‘He lent me his RSC Oberon cape for my school play’: Patrick Stewart remembered by readers

From coaching youth community theatre to supporting Huddersfield football club and delighting sci-fi fans at graduation ceremonies, the actor is fondly remembered

Ramayana: Rise of a Legend review – India’s most expensive film ever becomes spectacular, huge-scale epic

Based on the ancient classical poem about Rama, the avatar of the Hindu god Vishnu, this three-hour blockbuster is highly enjoyable

Callum Turner emerges as James Bond favourite as Pierce Brosnan endorses actor: ‘He’s so strong’

Bookmakers’ odds have shortened to 8/13 for the British actor, seen sipping martinis with his wife Dua Lipa at the weekend

Very good boys? The dark, dystopian rise of robot dogs

Pups that carry your shopping are one thing – but what about the mechanical canines being bought up in the US by ICE, asks Guardian columnist Arwa Mahdawi

Crawlers review – killer-spiders movie offers giant-arachnid action alongside anticapitalist commentary

A witty creature feature set in a multi-occupancy building in Los Angeles that takes aim at unscrupulous landlords and finance bros

Merry Christmas Aubrey Flint review – Dickensian festive Britpic decorated by selection box of familiar faces

A cast including Richard E Grant, Celia Imrie, Kiell Smith-Bynoe and Nigel Planer warm up a formulaic narrative about a imperilled retirement community

Broadcasters need content creators ‘more than creators need them’

CEO of leading production company says unless pay or exposure are high, creators are ‘not that interested’ in TV

Amazing Grace review – blazing Hannah Walters struggles to save a lonely caller at the end of his tether

Daniel P Lewis stars in his own script as an isolated man beset by trauma as a helpline counsellor Walters tries to heal his pain

Judi Dench says Daniel Craig ordered her death. James Bond just got a lot scarier

Not only did Craig insist his 007 die at the end of his run, but now we learn from Dench’s memoir that it was his idea to kill her off too. How will the next Bond top that? Shoot a puppy?

Peter Medak obituary

Film and television director who won plaudits for The Ruling Class, The Changeling and The Krays

China’s first AI-generated film is a flop. Some still see it as the future of cinema

Chinese investors placed high value on AI despite the unpopularity of Sanxingdui: Future Past

Best TV shows and movies streaming in Australia this month

Discover what’s coming to Netflix, HBO Max, Disney+, Prime Video and others in November, including an Anthony Bourdain biopic, a new show from Mike Schur and an Australian take on ET

Mum, I’m Alien Pregnant review – slime and silliness in amusing New Zealand comedy horror

Mucus, alien gristle, a tentacle-bearing penis and, of course, the pregnancy of the title are all borne with deadpan calmness in this underplayed comedy

Andrew Scott drama Elsinore leads British independent film award nominations

Elsinore is in contention for 12 Bifas, including for Scott’s highly praised performance, while Andrea Arnold’s I See Buildings Fall Like Lightning, Ashley Walters’ Animol and Mike Leigh’s Tender Loving Care are also recognised

‘His voice was too queer – so they silenced him’: how Spain’s national poet Lorca finally became a gay icon

The significance of the poet and playwright’s homosexuality was repressed in Spain for decades – but a spate of recent work, including the film La Bola Negra, is redressing the balance for a new generation