Category: 5. Entertainment

He’s back, baby! Dan Brown’s first novel in nearly a decade reunites readers with the world’s only professor of symbology, Robert Langdon – a man whose most distinctive quality of character is teaming a loafer-and-turtleneck combo with a Mickey Mouse wristwatch. Do we learn more about Langdon? Not much. He is still so world-renowned that, as doesn’t happen for most academics, fancy hotels monogram his slippers for him. His password for most things is Dolphin123, because he’s good at swimming. He is too old-fashioned to like texting or videogames, and just a little prudish. He has never seen When Harry Met Sally, but has “heard about the famous ‘sex scene’”.

At this stage, everything that needs to be said about Brown’s sentence-by-sentence ineptitude as a prose writer has been said. Fear not: he’s still hopeless. It may be counted as a metafictional joke that in a novel where a favoured adjective like “elegant” can appear in two consecutive sentences, where bells are said to “blare”, and where we’re asked to parse “The elevator doors rumbled open, and Langdon felt an instantaneous surge of relief to see open air, but that emotion was instantly dampened by disappointment”, both the dedicatee and a minor protagonist are editors at Penguin Random House.

The interesting question to ask about him is not what Brown is doing wrong as a writer, but what he is doing right. Because he’s doing something right. Chiefly, he puts the “um” into harum-scarum. Here’s a plot that starts thick and gets thicker. Every few pages brings a cliffhanger, introduced by a fusillade of dot-dot-dots or a wide-eyed run of italics. The opening sentences describe a dead woman’s spirit floating above Prague (“With her eyes, if she still had eyes, she traced the gentle slope of Castle Hill down into the heart of the Bohemian capital”). A few pages later we discover that Langdon’s new girlfriend – she’s a noeticist – has made a discovery about the nature of consciousness that will upend everything we know about the universe.

Before you know it Langdon himself is subject to arrest or worse by the Czech secret police for the somewhat bathetic crime of setting off a hotel fire alarm and then jumping, some will think foolishly, into a freezing river. Meanwhile there’s someone who thinks they are an actual golem – complete with clumpy boots, dramatic black cloak and clay-covered noggin – wandering around the place bumping people off. There’s even a well-appointed secret underground laboratory with an honest-to-goodness monorail.

And as usual, there’s a highfalutin MacGuffin – this time, it’s the consciousness thing; is death really the end? – and powerful and sinister entities trying to keep a lid on it. (A slight weakness, I should say, is that the main villain is a very dull figure – no murderous albino monks or tattooed lunatics this time.) Someone is hellbent on destroying the love interest’s soon-to-be-published book (servers are hacked, printed manuscripts are snaffled), and the oh-my-god-this-changes-everything moments are endearingly larded with gobbledegook: “triadic dimensional vortical paradigm”; “benzimidazobenzophenanthroline”; “I suggested modifying conductance by adding three millimolars of glutamine to the electrolyte solution – and that’s exactly what they are doing!”

The odd thing is that Brown’s love of digressions and flashbacks and Wikipedia-style infodumps (we learn of Prague that “mysterious Jewish writer Franz Kafka was born and worked here, penning his darkly surreal The Metamorphosis”, and that the US embassy was “built in 1656 by a one-legged count” and now “housed 23 onsite personnel tasked with working on behalf of US interests in the region”) doesn’t really interrupt the pace. Someone’s forever being shot at, bundled into the back of a van, double-crossed, or cracking a code in the nick of time. And if we discover along the way that Langdon wears Vanquisher swimming goggles or that the coffee machine in PRH’s children’s division is “a Franke A1000 with FoamMaster technology”, that’s all gravy.

This is, in other words, a Dan Brown novel. It’s weapons-grade bollocks from beginning to end, none of it makes a lick of sense, and you’ll roar through it with entire enjoyment if you like this sort of thing. Welcome back, big fella.

It seems like Steven Soderbergh might have developed a late case of anglophilia, the retirement-teasing director situating himself in London for three films within the last two years. The first was a needless, throwaway Magic Mike sequel, but then this spring he gave us the delicious spy caper Black Bag, a juicy riff on both John le Carré and Agatha Christie that dared to imagine a monogamous and supportive marriage as the epitome of sexiness. Unlike Woody Allen, who cursed us with a string of London-set clunkers after Match Point (Cassandra’s Dream, a film that cast Colin Farrell and Ewan McGregor as cockney brothers, easily the most heinous), Soderbergh seems to be sticking around for reasons other than a nice holiday, his second offering of 2025 also feeling notable. It’s a quieter project than his last, a delicate two-hander closer to an intimate stage play, but it finds him playing in yet another unexpected part of the sandpit, a director thrillingly seeking new challenges.

Like that film, it seems inspired more by storytelling than simple technique (unlike the fantastic Covid-set surveillance thriller Kimi or the hard-to-love ghost story Presence) and again he’s reunited with a screenwriter he’s previously worked with before. Like the frequent Soderbergh collaborator and Jurassic Park scribe David Koepp, writer Ed Solomon has also mastered the art of taking a blockbuster cheque. His credits include Charlie’s Angels, Men in Black, Super Mario Bros and, more recently, the Now You See Me movies, but his first film with Soderbergh was 2021’s ensemble crime drama No Sudden Move, and he’s brought another smaller, more character-driven story his way. The Christophers is a talky, at times incredibly funny, comedy drama with plot reversals that make it feel like it’s on the verge of a thriller. It doesn’t end up there, at least not strictly, but it’s unpredictable enough to never make us entirely sure just where it’s heading.

A bit like Soderbergh himself who keeps finding new ways to surprise us, unlike many of his peers who have refused innovation and embraced something closer to stagnation this year (looking toward Spike Lee and Danny Boyle here), this is a smart and cool little film that casually finds itself becoming about more than one would expect, weaving threads about the nature of fame, the responsibility of critics, the arrogance of genius and the danger of gatekeeping. At its centre is a blistering, brutal performance from Ian McKellen as Julian Sklar, a once-brilliant painter who sullied his name over time with awful behaviour, both off and on TV, serving Simon Cowell-level bile on a junky show called Art Fight. Now, separated from the world he looks down on in his crumbling, yet expansive, London townhouse, he makes money through embarrassing Cameo videos.

He’s cursed with two vile, talentless children (Baby Reindeer’s Jessica Gunning and James Corden) who have little to no real relationship with him (he blames their mothers as they raised them), but they’re obsessed with the money they might still be able to squeeze from him. There’s an ongoing set of portraits – The Christophers – that have gained a mythical reputation and while no one on the outside knows they’re unfinished (the previous Christophers were worth millions) the siblings intend to hire an expert to finish them so that when their father dies, they can con their way into a fortune. They pick Lori (Michaela Coel), an art restorer who doubles as a food truck server, living a quietly unfulfilled life that now has the potential to mean something. She has to pretend to be Julian’s new assistant and the pair begin an unusual relationship, filled with mistrust, anger and revenge.

It’s another exhilarating late career opportunity for McKellen to really bare teeth, following on from The Good Liar and The Critic, but this time he has a script that’s actually able to match him. There’s so much exquisite awfulness to Julian’s dialogue, usually ranted at his bewildered “assistant”, rallying against a modernity that has rendered him a relic, a victim he believes of so-called cancel culture (when Lori is unhappy with his inability to dress appropriately around her, he chastises Harvey Weinstein for ruining the bathrobe). It does render the two-hander a little lopsided for the most part, though, with Coel forced into a withdrawn mode of tongue-biting listener. But Solomon’s script has something up its sleeve that explains her recessiveness, fully revealed in a gently devastating, if not entirely surprising, last act scene.

Their relationship doesn’t get easily filed away in ways that we have come to expect. It’s not mentor and mentee, it’s not closed-off grump slowly warming to wide-eyed youth, it’s something far more complicated and evolving and watching them figure out what they may or may not mean and represent to the other is a prickly joy, an effortless, pacey game of top-tier tennis. For all the care put into their dynamic, though, Gunning and Corden are left playing characters so awfully one-note, it feels like they’ve walked on set from a Beethoven sequel. It’s not their fault but more Solomon’s script which isn’t always as sleek and rounded as one would hope from a Soderbergh project. By the finale, his many strands don’t tie up with quite enough of the elegance or poignancy I had hoped for (David Holmes’s score does try admirably, reliably hard to up the melancholy throughout) but even playing in a more minor key, Soderbergh has us easily humming along.

At APEX Global EXPO, Alpha Pictures is highlighting its film slate for 2026, which CEO Prashant Gaonkar says reflects the company’s ambitious expansion strategy and its goal to become a global content powerhouse.

The company’s growing roster of content includes a mix of Hindi and Indian regional blockbusters alongside acclaimed international films in English and African languages that cater to a global audience. While more titles in its 2026 line-up will be announced soon, standouts include: 

Chhaava – Vicky Kaushal’s epic blockbuster and the biggest Hindi hit of 2025, grossing over US$90M globally across India, Russia, the US, UK, UAE, and beyond, with Oscar award winner A. R. Rahman’s score powering its universal appeal.

Bhool Chuk Maaf – Rajkummar Rao’s inventive time-loop comedy-drama, collecting nearly US$10M worldwide, blending humor, emotional depth, and the vibrant setting of Varanasi.

Well Done C.A. Sahab – India’s first feature on Chartered Accountants, which premiered at Jaipur International Film Festival and was officially selected for the 2025 Dadasaheb Phalke Film Festival.

Nikita Roy – Sonakshi Sinha’s supernatural thriller, directed by Kussh Sinha, which had its world premiere at Jaipur International Film Festival and was part of the official selection at Dadasaheb Phalke Film Festival 2025.

Crazxy – A Sohum Shah-led Hindi thriller. It was a festival favourite, achieving a 300 percent return on investment.

Chidiya – Mehran Amrohi’s poetic ode to childhood resilience, starring Vinay Pathak and Amruta Subhash. It premiered at Zlín International Children’s Festival, winning ‘Best Film’ and ‘Best Debut Director,’ with additional selections at SAIFF New York, Cinekid Amsterdam, Spirit of Fire Russia, and IFF for Children & Adults Iran.

The company has access to over 1,000 Bollywood Classics from leading studios including Eros International and Zee, as well as Indian TV shows and audio, all optimized for airlines and other transportation platforms.

“Alpha Pictures is positioning itself as a trusted partner for airlines and global platforms. By curating the best of Indian cinema alongside international successes, we are bridging cultures and delivering unmatched viewing experiences,” Gaonkar explained.

Gaonkar became head of Alpha Pictures in February this year. He has over two decades of experience in the industry, which include setting up the in-flight entertainment business at Eros International back in 2004. Gaonkar also spearheaded the integration between AirAsia and Erosnow, as well as curated branded channels for carriers including British Airways and others. 

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‘Luck of the Irish’

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Def Leppard to headline Belsonic

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Here is a sincere and traditional melodrama that opens with a brief sequence that slightly wrongfoots the audience: a small child running at night through a setting that calls to mind little Danny in the hedge maze in The Shining. But this is no horror movie; there is past trauma and tragedy a-plenty, but for the most part, this is a warm-hearted drama that plays out like a modern Mr Chips story.

Based on the real life of the protagonist Nate (Nicholas Hamilton), a delinquent youth in 1980s America, the film’s focus is on his relationship with drama teacher Mr Deen (Jared Harris); Deen is a likable but lonely man whose tendency to generosity reaches its apogee when he takes on Nate as a personal project after a series of bad choices by the troubled teen. Deen reveals at one point that as a youngster he harboured acting ambitions, with James Dean a particular touchstone, and indeed the film could almost be a Dean movie – Nate’s fondness for leather jackets and emotional outbursts strike a familiar note.

True, Nate’s refusal to take no for an answer when rejected by his girlfriend strikes a slightly sour note, and it’s interesting that when more of his backstory is finally revealed, Brave the Dark doesn’t seek to push any generational parables. However, it’s to the film’s credit all round that while it functions as a fairly broad-brush drama with plenty of heightened emotion and sentimental moments, it never becomes a didactic message movie – it’s too rooted in personal dynamics. After all, it comes from a personal place: the script is co-written by the real-life Nate, and it’s a lovely tribute to the actual Mr Deen, who died in 2016. It’s a shame he never got to see Harris’s take on him, because, as ever with Harris, it’s a really fine performance.

● Brave the Dark is on digital platforms from 15 September.

Musician Frank Benbini is most probably known best as the drummer from Fun Lovin’ Criminals and a latter incarnation of UB40, although as this documentary (which Benbini executive produced) reveals, he’s got a lot of different irons on the proverbial fire; these include a beat combo called Uncle Frank and a reggae group called Radio Riddler. There are other side projects as well, musical and music-adjacent – the occasional bit of barbering with an old friend from Leicester with whom he co-owns a salon, and DJing on BBC Radio Leicester.

Clearly the man has a strong work ethic despite a hard partying image and songs about getting high. A few of his colleagues and employees dare to suggest that he can be a bit of hard taskmaster with a combustible temper. You can’t help wonder what sort of film might have emerged if this weren’t being directed by one of Benbini’s best friends, Steve Baker, who also shot many of his videos over the years. But Benbini’s chatter about himself, his friends and his life reveals quite a bit: you come away with the impression that he truly loves his family and performing, is a bit of prankster, but whatever, he’s a nice enough bloke – albeit one with his own share of anxiety and occasional inability to cope.

Benbini’s actual music might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but his drumming is certainly tight, and the section where he talks about reggae covers of Prince songs, and collaborating with Sinead O’Connor is arguably the most interesting. (This is also where Baker’s skills as an editor, cutting on the beat, come most to the fore.) The whole thing is clearly a bit of a vanity project, but not an uninteresting one.

Stacey & Joe

8pm, BBC One
In the first series of Stacey Solomon and Joe Swash’s life-at-home series, Joe was a bit useless. “You said Pickle Cottage is like our relationship: it constantly needs work,” reflects Stacey in this second series. “I haven’t seen you put much work in!” Has he taken note? Well, there’s a promise of “more romance” as they go away for his birthday. Leave your cynicism at the door – it’s undeniably sweet viewing. Hollie Richardson

The Great British Bake Off

8pm, Channel 4

It’s biscuit week on Bake Off, and if you think we’d resort to cheap puns, you’d be absolutely right. Noel and Alison whisk the bakers through a batch of crumb-believable challenges, including crafting a classic chocolate Hobnob. When it comes to the crunch, who’ll be a jammie dodger and who’ll crumble under pressure? Ali Catterall

The Yorkshire Vet

8pm, Channel 5
A lamb that has been born with five legs and six feet needs treatment this week. Elsewhere, an old basset hound is having surgery on its poorly eye, and a rhea – a flightless bird also known as a South American ostrich – has been attacked by dogs. HR

The Great British Sewing Bee

9pm, BBC One
It’s the semi-final, and a series of 1920s-inspired challenges suggest the producers think the world spent that decade engaged in upper-class sporting pursuits. First, contestants recreate golfing plus-fours, then polo shirts inspired by the tennis player René Lacoste’s invention of them, and finally it’s partywear. Tally ho! Alexi Duggins

Casualty 24/7: Every Second Counts

9pm, Channel 5
Another tense shift in the Barnsley A&E department, starting with a 70-year-old struggling to breathe since holidaying in Tunisia. A fellow septuagenarian is also rushed in as she is bleeding heavily after a fall. And a 12-year-old boy has broken his hand. HR

Resident Alien

10.05pm, Sky Max
Now that flailing alien Harry is stuck in human form, this sci-fi comedy has settled into a Northern Exposure-style groove about life in a remote town full of eccentrics. With UFO stuff on the backburner, stressed nurse Asta tries to keep the family diner running smoothly while her father is away. Graeme Virtue

Film choice

The Old Man & the Gun (David Lowery, 2018), 2.15am, Channel 4

David Lowery is one of the most fascinating directors working today, flitting between Disney fare such as Pete’s Dragon and the hardcore arthouse of A Ghost Story. But with 2018’s The Old Man & the Gun, he hit the exact midpoint between the two. Robert Redford plays Forrest Tucker, a career criminal whose string of heists enchants everyone around him, including the officers pursuing him. To date, The Old Man & the Gun represents Redford’s last substantial film role. If it remains so, it’s the perfect way for him to go out. Stuart Heritage

Tiger Shroff’s Baaghi franchise has been flying high… until now. Baaghi 4 has stumbled out of the gate, posting the lowest domestic collections in the franchise’s history. After a lackluster opening weekend, the Monday numbers made it official: a mere Rs 4.25 crore, down from Sunday’s Rs 10 crore and Saturday’s Rs 9.25 crore. Its best single-day haul remains the opening-day Rs 12 crore. Four days in, according to Sacnilk, Baaghi 4 has amassed Rs 35.5 crore, enough to barely edge past Shahid Kapoor’s cop thriller Deva (Rs 33.97 crore), but still lagging behind re-releases and dubbed hits like Sanam Teri Kasam, Coolie, and Maa.

The lack of strong menswear talent on the schedule is a sticking point. “Tokyo’s designer fashion scene has traditionally been very strong in menswear, yet unlike other global cities, Tokyo does not have a dedicated men’s fashion week aligned with the international menswear calendar,” says Mami Osugi, a Tokyo-based editor who serves on the jury of the Tokyo Fashion Award. “As a result, Tokyo’s talented menswear designers often miss out on the global attention they deserve.”

JFWO is currently working on solutions, says Imajo. “One thing we may do in February is try and get the [off-schedule] brands to show closer to each other, but stretching everything out is easier for the designers because they are able to get the models and the venues [they want],” he says. Staying in closer contact with visiting buyers and inviting them to off-schedule shows is also an option JFWO are considering, Imajo adds.

A growing front row

Another of Tokyo Fashion Week’s main challenges has been its lack of international buyers and press. JFWO is gradually addressing this, and this season, invited more influential figures from Asia and beyond. Returning attendees this time included Andreas Murkudis of the eponymous store in Berlin, and journalist Eugene Rabkin of Style Zeitgeist; new invitees included menswear and womenswear buyers from 10 Corso Como in Seoul and IT in Hong Kong.

Rabkin intends to continue attending Tokyo Fashion Week whenever possible, finding it more interesting than Europe. “There are a lot of designers that you can only see here in Tokyo,” he says. “There is more of a connection between the brands, the fashion shows, the shops and the people in the street. In Paris, I always feel like I’m in a circus, and I don’t get that feeling in Tokyo, because you actually see interesting kids in the street. There’s more congruence.” Kohei Hashimoto, a womenswear buyer at Isetan, echoes the sentiment. “Tokyo stands out for the depth of consumer understanding of clothing and the closeness of fashion to everyday life. I believe it surpasses any other city in this respect,” he says.

June Moon, chief womenswear buyer for 10 Corso Como Seoul, served on the jury of the Tokyo Fashion Award and was invited to attend Tokyo Fashion Week for the first time. “Compared to Seoul, which is very trendy and changes very fast, Japan is more consistent,” she says. “Japanese designers have their core philosophy and build the brand around this story.”

Legacy designers, new faces and breakthrough talent

Even with its smaller size, the week offered a blend of newcomer debuts alongside the return of legacy designers. Tsumori Chisato, known for her pastel kawaii prints and bold silhouettes, joined the schedule for a show celebrating her brand’s 35th anniversary. “It was my first time showing in seven and a half years,” she told press after the show. “I put all the rainbows and colours in my clothes to show my appreciation for everyone, for supporting me for all these years.”