News

The Legend of Vox Machina will continue to be told on Prime Video.

The streamer has released a trailer for Season 3 of the animated fantasy series, which will premiere Wednesday, Oct. 3 and drop three episodes per week for four weeks.

More from TVLineOuter Banks Sets Two-Part Season 4 Release - Watch the Pogues' New Treasure Hunt Get Underway in First TrailerLioness Sets Season 2 Premiere Date, Shares First Look at Genesis Rodriguez's New CharacterTVLine Items: Acapulco Renewed, Joel McHale Joins Yellowjackets and More

“Everything is at stake” in the highly anticipated third season, as the Chroma Conclave’s path of destruction...

Apple TV+ has rounded out the main cast of its upcoming series adaptation of the Mick Herron novel “Down Cemetery Road.”

Adeel Akhtar, Nathan Stewart-Jarrett, Tom Goodman-Hill, Darren Boyd, Tom Riley, Adam Godley, Sinead Matthews, Ken Nwosu, Fehinti Balogun, and Aiysha Hart have all been cast in the series.

They will appear alongside previously announced leads Emma Thompson and Ruth Wilson.

The official description for the series states, “When a house explodes in a quiet Oxford suburb and a girl disappears in the aftermath, neighbor Sarah Tucker (Wilson) becomes obsessed with finding her and enlists the help of private investigator Zoë Boehm (Thompson). Zoë and Sarah suddenly find themselves in a complex conspiracy that reveals that people long believed dead are still among the living, while the living are fast joining the dead.”

Akhtar will appear as Hamza. Stewart-Jarrett will play Downey. Goodman-Hill has been cast as Gerard, and Boyd has been cast as C.

Looking for a bit of mystery? The best of British streamer BritBox is heading into the new month with a crime-heavy collection of new film and TV titles! The month will kick off with the BritBox exclusive serial adaptation of the Agatha Christie mystery “Murder Is Easy,” starring David Jonsson and Penelope Wilton. Continue throughout March for repeat offenders, like Season 2 of the multi-bafta Award-winning anthology series “Time,” the complete 12-season police procedural program “Trial & Retribution,” or the 1990s crime drama “Killer Net.”

Check out The Streamable’s top picks for BritBox’s latest additions and learn everything coming to the streamer this March!

7-Day Free Trial $8.99+ / month BritBox.com What are the 5 Best Shows and Movies Coming to BritBox in March 2024? “Agatha Christie's Murder Is Easy” | Friday, March 1

David Jonsson leads the cast as the young and ambitious Luke Fitzwilliam in the recent BBC One Christie adaptation. Arriving from...

Contains spoilers for Murder is Easy including the identity of the murderer.

A Christmas Christie is a treat and Murder is Easy scratches that itch very nicely. Telling the story of a rural village of two halves where people keep getting murdered while the police seemingly do nothing, this latest adap written by Sian Ejiwunmi-Le Berre makes some meaty changes to Christie’s original story. Most noticeably our hero, Luke Fitzwilliam (David Jonsson) is no longer a white policeman but a young Nigerian diplomat. After encountering a lady on a train (Penelope Wilton) who tells him about the deaths in the village and that they were carried out by a respectable person with a point to make, and who is subsequently killed herself, Fitzwilliam feels it’s his duty to find out what’s going on.

In the village of Wychwood Fitzwilliam meets a racist doctor (played by Mathew Bayton...

Filming has begun and the cast has been revealed for Agatha Christie novel adaptation “Murder Is Easy.”

Based on Christie’s 1939 novel, the two-part thriller is adapted by Siân Ejiwunmi-Le Berre and directed by Meenu Gaur (“World on Fire”).

The cast includes David Jonsson, Morfydd Clark, Penelope Wilton (“Downton Abbey”), Sinead Matthews (“The Crown”), Tom Riley (“The Nevers”), Douglas Henshall (“Shetland”), Mathew Baynton (“Ghosts”), Mark Bonnar (“World on Fire”), Nimra Bucha (“Ms Marvel”), Tamzin Outhwaite (“The Tower”), Jon Pointing (“Big Boys”) and Phoebe Licorish in her screen debut.

The story is set in 1954 England. On a train to London, Fitzwilliam (Jonsson) meets Miss Pinkerton (Wilton), who tells him that a killer is on the loose in the sleepy English village of Wychwood under Ashe. The villagers believe the deaths are accidents, but Miss Pinkerton knows otherwise — and when she’s later found dead on her way to Scotland Yard, Fitzwilliam...

Industry and Rye Lane star David Jonsson, Lord of the Rings lead Morfydd Clark and Downton Abbey‘s Penelope Wilton are among the cast of BBC and Britbox International’s latest Agatha Christie adaptation, Murder is Easy.

Filming is now underway in Scotland, with Jonsson playing lead character Fitzwilliam. On a train in 1954 England, he meets Miss Pinkerton (Wilton), who tells him a killer is on the loose in the sleepy village of Wychwood under Ashe. Though the locals believes the deaths are accidents, Miss Pinkerton knows better and is soon found dead on her way to Scotland Yard. Fitzwilliams is convinced he has to find the killer before they strike again.

Clark will play Bridget, Sinead Matthews (Hullraisers, The Crown) is Miss Waynflete, Tom Riley (The Nevers, Ill Behaviour) is Lord Whitfield, Douglas Henshall (Shetland, In Plain Sight) plays Major Horton, Mathew Baynton (Ghosts, Wonka) portrays Dr Thomas, Mark Bonnar (World on Fire,...

Apple TV+ recently released the trailer for “The Last Thing He Told Me,” a new limited series coming April 14 that stars Jennifer Garner, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Angourie Rice, Aisha Tyler, and Augusto Aguilera. The series follows Hannah (Garner), a woman who must forge a relationship with her 16-year-old stepdaughter Bailey (Rice) to discover why her husband has disappeared.

Take a look at the trailer for “The Last Thing He Told Me”: 7-Day Free Trial $6.99 / month apple.com

On April 21, Prime Video will debut the new film “Judy Blume Forever.” The documentary chronicles the award-winning writer whose books addressed numerous topics, including friendship, sexuality, and bullying for adolescent readers. Her 1970 classic “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret” has been made into a feature film, due in theaters April 28. It stars Rachel McAdams, Kathy Bates, and Abby Ryder Fortson.

Get a sneak peek at “Judy Blume Forever”: 30-Day Free Trial...

After losing more than 75 pounds for Season 4 of “Stranger Things,” in which his character Jim Hopper was wasting away in a Russian gulag, David Harbour had one thing on his mind.

“As soon as we finished my last shirtless scene, I sent my assistant to this great pasta place for lasagna,” Harbour recalls. “It only came in trays, so I gave her a little section and then I just took the whole tray and dove in like a maniac.”

After battling starvation, Soviet guards and a Demogorgon in the hit Netflix series, Harbour is currently facing some truly scary demons — family. The actor is appearing in Theresa Rebeck’s latest play, “Mad House,” at the Ambassadors Theatre in London, running through Sept. 4. Eight shows a week, Harbour storms and thunders as Michael, a schizophrenic man who is released from a mental institution and thrown into equally harrowing conditions as he...

In his latest interview/podcast, host and screenwriter Stuart Wright interviews writer/director Gerard Johnson about his latest feature film, the neo – ‘Newcastle’ – noir thriller Muscle.

Simon is a young man who has been working in an ordinary office for a long time. He leads a measured lifestyle, in which every day he repeats the previous one. Routine tightens deeper and deeper, and it seems that he will never get out of it. But one day a personal trainer named Terry bursts into his everyday life. From that moment on, everything changes in the most dramatic way.

Muscle, which Craig Fairbrass, Cavan Clerkin, Peter Ferdinando, Polly Maberly, Sinead Matthews and Mark Stobbart, is in selected UK cinemas and available across most on demand platforms including BFI Player and Curzon Player now.

Stars: Craig Fairbrass, Cavan Clerkin, Sinead Matthews, Polly Maberly | Written and Directed by Gerard Johnson

I keep saying that the British film industry is on the up and up, with some top quality independent movies breaking through the ranks and showcasing some incredible talent in front of and behind the camera. Directors, actors, producers, DOPs and stunt folks alike are all showing they can cut it with the best of them.

One thing I love, more than seeing the new breed come through, is when someone who has been a workhorse for years and consistently has put in the work but time and time again has been dismissed as “that Footsoldier Guy,” finally starts to garner the reviews and recognition he deserves. That is right folks – Craig Fairbrass has finally started getting the praise from the “critics” that us lowly reviewers knew all along. After not one but two blistering performances this year,...

Stars: Katie Brayben, Poppy Roe, Sian Clifford, Fiona Glascott, Ben Lloyd-Hughes, Sinead Matthews, Tomiwa Edun, David Newman | Written and Directed by Staten Cousins Roe

[Note: With the film now out on deman, here's a reposting of our review of A Serial Kiler’s Guide To Life, from the films screening at last years London Frightfest]

British comedy horror has taken many forms. From the Abominable Dr. Phibes to Shaun of the Dead to The Cottage. All very different but all equally funny and A Serial Killer’s Guide To Life is another unique horror comedy that feels at home with a lot of recent films and shows from the U.K.

Lou’s life is going nowhere. Working a minimum wage nothing job and living at home with her mum who she also (kind of) looks after. Looking for some direction in her life she searches for a life coach and happens upon Val. A life coach who is looking to take someone on a self help road trip across England and Lou is desperate enough to hop along for the ride.

Stars: Katie Brayben, Poppy Roe, Sian Clifford, Fiona Glascott, Ben Lloyd-Hughes, Sinead Matthews, Tomiwa Edun, David Newman | Written and Directed by Staten Cousins Roe

British comedy horror has taken many forms. From the Abominable Dr. Phibes to Shaun of the Dead to The Cottage. All very different but all equally funny and A Serial Killer’s Guide To Life is another unique horror comedy that feels at home with a lot of recent films and shows from the U.K.

Lou’s life is going nowhere. Working a minimum wage nothing job and living at home with her mum who she also (kind of) looks after. Looking for some direction in her life she searches for a life coach and happens upon Val. A life coach who is looking to take someone on a self help road trip across England and Lou is desperate enough to hop along for the ride.

Stars: Neil Maskell, Sura Dohnke, Marvin Maskell, Nicole Nettleingham, Doon Mackichan, Bill Paterson, Hayley Squires, Mark Monero, Richard Glover, Sudha Bhuchar, Vincent Ebrahim, Sinead Matthews, Sarah Baxendale, Charles Dance, Joe Cole, Peter Ferdinando | Written and Directed by Ben Wheatley

Happy New Year, Colin Burstead follows in the stead of Ben Wheatley’s previous directing efforts, in particular his 2013 black and white acid trip exploit A Field in England, in the case of releasing his picture simultaneously on both demand and a limited cinematic release. However this may alos just be his unsung masterpiece in a filmography that continues to evoke a grand sense of evolution with each entry and distinctive palette, which reinforces Wheatley’s stunning artistic ability with every and any angle.

Wheatley’s latest is a somewhat ironic variation of his first cinematic feature in Down Terrace and his breakout action hit of 2016, Free Fire - with the...

“Reboot” is a word bandied about so much in the film industry these days that its meaning has become entirely elastic, referring to anything from a sequel to a remake to a mildly delayed franchise chapter. A lo-fi, high-volume original character piece from Ben Wheatley, “Happy New Year, Colin Burstead” is none of these things — and yet, in the sense that a reboot describes a freshly started system following technical complications, it feels like one for this genre-roaming writer-director. After mixed returns for the dizzy formal chaos of his J.G. Ballard adaptation “High-Rise” and the vapid shoot-’em-up varnish of “Free Fire,” Wheatley’s restless study of a dysfunctional family reunited for a prickly New Year’s Eve party is a back-to-basics affair that rewardingly sets him back in the seasick domestic space of his debut “Down Terrace,” albeit with words as its only weapons this time.

Working without his usual writing partner Amy Jump,...

Bankside Films represents worldwide sales.

Vertical Entertainment has acquired North American rights from Bankside Films to Tribeca selection Jellyfish.

James Gardner’s feature recently received its international premiere at the Edinburgh Film Festival in the UK where lead actors Liv Hill and Sinead Matthews jointly received the Michael Powell jury award for Best Performance in a British Feature Film.

The film will appear as a part of Amazon’s signature ‘Festival Stars’ programme following its digital release in the fourth quarter this year and centres on a 15-year-old bullied girl from an unstable family who discovers an outlet in stand-up comedy.

Under-the-radar feature to be broadcast by the BBC over Christmas.

Free Fire director Ben Wheatley’s mysterious seventh feature, Happy New Year, Colin Burstead, which was shot under-the-radar in the UK at the beginning of the year, has secured an international sales deal and UK distribution.

The film will be released in partnership with BBC Films, BBC Comedy and BBC Two. Following its world premiere in Competition at the BFI London Film Festival in October, it will screen around the UK in a limited run of Q&A sessions with Wheatley and the cast before being broadcast on BBC Two over the Christmas holiday.

Ben Wheatley’s (Free Fire) seventh feature, Happy New Year, Colin Burstead, will air in the UK on BBC Two over Christmas after its London Film Festival (Oct 10-21) world premiere.

Following Lff, the comedy-drama will screen around the UK in a limited run of Q&A sessions and will forego a theatrical run in favour of a holiday broadcast after being jointly picked up by BBC Films, BBC Comedy and BBC Two.

The UK pic, which is being sold internationally by Goalpost Film in Toronto, focuses on Colin Burstead (Neil Maskell) who hires a lavish country manor for his extended family to celebrate New Year. But his position of power in the family comes under threat from the arrival of his estranged brother David.

Also among cast are Richard Glover, Peter Ferdinando, Mark Monero, Sam Riley, Asim Chaudhry, Joe Cole, Charles Dance, Alexandra Maria Lara, Doon Mackichan, Sinead Matthews,...

Atmospheric Scottish Highland-set thriller Calibre has taken the top prize at this year's Edinburgh International Film Festival and there's good news for anyone who wants to watch the award-winning film: just a few days after it's World Premiere at the festival, it became available to view on UK Netflix. The film is the feature debut of Matt Palmer and stars Jack Lowden and Martin McCann as a pair of friends who make a terrible mistake on a hunting trip, falling foul of gun-wielding villagers who draw them into a dark nightmare... Others winners at the festival include Best Performance Awards for actresses Liv Hill and Sinead Matthews for their roles in British drama Jellyfish, Best International Feature Film for Cyril Shäublin’s Those Who Were Fine,...

[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...

The Michael Powell Award for Best British Feature Film at the 72nd Edinburgh International Film Festival has gone to Matt Palmer’s debut feature Calibre.

Dunkir’s Jack Lowden and The Survivalist star Martin McCann play two lifelong friends who get more than they bargained for when they head up to an isolated Scottish Highlands village for a weekend hunting trip. Netflix previously picked up world rights to the film, which had its world premiere in Edinburgh.

The winner was chosen by the Michael Powell Jury comprised of Ana Ularu, Jason Connery and Iain de Caestecker. The jury said, “Beautifully shot, technically accomplished, with a fantastic ensemble performance, director and screenwriter Matt Palmer pitches the tension and emotional journey flawlessly. We are fully invested in the characters and their dilemmas as the choices they make lead to a shattering conclusion.”

The award for Best Performance in a British Feature Film,...

Netflix may have been shut out of Cannes, but one of its original films, Matt Palmer’s “Calibre,” has won the Michael Powell Award for Best British Feature Film at the 72nd edition of the Edinburgh International Film Festival.

Palmer’s debut feature follows a pair of friends on a hunting trip in the Scottish Highlands and the consequences of a tragic accident. It had its world premiere at the Eiff. The Edinburgh jury said the film “unanimously made the biggest impact on us,” adding: “Beautifully shot, technically accomplished, with a fantastic ensemble performance, director and screenwriter Matt Palmer pitches the tension and emotional journey flawlessly.”

Palmer said: “We’ve been completely thrilled by the amazing response from Edinburgh International Film Festival audiences and had a fantastic experience at the festival, which has been the perfect lead-up to ‘Calibre’s’ global release on Netflix today.”

The movie is produced by...

Those Who Are Fine and Whitney also receive awards.

Calibre, the debut feature from UK writer-director Matt Palmer, has taken the top prize at the 72nd Edinburgh International Film Festival.

The film, which received its world premiere at the festival and has a worldwide release on Netflix on Thursday (June 28), received the Michael Powell award for best British feature film.

“Palmer pitches the tension and emotional journey flawlessly. We are fully invested in the characters and their dilemmas as the choices they make lead to a shattering conclusion,” said the jury, which comprised actors Ana Ularu, Iain De Caestecker, and Jason Connery.

Those Who Are Fine and Whitney also receive awards.

Calibre, the debut feature from UK writer-director Matt Palmer, has taken the top prize at the 72nd Edinburgh International Film Festival.

The film, which had its world premiere at the festival and has a worldwide release on Netflix today, received the Michael Powell award for best British feature film.

“Palmer pitches the tension and emotional journey flawlessly. We are fully invested in the characters and their dilemmas as the choices they make lead to a shattering conclusion,” said the jury which was comprised of actors Ana Ularu, Iain De Caestecker and Jason Connery.

If British teenager Sarah Taylor’s (Liv Hill) life was a movie, its relentless ghastliness might make even a seasoned miserabilist like Ken Loach say, “C’mon, now.” She’s the primary caretaker in an economically and emotionally depressed family comprised of a bipolar mother (Sinead Matthews) and two sprightly siblings (Henry Lile and Jemima Newman) who are still too young to grasp the bleakness of their situation. When she’s not mouthing off at school and driving her drama teacher, Adam (Cyril Nri), up the wall, she’s working at a low-rent games parlor in her seaside hometown of Margate, where her boss (Angus...

If British teenager Sarah Taylor’s (Liv Hill) life was a movie, its relentless ghastliness might make even a seasoned miserabilist like Ken Loach say, “C’mon, now.” She’s the primary caretaker in an economically and emotionally depressed family comprising a bipolar mother (Sinead Matthews) and two sprightly siblings (Henry Lile and Jemima Newman), who are still too young to grasp the bleakness of their situation. When she’s not mouthing off at school and driving her drama teacher, Adam (Cyril Nri), up the wall, she’s working at a low-rent games parlor in her seaside hometown ...

(Aotn)- Smt Heads, as the weather cools down, the indie films heat up! Case in point, IFC Midnight’s “Kaleidoscope,” the debut film from Rupert Jones and starring fan favorite Toby Jones.

Check out the pulse pounding trailer for this psychological thriller right here:

Kaleidoscope: Opening in theaters and VOD December 8th

Directed by: Rupert Jones Starring: Toby Jones, Anne Reid & Sinead Matthews

This intense, twisty thriller unfolds in the darkest corners of a man’s mind. Recently released from prison, mild-mannered Carl (Toby Jones) quietly attempts to move on with his life. Just as he embarks on his first date in 15 years, Carl’s fresh start is shattered by the sudden reappearance of his domineering mother (Anne Reid), whose presence awakens within him a deep-seated trauma. What unfolds is a brain-warping puzzle as reality and illusion, past and present collide and explode in violence. The debut feature...

"You left clues everywhere..." IFC has debuted the first official trailer for an intriguing psychological thriller titled Kaleidoscope, from writer/director Rupert Jones. The film stars Toby Jones as middle-aged man just released from prison. The film is apparently about his relationship to his mother, and asks the question: "is it possible to escape our past?" The cast includes Anne Reid, Sinead Matthews, Manjinder Virk, Karl Johnson, Deborah Findlay, and Frederick Schmidt. This looks like a creepy, mysterious head-trip kind of film, but actually quite good with seemingly lots of twists. Per the description: "At the heart of this modern day Psycho are some unsettling questions: Can we ever escape the role in which we are cast by our early circumstances? Must a perpetrator first be a victim?" This trailer is definitely worth checking out. Here's the first official trailer (+ poster) for Rupert Jones' Kaleidoscope, direct from YouTube: This intense,...

IFC Midnight has announced a December 8, 2017, VOD release for their UK psychological thriller Kaleidoscope, which stars Toby Jones (Berberian Sound Studio, Red Lights, Tale of Tales, “Wayward Pines”), Anne Reid (The Mother) and Sinead Matthews (Happy-Go-Lucky). Described as a modern-day Psycho, Kaleidoscope explores the destructive relationship between a middle-aged man and his mother and is written and directed by Toby Jones’ brother Rupert […]...

IFC Midnight just sent over the first poster and trailer for the new thriller starring Toby Jones, Kaleidoscope. Check ’em out in all their twisty-turny goodness! Directed by Toby’s brother, Rupert Jones, the flick will be coming to select theaters, VOD, and digital platforms in the U.S. on December 8, 2017. Anne Reid, Sinead Matthews, […]

The post See Murder Through a Kaleidoscope appeared first on Dread Central.

IFC Midnight has acquired the UK psychological thriller Kaleidoscope, which stars Toby Jones (Berberian Sound Studio, Red Lights, Tale of Tales, “Wayward Pines”), Anne Reid (The Mother) and Sinead Matthews (Happy-Go-Lucky). Described as a modern day Psycho, Kaleidoscope explores the destructive relationship between a middle-aged man and his mother and is written and directed by Toby Jones’ brother Rupert Jones, who previously directed his brother […]...

Exclusive: Production underway on feature produced by Matthew James Wilkinson and Maggie Monteith.

Principal photography has begun in London on UK psychological thriller Kaleidoscope, which will star Toby Jones (Dad’s Army), Anne Reid (The Mother) and Sinead Matthews (Happy-Go-Lucky).

Described as a modern day Psycho, Kaleidoscope explores the destructive relationship between a middle-aged man and his mother and is written and directed by Toby Jones’ brother Rupert Jones.

The latter previously directed his brother in 2006 short The Sickie and more recently took the reins on well-received 2013 musical-drama The Answer To Everything, Streetwise Opera’s 10th anniversary production starring a cast of 120 homeless people, which was distributed by the BFI.

Producers are Matthew James Wilkinson (The Call Up) of Stigma Films and Maggie Monteith (Searching For Sugar Man) of Dignity Film Finance under the production banner of Longships Films Ltd.

Executive producers are Chris Reed and Phil Rymer with Roopesh Parekh (Poldark) co-producing.

BAFTA TV and...

Successful scripted comedy is, for the most part, built on firmly established characters that an audience grows to loathe, love or basically care one jot about. Which is why Inside No 9 is such a wonderful anomaly.

The BBC Two anthology series – written by Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith – invites the audience into six standalone and terrifyingly bonkers worlds where the only constant is the number on the door of the house / booth / train carriage.

The first episode in the returning series, which begins tonight, is every bit as farcical, dark and hilarious as the comedy we've come to expect from Pemberton and Shearsmith.

'La Couchette' sees irritable Dr Maxwell (Shearsmith) trying and failing to fall asleep on an overnight train from Paris to Bourg St Maurice. He has an important job interview the following morning at the World Health Organisation.

Any chance of actually getting to sleep is thwarted by...

Actor will feature in piece written by Belarus Free Theatre and Laura Wade. Meanwhile, the latest short film in the series, Bed Trick, is released today

Jude Law will team up with the Belarus Free Theatre for the next in the series of short films coproduced by the Guardian and the Young Vic theatre.

Over the course of this year, the two organisations will present a series of four films created by the stars and creatives behind Young Vic productions, supported by Bloomberg.

Law, who played Christopher Marlowe's Dr Faustus at the Young Vic in 2002 and has supported Belarus Free Theatre for a number of years, will appear in a film the company has written in collaboration with Laura Wade, the playwright behind the Royal Court's hit Posh.

It will be followed by new short written and directed by Olivier award-winning actor Chiwetel Ejiofor, who stars in Aimé Césaire...

News Louisa Mellor Jan 22, 2013

Spoilers ahoy as synopses and casting details are released for Black Mirror's second series...

Last night saw the BFI premiere of the first episode in Black Mirror’s second series, which means that a Channel Four broadcast date won’t be too far behind.

We’ll bring you a spoiler-free review of the series opener soon, but in the meantime, the following plot and casting details have been revealed for the three fifty-minute episodes.

(We're posting the details as sparingly as possible for those interested, and as ever, have kept the major spoilers out, but with a series as smart and surprising as Black Mirror, why not step away from the screen now and go in completely cold? Given the choice, it’s what we’d do.)

Episode one: Be Right Back

Cast: Domhnall Gleeson, Hayley Atwell and Sinead Matthews

Premise: What if we could...

Britain's stages are about to be invaded by drunks. What's the secret to playing a tipsy character? And who is drama's biggest boozer?

Drama frequently holds up a mirror to our drinking habits: think of the booze that casually gets put away in plays as diverse as Pinter's Betrayal, Chekhov's Uncle Vanya, or anything by Tennessee Williams and Sam Shepard. Actors are routinely required to express joy, cry real tears or shed fake blood; yet there is no technical challenge more tricky than the business of drinking on stage. This spring they are getting plenty of practice at mastering the art, as a host of drunk characters are staggering the boards across the country.

Michael Caine once pointed out that a drunk person is actually trying very hard to be sober: therefore acting drunk requires a degree of reverse psychology. Sian Thomas, who is playing Martha in a revival of...

Hampstead; Theatre Royal Haymarket; Vaudeville, all London

Ecstasy: by which Mike Leigh means desperation under a candlewick bedspread. His restaging of this 1979 play, originally devised at Hampstead with Jim Broadbent and Julie Walters, is a significant occasion. It's the first time Leigh has returned to one of his old plays. It is, in terms of tickets sold and cash taken, the most successful production in the theatre's history. It is also a blazing demonstration of Leighland.

It begins with electric simplicity. When Siân Brooke and Sinead Matthews – the one with a gin bottle in the cupboard and sexually grumpy visitors, the other waving some pink, slippery tops she's just nicked from C&A – yelp on to the scene, they are bright outlines. The audience chortles, and bring to mind Dominic Cooke's project at the Royal Court: he thinks it grisly that the middle classes should huddle in the stalls to...

Nanny McPhee Returns

Directed by: Susanna White

Cast: Emma Thompson, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Rhys Ifans, Maggie Smith

Running Time: 1 hr 49 mins

Rating: PG

Release Date: August 20, 2010

Plot: Isabel Green (Gyllenhaal) is left to run the farm and bring up her three children while her husband is off fighting in WW2. After two spoiled cousins from London come to stay, everything erupts into chaos. The magical and mysterious Nanny McPhee (Thompson) arrives on the scene to save the day.

Who’S It For? Kids and any adult with a healthy connection to their inner child.

Expectations: I didn’t see the first one, so I figured I’d be left out in the cold. I also figured I’d be surrounded by hordes of shrieking children and that it would be a long, slow crawl to torturous agony.

Scorecard (0-10)

Actors:

Emma Thompson as Nanny McPhee: There’s a lot about...

Four brand new clips from indie comedy "Happy-Go-Lucky" have been revealed. Compiled into one video player, the clips display Poppy in four different situations. The first showcases Poppy in what seems to be a date with Tim, the next two present her having her driving lesson with grumpy Scott, while the last puts her in a flamenco dance class.

Poppy is an irrepressibly free-spirited school teacher who sees situation she encounters through a positive glass. Having an unsinkable sense of optimism, she looks at a recent incident where her bike is stolen as a chance for her to take driving lesson. Yet, instead of getting an enthusiastic driving instructor, she is attended by Scott, who is completely opposite of her.

Faced with this fuming, uptight cynic on weekly basis and worsened by even more challenging environment, including a fiery flamenco instructor, her bitter pregnant sister, a troubled homeless man and...