The Hook

There’s no debate that ‘Elf’ is one of the best Christmas films of all time, but did you know that one of the most iconic scenes from the film was a happy accident? When discussing the scenes where Buddy the Elf (Will Ferrell) first arrives in New York and wanders around Manhattan, cinematographer Greg Gardiner revealed that the old man in the red jogging suit that Buddy mistakes for Santa wasn’t an actor. “I was walking around trying to figure out how to shoot these streets. How do we get the energy of New York City? How do you do that and not have it come out fake? The best way not to have it fake is to have it real and we just put him [Will Ferrell] out there on the streets. Those are real people those aren’t actors. The guy in the red jogging suit, that guy was just there.” Buddy walking around New York is one of the funniest sequences of the film as Buddy’s childlike wonder and Ferrell’s towering form interacting with busy and unpredictably authentic New Yorkers creates a hilarious juxtaposition that never gets old. And the fact that “Santa” was just a regular old man not even trying to dress up as Father Christmas is the icing on the cake. Swipe to see the moment where Buddy meets "Santa" 🎅 #elf #buddytheelf #willferrell #christmas #christmasmovies

It looks like we won’t be seeing a zombified Cillian Murphy after all 😅 The first trailer for the ‘28 Days Later’ sequel ‘28 Years Later’ dropped and many viewers thought Cillian Murphy, who played protagonist Jim in the original zombie flick, was making a return to the series as an emaciated infected. However, this has now been officially debunked as The Guardian has reported that the zombie seen in the trailer is in fact played by Angus Neill, a newcomer who is an art dealer and model. Neill told The Guardian that director Danny Boyle “always had me in mind for the role. So we met up, hit it off, and I agreed to take part.” He went on to say that Boyle “has an extraordinary ability to hypnotise you, and working with him on the film was a very, very intense experience.” So there you have it, Cillian Murphy is not back as an infected zombie. But there might still be hope that Murphy will make a cameo, as the actor has said that he would come back to the franchise, “in a flash.” “I made two movies with both of those guys [Boyle and writer Alex Garland], and I would love to work with them again. Of course, I’m there.” So with that in mind, we’ll keep our fingers crossed that we’ll see Cillian back as Jim, hopefully alive and well, unlike the zombie he was mistaken for 😅🧟‍♂️ #cillianmurphy #28yearslater #28dayslater #zombie #angusneill

Aaron Pierre and Kelvin Harrison Jr. gush over Stormzy and reveal their favourite song from ‘Mufasa: The Lion King’ 🦁 Mufasa: The Lion King is released in UK cinemas on 20th December 2024 #aaronpierre #kelvinharrisonjr #mufasa #mufasathelionking #thelionking #taka #scar @Disney UK @Disney Studios @Disney @Kelvin Harrison Jr. @m0nkey George @Aaron Pierre

Lily-Rose Depp and Emma Corrin on seeing Bill Skarsgård in the 'Nosferatu' makeup for the first time 😂🧛‍♂️ #lilyrosedepp #emmacorrin #nosferatu #billskarsgard #vampire @universalpicturesuk @Universal Pictures @focusfeatures

Kieran Culkin gets confused by our interviewer’s ‘Succession’ t-shirt 😂👕 ‘A Real Pain’ is in UK cinemas from 8th January 🍿 #kieranculkin #jesseeisenberg #arealpain #succession #romanroy @SearchlightUK @Searchlight Pictures @Remy | Film/TV Interviews 🎬

To celebrate his Oscar nomination for his role as Bob Dylan in ‘A Complete Unknown’, we’re looking back at Timothée Chalamet’s most iconic roles. From his powerful Paul Atreides from ‘Dune’ to his soft Laurie from ‘Little Women’, Timothée is one of the most talented actors in his generation, with a range so fantastic, you can’t help but love him. Chalamet has worked with legendary directors from Christopher Nolan, Greta Gerwig and Luca Guadagnino, and has a screen presence so captivating, that no matter if he’s professing his love on a hill, singing about chocolate or weeping at a fireplace, you cannot take his eyes of him. Swipe to see Timothée Chalamet’s most iconic roles 👉🎬 #timotheechalamet #acompleteunknown #callmebyyourname #dune #littlewomen #wonka #oscars

'Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl' directors Nick Park and Merlin Crossingham on why Feathers McGraw is so terrifying 😱🐧 #wallaceandgromit #FeathersMcGraw #wallaceandgromitvegeancemostfowl #vengeancemostfowl #thewrongtrousers @Aardman @BBC @Greg

Jeremy Strong’s chilling performance as Donald Trump’s mentor Roy Cohn in ‘The Apprentice’ has led to Strong earning his first Oscar nomination 🏆 After receiving the news from his daughter, Strong shared a statement, along with a throwback photo of himself as a teen, that was full of nostalgic feelings from the actor. In the statement, Strong recalls how he and his father spent the night outside the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in 1993 to watch actors and actresses arrive at the 65th Academy Awards. The photo shared by Strong shows a young Jeremy standing next to a giant Oscars statue, whilst wearing Oscars merch head to toe 🥹 Strong wrote, “I remember being unable to sleep because of how exciting it was to be close to that world. I have not lost that feeling of excitement; I feel it every time I go to set or drive onto a lot or begin rehearsals. I have devoted my life to the attempt to do genuine work that would be worthy of this honour.” In the statement, Jeremy Strong also pointed out the ‘The Apprentice’s struggle to get made and recognised by the industry. “It feels absolutely miraculous to me that both Sebastian and I were recognized. Roy Cohn’s long, dark shadow was hanging over the Capitol Rotunda on Monday and his legacy of aggression, misinformation and untruth is now a Kingdom Come. This is a harrowing and courageous film that explores how we got to where we are today and was the role of a lifetime.” We wish Jeremy Strong the best of luck and congratulations on his nomination 🙌 #jeremystrong #oscars #academyawards #theapprentice #roycohn #kendallroy #succession

After two years, it’s about time we check into our favourite hotel once again. ‘The White Lotus’ is back next month for season 3 and to get us ready, they’ve released a new poster of this year’s cast. K-Pop star Lisa is ready to work in her ‘White Lotus’ uniform whilst Aimee Lou-Wood’s character can be seen embracing a somewhat stressed Walton Goggins. Meanwhile Leslie Bibb’s character seems to be having the time of her life and Natasha Rothwell is back as spa manager Belinda. We can’t wait to see faces old and new when ‘The White Lotus’ season 3 starts 16 Feb 🍿 #thewhitelotus #season3 #hbo #sky #lisa #aimeelouwood #whitelotus

For ‘Goodfellas’, Robert De Niro was dedicated to making his portrayal of Jimmy Conway, based on the real life gangster James Burke, as authentic as possible. The actor was so committed to getting everything accurate that he contacted those who were close to Burke in real life, and found out how the mobster used to get ketchup out of a bottle. (He rolled the bottle between his palms which we see De Niro do in the film) This meant when it came to using money, De Niro insisted on using real cash as he didn’t like the way fake money felt in his hand. In order to do this, the film’s prop master Robert Griffon Jr. had to withdraw thousands of his own money for De Niro to use 💵 “The only guy who uses real money in the movie is De Niro. He had like $5000 cash in his pocket. I went to the bank and took out a couple thousand dollars of my own, but you had to keep track of it. Like the scene in the casino, he’s throwing $50 and $20 bills around. And as soon as they said cut, we’re trying to get them all back: “Everybody freeze!”” The risk of using real money turned out to be worth it though as De Niro gave one of the best performances of his career and ‘Goodfellas’ is still praised to this day 🔥 #robertdeniro #goodfellas #martinscorsese #jimmyconway #behindthescenes #DidYouKnow

Despite Season 4 still being a long way away, Netflix released a new video showing the ‘Bridgerton’ cast on set for Season 4. The video shows off new season leads, Luke Thompson (Benedict Bridgerton) and Yerin Ha (Sophie Baek) having a laugh with their fellow cast members. The video also shows Nicola Coughlan and Claudia Jessie returning as fan favourites Penelope Featherington, now Bridgerton and Eloise Bridgerton. The two were seen strolling outside, arm in arm, which is a delight for fans as the two characters were at odds with one another during season 3, where Coughlan’s Penelope took centre stage with love interest Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton). Other cast members shown included Hannah Dodd as Francesca Stirling, Victor Alli as Lord John Stirling, Oli Higginson as Footman John, and newcomer Isabella Wei as Posy Li. The cast were seen wearing heavy jackets along with hot water bottles in order to stay warm whilst filming the new season. 🥶 The Season 4 sneak peek was to promote Netflix’s ‘Season Of Love’ Fan Celebration, a virtual ‘Bridgerton’ fan event set to take place on February 14th hosted by Queen Charlotte herself, Golda Rosheuvel. The fan event will feature Luke Thompson and Yerin Ha, along with showrunner Jess Brownell talking about all things romance, merriment and of course, ‘Bridgerton’ Season 4! The event will stream live on Tudum.com 😍 #bridgerton #season4 #bridgertonnetflix #lukethompson #yerinha #nicolacoughlan #benedictbridgerton #sophiebaek #penelopefeatherington @Bridgerton @Netflix

'Nosferatu' Director Robert Eggers and Willem Dafoe tease their next project together 👀🎬 #WillemDafoe #RobertEggers #Nosferatu #TheLighthouse #TheNorthman @universalpicturesuk @Universal Pictures @focusfeatures

Awards Season has well and truly kicked off with The Golden Globes announcing the nominations for the 2025 ceremony this afternoon. Box Office smashes including ‘Dune: Part Two’ and ‘Wicked’ were nominated for the Best Picture categories, along with breakout films such as ‘Anora’, ‘Conclave’ and ‘Challengers’. The lead acting awards are stacked this year with Timothée Chalamet, Daniel Craig, Nicole Kidman and Cynthia Erivo all nominated. If he’s lucky, Sebastian Stan could potentially take home both Male Actor awards for his roles in ‘The Apprentice’ and ‘A Different Man’. The Supporting Actor awards also have an interesting turnout with Denzel Washington nominated for ‘Gladiator II’, Ariana Grande for ‘Wicked’ and ‘Succession’ stars Jeremy Strong and Kieran Culkin once again competing against each other for their supporting roles in ‘The Apprentice’ and ‘A Real Pain’ respectively. For TV, the Golden Globes seems to be following The Emmys’ footsteps with shows including ‘Shōgun’, ‘Hacks’, ‘The Bear’ and ‘Slow Horses’ being nominated. However, there are still a few surprises, with ‘Squid Game’ being nominated for Best Drama Series despite the fact that it still hasn’t been released. Despite its early nomination, we’re sure that the new season will rightfully deserve the honour 🙌 Swipe to see the biggest nominations of The Golden Globes 🏆 #goldenglobes #nomination #awardsseason #wicked #duneparttwo #timotheechalamet #gladiator #arianagrande

After 17 years, we finally said goodbye to 'Gavin & Stacey', with their finale airing on Christmas Day. But it was during the New Year's Day behind the scenes special 'A Fond Farewell', that show creators James Corden and Ruth Jones left us with one final treat; footage from Bryn and Jason's infamous fishing trip 😱 The fishing trip has been a running joke in the show since season 1, where Stacey's Uncle Bryn (Rob Brydon) and her brother Jason (Robert Wilfort) can't stand to be in the same room as each other due to a disastrous fishing trip that happened years before the events of the show. The uncle and nephew duo swore never to tell anyone about what happened on that trip, except for Dave Coaches who unfortunately got sucked into the drama by accident. Meaning that for 17 years, the rest of the characters as well as viewers of the show have very little clue about what happened on that terrible trip, except for the fact that the characters had never been fishing before, it was freezing, they were on their knees and soup was involved. But now thanks to the new TV special, we have 11 seconds of footage that documents the start of Bryn and Jason's fishing trip before it went horribly wrong. The footage shows Jason catching a fish, with Bryn later declaring "No one will go hungry in this camp tonight!" The video ends with Jason eating the aforementioned soup, before cutting to credits. The creators and cast of the show have stated many times that the joke around the fishing trip is that you never find out what really happened. Meaning that this is the most we will ever learn about it. Fans of 'Gavin & Stacey' were in shock when footage from the trip started playing, filming their TVs and sharing the clip on X and TikTok in their delight. What do you think happened on Bryn and Jason's fishing trip? Swipe to see the trip for yourself 👀 🎣 #Gavinandstacey #jamescorden #ruthjones #unclebryn #fishingtrip #robbrydon #smithy #nessa

'Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl' directors Nick Park and Merlin Crossingham on how the toy train scene from Wallace and Gromit inspired a pixar classic 😯👀 #wallaceandgromit #vengeancemostfowl #wallaceandgromitvengeancemostfowl #toystory @Aardman @BBC @Greg

It swept the Golden Globes, winning awards including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actor, and it's currently sweeping nominations across BAFTA and possibly the Oscars. However, 'The Brutalist' has come under scrunity when it was revealed that AI was used to perfect Adrien Brody's Hungarian accent in the film. Brody plays László Tóth, a Hungarian architect who immigrates to the United States after WW2. According to the film's editor Dávid Jancsó, despite Brody's Hungarian background, his accent and pronounciation wasn't 100% perfect. Therefore, AI was used to correct the pronounciation of certain letters during a segment of the film where Brody's character reads a letter to his wife out loud in Hungarian. Jancsó explained the use of AI in an interview with Red Shark News, “We first tried to ADR these harder elements with the actors. Then we tried to ADR them completely with other actors but that just didn’t work. So we looked for other options of how to enhance it." "Most of their Hungarian dialogue has a part of me talking in there. We were very careful about keeping their performances. It’s mainly just replacing letters here and there. You can do this in ProTools yourself, but we had so much dialogue in Hungarian that we really needed to speed up the process otherwise we’d still be in post.” Jancsó went on to defend the use of AI, “It is controversial in the industry to talk about AI, but it shouldn’t be,” he said. “We should be having a very open discussion about what tools AI can provide us with. There’s nothing in the film using AI that hasn’t been done before. It just makes the process a lot faster. We use AI to create these tiny little details that we didn’t have the money or the time to shoot.” This also refers to the film's use of AI to conjure a series of architectural drawings and finished buildings in the style of Brody's character at the end of the film. With the Actors and Writers strikes of 2023 vehemently campaigning against AI, 'The Brutalist' being considered for prestigious film awards is intriguing to say the least. #TheBrutalist #AdrienBrody #goldenglobes #oscars #ai #bafta

In 2007, Paul Dano gave one of the most powerful performances in his career in Paul Thomas Anderson’s ‘There Will Be Blood’, where he played identical twins Eli and Paul Sunday. But what you may not know is that Dano was originally only supposed to play the part of Paul, with actor Kel O’Neill playing Eli, the preacher and rival to Daniel Day-Lewis’s character Daniel Plainview 😱 However, due to the strained relationship between director Paul Thomas Anderson and Kel O’Neill, the actor was fired two weeks into shooting. Whilst most people would panic at losing their second lead actor, Anderson had a plan. The director had been so impressed with Paul Dano’s work in 2005’s ‘The Ballad Of Jack And Rose’ as well as his current performance as Paul Sunday, that he decided to cast Dano as both Paul and Eli Sunday and made the brothers identical twins. Whilst Daniel Day-Lewis had a whole year to perpare for his role in ‘There Will Be Blood’, Dano only had a few days to prepare for Eli’s part. He scrambled to research evangelical preachers during the 1890s, the time period where ‘There Will Be Blood’ takes place. In an interview with Indie Wire, Dano said, “I was cast at the last minute. I had three & 1/2 to four days to get ready for the first day. I just went for it, threw myself in there and gave it everything I had. That was just guts and instinct, not a lot of preparation. I was in good hands with Paul and Daniel, I felt I had to cut loose and go for it.” The quick casting decision ended up being the right one, as Paul Dano was nominated for a BAFTA for his thrilling dual performance 🏆 #PaulDano #ThereWillBeBlood #paulthomasanderson #danieldaylewis #behindthescenes #DidYouKnow

Grab your popcorn and plan those watch parties, as it looks like Netflix has a lot in store for us this year. Some of the streamer’s biggest shows are coming back in 2025 and we’re not ready for all the new content we’re gonna get. After 3 long, long years, ‘Stranger Things’ and ‘Wednesday’ will finally be returning to our screens, and for ‘Stranger Things’, sadly for the last time. I don’t know about you but we are not ready to say goodbye to El, Mike, Steve and the rest of the Hawkins crew. However, we are so ready to return to Nevermore Academy and see what Wednesday Addams gets up to in season 2 of Wednesday! Hopefully they’ll be a few more dances 👀💃 Shows that will also be returning are ‘Black Mirror’ and ‘You’, with the latter, similar to ‘Stranger Things’, also having its final season. We can’t wait to see what serial killer Joe Goldberg gets up to as he returns to New York for the final chapter of his story. ‘Black Mirror’ season 7 teases a new cast with Paul Giamatti, Emma Corrin and Issa Rae joining, as well as Cristin Milioti and Billy Magnussen returning to the dystopian series for this upcoming season. And lastly, after dropping season 2 as a special Christmas present, the wait for ‘Squid Game’ season 3 won’t be very long at all! The 3rd season of the hit show will be coming out at the end of the year. Which show are you most excited for? 📺 #netflix #strangerthings #squidgame #younetflix #wednesday #blackmirror

The 2025 Golden Globes kicked off awards season with an action packed show both on stage and off stage. There were first time wins including Demi Moore for ‘The Substance’, her first award in her 45 year long career, as well as Fernanda Torres becoming the first Brazilian actress to win Best Female Actor - Motion Picture - Drama for ‘I’m Still Here’. We almost had an episode of ‘Succession’ play out in real life as the broadcast made it seem that Jeremy Strong was disappointed by his former co-star Kieran Culkin beating him in the ‘Best Male Supporting Actor’ category. However, this was not the case as we later saw the two former on-screen brothers lovingly catch up and hug it out 🫂 There were some amazing outfits seen at the awards including Jeremy Strong’s powder blue velvet suit and matching hat, as well as Zendaya wearing a possible engagement ring 😱 Is a Zendaya/Tom Holland wedding finally happening? We’ll have to wait and see 👀 Swipe to see more iconic moments from the Golden Globes 🏆 #goldenglobes #demimoore #fernandatorres #jeremystrong #kieranculkin #zendaya #arianagrande #cynthiaerivo

Rian Johnson’s third instalment in the ‘Knives Out’ trilogy can’t come soon enough, but to tide us over the director has released a new still of Daniel Craig and Josh O’Connor. Craig, who’s back as the iconic detective Benoit Blanc can be seen in a church standing next to O’Connor’s character who appears to be a priest. Other stars expected to appear in the film are Josh Brolin, Glenn Close, Mila Kunis, Jeremy Renner, Kerry Washington, Andrew Scott, Cailee Spaeny and Thomas Hayden Church. Meaning that this film, like it’s ‘Knives Out’ predecessors, will be full of star studded mystery 🔍 ‘Wake Up Dead Man’ is expected to release on Netflix in late 2025 🍿 #danielcraig #joshoconnor #knivesout #wakeupdeadman #netflix @Netflix