The BBC has confirmed that Annika, starring Nicola Walker, has been cancelled after two series, but fans of the actress have been told to watch another of her dramas.
Legal drama The Split first aired in 2018 and ran for three seasons(Image: BBC / BBC Studios / Sister)
An “outstanding” legal drama ought to be top of the viewing list for Nicola Walker enthusiasts following confirmation of Annika’s cancellation.
Nicola, 55, had brought DI Annika Strandhed to life for two seasons, leading the fictional Glasgow-based Marine Homicide Unit, however, fans will be gutted to know she won’t be back.
A spokesperson previously stated to RadioTimes: “We are incredibly proud of the success of Annika on U+Alibi, but there are no current plans for a third series.”
Nevertheless, admirers of the Unforgotten and The Last Tango in Halifax performer now have the opportunity to immerse themselves in The Split alternatively, reports Wales Online.
The BBC confirmed Annika wouldn’t be returning for a third season despite ending on a cliffhanger(Image: BBC)
The Spooks veteran portrayed Hannah alongside Stephen Mangan’s Nathan in Abi Morgan’s courtroom drama.
The programme initially broadcast in 2018 and ran for three series, concluding in 2022 before a two-part special shot in Barcelona last Christmas.
It chronicled the Defoe dynasty and their legal practice, as they navigated romance, bereavement, infidelity, domestic upheaval, and the challenges of contemporary matrimony.
The Split cultivated a devoted fanbase, achieving an remarkable 90% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
The Split saw Nicola star as Hannah opposite Stephen Mangan as Nathan(Image: BBC / SISTER)
One devotee praised the programme as “outstanding”, adding: “Nicola Walker is simply incredible. I did not know about her until seeing this show, I raced to watch other shows she has been in also because she is THAT GOOD.”
One viewer expressed: “This show is such an incredible, refreshing take on family, love, marriage, and the trials / rewards of life. There isn’t a villain and no character is without their flaws. By the end of episode one, you’re invested and it’s a slow, emotional progression with smiles and a few tears throughout.”
“Am addicted to this show,” a third confessed, while someone else wrote: “This show absolutely captivated me. Even when I wasn’t watching it, I was thinking about it. It involved family drama, lovers drama, and work drama. It was absolutely brilliant.”
Nicola previously spoke of The Split’s success in an interview with Metro, revealing the moment she knew it was a hit.
The Split has been branded “outstanding” and “captivating” by fans(Image: PA/BBC)
She revealed: “I realised they were enjoying it when I started getting people in the supermarket and on the tube coming up to me and saying, these are quotes, it happens quite a lot: ‘I wish you’d have done my divorce,’ and then telling me about their divorces.’
“I occasionally had to say, ‘I actually don’t know that much about family law, I’d be a terrible family lawyer’.
“And then people saying whether or not they were team Christie or team Nathan, that started happening quite a lot. And I thought, ‘oh, people are enjoying this as much as we enjoy filming it’.”
Although The Split concluded with a two-part Christmas special, fans can look forward to a spin-off following a brief halt in production.
The Split: Barcelona was a two-part special that aired last year(Image: Abi Morgan/Instagram)
The Split Up is set to commence production this year, and is a six-part drama that will showcase “the high-stakes world of Manchester’s divorce law circuit, where one family of lawyers, the Kishans, reigns supreme,” the release previously teased.
It continues: “Kishan Law is a British-Asian high net worth family law firm in Manchester, noted for its clientele and its reputation.
“They are the ‘go to firm’ for Manchester’s elite who come to them for their excellence, integrity, and discretion.
“But the future and legacy of Kishan Law hangs in the balance when a family secret from the past comes to light, throwing their professional and personal lives into turmoil.”
Access to the parole hearings this week for brothers Erik and Lyle Menendez was tightly controlled by state prison officials, but despite the efforts to limit outside interference and drama, the unexpected release of an audio recording nearly derailed Friday’s proceeding.
The disclosure of an audio recording of Erik’s parole hearing, held Thursday, tossed his older brother Lyle’s hearing into disarray the following evening.
The closely watched hearings gave the Menendez brothers a chance at freedom for the first time since they were convicted and sentenced to life in prison for the 1989 shotgun killings of their parents in Beverly Hills.
The state parole board denied a petition from Erik, 54, after an all-day session Thursday. Updates to the news media were provided by a Times reporter who was selected to observe the hearings from a conference room at California Department of Corrections Rehabilitation headquarters near Sacramento.
Audio recording of the hearing was forbidden except by state prison officials. Media organizations were prohibited from disseminating any information in so-called pool reports from the Times reporter until after the parole board issued its decision.
The same restrictions applied to Lyle’s hearing on Friday, which also ran long. But as the hearing came to a close, news broke that created a complication.
TV station ABC7 published a recording of Erik’s hearing, which apparently had been inadvertently handed over in response to a public records request.
A corrections department spokesperson confirmed the audio had been “erroneously” released, but did not elaborate or respond to additional questions from The Times.
The news report brought the hearing to a temporary halt, sparking anger, frustration and accusations that prison officials had purposely released the recording to cause a “spectacle.”
“This is disgusting,” said Tiffani Lucero Pastor, one of the brothers’ relatives who at one point screamed at the members of the parole board. “You’ve misled the family, and now to compound matters, you’ve violated this family and their rights.”
Heidi Rummel, parole attorney for both Erik and Lyle Menendez, asked for a break during the already nine hours long hearing, and at one point asked that the meeting be adjourned, arguing that it was no longer a fair hearing because of the audio’s release.
“We are sitting here asking Mr. Menendez to follow rules,” she said during the hearing. “And in the middle of this hearing, we find out CDCR is not following its own rules. It’s outrageous.”
The fate of Lyle, 57, had not yet been decided, but the board had denied Erik’s release after questioning him extensively about his use of contraband cellphones and other violations of prison rules.
“I don’t think you can possibly understand the emotion of what this family is experiencing,” Rummel said. “They have spent so much time trying to protect their privacy and dignity.”
The Menendez brothers first saw a chance at parole after Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. George Gascón petitioned a judge to have their sentences reduced to 50 years in prison.
The move made them eligible for parole, but new Dist. Atty. Nathan Hochman moved to oppose the petition after he defeated Gascón in the November election. L.A. County Superior Court Judge Michael Jesic denied Hochman’s request and found that prosecutors failed to show that the Menendez brothers were a danger to the public, clearing their path to the parole board.
The case, and the brothers’ petitions, has continued to generate nationwide attention, including a social media effort that pushed to have the Menendez brothers released in light of allegations the two were sexually abused by their father.
With the case already under a microscope, the release of the audio file created yet another roller coaster of speculation and doubt.
Parole Commissioner Julie Garland said that audio of the hearings could be released under the California Public Records Act, and that transcripts of the parole hearings usually become public 30 days after a decision is issued, under state law.
Rummel noted during the hearing that, as a parole attorney, she had requested audio of parole hearings in the past but the requests had been denied.
“It’s highly unusual,” she said during the hearing Friday. “It’s another attempt to make this a public spectacle.”
Rummel had objected to media access to the hearing, and implied at one point that media access had led to a “leak.”
Rummel did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
“It’s unacceptable,” said Maya Emig, an attorney representing Joan Vandermolen, Kitty Menendez’s sister. “There has to be notice given.”
Rummel asked whether the board also planned to release the audio of Lyle Menendez’s hearing.
“What policy allows for this to happen in this hearing but literally no other hearing?” Rummel asked the board. “It’s never been done.”
At one point, Rummel said she would be looking to seal the transcript of the hearing under Marsy’s Law, which provides rights and protections to victims of crimes.
Garland stated that audio from Friday’s hearing would not be released publicly until Rummel had the opportunity to object in court or contest its release.
Shortly after, Rummel said several relatives of the brothers had decided not to testify because of the release of the audio.
“It’s my impression from the family members that that’s not enough of an assurance,” she said.
The two-member parole board ultimately decided the audio incident would not deter them from making a ruling late Friday evening. They rejected Lyle’s request.
Both brothers will be eligible for parole in three years, but they can petition for an earlier hearing in one year.
The much-loved Grey’s Anatomy spin-off, Station 19, centres around a team of firefighters from the Seattle Fire Department.
The series delves into the lives of the crew, from the captain to the newest member, showcasing their professional challenges and personal entanglements.
The gripping drama debuted in 2018 with a backdoor pilot during Grey’s Anatomy’s 14th season, which introduced viewers to protagonist Andy Herrera (Jaina Lee Ortiz).
Andy is part of the Station 19 team alongside Ben Warren (Jason George), the husband of Grey’s Anatomy icon Miranda Bailey (Chandra Wilson), who had recently swapped his surgical scrubs for a firefighter’s uniform, reports the Express.
Station 19 first premiered in 2018(Image: Getty Images)
This career shift wasn’t new for Ben, who had previously served as an anaesthetist at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital.
Throughout its tenure, Station 19 saw its characters cross paths with the Grey’s Anatomy cast in several thrilling crossover episodes.
Despite its popularity and strong viewership, Station 19 was axed last year following seven seasons. However, fans now have the chance to watch the entire series again as it has been released on Prime Video.
Since its arrival on the streaming platform earlier this month, Prime subscribers have been devouring episodes, with many holding out hope for a revival of the show.
The series centred around firefighter Andy Herrera(Image: Getty Images)
“Station 19 just dropped on Prime Video UK, proof that global demand is still burning strong. Fans never stopped watching. Season 8 was outlined. The cast is ready. The world is watching. Bring back #Station19. We’re not done,” one hopeful fan penned on X (formerly Twitter).
Another chimed in: “Omg Station 19 on Prime! A season 8 will be perfect. Definitely Station 19 deserves more seasons. ONE TEAM, ONE FAMILY.”
Even over a year after the show’s cancellation, fans continue to express their enthusiasm, with one viewer posting on IMDb: “Station 19 is nothing short of a blazing masterpiece that keeps the flames of excitement burning from the very first episode to the last.”
Fans were devastated when the show was cancelled last year(Image: Getty Images)
“Station 19 is so much more than a Grey’s Anatomy spin-off. This show is deep, thoughtful, thrilling, and so much more than just your run-of-the-mill emergency show,” another fan contributed.
A third enthusiast remarked: “The show is probably one of, if not, the best firefighter drama on television. It’s defo better than Grey’s Anatomy.”
Echoing the widespread adoration, a fourth admirer commented: “Station 19 is without a doubt one of the best shows I’ve ever seen. Can’t believe it was cancelled.”
Hello! I’m Mark Olsen. Welcome to another edition of your regular field guide to a world of Only Good Movies.
The LAT published its fall movies preview this week, taking a look at what is coming up through Thanksgiving. There is a list of the 21 movies we’re most excited about, which includes a broad selection of styles, genres and tones.
Some of these titles have already been seen at festivals, but many have not. And if even a fraction of them pan out, it should make for quite a season.
Zoey Deutch, photographed in Hollywood in July.
(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)
I spoke to actor Zoey Deutch and director Richard Linklater about their collaboration on “Nouvelle Vague,” about the making of Jean-Luc Godard’s groundbreaking 1960 debut feature “Breathless.” Deutch plays American-born actor Jean Seberg, who was living in Paris at the time and agreed to be in the movie. After Godard’s film made her an international star, Seberg had an unpredictable career until her death in 1979 at only age 40.
“Is the rest of her life incredibly fascinating and intense and tragic? Yes,” said Deutch. “But Rick was really adamant on telling a story at a very specific moment in time. We’re not telling anything that happens after. Godard is not a legend yet. You don’t know who this guy is, what he’s doing. He’s not who he was later. Don’t read the last page of the book when we’re still on Page 1.”
“When I first met Jennifer, I was like, ‘Oh my God, that’s Jennifer Lopez, what the hell?’” Tonatiuh recalled. “I must have turned left on the wrong street because now I’m standing in front of her. How did this happen? What life am I living?”
And Tim Grierson spoke to Michael McKean, Harry Shearer and Christopher Guest for an in-character interview as David St. Hubbins, Derek Smalls and Nigel Tufnel from the rock group Spinal Tap for their long-awaited sequel, “Spinal Tap II: The End Continues.” (Director Rob Reiner also is interviewed in character as documentary filmmaker Marty DiBergi.)
“Can I ask a question?” Tufnel interjects at one point. “This has begun? The interview?”
Pocasters choice at ‘Friend of the Fest’
Shelley Duvall, left, Wesley Ivan Hurt and Robin Williams in Robert Altman’s “Popeye.”
(American Cinematheque)
Already underway, this year marks the third edition of the American Cinematheque’s “Friend of the Fest” series, in which podcasters pick their favorite movies to show. Most of the screenings will have the podcast hosts doing live intros, while some will even be recording live shows on site.
“It’s mostly trying to find that middle ground,” said Cindy Flores, film programmer at the American Cinematheque, in an interview this week. “You don’t have to be a connoisseur or a film geek or a cinephile. Everybody loves film. And that’s the great thing about the podcast festival is that you get to see a wide variety of titles and choices and things that people are interested in.”
The popular Ringer podcast network will have four shows represented, with “The Big Picture” selecting “Michael Clayton,” “The Watch” showing “24 Hour Party People,” “House of R” choosing “Mad Max: Fury Road” and “The Midnight Boys” presenting “Blade.”
Other podcasts in the series include “The Dana Gould Hour” showing “Carnival of Souls,” “Office Hours Live” with the “Weird Al” Yankovic-starring “UHF” (in a rare 35mm print with possible surprise guests), “Upstairs Neighbors” showing “Bottoms,” “Lifted” showing “Misssissippi Masala,” “Cinematic Void” screening “River’s Edge,” “Flightless Bird” choosing “Metallica: Some Kind of Monster” and “Ticklish Business” presenting “Design for Living.”
A scene from the 1985 movie “Clue.”
(American Cinematheque)
The LAT’s own Amy Nicholson, along with her “Unspooled” co-host Paul Scheer, have selected the Kevin Costner sci-fi film “Waterworld.”
The “Linoleum Knife” podcast will screen “Clue” from a newly-made DCP that will feature only one of the film’s multiple endings, selected by hosts Alonso Duralde and Dave White.
The podcast “Perf Damage” is hosted by the husband-and-wife team of Charlotte Barker and Adam Barker, who actually worked on restoring their selection: the L.A. premiere of the new 4K update of Robert Altman’s “Popeye.”
Marc Maron, who will be shutting down his “WTF” podcast later this year, will screen Altman’s “McCabe & Mrs. Miller.”
Points of interest
Elizabeth Taylor triple bill
Elizabeth Taylor on the set of the 1968 film “Boom!”
(Express Newspapers / Getty Images)
As part of its “Summer of Camp” series, the Academy Museum will feature on Sunday a triple bill of Elizabeth Taylor movies, all screening in 35mm, with “Secret Ceremony” and “Boom!” — both from 1968 and directed by Joseph Losey — and then Brian G. Hutton’s 1972 “X Y & Zee.” These are all visually rapturous movies with some amazing costumes and will make for an incredible daylong experience.
In the horror-tinged psychodrama “Secret Ceremony,” Taylor co-stars with Mia Farrow and Robert Mitchum. Adapted by Tennessee Williams from his own play “The Milk Train Doesn’t Stop Here Anymore,” “Boom!” pairs Taylor with her real-life paramour Richard Burton in some astonishing Mediterranean locations. “X Y & Zee” co-stars Michael Caine.
In May 1968, Times film critic Charles Champlin wrote, “Filmland’s reigning vaudeville act, the Flying Burtons, are together again in a sleek, aberrational and posturing piece of nonsense called ‘Boom!’ … ‘Boom!’ is gorgeous to look at. Losey’s sense of place is I think unsurpassed by any director now working, and Mrs. Goforth’s house, with its sun-baked walls and cool, dark, artful interiors, its talking bird and chained monkey, the waves crashing on the rocks below the terrace, is perfectly realized.”
Elizabeth Taylor, with producer Elliott Kastner on the set of “X, Y and Zee” in London in 1971.
(Frank Barratt / Getty Images)
In June 1968, Kevin Thomas published an interview with playwright Williams. Of “Boom!” he said, “It’s a beautiful picture, the best ever made of one of my plays. I think Elizabeth has never been that good before. I don’t know whether the public is going to buy it, for Lord’s sake. I hope they do for Elizabeth’s sake as well as my own. … I can always make out, but inwardly she’s a very fragile being.”
In his Nov. 1968 review of “Secret Ceremony,” Champlin continued the thought on Losey, writing, “His most notable gift is the care and skill with which he conveys the atmosphere generated by a particular house or place.”
In a 1970 item as Taylor was about to begin shooting “X Y & Zee,” she was asked if she would consider retiring. “I’m so lazy, I think I should retire,” she responded. “The unfortunate thing is I enjoy acting.”
‘The Diary of a Teenage Girl’ 10-year anniversary
Kristen Wiig, left, Bel Powley and Alexander Skarsgård in the movie “The Diary of a Teenage Girl.”
(Sony Pictures Classics)
Also on Sunday, the Gardena Cinema will host a 10th anniversary screening of “The Diary of a Teenage Girl” with a Q&A with producer Miranda Bailey. Adapted from the hybrid novel by Phoebe Gloeckner, it was the debut feature from Marielle Heller, who would go on to make “Can You Ever Forgive Me?” as well as “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood” and “Nightbitch.”
Starring Bel Powley, Kristen Wiig and Alexander Skarsgård, the story is about the sexual awakening of a 15-year-old girl in 1976 San Francisco.
Reviewing the film, Rebecca Keegan wrote, “Big summer action movies can be thrilling, but if you really want to feel your heart pounding out of your chest, try being a 15-year-old girl for 101 minutes. That’s the running time of ‘The Diary of a Teenage Girl,’ a rare gem of a movie that takes its audience inside the ecstatic, confused and unapologetically horny brain of a girl named Minnie Goetze. ‘Diary’ is a vivid and often shocking story of growing up female in 1976 San Francisco, told with tenderness and humor by first-time director Marielle Heller and starring a blue-eyed lightning bolt of an actress named Bel Powley as Minnie.”
In an interview with the director at the time, Heller said, “Teenage girls are represented really poorly; I think we as a society are afraid of teenage girls. We’re definitely afraid of their sexuality, and so teenage girls are either shown in this really virginal state or this really slutty state, but it’s never what it actually felt like to be a teenage girl as a full human.
“You’re just as complete of a person as a teenage boy,” she added. “Holden Caulfield is a really complex character, so where’s our female Holden Caulfield? It just felt really important, the chance to represent teenage girls in a way that actually felt real.”
‘Cooley High’
On Wednesday the Academy Museum will present 1975’s “Cooley High” in 35mm with director Michael Schultz and actors Lawrence-Hilton Jacobs and Glynn Turman present for a conversation with academy governor and filmmaker Ava DuVernay.
Written by Eric Monte and based on his own experiences growing up in Chicago, the film is set in 1964 and follows two high school friends through a series of endearingly freewheeling misadventures.
In a 2019 article on the occasion of a screening and tribute at the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater — now included on the Criterion Collection disc of the film — Susan King spoke to many involved in the making of “Cooley High.” Robert Townsend, who would go on to make “Hollywood Shuffle” and most recently be seen on “The Bear,” had a one-line role as a teenager. “The movie changed my life,” he would say.
“It’s a movie, but it’s making me laugh, it’s making me think, and to me that’s what real movies do — speak to people that look like me and speak to everybody,” said Townsend. “That was my first lesson from Michael Schultz.”
‘The Lovers on the Bridge’ in 4K
Denis Lavant and Juliette Binoche in the movie “The Lovers on the Bridge.”
First shown at the 1991 Cannes Film Festival, the movie would not get a release in America until 1999. The story of a street performer (Denis Lavant) and an artist losing her eyesight (Juliette Binoche), the film is told with dazzling flair and overwhelming style. Unable to shoot on the actual Pont Neuf bridge in Paris where the plot is set, Carax built a full-scale replica, said to be at the time the largest set ever built in France.
Writing about the film in 1999, Kevin Thomas said, “Leos Carax’s ‘The Lovers on the Bridge’ has the raw, gritty look of a documentary on the homeless, but it is in the grand tradition of heady screen romances. It’s a throwback to the golden era of both Hollywood and of the fatalistic French cinema that teamed such international icons as Jean Gabin and Michelle Morgan … a go-for-broke dazzler that takes constant chances, dares to go over the top, indulges in one anticlimactic scene after another, only to make such risks pay off all the more at the finish.”
The programme might have slipped past some viewers’ attention, but it delivers an exceptional viewing experience.
One glowing IMDb review stated: “An immaculate, terrifying alternate history that is accurate down to the buttons. I love period pieces, and this scary projection of a post WW2 hegemony ruled by the Japanese and German empires certainly fits the bill.”
Another viewer gushed: “I’m a TV show lover, but never! ever! has a series made me want to write a review.”
They continued: “The story line is incredible. The acting is great. The emotions that it brought out of me was real and raw. It made me appreciate and think differently about the word/idea/concept that we all throw around ‘FREEDOM [sic].'”
Rufus Sewell starred in the groundbreaking series(Image: PRIME VIDEO)
A third reviewer entitled their assessment: “An amazing adaptation of the novel!”.
They elaborated: “The pilot episode was exceptional. It held my attention and made me believe in such an alternate history.
“I have read the book, and although it is different, it is an incredible adaptation. If the book was turned into a show without any edits, it would be far too complicated and very hard to enjoy (although the book is incredible).
“The acting, story, and visuals are spot on and only intensified what I had imagined when I read the book.”
The alternate history drama has proved captivating(Image: PRIME VIDEO)
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Another viewer gave a glowing 10/10 review, exclaiming: “A must watch, absolutely amazing!” and added: “If you like Hunger Games, GoT, Legends, Vikings or any of these shows, you will like this. I highly recommend watching this, to everyone. Watch it! [sic].”
The Man in the High Castle first aired in 2015 and was Amazon Prime Video’s inaugural original series, spanning four seasons.
The series is an adaptation of renowned science fiction author Philip K. Dick’s 1962 novel bearing the same title.
The plot envisages an alternate history where Adolf Hitler and the Nazis emerged victorious from WW2, with the action set 15 years post-conflict.
A woman holds her hands up with soldiers pointing a gun at her(Image: PRIME VIDEO)
The storyline follows various characters living under the rule of Imperial Japan and Nazi Germany in a divided USA.
The TV adaptation stays true to this premise and centres around Juliana Crain (portrayed by Alexa Davalos), who starts to rebel against the regime after viewing a subversive newsreel titled The Grasshopper Lies Heavy, which portrays a world where the USA and the Allies triumphed in the war.
The Man in the High Castle was Prime Video’s first major original series. The streaming platform kick-started its original programming by producing a series of pilots and inviting its users to vote on which one they wanted to see developed into a full series, with the science fiction alternate history emerging as the winner.
The Man in the High Castle boasts a star-studded cast including Davalos, Rufus Sewell from ITV’s Victoria and The Holidays, Luke Kleintank known for FBI and Bones, DJ Qualls of Z Nation fame, Joel de la Fuente from Hemlock Grove, and Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, renowned for Pearl Harbor and Netflix’s Lost in Space.
The Man in the High Castle is streaming on Prime Video now
Fans have praised the four episode series(Image: Doane Gregory/Netflix )
Netflix fans can stream a “moving” period drama that is making fans “sob”.
All The Light We Cannot See is a limited series that was released back in 2023. It follows the story of a blind teenager, Marie-Laure, and her father, Daniel LeBlanc, who flee German-occupied Paris with a legendary diamond.
Based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Anthony Doerr, fans see Aria Mia Loberti as Marie-Laure and Avengers star Mark Ruffalo as Daniel LeBlanc. Viewers may also recognise Hugh Laurie as Uncle Etienne, Louis Hofmann as Werner, Lars Eidinger as Von Rumpel, and Marion Bailey as Madame Manec.
Netflix teases: “Relentlessly pursued by a cruel Gestapo officer who seeks to possess the stone for his own selfish means, Marie-Laure and Daniel soon find refuge in St. Malo, where they take up residence with a reclusive uncle who transmits clandestine radio broadcasts as part of the resistance.
Mark Ruffalo stars as Daniel LeBlanc(Image: Atsushi Nishijima/Netflix)
“Yet here in this once-idyllic seaside city, Marie-Laure’s path also collides inexorably with the unlikeliest of kindred spirits: Werner, a brilliant teenager enlisted by Hitler’s regime to track down illegal broadcasts, who instead shares a secret connection to Marie-Laure as well as her faith in humanity and the possibility of hope.”
Aria Mia Loberti herself is legally blind and has previously opened up on the importance of her role. Since its release in 2023, the four part series is available to stream on Netflix as fans have commented on its high emotion.
Over on Rotten Tomatoes, one fan said: “Even after all the war she’s been through she’s still standing . . this made me sob like a child deep inside my soul, just wow it’s perfection.”
Another wrote: “One of the most amazing war related TV shows out there. I wish more people knew of it. It has a beautiful, moving storyline, wonderful actors portraying strong and thoughtful characters.
All the Light We Cannot See is streaming on Netflix(Image: Atsushi Nishijima/Netflix)
“The atmosphere of war, the dressing, the music set the right mood for the viewer to enjoy. And it’s got deep messages, love, care, light in it. I highly recommend.”
A fourth replied: “Moving storylines, underlying statements about class, intelligence, and education. Excellent sets. A series with all the emotions.”
Another said: “We loved this series. There have been a million WW2 movies and series but they came from a perspective I have never seen before. Only thing I didn’t like was it was only 4 episodes.”
All The Light We Cannot See is available to stream on Netflix.
Hello! I’m Mark Olsen. Welcome to another edition of your regular field guide to a world of Only Good Movies.
This week, The Times published a series of articles looking at possible different futures for Los Angeles. Greg Braxton wrote two pieces, including one about Hollywood’s long-standing fascination with depicting the destruction of the city, including “Escape From L.A.” to “Blade Runner,” “This Is the End” and many more.
Anthony Edwards in the movie “Miracle Mile.”
(Hemdale Film Corp.)
Braxton noted, “In ‘Los Angeles Plays Itself,’ [Thom Andersen’s] 2003 documentary chronicling the portrayal of the city through cinema history, Andersen aims his own wrecking ball. The film’s narrator quotes the late Mike Davis, a noted historian and urbanist, when he says that Hollywood ‘takes a special pleasure in destroying Los Angeles — a guilty pleasure shared by most of its audience.’”
He also specifically examined “Miracle Mile,” Steve De Jarnatt’s 1988 apocalyptic romantic adventure drama featuring the stretch of Wilshire Boulevard from La Brea to Fairfax.
Robert Altman’s centennial
Director Robert Altman speaks at the Cannes Film Festival in 1977.
(Levy / Associated Press)
The UCLA Film and Television Archive is in the midst of “Robert Altman’s America: A Centennial Review,” a look at the monumental filmmaker’s wildly unpredictable body of work to mark 100 years since his birth. The designated home of Altman’s personal print collection, the archive will show many of the films in 35mm.
Writing when Altman was to receive an honorary Oscar (an occasion that turned out to be just a few months before his death in 2006), Peter Rainer called him “perhaps the most American of directors. But his Americanness is of a special sort and doesn’t really connect up to any tradition except his own.”
Comparing Altman to such filmmakers as John Ford, John Huston, Frank Capra, Sam Peckinpah, Howard Hawks and Preston Sturges, Rainer added, “Altman, who has ranged as widely as any of these directors across the American panorama, is a more mysterious and allusive artist. He is renowned for the buzzing expansiveness of his stories, the crisscrossed plots and people, but what strikes home most of all in this sprawl is a terrible sense of aloneness. … If being an American means being rooted to the land, to a tradition, a community, then it also means being forever in fear of dispossession. Altman understands this better than any other filmmaker. It’s what gives even his rowdiest comic escapades their bite of woe.”
The series began last week with “Nashville,” a movie that celebrates its 50th anniversary this year and which this column has recently discussed. This Saturday there will be a fantastic double-bill of 1977’s “3 Women” starring Shelley Duvall and Sissy Spacek with 1982’s “Come Back to the 5 & Dime Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean,” starring Sandy Dennis, Karen Black and Cher.
Shelley Duvall in Robert Altman’s “3 Women.”
(20th Century Fox Film Corp. / Photofest)
Other pairings include “M*A*S*H” and “Brewster McCloud,” “The Long Goodbye” and “California Split,” “Thieves Like Us” and “Kansas City,” plus “McCabe & Mrs. Miller” and “Popeye.” The series concludes with separate screenings of “The Player” and “Short Cuts,” which reestablished Altman’s vitality in the 1990s.
As Times critic Charles Champlin once wrote, “When Altman’s movies are good, they are very, very good, and when they are bad they are infuriating because there is something so arrogantly self-destructive about them.”
In a 2000 interview with Susan King for a retrospective at LACMA that included a 25th anniversary screening of “Nashville,” the often-irascible Altman had this to say about his career.
“There isn’t any filmmaker who ever lived who has had a better shake than I did,” he said. “I have never been out of work and the only thing I haven’t made are these big, popular films. I have never wanted to and I never will. I would fail at it. I would be late for work.”
‘Close Encounters’ in 70mm
Melinda Dillon and Cary Guffey in the 1977 movie “Close Encounters of the Third Kind.”
(Columbia Pictures)
The American Cinematheque is premiering a newly-created 70mm print of the director’s cut of Steven Spielberg’s 1977 “Close Encounters of the Third Kind.” The film will play at the Egyptian on Friday, Saturday and Sunday and then at the Aero on Aug. 29 and Aug. 31.
“Close Encounters” was nominated for eight Academy Awards, including Spielberg’s first for directing. It won for Vilmos Zsigmond’s cinematography as well as a special achievement award for its special effects.
The story, of course, revolves around a series of sightings of UFOs around the world that leads to a spacecraft being studied in Wyoming and interactions with extraterrestrial beings. The cast includes Richard Dreyfuss, Melinda Dillon, Teri Garr, Bob Balaban and François Truffaut.
In his original review of the film, Charles Champlin wrote, “The special effects conceived by Spielberg and executed by Douglas Trumbull and a staff that seems to number in the hundreds are dazzling and wondrous. That’s not surprising: The surprise is that ‘Close Encounters’ is so well leavened with humor. … ‘Close Encounters’ stays light on its legs, mystical and reverential but not solemn. It is a warm celebration, positive and pleasurable. The humor is folksy and slapstick rather than cerebral, as if to confirm that our encounter is with a populist vehicle.”
Points of interest
Jean-Luc Godard, Anna Karina and ‘Vivre sa vie’ in 35mm
Anna Karina in Jean-Luc Godard’s “Vivre sa vie.”
(Janus Films)
Anyone looking to prepare for the upcoming release of Richard Linklater’s “Nouvelle Vague,” about the making of Jean-Luc Godard’s “Breathless” and a snapshot of Paris at the moment of the French New Wave, might well want to check out Sunday’s 35mm screening of Godard’s 1962 “Vivre sa vie” at the Los Feliz Theatre.
Starring Anna Karina, then in the midst of a tempestuous marriage to Godard, the film features what may be her greatest performance as Nana, an aspiring actress who finds herself drawn into the world of prostitution. The film stretches from the manic joy of her dancing around a pool table to the quiet devastation of seeing her tear-stained face as she watches a movie. There’s also an utterly heart-wrenching conclusion.
In an appreciation of Karina after her death in 2019 at age 79, Justin Chang wrote, “We often speak admiringly of a performer’s screen presence or charisma. Karina possessed something more: flinty intelligence and deadpan wit, dark feline eyes that could project playfulness and melancholy without her saying a word. She incarnated both a matter-of-fact toughness and an expressive glamour worthy of a silent screen star.”
‘Dealing: Or the Berkeley-to-Boston Forty-Brick Lost-Bag Blues’
Barbara Hershey in 1972’s “Dealing: Or the Berkeley-to-Boston Forty-Brick Lost-Bag Blues.”
(Warner Bros.)
The Aero Theatre will have a rare screening of 1972’s “Dealing: Or the Berkeley-to-Boston Forty-Brick Lost-Bag Blues” in 35mm on Sunday afternoon. Director Paul Williams and actors Barbara Hershey and John Lithgow will be on hand for a Q&A moderated by screenwriter Larry Karaszewski, who recently declared it “the best 1970s movie you’ve never heard of.”
Adapted from a novel by brothers Michael Crichton and Douglas Crichton (credited as “Michael Douglas”), the story involves a Harvard student (Robert F. Lyons) who takes a job from his best friend (Lithgow, in his film debut) delivering marijuana across the country. Along the way he meets a woman (Hershey) and after she gets busted by a corrupt cop (Charles Durning), he tries to set things straight.
‘Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion’ and ‘Grosse Pointe Blank’
Lisa Kudrow, left, and Mira Sorvino in “Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion.”
(Mark Fellman / Touchstone Pictures)
On Saturday and Sunday, the New Beverly Cinema will have a double-bill of two comedies from 1997: David Mirkin’s “Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion” and George Armitage’s “Grosse Pointe Blank.”
With a screenplay by Robin Schiff adapting her own play, “Romy and Michele” is about two friends (Lisa Kudrow and Mira Sorvino) who concoct a plan to impress everyone at their 10-year high school reunion by lying about how successful they are. The film also features clothes by “Clueless” costume designer Mona May.
In his original review, Jack Matthews wrote, “The dead-pan performances of Sorvino and Kudrow, who played Michelle in the original play, are perfect. Romy and Michelle are cartoon characters, but the actresses make them both real and enormously sympathetic. … Beneath the endless silliness of the movie beats a real heart, and its theme of loyal friendship keeps propping it up every time the thin walls of the story seem about to collapse. Though ‘Romy and Michelle’ doing Tucson doesn’t take us much further than Beavis and Butt-head doing America, the ride, and the company, are a lot more fun.”
John Cusack stars as Martin in 1997’s “Grosse Pointe Blank.”
(Melinda Sue Gordon / Hollywood Pictures)
From a screenplay by Tom Jankiewicz, D.V. DeVincentis, Steve Pink and star John Cusack, “Grosse Pointe Blank” features Cusack as a succeful hit man attempting to attend his 10-year high school reunion and rewin the heart of an old girlfriend (Minnie Driver). That is, until a cadre of competing assassins and federal agents all show up as well.
In his original review, Kenneth Turan drew comparisons to Armitage’s earlier caper comedy “Miami Blues,” writing, “A wild at heart, anarchic comedy that believes in living dangerously … Clever enough to make jokes about Greco-Roman wrestling and make them funny, ‘Grosse Pointe Blank’s’ greatest success is the way it maintains its comic attitude. Working with a smart script and actors who get the joke, director Armitage pulls off a number of wacky action set pieces. Even if you think you’ve heard actors say, ‘I love you, we can make this relationship work,’ in every conceivable situation, this film has a few surprises in store.”
In other news
U.S. premiere of ‘Onda Nova’ in 4K
An image from 1983’s “Onda Nova,” being released in the U.S. for the first time.
(Spamflix)
Also on Sunday, Mezzanine will have the U.S. premiere of a 4K restoration of the 1983 Brazilian film “Onda Nova,” which translates as “New Wave.” Directed by Ícaro Martins and José Antonio Garcia, the film was withheld by the Brazilian dictatorship and only released there after a lengthy legal battle. It is thought to have never before screened in the U.S.
Women’s soccer was banned in Brazil until 1979, and women were only allowed to start teams in 1983, the year “Onda Nova” was produced. The film brings a defiantly queer and anarchically rebellious attitude to the story of a group of women on a newly formed soccer team and features special appearances by figures involved in Brazil’s struggle for freedom, including musician Caetano Veloso, journalist Osmar Santos and well-known male athletes Casagrande and Wladimir.
The BBC series is just one of many adaptations of a novel that was banned due to the social mores of the time.
However, this version has been praised by many viewers for capturing the spirit of the book.
One 10/10 review on IMDb read: “A truly masterful performance for all involved. I did not even know this existed until recently and I sat to watch it in one sitting.”
Another person praised the show’s aesthetics in their review: “An excellent work of art in a long and expertly made movie. Being almost totally visual, I must admit I’m carried away by visually beautiful movies, and this one is tops.”
The story focused on an inter-class romance (Image: BBC)
A third person titled their review: “A beautiful, complicated love story I enjoyed” and explained: “This movie was very enjoyable as well as instructive.
“It was enjoyable because it was so faithful to the most popular version of the story and instructive about how people conducted their lives after WW1 in England.”
Lady Chatterley came out in 1993, and charted the passionate affair between an upper-class woman, Constance Chatterley (played by Joely Richardson) and her working-class groundskeeper, Oliver Mellors (Sean Bean).
Constance and Mellors initially had an arrangement whereby she would fall pregnant and claim the child was her injured WWI veteran husband Sir Clifford Chatterley’s (James Wilby) child.
However, the agreement quickly gave way to feelings between Constance and Mellors, with their affair marking a sexual and spiritual awakening for her.
The show has won praise for its depiction of the novel and also leading man Bean.
The novel the show is based on was banned for decades in the UK(Image: BBC)
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One person commented on IMDb: “This is the definitive Lady Chatterley’s Lover” and the noted: “After having seen all the film adaptations of Lady Chatterley’s Lover 1981 onwards, in my opinion none of them can hold a candle to (this) Ken Russell’s version. It has beauty, poetry, squalor and vision.”
Another audience member urged viewers to watch Lady Chatterley for Bean and said the series “belongs” to him, “who gets his teeth in and doesn’t let go”.
Someone else commented: “Sean Bean Amazes Yet Again” and elaborated: “I have followed his career since seeing the Sharpe’s episodes and in everything he is in, he takes the part and makes it his own. A simply wonderful effort and a beautifully touching love story.”
The four-part series was adapted from D.H. Lawrence’s 1928 novel Lady Chatterley’s Lover, which was banned in the UK, America, Australia, India, Japan, and other countries for obscenity.
Sean Bean starred in the romantic period drama (Image: BBC)
It wasn’t until 1960 with the outcome of the British obscenity trial R v Penguin Books Ltd that people in the UK were finally able to read the novel. Unsurprisingly, the book quickly became a bestseller after its lengthy censorship.
The novel had been banned in Britain after it was deemed indecent and immoral due to its sexual content and explicit language.
Lady Chatterley’s Lover also featured an inter-class romance, which was taboo at the time given Britain’s rigid social structure, not to mention featuring an extramarital affair.
The novel has been published privately in the late 1920s in France and Italy, the BBC reported, but was censored by others after this.
Lady Chatterley (1993) is streaming on Prime Video for a fee
Netflix fans have been searching through the streaming service’s catalogue to find the best hidden gems, and one ‘absolutely incredible’ particular show is getting a lot of love
A Netflix miniseries based on a true story has been ranked as the ‘most underrated’ (stock photo)(Image: Marvin Samuel Tolentino Pineda via Getty Images)
Netflix boasts an enormous library of films and series covering a wide variety of genres, including content in multiple languages. There’s something suit every TV enthusiast, whether you’re into true crime, action-packed thrillers or laugh-out-loud comedies.
Some blockbuster programmes and movies dominate many Netflix subscribers’ viewing lists and receive widespread promotion across social media platforms, such as Wednesday, Stranger Things and Bridgerton. However, the streaming giant’s vast collection also contains a number of lesser-known gems that audiences have discovered to be surprisingly captivating viewing. With such an extensive selection of series and films available, there are inevitably some brilliant hidden treasures waiting to be found.
A Reddit user recently asked fellow forum members to share the “most underrated” Netflix show they have found.
The user went on to explain that they occasionally stumble upon programmes they’ve never heard of before, only to find themselves enjoying them far more than anticipated.
The streaming fan continued: “I am curious if anyone else has had this experience. What is the most underrated show you have discovered on Netflix that more people should watch?”
The post attracted more than 400 responses, with the top suggestion being the 2019 drama series Unbelievable, starring Kaitlyn Dever, Merritt Wever and Toni Colette.
Netflix’s description of the show reads: “After a young woman is accused of lying about a rape, two female detectives investigate a spate of eerily similar attacks. Inspired by true events.”
It describes the programme as “bittersweet” and “emotional.” The eight-part series boasts an outstanding 98 per cent rating on Rotten Tomatoes alongside an 8.3 out of 10 score on IMDb.
Several Reddit users have expressed their views on Unbelievable. One wrote: “Absolutely incredible show with incredible acting. I’ve watched it multiple times, even though it’s a tough watch.”
Another remarked: “Depressing and amazing at the same time.” A third added: “Love this show. Great characters.”
Responding to the suggestion about Unbelievable, another Reddit user declared: “I was coming to suggest Unbelievable too!”
A second reply states: “True that, [I] started watching this a few days ago and it’s so underrated.”
The programme was jointly created by Susannah Grant, Ayelet Waldman and Michael Chabon.
It draws from the 2015 news article ‘An Unbelievable Story of Rape’ written by T. Christian Miller and Ken Armstrong concerning the Washington and Colorado serial rape incidents between 2008 and 2011.
Unbelievable received a nomination in the International section of the BAFTA TV Awards in 2020 along with numerous other honours, including the Critics Choice Awards, Golden Globes USA and Primetime Emmy Awards.
Toni Collette secured victory at the Critics Choice Awards in 2020 for her role in Unbelievable, claiming the Best Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie Made for Television award.
“Berta, Berta,” a two-character play by Angelica Chéri, was inspired by a prison work song from Parchman Farm, the notorious Mississippi State Penitentiary whose harsh conditions and history of forced labor extended the nightmare of antebellum slave plantations into the 20th century.
The play, which is receiving its West Coast premiere in an Echo Theater Company production at Atwater Village Theatre directed by Andi Chapman, is set in Mississippi in 1923. The action takes place in the home of Berta (Kacie Rogers), a young widow who’s awakened in the middle of the night by a visitor from her past.
Not just any visitor, mind you, but the love of her life. Leroy (DeJuan Christopher) arrives at the threshold of her small, well-cared for home in a clamorous uproar. He’s filthy, his white shirt is covered in blood, and Berta can’t tell if he’s possessed by the devil or out of his mind.
It turns out that he’s killed a man who claimed, falsely, to have slept with her. Berta is horrified that Leroy has done something so rash and violent. He holds it as proof of the depth of his love for her. But why, Berta wants to know, did he not get in touch with her after he was released from Parchman? The crime he’s committed will only send him back to where, in Leroy’s own pained words, “they take the colored man to kill him from the inside out.”
Berta and Leroy exchange grievances over the futility of their love. He can’t understand how she could have married; she’s bewildered that he could have expected her to wait indefinitely for a ghost. Their passion, however, won’t be denied, no matter how angry they make each other.
The play is pitched for maximum intensity, and Chapman’s direction encourages a mythic scope — a wholly appropriate approach for a drama that leaps over the safety of realism. Amanda Knehans’ beautifully designed set, as snug as it is appealing, grounds the action in a clean and cozy domesticity. But this is just an illusion, as the production makes clear through the expressionistic wildness of the lighting (Andrew Schmedake) and sound design (Jeff Gardner).
The couple has been granted a brief reprieve from their separation. Leroy, observing an old superstition, made an oath to the awakening cicadas that he will turn himself in if he’s given the chance to make peace with Berta. She has made her own pact with the insects, asking them to restore the life of her stillborn baby, whose corpse she has held onto in the hope that the cicadas will answer her prayer.
The pressurized, supernatural stakes in such tight quarters sometimes encourage Christopher to push a little too vociferously. Berta’s home is too small to contain Leroy — and Christopher’s performance never lets us forget it. But the turbulent charge of Leroy’s voice and body language serves another purpose: keeping the character’s history as an oppressed Black man cruelly cut off from his soulmate ever in sight.
Rogers’ Berta, comfortably situated in her domestic nest, scales her performance accordingly. She is our anchor into the world of the play, reacting to Leroy’s tumultuous intrusion with suspicion and alarm. But as the intimacy grows between the characters, the performers become more relaxed and playful with each other. The Wagnerian nature of Berta and Leroy’s love settles down without losing its miraculous mystery.
The Sunday matinee I attended was a Black Out performance — an opportunity for a Black audience to experience the play in community. Playwright Jeremy O. Harris championed this concept during the initial Broadway run of his groundbreaking drama “Slave Play.” There was backlash to the idea in London, where some critics found the practice racially exclusionary. But anything that promotes the communal embrace of art, particularly among historically underrepresented groups, ought to be celebrated.
I wasn’t the only white person in the audience at “Berta, Berta” on Sunday, but I was one of just a few. When I had initially learned from the show’s publicist that the performance was specially designated, I offered to come at another time, not wanting to take a seat from a community member. But I was assured that there was room and that I was most welcome.
Listening to the play in this special environment, I was more alert to the through line of history. Although set in the Deep South during the Jim Crow era, there appeared to be little distance between the characters and the audience. Berta and Leroy’s tempestuous love games were met with amused recognition. And the threats facing the couple, to judge by the audible response to the work, were received with knowing empathy.
At a different performance, I might have been more impatient with some of the strained dramatic turns. But the production’s living bond with the audience opened my eyes to the realism inherent in this folktale romance, laden with history and floating on a song.
‘Berta, Berta’
Where: Echo Theater Company, Atwater Village Theatre, 3269 Casitas Ave., Los Angeles
When: 8 p.m. Fridays, Saturdays and Mondays; 4 p.m. Sundays. Ends Aug. 25
Tickets: $38 Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays; pay-what-you-want Mondays
Starring Andrew Lincoln and Jack Davenport, This Life was the hit BBC series of the 90s about a group of young lawyers who shared a house and partied hard
This Life started in 1996 and was a big hit with viewers(Image: BBC)
It was the massive TV drama that had everyone talking around the office water cooler back in the ’90s – and now, three decades on, you can enjoy the action once more on Amazon Prime.
This Life started in 1996 and spanned 33 episodes across just two series but was included on BFI’s list of the 100 greatest British television programmes and has been hailed by fans as the ‘best British TV drama ever’.
The gritty BBC drama centres around a group of law graduates in their twenties, embarking upon their careers while sharing a house in south London. There are no courtroom scenes and instead the main focus is on their private lives which features everything from infidelity to addiction.
Among the cast are Andrew Lincoln who’s gone on to enjoy a huge career in Teachers, Afterlife, The Walking Dead and the movie Love, Actually. He will soon be seen in the new ITV series Coldwater. Co-star Jack Davenport has gone on to enjoy success in Matt Damon film The Talented Mr Ripley, Pirates of the Caribbean and TV series like Coupling and Smash.
This Life features five main characters living under one roof – Edgar ‘Egg’ Cooke (Lincoln) and girlfriend Milly (Amita Dhiri) along with party girl Anna Forbes (Daniela Nardini), her university ex Myles Stewart (Davenport) and Welshman Warren Jones (Jason Hughes) who was dealing with his sexuality.
The housemates were embroiled in plenty of drama(Image: BBC)
The cast also features Ramon Tikaram (Virdie) as Ferdy, Natasha Little as Rachel, Steven John Shepherd (Karen Pirie) as Jo and Luisa Bradshaw-White (EastEnders) ad Kira.
The show, which was created by Amy Jenkins, became a popular word-of-mouth hit and was included on BFI’s list of the 100 greatest British television programmes.
In 2007 there was a special episode, This Life: 10 Years On, which reunited the main cast and explored their lives a decade after the series ended. The special episode focusing on the death of Ferdy and the subsequent gathering of the other housemates pulled in 3.5 million viewers.
Despite it being 30 years old and set in the days well before social media, fans are now enjoying streaming episodes and have been rushing to IMDb with their thoughts.
Andrew Lincoln starred as Egg(Image: BBC)
One said: “I still hold firmly to the belief that the last episode of this landmark show is the best 40 mins of British TV drama ever. Any number of storylines coming sharply to a head, the terrific wedding reception with its toilet sex and terrible dancing, darkest secrets coming horrifyingly to light and the legendary punch.
“But how sad! If we’d known then that there would never be another series we would have stormed the BBC ourselves. But think positive. The show is endlessly rewatchable, and its influence has lived on in Queer as Folk, Attachments, Teachers, Metropolis, Tinsel Town and most contemporary drama since. Just please, please publish the damn scripts!”
Fans are hailing This Life ‘the best British TV drama ever’(Image: BBC)
Another said: “Move over Friends this is your more intelligent English big brother. A perfect picture of 90s London through the eyes of young professionals and ordinary blokes and girls. A few cheesy performances by Tikarum but it sort of worked at the time much like the Fonz worked in Happy days at the time. Not a poor performance from a rich cast that all went in to achieve memorable careers. This is a collectors piece for those who lived through and experienced the era in London. Nostalgic and immersive TV.”
A third added: “Watching This Life almost 30 years after its release is an interesting experience. Although its format has been much copied since the late 90s, it still retains the same freshness and vitality that made it such a captivating watch first time round.
“The success of the series stems from the fact that it feels so real. Each of the characters is impressively three-dimensional, with both strengths and weaknesses. They’re at that interesting stage of their lives where they’re finding their way in the world while also trying to find themselves, and each of them makes some understandable mistakes along the way.”
Hello! I’m Mark Olsen. Welcome to another edition of your regular field guide to a world of Only Good Movies.
Greg Braxton did an interview with the ever-quotable Spike Lee this week. Lee’s newest film, “Highest 2 Lowest,” starring Denzel Washington, is in theaters next week and begins streaming on Apple TV+ on Sept. 5. Lee will make an appearance at the Egyptian Theatre next Thursday for a Q&A after a screening of the film.
The film is adapted from Akira Kurosawa’s “High and Low,” in which a wealthy businessman believes his son is kidnapped and must scramble to put together the ransom money. When his son is found, it turns out that actually it is the son of his driver who has been abducted. The criminals still want their ransom, creating a moral dilemma for the businessman.
Lee likens the relationship between “High and Low” and “Highest 2 Lowest” to that between the renditions of the song “My Favorite Things” as done by Julie Andrews in “The Sound of Music” and performed by saxophone great John Coltrane.
“It’s a reinterpretation,” he says. “There’s a history of jazz musicians doing reinterpretations of standards. We’re jazz musicians in front of and behind the camera.”
Spike Lee, photographed in New York in July.
(Victoria Will / For The Times)
Likewise, audiences will bring their own feelings to how they would respond to the ethical dilemma at the center of the film.
“That is what makes the whole scenario great,” Lee continues. “Everyone would answer that situation differently. [Toshiro] Mifune laid down the foundation. He handed the baton to Denzel and Denzel took it, and did not miss a motherf—ing stride. You know like those brothers in the Olympics? We don’t drop the baton.”
The new film marks the fifth collaboration between Lee and Washington, a collaboration that also includes “Mo’ Better Blues,” “Malcolm X,” “He Got Game” and “Inside Man.” Lee hopes it won’t be the last. Even at 68, the director maintains an enthusiasm and focus for his work and the future.
“I’m just getting started,” he says. “As an individual and an artist, when you’re doing what you love, you win. I don’t see the finish line, the tape.”
“Highest 2 Lowest” also features a performance by Latin jazz great Eddie Palmieri, who died this week at age 88.
‘Pee-wee’s Big Adventure’ turns 40
The late Paul Reubens, in his most famous role as Pee-wee Herman, on the big screen at the TCL Chinese Theatre for a special screening of 1985’s “Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure” at 2023’s AFI Fest.
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
On Saturday the Academy Museum will present a 40th anniversary screening of Tim Burton’s “Pee-wee’s Big Adventure,” which finds Paul Reubens’ signature character on an epic quest to recover his beloved bicycle. As part of the evening’s program, the actual prop bicycle will be presented to the museum on behalf of Reubens’ estate.
The debut feature of director Tim Burton — who has recently found new success with the series “Wednesday” — “Pee-wee’s Big Adventure” is an endlessly surprising and delightful film, one in which absolutely anything seems possible.
In his original review of the film, Michael Wilmington drew comparisons to Peter Lorre and Soupy Sales in attempting to describe the particular appeal of Reubens’ petulant, perennially childlike character.
“That’s what makes the character work: this sense of absolute, crazed conviction. And it makes the movie work as well — for its own audience,” Wilmington said. “Be forewarned: This film is not for anyone whose taste in humor runs only to silky Oscar Wildean epigrams or naturalistic comedies of the ‘Tootsie’ school. The wrong crowd will find these antics infantile and offensive. The right one will have a howling good time.”
Paul Reubens in the HBO documentary “Pee-wee as Himself.”
(Dennis Keeley / HBO)
The recent documentary “Pee-wee as Himself,” Matt Wolf’s startlingly intimate documentary on Reubens, includes recordings made just a few days before his 2023 death and is currently nominated for five Emmy awards.
The film explores Reubens’ life and how the explosive popularity of the Pee-wee character came to overwhelm him.
“We’re all entitled to our inner lives,” Wolf said in an interview for the paper with Dave Itzkoff. “Artists, particularly, are many different people inside. Paul was no exception, except the way he went about that was more extreme than perhaps you or I.”
‘Children of Men’ in 35mm
Clive Owen in the movie “Children of Men.”
(Jaap Buitendijk / Universal Pictures)
Alfonso Cuarón’s 2006 “Children of Men,” will screen at the Academy Museum in 35mm on Wednesday. (Frankly, the movie does not play out nearly often enough.) As part of the museum’s ongoing Branch Selects program, “Children of Men” was selected by the cinematographers branch in recognition of the work by Emmanuel Lubezki, whose work here is staggering for how often it hides the difficulty of what is being accomplished, creating a sense of naturalism amid complicated technical achievements.
Set in 2027 Britain, the film presents a frightening scenario in which no child has been born on Earth for 18 years. Theo (Clive Owen) is a former activist-turned-disillusioned bureaucrat resigned to a staid hopelessness. An encounter with his former lover Julian (Julianne Moore), who has become even more of a militant, leads him to shepherding a young woman named Kee (Clare-Hope Ashitey) to safety. She is well along in a secret pregnancy that could literally save the world.
In reviewing the film, Kenneth Turan wrote, “The best science fiction talks about the future to talk about the now, and ‘Children of Men’ very much belongs in that class. Made with palpable energy, intensity and excitement, it compellingly creates a world gone mad that is uncomfortably close to the one we live in. It is a ‘Blade Runner’ for the 21st century, a worthy successor to that epic of dystopian decay. … This is a world of rubble, fear and hopelessness whose connections to our own are never forced; Cuarón is such a fluid director with such a powerful imagination, they don’t have to be. This could well be our future, and we know it.”
Kevin Crust wrote a piece spotlighting the use of sound and music in the film, noting, “After a provocative ending that keeps audiences in their seats for the credits, ‘Children of Men’ continues to reward aurally, finishing strongly with two politically pointed songs. Leaving us with Lennon singing the anti-nationalist rant ‘Bring on the Lucie (Freda Peeple)’ and Jarvis Cocker declaiming global society’s ills with an unprintable refrain in ‘Running the World,’ Cuarón emphasizes the timelessness of this future-set film and stamps it with a humanistic double exclamation point.”
Points of interest
‘The Heartbreak Kid’ is back again
An image from 1972’s “The Heartbreak Kid,” starring Charles Grodin and Cybill Shepherd.
(LMPC via Getty Images)
We have mentioned Elaine May’s 1972 “The Heartbreak Kid” in these parts before, but any time it screens is worth mentioning. The Eastwood Performing Arts Center will be screening the film Friday and Saturday from the 2K scan of a 16mm print overseen by film historian and programmer Elizabeth Purchell. (I spoke to Purchell about creating the scan last year.) Cybill Shepherd, one of the film’s stars, will be there to introduce the Friday night show.
Long notoriously difficult to see because of rights issues, the film is back in regular rep-house rotation thanks to this new scan — a true treat for local audiences. Seeing the film with a roomful of people laughing along is an experience not to be missed.
Directed by May from a screenplay by Neil Simon, the film stars Charles Grodin as a man who deserts his new bride (Jeannie Berlin) on their honeymoon so he can pursue another woman (Shepherd).
In a review at the time, Charles Champlin wrote, “We are in the presence of a harsh social commentary, revealing again the dark side of Simon’s humor as well as some of Miss May’s own angers (reflected in her first feature ‘A New Leaf’) about the men having it their own way, to everyone’s discomfort.”
‘Bully’ and ‘Another Day in Paradise’
Brad Renfro, Bijou Phillips, Nick Stahl, Rachel Miner and cast in the movie “Bully.”
(Tobin Yelland / Lionsgate)
Though photographer-turned-filmmaker Larry Clark is now largely known for his 1995 debut feature “Kids,” he did go on to make other films. The New Beverly Cinema will spotlight two of his best with 2001’s “Bully” and 1998’s “Another Day in Paradise” as a double bill Monday and Tuesday.
“Bully” is based on the 1993 true story of a group of South Florida teens who murdered someone in their own circle of friends. Graphic, sweaty and sleazy, the film has an emotional and psychological intensity that makes it deeply disturbing. The cast includes Brad Renfro, Nick Stahl, Bijou Phillips, Rachel Minor, Kelli Garner, Michael Pitt, Daniel Franzese and Leo Fitzpatrick.
In a review of the film, Kevin Thomas compares “Bully” to “Over the Edge” and “River’s Edge” for its study of disaffected youth, noting, “Clark presents virtually all the young people in his film as doomed by clueless parents, a boring, arid environment saturated with images of violence and their own limited intelligence. Yet Clark so undeniably cares for these kids, illuminating their out-of-control rage and passions with such clarity, that it’s hard to dismiss him as a mere sexploitation filmmaker.”
Clark’s second feature, “Another Day in Paradise,” is still arguably his most conventional film, something of a post-Tarantino riff on “Drugstore Cowboy” as a young drug-addicted couple (Vincent Kartheiser and Natasha Gregson Wagner) fall under the tutelage of an older drug-addicted couple (James Woods and Melanie Griffith) who introduce them to a life of petty crime.
In a review, Thomas said, “‘Another Day in Paradise’ is as mercurial and reckless in tone as are its junkie characters, and Clark catches all these quicksilver shifts with unstinting perception and even compassion. As contradictory as it is energetic, the film takes as many risks as its people do and as a result strikes a highly contemporary nerve.”
A riveting and shockingly candid feature by Richard Natale chronicled the behind-the-scenes struggles between Clark, actor Woods (also a producer) and co-producer and co-writer Stephen Chin over final cut of the movie. Things reached a head on the evening of the film’s world premiere at the Venice Film Festival, leading to this most unusual quote from Chin: “The Larry Clark that punched me out in Venice is not the Larry Clark I know as a friend.”
For his part, Clark, who checked himself into rehab soon after that incident, said the attack came after a day in which he did “about 40 interviews and had about 60 margaritas. I was out of control. I have no defense. My motto is to never plead guilty. But in this case, I plead guilty.”
Hello! I’m Mark Olsen. Welcome to another edition of your regular field guide to a world of Only Good Movies.
As awards season begins to take shape, this week the New York Film Festival announced its closing night selection: the world premiere of Bradley Cooper’s “Is This Thing On?”
Starring Will Arnett and Laura Dern as a couple on the brink of splitting up when he immerses himself in the world of stand-up comedy, the film has been described as a “pivot” from Cooper’s previous directing efforts “A Star Is Born” and “Maestro.”
Will Arnett in Bradley Cooper’s “Is This Thing On?,” which will have its world premiere on closing night of the New York Film Festival.
(Jason McDonald / Searchlight Pictures)
Dennis Lim, artistic director of the NYFF, said that in putting together a program each year, he doesn’t mind drawing from films that have already premiered at festivals throughout the year, including Sundance, Cannes, Venice, Telluride, Toronto and others.
“How do we make a case for cinema as an art form that is still vital and relevant? I think programming the New York Film Festival is answering this question,” said Lim. “If I’m going to put forward a list of films that makes the case for cinema as an art form that matters today in 2025, which are the films that I’m going to put forward as evidence? The program is our answer to that question.”
John Woo on Hong Kong action cinema
Chow Yun-fat, left, and Danny Lee in John Woo’s “The Killer.”
(Shout! Studios)
The stylish, delirious action cinema that emerged from Hong Kong in the late 1980s and early 1990s redefined the genre, creating a visual grammar and thematic template that is still wildly influential to this day. The American Cinematheque and Beyond Fest, in partnership with Shout! Studios and GKIDS, are launching “Hong Kong Cinema Classics,” a series to celebrate these explosively exciting films.
Due to tangled rights issues, many of these movies have been largely out of circulation in the U.S. for years. To have them now remastered in 4K from original camera negatives is a thrill and puts them back in front of audiences where they belong.
The series will launch Saturday with the U.S. premiere of the new restoration of John Woo’s 1992 “Hard Boiled,” his final film made in Hong Kong before coming to the U.S., starring Chow Yun-fat, Tony Leung and Anthony Wong. Woo himself will be present for the screening at the Egyptian Theatre and will return on Sunday for 1989’s “The Killer” and a triple-bill of the “A Better Tomorrow” trilogy.
Other films in the series include Woo’s “Bullet in the Head,” Ringo Lam’s 1987 “City on Fire,” Tsui Hark’s “Peking Opera Blues” and Ching Siu-tung’s trilogy of “A Chinese Ghost Story” films.
Director John Woo, photographed in Los Angeles in 2023.
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
After relocating to America in 1993, Woo would go on to make a string of English-language films in Hollywood such as “Hard Target,” “Broken Arrow,” “Face/Off,” “Mission: Impossible 2” and “Windtalkers” as well as the more recent “Silent Night” and a 2024 remake of “The Killer.”
Speaking from his home in Los Angeles recently, Woo noted what it means to him that audiences still respond to his Hong Kong films.
“I so appreciate all the fans — for all these years they still give me great support,” said Woo, 78. “That’s why I’m so excited. It’s hard to believe that after so many years, I still have a chance to meet the audience and the audience is still excited about it. So I’m very proud.”
The Hong Kong action movies celebrated in the series slowly found their way to western audiences via festival screenings, limited theatrical releases and eventually home video.
Writing about “The Killer” in 1992, The Times’ Kevin Thomas said, “Sentimentality and violence have gone hand-in-hand from the beginning of the movies, but seldom have they been carried to such extremes and played against each other with such effectiveness.”
For Woo, there was a creative freedom while making his movies at that time. Proven Hong Kong directors were often allowed to largely do what they wanted without interference.
“In the rest of the world, I’ve been told there are very clear rules for every kind of movie,” said Woo. “The comedy is comedy. Action is only for the action fan and people who enjoy the melodrama never go to see the action movie. So each kind of movie has a certain kind of audience. But for the Hong Kong film, it is so much different. We had — in one movie — a human drama, a sense of humor and then the action. We can put everything all together.”
Chow Yun-fat, left, and Tony Leung in John Woo’s “Hard Boiled.”
(Shout! Studios)
In a 1993 profile of Woo by Joe Leydon, writer-director Quentin Tarantino, then known only for his debut “Reservoir Dogs,” lavished praised on his fellow filmmaker, saying “John Woo is reinventing the whole genre. The guy is just terrific — he’s just the best one out there right now.”
Tarantino added, “After I saw ‘A Better Tomorrow,’ I went out and bought a long coat and I got sunglasses and I walked around for about a week, dressing like Chow Yun-fat. And to me, that’s the ultimate compliment for an action hero — when you want to dress like the guy.”
Woo has always been open about the influence of filmmakers such Jean-Pierre Melville, Sam Peckinpah and Martin Scorsese on his own movies.
“I just feel like we are all in a big family,” said Woo of his enduring influence, which you can see evidence of as recently as the “John Wick” franchise. “We are all learning from each other. Every time it’s a learning process for me.”
Alex Ross Perry visits ‘Videoheaven’
Maya Hawke records the narration for Alex Ross Perry’s “Videoheaven.”
(Cinema Conservancy)
Having already released the boldly form-defying hybrid documentary “Pavements” this year, filmmaker Alex Ross Perry continues his adventurous streak with “Videoheaven,” an epic essay film about the rise and fall and continued life of video stores and their importance to film culture, with narration by Maya Hawke.
Perry will be in-person for a series of L.A. screenings this week, starting at Vidiots on Wednesday for a Q&A moderated by “The Big Picture” podcast co-host Sean Fennessey. On Thursday, the film will play at Videothèque with Perry in conversation with the store’s co-manager, Lucé Tomlin-Brenner. On Friday, Aug. 8, the film will play at the Los Feliz 3 with an introduction by Perry.
Points of interest
‘Zola’
Riley Keough, left, and Taylour Paige in “Zola.” Its director, Janicza Bravo, will attend the movie’s screening Thursday at the Academy Museum.
(Anna Kooris / A24)
The Academy Museum is screening Janicza Bravo’s 2020 “Zola” on Thursday with the filmmaker in person. Written by Bravo and Jeremy O. Harris, the film is based on a notorious 2015 Twitter thread by A’Ziah “Zola” King that chronicled an uproarious tale of a road trip gone very wrong. With a cast that includes Taylour Paige, Riley Keough, Nicholas Braun and Colman Domingo, the film plumbs disorientation and information overload both with equal skill.
Bravo, who has directed recent episodes of “The Bear” and “Too Much” (also appearing in the latter as an actor) spoke at the film’s release about balancing outrageous humor with the darker currents of its story, which touch on complex issues around sex work, sex trafficking and race.
“If it were a not funny movie about sex work and sex trafficking, I don’t think that I would be the right director for it,” said Bravo. “But A’Ziah King, who wrote this story, had imbued it with so much dark humor — you’re laughing at some of the most disturbed moments. … Her way of exorcizing her trauma — it feels so familiar to me. I feel so close to it. This is how I move through the world.”
“Zola” is screening as part of the series “American Gurl: Seeking…” which spotlights coming-of-age films about women of color. Also upcoming in the series is Martine Syms’ “The African Desperate”; Minhal Baig’s 2019 “Hala,” starring Geraldine Viswanathan; Nisha Ganatra’s “Chutney Popcorn” in 35mm with the filmmaker in conversation with Fawzia Mirza; Robert Townsend’s 1997 “B.A.P.S.” in 35mm with screenwriter Troy Byer and Spike Lee’s “Girl 6” in 35mm.
‘Taxi Zum Klo’
The 45th anniversary re-release poster for “Taxi Zum Klo.”
(Altered Innocence)
For its 45th anniversary, Frank Ripploh’s 1980 German film “Taxi Zum Klo” is returning to theaters in a new 4K restoration. A semi-autobiographical tale of a schoolteacher (played by Ripploh) exploring Berlin’s queer underground scene, the film was groundbreaking for its unapologetic candor. The film will have a limited run at the Los Feliz 3, playing on Aug. 5, 10 and 12.
In a 1981 review of the film, Sheila Benson wrote, “Films like ‘Taxi’ as so rare as to be unique, a collage of cinema journalism, an unblinking (but selective) view of homosexual life and intensely personal sexual images.”
Merle Oberon and ‘Dark Waters’
Merle Oberon, center, in 1944’s “Dark Waters.”
(United Artists / Photofest)
On Saturday the UCLA Film and Television Archive will have a 35mm screening of André de Toth’s 1944 “Dark Waters,” starring Merle Oberon. Along with the film there will be a Q&A with Mayukh Sen, author of the book “Love, Queenie: Merle Oberon, Hollywood’s First South Asian Star,” moderated by programmer and critic Miriam Bale. Sen will also do a signing before the screening.
A tense thriller that combines elements of Southern Gothic and film noir, the movie is about an heiress (Oberon) who finds herself taking refuge at a relative’s Louisiana plantation. She becomes embroiled in local intrigues and entanglements.
Writing about the movie in 1945, Philip K. Scheuer said, “The production builds suspense rather ingeniously, and culminates in an exciting night-shrouded chase in and around the bayou. … Miss Oberon never tops her initial outburst of hysterics, which I found pretty terrifying, but it is nice to see her in the part.”
In other news
‘Cat Video Fest’ returns
An image from “Cat Video Fest 2025.”
(Oscilloscope Laboratories)
The “Cat Video Fest” is back for its eighth installment, playing at Vidiots, the Alamo Drafthouse DTLA and multiple Laemmle locations. Created and curated by Will Braden, the series has raised more than $1 million since 2019 to help shelters, support adoptions and foster care and volunteer sign-ups.
Yes, you can watch plenty of cat videos on your phone. But sitting in a theater delighting in them with an audience is something else entirely.
The acclaimed novel was turned into a groundbreaking series
The BBC series was groundbreaking (Image: BBC)
A period piece based on an acclaimed novel is now streaming and a must watch for any fans of costume dramas.
Audience members have praised the limited series on IMDb, with one user giving a 10/10 review and the title: “A skilled adaptation of an extraordinary novel”.
A second person titled their review “sublime” and said: “The BBC has done it again: this is a wonderful production of a very good book, and they have done it up in style.”
Another person heaped praised on the programme: “The sets and costumes are flawless, the direction is stylish and the characters are likeable. There is a fair amount of humor [sic] but it has surprisingly dark interludes. The protagonist is really a tragic figure, but not devoid of happiness.”
They added: “The BBC have made some wonderful productions in the past, and this adventurous period piece only confirms their standard of excellence on all fronts.”
Hugh Bonneville featured in the BBC series (Image: BBC)
A fourth commented: “This wonderful 3 part BBC production is one of the sweetest love stories that I have seen in a while.”
They went on to say: “The characters are well defined and very believable. I guess this is a by-product of a good adaptation from a well written novel.”
Tipping the Velvet aired on the BBC in 2022, based on Welsh author Sarah Waters 1998 debut novel of the same name.
The three-part series saw Pride and Prejudice and The Fortunes and Misfortunes of Moll Flanders screenwriter Andrew Davies overseeing the scripts.
Tipping the Velvet was set in the Victorian era and followed the sexual awakening of Whitstable native Nan Astley (played by Rachael Stirling) after she headed to the big smoke of London and fell in love with male impersonator Kitty Butler (Keeley Hawes).
The pair embarked on a passionate romance as Nan funded her life in London, before the pair form an onstage double-act.
Rachael Stirling and Keeley Hawes starred in the BBC period drama (Image: BBC)
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The series was a coming-of-age tale with moments of humour and darkness with a bawdy twist.
Tipping the Velvet featured a stellar cast, including Four Weddings and a Funeral star Anna Chancellor, Game of Thrones’ Jodhi May, Oscar nominee Sally Hawkins, Line of Duty’s Daniel Mays, Downton Abbey favourite Hugh Bonneville, Monica Dolan of Appropriate Adult fame, and even a turns from Doctor Stranger star Benedict Cumberbatch, Johnny Vegas and Alexei Sayle.
Both the TV series and novel have had a positive impact on the depiction of queer characters on screen and led to more LGBTQIA+ stories to be told onscreen.
Previously reflecting on the success of her novel and the subsequent BBC adaptation, author Waters wrote at length about it in 2018, marking the book’s 20th anniversary.
She explained in The Guardian how she was “thrilled” by the reception among the queer community but the success among straight readers “took me by surprise”.
Waters also pondered on whether she’d write a sequel and would focus on Kitty.
Tipping the Velvet is available to stream on Prime Video for a fee
The show based on a famous gothic novel was adapted for the BBC in a 2014 miniseries and it stars a familiar face from Downton Abbey.
Jessica Brown Findlay plays Mary and Jessica Brown Findlay plays Jem(Image: BBC)
BBC enthusiasts have been left gobsmacked by a period drama miniseries they’re calling a “masterpiece” – and it’s crafted from the pages of a novel by a “queen of the genre”. The gothic tale of Jamaica Inn, penned by Daphne Du Maurier in 1936, has been brought to life in a gripping 2014 adaptation.
Set against the backdrop of 1821, Jamaica Inn spins the story of Mary Yellan, who after the heartbreak of losing her mother, goes to live with her aunt at the eponymous coaching inn in Cornwall. However, Mary soon discovers the inn’s lack of guests hides a dark secret, as she stumbles upon a nest of criminal dealings and finds herself entangled in romance with a dashing petty thief.
The series features Downton Abbey star Jessica Brown Findlay portraying the intrepid Mary and Matthew McNulty as her roguish love interest Jem Merlyn, joined by Emmerdale‘s own Danny Miller and Andrew Scarborough.
BBC fans are raving over a ‘beautiful’ period drama(Image: BBC)
One critique read: “This adaptation struck the right mood, it seemed to me – dark and subtly sinister.”
Another viewer was enchanted, describing it as “dark and beautiful”, and adding: “Very beautiful adaptation of the Du Maurier classic novel to a TV mini-series. There is a reason why Hitchcock directed this back in 1939. The atmosphere set is hypnotic at times.
“The music is well-chosen. It sets the right mood. When I first read the book, I imagined the setting to be similar but not quite as beautiful as shown here.”
The series received mixed reviews at the time(Image: BBC)
The New York Times lauded the novel behind the adaptation, hailing it as a work by “the queen of the form”, and an ideal read for “readers of Gothic thrillers”.
Jamaica Inn is no stranger to screen adaptations; its most renowned version was Alfred Hitchcock’s 1939 film.
The story also graced television screens in an ITV miniseries back in 1983 with Jane Seymour taking the lead, and it even crossed over into French television with a TV movie in 1995.
Jamaica Inn is available to stream on ITV Premium.
Dua, who has won seven Brit awards and three Grammys, said that she did not know she could sing until a teacher at the Sylvia Young Theatre School told her how good she was.
Actors who attended her classes include Keeley Hawes, Doctor Who’s Matt Smith, Nicholas Hoult, who is in the latest Superman blockbuster, and Emmy-nominated Adolescence and Top Boy star Ashley Walters.
The school was also a conveyor belt for EastEnders stars, with Nick Berry, Letitia Dean, Adam Woodyatt and Dean Gaffney all passing through its doors.
READ MORE ON DRAMA SCHOOLS
Stage fright
But there were problems along the way. In 1998 one of the drama masters was arrested for indecent assault, and the company struggled to survive the Covid shutdown.
The pressures of fame also proved too much for some former pupils, including the late Winehouse and EastEnders’ original Mark Fowler, David Scarboro, who was found at the bottom of cliffs as Beachy Head in East Sussex in 1988.
Sylvia, though, was loved by her former pupils, many of whom paid tribute to the “backstage matriarch”.
Keeley Hawes wrote: “I wouldn’t have the career I have today without her help”.
And All Saints singer Nicole Appleton commented: “This is going to really affect us all who were lucky enough to be part of her amazing world growing up. What a time, the best memories.”
DJ Tony Blackburn added: “She was a very lovely lady who I had the privilege of knowing for many years. She will be sadly missed.”
Winehouse Shows Star Quality
Actress Sadie Frost commented online: “What a woman, what a family, what a legacy! Sending everyone so much love and support. She was always so lovely to me.”
And TV and radio presenter Kate Thornton said she “meant so much to so many”.
Sylvia did not boast about the success of her students and the school’s website does not mention its incredible roster of ex-pupils.
But it is hard to imagine a single drama teacher ever having as much impact as her. Sylvia’s two daughters, Alison and Frances Ruffelle, who are directors of the theatre school, said: “Our mum was a true visionary.
“She gave young people from all walks of life the chance to pursue their performing arts skills to the highest standard.
“Her rare ability to recognise raw talent and encourage all her students contributed to the richness of today’s theatre and music world, even winning herself an Olivier Award along the way.”
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Pop star Rita Ora also attended Sylvia’s schoolCredit: Getty
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Rita Ora pictured as a student of the Sylvia Young Theatre SchoolCredit: John Clark/22five Publishing
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Denise Van Outen was a product of the prestigious schoolCredit: Getty
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A young and smiling Denise at Sylvia’s schoolCredit: YouTube
Sylvia made it to the top of the British entertainment industry the hard way.
She was the eldest of nine children born to Abraham Bakal, a tailor’s presser, and housewife Sophie in London’s East End. Born in 1939 just after the outbreak of World War Two she remembered the air raid sirens during the Blitz of the capital.
She was evacuated to a village near Barnsley during the war, only returning home once it was over.
At the local library she was gripped by reading plays and would meet up with friends to perform them.
While still at school she joined a theatre group in North London, but her dreams of treading the boards in the West End were dashed by stage fright.
She said: “I used to lose my voice before every production. When I think about it, they were sort of panic attacks.”
Instead, she married telephone engineer Norman Ruffell in 1961 and stayed at home to look after their two daughters.
When Alison and Frances attended primary school, Sylvia started teaching drama to their fellow pupils. It cost just ten pence and the kids also got a cup of orange squash and a biscuit.
Word spread and when her students got the nickname the Young-uns, Sylvia decided to adopt the surname Young for business purposes.
The first Sylvia Young Theatre School was set up in 1981 in Drury Lane in the heart of London’s theatre district.
Two years later, it moved to a former church school in Marylebone in central London, where most of its famous pupils got their start.
Even though it is fee-paying, everyone has to pass an audition — and only one in 25 applicants are successful.
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Dua Lipa, who has won seven Brit awards and three GrammysCredit: Redferns
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She did not know she could sing until a teacher at the Sylvia Young Theatre School told her how good she wasCredit: Instagram
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Emma Bunton joining the Spice Girls was thanks to Sylvia’s schoolCredit: Getty
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It was thanks to talent scouts and casting agents putting up requests on the notice board at the schoolCredit: Shutterstock Editorial
It costs up to £7,000 per term for full-time students and only has places for 250 pupils aged ten to 16.
There are bursaries and fee reductions for pupils from less well-off backgrounds, plus a Saturday school and part-time classes.
Sylvia was always keen to avoid it being a school for rich kids.
When she took an assembly she would ask pupils, “What mustn’t we be?”, and they would shout back, “Stage school brats”.
Keeping kids level-headed when stardom beckoned was also important for the teacher.
She said: “I offer good training and like to keep the students as individual as possible.
“We develop a lot of confidence and communication skills. Of course they want immediate stardom, but they’re not expecting it. You don’t find notices up here about who’s doing what. It is actually played down tremendously.”
‘Baby Spice was lovely’
A need for discipline even applied to Sylvia’s daughter Frances, who she expelled from the school.
Frances clearly got over it, going on to have a career in musical theatre and representing the United Kingdom in the 1994 Eurovision Song Contest, finishing tenth.
Those genes were strong, with Frances’ daughter, stage name Eliza Doolittle, having a Top Five hit with Pack Up in 2010.
The ever-rebellious Amy Winehouse, who died in 2011 aged 27 from accidental alcohol poisoning, claimed to have been kicked out, too.
She said: “I was just being a brat and being disruptive and so on. I loved it there, I didn’t have a problem, I just didn’t want to conform.
“And they didn’t like me wearing a nose piercing.”
But Sylvia did not want Amy to leave. She said: “She would upset the academic teachers, except the English teacher who thought she’d be a novelist. She seemed to be just loved. But she was naughty.”
Other singers were clearly inspired by their time at the school, which moved to new premises in Westminster in 2010.
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Billie Piper had her acting skills honed thanks to SylviaCredit: Getty
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Billie attended the Sylvia Young Theatre SchoolCredit: News Group Newspapers Ltd
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Sylvia was loved by her former pupils, many of whom paid tribute to the ‘backstage matriarch’Credit: Alamy
Dua Lipa, who went to the Saturday school from the age of nine, was asked to sing in front of other pupils shortly after joining.
She said, “I was terrified”, but that the vocal coach “was the first person to tell me I could sing”.
Talent scouts and casting agents would put up requests on the notice board at the school. One such posting led to Emma Bunton joining the Spice Girls.
Of Baby Spice, Sylvia said: “She got away with whatever she could. But she was a lovely, happy-go-lucky individual with a sweet singing voice.”
Groups were also formed by Sylvia’s ex-pupils.
All Saints singer Melanie Blatt became best friends with Nicole Appleton at Sylvia Young’s and brought her in when her band needed new singers in 1996.
But Melanie was not complimentary about the school, once saying: “I just found the whole thing really up its own arse.”
Casting agents did, however, hold the classes in very high regard.
The professionalism instilled in the students meant that producers from major British TV shows such as EastEnders and Grange Hill kept coming back for more.
Hundreds, if not thousands, of less well-known performers treading the boards of Britain’s stages also have the school’s ethos to thank for their success.
Those achievements were recognised in the 2005 Honours List when Sylvia was awarded an OBE for services to the arts.
Sir Cameron Mackintosh, who has produced shows including Les Miserables and Cats, said: “The show that provided the greatest showcase for the young actors she discovered and nurtured is undoubtedly Oliver! which has featured hundreds of her students over the years.
“Sylvia was a pioneer who became a caring but formidable children’s agent.”
New BBC drama Unforgivable aired on Thursday 24 July
New BBC drama Unforgivable aired on Thursday 24 July (Image: BBC)
The BBC aired its new hard-hitting drama Unforgivable which featured actors Anna Friel, Bobby Schofield and Anna Maxwell Martin.
Penned by Time writer Jimmy McGovern, the intense original drama delves into the consequences of grooming and sexual abuse on a family unit.
Located and shot in Liverpool, Unforgivable casts the spotlight on the fictive Mitchell family as they grapple with the shattering impact of a vile act of abuse committed by one of their kin.
In the drama, which aired on Thursday 24 July, it saw Anna Friel portraying a character also named Anna, Anne actor Bobby as Joe, Bafta-winners Anna Maxwell Martin as Katherine and David Threlfall playing Brian, with Adolescence actor Austin Haynes cast as Tom.
The BBC aired its new hard-hitting drama Unforgivable which featured actors Anna Friel, Bobby Schofield and Anna Maxwell Martin(Image: BBC)
In the drama, Joe makes his way to a rehabilitation centre after completing his prison term, which provides him accommodation and help post-release.
He takes on therapy sessions in the hope of understanding what led him to commit the abuse, and to face the consequences of his actions, while supported by ex-nun Katherine.
At the same time, Joe’s sister Anna is dealing with the effects his crime had on her family, including her sons Tom and Peter (Fin McParland) and her father Brian.
The BBC said of the drama: “The drama examines the extensive ripple effect of abuse from multiple perspectives and how those involved can try to move forwards in the midst of the devastation.”
Taking to Twitter, now X, viewers were quick to share the same response over the ‘powerful’ and ‘complex’ BBC drama. One person said: “#Unforgivable Powerful and not a comfortable watch. Acting is absolutely Fantastic from the whole cast. Bobby Schofield is amazing. Well done to all involved in this important drama.”
Located and shot in Liverpool, Unforgivable casts the spotlight on the fictive Mitchell family(Image: bbc)
A different account put: “Amazing piece of television. Not an easy watch but superb #Unforgivable”, another wrote: “I thought that was brilliant .Fantastic acting and very thought provoking. Amazing cast and writing #Unforgivable”, a different viewer commented: “Such a powerful and hard watch ! A great show #unforgivable” while another added: “#Unforgivable wow, what a difficult but powerful story. Jimmy McGovern strikes yet again. The last scene broke me. Brilliant stuff.”
BBC Drama Director Lindsay Salt previously offered an insight into what viewers can expect from the drama, stating: “Jimmy McGovern is one of our greatest dramatists, and a master at writing about today’s world.
“His new film sensitively examines the pain of abuse and how it affects not only the victim but ripples out across the whole family.
“To see it brought to the screen with such a high calibre cast and creative team is further testament to the quality of Jimmy’s writing.”
Writer Jimmy added of the drama: “I can’t believe the cast and crew that have been assembled for this production. It’s a challenging film, yes, but I can’t wait for it to be shown.”
Unforgivable is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.
BBC’s powerful new drama Unforgivable has one renowned Shameless star among its leading star-studded cast but fans will simply not recognise him
Kelly Smith Screen Time Reporter
18:00, 24 Jul 2025
Shameless actor David Threlfall couldn’t look further away from his former alter-ego Frank Gallagher even if he tried, in BBC‘s new drama feature, Unforgivable.
David, 71, who is best known for his alcoholic, chain-smoking days as Frank on the popular working-class comedy sitcom, has ditched his iconic long dark locks to star in the role of Anna Mitchell’s father.
David played Frank Gallagher on Shameless (Image: EMPICS Entertainment)
Anna, is a mother of two children and her brother Joe is the perpetrator – who had been behind bars serving a two year prison sentence for his despicable crimes.
Joe is now to be released from jail and undertake rehabilitation which takes further toll on Anna, who is played by award-winning actress, Anna Friel, as she attempts to deal with the aftermath and emotional strain.
David looked worlds away from his Shameless days
David plays the angry dad of Anna, after learning she’d been to visit her brother Joe, despite his chilling crimes. His character in Unforgivable appears to be worlds away from his former head-of-the-clan character Frank on Shameless.
In the brand new production, the esteemed actor is totally unrecognisable, boasting short gray hair and a neatly trimmed matching beard.
Another distinctive observation that’ll no doubt throw fans off of his Frank Gallagher scent, is that he is also presented as a well kept man, sporting a black tie and blazer with a crisp white shirt – nothing like his oversized green parka-style coat from a past on-screen life.
Previously, David’s appearance and accent have also proved to be a talking point among baffled fans with the actor bearing no real-life resemblance to his character at all.
David has confessed in the past he is nothing like Frank in real life(Image: Channel 4)
He played Frank so well, that viewers were unable to get past that he may not be anything like him off-screen.
Shameless aired on Channel 4 for eleven series and 139 episodes from 2004 until 2013 and was adapted in the US, where it ran between 2011 and 2021.
Speaking about his pursuits away from television, David previously shared with the Mirror that he is a family man at heart, sharing two children with his accomplished actor wife, Brana Bajic.
Underscoring the disparity between himself and his fictional counterpart, he told the publication 2010: “I can’t imagine getting up in the morning and taking a drink. My body doesn’t take more than four pints. I was doing a scene yesterday where he was drinking cough medicine. He’s lost.”
Unforgivable will air on BBC Two at 9pm this Thursday and will be available on BBC iPlayer from the same day.
