Category Archives: Movies

2025.05.25

Folk, fiddles and foot-stomping: how gen Z rebooted old-school Norwegian music
Norway’s traditional music scene gaining traction and been given a twist by a new clubby younger audience
Miranda Bryant Nordic correspondent
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2025/may/25/folk-fiddles-and-foot-stomping-how-gen-z-rebooted-old-school-norwegian-music

O! My sweet summer child:
‘Roadmap for corruption’: Trump dive into cryptocurrency raises ethics alarm
The president’s hawking of $Trump memecoin has sparked a firestorm of criticism over potential influence buying
Peter Stone in Washington
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/may/25/trump-crypto-corruption-ethics

‘An autoimmune disorder’: how Trump is turning American democracy against itself
Arjun Appadurai
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-interactive/2025/may/25/trump-american-democracy

Can Pope Leo retain US citizenship while leading a foreign government?
US state department says on website it may ‘actively review’ status of Americans who ‘serve as a foreign head of state’
Associated Press
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/may/25/pope-leo-us-citizenship

George Floyd’s family fights for sacred ground where he took his last breath: ‘That’s my blood’
Minneapolis site where Floyd was killed by Derek Chauvin in 2020 faces tense debate over how best to honor his legacy
Melissa Hellmann
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-interactive/2025/may/25/george-floyd-murder-site

Crypto investor in New York charged in kidnapping and torture plot
John Woeltz, 37, being held without bail after allegedly beating, shocking and dangling man from five-story home
José Olivares
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/may/24/crypto-investor-tortue-kidnapping-new-york

Mexican singer cancels show in Texas citing visa revocation
Julión Álvarez was to perform before 50,000 fans in Texas, but he is the latest Mexican musician to have their visa revoked
José Olivares
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/may/24/mexican-singer-cancels-show-in-texas-citing-visa-revocation

Iranian director Jafar Panahi wins Palme d’Or at Cannes for It Was Just an Accident
Panahi, long censored and previously imprisoned in his home country, took top prize as Sentimental Value and The Secret Agent also honoured
Catherine Shoard Film editor
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/may/24/iranian-director-jafar-panahi-wins-palme-dor-at-cannes-for-it-was-just-an-accident

2025.05.24


13 Minnesota cities and counties want to open government-run cannabis dispensaries
Nicole Ki
https://www.mprnews.org/story/2025/05/23/minnesota-cities-and-counties-wait-to-open-cannabis-dispensaries

Expert calls Musk’s ‘Doge’ involvement ‘one of the greatest brand destructions’
Top US marketing professor Scott Galloway says on Pivot podcast Tesla owner ‘has alienated his core demographic’
Ramon Antonio Vargas
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/may/24/elon-musk-doge-scott-galloway

‘Alexa, what do you know about us?’ What I discovered when I asked Amazon to tell me everything my family’s smart speaker had heard
For years, Alexa has been our on-call vet, DJ, teacher, parent, therapist and whipping boy. What secrets would the data reveal?
Jeremy Ettinghausen
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/may/24/what-i-discovered-when-i-asked-amazon-to-tell-me-everything-alexa-had-heard

Sperm from cancer-risk donor used to conceive at least 67 children across Europe
Case of man carrying rare genetic variant fuels calls for limit on number of children that can be fathered by one donor
Hannah Devlin Science correspondent
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2025/may/23/sperm-donor-cancer-risk-children-europe

‘I had the audacity not to peg it!’ Timothy Spall on cancer, cosy crime and being heckled on the red carpet
Ryan Gilbey
https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2025/may/23/i-had-the-audacity-not-to-peg-it-timothy-spall-on-cancer-cosy-and-being-heckled-on-the-red-carpet

Sirat to Eddington and Sentimental Value: The 12 Cannes films you need to know about
Rebecca Laurence, Hugh Montgomery and Nicholas Barber
https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20250523-the-12-cannes-films-you-need-to-know-about

Director Stanley Kubrick’s house up for sale
Danny Fullbrook
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/crlj0g6100no

2025.05.23

Harvard University sues Trump administration over ban on enrolling foreign students
Ivy league school calls administration’s decision unconstitutional retaliation for defying White House’s demands
Michael Sainato and agency
https://www.theguardian.com/education/2025/may/23/harvard-university-sues-trump-administration-ban-foreign-students

Trump’s barbarism is turning his biggest strength into a liability
Osita Nwanevu
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/may/23/trumps-barbarism-is-turning-his-biggest-strength-into-a-liability

Fear, hope and loathing in Elon Musk’s new city: ‘It’s the wild, wild west and the future’
Starbase in Texas, where the world’s richest man has a rocket-launching facility, was incorporated this week. Mars obsessives are flocking there – but some long-term locals are far from happy
Oliver Laughland
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/may/23/elon-musk-new-city-starbase-texas

Brazilian tribe sues New York Times for allegedly portraying members as porn addicts
Defamation suit claims Marubo people were depicted in story as tech-addled and porn-obsessed after introduction of internet
Associated Press in Los Angeles
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/may/23/brazil-tribe-new-york-times-pornography-lawsuit

California hummingbird beaks transformed by feeders: ‘more tapered and longer’
Study details evolutionary change of Anna’s hummingbirds and finds ranges have expanded to follow such devices
Cy Neff
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/may/23/california-hummingbird-beak-study

This doctor calls LGBTQ+ rights ‘satanic’. He could now undo healthcare for millions
Exclusive: A rightwing activist behind a current supreme court challenge has spent decades railing against ‘homosexual behavior’
Sam Levin
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/may/23/supreme-court-case-steven-hotze-hiv-prep

Key takeaways: RFK Jr’s ‘Maha’ report on chronic disease in children
Report ignores common dangers to children, focuses on Kennedy’s favored topics – and will be forcefully opposed
Jessica Glenza
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/may/22/rfk-jr-maha-health-report-explained

Disarray at Department of Veterans Affairs imperils patient care, internal documents reveal
Unit closures, reduced hours of operation and exam backlogs reported after Trump administration reductions
Aaron Glantz
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/may/23/veterans-affairs-doge-musk

‘Ludicrous and unfair’: older workers react to pressure to delay retirement
IMF is urging countries globally to act to ease stress on public finances, sparking mainly outrage but also support
Jedidajah Otte
https://www.theguardian.com/money/2025/may/23/ludicrous-unfair-older-workers-react-pressure-delay-retirement

Awkward clapping, no-sand beaches and Alexander Skarsgård’s thigh-high boots: a trip to Cannes to see my film
Harry Lighton’s film Pillion is based on the novel Box Hill so, misgivings riding alongside, it felt right for the author to motorbike to the film festival for its premiere
Adam Mars-Jones
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/may/23/adam-mars-joness-cannes-diary-pillion-box-hill-cannes-diary

Man in Norway wakes to find huge container ship in garden
Francesca Gillett
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy8nk279ydyo

The sounds and songs of Iceland’s melting landscape
Karen McHugh
https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20250521-the-sounds-and-songs-of-icelands-melting-landscape

Kangaroo ‘tries to drown’ man in Australian floodwaters
Flora Drury
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvg71gqe068o

The Mayan languages spreading across the US
Juan Pablo Pérez-Burgos
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20250515-the-mayan-languages-spreading-across-the-us

In full bloom: Chelsea flower show 2025 – in pictures
The photographer Sarah Lee has made her annual visit to the RHS Chelsea flower show in south-west London to revel in the floral delights
Sarah Lee
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/gallery/2025/may/22/chelsea-flower-show-2025-in-pictures

2025.05.17

What links Tasmin Archer, Gareth Gates and Zayn Malik? The Saturday quiz
From Tsar Alexander II and Queen Anne to Korky the Cat, test your knowledge with the Saturday quiz
Thomas Eaton
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2025/may/17/what-links-tasmin-archer-gareth-gates-and-zayn-malik-the-saturday-quiz

Top winemaker ‘may have to leave its Spanish vineyards due to climate crisis’
Familia Torres has been making wine in Catalonia since 1870, but says it may have to move to higher altitudes in 30 years’ time
Sarah Butler
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/may/17/top-winemaker-spanish-vineyards-climate-crisis-familia-torres

The Little Sister review – a discerning drama of queer Muslim coming-of-age
Hafsia Herzi manages sexuality with confidence in her first Palme d’Or competition film, featuring an affecting lead performance from newcomer Nadia Melliti
Peter Bradshaw in Cannes
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/may/16/the-little-sister-review-cannes-hafsia-herzi

Meera Sodha’s vegan recipe for crispy black bean burgers
These vegan burgers are child’s play and fun to make, too
Meera Sodha
https://www.theguardian.com/food/2025/may/17/meera-sodha-vegan-recipe-crispy-black-bean-burgers

Antihistamines, masks and showers: how to manage seasonal allergies
With pollen season in full swing, here is what to know about allergy treatments and when to seek medical help
Madeleine Aggeler
https://www.theguardian.com/wellness/2025/may/13/how-to-treat-manage-seasonal-allergies

The poison paradox: How Australia’s deadliest animals save lives
Katy Watson
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0lnp3ny4wro

The camera tech propelling shows like Adolescence
Chris Baraniuk
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c62g6vdl3vqo

2025.05.14

Hagia Sophia restoration to protect 1,500-year-old Unesco ‘masterpiece’
Istanbul landmark’s most extensive works in years will include efforts to prevent earthquake damage
Ruth Michaelson in Istanbul
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/may/14/hagia-sophia-restoration-works-istanbul-earthquakeshttps://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/may/14/enzo-review-laurent-cantet-swan-song-robin-campillo-cannes-film-festival

Enzo review – Laurent Cantet’s swan song is a heartfelt tale of youth and desire
This powerful drama from the late film-maker and his longtime collaborator Robin Campillo, who directs, charts the growing pains of a teenager from a privileged family
Peter Bradshaw
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/may/14/enzo-review-laurent-cantet-swan-song-robin-campillo-cannes-film-festival

Chimpanzees use leaves to wipe bums and clean up after sex, study finds
Research looking at hygiene and healthcare habits of the primates finds implications for understanding origin of human healthcare
Nicola Davis Science Correspondent
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/may/14/chimpanzees-use-leaves-to-wipe-bums-and-clean-up-after-sex-study-finds

How the humble chestnut traced the rise and fall of the Roman Empire
Sophie Hardach
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20250513-what-chestnuts-reveal-about-the-roman-empire

Is the US finally on track to build a high-speed rail network?
Sam Gruet & Megan Lawton
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cze1erz9jxko

2025.05.10

Trump administration mulling end to legal right to challenge one’s detention
Top White House adviser Stephen Miller announces US president considering suspending writ of habeas corpus
Sam Levine
https://www.theguardian.com/law/2025/may/09/end-habeas-corpus-detention-trump-stephen-miller

Mayor of Newark arrested for trespassing at Ice detention center
Ras Baraka, who has spoken out against Trump’s immigration policies, was at the center with Democratic members of Congress
Richard Luscombe and Marina Dunbar
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/may/09/newark-mayor-ras-baraka-arrested-ice-protest-detention-center

How a Florida-based election skeptic came to run elections in California
Clint Curtis, who once claimed to build vote-flipping software, will now lead elections in a conservative county
Dani Anguiano in Redding

Authors speak out against failed US book festival: ‘shattered badges and silence’
Grace Marsceau promised to pack A Million Lives event. Authors arrived to empty rooms, unpaid bills and no decor
Rosalind Adams
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/may/09/a-million-lives-book-festival-romantasy

Nonnas review – fact-based Netflix restaurant comedy is a warm surprise
Vince Vaughn plays a grieving son who decides to open an Italian eaterie with grandmothers in the kitchen in a simple but charming crowd-pleaser
Benjamin Lee
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/may/09/nonnas-review-netflix-restaurant-comedy

Soviet-era spacecraft plunges to Earth after 53 years stuck in orbit
Kosmos 482 re-enters the atmosphere more than a half century since launch on failed mission to Venus
Associated Press
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2025/may/10/kosmos-482-soviet-spacecraft-plunges-to-earth

David Tennant on sex scenes, Doctor Who and his run-in with Kemi Badenoch: ‘The trans debate has become unnecessarily cruel’
Kate Lloyd
https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2025/may/10/david-tennant-tv-baftas-interview

What links butterfly, air, French and Glasgow? The Saturday quiz
From Barbarian invasions and lead poisoning to Saturday Night Fever and the shipping forecast, test your knowledge with the Saturday quiz
Thomas Eaton
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2025/may/10/what-links-butterfly-air-french-and-glasgow-the-saturday-quiz

Meera Sodha’s recipe for dolcelatte tart with sage and pine nuts
Sweet, gooey soft cheese cased in flaky pastry is a cheese-lover’s delight. Serve with a pear and leaf salad for a weekend lunch
Meera Sodha
https://www.theguardian.com/food/2025/may/10/dolcelatte-tart-with-sage-and-pine-nuts-recipe-meera-sodha

2025.05.08

Trump tariffs to hit small farms in Maga heartlands hardest, analysis predicts
Major corporations are best placed to benefit from Trump polices at the expense of independent farmers
Nina Lakhani in New York
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/may/08/small-farms-trump-tariffs

‘Get rid of the pseudoscience’: top doctor’s plan to improve America’s health
Eric Topol says we can prevent age-related disease and live fuller lives – but only if we reject anti-science ‘malarkey’
Jessica Glenza
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/may/08/eric-topol-health-book

Forever review – an absolutely adorable TV take on Judy Blume’s banned teen sex classic
The 1975 novel might be barred from US schools and libraries, but it gets a hugely important telling here. It’s powerful, sweet – and with a cast as excellent as Heartstopper’s
Rebecca Nicholson
https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2025/may/08/forever-review-an-absolutely-adorable-tv-take-on-judy-blumes-banned-teen-sex-classic

‘A safe haven from racial violence’: Sinners shows the importance of juke joints
Ryan Coogler’s smash hit horror focuses on the opening of a juke joint, a one-time mainstay in Black southern culture
Andrew Lawrence
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/may/07/sinners-movie-juke-joints

Rio’s record, giant dogs and a psychic crocodile – take the Thursday quiz
Questions on general knowledge and topical trivia, plus a few jokes, every Thursday. How will you fare?
Martin Belam
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2025/may/08/the-guardian-thursday-quiz-general-knowledge-topical-news-trivia-209

The stunning retro space-age homes that are perfect for today
Clare Dowdy
https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20250507-the-stunning-retro-space-age-homes-that-are-perfect-for-today

Men found guilty of violent murder of Aboriginal schoolboy
Tiffanie Turnbull
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ce9vzzxpdm7o

Teen unable to eat due to rare digestive condition
Stuart Woodward
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cly5gkl3dg5o

Karmel Mall owner faces foreclosure suit against his Minneapolis apartments over maintenance issues
Basim Sabri contests many of the allegations in the suit made by Fannie Mae, mortgage holder on two apartment buildings he developed. (No Paywall)
by Mike Hughlett | The Minnesota Star Tribune
https://sahanjournal.com/news-partners/basim-sabri-karmel-apartments-fannie-mae-foreclosure-lawsuit/

2025.05.07

US supreme court allows Trump trans military ban to take effect
Justices rule ban can be enforced while challenge plays out in court, a decision that could lead to thousands discharged
Sam Levine
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/may/06/trump-trans-military-ban-court

Aardman announces third Shaun the Sheep movie: The Beast of Mossy Bottom
Studio promises ‘smashed pumpkins, wayward science and a wild hairy beast’ in third big-screen outing for the much beloved animation
Catherine Shoard
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/may/07/aardman-announces-third-shaun-the-sheep-movie-the-beast-of-mossy-bottom

By calling a genocide a genocide, Andor just made its most political point yet
Tony Gilroy’s Star Wars show has repeatedly felt like it was ripped from today’s headlines – but Mon Mothma’s radical speech was written two years ago
Walter Marsh
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/may/07/by-calling-a-genocide-a-genocide-andor-just-made-its-most-political-point-yet

Gang who smuggled thousands of queen ants sentenced in Kenya
Akisa Wandera & Wycliffe Muia
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy0x07pr8dno

2025.05.06

My coverage of the Met Gala:

Mall Park in Uptown: A missed opportunity for meaningful community engagement
Opposition to the redesign mostly came from renters adjacent to the Minneapolis park — not privileged residents fighting change.
by Mike Erlandson
https://www.minnpost.com/community-voices/2025/05/mall-park-in-uptown-a-missed-opportunity-for-meaningful-community-engagement/

X-ray reveals ancient Greek author of charred first century BC Vesuvius scroll
Ink traces show text is part of work by Epicurean philosopher Philodemus, burned during AD79 volcano eruption
Ian Sample
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2025/may/06/x-ray-reveals-ancient-greek-author-of-charred-first-century-bc-vesuvius-scroll

Osteoarthritis study could lead to new treatments
Grace Shaw
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy48jynpm8wo

The enthusiast searching for stunning sea slugs
Zhara Simpson
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ckg1dk3km25o

I made a Wallace & Gromit contraption in real life! - Joseph's Machines

2025.05.05

Trump orders reopening of Alcatraz prison for ‘most ruthless offenders’
Plan to expand and reuse long-shuttered penitentiary off San Francisco described as ‘not serious’ by Nancy Pelosi
Edward Helmore and agencies
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/may/05/trump-plan-reopen-alcatraz-prison

Trump says non-US movies to be hit with 100% tariffs
Peter Hoskins Business reporter Maia Davies BBC News
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cjr7e2z1rxyo

US scientist who touted hydroxychloroquine to treat Covid named to pandemic prevention role
Steven J Hatfill, who promoted the drug despite scant evidence of efficacy, becomes special adviser at HHS
Chris Stein in Washington
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/may/05/covid-hydroxychloroquine-steve-hatfill

Madness, murder and rape on the Batavia: new theory on Australia’s most horrific shipwreck
Dutch academic says an ‘unlikely story about a mad heretic’ has been repeated for 400 years – and poses an alternative
Tory Shepherd
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/may/06/batavia-shipwreck-new-theory-what-happened

Three people killed after shooting in Phoenix restaurant
Five others injured while police say more than one person may have been firing a gun in Arizona restaurant
Associated Press
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/may/05/phoenix-arizona-shooting-restaurant

NZ airport to remove Hobbit-themed eagle sculptures
Koh Ewe
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cz7949plre0o