Shaurya Thapa

After a summer of superheroes, vampires, missing kids and F1 racers, cinephiles can cosy up for a mellower autumn. Prepare to say your goodbyes to franchises like Downton Abbey and The Conjuring, and brace yourself for Leonardo DiCaprio’s next big movie and a grim, gory Stephen King adaptation – the third bookshelf-to-screen King tale of the year. So, with the nights drawing in and the wind growing chillier, these are the September releases to provide big-screen solace. RECOMMENDED:📽️ The best films of 2025 (so far)📺 The best TV shows of 2025 you need to stream🏵️ The 100 greatest movies of all time

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

Much like many a film industry, Bollywood has had its fair share of male-led blockbusters where the actors take top billing for fighting global threats or playing jilted lovers while the heroines take the emotional toll. But from black-and-white classics to today’s age of pan-Indian film franchises, Bollywood’s leading ladies have delivered emotionally impactful performances time and again. From Madhubala’s portrayal of the tragic dancer Anarkali in the Technicolor epic Mughal-e-Azam to Alia Bhatt juggling between action hits and rom-coms, it’s high time we give the actresses of B-town their much-deserved flowers. In recent times, several Bollywood actresses have gone on to make their mark overseas as well. There’s Priyanka Chopra Jonas, who went from delivering Bollywood hits to taking on Hollywood outings like Baywatch and the Prime Video spy thriller series The Citadel. While Chopra Jonas has cemented her footing as an American celebrity as well, other Indian actresses delivering in international projects include Deepika Padukone (XXX: Return of Xander Cage) and Tabu (The Namesake, Dune: Prophecy). We’ve had quite the task in picking 12 actresses who have pan-Indian roots and have thrilled viewers on the big and small screens and have gone from the black and white era to the latest favorites.

Second only to 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.

In movies, the best things come in threes. Well, sometimes. Actually, it’s pretty rare for a film franchise to not run out of steam and/or ideas by its third instalment. But rarity is precisely what makes the best movie trilogies so memorable. Extending a story over three chapters is not an easy thing to do, so it’s no wonder that those which pull it off often include some of the greatest individual films of all-time. Of course, there are many trilogies that have crashed and burned while trying to stick the landing. That’s why, when considering this list, we’ve left off those series whose final chapters have hit the ground with a hard enough thud to leave a crater – think Alien, The Terminator and X-Men. On the other hand, there are trilogies whose first two entries are so impactful and influential (The Godfather, The Dark Knight) that we’ve forgiven the shortcomings of the lesser bookends. Even with the occasional bumps in the road, we consider these epic sagas the most worthy of an all-day binge. RECOMMENDED:  📽️ The 100 greatest movies of all time📺 The greatest TV and streaming series ever made

It costs a lot to be entertained these days. Just a few years ago ‘cord-cutting’ seemed like a life hack that’d save TV watchers a tonne of cash. Once the streaming revolution truly kicked in, though, the subscriptions piled up, and with recent price increases and crackdowns on password sharing – not to mention sheer overload of choice – it’s making some of us gaze at our old cable bills with wistful longing.   But what if we told you there was an easily accessible website out there with a trove of legitimately awesome movies available to stream 24/7, and entirely for free? It’s called YouTube. Yes, the site known primarily for instructional videos about how to install a new sink and use an air fryer is hiding an impressive library of classic cinema of the sort many other streamers don’t bother with – from silent era milestones to essential deep cuts. If you don’t mind sitting through a bunch of commercials, YouTube has a full channel of ad-supported modern films as well. But for true movie buffs looking to fill some knowledge gaps, check out the 35 flicks below – with links included. 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

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.

Forget the resurgence of the studio rom-com. Olivia Colman and Benedict Cumberbatch herald the comeback of the studio ‘anti-rom-com’ with the wickedly funny The Roses. The ever-reliable British actors star in Jay Roach’s tragicomedy as a married couple on the brink of divorce in The Roses. While the film draws direct inspiration from Warren Adler’s novel The War of the Roses and Danny DeVito’s 1989 film adaptation of the same name, The Roses updates its source material with debates on gender norms, violent slapstick antics with modern gadgets, and a cast that’s stacked with the who’s who of TV comedy, including the likes of Andy Samberg, Kate McKinnon, and Ncuti Gatwa. What’s also different is a change in setting. The original film settled for an upscale mansion in Washington DC as the marital battleground, while The Roses is set in a swank state-of-the-art house on the north coast of California. Architecture, in fact, plays a major part in the story as Cumberbatch’s Theo Rose is a passionate architect who obsesses over tiny details like Irish moss being better than the one in the States. But in reality, the cast and crew remained in the UK with a seaside getaway in southern England doubling for California. Here’s where they filmed it all. Where were the California scenes filmed in The Roses? The Roses briefly opens in the heart of London, complete with the mandatory shots of red double deckers and Big Ben. But after our mismatched lovebirds have their meet-cute in London, a

From the cult hit BoJack Horseman to more underrated picks like Undone and Tuca & Bertie, Raphael Bob-Waksberg has had an impressive streak when it comes to creation adult animated comedies. With a new Netflix original that just dropped on the streamer last week, Bob-Waksberg has shed his surreal humour and anthropomorphic animals for something more intimate. And yet, with immense critical acclaim and positive audience reactions, it’s clear that his latest animated offering has struck a universal chord. Netflix| Long Story Short (L to R) Paul Reiser as Elliot Cooper, Angelique Cabral as Jen, Ben Feldman as Avi Schwooper and Abbi Jacobson as Shira Schwooper in Long Story Short. Long Story Short is Bob-Waksberg’s latest creation, charting the everyday problems of a middle-class Jewish family in a non-linear storyline. From growing pains in adolescence to mid-life crises in adulthood, the series takes an unflinching look at life as an ever-evolving journey. But despite being grounded in a relatable reality, Long Story Short also carries its showrunner’s penchant for satirical observations on human society. Nothing is spared from the eyes of the ‘Schwooper’ family (an amalgamation of Schwartz and Cooper), be it religious orthodoxy or marital problems. Netflix| Long Story Short (L to R) Abbi Jacobson as Shira Schwooper, Lisa Edelstein as Naomi Schwartz, Paul Reiser as Elliot Cooper and Max Greenfield as Yoshi Schwooper in Long Story Short. Cr. COURTESY OF NETFLIX © 2025 Bob-Wa

There’s no dearth of streaming titles that delve deep into the high-risk business of drug smuggling. At first glance, Atomic feels the same, with Game of Thrones alum Alfie Allen playing Max, a street-smart errand boy delivering some dodgy shipments for a drug cartel. But when he makes an unlikely alliance with a stranger named JJ (Shazad Latif), the duo realises their shipment might not be your average bag of narcotics but something more nuclear in scope. This results in a cat-and-mouse game between the cartel and the authorities, as our heroes are pursued across the Saharan desert and North African settlements. The cast and crew of Atomic braved arid landscapes and sweltering temperatures to bring this story to life. These are the locations where they filmed it all.   Photograph: Sky UK Limited © Atomic was entirely filmed in this African nation As the cartel and law enforcement tail Max and JJ on dusty, long, and winding roads, the fast-paced storyline makes several pit stops across Morocco, Libya, Lebanon, and Guinea-Bissau. In actuality, the series set up base only in Morocco, relying on usual tourist hubs like Casablanca and Marrakesh, along with more remote rural communities like Tameslouht and Sidi Badhaj. Scouting for locations began almost a year before filming. As the show’s locations supervisor, Calvin Hayward recalls, ‘Trying to find all the different countries and matching landscapes – finding Libya, Syria, and Guinea-Bissau all in Morocco – was a great challe

Netflix is trying out a new trick to personalise your watchlist. This time, the streaming giant is turning into your personal astrologer. The Zodiac Watchlist feature launched globally for subscribers last Saturday (August 23), coinciding with the Virgo season kicking off a day before. So, if you’re a fiery Leo with main character energy, Netflix feels that Emily in Paris or The Crown might be right up your alley. Mysterious Scorpios are assigned Wednesday and House MD, while hustling Virgos get Oppenheimer and Money Heist. Netflix Who is making these watchlists? No algorithms at work here, as the streamer announced in a statement that these themed collections are created by ‘curators on the member experience team’. Does this mean Netflix knows my birthday? Not really. The Zodiac Watchlist feature offers curated picks for every star sign and doesn’t necessarily target the subscriber’s particular zodiac. So, you don’t need to give Netflix your birthday or star signs. Netflix What’s extra? Apart from watchlists for the twelve signs, there are even some recommendations for ‘when Mercury is in retrograde’, ranging from cerebral fever dreams like Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and Maniac to futuristic sci-fi hits like The Matrix and Black Mirror. There’s another section titled ‘Find Meaning in the Stars’ that mostly offers feel-good documentaries or health-focused Netflix originals. Is astrology making a comeback? With its Zodiac Watchlists, it’s clear that Netflix is trying

Noah Baumbach’s new Netflix dramedy Jay Kelly is set to premiere in the UK as part of the Cunard Gala at the 69th BFI London Film Festival this year. Screening at the Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall on October 10, the film stars George Clooney as an aging actor and Adam Sandler as his devoted manager as they embark on a chaotic but profound journey across Europe. Baumbach (Marriage Story, The Squid and the Whale), in his trademark introspective, dialogue-driven style, makes his characters confront their past choices, relationships, and the legacies they’ll leave behind. ‘Noah returns with his signature blend of emotional honesty and comedy in a film that cleverly explores fame, friendship, and our eternal love affair with the silver screen,’ Festival director Kristy Matheson noted. The four-time Oscar nominee is on directing duties here while co-writing the screenplay with actress Emily Mortimer (Paddington in Peru, Mary Poppins Returns), who also stars in the film. Baumbach’s most recent credits include writing the screenplay for Barbie, which was directed by his wife, Greta Gerwig. Jay Kelly also stars Baumbach’s Marriage Story collaborator Laura Dern, Billy Crudup (Almost Famous, The Morning Show), and Riley Keough (Daisy Jones & The Six, The Lodge). Calling the LFF selection ‘a homecoming even for this New Yorker,’ Baumbach added, ‘We filmed, as well as edited, mixed, and recorded our score, here in London.’ The director and members of the cast are expected to att

After patenting Brat Summer and touring as a ‘3-6-5 party girl’, Charli XCX is testing new waters, this time as an actress. And she is busier than expected, with eight confirmed projects, two of which she’s also producing. For followers of her hyperpop auto-tune gospel, the Grammy winner’s cinematic side might not come as a surprise. Even Letterboxd-addicted cinephiles worship her on-brand, cheeky one-line reviews (her username is @itscharlibb in case you were wondering). Also contributing to film soundtracks like The Fault in Our Stars, Barbie, and Bottoms, the London raver even bid adieu to Brat Summer at this year's Coachella by giving shoutouts to some top-tier filmmakers, declaring this year the summer of Darren Aronofsky, David Cronenberg, Celine Song, Paul Thomas Anderson, and many others. Then there was the time when even The Great Gatsby’s Baz Luhrmann referenced ‘party4u’ to evoke Gatsby’s longing for his beloved Daisy. “Gatsby, he only threw these parties for you,” the ever-flashy Australian director captioned a throwback Instagram post with Charli approving, “That’s right!” So, it only made sense for the 32-year-old to turn to acting. With a title at this year’s Venice Film Festival, and projects with the who’s who of Hollywood, Charli’s all set to turn heads and raise eyebrows yet again. Here’s your guide to every upcoming Charli XCX film. Get your Letterboxd watchlists ready. 100 Nights of Hero   Photograph: Alexandru Roberto Rusu   Premiering on closing night

KPop Demon Hunters proved to be one of Netflix’s biggest successes this year, with the animated musical not only dominating global streaming charts but also the Billboard Hot 100 with songs like ‘Golden’ and ‘Soda Pop’. Beloved by K-pop listeners and novices alike, KPop Demon Hunters deservedly earned a spot on Time Out’s list of the best family movies of 2025 (so far). From the Chinese blockbuster Ne Zha 2 to A Minecraft Movie, this year has offered us plenty of family-friendly options to catch up on. But perhaps the most impactful of them all has been a relatively low-budget feature from Latvia. We’re talking about Flow, an animated odyssey of a cat and his new furry friends as they brave a flood in a creaky wooden boat. That simple premise is elevated by director Gints Zilbalodis’s vision and animals that transcend languages and global borders. Flow opened in cinemas early this year and went on to win Best Animated Feature at the Oscars, cutting above big studio nominees like Disney’s Inside Out 2 and DreamWorks’s The Wild Robot. What makes Flow’s win all the more commendable is that the entire film was designed and animated in the free-to-use online software Blender. In fact, the Latvian filmmaker and animator even gave a shout-out to Blender during his acceptance speech. With children's animation traditionally relying on talking animals and cartoonish mannerisms, Flow is slightly unconventional in the sense that it emphasises hyper-realistic sounds and movements of its a

Gentlemen, rev your Aston Martins and start shaking those martinis, because a new James Bond is on the horizon. Menthol smoke has not yet started billowing out of MGM Studios – the traditional indication that the next 007 has been chosen – with Daniel Craig’s likely replacement still a mystery. What does this mean for the future of the iconic British spy series and its upcoming 26th instalment? Information is limited, but here’s what we know so far.  What does Amazon MGM Studios’ takeover mean for the next James Bond? After months of rumour and speculation, James Bond finally got a new boss in February 2025. Not M, but Amazon MGM Studios who sealed a deal with 007’s producers, Eon’s Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson, to take creative control of the franchise.  Broccoli and Wilson will remain co-owners of James Bond but crucially, will step back from controlling the future direction or execution of the franchise. ‘With the conclusion of No Time to Die and Michael retiring from the films, I feel it is time to focus on my other projects,’ Broccoli said in a statement.So what does it all mean for 007? We’re probably a step closer to a release date for Bond 26 and the announcement of a new James Bond to star in it. Maybe a radical change of direction for the whole franchise, too, with immediate speculation that Amazon will look to spin their expensive new IP into the kind of shared universe storytelling that Disney pursued with Lucasfilm and Star Wars after its takeover. Is a

Even in an era of binge-watching and digital piracy, the UK isn’t yet in need of a Nicole Kidman AMC commercial. Post-pandemic attendance may be sporadic, but the cinemas are still drawing eager moviegoers, from long-running local picture houses with their 35mm projections to multiplex chains offering discounted tickets and fancy cocktails. Over 130 of the best cinemas in the UK are now vying for the British Independent Film Awards’ (BIFA) Cinema of the Year award. This will be the first time the BIFA is hosting an award like this, which will ultimately come down to five picks. The participating cinemas are asked to detail what makes their venue special and an integral part of their local community. Voting is open to the public from August 22 to September 22, following which a BIFA jury will handpick five nominees. Come the nominations on November 3, another public vote between November 3 and 24 will determine the winner at the BIFA ceremony on Sunday, November 30. Commenting on the inaugural award, Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy added, ‘Cinemas are the lifeblood of our world-class film industry. These much-loved venues are worthy of recognition, and I am delighted that this award will provide them with that.’ So, if you too visit your local cinema for some silver screen magic and dimly lit escapism, now’s your opportunity to crown them the best in the whole country. Get voting. Check out the full list of Time Out's 50 best cinemas in the UK and Ireland. Time Out’s 30 most bea

It was in 1979 when Ridley Scott’s Alien introduced us to a space where no one can hear you…being terrorized by chest-bursting, face-hugging extraterrestrials. Seven films later, the slimy reptilian Xenomorphs still haunt us, only now in a TV series and on our planet. A prequel set two years before the original film, Alien: Earth marks a unique chapter in the franchise as it’s not only the first Alien series but also the first Alien story that is primarily set on our own planet. The FX series is created by Noah Hawley (Fargo, Legion) and puts a new spin on the Alien lore, as the xenomorphs don’t just crawl inside a space vehicle this time; they crash-land on our very planet. But where did Alien: Earth recreate its Earth of 2120 AD? Strangely enough, that’s where the sci-fi horror series collides with the latest season of The White Lotus.   Photograph: FX   Where was Alien: Earth filmed? The entirety of Alien: Earth was filmed in Thailand, incorporating 13 studios, the futuristic buildings of the capital city, Bangkok, and the stunning green backdrops of nature getaways like Phuket and Krabi. The Thailand Film Office suggests that Alien: Earth also marks the highest investment in the country's history of international film production, with 2.8 billion baht (approximately 85.4 million US dollars). The series was primarily filmed for 123 days at several locations in Bangkok, Surat Thani, Samut Prakan, Krabi, and Phang Nga. Even when the Writers Guild strikes prevented filming

If Zach Cregger explored the dingy basements of a Airbnb in Barbarian, he’s going bigger with his follow-up effort Weapons. His new horror movie has the US filmmaker rustling up the sleepy suburban town of Maybrook, a gloomy Pennsylvanian locale that feels like it belongs in a Stephen King novel. Weapons starts off on one such gloomy night in Newport, more specifically at 2.17 am in the night when 17 elementary schoolers step out of their house, their arms stretched out, transfixed by an invisible power of sorts.  What happens next is a town crumbling into chaos. The school turn into a hunting ground for the missing children’s teacher (Julia Garner). The liquor store attracts all sorts of eerie visitors. And a particular gas station hosts a blood-oozing, eye-popping altercation that is crowd-pleasing shlock at its finest.  The burning question is: what happened to those children at 2.17 am? Once you know the answers, the question remains: is Maybrook, Pennsylvania real? Photograph: Warner Bros. PicturesJulia Garner in ‘Weapons’ Where did they film Weapons? It turns out that Maybrook is actually Atlanta, Georgia. Cregger’s brief to production designer Tom Hammock was to create ‘a small New Eastern town’. For inspiration, Hammock studied the communities outside cities like Philadelphia, Cleveland and Cincinnati. The production designer, who worked on Ti West’s stylish gonzo horror X and the ultra-maximalist Godzilla x Kong films, stuck closer to reality with this one. ‘[Zach]

After giving people Airbnb nightmares in his claustrophobic debut Barbarian, director Zach Cregger returns to the horror genre with Weapons. This time, the former sketch comedian explores a sleepy suburb that is scarred with the mass disappearance of 17 elementary school children who wake up one night, leave home and don’t come back. Narrated from multiple POVs, the plot thickens when all these children belong to the same classroom. The community is naturally suspicious of class teacher Justine Gandy (Julia Garner) until the slow-burning dread gives way to something more sinister, darkly funny, and creatively gory with a third act that can be best described as absolutely bonkers. So, if Weapons left you curling your toes and squinting your eyes, then these riveting cult classics and modern genre favourites will keep you hooked. ©DR Mom & Dad (2017) Remember The Shining? Now, imagine if all the parents in the world matched Jack Nicholson’s unhinged rage. Throw in Nicolas Cage’s natural madcap energy in the mix too, and voila, you have the blood-red concoction called Mom & Dad. The premise is simple: a plague has turned every parent against their child, running after their younglings with murderous intent. While this 2017 black comedy lacks the subtle wit and parental concern of Weapons, both films touch upon the anxieties of children in precarious scenarios, facing uncertain fears from their own guardians. M (1931) When a serial child murde