‘Plan 75’ Review: Japan’s Thought-Provoking Oscar Submission Chides Society for Disrespecting Its Seniors

Zoey 101 star Alexa Nikolas is continuing to speak out against Dan Schneider and the Nickelodeon network. The actress, 30, claimed that the producer, 56, would pay to take photos of children's feet on set, while speaking on Christy Carlson Romano’s podcast Vulnerable last week.'He had a digital camera and he would go around with money and ask to take photos of the kids' feet - their toes,' she stated  Speaking out: Zoey 101 star Alexa Nikolas claimed that Dan Schneider would pay to take photos of children's feet on set while appearing on Christy Carlson Romano’s podcast'I remember thinking it was weird, and silly almost, as a kid,' she said. The actress then added that her mother wouldn't let her partake: 'I remember my mom going "Don't go over there." My mom actually said "no" to it, but I saw other parents allowing their kids to do it,' she said. Christy began the conversation about Schneider by saying 'Your experience with Dan Schneider was not positive?''No, not at all,' Alexa replied.

Lourdes Leon is following in her famous mother Madonna's footsteps with a new music video for her song C***radiction.The 26-year-old singer (who performs under the moniker Lolahol) debuted the music video for C***radiction on Tuesday evening.The video (via Chemical X Records YouTube) shows that the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree, with the daughter showing she can be just as provocative as her mother. Video: Lourdes Leon is following in her famous mother Madonna's footsteps with a new music video for her song C***radiction Lolahol: The 26-year-old singer (who performs under the moniker Lolahol) debuted the music video for C***radiction on Tuesday eveningThe video begins with the singer in a barn, wearing a white tank top, white shorts and white socks, while she feeds a horse from the fence.She's seen using a rope to climb out of the barn, while she's seen mounting a white horse wearing a barely-there stringy swimsuit.

Chris Evans was recently crowned Sexiest Man Alive by PEOPLE magazine.And the 41-year-old hunk's mother Lisa Capuano wasn't at all surprised by the news as she gushed about her son to 7NEWS Boston on Tuesday.'My reaction was, 'yeah, of course, it's about time!'' she told the outlet, adding that the coveted distinction has been a longtime coming. It's about time! Chris Evans was recently crowned this year's Sexiest Man Alive by PEOPLE magazine.

Actress Susan Tolsky, best known for her work on the TV shows Madame’s Place and Here Come the Brides, has died at 79 from natural causes.Tolsky's sister Noel Foreman confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter that the comedic actress died October 9 at her home in Toluca Lake, California. Her funeral was held October 31 at North Hollywood's Angeleno Valley Mortuary.The Houston-born actress played the role of Biddie Cloom on 47 episodes of Here Come the Brides from 1968 thru 1970, according to iMDb, and played Bernadette Van Gilder on 55 episodes of Madame’s Place in 1982.

Olivia Culpo hit the publicity rounds in New York this week with her sisters Aurora and Sophia this Tuesday.All three of them can currently be seen on The Culpo Sisters, which premiered just one night earlier on TLC.During her latest outing Olivia, 30, who was Miss Universe 2012, flashed a generous helping of sideboob and bared her cleavage in a revealing black dress. Looking fab: Olivia Culpo hit the publicity rounds in New York this week with her sisters Aurora and Sophia this Tuesday Sister act: (from left) Olivia, Sophia and Aurora can currently be seen on The Culpo Sisters, which premiered just one night earlier on TLCThe sensational neckline fell low enough not only to scarcely contain her ample endowments but also to hint at her impressively svelte midriff.Below the waist the outfit flared out into a frou-frou skirt, complemented by a pair of black stocking sand sleek boots cut just below the knee.

Megan Fox and her fiance, Machine Gun Kelly, dressed warmly and kept a low profile as they arrived to a popular restaurant in Los Angeles earlier Tuesday evening. The Transformers alum, 36, and singer, 32, quickly made their way into the celebrity hotspot, Catch Steak, in the drizzly weather. The actress opted for a pop of color in a vibrant green ensemble while the rapper kept his look monochromatic for the chilly, fall evening.   Fall evening: Megan Fox, 36, and Machine Gun Kelly, 32, were pictured arriving at Catch Steak in Los Angeles earlier Tuesday The Jennifer's Body star opted for comfort in an all-green ensemble, comprising of warm sweatpants and a thick coat.  She slipped into a pair of green and white-colored Nike sneakers to make sure her feet wouldn't get wet in the rain. Megan was seen simply holding her phone in her left hand and opted to not carry a heavy purse with her into the restaurant. The model lifted her right arm up to partially cover her face as paparazzi swirled around the couple on the puddled sidewalk.   Staying dry: The couple dressed warmly as they stepped out in the chilly, rainy weather for a bite to eat Megan's hair was parted in the middle, and flowed past her shoulders in light natural waves. The star kept her makeup look simplistic for the dinner date, and added a touch of mascara and a nude-colored lipstick. Kelly opted for style for the night out, and slipped into a pair of baggy, faux leather pants. The Bad Things rapper added a sheer, black netted top which he covered with a large, printed jacket. He wore a pair of black shoes with a thick sole and messily styled his blonde hair for the evening. The two didn't linger outside for photos, and instead hurriedly made their way into the

James Cameron has revealed the reason for the long runtime of his Avatar sequel that clocks in at more than three hours.The 68-year-old director in the latest issue of Total Film coming out on Thursday said the runtime for Avatar: The Way Of Water was due to the sequel's emphasis on character.'The goal is to tell an extremely compelling story on an emotional basis,' Cameron said in an interview for the magazine's cover story. Runtime reasoning: James Cameron, shown in February 2020 in Los Angeles, has revealed the reason for the long runtime of his Avatar sequel that clocks in at more than three hours'I would say the emphasis in the new film is more on character, more on story, more on relationships, more on emotion.

Michael Jackson's estate has filed legal documents to recover $1 million in property that was allegedly stolen from the singer's home after he died in 2009.The estate of the late pop superstar claimed the property is being wrongfully possessed by Jeffre Phillips, according to an article on Tuesday by TMZ.Phillips, 55, was previously engaged to Michael's sister La Toya Jackson, 66. Estate matter: Michael Jackson's estate has filed legal documents to recover $1 million in property that was allegedly stolen from the singer's home after he died in 2009 (shown in November 2002 in Berlin)The estate has alleged in court papers that Phillips used the sadness and chaos around the singer's 2009 death to take private and personal property from Jackson's home on Carolwood Drive in the upscale Holmby Hills area of Los Angeles.The Beat It singer's estate recently prevented a potential sale of the items and was seeking the allegedly stolen property with an estimated value of $1 million.

A host of popular historic sites across the region remain closed due to safety concerns.

The cost of living crisis could force more than a quarter of the region’s tourism businesses to close.

Ange Postecoglou always said it was ludicrous that title predictions were being dished out at this time a year ago.

Rishi Sunak has been branded "weak" and his judgement questioned after Gavin Williamson quit Cabinet following a number of bullying allegations.

Two crashes on the Queensferry Crossing have caused rush hour chaos heading into Edinburgh this morning, with commuters facing lengthy queues.

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has confirmed that it processed 1.6 million cost of living payments worth a total of £518 million on November 8 to those on qualifying means-tested benefits. An estimated eight million payments for £324 are expected to be made before the payment window closes on November 23.

Peter Debruge Chief Film Critic America has “Groundhog Day.” Now Malaysia has “Stone Turtle,” a beguiling, all-around gorgeous reimagining of Southeast Asian folklore that finds its characters caught in a loop of vengeance, lust and violence from which they cannot escape. Here, it’s a dead-serious political statement rather than rom-com karma that forces island-dwelling refugee Zahara (Asmara Abigail) and an intrusive outsider (Bront Palarae) to play out repeated versions of a cautious standoff: She deals in precious leatherback turtle eggs, he claims to be a wildlife researcher, but pursues her with a passion that suggests other priorities. “Stone Turtle” marks a welcome comeback for Woo Ming Jin (“Woman on Fire Looks for Water”), a leading voice in the Malaysian New Wave who spent the last decade working in more mainstream waters, churning out a mix of zombie flicks and popcorn movies. Now, having picked up a prestigious FIPRESCI prize at Locarno, he’s back on the international festival circuit with a project that intriguingly applies elements of genre filmmaking to a more anthropological art-house format. The result is a loony marriage between “The Wicker Man” and “Woman in the Dunes,” as an enigmatic siren in scarlet robes traps a man on the beach for all eternity, building to a dangerous ritual where lives are sacrificed and a straw effigy is set ablaze.

Peter Debruge Chief Film Critic Saruul is studying to be an engineer when she agrees to take the last job her cosmopolitan but still relatively conservative Mongolian parents would ever imagine their daughter doing: selling intimacy aids (of the vibrating, silicone and inflatable variety) in a basement-level sex shop. Technically, Saruul’s just filling in for a shy friend at school who trusts her to be discreet, but this temporary gig has a subtle yet life-changing impact on the title character, who looks like she could be 14 years old at first, but blossoms into a more self-aware young woman over “The Sales Girl’s” slightly overlong running time. The top prize winner of the New York Asian Film Festival, veteran director Sengedorj Janchivdorj’s umpteenth feature takes a frank, sex-positive approach to the titillating world in which it’s set. But that doesn’t make this an erotic film. Instead, “The Sales Girl” focuses mostly on the unlikely friendship between Saruul (Bayartsetseg Bayangerel) and her Russian-speaking boss Katya (Enkhtuul Oidovjamts), a surly ex-dancer who takes a linking to her naive new employee. In a funny way, the film shares the slightly edgy but ultimately sentimental vibe of certain underground comics (“Ghost World” comes to mind) or the work of American indie director Sean Baker, whose last four features (dating back to “Starlet,” the film this most resembles) have had the honesty to acknowledge the role sexuality plays in modern life and commerce.

EXCLUSIVE: Paris-based Urban Sales has sold Japanese director Chie Hayakawa’s dystopian drama Plan 75 to KimStim for North America, in addition to several other territories. The film won a Camera d’Or Special Mention when it premiered in Un Certain Regard at Cannes this year, and is also Japan’s submission to the Best International Feature category of the Oscars. 

Peter Debruge Chief Film Critic If Hollywood can justify making sequels to “Rambo” and “Top Gun” more than three decades on, why can’t Kollywood do the same? In tons-of-fun “Vikram,” a secret agent first introduced in 1986 emerges from deep undercover to thwart the biggest drug deal in Indian history. He’s a grandfather now, but that doesn’t stop the title character (Kamal Haasan) from tossing people across the room in this turbo-charged, three-hour action bonanza, which pairs Vikram with a younger operative named Amar (Fahadh Faasil). The two have at least one thing in common: Rules and regulations don’t matter, which means they’re free to fight crime as creatively as they (and director Lokesh Kanagaraj) see fit.

Peter Debruge Chief Film Critic In what plays like Singapore’s answer to “About Schmidt,” never-too-late-to-live dramedy “Ajoomma” follows a widowed housewife as she steps out of her comfort zone by making a solo trip to South Korea. This upbeat debut from director He Shuming — whose title is the Korean equivalent of all-purpose Asian term of respect “Auntie” — offers longtime TV actor Hong Huifang (“Housewives’ Holiday”) a chance to shine in the title role, which has already netted her a Golden Horse Award nom. Selected to rep Singapore at the Oscars, affable “Ajoomma” is more of a dark horse in that race, albeit one with art-house sleeper potential. Mrs. Lim’s life is light on excitement. What it lacks in drama, she fills by binging on Korean soap operas — a not at all uncommon obsession among Asian women (and a growing number of Americans, thanks to services like Kocowa and Viki). “Auntie,” as most of the other characters call Hong’s character, fusses a bit too much over her only son, who long ago agreed to accompany her on a special tour of Seoul. Now, mere days before they’re to depart, he backs out for a job interview in New York — one that would put some much-needed distance between the closeted young man and his overly suffocating mom.