The synopsis reads: “Britain looks almost normal, but the flags are different, the news is careful, and nobody says certain things out loud anymore. But everyone can feel it. Somewhere beneath the surface of ordinary life, something has gone terribly, quietly wrong.
“Out of the shadows emerges a former soldier known only as Berry, who starts building a secret resistance network. He knows one thing above all else: don’t act before you’re ready.”
An unlikely band of individuals, comprising a soldier, student, journalist and radiographer, gradually gathers around him as they conclude they can no longer turn a blind eye.
The synopsis continued: “Ordinary people, with ordinary lives, making an extraordinary and irreversible choice. Against them: a state with unlimited reach, a ruthless minister who’ll do whatever it takes to maintain “order”, and an American intelligence operative called Jessie, who is very, very good at her job.
“Army of Shadows is a tense, propulsive thriller about what resistance actually costs. If your country were occupied, what would you do?”
The broadcaster has confirmed that production has kicked off across Liverpool, Manchester, London and Paris.
Billed as ‘provocative’, Army of Shadows draws from Jean-Pierre Melville’s 1969 film and Joseph Kessel’s landmark novel of the same name.
Penned by Ronan Bennett, Army of Shadows charts how resistance begins to take hold in an occupied Great Britain during the Second World War, reports the Liverpool Echo.
Discussing the upcoming drama, Interim Head of Drama at Channel 4, Gwawr Lloyd, expressed their enthusiasm while applauding the ‘stellar cast’ signed up for the series.
They said: “Ronan Bennett has created a gripping, provocative and action-packed drama that feels both epic in scale and strikingly relevant. Army of Shadows asks powerful questions about freedom, resistance and the choices people make when democracy is under threat.
“With a stellar cast lined up under the direction of Lisa Gunning, this is exactly the kind of thought-provoking and high-stakes drama that Channel 4 looks to bring to our viewers.
“We’re delighted to partner with STUDIOCANAL and Two Cities Television on what promises to be an unmissable event series.”
Channel 4 has confirmed that additional information regarding the show’s broadcast date will be revealed in due course.
Jack White stepped in when Charley Crockett accidentally hired, then fired, a satanic doo-wop duo. Happens to everyone, right?
The outlaw country singer apparently thought the husband-and-wife duo known as Twin Temple were like Black Sabbath when he invited them to open two shows for him this week, a July 14 date in Troutdale, Ore., and another on July 18 in Paso Robles. With songs including “Satan’s a Woman,” “Lucifer, My Love,” “Let’s Have a Satanic Orgy” and “Burn Your Bible,” it’s anyone’s guess how Crockett missed the duo’s shtick.
“Today we were informed that Charley Crockett has decided to remove Twin Temple from his upcoming shows next week due to our Satanic imagery,” the musicians wrote on Instagram last week.
“Unfortunately, that means we will not be able to perform for you next week as planned. We are really disappointed as we were looking forward to getting back out and seeing you, and also what it meant as far as bringing different types of people and music lovers together. We are sorry to everyone who was planning to see us.
“We’re grateful for your support, not only of Twin Temple, but more importantly of artistic freedom. HAIL SATAN! 93/93”
Crockett, who dropped his 16th studio album, “Age of the Ram,” in April, posted his own since-deleted message on social media, writing, “Hail Satan? Not me Jack.”
Twin Temple, composed of married couple Alexandra and Zachary James, weren’t out of work for long. White, the former White Stripes frontman, who happened to be kicking off a world tour in support of his new album, “Frozen Charlotte,” caught wind of the debacle and stepped in.
“Twin Temple, Would you like to open my show in L.A. on September 29th at the Hollywood Palladium? Let me know,” White posted on Friday, adding, “Get in front of me Satan!”
The duo was quick to accept, commenting on White’s invite, “Unholy hell…. Sir Jack, you have no idea what this means to us. Lifelong fans- dead leaves on the dirty ground was one of the first songs I (Alex) ever learned on guitar. We were actually planning on coming to this show. It would be a most infernal pleasure to play the devils music with you.”
On Tuesday, Twin Temple announced their third record, “Doomed Lovers,” produced by Shooter Jennings (who also produced Crockett’s “Age of the Ram” and other recent albums). The album will drop Oct. 9 via their own Pentagrammaton Records. The duo told Rolling Stone on Tuesday that they were sad about the turn of events with Crockett but confirmed that their swanky Satan-loving doo-wop isn’t a sham.
“Satan’s the original outlaw, right? He’s a rebel angel,” Alexandra told the outlet. “He’s the one who questioned authority, fought for himself, refused to bow down or conform, and was like non serviam. That was a metaphor that resonated very strongly with me.”
She added, “It’s really fun to go shopping for a human skull and a Ronettes record in the same day, and we get to do that with our band.”
While Twin Temple has been booking shows and working on the album announcement, Crockett has continued to post about the drama from the road. “Well, now I know how it feels when they try to cancel you on the right AND the left,” he wrote on Facebook on Monday. “The thing is, I never subscribed. America can be a One Eyed Jack, but I’ve seen your other side.”
EXCLUSIVE: The Netflix actress unpacked her new crime drama based on a notorious real-life Irish American gang.
07:06, 13 Jul 2026Updated 07:11, 13 Jul 2026
Ozark star lifts lid on ‘ballsy’ new detective role
Bosch legend Titus Welliver and Ozark star Jessica Frances Dukes have spoken candidly about portraying a detective partnership in a gritty new period drama.
The Westies, a fresh gangster series which arrived on MGM+ (available through Amazon Prime Video) yesterday, features Netflix actress Dukes as Birdie Polk, who is resolute in her mission to shield New York from a sinister criminal underworld.
Meanwhile, Welliver portrays her hesitant police partner Glenn Keenan, whose complex ties with Eamonn Sweeney (J. K. Simmons), head of Irish American gang The Westies, compels him to navigate a precarious balance between opposing forces.
The Westies, co-created by Narcos’ Chris Brancato and Michael Panes, draws from a genuine Irish American gang which operated from Hell’s Kitchen throughout the 1960s until the late 1980s.
Dukes, who portrays Special Agent Maya Miller in Netflix’s Ozark, shared her thoughts on taking on a markedly different kind of FBI agent.
She said: “I’ve been a fan of Chris Brancato and Michael Panes for a while and being able to dive into one of their worlds was something that was a goal of mine, so to be a part of this was really exciting.
“To jump into FBI world again, at first I was like ‘Do I want to do FBI again?’ and then I read it and I was like, ‘Oh, this chick is not Maya Miller’. And so I was so excited to dive into this ballsy woman. It was so much fun – I loved playing her.”
Considering the broader importance of the role, she added: “She’s given this opportunity to bring these guys down and she’s put in this place of power in [the early 1980s].”
She continued: “There is one woman in a sea of men running this show. I feel like Birdie starts the show with the reward and now it’s all about, ‘Is she going to succeed and prove all the naysayers waiting for her failure wrong?’ And I truly believe she’s got the golden ticket with Keenan.”
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Telly fans can get seven days of free access to binge top series like Outlander with a free trial of Amazon Prime’s MGM+ channel.
Welliver, who portrays the titular Harry Bosch in Bosch on Prime Video, commented on the new series: “For me, it’s very personal because I’m a New Yorker and I was in and around that time.
“All characters are different and Glenn Keenan is the polar opposite of Harry Bosch if you look at these two guys.”
Discussing his character further and how he engages with Simmons’ Sweeney and Dukes’ Polk, he observed: “The scenes with J.K. were great because those worlds are very markedly different.
“Sweeney and Keenan have a long history together, whereas the relationship with Polk and Keenan is new, but there’s an interesting similarity.
“So they’re both trying to puppeteer Keenan and he is basically saying, ‘Nobody has strings on me.’
“And that’s what I think is the interesting aspect of that character and he emerges with a sense of independence, but at a serious cost.”
The official synopsis for The Westies from MGM+ states: “The Westies is a gritty and kinetic crime drama centering on New York City’s infamously violent Irish gang of the same name.
“The series is set in the early 1980s when the construction of the Jacob Javits Convention Center on the Westies’ home turf in Hell’s Kitchen promises a financial windfall.
“Despite being outnumbered fifty-to-one by the Five Families of the Italian Mafia, the Westies’ legendary brutality and cunning have given them the leverage necessary to share the spoils through a fragile détente.
“But internal conflict between the brash younger generation and the old-school leadership threatens to set a match to this powder keg, which will sweep the Westies into the FBI’s ever-deepening investigation into the Italian mafia.”
The Westies premiered on 12th July 2026 exclusively on MGM+ in the UK.
The BBC has launched a new crime drama by the creator of Unforgotten starring John Simm alongside some other famous names
The first few minutes of I, Jack Wright took viewers by surprise(Image: BBC)
BBC viewers wasted no time sharing their reactions to the broadcaster’s latest crime drama.
Written by Chris Lang, the celebrated creator behind Unforgotten, Innocent, The Thief, His Wife and the Canoe, I, Jack Wright is a compelling whodunnit starring Nikki-Amuka Bird, John Simm, Daniel Rigby, Ruby Ashbourne-Serkis, Zoë Tapper, Percelle Ascott, Harry Lloyd and Liz Kingsman.
A synopsis reads: “I, Jack Wright, is a propulsive whodunnit with family secrets at its core. The apparent death by suicide of high-powered businessman Jack Wright (played by Trevor Eve) sends shockwaves through his family, leaving a mystery that pits greed, loyalty and suspicion against one another.
“As his many wives and children fight over the remains of his estate, a dogged police detective investigates – and uncovers the shocking truth about this well-heeled clan.”
Within minutes of the opening episode airing on BBC One on Sunday, July 12, viewers were sharing their thoughts on social media, reports Wales Online.
And it appears many were caught off guard when legendary actor Eve’s character met his demise almost immediately after the opening credits finished.
One viewer remarked: “Eddie Shoestring didn’t last long in this,” referencing Eve’s ’80s private detective TV drama Shoestring.
Another added: “Looked at the cast for #IJackWright and thought ooh, nice! Then one of my favourite actors character was dead in the first 5 minutes! Hopefully there’ll be some flashback scenes.”
Yet despite Jack Wright’s swift demise, audiences appeared to embrace the whodunit, with one viewer remarking: “It’s a bit like Cluedo.”
Another enthused: “ooh blimey! Binge time!”
The drama was filmed across London, particularly Holborn and Lincoln’s Inn Fields, Paris, and Hertfordshire. The Wright family’s main home, Marston House, was shot at the Mansion House North Mymms Park.
I, Jack Wright first debuted in April 2025 on UandAlibi before being acquired by the BBC. This means not only will the first series be repeated by the broadcaster, but they’ve also secured the second series, which is presently in production.
The inaugural series consists of six episodes altogether. The first episode premiered on BBC One on Sunday, 12 July, as part of a double bill.
Those who relished the opening two instalments won’t have long to wait, as episodes three and four will be shown on Monday, 13 July. Episodes five and six are scheduled to air on Sunday, 19 July.
The ‘beautiful’ BBC period drama is perfect for fans Jane Austen and is based on a literay classic.
2005’s Pride and Prejudice stars Keira Knightley and Matthew Macfadyen(Image: Publicity picture)
Pride and Prejudice fans have been encouraged to rediscover a “brilliant” overlooked period drama.
The sweet romance on Prime Video, situated in the mid-19th century, has earned acclaim for its “beautiful” landscapes and “heartwarming” narrative.
Originally broadcast on the BBC in 2005, the production boasts a stellar ensemble headed by Miss Austen’s Keeley Hawes. Additional cast members include The Crown’s James Murray, Inside No. 9 actor Steve Pemberton and Lark Rise to Candleford star Ben Miles.
Now that the film has become available to stream, audiences have been revisiting the adaptation based on Thomas Hardy’s celebrated novel of the same name.
Under the Greenwood Tree marks the second published work by the English writer Thomas Hardy, initially released anonymously in 1872, reports the Express.
It chronicles the tale of a romance between schoolmistress Fancy Day (Hawes) and church musician Dick Dewey (Murray).
The official synopsis reads: “In this lighthearted romance from Victorian novelist Thomas Hardy, the beautiful new village school teacher is pursued by three suitors: a working-class man, a landowner, and the vicar.”
Helmed by Nicholas Laughland, the production carries a 6.9/10 rating on IMDb and appears not to have received extensive critical assessment at the time of its release.
Audiences have flocked to IMDb to express their admiration for the overlooked period drama, describing it as ‘brilliant’ and ‘perfect comfort viewing’.
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One viewer wrote: “In the tradition of Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, there is the mix of position, miscommunication, and the delightfulness of authenticity of period. A treat to watch. The acting, script, and setting all played well together. If you adore period romances, then this should go on your list to watch.”
Another fan gushed: “Superb. This film, although made for TV, will be a classic, just like the 1995 Pride and Prejudice directed by Simon Langton. The sets seemed remarkably authentic, and all the cast were excellent […] I have watched it 3 times in two days.”
A third viewer reflected: “The scenery was stunning, the plot had depth and kept me and my family gripped throughout. I thoroughly recommend it to anyone with a warm heart, as it certainly warmed mine.”
“Beautiful film in every way, from the classic Thomas Hardy novel,” another viewer said, while a further admirer agreed: “A thing of beauty and wonder.”
However, not everyone was won over by the film, with one critic labelling it a ‘big let down’ and another commenting: “I usually don’t like Hardy’s stuff… I guess that continues.”
Under the Greenwood Tree is streaming now on Prime Video.
Hello! I’m Mark Olsen. Welcome to another edition of your regular field guide to a world of Only Good Movies.
One of the big discoveries for me at this year’s Sundance Film Festival was the erotic thriller “Night Nurse,” which opens in theaters this week. A remarkably confident feature debut from writer-director Georgia Bernstein, the film is hypnotic and entrancing, with a powerfully sustained sense of mood and menace. Brought to life by two assured lead performances, the story is about a young woman (Cemre Paksoy) who takes a job as an attendant at a senior living community and is assigned to help a man (Bruce McKenzie) who quickly ensnares her into an ongoing phone scam in which he swindles other residents.
Taking cues from the likes of Catherine Breillat and David Cronenberg, there are moments where you start to feel turned on and then feel weird about feeling turned on. It’s delightful stuff, full of the unexpected and unnerving, with shifting power dynamics that destabilize everything. See it with someone you maybe aren’t so sure about.
‘Hudson Hawk’ will have its day
Andie MacDowell and Bruce Willis in the 1991 movie “Hudson Hawk.”
(Columbia TriStar / Getty Images)
Its name has become synonymous with box office bomb, with tales of an out-of-control production leading to terrible reviews and rejection by audiences. Yet 1991’s “Hudson Hawk” is one of those movies that over the years has seen its reputation slowly turn around and is now en route to becoming a cult classic in the vein of “Ishtar” or “Showgirls.”
On Monday at Brain Dead Studios there will be a 35th anniversary screening of the film in 35mm with director Michael Lehmann and co-writer Daniel Waters in-person. Presented by Hollywood Entertainment, the evening could be ground zero for the next stage of the misbegotten movie’s revival.
The movie is a playful buddy-comedy / caper-heist hybrid, starring Bruce Willis as the title character, a master thief newly released from prison who reteams with his old partner (Danny Aiello) as they are drawn into a convoluted conspiracy involving the CIA, a villainous ultra-rich couple (played with maniacal, scene-stealing glee by Richard E. Grant and Sandra Bernhard) and ancient designs by Leonardo da Vinci. Upending action movie conventions, “Hudson Hawk” is simply a fun hang.
On a recent video call together, there is a certain gallows humor shared by Lehmann and Waters over the film, which at the time threatened to derail both of their careers. Waters was already working on the script for Tim Burton’s “Batman Returns” by the time the movie came out, while Lehmann admits he spent some time in director jail — “I was in director federal penitentiary and death row for a while,” he says — before going on to direct films such as “Airheads” and “The Truth About Cats and Dogs.”
“You can’t escape a big failure in Hollywood,” he adds. “You have to be good-natured about the fact that you’ve made something that so many people hated when it came out, but that you feel still has some value — quite a bit of value, I think. And that eventually people would start noticing that.”
The project began as an idea between Willis and his friend Robert Kraft that snowballed into having action super-producer Joel Silver attached and a screenplay draft by “Die Hard” writer Steven E. De Souza. Eventually Lehmann became involved to direct and he helped bring on Waters, the two having worked together on the hit black comedy “Heathers.” (Waters had also worked with Silver on “The Adventures of Ford Fairlane.”) The reunited writer-director team set about subverting what began as a more conventional action movie.
“My intention was to turn that kind of movie on its head,” says Lehmann. “I thought people have seen these things so many times, they must be ready to see the truly odd version of it.”
“In the Olympics you can’t just go up and make any dive,” says Waters. “You tell the judges what dive you’re going to do and then they grade you. And ‘Hudson Hawk,’ we never told the judges what dive we were doing. I think people got angry: Wait a minute, you didn’t give us a Bruce Willis action movie.”
Leading up to the film’s release, there were reports of a shoot hijacked by a star whose ego was getting the better of him as he rode the wave of the success of the first two “Die Hard” movies. Lehmann admits the clash of personalities made for a complicated shoot.
“Of course, when you’re hired by Bruce Willis and Joel Silver to do what is essentially a vanity project of Bruce’s, you’re not going to have the kind of control that you have when you make a piece of personal filmmaking,” says Lehmann. “But it was really difficult to deal with somebody who, in theory, was one of my bosses as producer on the film and a big star, which is always a thousand-pound gorilla.”
Author David Hughes recently published “The Unmaking of Hudson Hawk,” a book on the film’s production, reception and afterlife. Calling from England, Hughes thinks the critical reappraisal and resuscitation of the movie has gained a bit of momentum — and is in danger of slipping.
“I feel like any day there’s going to be a headline that says, ‘Nope, despite what you’ve heard, “Hudson Hawk” is still s—.’ The pendulum is about to swing back the other way and people are going to start saying that it’s bad again. And when that happens, I think that will be the most perfect life cycle of the film.”
But for now two of the key people behind making the film in the first place want to enjoy a moment they have rarely been allowed.
“People are finally laughing with the movie, not at the movie,” says Waters.
Celebrating a fallen friend
Harry Dean Stanton, photographed in Los Angeles in 2013.
(Jordan Strauss / Invision / AP)
To celebrate the centennial of the birth of the beloved character actor Harry Dean Stanton, Vidiots will screen the 2013 documentary “Harry Dean Stanton: Partly Fiction” on Tuesday. Director Sophie Huber will be joined in conversation by actor Logan Sparks for an evening hosted by Cherry Jones.
The film is a tender portrait of Stanton, who found relative fame later in life with roles in films such as “Alien,” “Paris, Texas,” “Repo Man” and “Pretty in Pink.”
“He makes it look really easy,” said Stanton’s friend and frequent collaborator David Lynch around the time of Stanton’s death in 2017. “But it’s not that easy to be looking like it’s easy.”
A flaky love story
Gena Rowlands and Seymour Cassel in the 1971 movie “Minnie and Moskowitz.”
(Michael Ochs Archives / Getty Images)
One of my most memorable moviegoing experiences of the last few years was seeing John Cassavetes’ 1971 “Minnie and Moskowitz” for the first time. The movie has a joyful, unpredictable energy thanks to the openhearted, dynamic performances of its two leads, Gena Rowlands and Seymour Cassel, as two mismatched strangers who find temporary solace in each other. Romantic, funny and with lots of great L.A. locations and moments — I often think of a perilous U-turn across La Brea by Cassel — this is a singular gem.
It was just announced that a new restoration of the film will premiere later this year at the Venice Film Festival, but there is no reason to wait. The movie is showing tonight at the Philosophical Research Society as part of its “YesterdayLA” series celebrating the city. On Saturday there will also be a rare theatrical screening of 1972’s “Columbo: Étude In Black,” starring Cassavetes as an L.A. symphony conductor who may have committed the perfect crime until he catches the attention of Peter Falk’s rumpled detective.
On the road again
Maribel Verdú, left, Diego Luna and Gael García Bernal in the movie “Y Tu Mamá También.”
(Criterion Collection)
Playing as part of the American Cinematheque’s “Summer Breakdown” series, which, true to its name, features movies about car trouble, Alfonso Cuarón’s 2001 “Y Tu Mamá También” is showing tonight and tomorrow at the Los Feliz Theater in 35mm.
It stars Gael García Bernal and Diego Luna as two teenage best friends who set off on a road trip with an alluring older woman (Maribel Verdú) they don’t know particularly well. Emotions fly fast and furious among all three of them, as the film seems at times like a horndog teen comedy and at others like a subtle exploration of class and sexual dynamics. Of course, it is all of those things, made with a fresh sense of style.
As Kenneth Turan put it in his 2002 review, “Nominally a simple road movie about two Mexican teenagers taking off to look for a mythical beach in the company of a suddenly available woman of 28, ‘Y Tu Mamá’ manages to be comic, dramatic, erotic, sociological and even political, all without breaking a sweat.”
Less positively, Amy reviewed the live-action adaptation of “Moana,” noting “Every one of Disney’s remakes and spinoffs of its animated hits has been a naked cash grab.”
The new “Evil Dead Burn” is brutal and not much else, per our reviewer Joshua Rothkopf: “The gore comes like a tide, shockingly for a mainstream studio wide release.”
Jane Austen’s most famous novels have been adapted numerous times, but one film adaptation is widely praised as one of the best.
Kelly Reilly stars in the iconic film(Image: UNIVERSAL PICTURES)
Period drama fans need to clear their diaries this weekend for a Jane Austen classic.
Devotees of period dramas and Jane Austen classics are being urged to set aside time as a “simply excellent” Austen reimagining is being broadcast free-to-air. Pride & Prejudice stands as one of Austen’s most celebrated novels and the 1813 masterpiece has been brought to screen on countless occasions.
The narrative charts the tempestuous relationship between Elizabeth Bennet and Mr Darcy and the ramifications of rash judgements.
In 2005, a period romance film featuring Keira Knightley and Matthew Macfadyen in the principal roles was released and it garnered widespread critical acclaim from audiences at home. The 2005 Pride & Prejudice film is being shown on BBC Two this Sunday, July 12, having recently departed Netflix.
Screenwriter Deborah Moggach dedicated more than two years to crafting the script, creating approximately 10 different drafts.
Actress Knightley also disclosed on The Graham Norton Show that she hadn’t been an obvious contender for the leading role, as director Joe Wright believed she was “too pretty”.
Despite considerable uncertainties surrounding the film and some criticism from reviewers, Austen devotees have proclaimed it among the finest adaptations to date.
In July 2025, the film appeared in the Readers’ Choice edition of The New York Times’ list of The 100 Best Movies of the 21st Century.
Enthusiasts turned to IMDb reviews to voice their opinions, with one declaring it an “emotional masterpiece”, stating: “Pride and Prejudice was the best movie I’ve seen in a very long time, if not the best I’ve ever seen.
“It captured the very essence of Jane Austen’s brilliant novel. In fact, I enjoyed the movie more than the book itself. Everything about the movie was perfect.
“This movie is a work of art, an emotional masterpiece. Watching this movie was actually a life-changing experience.”
Another viewer described it as “absolutely perfect”, sharing: “This Pride and Prejudice adaptation perfectly captured the wit, the intelligence, the passion and the romance of Jane Austen’s classic.
“The 1995 mini is fabulous, and I have watched it many times, but I have always been frustrated that while it got so much of the dialogue and the detail right, it somehow fell flat on some of the more subtle dynamics of the novel. But this movie adaptation has captured what has before been missing!”.
A final fan labelled it “simply excellent”, sharing: “Loved this movie. It’s simplicity that empowered every possibility for imagination. The music, the natural scenes, the arts, and every honest soul in the movie made this film alive.”
Pride & Prejudice is being broadcast on BBC Two this Sunday, July 12, at 4.25pm.
When the World Cup ends, regardless of who wins, we’ll still have loads of great content every day as we build up to the new football season.
As well as all the fall-out and reaction to the tournament, we’ll quickly shift back in the club football with pre-season coverage and all the latest transfer gossip and stories.
BBC Sport and teams across BBC Nations and Regions cover every club in the Premier League, WSL, EFL, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
We have dedicated club reporters, who will be travelling to bring you behind-the-scenes insights from pre-season tours.
We’ll also have live pages for selected pre-season matches as well as in-depth features and storytelling, giving you the latest updates before the new campaign.
Once the World Cup ends, some of the standout players will be hot property in the transfer market, with top clubs chasing their signatures.
Our reporters, including senior football correspondent Sami Mokbel, will be breaking the big transfer stories on our website and app.
We’ll also have our daily transfer gossip column, wrapping up all the rumours from across the football world.
For fans of World Cup Predictor, a brand new weekly Predictor game will be launching immediately after the tournament with five fixtures a week to predict the outcomes of.
You’ll be able to build up your streaks and share your results with friends and family.
Our quizzes will also continue to be available to play so you can test your knowledge of the beautiful game.
The series comes from Law & Order creator Dick Wolf and examines gruesome killings from the perspectives of those directly impacted. Viewers hear from detectives and prosecutors, as well as the families of the victims.
It offers a complete overview of how law enforcement approached the cases, and how citizens were forced to mourn their loved ones.
Season 3, which is titled Homicide: New York, focuses on a serial offender who targeted victims in Central Park, a suspicious drowning at Soho House, and an unfiltered recounting of 9/11 from the officers who were at Ground Zero.
While many Netflix subscribers may have missed the show, those who caught it upon its release were thoroughly impressed.
An IMDb user raved “we need more,” before writing: “Amazing!! The editing was simply perfect, but the true stories oh my they were so sad but very interesting to hear.
“The people behind all the hard work to find out the results were brilliant and very well spoken about the cases and families involved! Need another 5 episodes!!!”
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Sky is giving away a free Netflix subscription with its new Sky Stream TV bundles, including the £15 Essential TV plan.
This lets members watch live and on-demand TV content without a satellite dish or aerial and includes hit shows like Stranger Things and The Last of Us.
Someone else agreed with the praise, adding: “In True Crime Drama…This one STANDS ABOVE. There are a lot of documentaries out there regarding true crime. Dick Wolf has done an extraordinary job on bringing this one to the screen. I would say it’s one of the best written, true crime dramas ever made.”
While an X, formerly Twitter, user urged others to tune in. “If anyone’s looking for a good murder mystery, definitely recommend Homicide New York on Netflix,” they said.
Yet another fan agreed, stating: “Homicide: New York is insaneeeeeee. if you’re into true crime, you definitely want to watch it.”
All fifteen episodes of Homicide are available to stream now on Netflix
Continuing my summer observations looking back at memorable moments in covering high school sports since 1976, you can’t find a better, more beloved action-packed night than Feb. 24, 2017, at USC’s Galen Center when you got to see two great high school basketball games for the price of one in the Southern Section Open Division semifinals.
Anyone who was there remembers the long lines to get in, the sold-out crowd and drama involving Sierra Canyon against Bishop Montgomery and Mater Dei against Chino Hills.
The BBC has produced a number of critically acclaimed and beloved films and TV shows over the years – but one gritty crime drama may have slipped under the radar for many fans
The crime drama follows a teenager who gives his brother’s friends a lift then finds himself charged as an accessory to murder(Image: Tony Blake/BBC/LA Productions)
A “gritty” BBC crime drama has left viewers “heartbroken” but it may well have gone completely unnoticed by some film fans.
The BBC has built a stellar reputation among TV and film enthusiasts thanks to its numerous top-tier productions which continue to be praised long after they first aired. There’s something to suit all tastes, from entertaining and fun sitcoms, steamy storylines and beloved period dramas, to powerful, unflinching crime thrillers, and much more.
Lots of BBC-backed films remain critically celebrated and adored to this day, from 2019’s musical crime drama hit Blue Story, and the thought-provoking Looted, to the 1989 Gary Oldman-led cult crime classic The Firm, and countless others.
The BBC’s television catalogue is equally respected, with the likes of hugely popular police drama Line of Duty, bleak favourite Happy Valley and the tense anthology drama The Missing frequently listed as among the best the broadcaster has produced.
But a 90-minute crime film may have escaped many viewers’ attention – and if you’re partial to hard-edged legal dramas, it’s worth checking out.
It’s the 2014 made-for-television film, Common. It was written by Jimmy McGovern and directed by David Blair. The film stars Nico Mirallegro, Michelle Fairley and Harry Potter alum Michael Gambon.
The storyline follows 17 year old Johnjo O’Shea, portrayed by Mirallegro, who is asked to give his older brother’s friends a lift in his brother’s car to take them to a pizza takeaway.
Unbeknownst to Johnjo, one of his passengers has an ulterior motive for heading to the takeaway – he intends to confront a rival who’ll be there.
A row erupts between one of Johnjo’s passengers and an onlooker, Tommy Ward. Tommy is eventually stabbed and fatally wounded by the passenger.
Johnjo ends up in court charged as an accessory to murder, under the doctrine of common purpose; a component of the UK’s contentious Joint Enterprise legal doctrine which permits multiple people to be prosecuted and found guilty of the same offence – regardless of the different roles they may have played in a crime.
Writer Jimmy McGovern drew inspiration from the actual case of 16 year old Jordan Cunliffe, who received a sentence under this law for a minimum period of 12 years for the murder of Garry Newlove, who was beaten to death in August 2007 after challenging a group of youths outside his home.
Cunliffe was understood to have played no active role in the assault on Newlove.
The film traces the legal proceedings that follow, alongside the consequences and tensions that arise between the various families affected.
On Rotten Tomatoes, viewers have shared their opinions on the somewhat overlooked drama. One fan said: “Actor and storyline driven, this gritty British drama brings a new area of crime and punishment to light.
“Jodhi May stands out, but with many regular British drama faces, this is a tale that leaves no mother without an emotional pull.”
Another viewer wrote: “I thought this was a simple movie, but powerful all the same.”
A third added: “Very well made and acted, but so heartbreaking I never want to see it again.”
Critics were equally impressed, with The Guardian describing it as “a brutal and devastating drama” that’s “bleak, powerful” and “thick with political intent”, though it noted this “occasionally robs it of its quality”.
Call Me by Your Name fans need to watch this “sexy” upcoming Netflix drama.
Hayley Anderson Screen Time TV Reporter
07:58, 06 Jul 2026
A “mind blowing” romantic drama is coming to Netflix. (Image: NETFLIX)
A “magnificent and sexy” Netflix drama is poised to star two Hollywood icons.
Book and film fans were captivated by Andre Aciman’s Call Me By Your Name, and now another of his bestselling novels is being transformed for television.
Aciman’s 2017 work Enigma Variations centres on “Paul, a man remade by the lovers who ignite and undo him across six transformative years”.
Netflix further describes it as an “intimate yet sweeping portrait of masculinity, sexuality and modern love.
“And in a world of endless choices, it asks the question: will we know when we’ve found the one?”
Taking the lead role as Paul is none other than Aaron Taylor-Johnson, renowned for 28 Years Later, Kicka**, Nosferatu and Nocturnal Animals.
Taylor-Johnson has also remained consistently amongst the bookmakers’ top picks to be cast as the next James Bond, alongside other contenders such as Callum Turner and Jacob Elordi.
He’ll be appearing opposite Alicia Vikander, celebrated for The Danish Girl and Tomb Raider, who plays Claire, one of Paul’s principal love interests throughout this period.
An official launch date hasn’t been revealed yet, but the Netflix adaptation is anticipated to mirror the books by being set across multiple locations including Italy, New York and New England.
Enigma Variations was hailed as a “magnificent living thing” by The New York Times Book Review, which added that “Aciman writes arousal so beautifully”.
The book has also garnered enormous praise from readers, with one commenting on Good Reads: “This book is staggeringly beautiful. Powerfully emotional, haunting, frank in its sexuality and its romanticism, this is a book about love, infatuation, longing, and lust.”
Another agreed that the “book blew me away”, while a third added: “Evocative, poetic and hopelessly romantic, Andre Aciman has written a cerebral narrative of love undefined.”
An ‘exquisite’ period romance adaptation is available for free on BBC iPlayer and fans say it’s the best version of this classic tale
‘Mesmerising’ period drama on BBC iPlayer fans say is ‘exquisite’
The iconic tome has been adapted many times over the years – could this be the best?
BBC iPlayer is currently hosting a “masterpiece” adaptation of a much-loved classic novel, available for just one more month. Having aired on Sunday 5th July on BBC Two, the 1943 adaptation of Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre can be streamed on the platform for the next 29 days.
Widely regarded as one of the greatest novels ever penned, this enduring story follows a young woman who, after losing her parents at an early age, is dispatched to a harsh boarding school. A decade on, she takes up a position as a governess to a young girl, the ward of the mysterious and imposing master of Thornfield Hall.
Little by little, she finds herself falling for her unpredictable employer, all while beginning to unravel his deeply buried secrets.
Helmed by Robert Stevenson, best known for directing Disney’s much-cherished Mary Poppins, this underappreciated Gothic romance from Hollywood’s golden age features Joan Fontaine as Jane and Orson Welles as Mr Rochester.
Film enthusiasts have long maintained that it stands amongst the finest screen adaptations of Brontë’s novel ever committed to film. It’s an absolute must for viewers who have lapped up recent period romances such as Wuthering Heights and The Other Bennet Sister, or are eagerly anticipating the forthcoming versions of Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility and Pride and Prejudice, reports the Express.
One glowing 10/10 review from an IMDb user declared that, while other renditions of Jane Eyre are equally stunning, fans should “see this to be fully satisfied”.
“This is simply an exquisite film,” they continued. “Film-making at its best in every respect; and while not as letter-perfectly definitive as the 1983 miniseries, I feel it is overall the best, truest version of JANE EYRE.”
Another film enthusiast commented: “While not staying completely true to the book, this is still the best version of Jane Eyre ever made.
“Joan Fontaine is plain but still beautiful and Orson Welles is absolutely powerful and alluring. The chemistry these two share is on screen phenomenal.”
As if that weren’t sufficient, they added: “The scene where they kiss is the most powerful and most beautiful kiss I have ever seen.”
Someone else declared it “A masterpiece!” and wrote: “Magnificent is the only word that can be applied to this remarkable film. It represents Hollywood’s ability to make the occasional brilliant movie when all aspects of the film-making craft come together in such talented union.
“I first saw this film as a very young child, and it gripped and enthralled me then as it still does all these years later. Romantic, gothic and mesmerising, it is as near faultless as it is possible for any movie to be.”
And one final admirer went even further, gushing: “In my opinion, this is the best movie ever made. It’s sweet and romantic, and true to the book. Joan Fontaine is great as the title role, and I think this is Orson Welles in his finest performance.”
Period drama enthusiasts should make certain this gem is at the top of their watchlist before it ceases to be available free of charge at the month’s end.
A highly divisive period drama starring Taylor Swift is currently available on Netflix as the hitmaker weds Travis Kelce in New York
Taylor Swift’s ‘painful to watch’ period drama is on Netflix (Image: GETTY)
It has its fair share of defenders but scored just 32 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.
A 2022 period drama with an all-star cast including pop star Taylor Swift is currently available to stream on Netflix – but it’s not some of the star’s most acclaimed work.
The 1989 chart-topper has just tied the knot with Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce on Friday, July 3 at a lavish ceremony in Madison Square Garden in New York.
Attended by around 1,000 guests and officiated by Hollywood A-lister Adam Sandler, it’s become one of the most publicised celebrity weddings in history.
For those looking to Netflix for their Swiftie fix to mark the occasion, you can currently stream her acclaimed behind-the-scenes documentary Miss Americana, a Netflix Original released in 2020.
However, she is also known for infrequent movie roles, including the critically maligned musical Cats and lending her voice to animated film The Lorax.
Her only acting role currently streaming on Netflix in the UK may be a surprise to fans as it’s David O Russell’s critical and commercial flop Amsterdam, a mystery thriller set in the 1930s.
Based on the real-life Business Plot case from 1933, an investigation into the death of a retired US general, Swift has a supporting role as Elizabeth Meekins alongside an all-star cast that also includes Christian Bale, Margot Robbie, John David Washington and Anya Taylor-Joy.
Made on a budget of $80 million (£59 million), it was a box office bomb for 20th Century Studios with an estimated loss of more than $100 million (£74.9 million).
While it was critically panned, Amsterdam does have some defenders with one fan even claiming: “An instant classic. Given time, it will be regarded as one of the greatest films ever made. The cast is outstanding.
“I can’t remember ever seeing so many talented actors in one film like this before. Everyone brought their A-Game and absolutely nailed their respective performances.”
Unfortunately, not everyone shares their opinion as a Rotten Tomatoes user branded the film “A confused mess that was painful to watch”.
“An incoherent mess. A waste of the stellar cast,” another viewer slammed, and someone else wrote: “Honestly in contention for the worst movie of the 2020s.”
Watch Unchosen on Netflix
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The film continues to be eviscerated on IMDb, with one user slamming Amsterdam as “Quite literally one of the most worthless movies I’ve ever seen.
“The first few scenes set up what could only be anticipated as an action packed murder mystery type movie, only to be followed by a nearly pointless flashback with categorically pointless scenes attempting to make you feel something for characters that make absolutely no sense.
“This movie had serious potential, with an amazing cast. I took three friends and I feel like I owe them several hours of wasting their life.”
Swifties have been warned to stick with Miss Americana this weekend, or perhaps stream her concert extravaganza The Eras Tour, which was filmed and released by Disney+.
Based on chilling true story all episodes are streaming for free
The series is inspired by a chilling true story(Image: AMC)
A ‘phenomenal’ series that blends period drama with spine-chilling horror has been hailed by devoted fans as a ‘televisual masterpiece’.
Remarkably, the show is also rooted in a genuinely unsettling true story — and even better, it can be streamed right now at no additional cost.
At the time of writing, The Terror is currently available on both ITVX and Channel 5. The former additionally hosts its second season, though that particular instalment follows an entirely different storyline.
A third season was released in the US earlier this year, subtitled Devil In Silver. However, this chapter was adapted from a novel and has yet to reach UK audiences.
In the meantime, viewers can revisit the series from the very beginning. The Terror is a historical anthology drama, with its first two seasons drawing upon real-life events, though both remain fictionalised interpretations, reports OK!
Legendary director Ridley Scott serves as executive producer across both seasons. The opening season charts the journey of Royal Navy polar expedition vessels HMS Erebus and HMS Terror as they venture into uncharted waters, resolute in their mission to locate and confirm the existence of the fabled Northwest Passage.
The ships soon become trapped in ice, leaving the crew to endure savage conditions and mounting internal tensions, all while being stalked by a terrifying and mysterious presence. It draws inspiration from the actual 1845 Franklin Expedition, where those two vessels genuinely became trapped in ice within the Arctic while seeking the Northwest Passage.
However, the programme dramatises the potential terrors they might have encountered.
Meanwhile, the second series, titled Infamy, takes place along America’s western coastline during the Second World War, delving into Japanese bakemono folklore – a malevolent phantom that torments a Japanese American community from Southern California through to internment camps and Pacific battlefields.
Audiences have heaped praise upon the series, particularly its opening instalment. One enthusiast proclaimed: “It’s such a masterpiece that I watched it twice, back to back.”
Another added: “I binge-watched season one, couldn’t stop. Amazing performances.”
A fellow admirer wrote online: “I have watched a lot of horror shows and movies…but nothing makes me feel dread and unease like this one. The pacing is perfect, the atmosphere bleak, the music beautifully haunting, the dialogue is fantastic, and the story is amazing. Best horror show of all time for me.”
Meanwhile, one viewer declared: “Quite simply, a televisual masterpiece, mixing true-life tragedy, fictional horror and majestic period thriller. A magnificent accomplishment.”
Another viewer chimed in: “This is a remarkable series, which takes on a journey of suspicion, disaster, tragedy and terror. The first episode didn’t exactly captivate me, but by episode three I was obsessed, and subsequently had to binge watch the whole series.”
The Crown star Olivia Colman’s 2022 drama has been hailed ‘funny and moving’ by fans.
Olivia Colman’s film has been called phenomenal(Image: NETFLIX)
Olivia Colman fans don’t have long left to watch her “emotional, silly and joyful” film.
Fans of The Crown star Olivia Colman are running out of time to catch her “phenomenal” film before it disappears from Netflix. The 2022 movie, set in Ireland, centres on a 12 year old boy, Mully (played by Charlie Reid) who lives with his father in County Kerry following his mother’s death from cancer.
Upon uncovering his father’s dark secrets, the youngster runs away and encounters a woman named Joy (Colman) and her newborn baby. Gradually, the unlikely pair begin to form a bond during a chaotic, emotional road trip across Ireland, finding healing, friendship and redemption along the way.
Joyride is the film in question, and it is available to stream on Netflix until July 31.
Viewers flocked to IMDb to share their opinions on the film, with one describing it as “phenomenal, funny and moving”.
They wrote: “This is one of those films that I didn’t want to end, terrific from start to finish, it was moving, funny, and in this day and age where stories seem to be frequently repeated and copied, it felt original.”
“A couple of times it made me tear up, so moving, what was so good, was seeing the effects the unlikely duo had on each other.
“Olivia Colman is one of my all-time favourites, and she’s phenomenal here, her accent was spot on, equally matched by young Charlie Reid, who was superb.”
Another viewer praised it as “emotional, silly and joyful”, adding: “Fantastic chemistry with the cast, and a wonderful balance of emotions throughout. At times it’s a little confusing, but it all makes sense in the end. And isn’t that what life is like?
“Olivia Colman shines as always, but the real star is Charlie Reid. Some wonderful interactions between them and excellent continuity touches and themes – the dialogue is as entertaining as it is raw.
“A joyful escapade that’s a welcome break from the rinse and repeat action and romcoms.”
One devoted fan added: “It warmed my heart, made me laugh, and cry a little… what more could you ask of any movie?”.
Filmed on location in County Kerry, Colman opened up to Yours magazine about taking on the role: “I loved the character of Joy.
“I couldn’t get her out of my head once I’d read the script. I loved how it was all put together. I loved the story and I really wanted to do it.”
Hello! I’m Mark Olsen. Welcome to another edition of your regular field guide to a world of Only Good Movies.
July is another month absolutely packed with essential repertory screenings at venues all over Los Angeles. It’s genuinely impossible to attend everything that feels like a must-see. Joshua Rothkopf and I compiled a list of the 10 movies you need to see in L.A. this month to help in making some tough decisions.
On Monday at the Academy Museum will be a 30th anniversary screening of Wes Anderson’s debut feature, “Bottle Rocket,” which introduced the world to his still-evolving mix of whimsy and melancholy with an unmistakably specific sense of style. Anderson will make a rare Los Angeles appearance at the event, along with actor Luke Wilson and producer James L. Brooks.
The New Beverly will have a double bill on July 9 and 10 of Paul Brickman’s “Risky Business” and Steve De Jarnatt’s “Miracle Mile,” two neon-drenched artifacts of the 1980s that both feature scores by the German electronic group Tangerine Dream. (Be sure to also note the screening of “Sorcerer,” featuring another of their pulsing scores, below.)
John Travolta in Brian De Palma’s 1981 thriller “Blow Out.”
(Criterion Collection)
On July 10 there will be a 35mm screening at the Academy Museum of Brian De Palma’s paranoid 1981 thriller “Blow Out,” starring John Travolta as a sound recordist who accidentally captures a political assassination. Anyone who still hasn’t gotten enough from the Fourth of July will want to see this for the thrilling fireworks display as part of its finale.
On July 12 at the American Cinematheque’s Los Feliz Theatre will be a screening of Alexander Mackendrick’s show-biz noir “Sweet Smell of Success” in 35mm with an introduction from filmmaker Shane Black, who presumably learned a thing or two about snappy, acid-drenched dialogue from the film. Black will also be appearing at the Culver Theater on July 22 for a 10th anniversary screening of his crime comedy “The Nice Guys.”
As part of the American Cinematheque’s ongoing 70mm festival, on the 22nd there will be a screening of Damien Chazelle’s 2022 “Babylon,” a bold and ambitious look at the early days of Hollywood starring Margot Robbie and Brad Pitt. It was a box office disaster when it came out but has already seen a passionate fan base grow around it.
Have a killer holiday
Richard Dreyfuss, left, Roy Scheider and Robert Shaw in the 1975 movie “Jaws.”
(Universal Pictures)
There is something rather wholesome about the fact that Steven Spielberg’s 1975 seaside horror-thriller “Jaws” has become the official unofficial movie of the Fourth of July. Set amid a beach community suddenly beset by a great white shark as the town prepares for the holiday, the movie is a mix of ’70s-style ramshackle, good-natured ease and precison-tooled action that prefigures the blockbuster era of the ’80s. Even now at more than 50 years old, there is something undeniable about the movie’s ability to entertain, delight and terrify an audience.
An image from Ken Jacobs’ 2004 movie “Star Spangled to Death.”
(Los Angeles Filmforum)
When acclaimed avant-garde filmmaker Ken Jacobs died last year at age 92, the world lost one of its most singular voices. In tribute to Jacobs and as a celebration of the 250th anniversary of America, on Sunday at 2220 Arts + Archives, Los Angeles Filmforum will show his “Star Spangled to Death,” a six-and-a-half-hour masterpiece that took decades to complete.
Beginning work on the project in the 1950s, Jacobs would eventually premiere the film in 2004. It is an epic compilation of his own imagery, some of it of his longtime friend and colleague Jack Smith, along with found footage that coalesces into a grand statement on nothing less than the state of the nation. Jacobs himself described the film as a portrait of “a stolen and dangerously sold-out America, allowing examples of popular culture to self-indict.”
A tribute to Marjane Satrapi
An image from the 2007 movie “Persepolis,” directed by Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud.
(Sony Pictures Classics)
In tribute to Iranian French cartoonist and filmmaker Marjane Satrapi, who died at age 56 last month, the Los Feliz 3 will have a 35mm screening of her 2007 animated film “Persepolis” on Thursday. Director Ana Lily Amirpour will introduce the movie, which was nominated for an Oscar for animated feature.
Based on Satrapi’s own autobiographical graphic novel, “Persepolis” is about a young girl coming of age during Iran’s Islamic Revolution told with bold line drawings and a belief in the freedom of the imagination.
Love, crime and sweat
Katy O’Brian, left, and Kristen Stewart in the 2024 movie “Love Lies Bleeding.”
(Anna Kooris / A24)
Some movies arrive seeming ready made as cult revival objects. Ross Glass’ 2024 “Love Lies Bleeding” was overlooked when it was first released but seems ripe for rediscovery. In a story that knowingly plays with the motifs of classic film noir and crime dramas, Kristen Stewart plays a hapless, easily manipulated loner in a small dead-end town who falls in with a mysterious and charismatic drifter played by Katy O’Brian. Their chemistry is electric and gives the film a real charge.
The film will show on Thursday at the Frida Cinema as part of its ongoing Nu-Classics series, along with a conversation between actors and online personalities Maggie Mae Fish and Abigail Thorn.
In an interview at the time of release, Glass talked about the film’s appeal, saying, “It’s people meeting each other and falling in love for the first time and those whirlwind sort of first few weeks. Going into it, I don’t think I was specifically thinking of it as horny, but I definitely knew going into it that I wanted it to feel sweaty and intense.”
Road to nowhere
An image from William Friedkin’s 1977 adventure movie “Sorcerer.”
(Criterion Collection)
Though it is a movie we have talked about here before, it is always worth mentioning when there is a screening of William Friedkin’s 1977 “Sorcerer.” It will be playing tonight in the main room at the Academy Museum in a recent 4K restoration, which should be big and loud. The score by Tangerine Dream should be even more brain-rattling than usual in that venue.
The film notoriously first opened a week after “Star Wars” in 1977 and was left in the dust, though it has more recently become revered as one of Friedkin’s best — a movie of relentless, ratcheting tension. An adaptation of the novel that also inspired 1953’s “Wages of Fear,” Friedkin’s film is about a group of desperate men, each on the run from something, who must transport a truckload of nitroglycerine through a dangerous South American jungle.
New this week
Amy Nicholson found “Minions & Monsters” to be a “delightful dingbat homage to Tinseltown set during the transition from silents to sound.”
Carlos Aguilar spoke to Minions creator Pierre Coffin about all the old-school movie homages in the new film and its cameo from no less a film figure than George Lucas.
Katie Walsh reviews Jon Erwin’s “Young Washington,” calling it “propaganda in the form of a history lesson wrapped in a summer blockbuster.”
Tim Grierson reviews “Romería,” an autobiographical tale from Spanish writer-director Carla Simón starring newcomer Llúcia Garcia, noting “Simón and her star bracingly recall the electricity of youth.”
A popular BBC crime drama filmed at breathtaking locations across Scotland is preparing for series 2 following its breakout 2025 debut
Filming has wrapped on a second season of BBC crime drama An t-Eilean/The Island(Image: BBC)
Filming has wrapped on the second series of a BBC crime drama set in Scotland.
An t-Eilean (The Island) is a Scottish-Gaelic drama that became one of the broadcaster’s most notable successes following its debut in 2025.
Praised for its atmospheric storytelling, breathtaking scenery and celebration of Scottish heritage, the series swiftly built a devoted following and earned widespread acclaim from viewers, who described it as “intriguing” and “compelling”.
Production on the new four-part series concluded this month, with cast and crew heading back to some of the same remote locations that helped shape the show’s distinctive character, reported Digital Spy.
Filming for the second series — which is anticipated to air in either late 2026 or early 2027 — took place across the Isles of Lewis and Harris in the Outer Hebrides, where dramatic coastlines, rugged moorland and isolated communities serve as the backdrop for a gripping new mystery.
If you can’t wait to catch the new storylines, the first series — starring Sorcha Groundsell as Detective Sergeant Kat Crichton — is available to stream now on BBCiPlayer, reports Glasgow Live.
Among the notable locations featured in the crime drama previously was Amhuinnsuidhe Castle, a Victorian estate nestled on Harris. The property served as the residence of the powerful Maclean family and may well feature once more as the storyline returns to the islands.
The village of Breasclete, which also featured prominently in the opening series, has likewise been utilised for filming the latest episodes.
An t-Eilean attracted widespread attention when it initially premiered in January 2025 as the BBC’s most costly Gaelic-language drama to date. On the IMDb website one fan highlighted the “compelling plot, good acting, stunning scenery” while another hailed the “beautiful scenery to match an intriguing series”.
The ambitious production was broadly regarded as a watershed moment for Gaelic television and received acclaim for introducing Scotland’s native language to a wider viewership.
Lead actress Sorcha told The Hollywood Reporter: “It is really an inspiring time and a necessary time to take ownership of our language and our culture and celebrate it for what it is, which is a source of incredible joy to so many people.”
Sorcha also acknowledged that performing in Gaelic on screen posed distinct difficulties, despite having acquired the language during childhood. “A lot of us were feeling some pressure about our levels of fluency,” she said.
“If anything, that makes it all the more important to participate in a show like this, because, if we maintain this feeling that our Gaelic is never good enough to use, no one will ever have a chance to use Gaelic.”
An t-Eilean/The Island series one is available to watch on BBC iPlayer
Adapted from Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa’s 1958 novel of the same name, The Leopard is a lavish period drama set in 19th century Sicily, reports the Express.
The six-part Italian series charts the fortunes of the Prince of Salina and his aristocratic family during a turbulent era of great change.
The Leopard unfolds against the backdrop of the Risorgimento, or the unification of Italy, as various states across the Italian peninsula were brought together to form the Kingdom of Italy.
During this momentous period, widespread political and social upheaval, along with rebellions and revolutions, preceded the formation of the Kingdom of Italy.
A synopsis of the show from Netflix reads: “Based on what many consider to be one of the greatest Italian novels of all time, The Leopard is a dazzlingly sensuous epic, set against the backdrop of revolution in 1860s Sicily.
“At its heart is Don Fabrizio Corbera, the Prince of Salina, who leads a life surrounded by beauty and privilege. But as Italy moves towards unification and the old aristocratic order is threatened, he realizes that his family’s future is in jeopardy.
“New allegiances must be made, each one a threat to his principles. Eventually Don Fabrizio is faced with an impossible choice.
“He has the power to engineer a marriage, between the rich and beautiful Angelica and his nephew Tancredi, that could secure his family’s legacy, but doing so he would break his favorite daughter, Concetta’s heart.
“The series will be a modern exploration of timeless themes – power, love, and the cost of progress.”
The Leopard boasts an outstanding ensemble cast, including Everybody Loves Diamonds star Kim Rossi Stuart as Don Fabrizio Corbera, Prince of Salina, Benedetta Porcaroli from Netflix’s Baby as Concetta Corbera di Salina, Love & Gelato’s Saul Nanni as Tancredi Falconeri, and The Beautiful Summer star Deva Cassel as Angelica Sedara.
Further cast members include Astrid Meloni, Paolo Calabresi, Gaetano Bruno, Francesco Di Leva, Alessandro Sperduti, Jozef Gjura, and Romano Reggiani.
One viewer posted in their 10/10 review: “Cinematography is absolutely stunning. What a beautiful period piece ; costumes magical, This is a stunningly visually crafted masterpiece of a series.”
A second glowing review proclaimed it a “masterpiece”, with the critic stating: “This is an absolute must-see series! It could have actually been a cinema film, this is the perfection of its film making. An epic construction of story telling, acting, costumes, scenery and music offers an utter delight to watch.”
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Sky is giving away a free Netflix subscription with its new Sky Stream TV bundles, including the £15 Essential TV plan.
This lets members watch live and on-demand TV content without a satellite dish or aerial and includes hit shows like Stranger Things and The Last of Us.
A third top-rated review described it as an “absolute masterpiece”, elaborating: “The journey is beautiful, poignant, and brutally honest.”
Yet another awarded it 10/10 and celebrated it as a “masterpiece”, writing: “I wish there were MORE series like this: based on literature, ravishingly beautiful and (99%) aesthetically accurate.”
They went on to draw a comparison with Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes’ other notable series, remarking: “The Gilded Age could learn a lesson from “The Leopard’s” creative team.”
The Leopard is available to stream on Netflix now.
Hello! I’m Mark Olsen. Welcome to another edition of your regular field guide to a world of Only Good Movies.
Two of my favorite movies of the year so far are opening in Los Angeles today and they both benefit from being seen with a proper audience. You will find yourself surprised by what you are laughing at, curious about what other people are laughing at and then feel the air in the room collectively shift as both films take unexpected turns toward more genuine emotional moments.
The third feature directed by Olivia Wilde, “The Invite” is a biting look at modern relationships. Wilde stars as one half of a struggling couple, unhappily married to a character played by Seth Rogen. She invites over a couple from the apartment upstairs, played by Penélope Cruz and Edward Norton, and soon all sorts of feelings start flying around.
I reviewed for the paper, noting, “It feels daring for how it wants to actually examine the emotional costs of contemporary grown-up life, bringing wincing laughs of recognition.”
Wilde will be making appearances around L.A. over the weekend, including at the Vista, where the movie is playing in 35mm.
Also opening this weekend is “Maddie’s Secret,” the debut feature as writer-director from comedian and actor John Early, who also stars as the title character, an aspiring L.A. food influencer battling bulimia. It is a truly astonishing performance, one that walks a difficult tightrope between sincerity and parody. Early will appear for Q&As around town this weekend.
I spoke to Early about the film when it played as part of the Los Angeles Festival of Movies about its unusual tone — somehow earnest, tender and very funny all at once. Joshua Rothkopf reviewed the film, which he calls the indie arrival of the year, comparing it to movies by John Waters, Todd Haynes and Douglas Sirk.
Jack meets the maestro
Jack Nicholson in the 1975 movie “The Passenger.”
(Sony Pictures Classics)
One movie I feel obligated to note whenever it plays it Michelangelo Antonioni’s “The Passenger.” Jack Nicholson stars as a disaffected journalist who assumes the identity of a dead man in an attempt to start over, only to find that his new life is even more complicated than his own. It is a powerful examination of middle-aged malaise that has Antonioni’s trademark mystery but, thanks to Nicholson, also has a directness that makes it accessible to wider audiences.
Nicholson made the film in between “Chinatown” and “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” at the height of his fame in the 1970s, a time when going to Europe and Africa to shoot a movie with an esoteric art-house filmmaker was a huge risk. He would personally purchase the rights to the film in the early 1980s and essentially treated it like owning an art object, very rarely allowing it to be shown publicly. It reentered circulation in 2005 with a rerelease but still has a certain air of rarity around it. The film will be showing at the New Beverly in 35mm on Saturday and Sunday.
Nicholson sat for an extended interview with The Times’ Patrick Goldstein around that 2005 reissue of the film, calling the production “the most vivid filmmaking adventure I’ve ever had.” He described his relationship to Antonioni by saying, “He’s been like a father figure to me. I worked with him because I wanted to be a film director and I thought I could learn from a master. He’s one of the few people I know that I ever really listened to.”
When the Italian filmmaker died in 2007, Nicholson got on the phone with us to say, “I don’t know how to put this: He’s just a maestro, and everybody loved him. … He was a man of joy and impeccable taste. His whole life was dedicated to modestly being a brilliant artist.”
Truffaut’s humanist warmth
Delphine Seyrig and Jean-Pierre Léaud in the movie “Stolen Kisses.”
(Janus Films)
Richard Linklater’s “Nouvelle Vague” last year didn’t exactly start a renewed wave of interest in the French New Wave of the 1960s, but then again, those movies never really went away. They’ve been inspirational to generations of film fans for more than 60 years now.
But one French director who has perhaps fallen out of favor slightly is François Truffaut. Long seen as one of the quintessential New Wave filmmakers, he has become taken for granted a little of late. Which is why it is exciting to see Brain Dead Studios showing his 1968 film “Stolen Kisses” in 35mm on Sunday.
The third in the series of films Truffaut returned to throughout his career, including his 1959 breakthrough “The 400 Blows,” the film again stars Jean-Pierre Léaud as Antoine Doinel, Truffaut’s alter ego through the stages of his life. Discharged from the army, Antoine drifts through a series of jobs. His real concern is juggling his busy love life, making the film something of a male-centered rom-com while capturing Truffaut’s warm, humanist worldview.
Rohmer’s caustic cynicism
Jean-Claude Brialy in the 1970 movie “Claire’s Knee.”
(Janus Films)
Conversely, a filmmaker of the French New Wave who has seen his stock rise during the last few years is Eric Rohmer, championed by Noah Baumbach among others. His more caustic view of the world may resonate better with more cynical modern audiences.
The American Cinematheque will begin showing Rohmer’s cycle of “Six Moral Tales” at the Los Feliz Theatre this weekend with a 35mm screening of “My Night at Maud’s” and continuing with other screenings through the end of July. Other films in the series include the sultry, summertime tale “La Collectionneuse,” the ethical dilemma of “Claire’s Knee” and the tale of infidelity “Love in the Afternoon.”
Writing about “Claire’s Knee” in 1971, Charles Champlin noted, “What redeems Rohmer’s films from a defeating sameness is the quite extraordinary charm, believability and complexity of his characters and his meticulous attention to detail and his refusal to go for gross events at the expense of the subtle shadings of human relationships.”
Honestly, if a trip to France isn’t happening for you this summer, this series makes for a not-bad substitute.
Reconsidering ’90s comedy
An image from the 2025 documentary “We Are Pat.”
(The Film Collaborative)
Fresh off its world premiere at the recent Tribeca Film Festival, Ro Haber’s documentary “We Are Pat” will screen at Vidiots on Sunday. Haber will be there along with comedians Julia Sweeney and Harper Steele and, for good measure, Alan Cumming.
“We Are Pat” examines the afterlife of Sweeney’s character from “Saturday Night Live,” a confusingly genderless person who no one can ever quite figure out how to engage with. The way Pat has been picked up by a new generation of genderfluid comedians shows how influence and inspiration can come from the unlikeliest of places, and also how comedic ideas can transform over time.
Ali in Africa
Muhammad Ali fights George Foreman in the 1996 documentary “When We Were Kings.”
(Gramercy Pictures)
Released in 1996, “When We Were Kings” depicts the 1974 boxing match in Zaire between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman known as “The Rumble in the Jungle.” Director Leon Gast was unable to complete the film at the time, so the footage languished for years until he got an assist from filmmaker Taylor Hackford in shooting contemporary interviews with the likes of Norman Mailer, George Plimpton and Spike Lee. “When We Were Kings” would go on to win the Academy Award for documentary feature. It will be screening at Vidiots on Saturday.
The core of the movie is watching the thrilling, inspiring footage of Ali training and interacting with the locals. As Kenneth Turan wrote in his original review, “Because a classic heavyweight championship fight, especially with these protagonists, epitomizes the drama inherent in sport, ‘When We Were Kings’ always compels our interest.”
Johnny Knoxville and friends are back for another round of stunts and pranks in “Jackass: Best and Last.” Age has finally caught up with them, Amy Nicholson laments.
It seems a little odd that a movie starring Angelina Jolie, “Couture,” is just sort of sneaking into theaters, but that’s movie business in 2026. We spoke to Jolie at last year’s Toronto International Film Festival about the film.
In the last decade or so, Angelina Jolie has been on screen less frequently. So when she is — and not in forgettable tentpoles like “Eternals” — it’s worth paying attention. There seems to be a thoughtful intentionality to the roles she now chooses, almost as if this astoundingly famous woman wants to tell us something vital about herself, offering clues into her understandably guarded personal life.
Take 2015’s “By the Sea,” which she wrote and directed. Coincidentally or not, that pained study of marital dissolution, co-starring Jolie’s then-husband Brad Pitt, intersected with the couple’s real-life breakup — not to mention Jolie’s grief over the death of her mother, Marcheline Bertrand. Two years ago, Jolie portrayed a version of the elusive, emotionally closed-off opera singer Maria Callas in “Maria.” The conception of the role, marked by a dim view of stardom’s suffocating alienation, was something Jolie clearly understood. Moviegoers should be careful not to read too much autobiography into an actor’s creative choices, but Jolie makes such speculation tantalizing, adding additional layers of drama to her films.
The intermittently affecting “Couture” feels similarly close to her heart, depicting a filmmaker whose life is interrupted by a cancer diagnosis — a reality Jolie knows all too well. In 2013, she underwent a preventive double mastectomy over concerns of her likelihood to develop breast or ovarian cancer. (Bertrand died of cancer in 2007.) Knowledge of Jolie’s circumstance will inform a viewer’s reaction to her wounded, resilient performance, but our inherent sympathies can only take French writer-director Alice Winocour’s ensemble piece so far.
Jolie plays Maxine, an American indie director hired to create a flashy opening film for Paris Fashion Week. Newly arrived in the City of Light, she has only a few days to put together the short, assisted by her trusted cinematographer Anton (Louis Garrel). As we deduce from the phone calls Maxine makes back home, she’s also going through an acrimonious divorce and has trouble connecting with her blasé teenage daughter. At least this Paris paycheck gig will bolster her finances — and get her ready for the feature film she’s been wanting to make for years.
Just then, though, Maxine’s future gets a rewrite. A French doctor (Vincent London) tells her she has breast cancer and needs a double mastectomy immediately. Maybe she can finish the Fashion Week film, but her passion project must wait. An artist and mother who has spent her adulthood in constant motion will have to learn what it means to stop everything and be still.
The film’s title would appear to be a reference to the story’s setting, but in French, “coutures” can also mean “stitches,” and indeed Winocour sews together three thematically linked story strands. As Maxine wrestles with her cancer diagnosis, an inexperienced South Sudanese model named Ada (Anyier Anei) works Fashion Week so she can send money home to her family. (Ada has no interest in modeling, hoping instead to become a pharmacist.) Meanwhile a makeup artist, Angèle (Ella Rumpf), longs to be an author, although she cannot get anyone interested in her writing. Each one becomes a part of the fabric of Fashion Week, but their disparate problems are a far cry from the glitzy event’s self-importance.
Winocour has often made films about women balancing their public-facing life with their private selves In 2019’s “Proxima,” Eva Green played an astronaut missing her young daughter. In 2022’s “Paris Memories,” Virginie Efira starred as an interpreter recovering from the shock of surviving a terrorist attack. Winocour shows us the intimate, vulnerable spaces within her characters that those on the outside don’t have access to.
“Couture’s” three principals rarely interact with one another, but those meaningful exchanges argue that, amid the mad clatter of the everyday, a brief, unguarded moment with a stranger can be supremely restorative. Unfortunately, the juggling of storylines ends up being more schematic than insightful. Angèle’s narrative never catches fire and while Anei is striking as Ada, that section of the film feels slightly patronizing, reducing this immigrant tale to yet another strained salute to perseverance.
This leaves Jolie as the movie’s magnetic center, with Maxine drifting through despair as she ponders what to do. Her doctor insists that the surgery cannot wait, but putting her ambitions on hold means losing a part of herself — a different kind of death sentence than the one she’s now facing.
The character is underwritten but Jolie picks up much of the slack through her silently shattered expression. As she’s gotten older, the Oscar winner has become more comfortable doing less in her performances, allowing for a fragile serenity that is belied by the anguish and anxiety roiling underneath. It’s not just our recognition of the real-life parallels that make Jolie so touching in “Couture” — it’s that ineffable star power she’s possessed for so long. In a story about a potential tragedy, what’s saddest is that Winocour’s film cannot match its lead’s effortless command.
‘Couture’
In French and English, with subtitles
Rated: R, for language, some sexuality, nudity and brief bloody violence
Little Disasters is a gripping Channel 5 drama series that has been keeping viewers on the edge of their seats.
22:31, 22 Jun 2026Updated 22:42, 22 Jun 2026
Jo Joyner shared some behind-the-scene snaps during her time on-set(Image: Channel 5)
Channel 5 audiences have been gripped as they follow the compelling series Little Disasters, starring EastEnders‘ Jo Joyner, Bridgerton’s Shelley Conn and The Office’s Patrick Baladi.
The six-part drama chronicles the lives of four friends who have been close for a decade. Yet their bond faces its ultimate test when a single incident transforms everything.
When one of the women, Jess (Diane Kruger), brings their baby daughter to hospital with an unexplained head injury, her close friend and A&E doctor Liz (Jo) finds herself with no option but to alert social services.
This triggers a devastating domino effect as the pressures of motherhood, hidden truths and feelings of guilt are all laid bare in the Channel 5 drama.
Meanwhile, the central question persists: what truly happened to the baby to cause her injury?
The concluding episode of the series is scheduled to broadcast this week, with revelations that could potentially shatter the group completely unveiled, reports the Express.
Last year, actress Jo posted some behind-the-scenes photographs from her time filming the programme, including shots of her alongside castmates wearing prosthetic pregnancy bumps in a flashback sequence.
Another image captured Jo wearing a pink wig, which was donned by Emily Taaffe in one episode. Further snaps featured the cast relaxing during breaks, sharing meals and enjoying games.
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Others show Jo smiling at the camera sporting various hairstyles. She captioned the post: “What I did last summer…! After three months in Malta, I had two weeks at home before heading off to Budapest to film the first half of #littledisasters an adaptation of the gripping novel by @svaughanauthor. It was just long enough for me to change my hair from blonde to dark brown with the help of Tracy @westgate_salon & @racoonintl”.
“Filming in 38 degrees in the bustling city surrounded by a wealth of talent. Sitting next to a beautiful and talented Chanel model every morning in makeup, whilst having broken veins and dark circles painted on me, did nothing for my ego.
“But getting to play the down-to-earth, capable and witty Liz more than made up for it. Blessed to have spent the hours off set having great meals, hikes and conversation, and not to forget, crosswords- with the best of cast mates, glad and grateful for the visits from friends and family @n1cky00.
“Yes, we did all try the pink wig on! Choosing baby bumps is harder than you’d think. After spending the first half of the year away, it was a joy to come home and film the remainder in Richmond last summer.”
Little Disasters is currently available to stream on Channel 5.
