,000 were full album sales.

Among holdovers, ‘Red (Taylor’s Version)’ was not surprisingly the biggest returning album, slipping to No. 2 with 159,000 album-equivalent units in week two.

Drake’s album moved up a couple of spots to No. 3, Silk Sonic’s collaborative debut fell two spots to No. 4, Morgan Wallen’s ‘Dangerous: The Double Album’ moved up one notch to No. 5, and Summer Walker’s “Still Over It” fell a couple spots to No. 6 in its third week.

Olivia Rodrigo’s ‘Sour’ moved back into the top 10 at No. 8. Michael Buble’s ‘Christmas’, which just got a re-release with new bonus tracks, became the first holiday album to bump its way into the upper ranks this year, landing at No. 9.

The Weeknd’s greatest-hits collection, ‘The Highlights’, which had been out since almost the beginning of the year as a digital-only release, but got a big chart rebound from finally coming out on vinyl.

Billboard said 91 per cent of the sales for the Weeknd’s hits set this week in the LP format.

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Brian Cox makes directorial debut on Glenrothan

The project was created by acclaimed Scottish actor and writer David Ashton and co-written with award-winning screenwriter Jeff Murphy…reports Asian Lite News.

The Emmy, Golden Globe and Olivier Award-winning star Brian Cox, known for playing media baron Logan Roy in ‘Succession’, is making his directorial debut with the film with ‘Glenrothan’.

The project is being co-developed by Lionsgate and London-based ‘Keeping Faith’ producer Nevision.

The Scottish actor will also star in the film, which is billed as a ‘love letter to Scotland’. The project marks the second time Cox is going behind the camera: He previously directed an episode of series ‘Oz’ in 2000, reports variety.com.

‘Glenrothan’ is set in a distillery town in the Scottish Highlands, and tells the story of two estranged brothers reuniting in the land of their birth. The last time they spoke was on the day of their mother’s funeral when, following a violent exchange with their father, the younger of the two left their Highland home for America.

Forty years later, the brothers finally reunite, back on Scottish soil and in the village that houses the family business – the Glenrothan Distillery.

The film’s setting is likely inspired by Scotland’s Glenrothes distillery, which was founded in 1879 and is best known for its single malt Scotch whiskey.

The project was created by acclaimed Scottish actor and writer David Ashton and co-written with award-winning screenwriter Jeff Murphy.

“‘Glenrothan’ is my homage to the elements that make Scotland such an extraordinary country, where vibrancy and majesty of the land is expressed through passion and desire – balanced by the Scot’s deep-rooted humor and grasp of the absurd,” said Cox.

“I want to make a film which combines all the elements, to show my own deep love for the homeland.”

Much like his ‘Succession’ character Logan Roy, Cox was also born in Dundee, Scotland. He won a Golden Globe for his portrayal of the cantankerous family patriarch in 2020.

The actor has appeared regularly in film and television since 1965. His feature film debut was 1971’s ‘Nicholas and Alexandra’ and he played Dr. Hannibal Lecktor in 1986’s ‘Manhunter’.

He shot to stardom in the mid-1990s thanks to roles in ‘Rob Roy’ and ‘Braveheart’, and his film credits include ‘The Bourne Identity’, ‘The Ring’, ‘X-Men 2’, ‘Troy’, ‘The Bourne Supremacy’, ‘Zodiac’, ‘Rise of the Planet of the Apes’ and ‘Churchill’.

In television, Cox won an Emmy Award and received a Golden Globe nomination in 2001 for his portrayal of Hermann G�ring in ‘Nuremberg’ and he received a further Emmy nomination in 2002 for his guest role on ‘Frasier’.

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British Indian actress grabs attention in ‘Red Notice’

Arya reprises the role of Interpol’s Inspector Urvashi Das, forever in hot pursuit of the Dwayne Johnson, Gal Gadot and Ryan Reynolds characters in the Netflix comic-action drama ‘Red Notice’…reports Asian Lite News.

After the generation of Meera Syal and Parminder Nagra, and the now-famous Archie Panjabi and Simone Ashley aka Kate Sharma of ‘Bridgerton 2’, Ritu Arya is the newest British Indian actress to get the world’s attention.

Arya reprises the role of Interpol’s Inspector Urvashi Das, forever in hot pursuit of the Dwayne Johnson, Gal Gadot and Ryan Reynolds characters in the Netflix comic-action drama ‘Red Notice’.

She rose to prominence back home with her recurring role as Dr Megan Sharma in the hugely popular British soap opera ‘Doctors’, which even earned her, back in 2014, a British Soap Awards nomination.

The actress starred alongside Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman as a character named Gail in the episode titled ‘The Sign of Three’ of ‘Sherlock’, the series that recasts the Sherlock Holmes mysteries and places them in contemporary settings.

Her performance as Flash in the sci-fi television series ‘Humans’ brought her further recognition. Post ‘Humans’, she was cast in smaller roles in Paul Feig’s ‘Last Christmas’, co-written by Emma Thompson and starring Emilia Ashley, Henry Golding and Michelle Yeoh, and in the ‘Fugitive of the Judoon’ episode of the long-running British sci-fi series ‘Doctor Who’.

It was in 2016 when life changed for the actor, as her work in the Netflix original ‘The Umbrella Academy’ changed her career trajectory. Her performance as Lila Pitts in the series is considered to be her breakthrough role. She thereafter starred in the British mystery thriller ‘The Stranger’, the comedy drama ‘Feel Good’ and then in ‘Doctor Who’, which is one of the longest running shows in British television history.

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Kristen Stewart wants to be part of 007 movie

Stewart recently confessed that she thinks that she has only made five “really good” films, despite having starred in dozens of projects…reports Asian Lite News.

Actress Kristen Stewart has revealed that she would love to star in a 007 movie and suggested that she could combine the roles of Bond girl and Bond villain.

Stewart told the Daily Mail newspaper’s Baz Bamigboye column: “I would do a Bond movie, oh yeah! (I would play) the Bond girl who is the bad girl… who is the villain! I could play both parts. I haven’t done a baddie, yet.

“I do like playing the good guy… but maybe I need to cross to the other side.”

Stewart explained that she enjoyed the latest Bond movie as it stars her friend Lea Seydoux – who she has worked with on the upcoming horror flick ‘Crimes of the Future’ as 007’s love interest Madeleine Swann, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

The 31-year-old actress said: “Lea is one of the coolest people I’ve ever met.”

Meanwhile, Stewart recently confessed that she thinks that she has only made five “really good” films, despite having starred in dozens of projects.

The ‘Twilight’ star said: “It’s a total c***shoot. I’ve probably made five really good films, out of 45 or 50 films? Ones that I go, ‘Wow, that person made a top-to-bottom beautiful piece of work’.”

She also said that there has been some films where she knew during filming that they were not going to be very good.

“I’ve only regretted saying yes to a couple of films and not because of the result, but because it wasn’t fun. The worst is when you’re in the middle of something and know that not only is it probably going to be a bad movie, but we’re all bracing until the end.”

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