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Times
12-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Times
Superman — it's my five-star movie of the summer
He stumbles, he falls, he bleeds — occasionally he even sneaks a look at his social media mentions. How telling that, after 20 years of mis-starts and misfires, vulnerability would be the key to making Superman work on screen again. James Gunn's new Superman is not perfect but it has wit, smarts, pace and the same sardonic, goofy humour that Gunn brought to Guardians of the Galaxy. How strange that a film about misfit mutants would prepare him for the straight-arrow Superman — but Gunn seems to understand what we want: hope, heart, a dash of silliness and the same sense of up-and-at-'em adventure that made the original comic strips buzz. Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it's the summer movie we've all been waiting for. Superman has always represented a distinct type of corn-fed American optimism — McCartney to Batman's Lennon. The creation of scrawny, short-sighted, Jewish ghetto kids from Manhattan's Lower East Side who dreamt of being Douglas Fairbanks, Superman recalls a balmier, more innocent time in American history when the mission to 'smack down the bullies of the world', as one of Superman's creators, Joel Siegel, put it, didn't send everyone diving for their Chomsky. The problem that has bedevilled adaptations since the 1978 original is: how do you make that optimism work for more cynical times, now that 'the bullies' and 'America' are no longer mutually exclusive categories? Here's how: no origin story. We don't need to hear again how the planet Krypton blew up and Kal-El crash-landed in Mom and Pop's backyard before heading to the big city to work for The Daily Planet. Instead Gunn sets us right down in the thick of it: Superman (David Corenswet) has just taken a beating from an armoured monster let loose by the rogue republic of Boravia. 'Did you consult with the president?' Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan) demands to know during a date that quickly turns into a combative interview. 'You seemingly acted as a representative for the United States of America.' • The actors who played Superman, ranked from worst to best 'I wasn't representing anyone but me,' he protests. 'And … doing good.' So much for truth, justice and the American way. Go tell it to a congressional committee. Such hand-wringing over the burden of power is par for the course in superhero movies these days, but critiques of American unilateralism only go so far when your hero wears red underpants. Superman's saving grace has always been his slight silliness because it has kept him from the solemnity that clogs up the works with Batman and all the other edgier heroes, so intent on giving us a guided tour of their dark sides. The most radical thing about Gunn's film is not that it nods to the Washington bearpit, but Superman's insistence that kindness is 'the real punk rock'. Whether shielding a girl from exploding debris or a dog from a falling building, he would Make America Kind Again. Arrayed against him is Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult) trying to turn the US Department of Defense against its most famous illegal alien so he can make a mint from arms deals involving his latest batch of superheroes, or 'metahumans' as they are known. He's like a cross between Tony Stark and Elon Musk. Metahumans are everywhere these days, including a gang of do-gooding showboats who call themselves the 'Justice Gang' — Green Lantern (Nathan Fillion), Hawkgirl (Isabela Merced) and Mister Terrific (Edi Gathegi) — and whose exploits explain at a stroke why people might flock to a boy scout like Superman. He spends half his time preventing the collateral damage from his fellow superheroes' interventions. More than just reinventing his star, then, Gunn has invented a universe in which Superman makes sense, which is almost as important: the DC Universe is go. • Read more film reviews, guides about what to watch and interviews Corenswet is pretty much perfect in the role. After the stony severity of Henry Cavill labouring under his saviour complex in Zack Snyder's humourless Man of Steel — a film so embarrassed by the Superman mythos it couldn't even bring itself to say his name — Corenswet has the casual, locker-room vocab ('Hey, buddy') and underdog gallantry of a gentle-giant athlete. Dimpled and decent, he plays Superman with a slight bee in his bonnet about being thought too much of a Pollyanna and even has a dog named Krypto who tears up the Fortress of Solitude when Superman is not around, hurtling into action like a speeding bullet when needed. He's one of the best things in the film: Gunn knows how seriously to take his story and when to cut loose and have fun. Yes, the plot is a little busy with portals and black holes and all the usual interdimensional malarkey, but there's none of the lumbering heaviness that usually accompanies such plot devices. At just over two hours Superman has all the zippy action you want — the flying sequences come with Top Gun-style G-force buffeting and sonic booms — as well as the humour and heart that will get people coming back for more. In some ways the stop-start development process that has plagued Superman has paid off: Gunn took his time, got it right and has been rewarded with a bullseye. ★★★★★12A, 129min Tom Cruise's espionage swansong was the usual mix of daft plot and spectacular stunts, taking $575 million at the box office — but it needs about $800 million to break even. Cruise got out in the nick of time. Brad Pitt's charisma provided the horsepower for Jerry Bruckheimer's pedal-to-the-metal racing drama — Apple's first big hit at the box office, and Pitt's strongest ever opening weekend. Who said the stars were in eclipse? • The best films of 2025 so far The latest Jurassic Park movie, starring Scarlett Johansson, has had a soft opening compared with the previous three films in the series, but the director Gareth Edwards delivered the film at a relative snip — $180 million — as well as great monsters. Extinction will have to wait. Can Matt Shakman's retro-futuristic direction, together with stars Pedro Pascal and Vanessa Kirby, undo the 'meh' factor and reverse Marvel's downward spiral at the box office? Superhero fatigue is real. Times+ members can enjoy two-for-one cinema tickets at Everyman each Wednesday. Visit to find out moreWhich films have you enjoyed at the cinema recently? Let us know in the comments below and follow @timesculture to read the latest reviews
Los Angeles Times
10-07-2025
- Business
- Los Angeles Times
Hollywood soundstage operators are reeling. Will state tax credits help?
The announcement last month that Occidental Studios would be put up for sale marked a historic turning point in a studio once used by Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks to make silent films. It also underscored how dramatically the market has shifted for the owners of soundstages across Los Angeles that have been buffeted by a confluence of forces — the pandemic, strikes in 2023 and the continued flight of production to other states and countries. As film activity has fallen to historic levels in the L.A. region — film shoot days dropped 22% in the first quarter of 2025 — the places that host film and TV crews, along with prop houses and other businesses that service the industry, have been especially hard hit. Between 2016 and 2022, Los Angeles' soundstages were nearly filled to capacity, boasting average occupancy rates of 90%, according to data from the nonprofit organization FilmLA, which tracks on-location shoot days in the Greater L.A. area. That rate plummeted to 69% in 2023, as dual writers' and actors' strikes brought the industry to a halt. Once the strikes were over, production never came back to what it was. In fact, last year the average occupancy rate dropped even further to 63%, according to a FilmLA report released in April. So far this year, there is 'no reason to think the occupancy numbers look better,' said Philip Sokoloski, spokesperson for FilmLA. 'It's a trailing indicator of the loss of production,' he said. 'The suddenness of the crash is what caught everybody by surprise.' Studio owners, who have watched their soundstages go from overbooked to frequently empty, are celebrating the new state tax credits meant to boost their industry and create action on their lots. The California Legislature's decision to more than double the amount allocated each year to the state's film and television tax credit program to $750 million could be a tipping point toward better times, studio owners said, but the climb out of the doldrums is still steep. 'This is definitely a defining moment and to see whether or not L.A. is going to get itself back up to the occupancy levels that it had prior to COVID,' said Shep Wainwright, managing partner of East End Studios. 'Everyone's pretty bullish about it, but it's obviously been such a slog for the past few years.' Sean Griffin of Sunset Studios called the tax credit boost signed into law last week 'a massive stride in the right direction' while Zach Sokoloff of independent studio operator Hackman Capital Partners called the decision 'an enormous win for the state.' Sokoloff hopes to see its Southern California facilities, which include Radford Studio Center and Culver Studios, perk up the way their New York properties did when the state increased its film and TV subsidy to $800 million in May. 'We had stages that had been sitting empty, and almost 24 hours after the passage of the tax credit bill in New, York, our phones were ringing,' he said. 'We had renewed interest in soundstage occupancy there.' Los Angeles Center Studios, where such shows as 'Mad Men' and 'Westworld' filmed, also has felt the effects of the production slump. The 26-year-old facility in downtown L.A. has six 18,000-foot soundstages and three smaller stages, along with a number of practical locations on the lot for shooting. Before the pandemic, its stages were 100% full for more than 10 years, said Sam Nicassio, president of Los Angeles Center Studios. He declined to state the studio's current occupancy rate, though he said it was above the average for about 300 soundstages throughout the area, which his company tracked at 58%. 'It's been a struggle,' he said. 'The slowdown in overall production activity, coupled with coming out of the strikes and all of us expecting to have a jump-start again and we didn't, was very difficult. There's a lot of soundstages for not a lot of users right now.' Not long ago, private equity firms saw L.A. studio stages as good business opportunities. A number of firms participated heavily in the construction of new facilities, which seemed like smart bets due to advancements in production technology, the desire of studios and streamers to cut down on unpredictable risk from on-location shoots and — especially after the pandemic — health and safety systems like air filtration and more space to prevent workers from getting sick. 'Stages are critical to being able to do, especially TV, on time and on budget,' said George Huang, a professor of screenwriting at the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television. 'They are the backbone of making movies in Hollywood.' But after the pandemic, strikes and a cutback in spending at the studios, production slowed. Then in January, the Southern California wildfires hit, further affecting production and causing many in the industry to lose their homes — and reconsider whether they wanted to stay in the Golden State. As Hollywood production slowed, soundstage operators looked for new ways to make up revenue, including shoots for the fashion industry, music videos, DJ rehearsals, video game production and even private events like birthdays or weddings. Hackman Capital Partners, which owns and operates Television City in Los Angeles, recently announced a partnership with Interwoven Studios to open a boutique production facility catering to social media influencers, online media brands and other creators who work in nontraditional formats such as YouTube. Among the well-known creators who have worked lately at Television City — home to such classic shows as 'All in the Family' and most recently 'American Idol' — are Logan Paul and Jake Shane, actress-singer Keke Palmer, livestreamers FaZe Clan and hip-hop artist Big Sean. 'As the segment of the content-creation universe grows on the smaller end of production, we're going to be a partner to them,' Sokoloff said. 'Necessity is the mother of invention.' Sunset Studios, which operates 59 stages in the Los Angeles area, has long made a point of working with short-form creators through its smaller Quixote division, said Griffin, who is head of studio sales. 'We've always been involved with influencers, music videos and commercials.' Such tenants working on smaller stages sometimes move up to TV and movie-sized stages when they land a big television commercial or music video, such as Selena Gomez's 'Younger and Hotter Than Me' music video recently shot at Sunset Las Palmas Studios. Paul McCartney leased a studio at Sunset Glenoaks Studios to rehearse for his 2024 tour and and made a music video there. In general, though, stages are still underused, he said. 'Once the strikes ended, we got a about a good healthy quarter' of production, he said. Then business 'really quieted down, and we haven't seen the show counts rebound very much.' The vacancies have created a tenant-friendly market as studio owners compete for their business on rental prices, Griffin said. 'This is a very tough market,' he said. 'Everyone is competing very, very hard.' One reason for optimism about the new tax credits is that they apply to 30-minute shows for the first time, he said. 'L.A. is a television town,' Griffin added. 'Opening up the tax credit to 30-minute comedies is going to be really helpful.' And there are signs of life for longer scripted shows that take multiple stages and shoot for longer than other productions, Griffin said. Developer David Simon is betting heavily on a turnaround. He is building a new movie studio from the ground up in Hollywood. His $450-million Echelon Studios complex is set to open late next year on Santa Monica Boulevard. 'We think content creation is here to stay in various forms,' he said, and that big soundstages will continue to be used even as the technology to make content changes. Simon said he is close to signing leases with fashion brands that are creating content with celebrities and collaborating with influencers. 'We're not nearly where we were prepandemic,' he acknowledged, but 'California is the entertainment capital of the world, and the producers and directors and actors that want to stay in state will help bring back and retain our fair share of production.' For now , at least, soundstage operators are still 'treading water,' said Peter Marshall, managing principal at Epic Insurance Brokers & Consultants, who works in media insurance and counts some L.A.-based soundstages as clients. 'Most operators are pretty concerned,' he said. Yet, the fact that there are still new soundstages opening and others are in development suggests a 'high level of confidence' that production will eventually return to L.A., Sokoloski of FilmLA said. 'I am optimistic that we will keep more production here than we have in the last few years,' Nicassio said. The new tax credit program 'puts us on a competitive level now with other states and countries.' Others in the industry say that more is needed and have advocated for a federal tax credit that would help make California a morecompetitive location. Gov. Gavin Newsom has pushed for the idea, urging President Trump to work with him on the issue. 'When you have a governor and big private equity firms both focusing on promoting one thing, that might, who knows, get the federal government involved,' Marshall said. 'That would be the game changer.'
Business Wire
09-07-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
VISIE Executes First Pin-Free Knee Bone Cuts Using Spatial Computing
AUSTIN, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--VISIE Inc., the spatial computing company delivering the intelligence layer for surgical navigation and robotics, today announced a major technical milestone: the successful execution of all total knee arthroplasty (TKA) bone resections on cadaveric tissue, without the use of pins, clamps, arrays, or manual registration (Warning: Graphic details. See here for a video of the cadaver cuts.) 'VISIE doesn't just improve surgical navigation, it rewrites the rules." Dr. Brian Blackwood, Orthopedic Surgeon and Clinical Advisor. Unlike traditional navigation for robotic systems, VISIE's proprietary scanning platform is completely non-invasive. It sees what a surgeon sees without bone-pinned trackers, clamps, or time-consuming registration steps that disrupt a surgeon's workflow and increase the risk of fractures, infection and post-op pain. This latest breakthrough marks the first demonstration of complete knee bone cuts powered solely by VISIE's platform - an upgrade that integrates seamlessly with existing surgical navigation and robotic systems. 'VISIE doesn't just improve surgical navigation, it rewrites the rules,' said Dr. Brian Blackwood, Orthopedic Surgeon and Clinical Advisor. 'This spatial platform delivers the precision that we surgeons need, without pins, clamps, arrays, or compromise. It frees surgical navigation and robotics from the physical hardware we've long accepted as necessary and ushers in a new era of anatomic intelligence in the OR.' Elevating, Not Replacing: A Universal Enabler This milestone follows VISIE's award-winning appearance at the 2025 American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) meeting, where it took top honors at OrthoPitch for its Continuous Anatomic Auto Tracking (CAAT™) system. CAAT delivers dynamic, real-time anatomical tracking, potentially including cartilage visualization and bone stock assessment—without invasive markers or registration steps. Challenge Met. Milestone Delivered. After strong interest and even some skepticism from industry stakeholders, VISIE's team turned its focus on delivering a proof of concept and successfully achieved this technical milestone in record time. 'Everyone was asking if we could track while cutting bone - so we built it and proved it,' said Douglas Fairbanks, VISIE CEO. 'This isn't just about a saw, it's about redefining what's possible when vision replaces hardware like pins, clamps, and arrays.' Since AAOS, the VISIE team has successfully: Designed and built a custom robot with a saw-equipped end-effector Executed all five standard femoral cuts—anterior, posterior, anterior chamfer, posterior chamfer, and distal—plus the tibial cut Performed all resections on cadaveric tissue tracked entirely through VISIE's spatial computing system—no pins, clamps, arrays, or registration steps Roadmap to Clinical Impact With this milestone complete, VISIE is extending its pinless tracking technology to additional procedures. Early feasibility work is already underway in spine and cranial surgery, supporting VISIE's vision of delivering the optical intelligence layer for the entire surgical ecosystem. As surgical systems grow more complex, VISIE simplifies and amplifies—providing universal compatibility, less friction, and more capability. About VISIE VISIE Inc. is a 3D computer vision and spatial computing company enabling real-time, pinless tracking for orthopedic, neuro, cranial, and spine surgery. With a robust global IP portfolio and multiple innovation awards, VISIE enables surgical systems to see what the surgeon sees—in real time. VISIE: Making the unseen seen—and the impossible routine. For more information, follow us on:
Metro
04-06-2025
- Business
- Metro
Former BBC studios where EastEnders was filmed riddled with asbestos
A crumbling production complex where EastEnders and other iconic BBC TV shows have been filmed has been found to be riddled with asbestos. A pre-demolition survey of BBC Elstree Centre — sold to investment giant AXA IM Alts — shows that the substance is present across the buildings. Asbestos material was found in studios, a restaurant, the Central Technical Area, Hart House, the historic Fairbanks, a maintenance building and Neptune House, where Holby City was filmed. The new owners commissioned the survey as they turn the world-famous site in Borehamwood, north west London, into a film-making complex meeting modern standards. At the Art Deco-style studios where EastEnders, Children in Need and the BBC's General Election coverage have been filmed, the material was found in more than 150 different places. One sample was taken from insulation within a wall void and given a high priority classification. The inspectors found that the material was likely to be 'easily disturbed' and flagged it as 'remove.' Another sample taken from a restaurant block was classed as 'high priority'. However the material, used for thermal insulation, was judged 'usually inaccessible or unlikely to be disturbed.' Another sample was taken from stairs on the ground floor of studios M and C, according to the document released this week. The presence of the material was judged 'low risk' but Asbestos Consultants Europe Ltd recommended it be removed. AXA IM Alts said in January 2024 that it had exchanged contracts with the BBC for the 16-acre campus, with the deal due to be completed early this year. EastEnders will remain in an already modernised part of the site under a deal between the old and new owners to lease back part of the studio campus over the next 25 years. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video The investment company has said in a planning application that 'the existing premises are no longer fit for purpose' and the redevelopment 'will boost the Elstree film industry.' The buyers, who are working with Oxygen Studios on the plans, intend to create a major new film and TV production complex with modern day requirements able to attract large-scale productions. The new development has been named Fairbanks Studios in tribute to actor Douglas Fairbanks, who leased studios on the site in 1952. The report was carried out to protect workers and others from 'asbestos containing materials' which might be unknowingly disturbed during demolition work. A spokesperson for AXA IM Alts said: 'We are fully aware of the presence of asbestos on the site which is common in old buildings and those that have been added to during their lifespan. More Trending 'These buildings are not currently in use and have not been occupied since we acquired them. 'Our development plans to transform the site into a fit for purpose, modern media campus already account for the safe removal of any asbestos using experts in this field and according to current regulations.' The BBC forwarded a request for comment from Metro to AXA IM Alts. Do you have a story you would like to share? Contact MORE: Elstree & Borehamwood: Tinseltown's less glamorous movie twin put EastEnders, Star Wars and Indiana Jones on the map MORE: BBC show branded 'completely unwatchable' triggers complaint from epilepsy group MORE: BBC releases Match of the Day 'porn noises' report it tried to keep secret
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
On This Day, April 30: Vietnam War comes to end
April 30 (UPI) -- On this date in history: In 1789, George Washington was inaugurated as the first president of the United States. In 1803, the United States more than doubled its land area with the Louisiana Purchase. It obtained all French territory west of the Mississippi River for $15 million. In 1812, Louisiana entered the union as the 18th U.S. state. In 1927, Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford became the first movie personalities to leave their footprints in concrete at Grauman's Chinese Theater in Hollywood. In 1939, Franklin D. Roosevelt became the first U.S. president to appear on television when he was shown on opening day at the New York World's Fair. In 1945, the burned body of Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler was found in a bunker in the ruins of Berlin. In 1948, 21 countries of the Western Hemisphere formed the Organization of American States. In 1967, Muhammad Ali was stripped of his world heavyweight boxing championship title after he refused to be drafted into the U.S. military. In 1975, South Vietnam unconditionally surrendered to North Vietnam. The communists occupied Saigon and renamed it Ho Chi Minh City. In 1997, Ellen DeGeneres' character came out as gay on the popular sitcom Ellen, making it the first sitcom to feature a gay leading character. The local ABC affiliate in Birmingham, Ala., refused to air the episode so gay rights advocates arranged for a satellite downlink to beam the show. In 1993, tennis star Monica Seles was stabbed and injured by a self-described fan of Steffi Graf during a break between games in a match against another player in Hamburg, Germany. Seles, who won nine grand-slam singles titles in her career, was out of competitive tennis for more than two years after the attack. In 2006, rebel factions in Sudan rejected a peace agreement in the Darfur conflict. Officials estimated the fighting had killed at least 180,000 people and driven more than 2 million from their homes. In 2009, Chrysler filed for bankruptcy protection in a key move of a restructuring plan backed by the Obama administration. In 2012, Israel began construction of a wall that would be 23 feet high and less than a mile long on its border with Lebanon. Security officials said the concrete wall would protect residents in the Matulla area from sniper fire from nearby Lebanese villages. In 2013, Queen Beatrix, the 75-year-old monarch of the Netherlands, signed a formal declaration abdicating in favor of her eldest son, Willem-Alexander, 46, who became the country's first king in 123 years. In 2019, Japanese Emperor Akihito, 85, formally abdicated his throne, becoming the nation's first monarch to step down in 200 years. His son, Crown Prince Naruhito, ascended to the throne, starting the Reiwa era. In 2022, country legend Naomi Judd, one half of duo the Judds, died at the age of 76.
