Culture

Courtesy of Cannes Film FestivalThe opposite of an escapist blockbuster, the eighth and apparently final outing for Tom Cruise's Ethan Hunt is the doomiest and gloomiest yet in the action-adventure franchise.With so much tension and conflict around the world, it...

Getty ImagesYesterday, the French mega-star was found guilty of sexual assaulting two women on a film set. It's verdict which could have a big impact on the country's film industry.It couldn't have been timed more dramatically if it had been...

Getty ImagesThere's complex etiquette and a rich history behind the French film festival's red-carpet ban of "naked" or "voluminous" dressing. We decipher the "decency" dress code of the Cannes Film Festival in 2025.That most rigid of red carpets just got...

AlamyTwenty-five years ago, the first instalment terrified by making everyday scenarios into death traps. Now, after a 14-year break, Final Destination: Bloodlines is tweaking the formula."In death, there are no accidents, no coincidences, no mishaps, and no escapes." Those are the...

Getty Images(Credit: Getty Images)In May 1943, a specially formed RAF squadron embarked on a daring moonlit mission – but its success came with a heavy cost. In 1976, the BBC spoke to one of the airmen who made it home...

Alina PyazokOne of the most controversial entries in the Eurovision song contest is Espresso Macchiato by Estonia's Tommy Cash. It mocks Italian stereotypes, and there have been calls to ban it.The track by Estonian rapper and singer Tommy Cash is...

Ligne RosetSpace-age style is skyrocketing in pop culture – in celebrities' homes, at global design fairs and even in blockbuster films. We look back at the stunning retro-futuristic origins of 2025's biggest interiors aesthetic, and ask, why now?From aerodynamic cars...

Alamy(Credit: Alamy)Published years before WW2, Sally Carson's prescient novel captures the dawn of Nazi tyranny in a small German town – and remains relevant today.Eighty years after VE Day, enthusiasm for the World War Two novel remains undimmed.Demand for tales...

Alamy(Credit: Alamy)Decades before Tom Cruise was making audiences gasp, the Gallic star was getting up to even more hair-raising exploits on screen – sometimes with few safety measures.One of modern Hollywood's great leading men, Tom Cruise, is to receive a...

Getty ImagesOn 12 June 1962, three men escaped from Alcatraz, never to be seen again. The ultimate fate of Frank Morris and the Anglin brothers remains a mystery but the ingenuity and determination of their daring escape – from what...