🎭 Culture & Entertainment
July 3rd, 2026
Today's top 5 stories, curated by Daily Direct.
Variety
Madonna’s Dance Floor-Dominating ‘Confessions II’ Is Her Best Album in Decades: Album Review
Madonna's long-awaited follow-up to her 2005 dance classic arrives as a full-throttle return to form, recapturing the propulsive energy that made the original a landmark in pop music. The album opens with a statement of artistic reinvention and largely delivers on that promise across its runtime. For fans who have waited years for Madonna to reclaim the dance floor, "Confessions II" makes a compelling case that she still owns it.
Read article →
Variety
Venice Classics to Feature Roberto Rossellini’s ‘Journey to Italy,’ Roger Corman’s ‘The Wild Angels’ and Dev Benegal’s ‘English, August’
Restored classics from six master filmmakers will screen at Venice this year, spanning decades of world cinema history. The 19-title Venice Classics lineup includes landmark works by Andrzej Wajda, Roberto Rossellini, Luis Buñuel, Roger Corman, John Cassavetes, and Ann Hui. Among the highlights is Wajda's "Ashes and Diamonds," a postwar drama that counts among Martin Scorsese's ten favorite films.
Read article →Rolling Stone
Madonna Finds a Nonstop Groove on Her Best Album in 20 Years
Madonna returns to her dance-pop roots with *Confessions II*, a record critics are calling her strongest work in two decades. The album channels the nonstop energy of its 2005 predecessor while pushing into more dramatic, euphoric territory. It's a reminder that when Madonna commits fully to the dance floor, few artists can match her.
Read article →Hollywood Reporter
Venice Classics Line-Up Includes Cassavetes, Buñuel, Rossellini and Roger Corman
The Venice Film Festival's 2026 Classics section brings together a sweeping survey of cinema history, spotlighting restored works from masters including Cassavetes, Buñuel, Rossellini, and Roger Corman alongside rarities from Roman Polanski and Ann Hui. Ernst Lubitsch's celebrated anti-war satire *To Be or Not to Be* headlines a program designed to surface seldom-seen gems alongside canonical titles. The lineup underscores Venice's ongoing commitment to preservation and recontextualization of world cinema's most vital voices.
Read article →
Variety
Moritz Borman, Producer of ‘Terminator’ Movies and Oliver Stone Films, Dies at 71
Moritz Borman, the prolific German-born producer behind the *Terminator* franchise and a string of acclaimed Oliver Stone collaborations, died Wednesday in Munich at 71. His decades-long career yielded Oscar-nominated work including *The Quiet American* and *Under the Volcano*, cementing his reputation as a transatlantic force in Hollywood. His death was confirmed by longtime producing partners Eric Kopeloff and Philip Schulz-Deyle; no cause was given.
Read article →Get this delivered every morning
Join thousands of readers who get the world's most important stories, curated daily.
Start reading free →