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Hungarian director Béla Tarr, known for his bleak and beautiful films, dies at 70

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — The celebrated Hungarian filmmaker Bela Tarr, director of such works as “Satantango” and “The Turin Horse” and the recipient of numerous awards for his long and often darkly comic films, has died at 70. During a career spanning decades, Tarr wrote and directed nine feature films, starting with his debut, “Family Nest,” in 1979 and ending in 2011 with “The Turin Horse,” which won the Silver Bear Jury Grand Prize at the Berlin International Film Festival that year. Tarr frequently collaborated with Hungarian author Laszlo Krasznahorkai, who ...

Lisette Oropesa shines and draws rave reactions in Met Opera’s ‘I Puritani’

NEW YORK (AP) — Lisette Oropesa impresses Peter Gelb as more than a singer. “She reminds me a little bit of Beverly Sills,” the Metropolitan Opera general manager said. “She seems to have that kind of intellectual quickness. She’s extremely astute and she connects with people. Who knows? Maybe someday she’ll be running the Met?” Sills was a top soprano before heading New York City Opera from 1979-89, then chairing the Met board from 2002-05 and overseeing Gelb’s hiring. A 42-year-old soprano who grew up in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Oropesa is starring with tenor ...

Sydney Sweeney box-office hit ‘The Housemaid’ to get a sequel

NEW YORK (AP) — After just two and half weeks of release, the Sydney Sweeney box-office hit “The Housemaid” is getting a sequel. Lionsgate announced Tuesday that it will start production on “The Housemaid’s Secret” later this year. The film will be based on the second of Freida McFadden’s bestselling trilogy of books. “The Housemaid” has been a hit at the holiday box office, grossing more than $75 million and $133 million worldwide in 17 days of release. The psychological thriller directed by Paul Feig cost a modest $35 million to make. Lionsgate said “The ...

A new Grammy category honors album covers, and the artists that make them

NEW YORK (AP) — When it came time to decide the cover image for Wet Leg’s sophomore album, the British indie rock band packed items that might provide inspiration — velvet worms sewn by guitarist Hester Chambers, an oversized head of hair from a music video shoot, lizard-like gloves ...