Jasmine Valentine

Across cinemas from Pontio, North Wales to the heart of Birmingham, a sea of pink and black is taking shape. Barbie boxes decorate the snack stand ready for spontaneous photo opportunities, and ominous posters of Cillian Murphy embroiled in a fiery wreckage loom over those who are buying tickets. In Central London, things have been taken up a notch, with wannabe Barbies rollerskating to upbeat tunes with processco in hand and a swathe of cinema-goers dressed in muted charcoal tones and dusky ...

She’s Mother. It’s a phrase you’ve probably seen countless times on Twitter recently, typically describing a cishet female celebrity whose fans revere them as a deity, but who is more than likely just doing the bare minimum. The title’s got the same chaotic energy as screaming, crying, throwing up, but instead of funneling that energy into the ether, we have a figure to pin our emotions on. But how did we get here?

Obsessing over our favorite celebrities to the point of wanting them to adopt ...

For plenty of young girls growing up in the late 90s and early 00s, life revolved around one near-identical commodity: the Olsen twins. After making their joint debut aged nine months taking turns playing Michelle Tanner on American sitcom Full House, the sisters were thrown into a never-ending cycle of appearing in feel-good, trashy flicks for their equally juvenile audience.
What followed can only be described as global pandemonium – there were books, video games, and clothing ranges that s...

Speaking exclusively to RadioTimes.com, director Emma Sullivan commented: “You know that [fans] are passionate about it, but they want the best for it.”
She continued: “You want them to be happy, you know, but I think the only way we can do that is to make [Eiichiro] Oda happy. When he saw stuff that he didn't like, we redid it.”
“So he's the leader really, and I think if Oda says he's happy with it, then the fans will be happy. But you know, we just hope we did our best.”
When it comes to wh...

On the evening of my 28th birthday, I received a paper mask of Cate Blanchett’s face. It worked like a charm for taking the sting out of missing her at the London Critics Awards the next day—something I mercilessly relayed to my friends who managed to see her. Soon after I received it, I started to feel like this was a part of something larger. It wasn’t until everyone and their dog had told me they were going to see Cate’s latest Oscar-nominated feature Tár, and afterward their thoughts, tha...

When we hear the word “adaption,” we often sigh in discontent. Multiple incarnations of popular film and TV stories have been and gone, and many have left a sour parting note. Tackling the bones of David Cronenberg’s 1998 hit, Prime Video’s Dead Ringers is a narrative definition all its own. FILMHOUNDS spoke to actor and executive producer Rachel Weisz and creator Alice Birch to drill down into the world of the Mantles.
Rachel — I hope you don’t mind me saying — I feel like it’s probably fair...

Fortunately, Netflix’s take on the 1997 franchise One Piece only has better things in store.
Following the journey of Monkey D Luffy (Iñaki Godoy) as he tries to become the King of the Pirates, viewers are introduced to a never-ending world of fearsome captains, hidden-away islands and boats bigger than most houses. In short, it’s a pirate lover’s dream.
Luffy’s makeshift crew is better known as the Straw Hats, comprised of feisty navigator Nami (Emily Rudd), wannabe captain Usopp (Jacob Rome...

It’s no secret that The Witcher has been one of the best-received fantasy series in recent years. Even with the sudden announcement of Henry Cavill’s departure after the release of Season 3 Volume 2, viewers have been quick to lap up each installment since its debut in 2019. At its heart, the gutsy tale of a lone yet incredibly alluring monster-hunter is tantalizingly sexy. The fact that Cavill is easy on the eyes isn’t a hindrance either, but the classic narrative of the chosen one embarking...

Some might scoff, but the Eurovision Song Contest is no joke. Broadcast live around the world to over 160 million viewers, it’s the second most watched live event behind the Olympics. Ahead of the grand final this weekend, we speak to the stage designer and lighting designer for this year’s Liverpool-held event.

In a nutshell, the Eurovision Song Contest is a visual metaphor for expecting the unexpected. One moment, viewers might be entranced in a soft power ballad, powerfully sung by a Nordi...

With so many memes, hype tweets and repeat plays from the festival scene to clubland, it’s not surprising that Kylie Minogue’s latest bop “Padam Padam” has been a runaway success.
But what Kylie might not have seen coming is just how well the track would do across the pond.
For the first time in 20 years, Kylie Minogue has landed a spot in the US top 40, and it’s all thanks to the red PVC magic of “Padam Padam”.
With the announcement made on Monday (14 August), fans were quick to share their ...

Whether it’s Sailor Moon or Jujutsu Kaisen, we’ve all imagined ourselves as a character in our favourite anime shows.
Though it’s easy to watch, fighting demons and learning to use superhuman powers isn’t always as straightforward as it looks. Our favourite characters put themselves through the wringer in every episode, but now it’s time for us to be up to the challenge.
With so many friendly and ferocious faces to get acquainted with, the world of anime is almost too good to be true. Whether...

When it comes to the OGs of anime, no franchise fits the bill better than Gundam.
Making a name for itself with the likes of City Hunter, Dragon Ball and Astro Boy, Gundam is an anime franchise that has branched off into so many different directions, it’s enough to make your head spin.
First appearing on screens in 1979, the military franchise was initially created by Yoshiyuki Tomino.
Alongside film and TV adaptations, Gundam has also been serialised into manga, novels and as many collectabl...

Jasmine Valentine
Jasmine Valentine
3 February 2023·3-min read

Watch: Antonio Banderas on the importance of fighting typecasting

Puss In Boots: The Last Wish star Antonio Banderas says it’s “very important” for kids to see diverse heroes on screen, after warnings of being typecast when his career launched in the US.

Known for his roles in The Mask of Zorro, Desperado, and Spy Kids, Banderas says Puss In Boots could be the Spanish hero that many generations didn’t get to see.

“When I arrived in America in 1990, I did a movie called The Mambo Kings,” Banderas tells Yahoo as the Shrek spin-of

Japanese animation is, in many ways, a boys’ club. That’s true not just of the people that create these shows and films, many of whom are men. The audience that many of the most internationally successful anime caters to also reportedly skews male—and so do their characters.
Kids around the world have been weaned on the teats of Ash and Pikachu through Pokémon, then grew up to watch misogyny subtly spiral out of control in shows like Btooom! and Katekyo Hitman Reborn! Mainstream TV anime, in ...

Words by Jasmine Valentine
13 years ago, director James Cameron changed the face of cinema for good. Taking audiences to the fictional biosphere of Pandora, Avatar’s never-before-seen CGI and performance capture technology paved the way for it to become the highest-grossing film of all time.
Following the story of paraplegic marine Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), viewers fell in love with his permanent transition into avatar form — largely thanks to the many creatures, flora, and breathtaking v...