Ryan Gilbey

Christine Vachon discusses more than 35 years producing unconventional American independent films through Killer Films, including Kids, Poison, Swoon and collaborations with Todd Haynes. She explains the company’s commitment to personal, provocative stories and emerging filmmakers, arguing that controversy can help under-represented audiences find themselves on screen. Vachon also reflects on gendered expectations surrounding her reputation for having a temper, the complexities of producer credits and the fallout from Joaquin Phoenix’s withdrawal from Haynes’s De Noche shortly before filming. Despite setbacks, the project resumed with Pedro Pascal replacing Phoenix.

Mark Rydell, the actor and director who died aged 97, was remembered for a career spanning performance, television and film. His direction of On Golden Pond earned him a Best Director Oscar nomination and brought acting Oscars to Henry Fonda and Katharine Hepburn, while The Rose and For the Boys helped Bette Midler secure major recognition. Trained alongside James Dean and Steve McQueen and later associated with the Actors Studio, Rydell also acted in films including The Long Goodbye, Havana and Hollywood Ending. His directing credits ranged from The Reivers and The Cowboys to The River, Crime of the Century and his final film, Even Money. He was survived by three children from two marriages.

Andrew Rannells discusses playing a personal assistant opposite Allison Janney in the comedy-drama Miss You, Love You, where he enjoyed being pushed beyond his usual high-energy persona. He reflects on his relationship with Tuc Watkins, his early voice-acting work, coming out to his parents, his father’s death, and the sexual assault he disclosed in his memoir. Rannells also considers Lena Dunham’s account of difficulties on Girls, acknowledging that he was not available enough as a friend while the show and his Broadway career were demanding his attention.

Bill Nighy discusses playing the abrasive novelist AN Dyer in the science-fiction-tinged film & Sons, rejecting the idea that artistic genius excuses bad behavior. He reflects on his early ambition to become a writer, an unsuccessful stint in Paris, and his eventual move into acting. The interview also covers his dislike of working lunches, Zoom calls and most emojis, his admiration for Steve McQueen and Prince, and the success of his podcast Ill-Advised, which is entering its third series and has more than 300,000 monthly listeners.

Dominic Sessa discusses playing a 19-year-old Anthony Bourdain in Tony, which depicts the future chef’s formative summer in 1975 Provincetown. Sessa describes Bourdain as rebellious and inspiring, identifies with the character’s insecurity and difficult transition into adulthood, and says the role encouraged him to take more risks in life and acting. He also reflects on his own New Jersey upbringing, boarding-school years, pandemic experience and growing attraction to the 1970s. The interview contrasts the film’s romanticized vision of harsh kitchen mentorship with contemporary concerns about workplace abuse, while positioning Tony as an important second turning point in Sessa’s rapidly developing career.

The Guardian ranks River Phoenix’s sixteen film roles, placing My Own Private Idaho first, followed by Running on Empty and Stand by Me. The selection emphasizes Phoenix’s emotional intensity, refusal to coast, and ability to bring complexity to troubled, idealistic or marginalized characters. The piece praises his work in Dogfight, The Mosquito Coast and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, while criticizing weaker or unfinished projects such as The Thing Called Love and Dark Blood. His early death in 1993 is presented as deepening the poignancy of performances that already conveyed vulnerability, alienation and moral conflict.

Chuck Russell, who died aged 74, is remembered as an inventive filmmaker who blended horror, comedy, practical effects and CGI. His transformation of The Mask from a horror script into a colorful comic spectacle made it a major hit and helped launch the careers of Cameron Diaz and Dwayne Johnson, while his films also showcased Patricia Arquette and Vanessa Williams. The obituary traces his work with Roger Corman and Frank Darabont, including A Nightmare on Elm Street 3, The Blob and later projects such as The Scorpion King, Junglee and Witchboard, as well as his late interest in generative-AI filmmaking through Neumorphic.

John Waters reflects on six decades of provocative filmmaking as Criterion rereleases Hairspray and Desperate Living. He discusses Hairspray’s transition into mainstream cinema, Desperate Living’s darker and angrier tone, his decision to stop using drugs after finding success, Divine’s lasting influence on drag, and his fascination with rats, roaches and novelty dances. Waters argues that his films follow a moral code of minding one’s own business and resisting judgment, racism and tyranny, and says humour is a more effective tool for social change than anger alone. He also criticizes Donald Trump and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. while explaining why his films make fun of subjects he likes rather than those he hates.

Louise Lasser, who died aged 87, became widely known for playing the overwhelmed Ohio housewife Mary Hartman in the satirical 1976–77 sitcom Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman. She was also prominent in several early Woody Allen films, including Bananas and Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex* (*But Were Afraid to Ask), and had an earlier Broadway and television career. Exhaustion, depression, family suicide, nervous breakdowns, ill health and a cocaine-possession arrest contributed to the uneven progress of her career, though she continued appearing in notable films and television series such as Happiness, Requiem for a Dream and Girls. She is survived by her partner, Michael Citriniti.

Ann Blyth, the Oscar-nominated American actress best known for playing the resentful Veda in Michael Curtiz’s 1945 film Mildred Pierce, has died aged 98. Her performance opposite Joan Crawford revealed a darker dramatic range than her earlier roles and earned her an Academy Award nomination. Born in Mount Kisco, New York, Blyth began performing on radio and stage as a child before signing with Universal Pictures. Her career was interrupted by a serious back injury after Mildred Pierce and the death of her mother, after which she largely returned to lighter musical and romantic roles, with occasional dramatic exceptions. Her final film was The Helen Morgan Story in 1957; she later worked in theatre and television, appearing on The Twilight Zone and Murder, She Wrote. She was married to obstetrician James McNulty and is survived by their five children.

Matt Johnson and Jay McCarrol discuss Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie, a time-travel comedy that combines Jackass-style stunts, hidden-camera humor and a Back to the Future-inspired plot. The film follows their fictional band as they travel from 2025 to 2008 to secure a gig at Toronto’s Rivoli, including an illegally staged skydiving attempt from the CN Tower. They describe the production as highly stressful and acknowledge that the original web series’ racist and homophobic jokes have aged poorly as cultural standards changed. While McCarrol concedes that some of their earlier material was wrong, Johnson remains more defensive, arguing that the characters’ taboo-breaking impulse still drives their comedy. The new film retains the duo’s taste for provocation while adopting a more restrained and inclusive tone.

Marc Isaacs and writer Adam Ganz discuss Synthetic Sincerity, a fictional documentary about an AI laboratory that harvests human emotions from films to create digital avatars. By deliberately blending scripted scenarios, real people and AI-generated imagery, the film questions documentary truth and authenticity while addressing the erasure of ordinary people, Uyghur displacement, Israel’s bombing of Lebanon and censorship in British universities. Isaacs criticizes celebrity-driven mainstream documentaries but rejects a purely dystopian view of AI, arguing that it may have worthwhile creative uses if filmmakers engage with the technology critically and imaginatively.

The ranking celebrates Kathleen Turner’s versatility, distinctive smoky voice and willingness to challenge her sexualized image after Body Heat. Crimes of Passion takes first place for its confrontational blend of erotic thriller, horror and social critique, followed by Body Heat and The Man With Two Brains. The selection also highlights her comic chemistry with Michael Douglas, her acclaimed work in Peggy Sue Got Married and Who Framed Roger Rabbit, and difficult professional relationships with figures including Burt Reynolds and Nicolas Cage.

Carmen Nasr’s stage adaptation of Babak Anvari’s film Under the Shadow follows Shideh, a former medical student raising her daughter in Tehran during the 1988 Iran-Iraq war. As air raids and religious repression intensify, the family fears that a malevolent djinn is haunting them. Nadia Latif’s production uses the spirit as both a genuine horror threat and a metaphor for Shideh’s internalized anger and oppression. Leila Farzad is singled out for a powerful performance, while the detailed set, sound and lighting build sustained tension and melancholy.

Tara Morice and Paul Mercurio recall making Strictly Ballroom, including its origins in Baz Luhrmann’s theatre work, the difficulty of securing funding and their unconventional casting as Fran and Scott. Morice describes developing Fran with Luhrmann and Craig Pearce, while Mercurio recounts moving from professional dancing into acting and using the film to challenge the idea that men should not dance. Both remember the film’s elaborate production, its enthusiastic Cannes reception and the worldwide attention that followed. They credit Strictly Ballroom with helping establish a bolder, more distinctive wave of Australian cinema and changing perceptions of Australian identity and masculinity.

A panel of Guardian critics, directors and film enthusiasts selects favorite Steven Spielberg films, praising his synthesis of New Hollywood experimentation and classical Hollywood spectacle. The selections span landmark blockbusters such as Jaws, Raiders of the Lost Ark, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial and Jurassic Park, as well as darker or more personal works including Minority Report, Schindler’s List, A.I. Artificial Intelligence and The Fabelmans. Contributors highlight Spielberg’s mastery of suspense, visual storytelling, audience emotion and actor direction, while also discussing his engagement with immigration, racism, antisemitism, the Holocaust and family trauma. The collection presents Spielberg as one of cinema’s defining popular auteurs, capable of combining commercial scale with emotional, political and artistic ambition.

Marcia Lucas, who has died of cancer aged 80, was an Oscar-winning film editor whose work on Star Wars, alongside Richard Chew and Paul Hirsch, helped shape the film's emotional impact and blockbuster success. Although often called the film's 'secret weapon' or the woman who saved it, she credited George Lucas's imagination while rejecting the idea that she alone supplied its heart. She also edited or contributed to major films including American Graffiti, Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore and Taxi Driver, and offered notes on Raiders of the Lost Ark. Her career was marked by a love of editing, frustration at being undervalued, and increasingly critical views of Star Wars' influence and later installments. She was survived by two daughters.

Andrew Durham and Sofia Coppola discuss Fairyland, Durham’s directorial debut adapted from Alysia Abbott’s memoir about growing up with her gay father, writer Steve Abbott, in 1970s San Francisco. Durham identifies closely with the story because his own father, Jerry, was gay, contracted HIV and died in 1992, and he drew on his experience caring for him when depicting AIDS-related illness, dementia and the early use of AZT. Coppola produced the film through Zoetrope, seeing it as part of her family’s tradition of supporting projects they believe in. Both filmmakers reflect on unconventional bohemian childhoods, homophobia and the importance of representing diverse families amid renewed prejudice toward LGBTQ+ people.