Close up: This week in film

Close up Friday 06 Feb 2015                                                                                                                                            g Film of the week                                                                                                                                      More » Selma review – Martin Luther King, a lover and a fighter Ava DuVernay’s film thrillingly contrasts the moral triumph of King’s crusade for civil rights with the agony of his marital infidelities

Editors' picks                                                                                                                                                                   ‘We’re not elitist – or racist’ says Bafta boss after Selma snub claim Film industry is open to all, insists group as honours look set to go to public school actors Sam Taylor-Johnson on Fifty Shades Of Grey: ‘A feminist doesn’t have to be on top’ She’s an artist who’s made just one film – now Sam Taylor-Johnson has directed Hollywood’s most controversial (and explicit) movie in years. But will it be any good? David Oyelowo: 'No one says to Oliver Stone: white characters AGAIN?' The star of new Martin Luther King movie Selma speaks out about insulting roles for black actors – and defends his friend Benedict Cumberbatch Geraldine McEwan: life and times – in pictures Actor Geraldine McEwan, famous for her 1985 portrayal of Lucia in EF Benson’s pithy comedy, and who in later life became the face of Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple, has died

Top stories                                                                                                                                               More » Was this the year cinema chickened out? Though Bafta’s winners can expect effusive acclaim on Sunday night, the current awards fare is toothless. Over the past year, cinema has lost its social and political nerve and industry and audiences alike are opting for comfort food. How did we let this happen?  From Tilda Swinton to Tina Fey: who channels their inner Katharine Hepburn? Some unlikely actors have been inspired by the Oscar-winning icon. As the BFI launches a retrospective, we pick our favourites  Film show                                                                                                                                                 More » The Guardian Film Show: Kingsman: The Secret Service, Inherent Vice, Trash and Big Hero 6 – video reviews The Guardian Film Show looks at the week's big releases: Kingsman: The Secret Service, Inherent Vice, Trash, and Big Hero 6. Plus there are interviews with Joaquin Phoenix and Katherine Waterston  Most read                                                                                                                                                 More » Amy Pascal steps down from Sony Pictures in wake of damaging email hack One of Hollywood’s most powerful executives is leaving company after hacking scandal that resulted in leak of her emails, but is starting studio-backed venture  Cary Elwes on The Princess Bride: ‘I know what my epitaph will be’ Since its release in 1987, The Princess Bride has built a devoted following – nowhere more so than in the Freeman household. Hadley Freeman takes her family along to meet its dashing star Cary Elwes  Domestic violence campaigners call for boycott of Fifty Shades of Grey film Using the #50dollarsnotshades hashtag, the campaigners ask that people spend their money on women’s shelters rather than a trip to see the Fifty Shades of Grey film adaptation  Interviews                                                                                                                                                 More » David Gulpilil: the lessons I learned from Charlie's Country The Aacta award-winning actor on career longevity, working with the director Rolf de Heer and the importance of a close relationship with nature  Yann Demange: ‘There were 1,500 people in the cinema and I was overwhelmed’ The director, who has a good chance of winning a Bafta this weekend for his debut, ’71 – says fame has been a shock, and why the film’s success felt like a gap year. By Damon Wise  Elaine Constantine: ‘You may have a shit job, but you iron your clothes and polish your shoes’ Ahead of this Sunday’s Baftas, the outstanding newcomer nominee talks about the surprise success of her debut film, Northern Soul, and why the music and dance movement thrilled working-class kids in the 60s and 70s  Film blogs                                                                                                                                                 More » Big Hero 6 proves a Marvel as Kingsman spies the runner-up spot at UK box office It’s a close-run thing as Disney’s lovable, family-friendly robot pips dapper Colin Firth in the retro spy spoof  The Avengers, the Minions and the Terminator touch down at Super Bowl Sunday Forget the football, just watch the trailers: Hollywood is splashing out on some expensive ad-time to show off its forthcoming wares, writes Ben Child  American Sniper's adjective no obstacle as it outguns UK competition again Charles Gant: Big in the US, Clint Eastwood’s US Iraq war tale remains on top in the UK as well, taking out Taken 3, while Mortdecai loses out to Ex Machina  Cutting The Hobbit down to size: no dwarf-elf flirting, no albino orcs One anonymous editor has whittled down Peter Jackson’s nine-hour, three-part unexpurgated journey down to a single four-hour chunk – with the odd casualty  American Sniper dispatches sceptics at UK box office Charles Gant: British audiences flock to Clint Eastwood’s patriotic Iraq war drama, as best-actor Oscar buzz intensifies around Bradley Cooper  Take the quiz                                                                                                                                           More » Fifty shades of momentary sensuality: match the rating to the movie – quiz Fifty Shades of Grey was handed an 18 rating for its 'strong sex'. But which films earned the following descriptions alongside their certifications?