Cinderella: Inspirational fairy tale for the Katy Perry generation
Cinderella is constructed as a fable that’s evergreen-familiar but slightly modernised and much more English in tone than the animated original.
How Hollywood softened us up for NSA surveillance
From "Enemy of the State" to "Eagle Eye" to "Minority Report" – US films have accustomed us to the idea that we are constantly being watched.
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Tarantino, connoisseur of trash
Who cares if his new film misses the mark? Quentin Tarantino’s biggest achievement is as an advocate of trash cinema, writes John Patterson.
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Canned hunting
This year’s winners of the Oscar for best picture, Joel and Ethan Coen, have never shied away from blood. They talk to John Patterson.
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Into the sunset …
John Patterson reflects on the death of one of the great movie genres, the western.
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The US has won the war against reality
It’s easier for the CEO of Exxon/Mobil to pass through the eye of a needle than it is for a dissident documentary to be seen by the American public, argues John Patterson.
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GM drives its ‘Alpha’ Hummer into the sunset
Faced with fewer buyers and soaring oil prices, General Motors has decided after a 14-year run to drive its gargantuan Hummer "Alpha" 4X4 into the sunset and shutter its production. GM announced on Friday that production of the giant 4X4 known as the "H1", based on a vehicle designed for the United States army, will cease in June.
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Gayest Oscars
After the most homophobic presidential elections in American history, we are about to get the gayest Oscars ever, writes John Patterson.
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Gangsta gets good
Ice Cube has turned himself into the United States’s new hero. Not bad for the man who soundtracked the Los Angeles riots, writes John Patterson.
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Shabby Christmas
Billy Bob Thornton makes a perfect Santa Claus — if you like yours drunk, swearing and stained with urine. He talks to John Patterson about his most cynical and funny film yet.