thriller

Bath director of rugby Johann van Graan told BBC Radio Somerset:

“It was a crazy game of rugby once again, Bath versus Exeter. We started the game really well but then they came out punching after half-time and scored three unanswered tries.

“But then that’s why this game is a 23-man effort as we then came back with the impact of our eight (subs) who made a really good difference, so I’m really happy with the five points.

“We’re very proud of our bench and numbers 16 to 23 at this club are just as important as numbers one to 15.”

Exeter Chiefs director of rugby Rob Baxter told BBC Radio Devon:

“The important emotion is I’m walking away going ‘we’ve got a team here and we’ve got something to work with’.

“Last week was such a patchy performance (losing 45-24 to Gloucester) but today we showed a lot of good qualities.

“The qualities of being in a fight to the death, that’s what Exeter Chiefs are about. Do you want to be perfect or do you want to be in a fight every single week? Well we’ll be in a fight every single week.

“I’m quite happy with that, that’s what we’re good at and I saw that today.”

Bath: Donoghue; Cokanasiga, Lawrence, Redpath, de Glanville; Russell, van der Linde; Obano, Dunn, Stuart, Roux, Ewels (capt), Richards, Pepper, du Preez.

Replacements: Frost, Kirk, Griffin, Hill, Reid, Carr-Smith, Ojomoh, Coetzee.

Exeter: Woodburn; Feyi-Waboso, Slade, Butt, Wyatt; Skinner, Varney; Burger, Yeandle, Iosefa-Scott, Wilson, Jenkins (capt), E Roots, James, Fisilau.

Replacements: Gulley, Goodrick-Clarke, Tchumbadze, Beckerleg, Worley Brady, Wolstenholme, Haydon-Wood, Wimbush.

Sin-bin: Varney (61)

Referee: Luke Pearce

Director Na Hong-jin’s action movie “Hope” opened in 1,500 U.S. cinemas this month, marking the biggest domestic theatrical footprint for a Korean-language film since the Academy Award-winning “Parasite.”

That’s a big bet, particularly for a foreign film. But after the success of “Parasite,” the growth of Korean shows such as Netflix’s “Squid Game” on streaming and the broader acceptance of subtitles in film and television, it was a bet Neon was willing to make.

The indie studio snapped up North American and English language rights to “Hope” for an undisclosed price before the film’s world premiere in the spring at the Cannes Film Festival.

Right off the bat, Neon knew the film would be positioned in South Korea as a big action thriller and massive event film for director Na, and wanted to match that.

In the film, which includes Alicia Vikander and Michael Fassbender in its cast, a group of people fight back against a creature that rampages through a Korean village.

“The reality is that just because a movie has subtitles, doesn’t make it an art film or a niche film,” Elissa Federoff, Neon’s chief distribution officer, told me this month. “And this, to us, felt like a big action blockbuster.”

She continued, “To me, it was this movie that certainly cinephiles were going to be curious about. But I also knew that we could cross over to a broader audience if we gave it a shot.”

So far, “Hope” has grossed more than $8 million domestically and $45.6 million worldwide on a reported production budget of at least $45 million.

Neon expected to reach Korean and Korean American audiences with “Hope,” but the film also over-indexed with Latinos, who represented 27% of the audience, according to PostTrak theatrical data.

Such a wide national release is unusual for foreign films, which typically play in specialty theaters on fewer than 100 screens. Though its domestic box office total doesn’t indicate that the film fully crossed over to mainstream audiences, “for a foreign film, it’s very successful” and has done “solid business,” said David A. Gross, who writes the FranchiseRe movie industry newsletter.

Neon, of course, has experience with Korean cinema. It distributed 2019’s “Parasite,” which became the first non-English-language film to win Best Picture. After “Parasite” won the Oscar, it was shown on 2,000 screens, about 17 weeks after its release. The Bong Joon Ho-directed film ended up grossing more than $53 million domestically and brought in more than $263 million worldwide.

The film put Neon on the map in many ways, Federoff said, and also pushed the boundaries for what the industry considered a best picture nominee. Films such as “Parasite” and “Hope” should also expand what studios consider to be mainstream fare.

“Studios and distributors are still boxing things out a little bit and thinking of these as not as accessible or not for a general commercial audience,” Federoff said. “And I would totally disagree with it.”

Though “Hope” is a long way from the domestic box-office success of “Parasite,” these kinds of swings are important to keep the pipeline of original films humming and to vary the types of fare mainstream audiences can see at their local theaters.

Although art house films once skewed toward older audiences, indie films are now popular with younger generations, who have also become accustomed to reading subtitles.

That could bode well for future foreign language films looking to make inroads with mainstream audiences. While giving a wide release to a foreign language film could be seen as risky, it’s a move Federoff believes can help bolster creative filmmaking and keep people engaged at cinemas.

“My hope is that studios start to trust their audience and respect their audiences a little bit more,” she said. “I think we can all do this. I think we can all say that we just have to have more risk taking involved with what we do. There’s a lot of incredible international cinema out there that should be seen by everybody.”

Paramount and the states fight back

Paramount Skydance and the state attorneys general are defending their proposed settlement in the face of skeptical questions from Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), arguing that the judge overseeing the case should approve the agreement without the deeper review the senator has requested.

On Thursday, U.S. District Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín told both sides to answer Booker’s questions before she ruled on whether to approve the proposed consent decree. She said at the time that she would issue a ruling “in due course.”

On Monday, both sides issued separate filings that argued the terms of the settlement were adequate. In particular, the states pushed back on assertions that the consent decree was too weak, saying it “reflects a reasonable compromise that addresses the competitive issues posed by the proposed merger in the markets alleged in the complaint.”

“The decree’s enforcement provisions have teeth,” the states wrote in their filing.

Stuff We Wrote

Film shoots

Number of the week

A bipartisan group of lawmakers formally introduced a bill last week to create a federal film and television tax credit.

The proposed legislation would provide a 20% credit on above-the-line and below-the-line U.S. labor costs for eligible productions, including postproduction and visual effects work — two industries that have increasingly moved overseas.

The uncapped credit could increase to 30% with several uplifts, including for independent productions or filming in a federally declared disaster area, such as Los Angeles County.

What I’m watching

It’s fall, which means I’m all in on “Dancing with the Stars,” as I have been since Season 2, when Drew Lachey won with pro partner Cheryl Burke back in 2006.

This season feels like it was made for millennials like me, with contestants such as Julia Stiles, Harry Shum Jr. and Jenna Dewan. But my favorite dance last week was actually Guillermo Rodriguez’s paso doble.

The new Netflix thriller is currently sitting at number one on the streaming platform’s most-watched films

The true-story thriller has been slammed by furious viewers who ‘wasted an hour and a half of their lives’.

Brand new film Unabomber is based on the real story of lone wolf American terrorist Theodore Kaczynski, who carried out a mail bombing campaign that killed 3 people and injured 23 more. Known as the Unabomber, he committed his crimes between 1978 and 1995.

He was apprehended in 1996 and later pleaded guilty to his crimes. Theodore was consequently given multiple life sentences and spent over two decades in prison. He died by suicide on June 10, 2023, at the age of 81.

Netflix’s take on the late criminal’s story explores his transformation from a bright Harvard student into the infamous Unabomber. It stars 19-year-old actor Jacob Tremblay as the title character.

The main cast also features Oscar winner Russell Crowe, playing a Harvard professor who gets caught in Theodore’s orbit. While beloved actress Shailene Woodley portrays an FBI agent determined to get to the bottom of the Unabomber’s crimes.

The film has already climbed to Number 1 on Netflix’s most-watched charts after just one day on the streaming platform. But many viewers have urged others to skip the star-studded drama.

Writing on Rotten Tomatoes, one disappointed viewer said: “What an absolute waste of time. As far as movies go this had an okay cast. The story was based on real life so interesting I guess as it did happen. It’s sad it happened though but it did. I watched it and was expecting more than I receive.”

Someone else joined in to add: “A word that comes to mind is HOW. HOW DO THEY GET SO MANY BRILLIANT ACTORS IN 1 MOVIE AND STILL FIGURE OUT HOW TO MAKE THE MOVIE SUCK. I WAS BARLEY ABLE TO FINISH IT. COULD OF USED THESE ACTORS TO MAKE SOMETHING GREAT. LET DOWN.”

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Someone else simply wrote on X: ” #unabomber on Netflix is an hour and a half of my life I’m not getting back.” At the time of writing, the thriller has a sour 22% score on Rotten Tomatoes.

But others have rushed to the movie’s defence, with one sharing: “Surprised by the negative reviews. I found the film very well done and with a captivating story, quite well engineered. Acting is brilliant and everything is top notch (costume, music, etc). Great film.”

While a second fan added: “I actually loved this. I was just hooked at the very start. And I’m not easily entertained by movies. First of all I loved the switch from the 50s to the 90s it was refreshing. “

Unabomber is streaming now on Netflix

Fans of dark crime dramas have a new thriller to look forward to, with a familiar face set to lead Sky’s latest big adaptation.

Fans of dark, gripping crime dramas have a new series to add to their watchlists.

David Oyelowo is set to lead the cast in Sky’s new series The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, alongside rising star Viola Prettejohn, who is known for playing young Princess Elizabeth in the sixth season of The Crown.

The eight-part Sky Original is adaptation of Stieg Larsson’s bestselling Millennium novels. It could be perfect for viewers who enjoyed shows such as The Fall and The Capture, with a dark mystery, complex characters and a dangerous investigation at its heart.

David, who is known for his roles in Selma and Interstellar will take on the role of investigative journalist Mikael Blomkvist. Viola Prettejohn will play Lisbeth Salander, the brilliant but troubled hacker at the centre of Larsson’s story.

The story follows Blomkvist as he is hired by wealthy businessman Henrik Vanger to investigate the disappearance of his niece Harriet.

Harriet vanished more than 30 years earlier from the Vanger family’s isolated island home, but Henrik remains convinced that a member of his own family was responsible.

Blomkvist soon teams up with Salander, an exceptionally talented hacker with a complicated past and a fierce determination to uncover the truth.

Together, they begin to uncover secrets buried within the Vanger family, leading them towards a far more dangerous mystery than they initially expected.

The new adaptation will bring Larsson’s story into the modern day, exploring themes including power, misogyny, secrecy and technology.

The original Girl with the Dragon Tattoo novel was published in 2005 and went on to become an international bestseller. The Millennium books have sold more than 100 million copies worldwide and have already been adapted for both Swedish and English-language audiences.

The first English-language film adaptation was released in 2011 and starred Daniel Craig as Blomkvist and Rooney Mara as Salander, with David Fincher directing.

The new Sky series will offer a fresh interpretation of the characters and story for a new audience and it comes from Left Bank Pictures, the production company behind The Crown and The Day of the Jackal.

Meghan Lyvers, Managing Director, Scripted Originals, Sky, said: “Lisbeth Salander and Mikael Blomkvist are two of modern fiction’s most iconic and compelling characters, and we’re thrilled to have Viola and David bringing them to life for a new generation.”

She added: “Our brilliant writing team, Reinaldo Marcus Green’s bold vision and our fantastic partners at Left Bank Pictures are creating a series that honours everything audiences love about The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, while taking its characters, mystery and themes into a world that feels unmistakably of the moment. We can’t wait for audiences to experience it.”

Filming is due to begin in Lithuania next month, with the series set to air on Sky and NOW in the UK and Ireland, as well as Sky platforms across Italy, Germany, Switzerland and Austria.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo lands on Sky soon

STOCKHOLM: Sweden began voting Sunday in a general election after a tight race that will see either the far-right enter government for the first time or the left-wing opposition reclaim power.

Opposition leader Magdalena Andersson of the Social Democrats was among the first to cast her ballot after polling stations opened at 8:00 am (0600 GMT).

Clad in a pale blue suit, the 59-year-old who in 2021-2022 became the first woman to serve as Sweden’s prime minister voted with her husband at a school in her home municipality of Nacka, south of Stockholm.

Opinion polls have long credited the four parties in her left-wing bloc with a comfortable lead over conservative Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson’s four-party alliance, which includes the far-right Sweden Democrats.

But the gap narrowed to a dead heat in the final days of the campaign.

“It is now up to the Swedish people to decide which direction our country should take. Should we have a government entirely dominated by the Sweden Democrats? Something that has never happened in Sweden before? Or should we have a government led by me, which will steer Sweden in a new spirit of cooperation?” Andersson told reporters after voting.

Her party, which governed the Scandinavian country for the better part of the 20th century and remains Sweden’s largest, has pledged to bolster the welfare state and help struggling households cope with rising costs.

‘Make Sweden great again’

Outgoing Prime Minister Kristersson has meanwhile vowed to focus on improving Swedes’ everyday lives now that his government’s clampdown on organised crime and immigration has begun to show results.

Deadly shootings and bombings by organised crime networks have decreased significantly in recent years, and asylum applications are at a record low.

“We want to use our new and far better preconditions to improve the lives of ordinary people… to make Sweden great again,” Kristersson told AFP before the vote, borrowing Donald Trump’s famous catchphrase.

His three-party minority coalition cut a deal in 2022 with the Sweden Democrats giving them influence over government policy, in particular on immigration and crime, in exchange for their support in parliament.

Over the past two decades, far-right leader Jimmie Akesson has steered the party with neo-Nazi roots into the mainstream.

It is now hoping to enter government. Kristersson has promised the far right key cabinet posts if the right-wing wins the election.

“I think it’s a very important election this year, and hopefully a lot of people will realise that we have to change course… so that everyone will feel included in society,” store manager Linda Eriksson, 48, told AFP as she voted at a polling station.

Ingrid Rudien, a 64-year-old assistant secretary, said she hoped the country “can unite together as a nation even though we may have a close result”.

‘We’ve already won!’

Akesson was confident of victory at a final election rally on Saturday in the Swedish capital.

“We’ve already won!” the 47-year-old said to thunderous applause in Stockholm’s Kungstradgarden Park.

“Sweden is becoming safer, better, and more Swedish,” he said, surrounded by blue and yellow campaign posters blaring “Make Sweden Sweden Again”.

Agneta Andersson, a 78-year-old pensioner attending the rally, told AFP she was voting for the far right.

“Like Jimmie, I want it to be like it was when I was young, in the old Sweden. I can’t cope with all this violence in society.”

Voting stations close at 8:00 pm (1800 GMT) when exit polls were to be published, with the first reliable results expected several hours later.

Some eight million people are eligible to vote in the election, in a country of 10.6 million where voter turnout regularly tops 80 percent.

Around half of voters have cast their ballots in advance.

If the right wing were to win the election, the formation of a new government would be fairly straightforward.

But as the four left-wing parties are splintered ideologically, tough negotiations would be needed to form a government even if they hold a majority.

RIYADH: The final matchday in the opening stretch of the Saudi Pro League season before the international break kicked off in dramatic fashion with Al-Qadsiah and visiting Al-Ettifaq meeting in what is expected to be the last Eastern Derby at the Prince Mohammed bin Fahad Stadium in Dammam, as Al-Qadsiah’s new Aramco Stadium is set to open in the near future.

It turned out to be a fitting farewell derby for the stadium to host, with three goals in each half as the teams shared the spoils in a 3-3 draw.

Yet, when Al-Qadsiah took a 2-0 lead inside the first 15 minutes, few would have expected anything other than a comfortable home victory was in the cards. Recent Ballon d’Or nominee Julian Quinones returned to scoring form in the 12th minute, after latching onto a pass from right wing-back Mohammed Abu Al-Shamat, who now has six goal contributions in seven games.

Left wing-back Christopher Bonsu Baah also claimed an assist, three minutes later, after getting on the end of a line-breaking Quinones diagonal run. Mateo Retegui positioned himself inside the box to receive Baah’s pass and launched a powerful finish into the top corner to double the lead.

Al-Ettifaq responded 11 minutes later, immediately after the hydration break, when Abdoulaye Kante won possession in Al-Qadsiah’s midfield and threaded a pass through the gap behind the pressing Nacho to release Bersant Celina, who finished calmly past Koen Casteels to pull one back.

That vulnerability in behind was an ongoing problem for Al-Qadsiah, who were without the rested Julian Weigl in the defensive midfield. He was replaced by the returning Nahitan Nandez, who operated in a higher midfield role while Tijjani Reijnders, who scored a brace from that position against Al-Ahli last week, was shifted to the deepest role.

That gamble did not pay off for head coach Brendan Rodgers, whose side paid the price when opposite number Arthur Papas made a few bold calls of his own. The trio of Moussa Dembele, Alvaro Medran and Jordan Larsson started on the bench for Al-Ettifaq and were introduced at staggered intervals in the second half as their team’s grip on the game gradually tightened.

Just over an hour in, with the fans perhaps wondering why Medran had not been selected to start, Papas’ decision-making was vindicated when the Spaniard received the ball ahead of Al-Qadsiah’s midfield, turned and unleashed a wonderful curler from range that Casteels had no chance of keeping out, making it 2-2.

Al-Qadsiah’s own substitutions yielded their third goal in the 81st minute when Turki Al-Ammar slipped the ball to Mohammed Al-Qahtani in behind the Al-Ettifaq defense for his first goal of the season.

But that trio who began the match on the bench had the last laugh when, in the 85th minute, Dembele won possession in Al-Qadsiah’s half, his pass found Medran, who played a first-time through ball to the oncoming Larsson, who composed himself before slotting the ball past Casteels for the equalizer.

The draw moved Al-Qadsiah into second place in the table, at least temporarily, on 16 points, one ahead of Al-Nassr and Al-Hilal, both of whom play on Saturday. Al-Ettifaq are in eighth place on 11 points.

Al-Ittihad cruised to a 3-1 away victory against Al-Faisaly, with Steven Bergwijn opening the scoring in the 28th minute, before a brace from Youssef En-Nesyri either side of halftime confirmed the victory. The in-form George Ilenikhena did not score but provided two assists for his strike partner as Al-Ittihad moved top of the table on 17 points from seven games. Theo Bongonda grabbed the late consolation for Al-Faisaly, who remain stuck second-bottom of the table on three points and yet to record a win this season.

In Jeddah, Al-Ahli came from behind after conceding the fastest goal in their SPL history when Ahmed Al-Nakhli struck for visiting Al-Hazem after just 74 seconds. But Francisco Trincao grabbed the equalizer in the 21st minute and then Ivan Toney added a first-half brace to take his tally to 10 goals in seven league games and give the home side a 3-1 victory. Al-Ahli moved into fifth place on 12 points, while Al-Hazem are in 10th on eight points.

On Saturday, Al-Hilal look to bounce back from their 2-0 home defeat by Neom on Monday when they visit Al-Taawoun; Al-Khaleej host Al-Nassr; and Al-Shabab are at home to Al-Fayha.

The eighth edition of the Sunset Showdown lasted long after the sun went down — about fours hours and 10 minutes later — before host Palisades prevailed 56-50 over crosstown rival Brentwood in four overtimes. By the end, at 11:43 p.m., the coaches and fans were as exhausted as the players.

Robert Holohan passed for four touchdowns, LJ Stephens ran for three and Malachi Ross had a 38-yard touchdown reception and intercepted a pass in the end zone on fourth-and-goal to clinch the victory for Palisades after Brentwood moved to the Dolphins’ six-yard line. The game ended 17 minutes before midnight thanks in part to several long deliberations by the officiating crew.

Host Palisades (1-3) had a chance to win at the end of regulation but missed a 25-yard field goal with 30 seconds left and the teams headed to overtime with the score tied 31-31. Brentwood missed a chance to end it in the second overtime but had an extra point blocked. Each team scored quickly in the third overtime but the two-point conversion passes were incomplete (starting with the third overtime teams must go for two). Stephens’ five-yard scoring run gave the Dolphins a 56-50 lead but the two-point attempt failed.

Ben Mikail threw for four touchdowns — two to Kruz Jackson, who also scored on a 90-yard kickoff return — and JJ Lublin ran for two touchdowns for Brentwood (2-2). The series debuted in 2018 and is now tied at four wins apiece with five of the games being decided by a touchdown or less. Brentwood won in double overtime on the same field two years ago.