Shaurya Thapa is a freelance film and culture journalist hailing from India and currently based in London. He loves digging deep into genre movies, South Asian cinema, and harbours an unhealthy obsession with Tommy Wiseau’s The Room.

Shaurya Thapa

Shaurya Thapa

Film writer

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Articles (5)

Free movies on YouTube: 32 that are legitimately great for 2025

Free movies on YouTube: 32 that are legitimately great for 2025

Even in the era of streaming overload, it’s hard to find a platform catering to fans of classic and cult cinema. But what if we told you there's a website out there hiding a trove of incredible films, available entirely for free? And what if we told you it’s called YouTube? That’s right: the site mostly known for cat videos and conspiracy theories also has an incredible selection of movies, many of which are unavailable on other services: arthouse curios, silent era milestones, essential deep-cuts. (If you’re looking for more modern fare, YouTube has a full channel of ad-supported films as well.)  Thing is, they can be hard to find, buried underneath the plethora of DIY home improvement videos and the like. So we’ve dug around and found the 30 best full movies available on YouTube – all of which have been legally uploaded. Recommended: 🎬 100 best movies of all time💣 The greatest thrillers ever made🤘 The best cult classic movies of all-time🌍 The 50 best foreign films of all-time
The 21 Best Stephen King Movies of All Time

The 21 Best Stephen King Movies of All Time

Second only by Shakespeare, Stephen King is the most adapted author of all time. With 60 movies and counting, King’s novels and short stories have terrified audiences for decades since Brian De Palma adapted his debut novel Carrie in 1976. But while King’s canon yielded memorable cinematic and TV horrors like It, Cujo, and Salem’s Lot, the Maine native also delved into profound human connections as seen in real-world dramas like Stand By Me and The Shawshank Redemption. This year alone marks the release of three highly-anticipated King adaptations: Longlegs director Osgood Perkins’s horror comedy The Monkey, the Tom Hiddleston-led sci-fi drama The Life of Chuck, and Edgar Wright’s upcoming The Running Man remake starring Glen Powell. From misty monsters to haunted hotel rooms, we glimpse through the best of Stephen King adaptations. And while it might draw the scorn of ‘the King of Horror’, this list also includes some cinematic classics that he notoriously hated himself.   😱 The best horror movies of 2025 (so far). 👹 The 100 horror films ever made.
The 12 best Bollywood actors

The 12 best Bollywood actors

As he told David Letterman in 2019, Shah Rukh Khan boasts 3.5 billion fans across his home land, the wider Indian diaspora and even Greece, Switzerland, and Egypt. Such is the extraordinary levels of fame attained by India’s most famous actor. But who sits alongside Khan at the top of that very big, very lush tree? There are a whole host to choose from.  Even beyond the Hindi film industry, India boasts stars with a cult fanbase ranging from Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan in Tamil movies to Chiranjeevi and Nagarjuna in the Telugu film industry or even Mammootty and Mohanlal in the Malayalam language. While Bollywood is technically the term for Hindi productions, we are looking across all state borders and counting down the biggest actors in the country including the veterans mentioned above along with a new crop of rising stars. Recommended: 🇮🇳 The 100 best Bollywood movies of all-time🇬🇧 50 great British actors🌍 The 50 best foreign films of all-time
The 15 best movie trilogies to watch

The 15 best movie trilogies to watch

It’s an age-old question: what is the greatest movie trilogy, and what makes a trilogy movie great? In truth, they come in all shapes and sizes from the three act structure of The Lord of the Rings, the original Star Wars movies and Hiroshi Inagaki’s masterful The Samurai Trilogy. to the looser thematic links of Edgar Wright’s Cornetto trilogy or Sergio Leone’s spaghetti westerns. East Asian and Scandinavian cinema has given us loosely connected ‘spiritual’ trilogies, with Joachim Trier exploring Norwegian urban youth in his Oslo trilogy, Park Chan-wook helming blood-soaked Korean revenge sagas with the Vengeance trilogy. Some trilogies have futzed up the landing in their final entries. Alien, The Terminator, X-Men and Spider-Man all miss out on this list on the back of their wobbly final chapters. But the overall cultural impact of some trilogies is such that we can be willing to forgive the odd one out. So The Godfather and The Dark Knight, no matter how polarising their final instalments are. From poetic romances to swashbuckling adventures, this list will take you through the best movie trilogies. RECOMMENDED:  📽️ The 100 greatest movies of all time📺 The greatest TV and streaming series ever made
The 25 best superhero movies of all time

The 25 best superhero movies of all time

Every summer brings us a new superhero movie, muscular and flexing for your wallet. This time around it’s ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’, a sure-to-be-snarky, sweary and irreverent middle ground between mainstream MCU fare and the satirical edge of ‘The Boys’. But before you flinch, drop that attitude: several of these blockbusters have been excellent action movies, redeeming Hollywood's most profitable genre as opportunities for sophistication, sarcasm and panache. We love the best superhero movies because they help us to dream big. Here are the 20 best examples – tie on your cape and dive in.

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Where was ‘F1: The Movie’ filmed? The locations behind the Brad Pitt racing epic

Where was ‘F1: The Movie’ filmed? The locations behind the Brad Pitt racing epic

After filming neon-streaked light cycle races in Tron: Legacy and high-altitude dogfights in Top Gun: Maverick, director Joseph Kosinski brings the summer blockbuster to the Formula One circuit. Officially licensed by Formula 1, the Brad Pitt-led F1: The Movie one-ups previous motorsport films with unparalleled access to real-life racing seasons, immersive first-person camerawork from modified cars, and cameos by champion drivers like Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen. Pitt steers aerodynamic beasts as Sonny Hayes, a yesteryear driver hired as a last-ditch option by FI team APX GP, an outfit much closer to bankruptcy than titles. Meanwhile, Londoner Damson Idris plays Pitt’s impetuous, insecure young teammate Joshua Pearce. Photograph: Scott Garfield / Warner Bros. Pictures / Apple Original FilmsDamson Idris as Joshua Pearce in ‘F1: The Movie’ Together, the veteran and the rookie trot across the globe’s flashiest Grade 1 circuits, with occasional pitstops for a pint at the pub and a post-race party at a Las Vegas club. This is how and where they pulled it all off. Where were the races of F1: The Movie filmed? The racing scenes were all shot at actual tracks, from trial laps at Silverstone Circuit in the UK to a final nail-biter at Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi, UAE. Photograph: Scott Garfield / Warner Bros. Pictures / Apple Original FilmsShea Whigham at Daytona International Speedway Daytona International Speedway, Florida Brad Pitt’s Sonny Hayes is introduced in a non
Where was ‘28 Years Later’ filmed? The locations behind Danny Boyle’s zombie sequel

Where was ‘28 Years Later’ filmed? The locations behind Danny Boyle’s zombie sequel

It has been more than two decades since director Danny Boyle and writer Alex Garland unleashed sprinting zombies on the world with 28 Days Later. That film’s gnarly opening with Cillian Murphy wandering around empty streets of London still caters to our apocalyptic, past-pandemic anxieties. Now, the duo reunites for 28 Years Later, replacing urban decay with guerrilla warfare in the forests. Photograph: Sony PicturesJamie (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and his son Spike (Alfie Williams) in ‘28 Years Later’ What is 28 Years Later about? Set nearly three decades after the Rage virus outbreak, 28 Years Later follows a band of survivors who have set base on a windswept tidal island. But when seasoned scavenger Jamie (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), his preteen son Spike (Alfie Williams), and, later, mum Isla (Jodie Comer) embark on a journey to the mainland, they get exposed to the true extent of the infected. Where was 28 Years Later filmed? If the first film found Boyle’s crew using Canon digital camcorders to capture action in concrete dystopias, 28 Years Later relies on an inventory of iPhone 15s and drones capturing the Gothic ruins and forested interiors of north eastern England. Expect sleepy parishes, Gothic monasteries, mist-shrouded forests, and the towering lines of the bone temples.  Photograph: Miya Mizuno/Sony PicturesAlfie Williams and Ralph Fiennes on location for ‘28 Years Later’ Where is the Bone Temple located? An intriguing attraction of 28 Years Later is the Bone Temple s
Sheffield DocFest: 5 unmissable documentaries on this year’s line-up

Sheffield DocFest: 5 unmissable documentaries on this year’s line-up

Sheffield DocFest turns 32 this year, and it’s still the UK's documentary heavyweight – the place where you'll spot next year's must-watch docs before they hit cinemas or streaming platforms.  And this year’s fest is delivering hope-filled stories from war zones in Ukraine and Gaza, bizarrely brilliant dating experiments from North Korea and China, plus fresh voices from the festival’s jury selection. Here are five from the newly-announced 2025 line-up to watch out for. Photograph: Sheffield DocFest‘Still Pushing Pineapples’ Still Pushing Pineapples Festival opener Still Pushing Pineapples promises uplift and good vibes in abundance. The title refers to Dean Michael, the British singer of yesteryear pop outfit Black Lace, best remembered for ’80s hit Agadoo. With his glory days behind him, the film follows Michael’s comeback bid as he embarks on a road trip with his mother and partner. A road movie with a few things to say about pop culture, it’ll be absolutely nothing like all those gushing-but-dull vanity docs about legendary musicians.  Photograph: Sheffield DocFest‘North South Man Woman’ North South Man Woman There are a couple of dating documentary on this year’s slate, including China’s The Dating Game (about a bootcamp of rich Chinese bachelors seeking a suitable wife) and this South Korean film. Filmed over five years, it follows Yujin Han, a North Korean expat who started her own dating agency matchmaking North Korean women with eligible South Korean bachelors. T
400 of David Lynch’s personal items are going under the hammer

400 of David Lynch’s personal items are going under the hammer

‘I just had two cookies and a Coke. That’s phenomenal.’ That’s what David Lynch said once, sitting in the backseat of a car with a floral garland around his neck. The director, writer, and full-time surrealist clearly loved the little things in life. But the Blue Velvet and Mullholland Drive filmmaker, who passed away this January, also amassed a vast archive of film memorabilia, personal cameras, abstract paintings, erotic art books, coffee machines, and Lynch’s own ‘lunchbox with trinkets’. All of them are up for auction via LA auction house Julien’s and vintage TV network Turner Classic Movies. With online bids already live, The David Lynch Collection will go under the hammer on June 18, 2025. As you’d expect, the line-up of souvenirs is randomly assorted and quite diverse. In other words, Lynchian to the core. Photograph: Julie's Auction| David Lynch's personalised director's chair What items are on sale? The most sought-after items right now are understandably film-related memorabilia like Lynch’s own personalised director’s chair (current bid at $27,500), his personal 35mm prints of Eraserhead (current bid at $22,500), and those velvety red curtains from Twin Peaks: The Return (current bid at $15,000). A deeper dive through the online catalogue also takes you through other facets of Lynch’s quirky and whimsical life. Photograph: Julien's Auctions| The red curtains with chequerboard flooring from Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me If you scroll past the cinematic heavy hi
‘Smurfs’: the full tracklist for Rihanna’s new animated movie

‘Smurfs’: the full tracklist for Rihanna’s new animated movie

The tiny, blue Smurfs are back with their mushroom houses and their floppy white caps. After a series of commercially successful live-action and animated Smurfs movies, the franchise returns in 2025 with a reboot directed by Chris Lord (Puss in Boots, Shrek the Third) and produced by pop star Rihanna (who also has a voice role as Smurfette). Based on the evergreen Belgian comic series by cartoonist Peyo, Smurfs follows the efforts of Smurfette and her fellow Lilliputian creatures as they set out to rescue their mentor Papa Smurf from the clutches of evil wizard brothers Gargamel and Razamel. The premise might seem familiar to previous Smurf adventures, but with Rihanna in the cast, the film’s soundtrack promises to be a step above its precursors. The Smurfs movies have always stuck to a feel-good pop sound with singles like Britney Spears’s Ooh La La for The Smurfs 2 and Meghan Trainor’s I’m A Lady for Smurfs: The Lost Village. For 2025’s Smurfs, Chris Lord’s Puss in Boots collaborator Henry Jackman is on scoring duties, while a 14-track pop soundtrack boasts high-profile names like Tyla and Cardi B along with cast members Rihanna and James Corden. With 14 uplifting pop numbers, the Smurfs tracklist captures the magical and cheerful nature of its little blue heroes. What’s on the Smurfs soundtrack? Milenge by Natania Celebrate by Natania Friend of Mine by Rihanna Higher Love by DESI TRILL feat. DJ Khaled, Cardi B, Natania and Subhi Liar For A Living by Natania It Takes A Vill
‘The Last of Us’ season 2 soundtrack: the full tracklist for the post-apocalyptic series

‘The Last of Us’ season 2 soundtrack: the full tracklist for the post-apocalyptic series

Bella Ramsey and Pedro Pascal are back in action, taking down fungal zombies and going through an emotional rollercoaster in The Last of Us season 2. Based on the acclaimed Naughty Dog game The Last of Us Part II, the series raises the stakes after a five-year jump. Ellie (Ramsey) is growing up amidst a new society of survivors while her father-figure Joel (Pascal) confronts the actions of his violent past. To make matters worse, the zombies are smarter, and the humans are more divided this time. The soundtrack complements the rustic dystopia of the series, accompanied by some Easter Eggs that will delight fans of the source material. As was the case with the games and the first season, Argentine maestro Gustavo Santaolalla returns to score the series along with co-composer David Fleming. Eagle-eyed viewers will also be able to spot Santaolalla strumming a guitar in episode 1’s New Year’s Eve dance. Going by its source material, this season is bound to be more musical as Ellie picks up the guitar to escape from her existential dread. With Joel also tinkering with the six-stringer in episode 1, there are hints of more acoustic melancholia to follow.  How The Last of Us season 2 soundtrack has Easter Eggs for the game fans So far, the soundtrack features needle drops by Seattle grunge legends Nirvana and folk-country outfit Crooked Still (who perform in the episode 1 party as Brittany and the Jug Boys). In fact, the Crooked Still tracks also featured in the gameplay trailer of
Where was ‘Sirens’ filmed? Behind the filming locations of the dark Netflix comedy

Where was ‘Sirens’ filmed? Behind the filming locations of the dark Netflix comedy

The new Netflix original Sirens is a limited series that starts out as a campy eat-the-rich satire, before slowly morphing into something far more sinister. Think of The White Lotus’s uber-rich caricatures and blend them with Jean Smart’s parasitic boss in Hacks. Throw in some subplots with troubled siblings and class differences, add some colourful locales and presto, you have a psychological thriller-cum-dark comedy ripe for bingeing. What is Sirens about? The Netflix series boasts a star-studded ensemble, with Oscar-winner Julianne Moore playing Michaela, a controlling socialite, and House of the Dragon breakout Milly Alcock as her overworked but fiercely loyal assistant Simone. When Simone’s older sister Devon (Meghann Fahy from The White Lotus season 2 and more recently Drop) attempts to check up on her sister, she finds herself navigating a nexus of power and obsession in and around some extremely lavish east coast real estate. Produced by Margot Robbie, Sirens is adapted from the satirical play Elemeno Pea by Molly Smith Metzler, with the playwright also serving as show runner.  Photograph: Macall Polay/Netflix © 2025Milly Alcock and Kevin Bacon Where was Sirens filmed? Netflix’s answer to the Saltburn manor, the central location in Sirens is a palatial house in a remote house. But despite the air of mystery, the locations don’t require you to fly around to some exotic White Lotus retreat. The heart of the series remains in the state of New York. Here’s a rundown of
Llega a Netflix la nueva serie de moda: siete claves para ver la postapocalíptica El Eternauta

Llega a Netflix la nueva serie de moda: siete claves para ver la postapocalíptica El Eternauta

Una sofocante noche de verano en Buenos Aires. Los ensordecedores ruidos del tráfico nocturno que van acompañados de los ecos de las protestas en las calles. Y, tras un trueno que retumba entre las nubes, silencio. Esta vez, el repiqueteo en el suelo, que suele representar un descanso del calor estival, no se trata de lluvia, sino de una tormenta de nieve mortal que rápidamente acaba con todo ser vivo.  Así arranca el nuevo éxito de Netflix, la miniserie argentina 'El Eternauta'. Basada en el pionero cómic del mismo nombre, este drama puede llegar a recordar a obras como la distopía helada de 'Snowpiercer', largometraje dirigido por Bong Joon Ho y basado en la novela gráfica francesa de 1982, o 'The Last of Us', por su comentario político y situaciones de tensión psicológica. Pero, aunque se ha hecho esperar, 'El Eternauta' los precede a todos. Antes de que os pongáis cómodos para empezar la maratón de sus seis capítulos, de más de 40 minutos de duración cada uno (llegando a superar la hora para su espectacular final), te contamos todo lo esencial de esta nueva producción de la plataforma de 'streaming'. 1. El Eternauta es un clásico latinoamericano La nueva serie toma prestado su nombre de una novela gráfica de culto publicada por entregas en la revista argentina 'Hora Cero', entre los años 1957 y 1959. Escrita por el periodista y escritor Héctor Germán Oesterheld e ilustrada por Francisco Solano López, esta apasionante obra sigue a Juan Salvo, que junto a su familia y amigo
‘The Four Seasons’: the filming locations behind Tina Fey’s feel-good Netflix series

‘The Four Seasons’: the filming locations behind Tina Fey’s feel-good Netflix series

If you’re missing the exotic stays of The White Lotus already, there’s a new Netflix original to check in for the weekend. Tina Fey’s latest comedy series The Four Seasons, follows a group of longtime college friends who reunite for a seemingly relaxing getaway. But with two of them on the brink of divorce, old wounds reopen and the mid-life crisis sets in. In the course of eight episodes, the miniseries throws some unexpectedly emotional curveballs that balance its stylish, high-profile locales with some heartwarming camaraderie. For Tina Fey, The Four Seasons is an actual reunion, as she created the show with her 30 Rock writer-producers Lang Fisher and Tracey Wigfield. As for its ensemble cast, Fey leads the pack with Date Night co-star Steve Carell, Colman Domingo (Sing Sing), Will Forte (Nebraska), Kerri Kenney-Silver (Reno 911!), among others.  Photograph: Jon Pack / NetflixMarco Calvani as Claude, Colman Domingo as Danny, Tina Fey as Kate and Will Forte as Jack in The Four Seasons Contrary to its title, The Four Seasons isn’t set within the resort chain of the same name. In fact, the name comes from Vivaldi’s timeless Four Seasons concerti that play throughout every episode as emotional motifs (much like the 1981 romcom The Four Seasons that the show adapts). From upscale New York localities to a Puerto Rican resort, The Four Seasons boasts some elegant locations that deserve a spot on your travel list. Here’s a seasonal guide to the key spots. Where was The Four Sea
The Eternaut: Latin America’s ‘The Last of Us’ is Already a Hit – Everything You Need to Know Before It Hits Netflix

The Eternaut: Latin America’s ‘The Last of Us’ is Already a Hit – Everything You Need to Know Before It Hits Netflix

A sweltering summer night in Argentina’s capital city, Buenos Aires. The honking of nighttime traffic is accompanied by echoes of protests on the streets. The urban sounds die out as thunderclaps rumble within the clouds. A pitter-patter on the ground signals a break from the summer heat. Only this isn’t the arrival of rain but a deadly snowstorm that quickly envelops all life.  As the Argentine Netflix miniseries The Eternaut plays out, it becomes clear that this toxic snowfall represents a threat from beyond this world. Based on a trailblazing comic of the same name, The Eternaut is a Latin American The Last of Us. The Spanish-language drama might echo the frozen dystopia of Bong Joon Ho’s Snowpiercer (based on the 1982 French graphic novel). And its political commentary and psychological tension might resonate with fans of The Last of Us (currently in its second season). But The Eternaut was a long time coming, and its influential source material predates any influences that might spring up in the viewer’s mind. So, before you binge on the four-episode series and enter a subzero world of fear, we break down the essentials behind The Eternaut.  El Eternauta 1. The Eternaut is a Latin American classic The Eternaut borrows its title from a cult graphic novel originally serialised in the Argentine magazine Hora Cero from 1957 and 1959. Penned by journalist-writer Héctor Germán Oesterheld and illustrated by Francisco Solano López, it’s a gripping page-turner, with sharply re
‘Thunderbolts’: the filming locations behind the new Marvel blockbuster

‘Thunderbolts’: the filming locations behind the new Marvel blockbuster

Thunderbolts* is not your average Marvel Cinematic Universe adventure – and not just because it has an asterisk in its title. As director Jake Schreier puts it, Thunderbolts* is a story of ‘internal doubt and emptiness’, something that makes the action comedy universal and grounded in an otherwise ever-expanding multiverse. Schreier’s directing credits include Netflix hit Beef, teen romance Paper Towns, and music videos for Kendrick Lamar and Selena Gomez. Thunderbolts* might be his first superhero film, but the filmmaker brings the same focus on practical filmmaking. The project also reteams him with his Beef production designer, Grace Yoon, and revisits past MCU heritage, like Avengers Tower and the ‘Battle of New York’. Marvel Studios What is Thunderbolts* about? Featuring towering Malaysian skyscrapers and sun-scorched deserts of Utah, Thunderbolts* is a road movie with a ragtag bunch that was never meant to get along. Leading the troupe is former assassin-turned-spy Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh reprising her Black Widow role) who is joined by her father, the Soviet hero Red Guardian (David Harbour), disgraced Captain America John Walker (Wyatt Russell), the Ant-Man villain Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), and of course, the poster child of MCU antiheroes, Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan). Marvel Studios While these morally broken non-Avengers are trained in lethal combat and enhanced with super serums, Schreier calls Thunderbolts* ‘a very human story’. His grounded take on th
‘The Pitt’: the real filming locations behind the smash-hit medical drama

‘The Pitt’: the real filming locations behind the smash-hit medical drama

In a genre dominated by the classics like ER and long-running titles like Grey’s Anatomy (currently in its twenty-first season), Max medical drama The Pitt has become somewhat of a dark horse.  Showered with stellar reviews and already renewed for a second season, The Pitt recreates the tension of a single day in a Pittsburgh hospital. The 15-hour work shift plays out in 15 pulse-pounding episodes, the workplace chaos mirroring the intensity of The Bear’s kitchen nightmares and The Studio’s one-take moviemaking madness.  So, expect waiting rooms filled to the brim with patients, med students passing out at gnarly sights, and an understaffed medic team racing against time. For a show almost entirely playing out in a hospital, The Pitt’s newly converted fans would wonder about the locations that double for the series’s many emergency rooms and care facilities. More importantly, the question of the hour: Is the Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Hospital ER (aka ‘The Pitt’) real? Photograph: Warrick Page/MAXAyesha Harris, Noah Wyle and Ken Kirby in ‘The Pitt’ What is The Pitt about?  Premiering this January, The Pitt stars ER alumnus Noah Wyle as senior emergency physician Dr Michael ‘Robby’ Robinavitch as he grapples with a single 15-hour work shift.  Each of the 15 episodes covers one hour of this arduous shift, with Robby and his overworked staff combating staff shortages, underfunding and post-pandemic blues.  With its real-time approach and Wyle’s committed lead performance, The P