Ethan Hawke is a triumph in a poignant new comedy-drama, and Guillermo del Toro’s breakout horror flick gets a rerelease. Here’s the pick of the week’s culture, taken from the Guardian’s best-rated reviews

From Jackson Lamb’s mac in Slow Horses to the queen-bee wardrobe of Wild Cherry, Guardian writers choose the outfits that shaped storylines and revealed personalities in 2025

Fed-up fans are questioning additional ‘restoration’ costs for new stadiums as well as a lack of transparency Gig-goers who bought tickets for Gorillaz at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in June next year have been refunded some of their booking fee by the ticket seller Gigantic after the Guardian queried the pricing. A reader contacted us asking why he had been charged a £1 “restoration fee” for a concert at the £850m stadium in north London. The Gigantic website also listed the same fee for the recently built Co-op Live arena in Manchester. Continue reading...

Two countries pledge in joint statement to halt all forms of attacks and further troop deployments in long-running dispute over contested territory Thailand and Cambodia have agreed to an “immediate” ceasefire, pledging to end weeks of deadly border clashes that have killed more than 100 people and displaced more than half a million on both sides. In a joint statement, the two south-east Asian neighbours said the ceasefire would take effect on Saturday at noon local time and involve “all types of weapons, including attacks on civilians, civilian objects and infrastructures, and military objectives of either side, in all cases and all areas”. Continue reading...

Too much turkey and Baileys? Blow away the Christmas cobwebs on one of our rambles. And if that doesn’t work, they all end at a pub for a hair of the dog

With the snow line edging higher, 186 French ski resorts have shut, while global heating threatens dozens more

Fear and feelings of intense vulnerability caused me to retreat into my shell, until I saw myself in an unlikely feature in one of the British master’s prints

CBS News editor-in-chief argues in memo that network’s priority was ‘comprehensive and fair’ coverage * Who is Bari Weiss, the new editor-in-chief of CBS News? CBS News’ editor-in-chief, Bari Weiss, defended her decision to pull a 60 Minutes episode on allegations investigating a notorious prison in El Salvador, arguing that the network’s priority was to ensure its coverage was “comprehensive and fair”. In the memo sent to staff on Christmas Eve, Weiss said news organizations needed to do more to win back the trust of the American public and vowed that “no amount of outrage” would “derail us”. Continue reading...

Need something brilliant to read over the holidays? Here are six of our best pieces from 2025. Look out for part two next Saturday

* Fourth Test, day 2: Australia 152 & 132, lose to England, 110 & 178-6 * Tourists charge to four-wicket win inside two days at MCG Stop press. Hold the back page. Drag out the dusty bunting and book three more nights in Noosa. England have won a Test in Australia for the first time in nearly 15 years, chasing down 175 runs in Melbourne to win by four wickets and ensure this Ashes series defeat will not end as an Ashes whitewash. Granted it was not a live victory, England simply dragging the scoreline back to 3-1 and doing so courtesy of a two-day heist on a pitch that made batting a lottery. But given the ordeal of this tour, and that grim run of 18 Tests without a victory on Australian soil, it was not insignificant either. Continue reading...

Soft options …

From the books I’ve read (and forgotten) this year to the number of times a joke I wrote bombed on stage

Did the 21st century begin on 1 January 2000? Or was it that blue sky day in September 2001 when the planes hit the twin towers? These images from the last 25 years chronicle modern history in the making

Attack on Kyiv injures five, says mayor, amid flurry of weekend diplomacy that will see Ukrainian president meet Trump in Florida European leaders are to take part in a call with Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Donald Trump on Saturday as part of a growing push for a peace deal that will see the Ukrainian president head to Florida on Sunday. The European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, is to join a call on Saturday, a commission spokesperson told Reuters, ahead of the Ukrainian president’s trip to Florida for a Sunday meeting with Trump that Zelenskyy said would focus on some of the most sensitive parts of the peace talks. Key sticking points include Ukrainian security guarantees and reconstruction, plus territorial discussions regarding the Donbas region and the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. Continue reading...

Knight Frank says shopping centres and food stores lead revival as retail outperforms other commercial property * Shoppers shun UK high streets despite lure of Boxing Day sales UK retailers are investing more in bricks and mortar, with shopping centres and food stores leading a revival, according to research. Retailers and property investors are reallocating capital back into physical stores, according to the property group Knight Frank. Continue reading...

In an exclusive interview, the head of the TUC says a customs union with the EU could boost the UK’s economy Keir Starmer should seek out a far closer relationship with Europe, including a possible customs union, the head of the TUC has said. Paul Nowak, TUC general secretary, said the British public recognised the need for a vastly improved trading arrangement and said it had become more urgent than ever because of the fickle nature of the relationship with Donald Trump’s United States. Continue reading...

Consumer group Which? finds one in five people are unsure what to do with dud gifts after the festive period Marmite-scented deodorant and already-worn pyjamas have topped the list of the most disappointing Christmas presents, according to research that found one in five Britons have received an unwanted gift in their festive haul. More than 2,000 members of the public were polled by the consumer group Which? in January about the gifts they received last Christmas, with 21% of those surveyed saying they had been given an unwanted or unsuitable present. Continue reading...

North Korea leader speaks of ‘really meaningful year’ for alliance with Moscow; Zelenskyy accuses Russia of using Belarus apartments to attack Ukraine. What we know on day 1,403 Continue reading...

Royals are reported to plan separate trips, after Donald Trump paused implementation of agreement King Charles III and the Prince of Wales are expected to make separate trips to the US in 2026 as part of a campaign to revitalise a trade deal with Donald Trump, it has been reported. Advanced talks on a visit by the king are said to be under way, the Times reported. The paper suggested that King Charles’s visit to the US was likely to take place in April. Continue reading...

Christian Aid annual report’s top 10 disasters amounted to more than $120bn in insured losses Cyclones and floods in south-east Asia this autumn killed more than 1,750 people and caused more than $25bn (£19bn) in damage, while the death toll from California wildfires topped 400 people, with $60bn in damage, according to research on the costliest climate-related disasters of the year. China’s devastating floods, in which thousands of people were displaced, were the third most expensive, causing about $12bn in damage, with at least 30 lives lost. Continue reading...

* Australia edge England in wild opening to Boxing Day Test * Over-by-over updates from Melbourne Cricket Ground * Live scorecard | Geoff Lemon on Australia’s bowlers “Hi,” writes Ruth Purdue. “I don’t know if this was sent yesterday but I found it fascinating.” “Yesterday was the like the first round of Hagler v Hearns from 1985,” writes Simon McMahon. “Both came out swinging and landing heavy blows, but already the outcome feels inevitable, it just being a matter of when the knockout punch will be delivered. Like in Nevada, early in round/day three seems likely...” Continue reading...

Boxing Day’s sole Premier League fixture tingled the senses and was graced by Patrick Dorgu’s killer finish that claimed the points and moved Manchester United up to a season-high fifth. They could – and maybe should – have been limited to a draw because Newcastle United dominated the second period as their hosts’ rhythm went awry. But Newcastle’s problem was a lack of teeth. Towards the end, Joelinton pulled the trigger with the goal begging but he drilled into Senne Lammens’ gloves. Later, Joe Willock did the same with a cross. Then Anthony Gordon missed another clear chance. Continue reading...

Starting as a roadie and guitar tech, Bamonte joined the band in 1990 after its breakthrough album Disintegration Perry Archangelo Bamonte, longtime guitarist and keyboardist for the influential goth band the Cure, has died. He was 65. The band made the announcement on their official website on Friday. Continue reading...

Long-serving workers say they faced racism as they helped build health service – but it ‘seems things have got worse’

Exclusive: UK an ‘unwelcoming, racist’ country for overseas health workers, according to medical colleges leader * ‘The NHS would collapse within hours’: BME staff say Britain fails to appreciate their roles Foreign doctors and nurses are increasingly shunning the NHS because anti-migrant rhetoric and rising racism have created “a hostile environment”, the leader of Britain’s medics has warned. The health service is being put at risk because overseas health professionals increasingly see the UK as an “unwelcoming, racist” country, in part because of the government’s tough approach to immigration, Jeanette Dickson said. Continue reading...