Latest news with #Collateral
Newsroom
10-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Newsroom
Speaking of Michael Forbes
A new literary event in Auckland feels like crumbs from a rich man's table, looks like crumbs from a rich man's table, and quacks like crumbs from a rich man's table, but some crumbs are a lot better than no crumbs at all when it comes to patronage of the arts. Ockham Residential, principal sponsors of the national book awards, are also behind a small, perfectly formed venture at The Nix in Grey Lynn. On the first Thursday night of each month for the next six months, two well-known actors will give onstage readings of two New Zealand short stories. The first event was held last Thursday. It was packed, exciting, and unexpectedly topical. The Nix is a six-level redbrick apartment building on the city's edge. It has 32 apartments. Ockham comms: 'Each apartment is provided with a stainless steel fridge, dishwasher, heat-pump, washing machine-dryer combo, and a Samsung cordless vacuum cleaner.' The ground floor art space has couches and not very good artwork and a little stage. Performances happen fairly regularly and selected writers are welcome to go there on Tuesday mornings to write in each others' company. But is there food? At the inaugural Thursday night short story event there were a range of wines, but no snacks. I asked Bridget van der Zijpp, mastermind of the Writers Write: Actors Read series, 'Are there any biscuits?' Perhaps next time. The seats filled up. A number of people said they came after reading a preview that I wrote in the ReadingRoom newsletter. I sat in the second row. The windows were slightly below street level. Van der Zijpp took the stage, and introduced the two readers for the evening: Elisabeth Easther, playwright, author, and actor (she will forever be known for playing the terrible Carla Crozier, Shortland Street's first murderer), and Jamie Irvine, who plays mandolin, lawn bowls, and the headmaster in the 2025 hit movie Tinā. Easther read first. She chose 'Collateral', a short story from the newly published collection Surplus Women, by Michelle Duff. It was about three women who break into a house in Coromandel and tie up a guy accused of sexual violence. 'The assault, Tom. Tell us about it.' The story felt didactic and kind of artless but as Easther continued reading, very well and very dramatically, there was a sense that something else was going on behind the lines, that the story was resonant with the big news revelation made public that day – the Prime Minister's deputy press secretary, Michael Forbes, had quit after Stuff journalist Paula Penfold published details of how he took intimate photos of women without their knowledge and stored them on his phone. Creeps, secrecy, abuse….Duff's fiction had imitated #MeToo and now, with Forbes, current events was imitating Duff's fiction. Forbes has been cancelled with immediate effect. The central character in 'Collateral', too, fears cancellation. 'We know you enlisted a PR team to help downplay the allegations.' Her portrait of a creep had everyone thinking: Forbes, and what he had done and what would happen to him. But the power of the short story existed on its own terms. It captured attention, it drew listeners into its imaginative setting. 'Collateral' takes place in the near-future. The home invasion seemed to be a kind of legally sanctioned course of justice. The creep was interrogated, and asked to explain his actions. He seemed more worried about the damage to his house. 'Was that the Hindu sculpture he'd bought in Bali in pieces on the floor?' He didn't give a lot of thought to his victim. 'He could barely remember her if he was honest…' There was a break at half-time to drink wine and look in cupboards for biscuits, and to further ponder the relationship between fiction and Forbes; and then Jamie Irvine read 'American Microphones' by Damien Wilkins, the literary man of the hour in all the hours that have passed since he won $65,000 fiction prize at the Ockham national book awards last month for his novel Delirious. The short story was further proof of how good he is, how assured and sensitive and really, really funny. 'American Microphones' was fiction as stand-up comedy, a laugh out loud masterpiece, and deeply meta: a short story about a man reading a short story out loud in front of an audience was read out loud by a man in front of an audience. A further layer of meta was that the narrator was Damien Wilkins, reading a short story set in New Zealand to a writing class he was teaching somewhere in America. Irvine put on very good American accents and his comic timing was superb. The story partly served as a portrait of Americans. 'At some profound level,' says the narrator, 'I think of Americans as dangerously carbonated people.' But the story was universal. Just like the Duff story, it opened up quiet and unsettling thoughts; the audience members in the short story were lost, poignant souls, and everyone in the audience at The Nix was surely thinking, Am I sitting in a room full of likewise lost, poignant souls? And: Am I, in fact, one of those souls? The story first appeared in For Everyone Concerned, a short story collection published in 2007. Wilkins's publishers are about to reissue his 2021 novel Chemistry (about a drug addict who goes home to Timaru). Good. I hope they also reissue For Everyone Concerned. Huzzah to Ockham and to Bridget van der Zijpp for Writers Write: Actors Read. The short story is in good health in New Zealand–Gigi Fenster was given $10,000 in funding from CNZ last week to create 'an anthology of New Zealand writers and educators discussing New Zealand short stories'; entries close at the end of this month for New Zealand's richest short story award, the Sargeson Prize, open to adults and secondary school students–and The Nix event was a great idea, professional executed. The audience, possibly lost and poignant but hoping they were not, drained one last glass and headed out into the winter's evening, thinking of Duff and Wilkins, of Easther and Irvine, and the name that has been dredged out of a black lagoon of New Zealand life, Forbes. The new short story collection Surplus Women by Michelle Duff (Te Herenga Waka University Press, $35) is available in bookstores nationwide. A review of considerable length will appear in ReadingRoom tomorrow (Thursday, June 12).
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
L.A. Film Office Warns Production Permits May Be Temporarily Denied Around Protest Areas
Areas in and around downtown Los Angeles could be temporarily off-limits to filmmakers as protests over recent immigration raids continue to unfold, a local film office advised creatives on Monday. While the permitting authority for the city of Los Angeles, the Los Angeles Police Department, is tackling projects on a case-by-base basis, film permits may be denied for areas around City Hall and the L.A. Mall as demonstrations continue, FilmLA said in a production alert on Monday. Also at risk of being affected are productions looking to film in areas around the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services Office and a separate federal building near Little Tokyo. More from The Hollywood Reporter Hollywood Incentives Bill Passes the CA State Assembly Without $750 Million Specified, For Now Where Did the $750 Million Go? Hollywood Incentive Bill Passes CA Senate Without the Figure, For Now New Report Portrays California's Film and TV Production Environment as Uniquely Burdensome and Expensive FilmLA further noted that protests were planned to begin at 9 a.m. in Gloria Molina Grand Park, right in front of City Hall, on Monday. One of those demonstrations is a protest against the June 6 arrest of local labor leader David Huerta that started at noon and was supported by several Hollywood labor groups. 'We are unable to give more specific boundaries for affected areas at this time as the situation is fluid. Care for crew safety is important, as is making room for protected free speech,' the production alert stated. A spokesperson for the Los Angeles Police Department said simply in a request for comment, 'I would strongly encourage you to stay out of the area due to demonstrations.' The department did not respond to a request for more specifics on which areas are currently out-of-bounds. The L.A.-area film office stated that it is not yet aware of any productions that have been shut down or interrupted by demonstrations, but noted that in the city of Los Angeles, 'filming is allowed in all areas except those where protest activity is concentrated.' The city's downtown is a popular location for filmmakers, with major films including Independence Day, Collateral, Blade Runner and Inception having been produced at least in part in the area. City Hall famously served as the exterior for Clark Kent's newspaper the Daily Planet in the 1950s Adventures of Superman series and has appeared in titles like L.A. Confidential and Gangster Squad since. Any restrictions for permitted film and television productions wouldn't affect organizations covering breaking news, which do not need a permit to film. Protests in the L.A. area began on Friday in response to immigration raids and ballooned over the weekend, with President Donald Trump on Saturday night calling for at least 2,000 National Guard troops to descend on the city in response. California Gov. Gavin Newsom has called the move unlawful and 'immoral,' and California sued the Trump administration over the action on Monday. Best of The Hollywood Reporter How the Warner Brothers Got Their Film Business Started Meet the World Builders: Hollywood's Top Physical Production Executives of 2023 Men in Blazers, Hollywood's Favorite Soccer Podcast, Aims for a Global Empire
Economic Times
30-05-2025
- Business
- Economic Times
Muthoot Finance shares surge 6% as FinMin bats for exemption of sub-Rs 2 lakh gold loans from RBI rules
Draft Directions on Lending Against Gold Collateral issued by the @RBI have been examined by @DFS_India under guidance of Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs Smt. @nsitharaman. @DFS_India has given suggestions to the @RBI to ensure that the requirements of the… — Ministry of Finance (@FinMinIndia) May 30, 2025 Live Events (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our ETMarkets WhatsApp channel Shares of Muthoot Finance surged 6.15% to hit the day's high of Rs 2,193 on the BSE on Thursday after the Finance Ministry suggested that borrowers availing gold loans below Rs 2 lakh should be exempted from the Reserve Bank of India's (RBI) proposed draft guidelines.'@DFS_India has suggested that small ticket borrowers below Rs 2 lakh may be excluded from the requirements of these proposed directions to ensure timely and speedy disbursement of loans for such small ticket borrowers,' the finance ministry said in its tweet on the social media platform Finance Ministry said that the draft guidelines issued by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on lending against gold collateral may be deferred and softened for small an official post on the social media platform X, the ministry said it has reviewed the RBI's proposed draft directions under the guidance of Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and has given suggestions to the central recommendation was made to safeguard the interests of small-ticket borrowers and ease operational constraints for lenders, particularly non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) such as Muthoot Finance.'Draft Directions on Lending Against Gold Collateral issued by the @RBI have been examined by @DFS_India under guidance of Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs Smt. @nsitharaman,' the post Department of Financial Services (DFS), operating under the Finance Ministry, has stated that such guidelines may require more time for implementation at the field level and therefore could be made effective from January 1, Finance Ministry's recommendation provides significant relief to gold financing companies, particularly NBFCs like Muthoot Finance, whose core business revolves around small-ticket gold draft norms, if implemented without relaxation, could have increased operational burdens and slowed disbursements, especially in rural and semi-urban markets where small loans suggesting a delayed implementation timeline and calling for exemptions for loans under Rs 2 lakh, the ministry has signalled regulatory flexibility, which helps preserve business volumes, maintain customer access, and reduce compliance risks for lenders heavily dependent on gold-backed lending : Recommendations, suggestions, views and opinions given by the experts are their own. These do not represent the views of The Economic Times)
Daily Mirror
29-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
'Tom Cruise's best movie' is now available to stream on Netflix
Tom Cruise has starred in a number of blockbuster movies over the years, but there's one film in particular that fans believe is his best - and it's currently available to watch on Netflix. The Mission Impossible series welcomed its latest release this month, thrilling fans worldwide as Tom Cruise reprised his iconic role as Ethan Hunt. Yet, the 62-year-old is grabbing attention for a different performance on Netflix, portraying a hard-hitting role in the action-packed thriller Collateral. The 2004 film Collateral boasts an incredible cast including Jamie Foxx, Jada Pinkett Smith, Mark Ruffalo, Debi Mazar and Bruce McGill. In the film, Jamie Foxx portrays a cab driver who's day takes a wild turn when he picks up a hitman, played by Tom Cruise. Collateral offers viewers an adrenaline rush, with a synopsis reading: "A cab driver realizes his current fare is a hit man who has been having him drive around from mark to mark until the last witness to a crime is dead. "When the cabbie finally figures out the truth, he must prevent the assassin from wiping out his last witness without becoming the next in the professional killer's line of casualties." Directed by acclaimed filmmaker Michael Mann, known for masterpieces like Heat, The Last of the Mohicans and Ferrari, Collateral was a box office success, racking up $220 million off a $65 million budget, reports Surrey Live. The film has been highly praised online, with many hailing it as one of the actor's finest performances. One viewer penned: "I would say it's one of best Tom Cruise movies 'Collateral'." Another chimed in: "Collateral is my all time favorite Cruise movie outside the MI franchise. I love his works in 2000s era." A third shared on Rottentomatoes: "An absolute masterpiece." With another adding: "It's perfect. Cast. Story. Cinematography. Soundtrack. Direction. Acting. Climactic ending. The entire package." Another fan commented: "One of the most intense action thrillers ever. Amazing duo of Tom and Jamie Fox. It's so good to see Tom playing the villain." With someone else noting: "Great film, Tom Cruise is surprisingly good as a villain." Echoing these sentiments, with one enthusiast added: "Fantastic, dark action thriller with a really great story, all the performances are top-notch and Tom does a fantastic turn as Vincent. Its rare to find a film with this much character growth packing in with action and suspense." Collateral is available to stream on Netflix now.
Times
24-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Times
The Accountant 2 review — Ben Affleck action flick is a guilty pleasure
The sequel that nobody wanted to a movie that few people loved emerges as the guilty pleasure ride of the week. Ben Affleck reteams with the director Gavin O'Connor and the writer Bill Dubuque (creator of TV's Ozark) for a riotous shoot-'em-up that luxuriates in rich character detail, labyrinthine plotting and satisfying high-stakes action sequences. It's all the more unexpected when considering the miserable limits of the first Accountant outing — a film that arrived in 2016 when the hitman genre had already reached a postmodern dead end. Back then we'd done everything from the kiddie hitman (Hanna) to the bullet-bending hitman (Wanted), the Cruise (Collateral) and Clooney (The American) versions and countless Tarantino iterations (the
