MoviesReviewWeston Cage Coppola is a Russian terrorist taking veterans hostage in this unthrilling micro-budget Die Hard rip-off
Although the title invokes John Carpenter’s 1976 classic Assault on Precinct 13, one of the all-time great pulpy siege movies, this tale of a hostage-taking at a Veterans Administration hospital in Buffalo, NY, is all pulp, no greatness. In fact, the premise is not so much about an assault as an infiltration that one fortuitously skilful character, who just happens to be around at the time, accidentally foils when the bad guys threaten his wife and child’s safety.
FilmObituaryBilly Chapin obituaryChild actor who memorably played the 12-year-old John Harper in the 1955 film The Night of the Hunter, starring Robert MitchumThe acting career of Billy Chapin, who has died aged 72, ended 57 years ago, though his memorable performance in The Night of the Hunter (1955) has become an indelible part of film history. Charles Laughton’s only film as director is an eerily beautiful parable of good and evil, its bold visual style derived from the rural dramas of DW Griffith, German Expressionism and American folk art.
Florida This article is more than 5 months oldFlorida ocean records ‘unprecedented’ temperatures similar to a hot tubThis article is more than 5 months oldThe 90-100F readings add to previous warnings over warming water putting marine life and ecosystems in peril
The surface ocean temperature around the Florida Keys soared to 101.19F (38.43C) this week, in what could be a global record as ocean heat around the state reaches unprecedented extremes.
Chinese dissident Cheng Siming is holed up in the transit lounge at Taiwan’s Taoyuan international airport. Photograph: APChinese dissident Cheng Siming is holed up in the transit lounge at Taiwan’s Taoyuan international airport. Photograph: APTaiwanChen Siming pleads for safe passage to US, saying his situation is ‘dangerous and urgent’ amid Beijing’s pursuit of him
A Chinese dissident who has taken refuge in a Taiwan airport during a stopover has said he is prepared to wait months if needed, in order to get safe passage to a third country.
Observer business agendaGermanyAnalysisIs Germany’s great economy sinking into ‘slowcession’?Joanna PartridgeKey data this week will offer a hint as to whether the eurozone’s powerhouse can shake off recent stagnation
Engine of the eurozone, industrial powerhouse, export world champion – just some of the ways Germany’s economy has been described over the years.
However, recent figures have indicated that the good times have come to an end, with Europe’s largest economy stuck in recession.
30 minutes with …Fall Out BoyInterviewPete Wentz: ‘We felt underappreciated by some of the fans’Mark BeaumontThe notorious bassist of reformed US punk poppers Fall Out Boy on split-ups, dick pic humiliation, and childhood nightmaresHi Pete! The reformed Fall Out Boy have just announced two shows at Wembley Arena in October – is this the age-old trick of pretending to split up for three years until people start caring again?
A ProPublica review of records found that only 15% of the 139 works donated or loaned by the Dikers over the years have solid or complete ownership histories. Photograph: Alex Bandoni/ProPublica (Source Images: Lorina Capitulo/Newsday RM via Getty Images and The National Park ServiceA ProPublica review of records found that only 15% of the 139 works donated or loaned by the Dikers over the years have solid or complete ownership histories.
‘Ted sometimes referred to “normal families”’: Pauline and her brother with their dog Pixie in 1968.‘Ted sometimes referred to “normal families”’: Pauline and her brother with their dog Pixie in 1968.The ObserverFamilyPauline Dakin spent years as a fugitive. Without warning her mother would uproot the family and move. Years later she discovered why
Pauline Dakin was always aware her childhood was a long way from ordinary. Her parents, Warren and Ruth, separated when she was five – she knew her father had a drink problem and could be violent.
Australia news This article is more than 14 years oldDNA tests confirm remains of Australian girl killed by crocodileThis article is more than 14 years oldPolice say remains found in swamp are those of 11-year-old Briony Anne GoodsellDNA tests have confirmed human remains found in an Australian swamp are those of an 11-year-old girl snatched by a crocodile, police said today.
The remains of Briony Anne Goodsell were found on Monday, one day after she vanished while swimming with her younger sister and two other children in a swamp on the outskirts of the northern city of Darwin.
OpinionWildfires This article is more than 3 years oldDrought, plague, fire: the apocalypse feels nigh. Yet we have tools to stop itThis article is more than 3 years oldArt CullenIn climate change, the Four Horsemen have a perfect force of destruction. Maybe these fires and floods will be a wake-up call to stop stalling
As the west coast burns into an orange hellscape you have to wonder if those preaching the end of time aren’t on to something.