James Van Der Beek was so much more than just Dawson

The late actor became known for his role in Kevin Williamson’s era-defining teen show but in the years after he worked hard to subvert his persona

Bud Cort, star of Harold and Maude, dies aged 77

Actor best-known for role in Hal Ashby’s black comedy also appeared in films by Robert Altman and Wes Anderson

Crime 101 review – bracing tale of master thief lifts a trick or two from Michael Mann

The pedal is pressed hard to the metal for this very stylish high-stakes armed robbery thriller starring Chris Hemsworth

Is Jacob Elordi really the hottest man on the planet? Six things you need to know

Gen Z fell in love with him on the small screen, but with the release of Emerald Fennell’s steamy new adaptation of Wuthering Heights, the Aussie actor’s star is set to shine even brighter

Oscars 2026 class photo: can you spot the tallest nominee – and a camouflaged Diane Warren?

The annual Academy Award nominees luncheon is my favourite part of an otherwise excruciatingly dull affair – and the group picture reveals more than any winners list could

Is surprise box-office hit Iron Lung the future of ‘video game films’?

The YouTube gaming star’s weird and divisive adaptation of his obscure horror film is a game within a film about a game – and hints at new directions for storytelling

Beyond Trainspotting: The World of Irvine Welsh review – uniquely funny writer holds court

The author discusses his writing, the movies it created and his own youth, but not all the interviewees in this documentary are quite so gripping

Little Amélie review – tender and poignant study of the fragility of early childhood

Based on a 2000 novella, this sweet animation follows a young girl who wakes from a vegetative state on the verge of feral, but begins to bond with others after an intervention by her grandmother

The mother of all meltdowns: Rose Byrne on playing a parent cracking up in her taboo-busting new film

What if loving your child is destroying you and all you want to do is escape? That’s the nightmare the Oscar-nominated Byrne faces in If I Had Legs I’d Kick You. The star and its director reveal why backers were scared

The President’s Cake review – toughly revealing story of kid on a baking mission for Saddam Hussein’s birthday

Nine-year-old Lamia is obliged by her school to make a birthday cake for the Iraqi president, and meets a series of vivid characters as she shops for sanctioned ingredients

Method dressing: nine actors who stayed wildly in character on the red carpet

Whether it’s Zendaya in tennis-inspired shoes, Cynthia Erivo dressed in green, Margot Robbie as Barbie or Jenna Ortega in shredded black leather, today’s movie stars rarely disappoint on the promo circuit

Wallace, Gromit and a new use for lentils: blockbuster Aardman exhibition opens at Young V&A

Children are encouraged to get hands-on as the world’s leading stop-motion studio showcases its work in east London

From Melania to Kid Rock’s halftime show: why is Maga art so dreadful?

As the right stokes culture wars, their alternatives to ‘woke’ Hollywood prove to be shoddily made and uninspired

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind was never a love story. It was a warning

Watch Michel Gondry’s 2004 time-twister as a hard sci-fi film and you might heed its advice

The far right in power always co-opts culture – in France, it has already begun

Marine Le Pen’s party is concocting plans to replace a vital, vibrant arts scene with a retrograde movement that would glorify the country’s past, says Guardian Europe columnist Alexander Hurst