One of the best films of a generation that left theatre goers in tears as they left the cinema is available to watch in the comfort of your home.
While some war films like 1917 or Hacksaw Ridge keep you on the edge of your seat with cinematic depictions of the trenches, with each bullet and mortar making your nerves twitch, others take a look at what was happening far from the front line.
Taking a look at just as devastating a story, 2002’s The Pianist stars two-time Academy Award winner Adrian Brody in his first Oscar-winning performance as Władysław Szpilman.
The film is based on Szpilman’s autobiographical book of the same name, released in 1946.
His memoir follows his life as a Polish-Jewish pianist and composer in Warsaw during the Nazi occupation of Poland. From being forced into a Jewish Ghetto to being separated from his family, who are sent to Treblinka concentration camp, he then hides around various places in Warsaw, slowly starving until the Soviet offensive reaches Poland in 1945.
A truly moving piece of cinema, the film was extremely well-received upon its release. At the 2003 Oscars, it scooped three wins for Best Director, Best Actor and Best Adapted Screenplay, while being nominated for four more categories, including Best Picture.
For the role, Brody pushed himself to the limit, committing to method acting, he began a near-starvation diet, losing 30lbs and dropping his body weight to just over nine stone.
To keep his starving physique well filmed, he wouldn’t eat and “barely drank water”. To give him time to prepare, the film was shot backwards, allowing him to gain weight throughout the filming.
For the role, Brody took on a near-starvation diet and lost 30 lbs., dropping his weight to 129 lbs. The actor was said to be “barely drinking water” when they started filming the movie, which was shot in reverse, showing Szpilman at his most depleted.
Directed by Roman Polanski, alongside Brody, the cast includes strong performances from Thomas Kretschmann, Maureen Lipman and Emilia Fox.
The film was a hit with audiences too, on Rotten Tomatoes it earned a “Certified Fresh” score of 95% and 96% on its popcornmeter while also being rated as the 45th best film ever according to IMDB scores.
On the website, one reviewer wrote: “A master work on humanity vs. inhumanity, on the resilience and mercy of art, and on the personal horrors brought on by one of the world’s darkest events.”
While another added: “Deserves its place in the annals of the great historical movies. Movies that offer us a fleeting glance into a different time, a different community, and at its core, an individual’s incredible experience.”
The film is available to stream with a subscription to Studio Canal Presents or is available to rent on Amazon Prime or Apple TV.
Netflix’s Top 10 has become the go-to guide for subscribers when deciding what to watch next, but this means they could be missing out on some of the best and biggest blockbusters.
When it comes to choosing a film, Netflix’s Top 10 is an excellent resource to discover what’s currently trending, with many of its latest releases being highly recommended.
However, there are numerous films that may not have made it onto this exclusive list, despite receiving high praise from critics.
So, here’s a rundown of all the hidden gems you should be watching instead of just sticking to Netflix’s Top 10.
Underrated Netflix films
The Outrun
Actress Saoirse Ronan in The Outrun. (Image: BROCK MEDIA)
Starring Little Women’s Saoirse Ronan as a recovering alcoholic who returns to her isolated island home in Orkney to heal, The Outrun has been lauded for its emotionally raw scenes and honest portrayal of addiction.
Alongside Ronan, The Outrun features Slow Horses’ Saskia Reeves, I May Destroy You actor Paapa Essiedu and Outlander’s Lauren Lyle.
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His House
The 2020 horror film His House. (Image: BBC FILM)
This unique horror film, released five years ago, follows a refugee couple from South Sudan who are haunted by an evil entity in their new home.
Not only does the story star Sinners actress Wunmi Mosaku, it also features House of the Dragon and Doctor Who legend Matt Smith.
The Forty-Year-Old Version
Comedy-drama The Forty-Year-Old Version. (Image: HILLMAN GRAD)
This hit film was a sensation at the Sundance Film Festival and was equally well received by fans, earning an almost perfect Rotten Tomatoes score of 99%.
The clever and touching indie comedy-drama follows a playwright who chooses to transform herself into a rapper on her 40th birthday, exploring the challenges of pursuing an artistic career.
The Night Comes For Us
The film The Night Comes For Us. (Image: XYZ FILMS)
Another massive hit on Rotten Tomatoes with 92% is this vicious yet stylish Indonesian action thriller from 2018.
Celebrated for its lightning-fast and creative choreography, the synopsis simply states: “Ito, a gangland enforcer, is caught amidst a treacherous and violent insurrection within his Triad crime family”.
We Live In Time
Actress Florence Pugh and actor Andrew Garfield in We Live In Time. (Image: FILM4)
One of the most recent hidden treasures to land on Netflix is the romantic drama We Live In Time, featuring Spider-Man’s Andrew Garfield and Oppenheimer’s Florence Pugh.
We Live In Time chronicles the emotional, amusing and chaotic love story of two individuals who meet following an unexpected encounter, with the stars praised for their sizzling chemistry.
Okja
South Korean film Okja. (Image: PLAN B ENTERTAINMENT)
This action adventure sci-fi picture chronicles a young girl’s mission to rescue her enormous “super pig” from a mighty corporation, with critics calling it inventive, devastating and thought-provoking.
Okja was created in 2017 by director Bong Joon-ho who masterminded the multiple award-winning film Parasite.
Gerald’s Game
Gerald’s Game is based on the Stephen King novel of the same name. (Image: INTREPID PICTURES)
Adapted from Stephen King’s novel of the same title and helmed by The Haunting franchise’s Mike Flanagan, Gerald’s Game is a psychological thriller as well as a claustrophobic tale of survival.
The film features Carla Gugino, known for her roles in The Haunting of Hill House, This Boy’s Life, Son in Law and Troop Beverly Hills.
Apostle
Horror film Apostle stars Downton Abbey actor Dan Stevens. (Image: XYZ FILMS)
This 2018 gothic folk horror film has been lauded for its eerie tone. It tells the story of a man who infiltrates a religious cult on a remote Welsh island to save his sister.
The lead actor, Dan Stevens, is best known for his roles in Downton Abbey and Beauty and the Beast.
The Place Beyond The Pines
Actress Eva Mendes and actor Ryan Gosling in The Place Beyond the Pines. (Image: ELECTRIC CITY ENTERTAINMENT)
This crime drama, The Place Beyond The Pines, is an overlooked masterpiece starring some of Hollywood’s biggest names including Ryan Gosling, Bradley Cooper and Eva Mendes.
The 2012 film narrates a multi-generational tale of fathers, sons and the repercussions of their actions.
Under the Shadow
The 2016 horror film Under the Shadow. (Image: WIGWAM FILMS)
Under the Shadow, a 2016 Iranian horror film, bagged a BAFTA for Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer.
Set in Tehran during the Iran-Iraq War, Under The Shadow is a chilling narrative that combines supernatural horror with the real-life fears of living in a war-torn area.
The under-the-radar war thriller boasts a star-studded cast and yet what many film fans don’t know is that it’s the last time one legendary British actor was seen on screen.
With a star-studded cast, it’s no wonder audiences are leaving five-star reviews, as the likes of Helen Mirren and Aaron Paul help bring to life a gripping military story. Eye in the Sky retells the tale of an officer leading a military operation in Kenya to capture terrorists.
Although, things don’t go to plan when Colonel Katherine Powell, played by Mirren, takes an unexpected turn. Their aim to launch a deadly missile against the Al-Shabaab terrorists is interrupted when a young girl innocently wanders into the ‘kill zone’, sparking a worldwide debate on modern warfare.
The iconic ensemble cast is also made up of Iain Glen, Phoebe Fox, Jeremy Northam and British legend Alan Rickman. Eye in the Sky became the star’s last ever film project before his passing in 2016, with the film releasing not even six months prior in September 2015.
While the film itself didn’t go on to have much notable success at the box office, it has since garnered quite the amount of support from movie buffs online. Overall, it boasts an impressive score of 95% on the review site Rotten Tomatoes, as fans praise its suspenseful storyline and A-list casting.
One review said: “Tense, thrilling and thought-provoking, a stellar cast brings vividly to life a believable story.” While someone else chimed in to say it was “slow, intense and thrilling”.
Another review reads: “Excellent film. Alan Rickman and Helen Mirren are brilliant. Well worth watching.” As someone else described the roles in Eye in the Sky to be both “breathtakingly performed” and “unusually genuine”.
Further praise came from a fan who said: “I have to say, this film blows my mind. The combination of the suspense, the back-and-forth, and the frustration exceeds any out-of-the-world action sequences; not to mention Mirren and Rickman being superb as always.
Meanwhile, another rave review added: “Wow. Such a great film. This movie builds tension until the very last scene, which makes for a thrilling and intense ride. Great acting all across the board and great cinematography. After watching this film and Official Secrets, Gavin Hood has proven to be a great director and one of my favourites. Highly recommend this one!
The 2015 film was brought to life by director Gavin Hood, the man behind the likes of X-Men Origins: Wolverine and Ender’s Game, after he was captivated by the script Guy Hibbert wrote. Joining the dream team as a producer also happened to be British actor Colin Firth.
It’s their joint efforts that created what one viewer called an “excellent piece of filming and interpretation”. They claimed it perfectly displays the complicated crossroads between “military, legal and political paths”.
Whether you’re a fan of Rickman looking for another role of his sure to blow you away or simply looking for a thriller to keep you on the edge of your seat, Eye in the Sky is available to stream now on Amazon Prime.
What makes an incredible film? Any answer to that question is bound to contain a significant element of subjectivity. One person’s masterpiece is another person’s dull.
You can go on at me all you want about the fact that the likes of Casablanca, Citizen Kane or It’s A Wonderful Life are missing from this list despite being widely considered all-time classics. But in reply, I’ll tell you I struggled to get through them without feeling a bit bored and have never felt a burning desire to go back and rewatch them — unlike some films on this list, some of which I could probably recite from start to finish. You can see my pick of the best books I’ve read here.
As those older classics go further and further into the past, there are simply more and more films competing against them for a spot on any list of the best films ever made.
That said, the absence of more modern films on this list can be attributed to the shift in the last 20 years towards creating great television series for streaming platforms instead of great movies for cinema.
But, ultimately, it’s all subjective. While I think it’s unlikely that a better film than the one at the top of this list will ever be made, others will find it so appallingly violent that they’d switch off even before the opening credits have finished rolling.
With this list, I’ve tried to combine the subjective with the objective. For example, I love Pulp Fiction for its relentlessly razor-sharp dialogue, its time-hopping story-telling style and the fact that it’s just a great story. But it also had a massive impact, creating superstars and turning songs few people had ever heard into ones that defined the 1990s.
In a similar vein, special effects like those seen in The Matrix had never been seen before and still appear impressive 26 years later despite all the advances in that area. Lord of The Rings was also unlike anything anyone had ever seen before, and I can still vividly remember sitting in a cinema in Wales as people sat sobbing and glued to their seats as Schindler’s List ended.
So here are my 20 best films ever. They’re my personal picks and I don’t claim to be a scholar of cinema. But like millions of us around the world, I love films. There are of course dozens, if not hundreds, of films for which an excellent case for inclusion could be made. Feel free to make it in the comments!
According to a survey, the average Brit watches more than 4,300 films in a lifetime. Based on my age, and taking into account how much more prominent streaming series is than watching films these days, I’ve conservatively estimated my film consumption at half that number.
This ‘epic’ film combines the writing of the author behind Planet of the Apes and the directing of one of the most prolific figures in British cinema – and you can stream the entire thing now.
The Bridge on the River Kwai remains one of the greatest war films of all time, 60 years since its release in 1957, and is hailed as a ‘masterpiece’ by fans of the genre. Set against the backdrop of the brutalities of the Second World War, just 12 years after it ended, it’s safe to say its timely production is what’s helped it stay at the forefront of viewers’ minds all these years later.
On the review platform Rotten Tomatoes, the award-winning film has an impressive overall score of 96% based on real reviews. One of those reviews claims: “There will never be another movie that approaches this one in ambition and grand scope. The screenplay, acting, location, and setting – it’s as if designed by providence. Just brilliant.”
Its long-running popularity can be attributed to the combined talents of French author Pierre Boulle and acclaimed British director David Lean CBE, but the real standout of this film is Alec Guinness. Another review says: “Hayakawa, Holden and Hawkins are all superb, but it’s the towering performance of Guinness which elevates this movie to classic status and guarantees its place in movie immortality.”
The actor was in his absolute prime time of cinema when he starred as Colonel Nicholson, leading a contingent of British prisoners of war in The Bridge on the River Kwai. This role, along with a number of his other roles, is listed by the BFI as one of the most important British films of the 20th century, coming in at number 11.
One review says it is “the best war movie I’ve ever watched”, further claiming it is a “true masterpiece”. Meanwhile, a critic wrote: “One of the greatest and most satisfying endings in all film history.”
“Powerful, complex, moving, and a unique narrative make this one of the best war movies of all time,” an impressed viewer shared. They wrote: “Colonel Nicholson is one of my favourite characters of all time. This is truly like watching a Shakespeare play unfold.
“The plot is so complex, and for a 1950s movie, it is so ahead of its time. William Holden is masterful as well. Overall some of the best acting I have ever seen, a wonderful soundtrack, perfect pacing and incredibly ambitious cinematography.”
Set in the year 1943, during World War Two, a group of British prisoners of war are living in ghastly conditions under the strict regime of a Japanese prison camp in Thailand. Led by Colonel Nicholson, the men are tasked with the job of building a bridge, crucial to their captors, helping to serve the Burma-Siam railway.
They have other ideas, with a secret plan to undermine the entire project. As the film goes on, we see the colonel himself withstand severe torture at the hands of the prison guards, but few scenes of the brutalities of war itself.
Many viewers have noted the film’s intelligent choice to show less of the action and more of the men’s stories behind it all. With one person writing: “Extremely well done, especially given this 1957 movie didn’t have the benefits of modern CGI and special effects.
“Great characters and great performances. A war picture without war, instead focusing on the men’s motivations and morality.”
With seven Academy Awards under its belt, it’s no surprise that film buffs are continuing to go back to this 1950s classic. And now you can too, as The Bridge on the River Kwai is available to stream on Amazon Prime, or alternatively on NowTV.
Stephen King has revealed his top 10 favourite films – and among the heavy-hitters from Coppola, Scorsese and Spielberg sits a title once dismissed as a box office disaster.
The horror master, who shared his picks “in no particular order,” placed William Friedkin’s 1977 thriller Sorcerer at the top of his list.
The film was released just a month after Star Wars rewrote the rules of Hollywood, and its gritty, fatalistic story about four desperate men hauling nitroglycerine across treacherous terrain couldn’t compete with George Lucas’ sci-fi spectacle. At the time, critics were lukewarm and audiences stayed away.
But in the years since, Sorcerer has been rediscovered and hailed as one of Friedkin’s finest achievements. Even the director himself, best known for The French Connection and The Exorcist, called it his most personal and difficult project.
Sorcerer is a loose remake of Henri-Georges Clouzot’s 1953 classic The Wages of Fear, which in turn was adapted from Georges Arnaud’s novel.
The film follows four fugitives from different backgrounds who find themselves stranded in a remote South American village. Each is offered a shot at survival by driving unstable crates of dynamite through miles of dangerous jungle roads.
Starring Roy Scheider in the lead, it’s a tense, relentless study into human desperation. Friedkin stripped away glamour and comfort, insisting on harsh locations and gruelling stunts to heighten the realism. The result was a film that critics and audiences in 1977 weren’t ready for – but cinephiles and filmmakers have since embraced as ahead of its time.
On Rotten Tomatoes, Sorcerer now holds an 80% rating and reviews from both fans and critics echo King’s enthusiasm. One reviewer called it: “The movie is exceptional. Fantastic action scenes, intriguing theme (almost the inverse of Heart of Darkness). The director does well to wrongfoot the audience. Acting is perfect.”
Another praised its realism: “Just the kind of bleak, realistic adventure you’re anticipating. Delivers on all fronts and gives a great sense of immersion. Technically impressive and doesn’t skimp on the effects. Thrilling, gritty, and a great twist, will leave viewers happy.”
Others marvelled at its intensity: “Really under rated. The first half of this movie has you glued to your seet, the second half has you hanging off the edge of it. A must watch for any movie fan.”
King’s selection of Sorcerer sits alongside some of cinema’s most celebrated works: The Godfather Part II, Casablanca, Jaws and Close Encounters of the Third Kind all made the cut. He also included Mean Streets, Groundhog Day, Double Indemnity, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre and The Getaway.
IMDb has revealed a list of the 10 best UK movies ranging from a spy genre to comedy horror series, with three of them directed by the same person. A 2014-made film, Kingsman: The Secret Service has secured the top spot on the list.
It is a stylish spy action comedy film directed by Matthew Vaughn, marking the beginning of the Kingsman film franchise. Released in 2015, the movie is based on the comic book series The Secret Service, created by Mark Millar and Dave Gibbons and published by Millarworld. The story was born from a concept developed jointly by Millar and Vaughn, blending classic espionage tropes with modern flair and irreverent humour.
The film follows a secret intelligence agency that recruits a street-smart young man into its elite training program, delivering high-octane action, sharp wit, and a fresh twist on the traditional spy genre.
However, one director who stood out among the list was Edgar Wright, whose three movies have made it to the top 10 list.
Born on 18 April 1974, Mr Wright is a celebrated English filmmaker known for his energetic and satirical approach to genre cinema. His signature style includes dynamic editing techniques—such as whip pans, wipes, and rapid transitions—alongside expressive use of popular music and inventive camera work like Steadicam shots and dolly zooms.
Mr Wright began his career making independent short films, eventually directing his first feature, A Fistful of Fingers, in 1995. He later co-created the comedy series Asylum with David Walliams and gained wider recognition with the cult sitcom Spaced (1999–2001), which starred his frequent collaborators Simon Pegg and Nick Frost.
His breakthrough in film came with Shaun of the Dead (2004), a zombie comedy that launched the Three Flavours Cornetto trilogy. Co-written with Pegg, the trilogy continued with Hot Fuzz (2007), a buddy cop satire, and concluded with The World’s End (2013), a sci-fi comedy exploring themes of nostalgia and adulthood—all showcasing Wright’s distinctive blend of humor, genre homage, and visual flair.
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Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale official trailer
Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale is finally here, with the cast of the famous ITV period drama saying an emotional farewell after 15 years.
The final film of the Downton Abbey franchise, directed by Simon Curtis from a screenplay by Julian Fellowes, hit UK cinemas yesterday (September 12).
Fans have been left in tears as the show’s beloved characters waved a final goodbye, with one warning on Rotten Tomatoes: “Take tissues”.
Another wrote: “They wrapped up the whole saga so well. I was crying. Beautiful and triumphant.”
A third added: “Loved this movie. It wrapped up loose ends and answered questions. The ending did make me cry. I’m very sorry to see it over.”
Tom Branson and Lady Mary return for the final Downton Abbey movie (Image: Rory Mulvey/Focus Features)
Read more: Downton Abbey fans in tears over ‘perfect’ end to final film
Read more: Downton Abbey The Grand Finale ending explained as beloved period drama wraps
What is Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale about?
The synopsis for Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale reads: “The cinematic return of the global phenomenon follows the Crawley family and their staff as they enter the 1930s.
“When Mary finds herself at the center of a public scandal and the family faces financial trouble, the entire household grapples with the threat of social disgrace.
“The Crawleys must embrace change as the staff prepares for a new chapter with the next generation leading Downton Abbey into the future.”
How many Downton Abbey movies are there?
There are three Downton Abbey movies in total, with Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale confirmed as the third and final film in the franchise.
The first movie, entitled Downton Abbey, came out in 2019, while second film Downton Abbey: A New Era was released in 2022.
The cast of Downton Abbey are bidding a final farewell (Image: Rory Mulvey/Focus Features)
How long is Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale?
Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale is exactly 125 minutes long, meaning the run time is 2 hours and 5 minutes.
The original 2019 Downton Abbey film had a similar run time of 122 minutes, while sequel film Downton Abbey: A New Era was also exactly 125 minutes long.
The Crawley family return for one last movie (Image: Rory Mulvey/Focus Features)
How many seasons of Downton Abbey are there?
There are six seasons of Downton Abbey in total, with season 1 first airing on ITV in 2010 and the final season airing in 2015, finishing with a Christmas special.
The award-winning show’s incredible popularity meant that it became the most successful British costume drama since ITV’s 1981 TV adaptation of Evelyn Waugh’s Brideshead Revisited.
Downton Abbey is one of the most popular period dramas of all time (Image: Rory Mulvey/Focus Features)
Where can you watch Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale?
Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale is now available to watch in cinemas across the UK and is anticipated to stay in theatres for several weeks.
Where can you watch Downton Abbey?
The original 2010 series of Downton Abbey is available to stream in its entirety on ITVX.
The 2019 film Downton Abbey is also available to stream for free if you have a subscription to Disney Plus or Prime Video, while the 2022 sequel Downton Abbey: A New Era is free to stream on ITVX.
Murder mysteries, crime novels and thrillers account for a large proportion of the book industry and are widely recognised as the most popular genre. In this type of story, you can expect a dramatic murder or disappearance to take place, followed by a series of breadcrumbs that lead to revealing the killer. So, if you love trying to work out a whodunnit, look no further. Stylist has compiled a list of the best murder mysteries to keep you guessing. Here, I have highlighted five of the best, and one is Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None.
The Guest List by Lucy Foley (2020)
The blurb reads: “A wedding celebration turns dark and deadly in this deliciously wicked and atmospheric thriller reminiscent of Agatha Christie from the New York Times bestselling author of The Hunting Party.
“The bride – The plus one – The best man – The wedding planner – The bridesmaid – The body.
“On an island off the coast of Ireland, guests gather to celebrate two people joining their lives together as one. The groom: handsome and charming, a rising television star. The bride: smart and ambitious, a magazine publisher. It’s a wedding for a magazine, or for a celebrity: the designer dress, the remote location, the luxe party favors, the boutique whiskey. The cell phone service may be spotty and the waves may be rough, but every detail has been expertly planned and will be expertly executed.
“But perfection is for plans, and people are all too human. As the champagne is popped and the festivities begin, resentments and petty jealousies begin to mingle with the reminiscences and well wishes. The groomsmen begin the drinking game from their school days. The bridesmaid not-so-accidentally ruins her dress. The bride’s oldest (male) friend gives an uncomfortably caring toast.
“And then someone turns up dead. Who didn’t wish the happy couple well? And perhaps more important, why?”
An Unwanted Guest by Shari Lapena (2018)
The book’s synopsis reads: “A weekend retreat at a cozy mountain lodge is supposed to be the perfect getaway . . . but when the storm hits, no one is getting away
“It’s winter in the Catskills and Mitchell’s Inn, nestled deep in the woods, is the perfect setting for a relaxing–maybe even romantic–weekend away. It boasts spacious old rooms with huge woodburning fireplaces, a well-stocked wine cellar, and opportunities for cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, or just curling up with a good murder mystery.
“So when the weather takes a turn for the worse, and a blizzard cuts off the electricity–and all contact with the outside world–the guests settle in and try to make the best of it.
“Soon, though, one of the guests turns up dead–it looks like an accident. But when a second guest dies, they start to panic.
“Within the snowed-in paradise, something–or someone–is picking off the guests one by one. And there’s nothing they can do but hunker down and hope they can survive the storm–and one another.”
And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie (1939)
The synopsis states: “If you’re one of the few who haven’t experienced the genius of Agatha Christie, this novel is a stellar starting point.” — DAVID BALDACCI, #1 New York Times Bestselling Author.””An exclusive authorized edition of the most famous and beloved stories from the Queen of Mystery. Ten people, each with something to hide and something to fear, are invited to an isolated mansion on Indian Island by a host who, surprisingly, fails to appear. On the island they are cut off from everything but each other and the inescapable shadows of their own past lives. One by one, the guests share the darkest secrets of their wicked pasts. And one by one, they die… Which among them is the killer and will any of them survive? “Agatha Christie is the gateway drug to crime fiction both for readers and for writers. . . . Just one book is never enough.” — VAL MCDERMID, Internationally Bestselling Author.”
Party of Liars by Kelsey Cox (2025)
The blurb reads: “A lavish, Texas-sized Sweet Sixteen turns deadly in this twisty, pulse-pounding new novel — serving up a fresh take on a classic locked-room whodunnit. Let the festivities begin…
“Today is Sophie Matthews’s sixteenth birthday party, an exclusive black-tie bash in the heart of the Texas Hill Country, where secrets are as deep-rooted as the sprawling live oaks. Sophie’s dad has spared no expense, and his renovated cliffside mansion—once thought haunted—is now hosting the event of the season. Then, just before the candles on the three-tiered red velvet cake are blown out, a body falls from the balcony onto the starlit dance floor below.
“It’s a killer guest list . . .
“DANI: Sophie’s new stepmother who’s been plagued by self-doubt ever since the birth of her own baby girl
“ÓRLAITH: the superstitious Irish nanny who senses a looming danger in this cavernous house
“MIKAYLA: the birthday girl’s best friend who is not nearly as meek as the popular kids assume
“KIM: the cunning ex-wife who has a grudge she can’t let go of . . .
“Everyone is invited in. Not everyone will get out alive.”
They All Fall Down by Rachel Howzell Hall (2019)
The book’s synopsis reads: “It was supposed to be the trip of a lifetime.
“Delighted by a surprise invitation, Miriam Macy sails off to a luxurious private island off the coast of Mexico, with six strangers—an ex-cop, a chef, a financial advisor, a nurse, a lawyer, a young widow.
“Surrounded by miles of open water in the gloriously green Sea of Cortez, Miriam is shocked to discover that she and the rest of her companions have been brought to the remote island under false pretenses—and all seven strangers harbor a secret.
“Danger lurks in the lush forest and in the halls and bedrooms of the lonely mansion. Sporadic cell-phone coverage and miles of ocean keeps the group trapped in paradise. And strange accidents keep them suspicious of each other, as one by one . . .
Directed by David Lean from a screenplay by Noël Coward, based on his 1936 one-act play Still Life, Brief Encounter is considered one of the greatest films of all time.
The 1945 romantic drama starring Celia Johnson (who was Oscar-nominated for her role) and Trevor Howard was ranked second in the BFI’s 1999 ranking of best British films.
Meanwhile, in 2017 Time Out polled 150 actors, writers, producers and directors who voted the film the 12th greatest British movie ever.
The 87 minute picture follows an extramarital relationship during a chance “brief encounter” at a railway station shortly before World War II.
The film holds an impressive Rotten Tomatoes score of 93 per cent positive reviews.
Brief Encounter’s Critics Consensus reads: “Brief Encounter adds a small but valuable gem to the Lean filmography, depicting a doomed couple’s illicit connection with affecting sensitivity and a pair of powerful performance.”
The movie classic is on BBC Two at 3:15pm this Sunday.
Directed by David Lean from a screenplay by Noël Coward, based on his 1936 one-act play Still Life, Brief Encounter is considered one of the greatest films of all time.
The 1945 romantic drama starring Celia Johnson (who was Oscar-nominated for her role) and Trevor Howard was ranked second in the BFI’s 1999 ranking of best British films.
Meanwhile, in 2017 Time Out polled 150 actors, writers, producers and directors who voted the film the 12th greatest British movie ever.
The 87 minute picture follows an extramarital relationship during a chance “brief encounter” at a railway station shortly before World War II.
The film holds an impressive Rotten Tomatoes score of 93 per cent positive reviews.
Brief Encounter’s Critics Consensus reads: “Brief Encounter adds a small but valuable gem to the Lean filmography, depicting a doomed couple’s illicit connection with affecting sensitivity and a pair of powerful performance.”
The movie classic is on BBC Two at 3:15pm this Sunday.
The forthcoming TV adaptation of The Conjuring is taking shape as HBO Max ropes in three writers with impressive track records.
The horror series, based on the popular franchise, has been under development since 2023.
Things are now falling into place for the streaming giant as Deadline confirms that Nancy Won will be steering the ship as showrunner.
Won boasts an impressive resume, having penned scripts for acclaimed dramas such as Little Fires Everywhere, Tiny Beautiful Things and Sunny.
She won’t be flying solo, however, as Peter Cameron and Cameron Squires have also come aboard as writers, reports the Mirror.
They’ve earned their stripes writing episodes for Marvel hits WandaVision and Agatha All Along, while Squires contributed to the successful Star Wars series The Acolyte, all for Disney+.
News of a Conjuring series first surfaced two years ago.
Billed as a continuation of the narrative set out in the films, Warner Bros Television is developing the series based on the New Line Cinema franchise.
James Wan, director of the first two Conjuring films, is producing through his company Atomic Monster, alongside Peter Safran.
It remains to be seen whether Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga will reprise their roles as Ed and Lorraine Warren for the new series. As of now, no cast members have been announced.
This news comes hot on the heels of a significant vote of confidence for the franchise.
The newest chapter in what is now a nine-film series, The Conjuring: Last Rites, debuted this past weekend and smashed records with the largest horror film opening of all time.
The film has also garnered glowing praise from devoted franchise followers. One ecstatic horror enthusiast awarded it five stars on Google, declaring: “The Conjuring: Last Rites is more than just a film-it is a masterful conclusion to one of the most beloved horror franchises of our time.
“Without a doubt, this chapter stands as the most gripping, terrifying, and emotionally profound entry in the series.
“It is rare for a horror movie to strike such a perfect balance between bone-chilling scares and heartfelt human drama, but Last Rites achieves this effortlessly.”
Saoirse Ronan,31, is hailed as one of the finest actresses of her generation. She first made waves in the film industry as a child star in iconic films such as Atonement and The Lovely Bones.
After receiving her first Oscar nomination at the tender age of 13 for Atonement, she has since been nominated three more times for her roles in Brooklyn, Lady Bird and Little Women.
Despite starring in some of the most talked-about films of the past decade, Ronan prefers to keep her personal life private and seldom uses social media.
However, it’s well-known that she’s in a relationship with a fellow actor who currently stars in one of the most-watched streaming shows of the 2020s.
The couple have reportedly reached a significant milestone in their relationship, so let’s delve into what we know about Ronan’s current life, reports the Mirror.
Inside Saoirse Ronan’s life from ‘dark’ new role to baby with famous husband (Image: GETTY)
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Who is Saoirse Ronan’s husband Jack Lowden?
Jack Lowden, aged 35, is a Scottish actor best known for his role as MI5 agent River Cartwright in the Apple TV+ drama Slow Horses.
He has been romantically linked with Ronan since 2018 after they starred together in the historical drama Mary Queen of Scots, which also featured Barbie star Margot Robbie.
Lowden’s acting credits also include the BBC drama series The Gold, the role of war poet Siegfried Sassoon in Benediction and a recent appearance in the action film Tornado.
Saoirse Ronan is married to Slow Horses star Jack Lowden (Image: GETTY)
The Slow Horses star is next set to portray Mr Darcy in the Dolly Alderton-penned adaptation of Pride and Prejudice for Netflix, opposite Emma Corrin as Elizabeth Bennet.
In July 2024, The Irish Independent reported that Ronan and Lowden had tied the knot in Edinburgh.
Has Saoirse Ronan given birth?
Reports emerged in May 2025 that Ronan and Lowden were expecting their first child together after the actress was spotted with a baby bump in London.
The actors did not comment to confirm the news at the time, but Ronan later stepped out at Paris Fashion Week with her bump on full display in a loose emerald-black gown.
The famous couple have reportedly welcomed their first child together (Image: GETTY)
Since then, the couple are now believed to have quietly welcomed their first child recently after photos of the pair pushing a buggy were obtained by the Sun.
The Daily Mail has reported that production on Pride and Prejudice has slowed following Lowden becoming a father for the first time.
“But the show must go on, and that means the producers have had to keep on filming and that has meant they have had to have some stand-ins for Mr Darcy,” a source said.
“So it has been a case of lookalikes for Jack so that there is no disruption.”
At this time the name and sex of Ronan and Lowden’s first child has not been made public.
The Irish star displayed her baby bump at this year’s Paris Fashion Week (Image: GETTY)
What is Saoirse Ronan’s new film Bad Apples about?
Ronan’s film career is showing no signs of slowing down amidst her exciting baby news. Her upcoming feature, Bad Apples, has just had its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), although a broader release date remains unconfirmed.
Adapted from writer Rasmus Andersson’s Swedish-language novel De Oönskade, The Little Women actress plays a British teacher called Maria who resorts to extreme measures during a clash with one of her pupils.
The official synopsis states: “Maria is a teacher finding her class of ten year-olds disrupted by one unruly pupil.”
Ronan feuds with a disruptive pupil in her dark new film coming soon (Image: PULSE FILMS)
Limited details about the production are available currently as no trailer has been released, but it has garnered positive critiques from TIFF.
IndieWire described it as a “deliciously dark comedy about the pressures of a broken school system” in their glowing assessment.
Meanwhile, The Wrap notes: “[Director Jonatan] Etzler wields the film’s urgent satire like a scalpel, precisely cutting away at all the lies we so easily find ourselves telling that mask the darker truths about who we are.”
Following Bad Apples, Ronan is set to appear alongside Austin Butler in the 2000s-era romantic drama Deep Cuts, which A24 is producing under the direction of The Iron Claw’s Sean Durkin.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows is getting a huge new update ahead of the release of the game’s first post-release expansion.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows update 1.1.1 has a September 11 release date and a 3pm BST UK release time. According to the AC Shadows patch notes, the update weighs in at 12.94GB on PS5, 33GB on Xbox Series X|S and 17GB on Steam.
The new update lays the foundation for the upcoming Claws of Awaji DLC, which launches on September 16. The paid expansion sees players head to a new island, which is said to be dominated by a “nefarious faction intent on uncovering the final Regalia”. It features around ten hours of new content, alongside new weapons like the Bo staff.
Ubisoft will also release a free story quest, which includes access to the aforementioned Bo staff.
Elsewhere, fans can expect a raised level cap, hideout upgrades and the ability to advance the time of day. You can check it out in the update 1.1.1 patch notes below.
To support the launch of the Claws of Awaji expansion we’ve raised the level cap to 100, giving players more room to grow and more options to customize their builds.
New Hideout Upgrades
With the new update, each unique building now includes 2 additional upgrade levels, bringing a total of 20 new enhancements, alongside 3 new Hideout levels.
Advance Time of Day
By upgrading the Nando to level 2, the player will gain the ability to meditate and skip time forward to the next 6 o’clock (AM or PM). To activate meditation, find a safe location and hold the up button (L on keyboard). This allows Naoe and Yasuke to prepare for nighttime assault and be ready to strike [#@!%&*] Castle at night.
Improved Scouts
Upgrading the Study to level 4 now allows Scouts to reveal both Viewpoints and Safehouses. Discovering Safehouses is especially valuable, as it enables Naoe and Yasuke to join the action more quickly by reducing their travel time.
Enhanced Gear Quality
By upgrading the Forge to level 6, Naoe and Yasuke gain the ability to enhance their gear to new quality tiers: Mythic and Artifact. Once an item reaches a new quality, it can be further upgraded through eight additional levels to unlock its full potential.
New Project: Sanctuary
We are releasing a new Project available in the Animus HUB, called Sanctuary, in which you can get Ezio themed gear, kusarigama, and much more! Activate the new Project, complete Anomalies and progress through the rewards like previously released ones.
ADDITIONAL HIGHLIGHTS
• Uncapped Cutscenes
– Cutscenes are no longer limited to 30 FPS (PC Only).
LIST OF BUG FIXES
General
• Fixed an issue where the game crashed during the cutscene of the “Chained” rift.
• Fixed various localization issues.
• Fixed an issue where the vertical sliding sound effect continued if you switched characters during a slide.
• Fixed an issue where some tutorials repeated themselves after unlocking Yasuke.
Gameplay
• Fixed an issue where the Naginata Ronin were not vulnerable after using the Vault ability.
• Addressed an issue where the Scale of the Koi and Soaring Tatsu trinkets were not functioning as expected.
• Fixed an issue where the aiming reticle option “Only While Aiming” was missing from the settings.
• Fixed an issue where a persistent “New Item” notification appeared after looting weapons from scout supply chests.
• Fixed an issue where players were unable to start horse archery in Iga because the quest giver had moved locations. Get back in your spot!
• Fixed an issue Ikko Ikki Kamon banner was missing after completing the “Collection of Crests” quest.
• Fixed an issue where the Mount Nukai contract targeted a chest that was already opened.
• Fixed an issue where multiple waypoints were not synchronizing.
Difficulty Options
• Fixed an issue on Nightmare difficulty where Teppo enemies appeared broken.
• Fixed an issue on Nightmare difficulty where the Samurai Spear Guard had a combat glitch.
• Fixed an issue where Canon Mode disabled itself on the second launch of the game.
Hideout
• Fixed an issue in the Hideout when selecting the option to duel with Naoe or Yasuke did nothing.
• Fixed an issue in the Hideout where certain buildings or set pieces could not be rotated.
• Fixed an issue in the Hideout that prevented players from moving the horse stables after changing their original location. Back to your Hideout planning!
• Fixed an issue where Rufino remained stuck in the Hideout after being recruited.
Skills, Abilities & Upgrades
• Addressed an issue where the Shadow Piercer ability was not functioning correctly.
• Addressed an issue where the 33% health recovery on posture attack perk was not functioning as expected.
Visuals & Graphics
• Fixed various visual issues.
• Fixed a visual issue with the architect’s lip sync in the “Seta-Killers” quest.
• Fixed a visual issue affecting Yasuke’s aim with the Teppo when wearing variations of the Samurai Hat.
• Fixed a visual issue with the Ronin Kasa Hat.
• Fixed a visual issue with the Blush of the Earth bow quiver.
• Fixed a visual issue with Oni’s Flesh Armour.
• Fixed a visual issue where Gashadokuro’s mask did not have red eyes on the Memories screen.
Elvis Presley had some eccentric eating habits during his lifetime, with his appetite for peanut butter and banana sandwiches being best known.
The King loved fast food, and one of his family members shared his favourite Memphis takeaway chains while living at Graceland from 1957 to 1977.
His cousin Danny Smith, who grew up at the mansion, was previously asked on his YouTube channel if Elvis ever ordered out fast food.
The Memphis Mafia Kid said: “Yes he did. A lot of the times Krystal hamburgers was probably one of the main ones. And he had ordered, oh gobs and gobs of them. And everybody up in Graceland would eat on them.” The fast-food chain was founded in 1932 and has locations to this day in the Southeastern United States. The restaurant is well known for its square hamburgers called sliders with steamed-in onions.
On Elvis’ other favourites, Danny said: “He ordered McDonald’s, Pancho’s Mexican [Buffet] and so many others. The answer to that is yes he did order from fast foods. Not all the time, but y’know a good portion of the time.” Pancho’s was first founded in West Memphis in 1956 and is Tex-Mex all-you-can-eat joint. Sadly, according to Commercial Appeal, the chain’s last two Memphis restaurants are set to close with the company focusing on Pancho’s cheese dip instead, which is sold in over 1200 stores.
In recent years, there have been some excellent business brand biopics from Tetris and Air to Blackberry.
So when Disney+ announced one on Whitney Wolfe Herd, the co-founder of Tinder and CEO of Bumble, we had high hopes.
After all, this is the story of the woman who became the world’s youngest female billionaire in 2021, when she took her dating app public.
Credited with naming Tinder and sparking its popularity at American universities, her story (like Facebook movie The Social Network) features the highs of a successful start-up amid the tensions within the company.
After some legal wrangling, she sets off to build a little app called Bumble, which is centred on improving the female experience.
A fascinating and inspiring story, yet the new film Swiped, which is loosely based on her tale, doesn’t quite hit the mark. Sure, there’s some decent acting from Downton Abbey alumni Lily James as Herd and Dan Stevens following the Eurovision movie with another cartoonish European; this time as rival CEO Andrey. Yet this is all very paint-by-numbers TV movie biopic, with plenty of jarringly cringe and cliché, “What if we called the app… Tinder?!” type moments from annoying tech bros lounging in their multicoloured playground offices. Where other films in this genre built on great writing, humour and character depth, this dating app movie is thin and uninspiring in comparison and that’s despite the great material available. If you ask us, it’s not really worth swiping right on this one.
Swiped is streaming on Disney+ from September 19, 2025.
EA Sports has revealed the top 26 Premier League players for its upcoming annual football release.
EA FC 26 launches for consoles and PC on September 26. Owners of the Ultimate Edition will be able to play the game seven days early on September 19.
In the run up to launch, EA Sports is gradually revealing the top rated players in the game, including the Premier League.
Unsurprisingly, Liverpool and Manchester City dominate the list, especially the top ten. As you can see from the list further down the page, things aren’t quite so rosy for Arsenal and Chelsea.
Fresh off the back of winning the Golden Boot and helping Liverpool win the Premier League, Mohamed Salah is the highest-rated player in the PL – and the game overall – with a rating of 91.
Four of Salah’s teammates also make the top-ten, including Virgil van Dijk, Alisson, Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak.
Manchester City have three players in the top-ten, beginning with Rodri in second place with a rating of 90, as well as Haaland in fourth and Gianluigi Donnarumma at five.
Arsenal only have two players in the top ten, with Gabriel and Bukayo Saka coming in at nine and ten, respectively. On the plus side, a further five Arsenal players are included in the top 26, for a grand total of seven players.
Club World Cup champions Chelsea don’t have any players in the top ten and only two players in the entire list, as Cole Palmer enters at 11, followed by Moisés Caicedo at 12.
Newcastle and Aston Villa are the only clubs outside of the aforementioned teams to have players in the top 26.
Fans of a historical feature will be pleased to learn that an adaptation of a classic novel is available to stream on Amazon Prime. Wuthering Heights (2011) has been named “the best British period drama” by fans. The film is a Gothic romantic drama picture directed by Andrea Arnold and starring Kaya Scodelario as Catherine Earnshaw and James Howson as Heathcliff. The screenplay was written by Arnold and Olivia Hetreed and is based on Emily Brontë’s 1847 novel of the same name.
The film’s synopsis reads: “Earnshaw, a kindly Yorkshire farmer, adopts Heathcliff, a young orphan. Once there, he grows passionately fond of Catherine, Earnshaw’s daughter, and draws the ire of Hindley, Earnshaw’s son.” The film has been met with generally favourable reviews, with a viewer on Reddit declaring it the “best British BBC drama”.
Another viewer said: “This atmospheric take on Wuthering Heights is a slow-burning masterpiece, drenched in raw emotion and strikingly interpretative cinematography. Its haunting visuals and immersive landscapes compelled me to look up director Andrea Arnold—something I rarely do—but now I’m eager to explore more of her work. The film’s artistry was recognised with the Golden Osella for Best Cinematography at the 68th Venice International Film Festival, a well-deserved accolade for its breathtaking imagery.”
It holds a 69% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The critics’ consensus states: “Director Andrea Arnold’s gritty, naturalistic re-imagining of the Emily Brontë classic stays true to the book’s spirit while utilising an unconventional approach to explore the romantic yearning at the heart of the story.”
Andrew O’Hehir of Salon placed the 2011 film at number one on his list of the top 10 best films of 2012.
However, not all the critics agreed. One critic said: “It never recovers from its breathtakingly gorgeous first half where young Heathcliff and Cathy run around on the misty moor. You just wish it would go on and on like that.”
Another felt differently, stating: “Arnold creates a radically desolate piece of cinema that presents a challenge to traditionalist audiences.”
“Arnold doesn’t merely adapt Bronte’s story but retells it in her own style, creating a film that can be frustratingly languid to start but becomes mesmerising as it progresses,” added a third.
Wuthering Heights is available to stream now on both Amazon Prime and Disney+.
Robert Downey Jr is currently shooting Avengers Doomsday just outside London with an epic MCU cast featuring Chris Hemsworth’s Thor, the Fantastic Four, Thunderbolts and the X-Men. Rumours abound of surprise cameos and now a reliable and trust leaker has heavily hinted at two major stars returning.
First up is Chris Evans, after MyTimeToShineHello captioned a new public snap of the Captain America star with “Cap is BACK”. In the picture, the Steve Rogers actor shows off his revitalised pecks and biceps, having returned to peak physical fitness. Presumably, he has a superhero role in mind? Next up is Tobey Maguire’s Peter Parker, following reports that the Spider-Man star, last seen in 2021’s No Way Home, is now in London, where Spider-Man Brand New Day and Avengers Doomsday are shooting ahead of their 2026 release dates. As for the Russo Brothers-directed Marvel production, Red Guardian star David Harbour has teased the “insane” set.
Speaking with Screen Rant, the Thunderbolts star said: “I was not even convinced when we started, and this movie’s going to be really good. They have a special sauce. I don’t even really understand, but they [the Russos] just know how to do these things. And I think that as evidenced in Civil War, as evidenced in Infinity War, there’s something about the layers in which they put the comedy and the drama and the surprises and the scale and the epicness and all that stuff. It’s incredible. I will say I’ve never been on a set like this in my life. I’ve never seen anything like this. You saw those chairs. So it’s like, every one of those guys and girls has a trailer. It’s just insane to look around the room and be like, ‘Oh my god, I’m in the movie. There’s what’s-his-face doing that speech.’ It’s just enormous.”
Avengers Doomsday lands in cinemas Christmas 2026.
The last film in this beloved period drama franchise is set for release on Friday and it has been hailed the “best movie of them all” in early reviews. Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale is a historical drama film directed by Simon Curtis from a screenplay by Julian Fellowes. It is the sequel to Downton Abbey: A New Era (2022) and the third and final film in the Downton Abbey franchise. Many of the original franchise’s cast members, who also appeared in the previous two films, will return. Paul Giamatti and Dominic West will reprise their roles as Harold Levinson from the television series and Guy Dexter from the previous film, respectively. Joely Richardson, Alessandro Nivola, Simon Russell Beale and Arty Froushan will join the cast for the last instalment.
The film’s synopsis reads: “In the summer of 1930, the Crawleys grapple with the threat of social disgrace when Mary finds herself at the centre of a public scandal and the family faces financial trouble.” After six seasons and two stunning films, this looks to be the last part in the Downton Abbey story, however, writer Fellowes has been a bit more fluid about the franhise ending, stating: “I don’t know. Every time I say, ‘Oh yes, that’s definitely it. Goodbye, and I’ll never do it again.’
“Then, within a year, I’m back doing something. So I never say never anymore. But I think it’s the last with the original cast. The young women who arrived in their early twenties are now in their late thirties, and they’ve all married, had babies, been divorced, and God knows what else.”
However, actor Michelle Dockery told Collider: “This time around, I think we really relished every minute [of filming].
She continued: “It being the last, it felt really, really special. Like anything, when something comes to an end, it’s emotional but just such a happy place to be. It’s always been a very happy place to be and a wonderful thing to be part of for the last 15 years.”
The teaser of the trailer tells us “it’s time to say goodbye,” but only time will tell if the popular franchise really is coming to its end.
Early reviews lead us to believe the film will be the last in the series, with one stating: “Fellowes & Curtis have gifted audiences with a trilogy closer that’s worth coming back for as it brings satisfying closure to world and hits about every emotional note a fan could hope for in seeing these characters off to their imagined futures.”
Another critic described the film as the “best Downton movie of them all”.
Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale is out in cinemas on September 12.
Netflix is currently streaming a British drama that left audiences both weeping and roaring with laughter, and fans say you should watch it immediately.
The picture was directed by renowned filmmaker Mike Leigh, who has secured seven Academy Award nominations during his illustrious career.
If Leigh’s name rings a bell, you might remember him as the creator behind 1996’s comedic drama Secrets and Lies, which earned five Oscar nods in 1997.
Jump to 2024, and Leigh delivered Hard Truths to audiences, which is now ready to view on the platform.
Set in London, the plot follows the life of depressed woman Pansy and her bond with sister Chantelle, reports the Manchester Evening News.
The film stars Oscar-nominated Marianne Jean-Baptiste as the tormented protagonist, alongside Michele Austin as her sibling.
Both actresses earned acclaim for their portrayals, though Jean-Baptiste was hailed as a standout. Rotten Tomatoes critics awarded the movie an impressive 95% score and praised the 58-year-old film star.
Their verdict states: “Marianne Jean-Baptiste puts on a prickly masterclass in Hard Truths, another superb character study from writer-director Mike Leigh.”
General cinema-goers similarly showered Jean-Baptiste with acclaim, with one penning: “The acting is excellent, with Marianne Jean-Baptiste giving the performance of her lifetime as Pansy.
“[Mike] Leigh is 82 now, but it seems he is not slowing down at all. Long may he continue to make films like this.”
One IMDb user praised the film, saying: “Gritty British drama. No sugar coating, no CGI just a normal film about the ups and downs of two sisters and their families.
“Marianne Jean-Baptiste was outstanding as Pansy and there were other great roles as well, but Marianne was just superb.”
Another reviewer highlighted the emotional depth of the drama, stating: “It’s definitely a film that will make you laugh out loud and cry, and you may not like Pansy but you will still enjoy every minute you’re with her. See Hard Truths as soon as possible.”
As someone who adores films, I try to watch as many as possible, but at the very least a couple a week. This month I have banked more films that I would like to admit, so it felt only right to share my favourites of August. There’s a newly released rom-com in there, a classic from 2001 and a Cannes Film Festival award-winning romantic dramedy.
Cinema is truly hotting up ahead of Oscar season, so I’d encourage everyone to get out and support their local cinemas as the weather starts to take a turn. Here are my highlights of the month of August.
Materialists (2025)
Materialists is a 2025 American romantic comedy film written and directed by Celine Song, who formerly directed popular movie Past Lives. The film stars Chris Evans, Zoë Winters, Marin Ireland, and Louisa Jacobson alongside Pascal and Johnson. Materialists is set against the backdrop of New York City’s luxury-driven dating culture, and it follows a love triangle between a matchmaker, her aspiring actor ex-boyfriend, and a charming millionaire. I absolutely loved this film, it felt like the most accuarte depiction of modern day dating that I had seen in a while, mixed with the classic rom-com moments that have been lacking in cinema as of late. Since I watched it earlier this week and it has stayed with me ever since, a must watch.
Y tu mamá también (2001)
Y tu mamá también (which is Spanish for “And Your Mother Too”) is a Mexican coming-of-age comedy drama road film directed by Alfonso Cuarón, who co-wrote the script with his brother Carlos. Cuarón directed the third Harry Potter movie, Prisoner of Azkaban. I’ve been waiting to watch this one for a while, and it did not disappoint. It has a unique style of portrayal, exploring sexuality and politics, while using a narrator throughout to explain who each character is and the political landscape of Mexico in 1999. The film is visually stunning and has a very real storyline that resonates with many. It stars Maribel Verdú, Gael García Bernal, and Diego Luna, who depict their roles with style and ease. If you haven’t watched this incredible movie, do it.
The Worst Person in the World (2021)
The Worst Person in the World is a romantic dramedy film directed by Joachim Trier, who co-wrote the screenplay with Eskil Vogt. It is the third film in the director’s Oslo trilogy, following Reprise (2006) and Oslo (2011). I thought this film was beautiful. It had me in a trance from start to finish and I was taken aback by its stark depiction of the realities of relationships in this day and age. It follows a young woman as she naviagates what she wants out of life, flitting between careers and relationships, in an attempt to better undertsand who she is. I felt like I was watching a modern classic, and it has definitely become one of my favourites.
Fans of Julia Roberts will be delighted to discover her Academy Award-winning performance is now available to stream on Prime Video.
The renowned actress secured Oscar nominations for Steel Magnolias and Pretty Woman in the 1990s, but it was Erin Brockovich that delivered her the Best Lead Actress prize.
Originally released in 2000, the courtroom thriller features Roberts as single parent, Erin.
After landing a job as a legal aide, she tackles the case of a Californian energy company accused of contaminating a city’s water supply.
The inspiring film is based on the real story of American woman Erin Brockovich, who initiated the legal case in the early nineties, reports the Mirror.
Susannah Grant penned the screenplay, and acclaimed director Steven Soderbergh helmed the project. Both received Oscar nods for Best Original Screenplay and Best Director, respectively.
The movie additionally secured recognition in the Best Supporting Actor section for Albert Finney, who portrayed Roberts’ boss.
Furthermore, Rotten Tomatoes reviewers gave the millennium drama an 85% rating, while general audiences gave it an 81% score.
The critics’ verdict states: “Taking full advantage of Julia Roberts’s considerable talent and appeal, Erin Brockovich overcomes a few character and plot issues to deliver a smart, thoughtful, and funny legal drama.”
Meanwhile, one viewer on the site simply wrote: “Outstanding and engaging!”
On IMDb, one viewer lauded: “It has everything, ranging from real-life documentary through love story via comedy to tragedy. And it is so lovingly done, and played so well. And it also has a wonderful soundtrack.”
Another said: “Erin Brockovich was one of my favourite films of the new century, and I think it will please everyone who sees it.”
And a third viewer enthused: “So good you’ll watch [it] again and again,” before adding: “I’ve seen the film seven times since it came out. Why? Because it’s poignant, funny, touching, moving, and a true story. Julia Roberts hits every note and makes her character accessible to all.”
As a Literature graduate and avid reader, I love nothing more than indulging in a quality film or period drama, finding joy in watching my favourite classics come to life on the big screen. Not often that a director gets it right, my hopes for the new film Wuthering Heights were meagre to begin with. Following years of Disney remakes, live adaptations and what feels like a complete lack of fresh scripts, Director Emerald Fennel’s new trailer has finally been released – to the disgust and anger of the internet, Instagram and X (Twitter), bursting into angry flames in its wake.
Sharing the outrage of Bronte’s readers by the casting of Hollywood actors Margot Robbie, 35, and Jacob Elordi, 28, earlier this year, I couldn’t help but hope for a miracle – or at the very least a substantial effort from their makeup and costume department. Releasing the long-awaited (and dreaded, in my case) trailer on September 3, a new wave of upset crashed through social platforms at the modern ‘365-party girl’ take. Here are my three reasons why Fennel’s Saltburn style fails the Yorkshire classic.
A soundtrack by Charli XCX
Watching the teaser for the first time, my initial feeling was that of horror over the song choice: Everything Is Romantic, by Charli XCX. I was left confused as to why the 2024 Brat summer star, known for her wild party aesthetic, was paired with one of Britain’s greatest novels. The international hyperpop singer is a shameless user of autotune, which she has previously defended as her artistic right to achieve her ‘it girl’ goal.
And although I have been a dedicated listener of her various albums for over a decade, I believe a composition of layered emotional depth is needed to support the moral turmoil between the protagonists—a quality the singer’s club classics lack. In a form where soundtracks can both establish and affect the actors’ dialogue and its reception, the trailer left me abashed.
A Valentine’s special
What is celebrated as a carefully construed text of class, race, society and themes of love, appears to have been reduced to what viewers are calling “the fourth instalment of the Fifty Shades of Grey franchise” – a comment which has gained over 5,000 likes under the official YouTube clip. Confirmed to be in cinemas on February 13, 2026, the loosely based trailer is congested with raunchy scenes of an explicit nature. Though a novel known for its overwhelming romance, I was left reeling at the two-dimensional teaser of bare-chested shots – Robbie’s lusting Kathy truly foreign to the good-natured Katherine and darkly demanding Heathcliff.
The white-washing of Heathcliff
And if the trailer wasn’t butchering enough, the initial question of casting remains ever-present: in what world is Jacob Elordi an accurate Heathcliff? Handsome, brunette and a towering 6’5″, Elordi is beloved for his roles in Priscilla, Saltburn and even his Netflix debut, The Kissing Booth. Whilst an accomplished actor, the inaccuracy of the Australian playing the role of a character described as having dark “Gypsy” looks and assumed Moorish blood strips the already figurative project from its intrinsic discussion of race during the Bronte period. Tom Hardy may have gotten away with it in 2009, but in a time where it means more to the viewer than ever, Elordi simply cannot.
Not to even mention Robbie’s inability to dye her hair a brown or don a wig, the Gothic and moral nature of the original text, which has inspired decades of study and philosophical analysis, relies on the characterisation of an ambiguous Heathcliff, completely ‘othered’ to Kathy, and yet finding a likeness within her. The trailer confirmed my every fear, which is that the commercialisation of pop culture and the erasure of Brown/Black representation in Hollywood is now deeply embedded in Western media.
The speech marks enclusing Fennell’s title a potential loophole is inaffective and a poor answer to the uproar her public launch in April. Speaking to Variety, the director wrote: “Whether it was Edward Gorey’s children who are variously choked by peaches, sucked dry by leeches or smothered by rugs; Du Maurier’s imperilled heroines or the disturbing erotic power of Angela Carter’s fairy tales, the gothic world has always had me in its grip. It’s a genre where comedy and horror, revulsion and desire, sex and death are forever entwined, where every exchange is heavy with the threat of violence, or sex or both”. If so, then why does she fail to deliver?
The Wrong Paris is coming to Netflix on September 12 (Image: Diyah Pera/Netflix)
Netflix is gearing up to add a number of new films and TV shows to its streaming platform. As summer draws to a close, we’re heading into the season of Pumpkin Spice and cosy nights in. With the weather starting to change, viewers may be on the hunt for something fresh to watch on Netflix. As always, the streaming giant is set to deliver a range of brand new titles for everyone’s viewing pleasure.
Whether you’re planning a cosy night in or looking for a sure-fire crowd-pleaser, autumn promises to bring a host of new films and series to suit all tastes. This month alone, viewers can anticipate “whirlwind” romantic comedies and even a film featuring an Academy Award winner that will hit selected cinemas, reports Surrey Live.
The Wrong Paris
Netflix is introducing some brand new titles this month (Image: Netflix)
Directed by Janeen Damian, The Wrong Paris tells the story of a young woman who signs up for a dating show believing it’s set in Paris, France, only to discover it’s actually in Paris, Texas. As she plots her escape, she unexpectedly meets a cowboy bachelor and sparks begin to fly.
The film stars Miranda Cosgrove (known from iCarly), Pierson Fodé (The Man from Toronto) and Madison Pettis (American Pie Girls’ Rules). Also appearing are Madeleine Arthur (To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before) and Frances Fisher (Titanic).
Netflix teases: “A young woman (Miranda Cosgrove) joins a dating show thinking it’s in Paris, France, but it’s actually in Paris, Texas. She plots a way to get eliminated until her unexpected feelings for the bachelor (Pierson Fodé) complicate her plans.”
The film is set to premiere on Netflix on 12 September.
Same Day with Someone
Same Day with Someone will be released on Netflix on September 18. (Image: Netflix)
Same Day with Someone is a fresh Thai romantic drama which centres on a privileged young woman who encounters a challenging predicament. Destiny chooses to intervene and sends her world spiralling downwards as she discovers herself trapped reliving her most dreadful day repeatedly.
A Netflix synopsis states: “Same Day with Someone is a whirlwind, heartwarming romantic comedy that follows Mesa, a young museum curator whose seemingly perfect life falls apart on August 8, 2025. From enduring a professional meltdown to getting refused by her fiancé, the day couldn’t get any worse… until it starts repeating itself.
“Trapped in a time loop, Mesa is forced to relive her worst day over and over again. But with each reset, she begins to confront her own flaws and fears-turning chaos into a mission to uncover the truth behind reliving the same day and break free from the miraculous, never-ending loop.”
Same Day with Someone will be released on Netflix on September 18.
Ruth & Boaz
Ruth & Boaz will be released on Netflix on September 26. (Image: Netflix)
Another romantic drama arriving on Netflix this month is Ruth and Boaz. The film will chronicle an emerging hip hop performer who abandons her existence to begin afresh in Tennessee.
Ruth and Boaz presents a contemporary take on one of the most legendary love tales in the Bible between Ruth and Boaz.
Netflix’s Tudum reveals: “From producers DeVon Franklin and Tyler Perry, Ruth and Boaz is a modern-day reimagining of the timeless love story, rooted in faith, healing, and second chances.
“Serayah stars as Ruth Moably, a rising Atlanta hip-hop artist who leaves behind fame after a personal tragedy. Seeking a fresh start in rural Tennessee, she cares for her late boyfriend’s mother (Phylicia Rashad) and unexpectedly finds new purpose and love with Boaz (Tyler Lepley), a grounded and generous vineyard owner.”
Ruth and Boaz is set to hit Netflix on 26 September.
French Lover
Promising an “emotional roller coaster”, Netflix teases an “unexpected love story” (Image: Netflix)
The romantic comedy French Lover will follow the life of Abel Camara, a child prodigy who has grown up in the limelight. Despite seeming to have it all, his life takes a turn when he meets Marion, a woman in the midst of a divorce and struggling to make ends meet.
Promising a journey of emotional highs and lows, Netflix teases an “unexpected love story”, with Tudum adding: “When a jaded actor meets a down-on-her-luck waitress in Paris, their unexpected love story begins – but will it survive the glare of the spotlight?”.
Directed by Nina Rives, the film features familiar faces such as Omar Sy (Jurassic World and the Untouchables), Sara Giraudeau (The Bureau), Pascale Arbillot (Lost Bullet), and Alban Ivanov (The Last Mercenary).
French Lover is due to be released on Netflix on 26 September.
Steve
Cillian Murphy in the Netflix adaptation (Image: NETFLIX)
Steve is a fresh take on Max Porter’s Sunday Times bestseller Shy. The series follows head teacher Steve, portrayed by Academy Award winner Cillian Murphy, and his students at a last chance reform school.
Netflix’s Tudum hints: “As Steve fights to protect the school’s integrity and impending closure, we witness him grappling with his own mental health. In parallel to Steve’s struggles, we meet Shy (Jay Lycurgo), a troubled teen caught between his past and what lies ahead as he tries to reconcile his inner fragility with his impulse for self-destruction and violence.””
Steve will hit select cinemas from 19 September, but won’t make its Netflix debut until 3 October.
Marvel Rivals is getting a big new update for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and PC.
The new Marvel Rivals update has been given a September 5 release date and a 3am BST UK release time.
The good news is that the new update doesn’t require any server downtime, so all you need to do is download and install before being able to get back online.
The news was announced by Marvel Rivals developer NetEase on X: “Mark your calendars — a new patch drops on September 5 at 2:00 UTC to level up your Marvel Rivals experience with updates and improvements!”
As you can see from the patch notes below, the update adds the Peni Parker Wasteland Mech Bundle to the item shop.
Furthermore, the new update fixes a Discord doppelganger issue, as well as patching an issue with various maps.
The big update will be available from September 12, which is also when the new season goes live, alongside the new characters of Daredevil and Angela.
Likewise, the game will be available for PlayStation 4, but not the Nintendo Switch, at least not for now.
New In Store
• Peni Parker – Wasteland Mech Bundle
– Available from: September 5th, 2025, at 02:00:00 (UTC)
Fixes
All Platforms
• Squashed a Discord doppelganger issue where, for players who connected Discord, sending a friend request would have duplicate requests appear.
• Corrected a bug where certain display ratios made it impossible to set costume Exclusive SFX.
• Corrected some confusion in Custom Game – Tournament Room spectator mode, where team colors were displayed incorrectly when checking them by pressing ESC.
• Defeated some Hydra-level persistence where canceling password input when entering a locked custom game to spectate would trigger an endless pop-up loop.
Maps and Modes
• Patched up a batch of pesky map bugs that could trap, squish, or send heroes tumbling into weird places.
Heroes
• Frosty Magic & Strange Gains: There was a bug where Emma Frost’s Telepathic Pulse and Doctor Strange’s attacks against Blade during Bloodline Awakening were giving them some extra bite, abnormally boosting Emma’s Energy and Doctor Strange’s Dark Magic. Everything is now under control; no more sucking bonus power from The Daywalker.
Playwright Mike Bartlett could never be accused of avoiding the big subjects. His latest play is a state of the nation drama set on a farm whose new owner is a wealthy woman with high ideals. Ruth (Hattie Morahan) is the ultimate white liberal do-gooder, with dreams of turning the place into an organic, pesticide-free haven while turning a profit. It’s a bit like The Good Life expanded to the edge of infinity.
A companion piece to Bartlett’s Albion, it pits opposites against each other in a more calculated way; Ruth and her monosyllabic farmer husband Lip (Sam Troughton) are at odds to begin with in spite of sharing the same dream. When Ruth’s hyperactive former stepdaughter Milly (Nadia Parkes) arrives with Femi (Terique Jarrett), her smartass academic boyfriend embarking on ‘an MSC in contemporary rural ecology’, the stage is set – rather too conspicuously – for a clash of ideals, facts and fantasies.
Neighbouring farmer Tony (Jonathan Slinger), whose liberal use of pesticide is commercially successful, brings the brew to a boil. His pragmatic approach is an affront to the newcomers, who banter and snipe at each other over sustainability and sound ecological practice.
Directed by the estimable James Macdonald on a set of real earth and grass, the arguments are played out with Bartlett’s characteristically fizzy dialogue; “Thought I was a disastrous prick,” says Tony. “Turns out none of it’s my fault!”, blitzing therapists in a single line.
As Lip descends into anti-capitalist self-sufficiency, Ruth retreats to London while Milly joins Lip in his agrarian Utopia. Even Femi is persuaded to change his progressive views. All of this would work well, if Bartlett had created anything approaching real people on stage in the theatre, instead of ciphers to deliver the debate on the creeping cancer of compromise and the dangers of extremism. None of the relationships are remotely believable, in spite of the actors’ best efforts. Great performances, shame about the play.
This book racks up a huge 735 pages but tells the story of just one single day – and readers have called it a “masterpiece”. Often hailed as one of the best novels of the 20th century, you won’t want to miss out on this fascinating piece of literature.
Ulysses is a famous novel by James Joyce that takes place over just one day on June 16, 1904, in Dublin. It follows Leopold Bloom, an ordinary man going about his daily life. But what makes this book really stand out is how Joyce tells the story.
Instead of a straightforward plot, the book dives deep into characters’ thoughts, feelings, and little everyday moments, using a style called stream-of-consciousness. This means readers are essentially inside Leopold’s head and following his every thought.
The book is loosely inspired by an ancient Greek epic, The Odyssey, but it’s all about modern life.
Joyce’s novel has been named as the greatest book of all time by The Greatest Books and it’s unsurprising to find the iconic book at the top of the list.
One reader on GoodReads said: “Often considered one of the ‘greatest novel of the 20th century’, James Joyce’s masterpiece, Ulysses, is both a feat and feast of sheer literary brilliance.”
Another penned: “I don’t feel really worthy to review this book. It’s Ulysses. It’s one of the greatest modern novels in the English language.
“It’s a love letter to it and a history of it and has a sick, twisted relationship with its readers and has actually driven people to a lifetime of studying just a few chapters of it.
“I know I missed a thousand things in every ten pages I read, and if I went back again, I’d see things completely differently.”
If you’re looking for a fascinating read, look no further than this timeless novel.
James Bond fans are counting down to the imminent PlayStation State of Play event for the upcoming 007 First Light game.
The 007 First Light State of Play event takes place at 7pm BST UK time on the evening of September 3.
The good news is that you can watch the gameplay reveal live right here by clicking play on the YouTube embed below.
According to Sony, the 007 First Light State of Play will feature 30 minutes of gameplay from the upcoming action game.
Specifically, the event will focus on the game’s first main mission, which is said to feature everything from stealth sequences to car chases.
“In this upcoming State of Play, tune in for over 30 minutes of gameplay featuring a playthrough of Bond’s first mission as an MI6 recruit,” Sony explains.
“The action includes everything from high-speed car chases to on-foot stealth sequences and shootouts. Stay tuned after the playthrough for insights from IO Interactive on the intense espionage gameplay.”
While Sony is hosting the State of Play event, 007 First Light is also coming to Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2 and PC.
As you can tell from the State of Play description above, the game explores the early days of James Bond’s MI6 career.
The young James Bond will be far more rash and reckless than the spy we’re used to, which should lead to some interesting narrative twists.
“After a heroic act, young Naval air crewman James Bond is offered to join the newly revived Double 0 program,” reads the official description.
“But when a mission to stop a rogue agent ends in tragedy, he must join forces with his reluctant mentor Greenway to expose a deep conspiracy and stop a looming coup at the heart of the State.”
Fans will find out more about the game when Sony holds its State of Play event on September 3.
William Shakespeare was fond of bawdy language so forgive my Elizabethan when I say that Ncuti Gatwa’s preening, prowling Christopher Marlowe basically wants to fight and “seek heaven in the flesh” for most of Liz Duffy Adams’ riotous reinvention of the relationship between that era’s two greatest playwrights.
Period leather has never looked sexier than when the Rwandan-Scottish actor stalks the quivering Shakespeare, brandishing his “throbbing quill.” He crawls sinuously across a huge table, leaps off it and even bicep curls it. I hope the set furnishings had their own intimacy coordinator.
While he declares he wants to throw himself into every earthly pleasure and “devour” it, Bleumel’s coltish, coy Shakespeare wants to dream and reinvent the world and our way of seeing it. Undeterred, Marlowe rips off his shirt, straddles Shakespeare, nips and nuzzles him in endless rounds that Adams suggest are as much about the rake’s notorious libido as his need to dominate.
Unfortunately, much as the 90 minutes with no interval entertains, with two electrifying performances and true moments of delight, rather like the eventual lack of any fornicating, all that fighting and flirting ultimately feels like endless foreplay.
Marlowe’s bad boy reputation has endured, but Adams also wants to highlight his illicit spying activities and somewhat clumsily introduce a well-hidden longing for love. The play impressively makes no concessions to newcomers to the era, bandying around names like Robert Cecil (Marlowe’s patron and implied lover) and the Earl of Southampton (likewise for Shakespeare) and assuming we know Shakespeare’s History Plays and their characters.
This piece is framed around three writing sessions of Henry VI, parts 1, 2 and 3, which many scholars argue was a collaboration between the two men. We start out with Marlowe the arrogant flashy meteor and a diffident, naive Shakespeare still a jobbing actor, then the dynamic shifts with the latter’s swift rise.
There’s fun in this early imbalance of power, but it feels a bit forced that Shakespeare is so extremely unworldly and such a goody goody, wanting to only use his own less impressive quill for it’s intended purposes when Marlowe and his fabulously oversized one offers endless other opportunities. Yes, the Bard was a grafter, but he was also, like every actor and artist in that period, a grifter. However, the two actors rise (ahem) to the challenge and make it (just about) work.
The simple period staging and costumes contrast powerfully with the three surrounding walls of globe (how on the nose) lights and the video screen that fills the front of the stage between each small time jump.
Adam’s writing is fluid, and she works in allusions to her subjects’ own wordsmithery (the title is a quote from Henry VI part 3) and achieves some of her own. But for such a short play with an entertaining premise and two charismatic leads, it sometimes drags, bogged down in the repetitive circling of themes and sexual advances. The rather rushed reaching for true poignancy and emotion at the end isn’t really earned and doesn’t quite convince.
The two stars have crackling chemistry but some of the intimate moments feel a little stagey, while Gatwa’s accent roamed from North of the border to somewhere vaguely Cornish. Much of this will bed in, of course, even if the two chaps never actually do. The show is great fun. Just not a much as it could have been. Perhaps, it simply bites off more than it can chew…
Netflix has announced a new, feature-length documentary providing unprecedented access to legendary boxer Tyson Fury.
The upcoming film promises to pull back the curtain on Fury’s rise to fame and his unprecedented comeback.
Not only will the man himself be providing in-depth interviews, but director Lucy Wilcox also gained access to his inner circle of family, friends and colleagues to provide an eye-opening account of his story.
A synopsis for the upcoming doc promises to tell “the intimate and remarkable journey of an extraordinary fighter who, against all expectations, battled through impossible odds to achieve one of the greatest comebacks of all time.
“A disruptor in and out of the ring, the film explores his personal battles, controversies, complex relationships, and transformative moments that have made him a defining force in modern boxing.”
Featuring never-seen-before footage and intimate confessionals with the man himself, Fury is being described as the “definitive” documentary on one of the biggest names in boxing history.
The announcement comes shortly after the recent confirmation that Netflix is currently in production on a second season of the boxer’s reality series, At Home With the Furys.
Netflix are keeping further details about the film under wraps, and it currently does not have a release date.
All3Media’s Optomen are producing the doc, the same company behind the reality series as well as last year’s Becoming Madonna.
Director Wilcox is previously known for The Undercover Police Scandal: Love & Lies Exposed & Paddy and Christine McGuinness: Our Family and Autism.
George Waldrum (The Twister: Caught in the Storm) is executive producing, and the film’s creative directors are Nick Hornby and Tina Flintoff.
Fury is scheduled to take on heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk in April next year at London’s Wembley Stadium.
However, Fury has suffered back-to-back losses against Usyk and just last month admitted he’s “too old” to return to boxing.
When asked when he’d return to the ring by Sky Sports at the start of August, he said: “Never. Really! Too old, look at my beard, all grey. Boxing’s a young man’s game.”
The sports star was filming a segment for At Home With the Furys at Doncaster Racecourse, watching his racehorse Big Gypsy King run in the Unison Campaigning For Public Services Handicap over seven furlongs.
At Home With the Furys is available to stream on Netflix. Fury does not yet have a release date.
Stardew Valley developer ConcernedApe has treated fans to a surprise announcement, and it’s great news.
In a social media post, the Stardew Valley creator confirmed that the game will be getting a big new content update at some point in the future.
While there’s no official release date, Stardew Valley update 1.7 is in development for PlayStation, Xbox and PC.
“Okay, I revealed this at the concert last night and now the cat’s out of the bag, so I will confirm for everyone: There will be a Stardew Valley 1.7 update,” reads a ConcernedApe post.
“No release date, no estimate. But it’s happening.”
In a follow up tweet to a fan, ConcernedApe said that the development of the update shouldn’t interfere with upcoming release Haunted Chocolatier.
If the previous content update is anything to go by, the new download could add a new farm, festival and more.
Update 1.6, for example, added Meadowlands Farm, which contains “chewy blue grass that animals love”. The farm contains a coop and two chickens.
That’s on top of a three-day Desert Festival in spring, as well as two mini fishing festivals and new lines of dialogue.
The news comes as Stardew Valley prepares to join the PlayStation Plus Essentials line-up for September.
Available from September 2, the PS Plus Essentials also include the superb Psychonauts 2, as well as first-person puzzle game Viewfinder.
While Stardew Valley is the pick of the bunch, Psychonauts 2 is a highly-rated game, earning Overwhelmingly Positive reviews on Steam. Fans love the creative level design, the colourful visuals and the game’s unique sense of character.
Viewfinder, meanwhile, tasks players with using a special camera to reshape reality and overcome obstacles.
The Harry Potter TV series, an adaptation of JK Rowling’s iconic fantasy novels, is currently shooting its first season, based on Philosopher’s Stone, in London.
Casting announcements have slowly but surely been released, with the likes of John Lithgow as Dumbledore and Nick Frost as Hagrid.
Paul Whitehouse, who briefly played Sir Cadogan in the third film, has also been cast as Filch.
The latest news is that Warwick Davis, who plays Professor Filius Flitwick in the movies, will reprise the same role in the TV show.
The 55-year-old played the Charms master in seven of the eight Harry Potter movies, but had a radical costume change from the third film onwards.
In the first two movies, Flitwick is old and grey-bearded, while in the third film onwards, he is younger, with brown hair and a moustache. The reason is that he wasn’t in the Prisoner of Azkaban movie, so Davis took a cameo as the choir master. Having preferred this costume, going forward, it was decided that the choir master was Flitwick after all, despite the physical continuity.
Given the original costume was book accurate, it’ll be interesting to see if he returns to the more ancient look. Meanwhile, Davis also voiced Griphook in the first movie and embodied him entirely in Deathly Hallows Part 1. But this time around the Gringotts goblin will be played by Joker and Joker 2’s Leigh Gill in the Harry Potter TV series, which debuts on NOW in 2027.
Squid Game star Lee Byung-hun is the leading man in a forthcoming dark comedy that film enthusiasts simply cannot afford to overlook.
The production is not only directed by celebrated filmmaker Park Chan-wook (The Handmaiden), but has also garnered glowing critiques following its recent debut at the Venice International Film Festival.
The picture has even secured a perfect 100 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes from an impressive 17 reviews, suggesting one of this year’s finest films is about to grace cinemas.
No Other Choice features Lee as Man-soo, a recently redundant paper industry specialist whose existence alongside his spouse Mi-ri (portrayed by Son Ye-jin) and their two youngsters is destroyed when he’s abruptly dismissed.
Following another humiliation when he’s turned down by another firm, Man-soo determines to eradicate his rivals by whatever means necessary, reports the Mirror.
Whilst the picture regrettably lacks a confirmed date for its global debut as yet, No Other Choice is undoubtedly one for admirers of Squid Game and other South Korean thrillers to monitor closely.
Lee has also recently provided his voice to Netflix’s most successful film to date, KPop Demon Hunters, depicting the malevolent demon monarch.
Time Out made the audacious assertion that the film could surpass Bong Joon-ho’s Best Picture-winning masterpiece Parasite in their five-star assessment.
“With humour blacker than black bean noodles, the film is a masterful work of cinema which might well be Chan-wook’s masterpiece,” they penned.
“And given this is the man who directed The Handmaiden that’s saying a lot.”
Loud and Clear Reviews raved: “Lee Byung-hun is superb in Park Chan-wook’s dark comedy-thriller No Other Choice, which smartly warns us against our impending loss of humanity.”
The BBC said: “No Other Choice isn’t just Park’s funniest film, but his most humane, too – and that’s quite something for a comedy as violent as this one.”
Meanwhile, Variety branded the film a “masterclass in controlled chaos” and “deliriously entertaining” in their glowing critique.
They added: “[No Other Choice is] the latest exhibit in the mounting body of evidence suggesting Park Chan-wook may be the most elegant filmmaker alive.”
Finally, Next Best Picture said: “No Other Choice blends mismatched tones and genre hallmarks in a way that’s typical for Park and yet remains invigorating, leading to a ridiculous look at what happens when the system pushes a person to the very edge of desperation.”
Have a look at the freshly dropped trailer if you need further convincing, and watch this space for an official release date which should hopefully be revealed shortly.
Hollywood scream queen Vera Farmiga has admitted that the horrors of The Conjuring series don’t just stay on screen; they follow her home. The 52-year-old actress, who has starred in the billion-dollar ghost-hunting franchise since 2013, revealed she’s been left with bizarre cross-shaped bruises “every time” she steps into her character, Lorraine Warren’s shoes.
“Yeah, I get battered,” Vera told E!News, dismissing questions about her mysterious injuries. “It depends whether it’s upside down or not, whether they’re crosses or upside-down crosses. I guess it depends on how I show you my leg.” Farmiga, who is about to reprise her role for the fourth and final spine-chiller, The Conjuring: Last Rites, admitted she doesn’t usually discuss the bruises, fearing she’ll “sensationalise” the stories. But in the past, she has shared chilling images of cross-shaped marks on her thigh, sparking speculation about a supernatural cause.
Her co-star Patrick Wilson also strives to avoid sensationalising the story out of respect for the people the film is based on. “I’ve said this in response to even what Vera’s talking about, with stuff that’s happened on set. I think anytime something happens in real life, I never sensationalise it. There’s a lot of unexplained things and anytime you’re dealing with real people, real families, real friends, that’s much bigger than any of this sort of stuff.'”
Whether paranormal or just a coincidence, the eerie events are only fuelling excitement for the franchise’s grand finale, which opens in cinemas and IMAX on 5 September 2025. The final film, directed by Michael Chaves, will reunite Farmiga with co-star Patrick Wilson for one last ghostly investigation as real-life experts Ed and Lorraine Warren.
And for fans eager for big-screen scares, Warner Bros. Discovery is turning London into a horror hub. Starting Monday, The Conjuring Occult Museum will take over White Rabbit Studios in Shoreditch. The 10,000 sq ft immersive pop-up will transport visitors into the Warrens’ infamous artefact room, the real inspiration for the films, showcasing over 50 props from the movies, including the cursed Annabelle doll and relics from The Nun.
Specially recorded content from Wilson and Farmiga will feature throughout the experience, creating the ultimate fright-fest for horror enthusiasts.
The Conjuring Occult Museum is open from Monday 1st to Wednesday 3rd September 2025, located at White Rabbit Studios, The Arches, 471-473 Dereham Place, EC2A 3hj. It is just five minutes from Shoreditch High Street and a short walk from Old Street and Liverpool Street stations.
A new series drawing inspiration from the K-Pop craze is essential viewing for devotees of Netflix’s most successful film of all time.
KPop Demon Hunters is an animated marvel that chronicles a trio of Korean pop performers who covertly employ their vocal talents and fighting prowess to shield the globe from demonic forces.
Following its achievement as the most-watched original movie in the platform’s history, surpassing the benchmark previously set by the Dwayne Johnson blockbuster Red Notice, audiences will be keen to uncover additional programmes that capitalise on this musical phenomenon.
Fortunately, competing streaming service Apple TV+ provides the solution through a celebrity-packed competition programme showcasing some of the world’s most prominent performers.
KPopped launched this Friday (29th August) and guarantees supporters a musical battle unlike any other, reports <a href=”https://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/shows-like-kpop-demon-hunters-35820515″ rel=”Follow” target=”_self”>the Mirror</a>.
A description for the programme states: “East meets West when the biggest K-pop groups on the planet split into two teams and join forces with Western music superstars.
“Against a ticking clock, they must prepare and perform unique covers of iconic mega-hits, delivering spectacular collab performances, with a winning team crowned every episode.”
Should that fail to entice sufficiently, the eight-part series is brimming with superstars from the K-Pop universe, featuring ITZY, Billie, ATEEZ, STAYC, Kiss of Life and BLACKSWAN.
They’re set to compete against renowned artists including Kylie Minogue, Patti LaBelle, Kesha, Boyz II Men, Spice Girls’ Mel B, J Balvin and Culture Club’s Boy George in a series of song battles held in Seoul and judged by a live audience.
The show also features Gangnam Style icon Psy and Megan Thee Stallion, with hosting duties undertaken by Soojeong Son.
Just a day after the first eight episodes premiered on Apple TV+, fans are already singing the praises of the new show, hinting that a second season could be imminent.
One viewer posted on X: “the blackswan episode of kpopped was so good omg.”
Another enthused: “That Kpopped show is so cutieeeee. Meg was the perfect choice.”
A third couldn’t contain their excitement: “KPOPPED WAS SO GOOD I SCREAMED AND CHOKED MYSELF GOODNESS. I CANT BELIEVE THIS IS A REAL THING THAT EXISTS.”
And a final fan demanded: “we need KPOPPED season 2, i love this show already.”
Still craving a K-Pop fix after being captivated by KPop Demon Hunters?
Sign up for Apple TV+ – or try their free trial – to stream this revolutionary musical competition show.
Netflix is now streaming an Oscar-winning period drama hailed as one of the best book adaptations of all time.
Little Women, based on a renowned 19th-century novel, was directed by Greta Gerwig and features an all-star cast. Saoirse Ronan leads the ensemble, with Oscar-nominated actors Timothee Chalamet and Florence Pugh in supporting roles.
Adapted from Louisa May Alcott’s classic novel, it tells the tale of four sisters – Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy – as they navigate their way through adolescence in Massachusetts, reports the Mirror.
Set during and after the American Civil War, the story has inspired numerous film and television adaptations. These include a 1933 version featuring Katharine Hepburn, a 1949 film with Elizabeth Taylor and a popular nineties version starring Winona Ryder.
However, many critics regard Gerwig’s interpretation of the Christmas story as the most faithful to its original source.
Following its premiere, the Academy Awards praised the adaptation and nominated Gerwig for the Best Adapted Screenplay of 2020. Little Women also earned Ronan, who stars as Jo, a nomination for the Best Actress award.
Pugh was also recognised in the Best Supporting Actress category. The film was further nominated for the Best Costume Design, Best Music and Best Picture awards. It ultimately clinched the award for Best Costume Design.
Since its premiere over half a decade ago, the adaptation from book to screen has been met with rave reviews from audiences.
One reviewer on Rotten Tomatoes enthused: “This is one of the best movie adaptations of a book I have ever seen. I absolutely adore the book, and I was slightly apprehensive about the movie, but my expectations were absolutely blown away!”
Meanwhile, critics on the platform, who gave the film a 95% score, penned: “With a stellar cast and a smart, sensitive retelling of its classic source material, Greta Gerwig’s Little Women proves some stories truly are timeless.”
Another admirer reviewed: “An utterly warm and cosy picture. Remakes or renditions of classic stories can oftentimes fall short on the mark- by either changing too much and taking away from the original story or trying to replicate too much.
“Greta, however, mastered creating such a beautiful rendition of this story that is close to perfection.”
Yet another cinema-goer quipped: “Love this telling. Would watch it over and over again, adore the cast so much.”
Someone else declared: “What a gorgeous movie, one of my all time favs. The actors are amazing performers and the way they express their emotions is very touching. This movie is a must watch.”
An imminent Call of Duty update will seemingly address a big problem that has been plaguing the game for quite some time.
According to a new report, the next update for Call of Duty on PS5 will reduce the HQ file size by a staggering 101GB.
With Call of Duty and its various game modes (including Warzone) taking up enormous amounts of storage space, the update will be well received by fans, especially with a busy period of new releases on the horizon.
As you can see from the ModernWarzone tweet above, the update will reduce the Call of Duty HQ file size from 126GB to just 25GB.
PS4 users will also benefit from a reduction, with the update reducing the file size by a less impressive 19GB.
This means Call of Duty HQ on PS4 will be reduced from 81GB to 62GB in total.
Fans in the comments seem pretty happy by the news, calling it a “huge” announcement and suggesting that publisher Activision is scared of Battlefield 6.
One user speculates: “They pulling out all the tricks because of BF.”
Another writes: “Maybe they’re actually starting to care about players again for the first time in about 7 years.”
It’s unclear when the update will be released, although fingers crossed it’s before the launch of games like Borderlands 4 and Battlefield 6.
The new update will certainly be available before the launch of Black Ops 7, which actually sounds like it will do something different compared to previous releases.
The co-op campaign features endgame content that sees players team up to tackle “overwhelming odds”.
“As you push deeper into the story, you’ll master new abilities to deploy in the Campaign’s epic Endgame, where you’ll reach new levels of power to survive overwhelming odds in a brand-new PvE experience,” reads the official description.
“This is the culmination of the Co-Op Campaign, where each Endgame run is a new step in the power journey as your squad is forced to adapt under pressure throughout all of Avalon.”
Progression from the campaign also transfers over to Warzone and multiplayer (and vice-versa), meaning you can upgrade weapons and complete player challenges in the story mode.
Twilight enthusiasts have been left thrilled following a significant update from the iconic film series, although it’s not all good news for some cinema-goers.
The popular franchise, based on Stephenie Meyer’s novels, released five films between 2008 and 2012, with Breaking Dawn: Part 2 concluding the series.
More than a decade later, the saga made a mysterious announcement across social media on Wednesday (August 27).
Fans were tantalised with an image of Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart), Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner) and Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson), accompanied by the words “Forever Begins Again, “The Twilight Saga,” and “This October.”
The post also included the enigmatic caption “Tomorrow,” hinting that more details would be revealed on Thursday (August 28). Now, the mystery has finally been unveiled, reports the Manchester Evening News.
As many fans speculated, the entire Twilight Saga is set to make a comeback in cinemas this October, perfectly timed for the first novel’s 20th anniversary.
On Thursday evening, the franchise shared a trailer featuring clips from each of the five films on Instagram, along with the caption: “All five films. Back in theatres. This October.”
The announcement naturally sent fans into a whirlwind of excitement, with many expressing their joy in the comments section.
One person exclaimed: “Omg I get to see it in theatres for the first time,” while another simply wrote: “Finally.
“Exciting!!! I actually missed out on the first one in theatres,” enthused a third.
However, some sharp-eyed viewers have spotted that the trailer reveals the celebration will be “nationwide,” suggesting the re-release is limited to American cinema-goers.
International fans have been left devastated by this news. Expressing their frustration, one viewer raged: “Why only nationwide??? This should be international thooooooo!!!”
Another added: “NOOO MAKE IT WORLDWIDE PLEASEEEEE,” whilst a third begged: “WHAT ABOUT THE REST OF THE WORLD?”
Currently, it seems only US-based fans will get to enjoy this massive celebration.
Twilight follows the tale of teenager Bella, who becomes smitten with vampire Edward and gets dragged into the supernatural realm of bloodsuckers and werewolves.
The movie franchise catapulted Pattinson and Stewart, who were establishing themselves in Hollywood at the time, to worldwide stardom.
Atomfall developer Rebellion has announced plans to release another story expansion for the first-person survival game.
In a surprise announcement, Rebellion has unveiled the brand new Red Strain DLC for Atomfall, which is one of my favourite games of the year, largely thanks to its story and exploration system.
And fans won’t have to wait very long to play the new expansion, because the Red Strain DLC has been given a September 16 release date for PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC.
Not much is known about the second Atomfall DLC outside of a brief teaser trailer that can be seen below.
According to Rebellion, the expansion introduces a “highly confidential” new location, as well as brand new mysteries to uncover.
“More details about exactly what you will find in The Red Strain will be revealed in the lead up to the release,” Rebellion explains. “But for now expect a highly confidential new location and plenty more mysteries to uncover.”
As you can see from the trailer below, it all has something to do with the strange new foliage that has appeared within the world of Atomfall.
It seems to take place in and around an industrial complex that has been beset by this new strain.
The Red Strain is the second story expansion following the recent release of The Wicked Isle DLC. It’s unclear if it will be part of the Deluxe Edition like The Wicked Isle.
Inspired by folk horror movies and stories, Wicked Isle transports players to an island called Midsummer. Players can reach the island by talking to the boat-keeper in Wyndham Village.
The island is said to feature higher levels of infection, which has resulted in new enemies such as pirate bandits and infected druids.
New items include the Blunderbuss shotgun, a new bow, cutlass, daggers and the Beekeeper’s Staff.
Players can unlock new skills, not to mention an upgraded metal detector for finding hidden items.
I’ve been searching for the same stretch of silence I experienced after watching Hereditary on a plane in 2018.
Despite the far from optimal viewing conditions – whirring engines and a woman’s head lolling on my shoulder – I was nauseated but mute for the rest of the long haul flight.
For many – the God-fearing, devil-based horror film of the past no longer washes with us. We need psychological horror. Bring Her Back provides just this.
I felt it from the moment we clap eyes on Sally Hawkin’s manic gaze when searching the face of her new partially sighted foster child Piper (Sora Wong). It kick starts the bile production to your gut; something is severely off.
It then becomes clear that ex-social worker Laura (Hawkins) has recently lost her own vision-impaired child and her macabre fascination with Piper settles like a heart-drop.
Hawkins’ comedic timing is brilliant. She instantly pressures Piper’s step-brother Andy (Billy Barratt) to open up about his father and launches her gas lighting campaign that at one point involves her own urine.
After going through his phone she eerily coos “I’m a counsellor'”, fit with art-teacher beads and non-ironic bayonette reading glasses.
It is a dexterous performance from Hawkins. It is hard not to physically recoil when trying to understand both the empathy and the disgust at Laura’s desperation as she is pushed to psychosis over her unscalable wall of grief.
Barratt, a refreshingly teenager-looking teenager, braces and all, is the making of this film. His wide watery eyes instantly raise the stakes. We are on Andy’s side and we need him to live.
Although Danny and Michael Philippou do ‘unsettling’ well, there are two shortcomings with this film. One is the dreaded miscommunication, or rather, under-communication plot-line. An easy and lazy way to get your audience to invest in your story is to have them internally screaming ‘just listen to your brother!’. This urgent frustration overrides any tacit, carefully built anxiety.
The other flaw is the Philippou brothers use every base Freudian horror in their remit. There is not inherent value in subtlety. However, when you’re ‘doing’ cannibalism, child abuse, parent loss, child loss, abuse of power, body horror, drowning, ghosts and something resembling exorcism it can start to feel like we’re shooting at every cheap shot we have.
This being said, at one point when one of the many abused children in the film begins to eat his own flesh and he starts to peel off his forearm like a snap on bracelet – I looked around to see the entire room, hand over mouths, curled inwards in their seats. Portraying something so grotesque and managing to keep people watching, and not laughing, is a win.
My friend later admitted to me he kept his eyes closed for the entire second half of the film because he “just couldn’t do it.” I saw him shut his eyes and try to drown out the minute-to-minute trauma at the point one child uses a fruit knife like a saw, creating a cleft in his lip.
Do not watch this film if there is any part of you that is feeling sensitive. However, if you want to feel out of your body for a modest run time of an hour and a half – buy your tickets now.
While Sony was always going to struggle against Xbox Game Pass in September, the company has come out fighting with another really good PlayStation Plus line-up for Essential subscribers.
Available from September 2, the PS Plus Essentials include the superb Psychonauts 2, as well as first-person puzzle game Viewfinder.
If that wasn’t good enough, Sony has also confirmed plans to bring ultra-addictive cozy game Stardew Valley to the service in September.
Stardew Valley begins with your character inheriting the family farm, although there’s so much more to it than simply growing crops and feeding animals.
You’ll need to form relationships with your fellow villagers, attend town festivals, visit the neighbouring area, go fishing, head down the mines or simply wonder around foraging for items. It’s wonderful.
The game is hugely popular among gamers, earning overwhelmingly positive reviews on Steam.
It also helps that developer ConcernedApe has released a steady stream of free content updates since the game’s original launch.
This includes everything from new pets and farm types, to end-game skills, major annual events, new crops, activities and lots more.
You could easily spend hundreds of hours in this one, which is why it’s great to see it finally come to PS Plus.
It’s also worth noting that Stardew Valley takes advantage of the PS Plus online multiplayer function, letting you team up and play with friends.
“You’ve inherited your grandfather’s old farm plot in Stardew Valley,” reads the official description.
“Armed with hand-me-down tools and a few coins, you set out to begin your new life. Can you learn to live off the land and turn these overgrown fields into a thriving home? It won’t be easy. Ever since Joja Corporation came to town, the old ways of life have all but disappeared.
“The community centre, once the town’s most vibrant hub of activity, now lies in shambles. But the valley seems full of opportunity. With a little dedication, you might just be the one to restore Stardew Valley to greatness!”
With Xbox Game Pass adding Hollow Knight Silksong to its ranks in September, Sony needed a strong PS Plus line-up, which it has most certainly delivered.
Psychonauts 2 is another highly-rated game, earning Overwhelmingly Positive reviews on Steam. Fans love the creative level design, the colourful visuals and the game’s unique sense of character.
Viewfinder, meanwhile, is another beloved game. Players use a special camera to reshape reality and overcome obstacles. It’s an extremely inventive game with some excellent puzzles that will make you feel extra clever.
Academy Award-winning filmmaker Jordan Peele captivated audiences and critics with his 2022 science fiction masterpiece Nope, which is now available to stream for free.
Channel 4’s streaming platform has added the star-studded film to its collection, and it’s ideal for midweek viewing.
Written and helmed by Peele, this suspenseful flick is most rewarding when approached without prior knowledge, but we’ll offer new viewers a brief outline.
The story centres on brother and sister OJ and Emerald Haywood, who run a family horse ranch in California.
After an alien-like presence appears above their property, the pair attempt to document it on camera, whilst a local entrepreneur seeks to capitalise on the phenomenon , reports the Mirror.
Oscar recipient Daniel Kaluuya headlines the ensemble as OJ, alongside Disney alumn Keke Palmer portraying his sibling Emerald.
The supporting cast includes The Walking Dead veteran Steven Yeun as Ricky ‘Jupe’ Park, a profit-driven businessman.
True to Peele’s signature style, Nope delivers complex social critique. Specifically, the frightening tale explores the dangerous extremes people pursue for financial gain.
Following its release, the thriller secured an outstanding 83% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Their critical consensus reads: “Admirable for its originality and ambition even when its reach exceeds its grasp, Nope adds Spielbergian spectacle to Jordan Peele’s growing arsenal.”
Cinema enthusiasts were equally entranced, with one review lauding: “One of the best sci fi movies ever made,” while another proclaimed: “Without a doubt the best horror movie I’ve ever seen.”
Another viewer endorsed the film’s depth, penning: “Overall, the film is worthy of many rewatches, each one will surely be rewarding. I’m sure after every one, I will begin to notice something new each and every time.”
Meanwhile, an IMDb user wrote: “Nope accomplishes something truly rare and special in the current filmmaking landscape, an original blockbuster that delivers truly awe inspiring spectacle whilst also exploring plenty of weighty themes below the already impressive surface.”
Just months after celebrating his 83rd birthday, Sir Paul McCartney has shown no signs of slowing down and is rumoured to be making a fresh musical comeback. The Beatles legend will reportedly announce an upcoming tour and release a new album by the end of the year. According to a source close to the icon, Sir Paul is said to be “really proud” of the album and looking forward to performing in front of concertgoers across the UK.
They claimed: “Paul has been working on the album all year and initially hoped it would be out by the end of this year, but as with most things, plans change. “It’s not quite finished, but the majority of the album is done and Paul is really proud of it. “As for live shows, he’s told his team he wants to tour the UK again, so live gigs next year are also happening,” they added to The Sun’s Bizarre column.
This will be a quick return to the stage for the musician who turned 83 in June and is due to end his Got Back tour later this year. The shows, which kicked off in 2022, began with seven shows in Australia, followed by a Latin American leg twice. He also performed shows across Europe and a further two concerts in Mexico.
Sir Paul will embark on the North American leg of the tour on September 29 in Palm Desert, California which finishes on November 25 in Chicago. The three-year tour was preceded by the Freshen Up tour in 2018 and 2019 and a selection of Secret Gigs in 2018.
Despite his age, the Let It Be crooner has turned down the prospects of retiring during a 2025 interview and said: “I figure when I get really fed up, then that’ll be the time to think about it.
“But I’m loving it. And we play beautiful places like this, and the audiences are fantastic, so warm. And I love playing with the band, so there’s no point in retiring,” he added.
Sir Paul’s last album, McCartney III, came out in 2020, marking his 26th solo album. With his band Wings, the singer has released seven studio albums, and with The Beatles, he released 12 main studio albums, plus a selection of compilations.
Away from music, Sir Paul co-authored a book about his time in his band Wings, set to be released in November. The new book, Wings: The Story of a Band on the Run, comes as Paul also promotes The Beatles Anthology, a nine-part documentary series featuring previously unreleased footage, also set to be released in November.
The ‘best horror movie of all time’ that earned its famous author’s approval is now streaming.
Prime Video has added the film described as ’90 minutes of pure bloody comedic horror gold’ featuring a Downton Abbey star to its library.
The Monkey made its cinema debut earlier this year but has already landed on the streaming platform for home viewing.
It swiftly emerged as one of the year’s most discussed horror offerings, boasting an impressive cast, grisly sequences and wicked humour.
The plot follows twin brothers Hal and Bill who uncover their father’s vintage toy Monkey in the loft, only to be plagued by a string of sinister fatalities.
Desperate to break free from its malevolent influence, they cast aside the Monkey and part company, reports the Mirror. Yet the killings resume once more.
The screenplay and direction come courtesy of Oz Perkins, who also crafted 2024’s sensation Longlegs, drawing comparisons to the legendary The Silence of the Lambs.
Perkins features in The Monkey as Uncle Chip, whilst Downton Abbey and The Gentlemen favourite Theo James takes on the challenging double role of twins Bill and Hal.
The supporting cast includes Black Orphan’s Tatiana Maslany, Lord of the Rings veteran Elijah Wood and Severance’s Adam Scott, amongst others.
The picture draws inspiration from a short tale penned by bestselling novelist Stephen King, who bestowed his blessing upon the screen version.
Taking to social media, he declared: “You’ve never seen anything like The Monkey. It’s b*****t insane. As someone who has indulged in b*********y from time to time, I say that with admiration.”
The film has been met with rave reviews from critics and fans alike. One critic stated: “The Monkey is pure carnage, comedy, and thesa9 chaos of existence.”
Another reviewer chimed in: “Perkins is not known for comedy, but The Monkey is brutally, laugh-out-loud funny and features some of the most unique deaths ever in a horror movie, and extreme blood and gore. It’s not for the faint of heart.”
A fan simply declared: “The Monkey is 90 minutes of pure bloody, comedic horror gold.”
Another viewer added: “Cult classic. Must see. Steven king short story. Osgood Perkins is becoming one of my favourite directors. This movie is brash, fast and full of fun. If you like final destination and chucky then you’ll love this.”
One more comment read: “This is the best horror movie of all time. Performed with a deeply felt massage and warning of what life is like: Turn the key and find out. And it is not a toy and don’t ever call it that.”
Fortnite developer Epic Games has announced plans to release the first major update of the new season.
Fortnite update 37.10 has been given an August 26 release date and a 9am BST UK release time.
Unfortunately, however, the new update will be accompanied by a period of server downtime, which also begins at 9am BST. This means you won’t be able to play Fortnite for at least a couple of hours while maintenance is being performed.
The news was announced by Epic Games alongside a preview about what to expect.
A war film which might over 60 years old it has stood the test of time to become one of the best. With an impressive 93% on Rotten Tomatoes, this film can’t be missed. The film follows the story of British officer T.E. Lawrence’s mission to aid the Arab tribes in their revolt against the Ottoman Empire during the First World War.
Lawrence becomes a flamboyant, messianic figure in the cause of Arab unity but his psychological instability threatens to undermine his achievements.
Lawrence of Arabia was originally released in 1962, directed by David Lean. Today, you can watch the film on Apple TV and film-lovers are still enjoying the hit even in 2025.
Forbes named it in its list of “30 greatest war movies of all time”.
One person on Rotten Tomatoes said: “An impressive and highly influential historical epic.
“The film has such a grand scale with its vast landscape cinematography, large number of extras crowding the screen, and a sweeping heavily inspirational orchestral soundtrack.
“The titular character Lawrence is very quirky, clever, humble, and charming.”
Another penned: “Endlessly quotable and always beautiful to look at. Will forever be a stone cold masterpiece.”
Movie Web says Lawrence of Arabia is “glorious”, it adds that the film is “extravagant and sublimely poignant”.
It also says that the film features a star-studded cast, with some of the best performances of its era.
Movie Web adds: “Peter O’Toole’s sensitive portrayal of Lawrence is wonderful, and garnered him a win for best actor from the British Academy, plus nominations for both the Golden Globes and the Oscars.”
You’ll also see incredible performances from Omar Sharif, Anthony Quinn, Jack Hawkins, José Ferrer, Claude Rains, and Alec Guinness.
If you’re looking for a highly-regarded war film to watch, look no further than this 1962 classic.
I read books every day and have done all my life. I love the way books help us in so many ways, whether it’s providing us with the information, education and tools to help improve our lives or providing us with a means to relax, wind down and escape the everyday.
I love fiction and non-fiction books equally for the ways they enrich my life. History books teach me things I didn’t know, self-help and advice books teach me ways I might be able to improve my life and interactions with other people, and fiction allows me to stop thinking about the stresses of everyday life. You can find out what I consider the 10 best books I’ve read in the last 5 years here. And this is by far the best book I’ve ever read.
Right now, I’m enjoying the escapism of fiction and discovering new authors like Alice Winn and Martin Griffin. But there is one author I am enjoying more than any other at the moment. With more than 15 million books sold, Lisa Jewell could hardly be described a little-known or upcoming author. She is an established New York Times best-seller, a big hitter with 23 novels to her name, each translated into several different languages. She’s been described as the “UK’s greatest export” for lovers of mystery thriller books.
But somehow, despite being an avid reader, I hadn’t come across her or her books until I was recommended one by a colleague. I raced through it, devoured three more in a month and then a fifth. I don’t think I’ve ever read so quickly,with Jewell’s easy writing style combining perfectly with her unique, intense, fast-moving and sometimes downright terrifying plots. In turn, I recommended her to a colleague — she was as gripped as me and said she’d never spent as long on a treadmill while listening to one of Jewell’s audiobooks!
Here are the five books I’ve enjoyed so much, each one as gripping as the last. And for more book recommendations, reviews and news, click here to subscribe to our free weekly newsletter, The Bookish Drop, on Substack.
1. The Family Upstairs (2019)
This brilliant book centres on an abandoned mansion in Chelsea, London, where the bodies of three adults were discovered alongside a healthy baby in a cot, alive and seemingly well looked after. When that baby inherits the house 25 years later, she sets about uncovering its dark past. The book jumps between the present and past, with a great twist. You can buy it on Amazon here or at Waterstones here.
2. Then She Was Gone (2017)
This thriller tells the story of Laurel Mack, a mum who is grieving after the sudden disappearance of her youngest daughter, Ellie. Years later, with Ellie’s disappearance still a mystery, she meets a handsome and seemingly perfect man in a cafe and goes on to start a relationship with him. Then she meets his nine-year-old daughter and the first thing that strikes her is how much she looks like her missing daughter. From that point on, I was completely and utterly hooked and could not turn the pages fast enough. You can buy it on Amazon here or at Waterstones here.
3. The Night She Disappeared (2021)
On a summer night, 19-year-old Tallulah and her boyfriend, Zach, go missing after going to a house party at a large mansion outside their village. A year later, with the couple’s disappearance still a mystery, a writer named Sophie, who has moved to the area with her boyfriend, discovers a sign saying “Dig Here” at the bottom of her garden, seemingly freshly written. She does as the sign instructs, and begins to unravel the mystery of what happened to Tallulah and Zach that night. You can buy it on Amazon here or at Waterstones here.
4. None Of This Is True (2023)
Two middle-aged women with families meet by chance in a bar where they bond over their shared birthday. Josie, seeking a new direction in life, convinces Alix to do a podcast based on her life, which, it soon becomes obvious, is dark and unsettling. But by now, both women are enmeshed in each other’s lives to a chilling extent. You can buy it on Amazon here or at Waterstones here.
5. The Family Remains (2022)
The sequel to The Family Upstairs continues the story of the characters we were introduced to three years earlier in The Family Upstairs. It opens with the discovery of the remains of a body in a bag in the Thames. Soon, a detective is connecting them to a cold case that left three people dead on the kitchen floor in a Chelsea mansion thirty years ago. Lisa Jewell has said she doesn’t like writing sequels. Thank goodness she did. This is just as thrilling as the book that got me hooked in the first place.
This classic gangster film is the best movie of all time, according to Rotten Tomatoes and is available to stream on two platforms. The Godfather (1972) is now streaming on Amazon Prime Video and NOW TV.
Directed by Francis Ford Coppola and co-written with Mario Puzo, based on Puzo’s best-selling 1969 novel, the American epic gangster film is about Michael Corleone, the war-hero youngest son of a powerful New York crime boss, who joins the family business when his father is targeted for assassination. The film’s synopsis reads: “Widely regarded as one of the greatest films of all time, this mob drama, based on Mario Puzo’s novel of the same name, focuses on the powerful Italian-American crime family of Don Vito Corleone. When the don’s youngest son, Michael, reluctantly joins the Mafia, he becomes involved in the inevitable cycle of violence and betrayal. Although Michael tries to maintain a normal relationship with his wife, Kay (Diane Keaton), he is drawn deeper into the family business.”
It stars Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Richard Castellano, Robert Duvall, Sterling Hayden, John Marley and Richard Conte, among others.
The Godfather was instantly met with success upon its release, and it became the highest-grossing film of 1972.
It won countless awards, most notably the Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role (Marlon Brando), the Academy Award for Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay) for Coppola and Mario Puzo and the Academy Award for Best Picture.
The Godfather has a 97% rating from critics and audience users on Rotten Tomatoes.
The critics consensus says: “One of Hollywood’s greatest critical and commercial successes, The Godfather gets everything right; not only did the movie transcend expectations, it established new benchmarks for American cinema.”
One reviewer on Rotten Tomatoes wrote: “This is not only grand entertainment, but an emotional and intellectual experience to rival any in cinema.”
“The Godfather works like a masterfully conducted orchestra, whose immaculate symphony is a meticulously crafted and extraordinarily integral thread in the fabric of cinema history,” another added.
The Godfather is available to stream on Amazon Prime and NOW TV.
This year has been hugely successful for cinema, and it’s not over yet. We’ve had the joy of films such as Sinners, A Real Pain, and Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy. That being said, August alone has been a killer month for cinema, with the release of the long-awaited Freaky Friday sequel, a brand new Fantastic Four movie and an intriguing thriller. Rotten Tomatoes has collated a list of the most popular movies right now. Here are the top ten movies of the moment.
10. Together
The horror film stars real-life married actors Dave Franco and his wife Alison Brie, as a couple who move to the countryside but find themselves encountering a mysterious force that changes their bodies dramatically. Together’s synopsis reads: “Years into their relationship, Tim and Millie (Dave Franco and Alison Brie) find themselves at a crossroads as they move to the country, abandoning all that is familiar in their lives except each other. With tensions already flaring, a nightmarish encounter with a mysterious, unnatural force threatens to corrupt their lives, their love, and their flesh.”
9. The Fantastic Four: First Steps
Starring Pedro Pascal, The Fantastic Four: First Steps is based on the Marvel Comics superhero team, the Fantastic Four. It is the 37th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and the second reboot of the Fantastic Four film series. The film was directed by Matt Shakman and was based on a screenplay by Josh Friedman, Eric Pearson, Jeff Kaplan, and Ian Springer. The film’s synopsis reads: “Set against the vibrant backdrop of a 1960s-inspired, retro-futuristic world, Marvel Studios’ “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” introduces Marvel’s First Family–Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic, Sue Storm/Invisible Woman, Johnny Storm/Human Torch and Ben Grimm/The Thing as they face their most daunting challenge yet. Forced to balance their roles as heroes with the strength of their family bond, they must defend Earth from a ravenous space god called Galactus and his enigmatic Herald, Silver Surfer. And if Galactus’ plan to devour the entire planet and everyone on it weren’t bad enough, it suddenly gets very personal.”
8. Americana
Americana is a crime thriller film written and directed by Tony Tost. The film’s synopsis reads: “A gallery of dynamic characters clash over the possession of a rare Native American artefact in this wildly entertaining modern-day western. After the artifact falls onto the black market, a shy waitress with big dreams (Sydney Sweeney) teams up with a lovelorn military veteran (Paul Walter Hauser) to gain possession of it, putting them in the crosshairs of a ruthless criminal (Eric Dane) working on behalf of a Western antiquities dealer (Simon Rex). Bloodshed ensues when others join the battle, including the leader of an indigenous group (Zahn McClarnon) and a desperate woman fleeing her mysterious past (Halsey).”
7. Highest 2 Lowest
Highest 2 Lowest is a crime thriller film directed by Spike Lee. The film’s synopsis reads: “When a titan music mogul (Denzel Washington), widely known as having the “best ears in the business”, is targeted with a ransom plot, he is jammed up in a life-or-death moral dilemma. Brothers Denzel Washington and Spike Lee reunite for the 5th in their long working relationship for a reinterpretation of the great filmmaker Akira Kurosawa’s crime thriller High and Low, now played out on the mean streets of modern day New York City.”
6. Freakier Friday
Freakier Friday is a fantasy comedy film directed by Nisha Ganatra and written by Jordan Weiss. It is a sequel to Freaky Friday (2003). It stars Jamie Lee Curtis, Lindsay Lohan, Mark Harmon, Chad Michael Murray, Rosalind Chao, and Ryan Malgarini. It’s synopsis reads: “Tess and Anna discover that lightning may indeed strike twice as they navigate the myriad challenges that come when two families merge.”
5. The Naked Gun
The Naked Gun is a 2025 American action crime comedy film directed by Akiva Schaffer. The film’s synopsis reads: “Frank Drebin (Leslie Nielsen), a rather clueless police detective, tries to foil a plot to turn innocent people into assassins through mind control. After his partner, Norberg (O.J. Simpson), is shot, Frank sets out to find the culprit, leading him to business tycoon Vincent Ludwig (Ricardo Montalban). However, Frank has no evidence until he meets Jane Spencer (Priscilla Presley), Ludwig’s assistant. She knows nothing about Ludwig’s devious plans, but falls for Frank and agrees to help him.”
4. Superman
Superman is a superhero film based on the character from DC Comics. It was written and directed by James Gunn, and is the first film in the DC Universe (DCU) and a reboot of the Superman film series. David Corenswet stars as Clark Kent. The film’s synopsis reads: “When Superman gets drawn into conflicts at home and abroad, his actions are questioned, giving tech billionaire Lex Luthor the opportunity to get the Man of Steel out of the way for good. Will intrepid reporter Lois Lane and Superman’s four-legged companion, Krypto, be able to help him before it’s too late?”
3. Nobody 2
Nobody 2 is a 2025 American action thriller film directed by Timo Tjahjanto. It is a sequel to Nobody (2021) and the cast includes Bob Odenkirk, Connie Nielsen, RZA, Colin Salmon, Gage Munroe, Paisley Cadorath and Christopher Lloyd. The film’s synopsis reads: “Workaholic assassin Hutch Mansell takes his family on a much-needed vacation to the small tourist town of Plummerville. However, he soon finds himself in the crosshairs of a corrupt theme-park operator, a shady sheriff, and a bloodthirsty crime boss.”
2. War of the Worlds
War of the Worlds is a screenlife science fiction thriller film based on H. G. Wells’s 1898 novel The War of the Worlds. The film was directed by Rich Lee and stars Ice Cube, Eva Longoria, Clark Gregg, Andrea Savage, Henry Hunter Hall, Iman Benson, Devon Bostick, and Michael O’Neill. The film’s synopsis reads: “A computer security analyst working for the U.S. government finds his daily life disrupted by an alien attack. Accustomed to dealing with virtual threats, his struggle extends to secrets the government may be hiding.”
1. Weapons
Weapons is a mystery horror film directed, written, produced, and co-scored by Zach Cregger. The film stars Josh Brolin, Julia Garner, Alden Ehrenreich, Austin Abrams, Cary Christopher, Benedict Wong and Amy Madigan. Its film’s synopsis reads: “When all but one child from the same class mysteriously vanish on the same night at exactly the same time, a community is left questioning who or what is behind their disappearance.”
As the star-studded adaptation of Richard Osman’s 10-million selling series, The Thursday Murder Club, opens in cinemas this weekend, fans can look forward to the fifth outing later in September when The Impossible Fortune arrives in bookshops. But if you can’t wait until then for your next fix, here are the ten best cosy crime books ever.
10. The Marlow Murder Club by Robert Thorogood (2021)
There was only one blot on the horizon when Death in Paradise creator Robert Thorogood published his brilliantly inventive debut cosy crime novel, The Marlow Murder Club. Richard Osman’s similarly-titled debut, The Thursday Murder Club, also featuring crime-solving pensioners, had come out three months earlier. “Richard’s a brilliant writer and I love his books,” says Robert. “Yes, they are a gang of older people solving crime but there are lots of differences. The one thing I felt a bit eggy about was the titles. Mine was homage to Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple story, The Tuesday Club Murders, and I’m sure Richard had the same idea. I did consider changing it, but I thought there was space in the world for two very similarly titled books.” And there is. Robert’s book’s now form the basis for the hit ITVX adaptation starring Samantha ‘Moneypenny’ Bond as Marlow’s crossword-setting sleuth Judith Potts.
(Image: HQ)
9. The Unexpected Inheritance of Inspector Chopra by Vaseem Khan (2015)
Best-known for his post-Partition, Bombay-set Malabar House novels, featuring India’s first female detective Persis Wadia and Met Police criminologist Archie Blackfinch, Vaseem Khan’s earlier ‘Baby Ganesh’ series is equally enthralling. Set in modern day India, Inspector Ashwin Chopra is due to retire after a lifetime’s crime fighting in Mumbai. But on his last day, he inherits a strange new case – that of a drowned boy no one else seems to want to see solved – and also a baby elephant! As sidekicks go, Ganesha (named in a clever nod to the iconic Hindu god) is about as unique as you can imagine. But don’t worry, settle back and enjoy the ride. You’re in safe hands with Knah, who takes on James Bond later thjis year with a 007 spin-off featuring ‘Q’, Quantum of Menace.
(Image: Mulholland Books)
8. The Windsor Knot by S J Bennett (2020)
Another unique take on cosy crime comes via S J Bennett, whose 2020 novel The Windsor Knot kicked off a series featuring a one-of-a-kind sleuth: Her Majesty! That’s right, Queen Elizabeth II herself. Bennett’s slightly bonkers but highly entertaining take on the late monarch as a secret amateur detective, assisted by a fictional assistant private secretary of Nigerian heritage, Captain Rozie Oshodi, quickly captured hearts and minds of readers everywhere. The first book boasted the set up: “On a perfect Spring morning at Windsor Castle, Queen Elizabeth II will go for a ride, carry out all her royal duties… and solve a murder.” Cosy crime heaven! They’ve subsequently been published all around the world and some more than 250,000 copies. What Her Majesty made of it, who knows but Bennett’s latest book is deliciously called The Queen Who Came In From The Cold.
(Image: Zaffre)
7. A Quarter Past Dead by T P Fielden (2018)
The books of T P Fielden, alias long-time former Daily Express Diplomatic Editor Christopher Wilson, have been described – rightly so – as The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency meets The Durrells, in Devon! Temple Regis is a quaint seaside town whose tranquillity, more often than not, is shattered by the discovery of a body. And no one is better placed to catch the killer than the fabulous Miss Judy Dimont, a hotshot reporter for the local Riviera Express – with the help of her friend Captain Hastings. Yes, Wilson has cleverly brought Hercule Poirot’s quintessentially English companion back to life. Pure genius. A Quarter Past Dead, featuring the murder of a woman at the Buntorama holiday camp – is the third novel in the Miss Dimont Mystery series. But beware, you’ll be hooked within a few pages. A TV adaptation is long overdue.
Argos customers can take advantage of a fantastic deal on one of this year’s biggest and most anticipated game releases.
Following a successful beta that attracted hundreds of thousands of players, Battlefield 6 pre-orders have gone through the roof.
If you’re thinking of giving Battlefield 6 a go this year, then the good news is that Argos customers can save £15 on the game for PS5 and Xbox Series X, taking the price down to just £44.99 on PS5 and £47.99 on Xbox Series X.
All you’ve got to do is sign up for a TopCashback account by clicking on the link below.
TopCashback is giving shoppers £15 cashback on purchases over £15.
To claim the deal, head over to TopCashback, sign up for an account and search for Argos. After clicking ‘Get Cashback Now’ on the Argos merchant page you’ll be redirected to the Argos website where you can shop as normal.
Once the sale has been verified (and times may vary), TopCashback will credit your account with £15. You can transfer the money into your bank once everything clears.
This essentially means you’re getting Battlefield 6 for £44.99 instead of £59.99. You could even purchase the Battlefield 6 Phantom Edition, which will end up costing you £79.99 instead of £94.99 when the cashback clears.
Battlefield 6 has an October 10 release date for PlayStation, Xbox and PC. The game comes with a single-player campaign, not to mention a whole host of multiplayer maps and modes.
Unfortunately, however, despite receiving near unanimous praise for its fast-paced movement system in multiplayer, the development team has decided to make some changes ahead of launch.
According to a post on X, the developers will update the movement system to make it slightly slower and more methodical for launch.
This includes reducing the momentum gained by sliding into jumps, and adding a penalty for players using consecutive jumps.
Likewise, firing while jumping or sliding will also result in decreased accuracy, which will reward more skilful players.
Other changes will be made to weapons, maps, modes and even playlist options based on the beta.
WARNING: This article contains spoilers from The Thursday Murder Club.
The Thursday Murder Club fans were left stunned by the transformation of an ex Inbetweeners actor in his latest Netflix role.
Richard Osman’s The Thursday Murder Club is now available for cinema-goers, while Netflix subscribers will have to wait until Thursday, 28 August, for its debut.
Set in Coopers Chase residential home, four retirees take pleasure in investigating cold cases, but soon find themselves probing into the death of a property developer.
During their sleuthing, they encounter Polish handyman Bogdan Jankowski, who works for the owner of Coopers Chase, Ian Ventham (David Tennant).
Viewers were taken aback when Bogdan appeared in The Thursday Murder Club, as they recognised the 40 year old star.
Bogdan is played by English actor Henry Lloyd-Hughes, who is best known for his role as the aggressive bully Mark Donovan in Channel 4’s popular sitcom The Inbetweeners.
Mark is notorious for his immediate disdain for Will Mackenzie (Simon Bird) as he becomes closer to his on-off girlfriend Charlotte Hinchcliffe.
Donovan was a character in all three series of The Inbetweeners and also featured in the first film, which was released in 2011.
Since his time at Rudge Park Comprehensive, Lloyd-Hughes has starred in a plethora of hit shows and films.
Lloyd-Hughes has an impressive acting portfolio, having played Ralph Whelan in Indian Summers, Allen Scott Frank in Now You See Me 2, Pontmercy in BBC’s Les Miserables and Aaron Peel in Killing Eve.
In addition to these roles, he also portrayed the legendary character of Sherlock Holmes in the supernatural drama The Irregulars.
Most recently, Lloyd-Hughes has appeared in Mammals, Archie, We Were The Lucky Ones and Smilla’s Sense of Snow.
The Thursday Murder Club premieres on Friday, August 22, in cinemas and on Thursday, August 28, on Netflix.
Grand Theft Auto developer Rockstar Games is giving away free in-game currency as part of its latest update.
GTA Online fans can claim $1 million of in-game currency just by logging into the game from now until September 17. You can bag an extra million for a grand total of $2 million by subscribing to GTA+.
The offer is open to brand new and returning players, so it’s worth logging in and redeeming your currency, even if you’re taking a break from GTA Online, or are planning on playing the GTA 5 spinoff.
According to Rockstar Games, the money will be transferred into your GTA Online account within 72 hours of logging in.
Rockstar explains more: “Now through September 17, anyone who plays GTA Online will receive a special GTA$ cash infusion.
“Everyone gets a one-time GTA$1,000,000 boost, while GTA+ Members will receive an additional GTA$1,000,000 (including anyone who subscribes and plays between August 21 and September 17). Bonuses will hit your account within 72 hours of logging in.”
While it’s a pretty sweet deal given the cost of everything in GTA Online, Rockstar may be prepping for a rumoured future update.
Recent reports have suggested GTA Online will introduce mansions as part of the next major content update.
It’s unclear how much mansions will cost, but $1 million or even $2 million is unlikely to cover the costs.
If you aren’t bothered about buying a mansion, then you can simply use the money for other items and activities in GTA Online.
The mansions update could end up being the final major update before GTA 6 launches next year.
GTA 6 was given a May 26, 2026 release date alongside a new trailer (above).
The trailer showcases the two main characters of Jason and Lucia. The duo are said to be in the middle of a criminal conspiracy in the state of Leonida.
“Jason and Lucia have always known the deck is stacked against them,” reads a Rockstar Games blog post.
“But when an easy score goes wrong, they find themselves on the darkest side of the sunniest place in America, in the middle of a criminal conspiracy stretching across the state of Leonida — forced to rely on each other more than ever if they want to make it out alive.”
Coldplay fans have been eagerly anticipating the band’s colossal Music of the Spheres tour, and now we’re in the thick of it. The group, led by Chris Martin, recently played two enormous shows at Hull’s Craven Park Stadium, gracing the monumental stage for the first time in their history. Now, they’ve set their sights on London.
Beginning tomorrow, August 22, 2025, the Yellow hitmakers will be embarking on a ten-show stint at London’s iconic Wembley Stadium. Tickets for these gigs were launched last year and, as expected, they were snapped up in a flash. However, resale websites have emerged as the preferred destination for fans seeking last-minute tickets. And, interestingly, ticket prices have seen a decline over recent weeks, with some currently available for just under £107. We’ve got all the details below.
Coldplay tickets are currently up for grabs on several websites, including both official and resale websites. This list has some massive names on it, including viagogo, Vivid Seats, StubHub and Seat Unique.
Devotees of the band can secure their perfect tickets through these platforms, with options ranging from seated to standing and everything in between.
Interestingly, some Coldplay tickets have seen a significant price reduction at the time of writing. Currently, the most affordable Coldplay tickets are going for approximately £107 each. There are more available for around £109, as well. Both of these prices are from viagogo.
On top of that, there are plenty on sale for around £130-£140, as well – all of which are considerably cheaper than some tickets listed in recent weeks.
Here’s the links you need:
Alternatively, for fans looking to acquire official, first-hand Coldplay tickets, there is still an option for that, as well.
While Ticketmaster sold out in a flash, the VIP and hospitality website Seat Unique still has some availability. This platform offers fans the opportunity to purchase Coldplay tickets with a host of added perks, such as box seats, premium views, complimentary food and drink, and much more.
Here’s the link:
Fans are encouraged to act fast, though. As the tour beats on ceaselessly, time is running out. We’ve dropped the full list of dates below.
For a while in the early 1970s, The Faces looked unstoppable. With their swaggering rock ’n’ roll energy, Ronnie Wood’s blues-soaked guitar, and Rod Stewart’s unmistakable rasp leading the charge, the band seemed destined to go down as one of Britain’s greats.
Yet behind the bravado and boozy camaraderie, tensions were brewing – and according to Stewart himself, it was one song in particular that started it all.
Speaking about the group’s demise, the singer didn’t shy away from naming the culprit. “‘That was probably what started the break-up of The Faces,’” Stewart admitted in an interview with Quietus. “‘‘Maggie May’ became a hit, and then of course it became ‘Rod Stewart And The Faces’, which pissed some of ’em off.’”
The irony is that Stewart hadn’t set out to eclipse his band. When he first joined The Faces in 1969, fresh from his stint with the Jeff Beck Group, he’d already signed a solo deal with Mercury Records. He insists there was no secrecy about it.
“‘When I joined the band I’d just signed a solo deal with Mercury, which I made the band fully aware of. And they were perfectly OK with that. Until ‘Maggie May’ became a hit,’” he explained.
That runaway success in 1971 changed everything. ‘Maggie May’ shot to number one on both sides of the Atlantic, turning Stewart into an international star. The problem was that the public – and the press – increasingly saw The Faces as his backing group. Concert posters soon billed them as “Rod Stewart and The Faces,” much to the irritation of his bandmates.
Stewart recalls walking into rehearsals to a different atmosphere, the easy camaraderie soured by defensiveness. The other members – Wood, Ronnie Lane, Ian McLagan and Kenney Jones – resented the fame imbalance.
The more Stewart’s solo career soared with albums like Every Picture Tells a Story and Never a Dull Moment, the more The Faces risked becoming obsolete.
Yet in spite of the cracks, the band continued to deliver. Their 1973 record Ooh La La is now considered a classic, brimming with swagger and melancholy in equal measure. But as Stewart admits, by then he already had one foot out the door.
Still, Stewart insists it wasn’t a calculated betrayal. “It wasn’t like I was desperate to leave them in the dirt,” he has reflected. The truth is more bittersweet: he loved the band, but the success of ‘Maggie May’ set him on a course he couldn’t turn back from.
By the mid-1970s, The Faces had split, with Ronnie Wood heading to The Rolling Stones and Stewart cementing himself as a solo superstar.
Al Pacino is one of the most successful and respected actors in Hollywood. He’s had many remarkable moments in his career, most notably, his role as Michael Corleone in The Godfather and its sequel, when he played Tony Montana in Brian De Palma’s Scarface or Frank Serpico in Sidney Lumet’s 1973 biopic. Pacino is also the owner of two Tony Awards and an Academy Award, and therefore heavily admired from a critical perspective.
So much so, that many of the New York City-born actor’s iconic roles have topped audience members’ listings, but what about his own favourite films?
But when Pacino was asked by AFI about his favourite films, he took a moment to ponder over the answer.
“My favourite movie of all time?” he said. “Oh, I have about five or six – not any I’ve done – but I have five or six movies that I really think are the greatest. I’d have to think about them; they’re varied.”
Pacino then let slip one of his all-time top choices, noting: “I know I really liked The Tree of Wooden Cloggs, but they’re all different kinds of films.” =
The 1978 Italian film directed by Ermanno Olmi won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival.
The film’s synopsis reads: “On a northern Italian farm in the late 19th century, a group of sharecroppers eke out a threadbare existence. A priest advises Batisti (Luigi Ornaghi) and his wife, Batistina (Francesca Moriggi), that their young son, Minec (Omar Brignoli), should be formally educated, so they sacrifice his help in the fields and send him to school. When Minec’s wooden shoe breaks one day, Batisti–in an act of desperation–puts the family’s future at risk to replace the clog.”
Olmi’s film has various similarities with some works of the early Italian neorealist movement in its depiction of the lives of the poor, by using real-life locals and farmers rather than actors.
Just as Pacino was being ushered away to speak to another reporter, he shouted out a second choice. “Singin’ in the Rain is good, yeah”, he said. Far more recognisable than his first choice, Singin’ in the Rain was directed by Gene Kelly and is a musical romantic comedy that remains one of the most iconic movies of all time.
The Tree of Wooden Clogs is available to stream on Netflix and Singin’ in the Rain in available on NOW TV.
Classic 1980s cartoon He-Man and the Masters of the Universe is getting a brand new video game adaptation.
Developed by Bitmap Bureau, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe: Dragon Pearl of Destruction is coming to PlayStation, Xbox, PC and Nintendo Switch in 2026.
With Limited Run Games publishing the title, fans can expect a physical release as well as a digital launch. Pre-orders will go live in early 2026.
The game was announced with a gorgeous gameplay trailer ahead of Gamescom Opening Night Live.
As you can see from the trailer below, the He-Man game is a beat-em-up with retro style visuals.
According to the official description, the game features 12 levels and a whole host of playable characters.
Needless to say, players will battle familiar foes such as Skeletor and Evil-Lyn. It looks fantastic.
“Inspired by the iconic ’80s cartoon, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe: Dragon Pearl of Destruction allows players to take control of Eternia’s beloved heroes, including He-Man, Teela, Man-At-Arms, and more, to battle Skeletor and Evil-Lyn and save Eternia from plunging into darkness,” reads the official description.
“Fight through over 12 action-packed levels using character-specific moves, abilities, and power-ups to stop Skeletor’s ancient ritual that threatens to take over Eternia.”
He-Man’s feline companion Battle Cat will also join the party, fighting alongside He-Man.
Bitmap Bureau’s previous credits include the superb Final Vendetta, which is another retro-inspired beat-em-up with a cult following.
The studio is also working on upcoming action game Terminator 2D: NO FATE, which is a side-scrolling game launching this October.
He-Man and the Masters of the Universe: Dragon Pearl of Destruction is playable at Gamescom, so hopefully we’ll be able to check it out ahead of launch.
Netflix subscribers have shared their shock after seeing the streaming platform’s most popular movies – with some in agreement while others raise an eyebrow. The streaming service has more than 300 million paid memberships worldwide with approximately 17.4 million of those in the UK, so it’s no wonder its top five movies cover various genres.
With rankings based on a total views in the first 91 days of a movie’s release, its top spots are constantly updating as new favourite take over older titles. However, it appears some movies have been clinging onto their top spots for quite some time, with Red Notice coming in at number one with 230,900,000 views.
Starring Dwayne Johnson, Ryan Reynolds, and Gal Gadot, the action movie follows “an FBI profiler pursuing the world’s most wanted art thief becomes his reluctant partner in crime to catch an elusive crook who’s always one step ahead”.
Coming in second place, is the 2025 children’s movie KPOP Demon Hunters. The title knocked various others down in standing as it won over younger audiences shortly after its release.
Its description reads: “When K-pop superstars Rumi, Mira and Zoey aren’t selling out stadiums, they’re using their secret powers to protect their fans from supernatural threats.”
Next, in third, is Carry-On, a 2024 thriller starring Taron Egerton, Sofia Carson, and Jason Bateman.
It tells the story of an “airport security officer races to outsmart a mysterious traveller forcing him to let a dangerous item slip onto a Christmas Eve flight.”
With 171,400,000 views, Don’t Look Up ranks in fourth place. The 2021 comedy’s description reads: “Two astronomers go on a media tour to warn humankind of a planet-killing comet hurtling toward Earth. The response from a distracted world: Meh.”
Finally, in firth, The Adam Project won over audiences in 2022. It follows time-travelling pilot Adam Reed as he teams up with his 12-year-old self on a mission to save the future.
Unconvinced by the selection, one Reddit user said: “What an awful indictment.”
Another user added: “Red Notice was terrible in my opinion.”
A third user said: “Red Notice I got about 5-10 minutes into and decided to watch something else.
“Don’t Look Up is great. Adam Project is a fine little Sci-Fi adventure, nothing particularly great though.
“Carry-On was a fun action/suspense flick. Not amazing, but I didn’t regret watching it.”
One more user said: “Don’t Look Up was okay. The Adam Project was incredibly predictable. I’ll never watch Red Notice.
“They all fit in the same category; easily digested, easily forgotten. None of them will be remembered in 10 years.”
A final user said: “I’m amazed the Adam Project is in there as it didn’t really get advertised or talked about.
“It was better than Red Notice. I quite enjoyed it. Carry-on was fine but could have done with more Kenneth Williams.”
PlayStation Plus Extra subscribers are about to be treated to a brand new game that has been making waves with the critics.
Developed by the team behind Abzu and The Pathless, Sword of the Sea is a brand new adventure game with an August 19 release date.
While the game can be purchased individually, it will also be available as a day-one release for PlayStation Plus Extra subscribers in August.
Joining the likes of Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered and Mortal Kombat 1, Sword of the Sea is described as “an atmospheric surfing adventure” in which players attempt to restore a lost ocean.
“Carve your way forward on the ancient and powerful Hoversword, which moves like a snowboard, skateboard, and surfboard all in one,” Sony explains.
“Build momentum to reach top speed and catch big air off the crests of giant waves. Pull off radical flips, spins, and grab tricks with ease as you shred halfpipes, ramps, and wall rides. It’s the perfect balance of exhilarating action and fluid, meditative movement.”
Ahead of its August 19 release date, PlayStation and PC game Sword of the Sea has received almost universal praise from critics.
It has received perfect scores from the likes of Eurogamer, DualShockers and PlayStation Lifestyle, each praising its stunning visuals and atmosphere.
It currently has an 89% score on Metacritic, making it one of this year’s highest-rated games.
Needless to say, Xbox Game Pass will have its work cut out trying to best PS Plus Extra thanks to games like Sword of the Sea.
Microsoft is expected to announce the next wave of Xbox Game Pass titles in the coming days.
In addition to Sword of the Sea, Mortal Kombat 1 and Spider-Man, the August PS Plus Extra line-up includes Earth Defense Force 6, Atelier Ryza 3 Alchemist of the End & the Secret Key, Unicorn Overlord, Indika, Harold Halibut and Coral Island.
As for PS Plus Premium, the service will add survival horror classics Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 3 Nemesis on August 19.
Premium subscribers will also be able to check out 5-hours of gameplay from Death Stranding 2: On the Beach as part of the Game Trial scheme.
Netflix’s most anticipated original film of 2025 is set to hit the big screen soon, albeit for a very brief period.
The critically acclaimed animated musical, which was released in June, quickly became a streaming phenomenon, securing its place as Netflix’s second most-watched English-language film ever with an impressive 184.6 million views.
Viewers have been singing praises about the film, hailing it as one of Netflix’s finest releases in recent years and are already clamouring for a sequel.
Netflix has now confirmed that the much-talked-about KPop Demon Hunters will be making its way to cinemas near you.
When a rival boy band, the Saja Boys, make their debut, it’s revealed that their members are actually demons in disguise with a sinister plan to steal Huntr/x’s fans and drain their powers.
Those who have already streamed, rewatched and learnt the lyrics to the film’s catchy soundtrack will now get the opportunity to flaunt their pop star prowess at sing-along screenings on the big screen.
KPop Demon Hunters will be shown in cinemas for one weekend only, with screenings scheduled for Saturday 23rd and Sunday 24th across the UK.
If you’ve somehow missed this film, take it from these fans – it deserves a spot at the top of your must-watch list.
One X user gushed: “Just watched the KPop Demon Hunters Movie… best movie I have seen in a long time.
“As a kpop fan for 8 years I have to say everything about this was perfect. They nailed this concept and it was so much fun with a compelling story! I need more music from them!”
Another viewer penned: “I’m surprised Netflix didn’t do much advertising for this movie but KPOP DEMON HUNTERS is one of the best animated movies I’ve seen in years!
“Catchy songs (Argh! SODA POP! ) feminine, caring, and strong FMCs [female main characters] and a story with a heart. I super recommend this!”
“It is not only the best animated movie of the year (so far), it is also one of the best movies of 2025,” a third enthusiast declared. “I could see why everyone is talking about it.”
Meanwhile, one of the film’s hundreds of five-star Google reviews stated: “I went into KPop Demon Hunters expecting a fun little animated flick and walked out feeling like I’d just watched one of the best things Netflix (and Sony Pictures Animation) has ever put out.
“This movie is a neon explosion of style, music, and heart, and it never once lets the energy drop.
“A dazzling fusion of pop stardom and supernatural chaos that deserves to be the start of a full-blown franchise.”
Will you be queuing up to catch KPop Demon Hunters at the cinema this weekend?
KPop Demon Hunters will be in UK cinemas on 23rd and 24th August and is available to stream on Netflix.
Fans of a very popular television series have commented on a big-screen offering which continues the story of the period drama. Downton Abbey finished filming in 2015 and has built up a cult following amongst fans who are now offering their opinion of a two hour, five minute movie production called Downton Abbey: A new era.
Three years after the first Downton Abbey movie, when King George V was a guest, Julian Fellowes couldn’t resist crafting a sequel – and Brits couldn’t resist watching it. Downton Abbey: A New Era picks up right where the first film left off, as the Crawleys usher in the 1930s. This motion picture was released in 2022 and is gaining popular appeal on sites such as Rotten Tomatoes, where it has a whopping 86% approval rating and some very positive feedback.
This time, there are two main storylines: a delightful farce bordering on self-parody at home, and a soap opera mystery on the French Riviera. At Downton, Michelle Dockery’s Lady Mary persuades Hugh Bonneville’s Lord Grantham that their grand estate needs some serious renovations after finding leaks in the roof.
And what better way to finance these plans than by inviting a silent film crew to shoot a movie, taking Fellowes’ narrative to a whole new level. With the Hollywood glamour comes new characters like Hugh Dancy’s charming director who’s interested in starting a fling with Lady Mary, Dominic West’s Clark Gable-esque leading man (who’s quite friendly with Branson the Butler), and Laura Haddock’s Hollywood starlet whose career is threatened as Talkies become popular.
The beloved Downstairs characters quickly get involved with the film production, particularly Kevin Doyle’s Mr Molesley who delivers some of the film’s biggest laughs, just as he did in the previous movie when he dared to speak out of turn to the King.
In the upcoming soap opera, Downton Abbey: A New Era, Maggie Smith’s character, the Dowager, has unexpectedly inherited a villa from an old admirer. This prompts Lord Grantham and a small group of servants to journey to the south of France for investigation.
Once there, they encounter startling revelations that cast doubt on his birthright, all while Fellowes cleverly engages the audience through the antics of characters like Jim Carter’s grumpy retired servant, Mr Carson.
Upon reaching the villa, Lord Grantham notes that he brought his former butler along for some undisclosed reason, possibly known only to the audience as a way to involve familiar characters in the storyline.
The humorously snooty Carson grumbles his way around France in the heat, stubbornly clinging to his three-piece tweed suit. In a humorous twist, he is mistaken for Lady Bagshaw’s husband, played by his real-life spouse, Imelda Staunton.
Given the large ensemble cast, both Upstairs and Downstairs favorites each have their moments in the spotlight, which is a marked improvement from the first film where not all characters had significant roles.
Fans have adored this instalment coming after the TV programme, with one writing on Rotten Tomatoes: “Where the first film was a grand, glittering return to form, A New Era offers something deeper: a moving meditation on time, change, and letting go. It’s funny, romantic, and—at times—genuinely heartbreaking. Michelle Dockery is radiant once again as Lady Mary, now the steadfast center of the estate. As a film crew descends upon Downton, Mary is tasked with holding tradition in one hand and modernity in the other—a metaphor she wears well.”
Another watcher wrote: “I only recently got on the Downton Abbey bandwagon after avoiding it like the plague for years as a period drama snob. How wrong I was. The series is a genuine television masterpiece and the films take the story and characters in new directions while providing 2 hours of escapist fun. Shut out the world and imagine your a 1920s aristocrat, you’ll feel better for it.”
A “masterpiece of cinema” described as the best war movie ever is now streaming on Amazon Prime. The two-and-a-half-hour epic was nominated for eight Academy Awards and hailed as a masterpiece by viewers decades after its 1979 release.
Directed by Francis Ford Coppola, this American war film explores themes of the psychological and physical toll of war, and it was revered for its cinematography and portrayal of conflict. Set during the Vietnam War, the legendary Apocalypse Now follows Captain Willard, played by Martin Sheen, on a dangerous mission upriver into Cambodia to find and assassinate Colonel Kurtz, played by Marlon Brando.
Kurtz has been accused of murder, and he is considered extremely dangerous after becoming high on power to see himself as a god-like figure.
Willard’s journey becomes as much psychological as physical, forcing him to confront the horrors of war and ultimately, Kurtz.
The production for Apocalypse Now was well known for being plagued by issues, including budget overruns, actors arriving unprepared, and even weather destroying the expensive sets, yet what emerged is what some described as a masterpiece.
One ten-star review hailed it as Coppola’s best work, writing: “This is such a masterpiece of American cinema, beautifully photographed, and the river is such a perfect metaphor and backdrop for the story.”
Another added: “I was shell-shocked after seeing this masterpiece, and despite some close competition from the likes of Fellowship of the Ring, this movie still remains my all-time favourite nearly 20 years after I first saw it.”
A third said: “A must see movie and without any doubts the best war movie ever! Many tried to copy but still there are no movie even close as good as this!!”
One fan admitted it’s a Marmite film which polarises viewers: “I find it very interesting how few,’middle of the road’ comments there are. Everyone either loves it, or they hate it.”
It echoes the initial reviews, with many hailing the cinematography, but several critics finding the themes anticlimactic. Some reviewers say this is why they like the film, because it delivers more questions than answers.
One unsatisfied viewer wrote: “Now, it would appear by judging the user and critic reviews that my opinion is in the minority. Nonetheless, I cannot for the life of me understand the extremely high ratings for this film.”
After being nominated for eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director (Coppola), and Best Supporting Actor (Duvall), Apocalypse Now went on to win Best Cinematography and Best Sound.
George RR Martin, one of the most renowned authors for writing fantasy novels has shared the 10 books he recommends and a classic British fantasy has made it to the top of his list. Writing the recommendations for Goodreads, the popular author placed Lord of the Rings on the top position.
The book is a sweeping tale of friendship, sacrifice, and the struggle between good and evil. Martin, born on September 20, 1948, in Bayonne, New Jersey, began his writing journey in the 1970s and has built a diverse career encompassing novels, short fiction, and television screenplays.
Sharing his recommendation, he wrote: “If you have enjoyed my own fantasy novels, you owe it to yourself to read J.R.R. Tolkien (Lord of the Rings), Robert E. Howard (Conan the Cimmerian, Kull of Atlantis, Solomon Kane), C.L. Moore (Jirel of Joiry), Jack Vance (The Dying Earth, Lyonesse, Cugel the Clever, and so much more), Fritz Leiber (Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser), Richard Adams (Watership Down, Shardik, Maia), Ursula K. Le Guin (Earthsea, the original trilogy), Mervyn Peake (Gormenghast), T.H. White (The Once and Future King), Rosemary Sutcliffe, Alan Garner, H.P. Lovecraft (more horror than fantasy, admittedly), Clark Ashton Smith, and… well, the list is long
“Maybe you’ve read all the fantasy classics, however. I have lots of readers for whom that is true as well. Those I like to point at some of my contemporaries. As great as Tolkien, Leiber, Vance, REH, and those others were, THIS is the golden age of epic fantasy.”
In the Lord of the Rings trilogy, the story takes place in the fantasy world of Middle-earth, where a group of heroes sets out to destroy the One Ring—a dangerous object made by the evil Sauron to control other magical rings and take over the world.
Mr Martin is the author of the popular fantasy series A Games of Thrones. Over the past decades, he released five out of the expected seven books to complete the series, which in the 2010s became an HBO epic show. Over the past years, he has been criticised for taking a long time to finish The Winds of Winter, the sixth book in his fantasy series. He admits it’s 13 years overdue but says it’s still his main focus. Meanwhile, he stays busy with TV projects, writing blog posts, and meeting fans at conventions.
The Lord of the Rings
The Name of the Wind (The Kingkiller Chronicle, #1)
Watership Down (Watership Down, #1)
The Lies of Locke Lamora (Gentleman Bastard, #1)
A Wizard of Earthsea (Earthsea Cycle, #1)
The Wise Man’s Fear (The Kingkiller Chronicle, #2)
The Coming of Conan the Cimmerian (Conan the Cimmerian, #1)
Amazon Prime viewers will be pleased to learn this gangster epic has been hailed by fans as a “10/10” and it is available on the streaming platform now. Eastern Promises is a 2007 gangster film directed by David Cronenberg, adapted from a screenplay by Steven Knight. The film stars Viggo Mortensen, Naomi Watts, Vincent Cassel and Armin Mueller-Stahl.
The film’s synopsis reads: “Nikolai (Mortensen), who is both ruthless and mysterious, has ties to one of the most dangerous crime families in London. He crosses paths with Anna (Watts), a midwife who has come across potentially damaging evidence against the family, which forces him to set in motion a plan of deceit, death and retribution.
Eastern Promises received critical acclaim upon its release, appearing on several critics’ “top 10 films” lists for 2007 and since then it has become somewhat of a cult film. It has won several awards, including the Audience Prize for best film at the Toronto International Film Festival and the Best Actor award for Mortensen at the British Independent Film Awards. The film also received twelve Genie Award nominations and three Golden Globe Award nominations, alongside Mortensen securing a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actor.
Eastern Promises has received an impressive 89% rating from the critics of Rotten Tomatoes. Their consensus states: “David Cronenberg triumphs again, showcasing Viggo Mortensen’s onscreen prowess in a daring performance. Bearing the trademarks of psychological drama and gritty violence, Eastern Promises is a very compelling crime story.”
One critic said: “The dark and brooding world of the Russian Mafia makes for thrilling movie material – and the jumping point for a contemporary gangster epic.”
Another added: “An intricate and mesmerising thriller, featuring stellar performances (especially by Mortensen, who gives the bravest performance of his career) and an excellent script by Steven Knight.”
A fan awarded the film with 10/10 and said: “Russian mobsters, a rainy, murky London, a midwife and Viggo Mortensen make this David Cronenberg film a perfect companion piece to his A History of Violence. My two favourite films of this idiosyncratic and fascinating director. This is not a film to like but to love, and I loved it.”
Eastern Promises is available to stream on Amazon Prime.
Fortnite developer Epic Games has launched its Supercharged XP event for the duration of the weekend.
One of the complaints about the current season is that levelling up has become much tougher, especially with fewer storyline quests.
Fortunately, players struggling to level up the Battle Pass can take advantage of this weekend’s Supercharged XP event in order to get a boost.
According to Epic Games, the Supercharged XP event runs from August 15 at 9am ET until August 18 at the same time.
For fans living in the UK, that’s 2pm BST on August 15 until 2pm BST on Monday afternoon.
As part of the event, players can earn up to five levels with the Supercharged XP boost applied.
This means you can quickly level up for five levels, which will help you chip away at that Battle Pass.
Epic explains more: “Log in to Fortnite between August 15 at 9am ET – August 18 at 9am ET for an opportunity to earn up to five levels with Supercharged XP before the Season ends!
“Unearned Supercharge cannot be banked from Season to Season, so join the fight and level up.”
Sadly, however, the Supercharged XP is only available for five levels and not just the entire weekend.
Titled ‘Shock ‘N’ Awesome’, Chapter 6, Season 4 runs until the beginning of November.
New Battle Pass skins include Yoo-mi, Agent Patch, Battle Gamer Mae, Lt. Ripp Slade and Onyx Winter.
That’s on top of another Halo skin, titled UNSC Spartan, which is instantly unlocked after purchasing the Battle Pass.
But arguably the main event is the addition of the Green Ranger from the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. Fans can also unlock the Dino Megazord Outfit by completing challenges beginning on September 16.
Netflix viewers are divided over a new ‘nightmarish’ thriller that is based on a best selling novel.
Night Always Comes is now streaming on the platform from today (August 15). It is based on the book The Night Always Comes written by acclaimed and award winning author Willy Vlautin.
The original novel was described as a modern western, crime noir tale that is set over two days and nights.
The movie adaptation which is also available to see on the big screen in select cinemas across the UK, is directed by Benjamin Caron who also helmed episodes of Star Wars series Andor, The Crown and Sherlock.
Marvel Cinematic Universe and Mission Impossible franchise star Vanessa Kirby features in the lead role as Lynette, a woman who risks everything to secure the money needed for a house that represents a possible brighter future for her family.
On a dangerous odyssey through a single night, Lynette is forced to confront her dark past in an attempt to finally break free of old habits.
Kirby is supported in the cast by fellow Marvel actor Randall Park, also known for his work in comedy series Fresh Off the Boat. There are also turns from House of Cards’ Michael Kelly and celebrated filmmaker Eli Roth makes a brief cameo too.
With the film only just released to the viewing public, reviews have just started to be published online. While it could change over time, it has not yet managed to achieve a rating on website Rotten Tomatoes worthy of the ‘fresh’ label.
In fact, Netflix viewers and fans are currently split over the film. However, many do agree that Kirby gives a stellar performance.
One critic claimed: “Vanessa Kirby commands the screen in a harrowing spiral of bad choices, delivering a performance as riveting as the story is nightmarish.”
Another reviewer declared: “Night Always Comes is a gripping character-driven thriller that is also a powerful drama about how far one is willing to go for their family. Vanessa Kirby delivers a tour-de-force performance that is Oscar-worthy. It’s a must-watch.”
Some were a little less convinced by the film’s plot or success in keeping up the tension needed for a successful thriller. One write up stated: “Night Always Comes can get a little unrealistic with the peril we find her in, and sitting in that darkness for nearly two hours can get a little emotionally taxing, but even when it’s too much to bear, you’ll find a film that needs to be seen.”
Others pointed out that the film struggles to balance itself between being a captivating crime thriller and including social commentary. As one person explains: “Night Always Comes is almost two movies in a way, opening as a study of desperation before turning into a crime picture, and the mix of moods doesn’t always work”
Meanwhile, someone less convinced penned: “Kirby renders Lynette so fearless and compelling that you’ve no choice but to defy your better judgment and ride along. Just expect to be doing a lot of eye-rolling accompanied by incredulous exclamations of ‘c’mon!’ Yes, Kirby has game, but (director) Caron has no shame. Neither does (screenwriter) Sarah Conradt, whose adaptation of Vlautin’s novel is nothing but episodic nonsense.”
Viewers call it “absolutely terrifying” and “emotionally devastating”. Others say it is a “true masterpiece of horror”, the “greatest horror show of all time” and “the best story I have ever experienced”.
High praise indeed — and if you have seen Haunting of Hill House, a Netflix original series, then you may well agree with these comments (and then some). Haunting of Hill House is indeed enough to leave you terrified, emotionally drained and scared to turn out the lights. And you can find seven under-rated Netflix series here.
Haunting of Hill House was the first of Mike Flanagan’s Haunting anthology, which also includes Haunting of Bly Manor and The Fall of the House of Usher. It was released in 2018 and stars Michiel Huisman, Carla Gugino, Timothy Hutton, Henry Thomas, Elizabeth Reaser, Lulu Wilson, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Kate Siegel and Victoria Pedretti.
Adapted from Shirley Jackson’s 1959 novel of the same name, it tells the story of the supernatural events that plague the Crain family on their move to Hill House, and how those effects still haunt them two decades later.
The opening of Jackson’s novel is in itself a sublime scene-setter for what is to come in the TV adaptation: “Hill House, not sane, stood by itself against its hills, holding darkness within; it had stood for eighty years and might stand for eighty more. Within, walls continued upright, bricks met neatly, floors were firm, and doors were sensibly shut; silence lay steadily against the wood and stone of Hill House, and whatever walked there, walked alone.”
Stephen King once called the novel “as nearly perfect a haunted-house tale as I have ever read”.
Be careful: from this point on, this article contains spoilers.
If you’ve seen it, you will remember utterly chilling scenes like when Steve rings his father to tell him his sister, Nell, is with him in his flat, only to be told by his father that she had just died. Then there’s the “car scene”, which is so terrifying it redfines the term “jump scare”. And that’s before we even mention “Bent Neck Lady”.
Film YouTuber Skip Intro says Flanagan is an “expert at hitting audiences with an unexpected horrific image” but said “that’s not the only thing that makes him a great horror editor”.
You need only glance briefly at YouTube to see people lining up to explain why Haunting of Hill House is a “masterpiece” and the “greatest horror story of all time”.
One viewer said “nothing has ever made me feel the way it did” while another said it “just changed something within me I can’t explain”.
On Reddit, one fan wrote: “A few years ago I wouldn’t have believed someone would make a horror show as splendid and full of perfection as this one. It’s a perfect ghost story mixed with an amazing plot that keeps eyes glued to your screen. And by the time you’re done, you’ll be left thinking whether it’s okay to go to the kitchen alone or sleep with the lights on. It’s the scariest show I’ve ever seen… It’s a genuine masterpiece.”
An editorial piece on Rotten Tomatoes, the review aggregator, says just one episode of Haunting of Hill House (episode six) stands on its own as “arguably the best horror entertainment to hit any screen in 2018” — and that’s the same year as the film Hereditary was released.
On Rotten Tomatoes, it has a top rating of 93%. David Fear, writing in Rolling Stone, calls it “absolutely terrifying” while Andrew Whalen writing in Newsweek says it became “a new high watermark for episodic horror”. And Sam Adams in Slate says: “It isn’t the words that stick with you. It’s the sight of the Bent-Neck Lady…”
A man with no acting experience landed a major role in a James Bond film and became a mega-star because of it.
In scenes reminiscent of a James Bond film, the future star would sneak past reception, crop his hair like previous 007 actor Sean Connery, and head into the audition room.
Producers were so impressed with him they decided to cast him in the film – in the title role no less.
The career of George Lazenby has this act of minor spywork to thank, with the Australian actor infiltrating the audition room and coming out with a full-blown career.
Despite not working in film before this, the complete unknown would become the surprise succesor to Connery, who had retired from the franchise following You Only Live Twice.
While Connery would return to the series with Diamonds Are Forever, Bond fans may forget Lazenby had no acting experience before taking on the role.
A post to the r/TodayILearned Reddit page shed some light on the little white lie Lazenby, a car salesman at the time, told to get himself into the audition.
The post reads: “George Lazenby had never acted before playing James Bond, but was instead a model and car salesman who lied about having acting experience.
“He showed up with a suit, Rolex, and haircut like Sean Connery’s, and slipped past a distracted receptionist to get into the audition.”
Fans of the star, who went on to feature in A Queen’s Ransom, Gettysburg, and Return of the Man from U.N.C.L.E., have since praised his daring and successful attempt at bagging himself an audition.
One fan joked: “Slipping by a distracted receptionist is something James Bond would do.” Another agreed, adding: “Yeah, it’s sort of one of those where ‘f*** it, if you’ve made it this far on lies and subterfuge, you’re probably qualified.'”
But others believe a chance encounter before the audition could have played a big part in the role being given to Lazenby. One fan shared: “He apparently met Broccoli while getting a haircut and was offered a screen test. As well as offered an audition. It sounds like they knew he’d only been in a commercial before.”
Others have suggested Lazenby made up his CV before heading into the audition and managed to fool both Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman.
The fan wrote: “He completely b********ed his resume, which he made up in the taxi on the way to the audition. Claiming that he’d been in the Australian army, where he was a top shot, ‘that everything came easy to him’.
“When he finally confessed, Cubby and Saltzman just said that he’d managed to fool two of the most cynical people going. So his acting skills were superb.”
Despite being a firm favourite in the role, Lazenby would only appear as Bond once. A fan recalled: “Yes, people forget that he turned down to be in future James Bond, rather than they got rid of him. I think they actually offered him a seven film deal after the success of the Majesty’s Secret Service.”
Experts list five best books to read this week (Image: Getty)
This week’s bookcase includes reviews of Helm by Sarah Hall and Bloody Awful in Different Ways by Andrev Walden. The only named wind in Britain has an entire novel dedicated to it this week…
Fiction
Bloody Awful in Different Ways by Andrev Walden, translated by Ian Giles, is published in paperback by Fig Tree, priced £14.99 (ebook £7.99). Available now – 9/10
Review by James Cann
“I love not being his son,” is just one of the countless quirky quotes that litter Bloody Awful In Different Ways by Andrev Walden. Now translated into English by Ian Giles, this bestselling and award-winning novel (or so it is described) by the Swedish journalist charts an adolescence in which he had seven ‘fathers’ in seven years.
Read more: The thrilling period drama based on ‘the best book ever’ now streaming for free
Read more: Top 7 best books of the 20th century – two are by the same author
Bloody Awful in Different Ways by Andrev Walden (Image: Amazon)
Each of his brilliantly drawn mother’s lovers has a nickname denoting the main characteristic the juvenile Walden observes: for example, the Thief, the Artist, the Murderer and the fantastically realised Plant Magician.
His school friends get the same treatment, as the likes of Cyclops and Paella help Walden navigate a tempestuous childhood and build resilience in an often bruisingly grown-up world. Walden’s story is rich with dark humour and tender coming-of-age moments that make this a brilliant and beguiling page-turner.
Helm by Sarah Hall is published in hardback by Faber & Faber, priced £20 (ebook £8.99). Available August 28 – 8/10
Review by Ella Walker
A windy day can bring out the worst in school children (apparently, high winds send misbehaviour soaring) and irritate the rest of us as our hair gets whipped out of place and washing flies from the line.
But what is the wind itself thinking and feeling? Man Booker-nominated and Cumbria-based author Sarah Hall imagines the inner life of the UK’s only named wind, which slams the southwest of Cross Fell mountain in the Pennines.
Helm by Sarah Hall (Image: Amazon)
In Helm – named after the magnificent, treacherous, almost otherworldly wind – Hall describes strange, wondrous and symbiotic relationships a range of characters have with the elemental being; a Bronze Age tribeswoman who walks into its raging depths, a child treated as mad and wicked for talking to it, an ex-cop who finds the sublime by flying a plane through it, a researcher investigating whether climate change is set to sunder it, amongst others.
Hall’s use of language is almost alchemical in its complexity and use of old Cumbrian words (a dictionary can come in handy while reading). A darkly witty, if slightly desolate, antidote to your usual nature writing.
Too Old For This by Samantha Downing is published in hardback by Michael Joseph, priced £16.99 (ebook £7.99). Available August 28 – 7/10
Review by Alan Jones
A pensioner killing people rather than solving murders is a quirky twist on the spate of recent novels focused on ageing sleuths (looking at you, Richard Osman). Lottie Jones, 75, resurrects her life as a serial killer when a journalist who wants to interview her for a series on people wrongfully accused of crimes tracks her down to a small town where Jones thought her bad behaviour was safely in the past.
The journalist, Plum Dixon, is persistent though, saying she’s going to tell Lottie Jones’s story anyway, which forces the geriatric’s hand. While the most exciting nights in her sleepy new life involved bingo at the local church, events lead her to commit the most brutal of murders – again. Samantha Downing’s previous novels have been best-sellers, and this shocking, original story is sure to be a huge hit.
Too Old For This by Samantha Downing (Image: Amazon)
Non-fiction
Making Matters: In Search of Creative Wonders by Clare Hunter is published in hardback by Sceptre, priced £20 (ebook £11.99). Available August 14 – 8/10
Review by Karen Shield
Making memories as a child often includes being creative, whether that’s using our hands or our voice. But what happens as we reach adulthood? Is there no longer enough time to express ourselves creatively? Are we too busy to let our imaginations take us into a state of artistic wonder?
In her latest book, Making Matters, community textile artist Clare Hunter takes us on a journey through diverse cultures, long-held traditions, recent history, religion and politics, with an eye on how we can honour our past and celebrate our present in artistic ways.
Through assembling snowmen, sandcastles, paper boats and costumes for plays, to finding creative delight in making lanterns, puppets and pinhole cameras, Hunter brings us back to a time where the possibilities for creativity are endless. Making Matters is an open door to the power of craft. Now inspired, I’m off to get creative.
Making Matters: In Search of Creative Wonders by Clare Hunter (Image: Amazon)
Children’s book of the week
Review by Holly Cowell
Goblin (Stories from the Swamp) by Frances Stickley, illustrated by Stefano Martinuz, is published in paperback by Magic Cat Publishing, priced £7.99. Available August 28 – 8/10
Picture book author Frances Stickley presents Goblin – her second in the Stories from the Swamp series – a cheeky yet eloquent book for preschool aged-children, once more with engaging illustrations by Stefano Martinuz.
After the success of Indie Book of the Month, Troll, Stickley’s latest tale follows a selfish goblin who collects and steals anything he can get his hands on. But, when he discovers it doesn’t bring him much joy, he wonders if kindness and friendship might be what he is truly missing. Both funny and heartwarming, Goblin is a perfect bedtime read for young children.
BOOK CHARTS FOR THE WEEK ENDING AUGUST 9
HARDBACK (FICTION) – Compiled by Waterstones
The Fallen and the Kiss of Dusk: Crowns of Nyaxia by Carissa Broadbent
The Artist by Lucy Steeds
A Theory of Dreaming by Ava Reid
Not Quite Dead Yet by Holly Jackson
Scarred by Emily McIntire
Arcana Academy by Elise Kova
Two Kinds of Stranger by Steve Cavanagh
The Magician of Tiger Castle by Louis Sachar
Men in Love by Irvine Welsh
The Names by Florence Knapp
HARDBACK (NON-FICTION) – Compiled by Waterstones
The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins and Sawyer Robbins
Goliath’s Curse by Luke Kemp
Jess and Norma by Jessica Asquith and Norma Burton
The Greatest Story Ever Told by Bear Grylls
To the Sea by Train by Andrew Martin
Don’t Believe Everything You Think by Joseph Nguyen
Remember When: My Life with Alzheimer’s by Fiona Phillips
Is a River Alive? By Robert Macfarlane
Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life by Héctor Garcia and Francesc Miralles
Tart: Misadventures of an Anonymous Chef by Slutty Cheff
Waterstones has listed their top ten books (Image: Getty)
AUDIOBOOKS (FICTION AND NONFICTION) – Compiled by Audible
The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins
Don’t Let Him In by Lisa Jewell
The Names by Florence Knapp
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, Book 1 by J.K. Rowling
Netflix is known for its huge collection of films and TV series of various genres.
There’s everything from comedies to dramas to westerns and documentaries, as well as more niche categories, like foreign films and music. Fans of the major streaming platform often get excited by new releases, giving them something to watch that they might not have seen before.
Netflix has a host of original shows and movies for viewers to get stuck into and classic blockbusters. Luke Eccleston has built a strong reputation for his honest TV and film reviews, mainly focusing on Netflix.
In his latest TikTok video he recommends a very emotional movie that has recently been added to the streaming giant’s library. Eccleston passionately said: “Forget about everything else on Netflix because this is the next film you need to watch.
“It’s a film everyone’s gonna be talking about. It’s a film that you definitely need to see as it is one of the most heartwrenching, gut punching, incredible stories you will ever see because it’s actually true.”
The TV buff then revealed that the name of the movie is The Iron Claw. It was released in the UK in February last year and tells the story of the Von Erich brothers as they make history in the highly competitive world of professional wrestling in the early 1980s.
Eccleston shared that when he watched The Iron Claw at the cinema he found it “genuinely unbelievable.” Giving more details about the movie, which has an 89% score on Rotten Tomatoes, he added: “It shows the competitiveness of wrestling and that whole entire world and how much it means to this family.
“Now, even if you’re not a fan of wrestling or sports at all, like me, this is a story everyone should hear.” The TV and film reviewer declared it to be “one of the best” true stories he has ever watched.
Eccleston continued: “So make sure you get this film on your watch list. I actually beg you to check this one out.”
His TikTok video has garnered 266,600 views, 3,000 likes and more than 100 comments, so far. One user, who has watched The Iron Claw, said: “That film is insane. I cannot believe it’s true, it’s amazing.”
Another added: “Watched it on prime cried my eyes out.” A third chimed in: “Nope not going through that again, it made me sob!!!”
Someone else who has seen the movie was deeply moved by it. They commented: “It’s been on HBO part of their A24 collection btw! For anyone who has HBO. This movie broke me down and had me tearing on a plane. That ending.”
The Iron Claw was directed by the Canadian-American film director and screenwriter Sean Durkin. It stars Zac Efron, Jeremy Allen White, Harris Dickinson, Lily James, Maura Tierney, Stanley Simons and Holt McCallany.
Monster Hunter Wilds is getting another big update on PlayStation, Xbox and PC.
According to Capcom, Monster Hunter Wilds update 1.021 has an August 13 release date and a 3.30am BST UK release time.
The new update weighs in at around 3GB on PS5, 2GB on Xbox Series X|S and 2GB on Steam. However, it’s worth noting that it’s 6GB with the High Resolution Texture Pack.
The new update will attempt to improve the Steam reviews and expand the endgame for hardcore players.
As you can see from the patch notes further down the page, this includes the appearance of regular and tempered versions of Rey Dau and Nu Udra in the Wounded Hollow at HR 100 or higher.
Capcom has also adjusted the appearance rate of monsters at HR 100 and higher.
Elsewhere, the new update adds a new new Glowing Stone appraisal item, yields a talisman with random skill attributes.
The upgrade limit has also been increased for armour of rarity 5 and above.
The Monster Hunter Wilds update 1.021 patch notes can be seen below.
Major Additions and Changes
Monsters
• At HR 100 or higher, tempered versions of the following nine monsters will now begin to appear in the field as 9 quests: Rey Dau, Uth Duna, Nu Udra, Jin Dahaad, Gore Magala, Arkveld, Mizutsune, Lagiacrus, Seregios.
• Regular and tempered versions of Rey Dau and Nu Udra will now appear in the Wounded Hollow at HR 100 or higher.
• Adjusted the appearance rate of monsters at HR 100 and higher.
Player
• A new appraisal item, Glowing Stone, has been added.
– Note: It can be obtained as a reward from 9 monster quests. The item is appraised upon quest completion, yielding a talisman with random skill attributes.
• The upgrade limit has been increased for armour of rarity 5 and above.
System
• Added a feature to hide/show specific ammo and coatings in the Ammo/Coatings Bar. This can be configured from the Ammo Pouch and Coating Pouch.
• Added the new Recoil Aim Assist option.
• You can now set weapons, armour, and talismans as Favourites. Favouriting an item provides the following benefits:
– A star icon will display, making it easier to identify.
– You can sort and rearrange by Favourites.
– A confirmation message will appear if you try to sell or use it as melding material.
• Added an option to sort by Favourites to the Equipment Box, Decoration Box, and Artian Materials Box.
• Improved directional input responsiveness on the World Map, allowing for more intuitive cursor movement.
Bases and Facilities
• Added a new feature related to Appraised Talismans to the Melding Pot.
Miscellaneous
System
• Fixed an issue where performing certain actions in the item bar could cause the game to crash.
• Increased the amount of Guild Points awarded from Limited Bounties.
Network
• Fixed an issue where, if a player disconnected just before the animation of gestures like Gou Hadoken or Water Gun hit, the game would crash for other players.
• Fixed an issue that caused the following incorrect message to display when viewing the rankings for a new Challenge Quest or Free Challenge Quest: “This is a repeated quest. You can view the results from when it was last available.”
Locales
• Fixed an issue where shrine fragments that appear during quests in the Dragontorch Shrine would sometimes not activate from direct attacks.
• Fixed an issue in Photo Mode where toggling off the scoutfly effects from the edit menu only hid the glowing effect.
Other
• Fixed an issue where some voice lines would not trigger properly.
When Raiders of the Lost Ark burst onto screens in 1981, it redefined the action-adventure genre. Spielberg, Lucas, and Harrison Ford gave audiences a hero who could be both brilliant and clumsy – a man as likely to fall into trouble as he was to escape it in style.
But one of Indy’s most iconic moments wasn’t in the script at all. In the bustling bazaar scene, Indiana is searching for Marion (Karen Allen) when a towering swordsman steps forward, showing off his skills with an enormous scimitar. In the finished film, he just sighs, pulls out his revolver, and drops him with one shot.
Originally, this was meant to be a sprawling, three-page, whip-versus-sword battle. Spielberg had even “searched the world for the best swordsman,” eventually casting British stuntman Terry Richards – a man who’d faced everyone from James Bond to Luke Skywalker.
Richards trained for months to perfect the duel, set to happen while they were filming in Tunisia. By the time the crew reached the desert location, they’d been shooting in 130-degree heat for six weeks.
The water supply was unreliable, the schedule was packed, and most of the crew – including Ford – came down with dysentery – which Spielberg avoided only by sticking to the food and water he’d brought from England.
Harrison Ford, however, was in no condition for a two-day fight scene. As he told Entertainment Tonight: “I went up to Steven as soon as I arrived and I said, ‘Steven why don’t we just shoot this [expletive]?’ and Steven said, ‘My god I was thinking that, too.’”
The idea didn’t come from laziness, as Ford explained in a Reddit AMA: “The scene before this in the film included a whip fight against 5 bad guys… so I thought it was a bit redundant.”
Spielberg later admitted that cutting the duel saved them at least a full day of shooting. “We were then another day ahead of schedule,” he wrote for the American Society of Cinematographers.
The change also turned a potentially repetitive set piece into a perfect Indiana Jones gag – the pragmatic hero taking the easy way out because it’s the smart thing to do.
Ford, though, still admitted to feeling a twinge of regret for Richards: “The poor guy… was a wonderful British stuntman who had practiced his sword skills for months in order to do this job.”
The Battlefield 6 early access beta is now available on PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC.
Despite some initial server issues due to the beta’s popularity, the test period is currently in full swing, letting fans check out a variety of maps and game modes from the upcoming release.
If you want to check out the Battlefield 6 beta during the early access period, then the good news is that there are still slots available.
Early access will be awarded to fans who watch 30 minutes of Battlefield 6 Twitch streams from various content creators over August 7 and August 8.
“Missed your chance at the Battlefield 6 Multiplayer Reveal for Early Access codes? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered!” EA explains.
“Watch 30 minutes of any creator streaming Battlefield 6 on Twitch during August 7-8 to unlock Open Beta Early Access. Instructions on redeeming codes.”
If you can’t be bothered to watch a Twitch stream, then the good news is that you can still play the Battlefield 6 beta later this week.
The Battlefield 6 open beta takes place between August 9 and August 10. A second beta weekend takes place from August 14 until August 17.
There are no requirements for participating in the open beta, which is open to all players, even without a code.
Even better is that you can pre-load the open beta now on PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC to ensure you can start playing the moment servers go live.
In terms of what fans can expect, the Battlefield 6 beta will feature a variety of different maps and game modes.
Weekend one features three maps, including Siege of Cairo, Liberation Peak and Iberian Offensive.
You’ll be able to play the aforementioned maps in game modes such as Conquest, Closed Weapon Conquest, Breakthrough, Domination and King of The Hill.
The second weekend adds the Empire State map, as well as additional game modes including Rush, Squad Deathmatch and Closed Weapon Breakthrough.
To ensure you don’t miss a second of the action, you can pre-load the Battlefield 6 beta now. It’s also worth noting that you’ll need to link your EA account to your platform account, while PC users will be required to enable Secure Boot.
Netflix has just dropped fans’ best look at the upcoming murder mystery film The Thursday Murder Club ahead of its debut later this month.
Based on the bestselling book by Richard Osman, the first film adaptation of the smash-hit series is set to be released on Friday, 22nd August.
British film legends Helen Mirren, Ben Kingsley, Pierce Brosnan and Celia Imrie make up the main cast of a group of retirees who have formed an amateur crime-solving club.
When a very real crime scene rocks their community, the wannabe sleuths leap into action to unearth the truth behind a cryptic killing.
Directed by Harry Potter filmmaker Chris Columbus and written by Katy Brand and Suzanne Heathcote, The Thursday Murder Club is expected to become one of Netflix’s biggest hits of the year.
The trailer begins with retired spy Elizabeth Best (Mirren) inviting former nurse Joyce Meadowcroft (Imrie) into the club by presenting her with a photo of an old case.
When an actual murder appears to have happened in their village, Elizabeth, Joyce, retired union leader Ron Ritchie (Brosnan) and retired physician Ibrahim Arif (Kingsley) start the investigation.
Along with the main quartet, the trailer gives fans the first full look at the supporting cast, including Naomi Ackie as police officer Donna De Freitas who gets roped into helping the club’s investigation.
Also in the cosy crime thriller’s packed ensemble are several familiar faces from the UK, including David Tennant, Jonathan Pryce, Daniel Mays and Richard E Grant.
The trailer concludes with an ominous warning from Elizabeth, who tells an unseen character: “If any harm comes to my friends, I will personally be laying a dozen blood red roses on your coffin.”
Director Columbus told Netflix of working on the film: “This is the finest cast I’ve worked with since Potter.
“They’re just so incredibly well-prepared, and it’s because they do everything.
“They do theatre, they do television, they do film, and they’ve developed those sorts of muscles.”
Author Osman has already penned five novels in the series, with the fifth entry, The Impossible Fortune, slated for release later this year.
It remains to be seen if Netflix has plans to adapt the rest of the comedy-crime saga.
The Thursday Murder Club premieres Friday, 22nd August on Netflix.
Freakier Friday: Jamie Lee Curtis stars in official trailer
Disney’s Freaky Friday is set to return to our screens tomorrow (August 8), promising even more body-swapping mayhem.
The family comedy, which debuted in August 2003, featured Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis as a mother-daughter duo who switch bodies and experience each other’s lives.
The pair will reunite for the sequel, Freakier Friday, which introduces additional family members ensnared by the enchantment that forces them to view life from each other’s perspective.
Scheduled for release on August 8, the sequel also welcomes back Mark Harmon and Chad Michael Murray among others.
Let’s catch up with what the cast has been up to since their last joint silver screen appearance, reports the Mirror.
Lindsay Lohan – Anna
Freakier Friday is her biggest film in years (Image: Getty)
READ MORE: Real-life inspiration behind The Summer I Turned Pretty’s Cousins Beach
READ MORE: Hollywood stars Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan reunite for Freakier Frida…
Before portraying Anna at just 17, Lindsay Lohan was already a recognised face in Hollywood, having starred in popular films like The Parent Trap and Life Size.
Her portrayal of the defiant musical teenager won her the Breakthrough Performance award at the 2004 MTV Movie Awards, catapulting her career and establishing her as an icon of 00s teen comedies with roles in Mean Girls, Just My Luck, and Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen.
However, like many young stars, Lindsay fell into the traps of early fame, with her twenties marred more by legal troubles than film roles at times.
After years of tabloid headlines and stints in rehab centres, Lindsay found peace following her relocation to Dubai in 2014.
“Moving here was a fresh start,” she told Emirates Woman in 2018. “You hear more about real current events rather than celebrity gossip, which I really appreciate,” she added.
The 39 year old star made her comeback to television with Netflix’s 2022 Christmas offering, Falling for Christmas, before taking on the romantic comedy Irish Wish in 2024. She also made a brief appearance in the cinematic adaptation of the Mean Girls musical during the same year.
Freakier Friday signals Lohan’s eagerly awaited return to cinema screens.
Jamie Lee Curtis – Tess
The actress bagged her first Oscar in 2023 (Image: Getty)
While Jamie Lee Curtis seemed perfectly suited to play Anna’s widowed therapist mother, she almost didn’t land the role.
Producers had initially approached Jodie Foster, who had played Annabel in the 1976 original, but she declined the opportunity. Jamie stepped in when Annette Bening pulled out for unknown reasons just four days before filming was due to begin.
As a Golden Globe winner, the Halloween icon was already the biggest star attached to the Freaky Friday project when it hit cinemas in 2003. Merely three years after the film’s premiere, at 66, she told Access Hollywood that she had “closed the book” on her acting career to focus on her family life.
Yet, Jamie Lee Curtis’s break from the silver screen was brief; by June 2007, she dazzled audiences once more in Disney’s Beverly Hills Chihuahua.
In a triumphant return to her legendary role as Laurie Strode, Jamie starred in the 2018 horror sequel Halloween, smashing box office records. The movie not only became the franchise’s highest earner but also set a new benchmark for the most successful opening weekend starring a lead actress over 55.
Jamie’s illustrious career has continued to soar, culminating in her winning the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress in 2023 for her role in Everything Everywhere All at Once. Additionally, she continues to enchant viewers as Donna Berzatto in FX’s acclaimed series, The Bear.
Chad Michael Murray – Jake
The noughties heartthrob is still wooing viewers (Image: 2024 Getty Images)
Freaky Friday served as the launchpad for Chad Michael Murray, establishing him as the quintessential teen heartthrob of the 2000s.
That same year, he secured his star-making turn as Lucas Scott in the hit WB TV show One Tree Hill. Beyond his on-screen endeavours in films like A Cinderella Story and House of Wax with Paris Hilton, Chad’s off-screen life has been equally eventful, marked by personal highs and lows.
In 2005, he tied the knot with his One Tree Hill co-star Sophia Bush, having met on the set of the popular teen drama. Yet, their union was fleeting, and they went their separate ways within the year, finalising their divorce in December 2006.
Chad then found love with Kenzie Dalton, a former Miss Teen USA contestant. The couple stayed engaged for seven years before calling it quits in August 2013.
He didn’t wait long to mix work with romance again, as in 2014 he started seeing Sarah Roemer, his colleague from The Chosen.
This time around, Chad’s romantic life flourished; he and Sarah are happily married with two kids. He’s also been seen on Netflix in Mother of the Bride and The Merry Gentlemen.
Mark Harmon – Ryan
The actor has barely aged since the 2003 film (Image: Getty )
Mark Harmon brought his star quality to the role of Ryan, Anna’s less-than-welcome future stepfather, in Freaky Friday.
The ex-American football quarterback had been lauded as “Sexiest Man Alive” by People magazine back in 1986. And just before Freaky Friday hit the screens, he snagged an Emmy nomination for his role as Secret Service agent Simon Donovan in The West Wing in 2002.
In the two decades since Freaky Friday graced the big screen, Mark Harmon seems to have found the secret to eternal youth. The 73-year-old actor, who played Jamie Lee Curtis’s love interest, looks remarkably similar to his younger self.
These days, he’s best known for his leading role as Leroy Jethro Gibbs in the hit TV series NCIS.
Christina Vidal – Maddie
Christina Vidal’s role nearly went to another celebrity (Image: Getty)
Christina Vidal stepped into the role of Maddie, Anna’s bandmate, after Kelly Osbourne had to withdraw due to her mother Sharon Osbourne’s cancer diagnosis.
Vidal left a lasting impression with her performance of Take Me Away, which won over audiences. Post-Freaky Friday, she continued to build a successful television career, landing roles in Blue Bloods, Training Day, and more recently, ABC’s United We Fall.
Ryan Malgarini – Harry
He played Lindsay Lohan’s sibling (Image: Getty)
Ryan Malgarini was just a lad of 11 when he portrayed Anna’s pesky younger brother, Harry. A year after his Freaky Friday debut, he worked alongside Tom Hanks in an experimental film aimed at advancing “performance capture” technology for The Polar Express.
Now 33, the American actor has kept up his acting career, appearing in TV shows such as Fresh off the Boat, Malcolm in the Middle, Mike and Molly, and Bones.
Julie Gonzalo – Stacey
The actress starred as Anna’s rival (Image: Getty)
After her role as Anna’s rival Stacey in Freaky Friday, Julie Gonzalo has impressively reunited with several of her co-stars in later projects.
In 2004, she reprised her mean girl persona alongside Chad Michael Murray and Hilary Duff in A Cinderella Story, and within the same year, played Jamie Lee Curtis’ daughter in the cherished festive film Christmas with the Kranks.
The Argentine-American actress has since established a successful career as a leading lady in Hallmark television films and notably starred in CBS superhero series Supergirl.
Stephen Tobolowsky – Mr Bates
The actor regularly portrays teachers on screen (Image: Getty)
Following his portrayal of the disagreeable teacher Mr. Bates in Freaky Friday, Stephen Tobolowsky appears to have been typecast, with most of his subsequent roles being high school teachers or doctors.
His credits include playing Principal Earl Ball in The Goldbergs, Professor Peter Sheffield in Community, and Principal James Merrow in The New Adventures of Old Christine, demonstrating his on-screen scholarly prowess.
Beyond the world of fictional schools, Tobolowsky also hosts a podcast. In 2009, he launched The Tobolowsky Files, where he shares stories reminiscent of his film, Stephen Tobolowsky’s Birthday Party.
Netflix viewers may have recognised the noughties star in Netflix’s Nobody Wants This, portraying Rabbi Cohen.
Freakier Friday lands in cinemas on Friday, August 8
Today marks the 80th anniversary of the first use of a nuclear weapon in war.
During World War 2, US President Harry Truman ordered the detonation of an atomic bomb over the Japanese city of Hiroshima and three days later, on Nagasaki.
The result was the deaths of between 150,000 to 246,000 people, mostly civilians. The Japanese surrendered to the Allies six days after the latter bomb, which was the last time a nuclear weapon was used in a conflict.
The atomic bombs were produced in secret during the Manhattan Project, which was directed by nuclear physicist J Robert Oppenheimer.
After reading the 2005 biography American Prometheus, Sir Christopher Nolan adapted his life into the three-hour epic Oppenheimer, starring Cillian Murphy in the titular role.
Hailed a “masterpiece” by The Telegraph, Oppenheimer went on to be nominated for 13 Oscars and won seven, including Best Actor for Murphy and Best Supporting Actor for Robert Downey Jr. Most notably, it was the first time Nolan won an Academy Award, taking home two for Best Picture and Best Director.
Yup, that’s Eva Longoria. She’s quite possibly down the end of her garden supervising the digging of a new pool. Or perhaps a bunker when the cast and crew of this unmitigated insult to the Hollywood film industry and to audiences can ride out the reviews.
Amazon Prime’s new War of the World’s adaptation currently sits with a very rare zero positive reviews on Rotten Tomatoes. Last time I checked, it has scraped 2 stars from Amazon viewers, who seem to give almost everything on there around 4 stars.
But it’s not just getting comments like, “Terrible. Just Terrible. Terrible acting. Terrible special effects. Terrible storyline. The list goes on and on. I honestly haven’t watched something this bad in a long time.”
It’s the fact that Amazon has shamelessly, and without any attempt to hide what they are doing, done something even worse than just make a catastrophically bad film.
HG Wells’ 1897 story of evil aliens from Mars has inspired seven films, including Spielberg’s 2005 blockbuster with Tom Cruise, as well as a touring concert production. Orson Welles’ 1938 radio broadcast infamously started a panic due to its news reel-style format, with many listeners missing the opening disclaimer that it was a work of fiction.
Allegedly filmed way back in 2020, this latest effort from American music video and commercial director Rich Lee should also have a warning that not only is it risibly bad, it contains a climactic scene that may be the all-time low point of movie making.
The new version features Ice Cube as some sort of national security whizz, stuck in his office, monitoring the entire nation via feeds from surveillance cameras (and then mobile phones etc) – but mainly snooping on his family. Until meteors strike the Earth and disgorge the classic War of the Worlds metal alien carapaces on long legs. And everything from there onwards is viewed solely through his computer screen, frequently in low res shots that can’t hide how cheap it all is.
This time, they don’t want water or any natural resources, they want our….wait for it… data! Our only hope is to copy Independence Day and infect their computer systems. But do we heroically, suicidally fly up into the jaws of some terrifying mother ship?
Nope, not this time. I do not apologise for spoilers because I truly hope you won’t watch it, however it is kinda worth fast forwarding to the scene that damns it beyond all hope.
You see, The Cube needs to put the planet-saving virus on a thumb drive but doesn’t have one. Luckily, his daughter’s boyfriend is an Amazon Prime delivery guy, who wears an Amazon Prime uniform, because he works for Amazon Prime… Did you know this was an Amazon Prime film on Amazon Prime that also sells lots of things?
In case you didn’t, he suggests they order one on, you guessed it, and then Mr Ice does and our screen fills with the Amazon Prime pages and order forms step by step. But, wait! Time is short. Luckily, Amazon Prime also offers drone deliveries which we are told is “the future” of retail. And the world is saved.
Unfortunately, any credibility Amazon might aspire to as a respectable filmmaker will take a lot more saving. And everyone agrees. Apart from those ratings, the comments have been savage.
ScreenAnarchy called it, “Hilariously bad, until it becomes risibly ridiculous. … A 90-minute infomercial for Amazon.” Variety calls it “a feature-length commercial for all things Amazon.”
Major movie critic Jeremy Jahns told his five million subscribers, “There’s so many Amazon shout-outs it’s embarrassing.”
One viewer said: “Why was this film even remade? Did anyone on the team think it was going to be comparable to the last version? It’s just so, so bad from start to finish. Save the 90 minutes and literally watch anything else. I don’t even know how to describe it. Does not even resemble the novel by Wells or any version that was ever produced in another medium. Bad storyline, bad acting, bad cinematography. Just bad.”
Others said: “An insult to H. G Wells and our intelligence,” “Worst film i have ever watched, ” or “If I could give it zero I would have.”
I can’t even here, since we don’t have a zero star button. Don’t worry, though, Rotten Tomatoes has done it for all of us…
With a Hollywood career spanning over 60 years, Kirk Douglas has an impressive back catalogue.
His most famous historical films may be World War 1’s Paths of Glory and Ancient Rome’s Spartacus, but there’s an underrated classic he shot with Tony Curtis and hs then-wife Janet Leigh around this period too.
1958’s The Vikings is based on the saga of Ragnar Lodbrok and was a major box office success.
This turned out to be particularly fortunate for Douglas as he took no salary from the movie in return for 60 per cent of the profits.
This means the 41-year-old pocketed around $3 million ($32 million in 2025) for the movie narrated by Orson Welles.
The film’s synopsis reads: “Viking Prince Einar (Kirk Douglas) doesn’t know it, but his most fearsome enemy, the slave Eric (Tony Curtis), is actually his half brother. Their feud only intensifies when Einar kidnaps Princess Morgana (Janet Leigh), the intended bride of the brutal King Aella (Frank Thring). Einar intends to make the beautiful girl his own. Unfortunately for him, Morgana has eyes only for Eric — leading to much bloodshed and the capture of their father, King Ragnar (Ernest Borgnine).”
The Vikings is leaving Amazon Prime Video within the next 30 days.
Jack O’Connell is the latest actor to be quizzed by film social media platform Letterboxd. The actor was appearing on the red carpet at the BAFTA awards when he was asked to name his top four favourite films of all time.
O’Connell said: “Four favourites? Bloody Hell. So on the spot here Letterboxd.”
However, the 28 Years Later actor, who got his start in the industry with Skins, quickly gathered his top four and listed them rapidly. Here are O’Connell’s top four films.
The Wind That Shakes the Barley
The film’s synopsis reads: “In 1920s Ireland young doctor Damien O’Donovan (Cillian Murphy) prepares to depart for a new job in a London hospital. As he says his goodbyes at a friend’s farm, British Black and Tans arrive, and a young man is killed. Damien joins his brother Teddy (Padraic Delaney) in the Irish Republican Army, but political events are soon set in motion that tear the brothers apart.”
Anora
Anora’s synopsis reads: “Sean Baker’s Palme d’Or winner ANORA is an audacious, thrilling, and comedic variation on a modern-day Cinderella story. Mikey Madison (ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD) captivates as Ani, a young sex worker from Brooklyn whose life takes an unexpected turn when she meets and impulsively marries Vanya, the impetuous son of a Russian billionaire. However, when Vanya’s parents catch wind of the union, they send their henchmen to annul the marriage, setting off a wild chase through the streets of New York.”
On the Academy Award-winning film, O’Connell said: “I love Anora this year. So that’s up there.”
Titanic
The film’s synopsis reads: “Titanic, a 1997 epic romantic drama directed by James Cameron, tells the story of a forbidden love between Jack Dawson (Leonardo DiCaprio), a poor artist, and Rose DeWitt Bukater (Kate Winslet), a young woman of wealth and privilege, aboard the ill-fated maiden voyage of the RMS Titanic. The film also features a strong supporting cast, including Billy Zane as Rose’s arrogant fiancé, Cal Hockley, Kathy Bates as the outspoken Molly Brown, and Frances Fisher as Rose’s controlling mother, Ruth DeWitt Bukater.”
Gladiator
Gladiator’s synopsis reads: “Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix) takes power and strips rank from Maximus (Russell Crowe), one of the favored generals of his predecessor and father, Emperor Marcus Aurelius, the great stoical philosopher. Maximus is then relegated to fighting to the death in the gladiator arenas.”
Last week, new James Bond producers Amy Pascal and David Heyman announced Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight will be the screenwriter on Denis Villeneuve’s 007 reboot.
Yet Amazon MGM Studios are yet to reveal which star will bag the most coveted role in Hollywood.
Nevertheless, Daniel Craig’s successor may now be odds-on in the bookies’ race.
28 Years Later star Aaron Taylor-Johnson has been cut from 5-4 to 1-2 following strong support with bookmaker Coral over the weekend.
Coral’s John Hill said: “Aaron Taylor-Johnson is the red-hot favourite to become the next James Bond, and we continue to be knocked over with support for the British actor in our betting.”
Take it all with a pinch of salt but here are the others in the bookies’ running: 5-1 Theo James, 5-1 Jack Lowden, 11-2 Henry Cavill, 6-1 Scott Rose-Marsh, 13-2 Tom Holland, 8-1 Aaron Pierre, 8-1 Harris Dickinson, 12-1 Jacob Elordi, 12-1 James Norton, 16-1 Callum Turner, 16-1 Sam C Wilson, 20-1 Tom Hardy. Villeneuve is currently shooting Dune Part 3, so we’d assume an official 007 actor announcement won’t land until later in the year.
Few actors in the history of cinema have matched the chameleonic brilliance of Peter Sellers. Born in Southsea, England, in 1925, Sellers rose to fame in the 1950s through BBC Radio’s The Goon Show, where his vocal range and character work earned him a cult following. But it was on the big screen where he truly made his mark, not just as a comedian, but as an actor of astonishing depth and versatility.
Sellers wasn’t content to play the straight man or the clown. He embodied his characters so fully, often vanishing completely into their quirks, voices, and eccentricities, that audiences sometimes forgot they were watching the same person from one film to the next. From the bumbling genius of Inspector Clouseau to the eerie stillness of Chauncey Gardiner, and the deranged brilliance of Dr. Strangelove, Sellers could be subtle or outrageous, tragic or absurd, sometimes all at once.
Here, we rank his ten greatest performances according to Rotten Tomatoes audience rating.
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Die Hard 30th anniversary trailer
A plethora of remarkable films from the 1980s are available for streaming, but which ones truly stand out?
Many cinema enthusiasts would concur that the 80s was arguably the golden era for film, with a host of the most iconic movies ever made being released within this decade.
From thrilling blockbusters to chilling horror flicks, the decade gave birth to franchises, nurtured acclaimed filmmakers and shattered box office records in every direction.
Let’s delve into 10 of the undeniable classics and a few underappreciated treasures, spanning from sci-fi sagas to breathtaking animation and guaranteed tearjerkers.
Even better, all these films are currently available for streaming in the UK, including a few you can watch entirely free of charge, reports <a href=”https://www.mirror.co.uk/film/best-80s-movies-streaming-free-35664651″ rel=”Follow” target=”_self”>the Mirror</a>.
NOW subscribers are guaranteed a toe-tapping good time with the Blues Brothers (Image: UNIVERSAL PICTURES)
Read more: James Bond heartthrob unrecognisable in inspiring new boxing movie
Read more: Sinister trailer for WWII thriller gets split reaction from fans
The Blues Brothers
This musical marvel featuring John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd is unquestionably one of the most hilarious films produced during this era.
Inspired by their legendary Saturday Night Live characters, Jake and Elwood Blues are on a mission against time to reunite their R&B band for one final performance to save the orphanage where they grew up.
With guest appearances from cherished blues artists such as Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin and James Brown, this tribute to music and the city of Chicago is bound to have you tapping your feet.
The Blues Brothers is available to stream on NOW.
This coming-of-age classic from Steven Spielberg will have you reaching for the tissues (Image: UNIVERSAL PICTURES)
ET
If there’s one name that reigned supreme in the film culture of the 80s, it’s undoubtedly Steven Spielberg.
From highly praised historical dramas such as The Colour Purple and Empire of the Sun, to thrilling escapades with Indiana Jones, the blockbuster director released what many regard as his finest films during this period.
One of his most audacious and personal projects at that time, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, was a daring endeavour due to its intimate drama and bold concept. Fortunately, the risk paid off, toppling Star Wars from its perch and remaining the highest-grossing film of all time, until Spielberg surpassed his own record a decade later with Jurassic Park.
ET is available for streaming on Netflix.
Die Hard is still the greatest action movie ever made (Image: 20TH CENTURY FOX)
Die Hard
In our opinion, the best action film ever made, Die Hard is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser whether you’re viewing it at Christmas or in the middle of the summer.
Launching the cinematic career of Hollywood titan Bruce Willis, John McTiernan’s superb thriller remains so influential today that ‘Die Hard on a [insert location/vehicle here]’ is still a viable pitch for an action film.
With so many copycats out there, ensure you make time for the triumphant original soon.
Die Hard can be streamed on Disney+.
This often overlooked historical drama is a must-watch (Image: MGM, UA)
A Dry White Season
This overlooked historical drama highlights the devastating realities of apartheid in South Africa during the 1970s.
Featuring Donald Sutherland as a teacher at a school for white pupils, he’s compelled to question his ethics when the son of his Black gardener is brutally murdered by the white police.
One of the first significant Hollywood films helmed by a Black woman, Euzhan Palcy, A Dry White Season also boasts an often overlooked Oscar-nominated performance from Marlon Brando.
A Dry White Season is available to stream on Prime Video.
Kurt Russell takes on a shape-shifting monster from outer space (Image: UNIVERSAL PICTURES)
The Thing
The 1980s saw the rise of body horror as a defining sub-genre, thanks to advancements in special effects and a growing appetite for boundary-pushing scares among film fans. John Carpenter’s The Thing, starring Kurt Russell, is widely considered the best example.
Despite being a box office flop upon release, this eerie thriller about an Antarctic research team infiltrated by a shape-shifting alien has since become a beloved horror classic.
The Thing is available to stream for free on ITVX.
Prepare to be afraid – be very afraid (Image: 20TH CENTURY FOX)
The Fly
Why settle for one gory masterpiece when there are so many excellent ones to choose from?
Arguably even more horrifying than The Thing is David Cronenberg’s The Fly. Jeff Goldblum stars in this morbid reimagining of a classic 1958 sci-fi horror, playing an ambitious scientist who begins to transform after his teleportation machine malfunctions with gruesome results.
The Fly is available to stream on Disney+.
One of the best films about race relations ever made (Image: UNIVERSAL PICTURES)
Do the Right Thing
From body horror to social satire, the 80s were a decade renowned for an array of thought-provoking dramas.
The influential director Spike Lee was merely 32 when he created Do the Right Thing, firmly establishing himself as one of the most significant Black artists in history by addressing race relations in America in an unprecedented manner.
Blending uproarious humour with high-stakes drama and career-defining performances from its cast, including Lee himself, Danny Aiello, John Turturro and Rosie Perez, it’s no wonder many film enthusiasts still regard it as one of the filmmaker’s finest works.
Do the Right Thing is available to stream on NOW.
This animated masterpiece is available on Netflix (Image: STUDIO GHIBLI)
My Neighbour Totoro
It would be a glaring omission not to include any animated films on a list of the best of any decade and, while Disney had its fair share of successes, from The Fox and the Hound to The Little Mermaid, we believe this masterpiece from Studio Ghibli outshines them all.
My Neighbour Totoro is a timeless depiction of childhood viewed through the imaginative lens of Japanese animation maestro Hayao Miyazaki, who infuses every heartfelt moment with fantasy and wonder.
If you’ve already enjoyed this animated treasure, or fall head over heels for the furry forest spirit on your first viewing, all of Studio Ghibli’s remarkable films are available on the same service.
My Neighbour Totoro is available to stream on Netflix.
Harrison Ford explores a bleak vision of the future (Image: WARNER BROS)
Blade Runner
Yes, it’s another science fiction masterpiece, but one cannot overlook its perfection. Despite inspiring a generation of intense film enthusiasts, it’s clear why this atmospheric, neon-soaked cyberpunk thriller captivated so many.
From the cinematic genius Ridley Scott, who previously transformed the genre with his iconic space horror Alien in 1979, comes an engrossing existential journey featuring Harrison Ford as a future detective tasked with tracking down synthetic humans known as replicants.
Combining classic noir with one of the most dismal visions of the future ever depicted on screen, Blade Runner is worth viewing for its visual magnificence alone, but will also leave you pondering long after the credits have ended.
Blade Runner is available to stream on Prime Video.
80s movies don’t get much better than Raiders of the Lost Ark (Image: LUCASFILM)
Raiders of the Lost Ark
What more can be said about Raiders of the Lost Ark that hasn’t been repeated countless times?
Incredibly, Spielberg produced two masterpieces consecutively, with the introduction of another iconic Harrison Ford character arriving in 1981, a year before the acclaimed director made millions of cinema-goers weep uncontrollably with ET.
The most legendary movie star of all time at his peak, a captivating, worldwide adventure, numerous booby traps and ancient puzzles, and Nazis getting punched in the face. What’s not to adore?
Raiders of the Lost Ark is available to stream on Netflix and for free on Channel 4.
Just hours before taking to the stage at Wembly Oasis revealed a documentary is being made exploring how the band’s music has become so important to so many – and they are looking for fans to take part.
The film will be made by Magna Studios and the man behind Peaky Blinders Steven Knight in association with the band. – are making a film
“We are asking people all over the world if there is a particular Oasis song that has deep meaning for you. A song that tells the story of a life-changing moment, a love, a loss, a heartbreak, or a break for freedom.
“Whatever the Oasis song, whatever the story – tell us…” filmmakers implored.
Movie buffs have been getting chills over the first-look trailer at an upcoming World War II film that looks unmissable.
Featuring an all-star cast of British and Hollywood talent, this eye-opening thriller will explore one of the most crucial moments just after the war like never before.
No Time to Die and Oppenheimer star Rami Malek will portray American psychiatrist Douglas Kelley in Sky Original film Nuremberg, the man tasked with assessing one of Adolf Hitler’s most trusted allies in the Nazi Party.
Ahead of the decisive Nuremberg Trials, Kelley was assigned to determine the mental fitness of the most high-ranking Nazis before they could take place.
Gladiator star Russell Crowe steps into the role of Hermann Göring, the Nazi’s military leader and Hitler’s closest confidant.
A synopsis for the historical drama reads: “The film unfolds as a gripping cat-and-mouse drama.
“Nuremberg features a stellar ensemble cast, including Michael Shannon, Richard E. Grant, and Leo Woodall as translator Howard Triest.
“Set in the shadow of the unimaginable crimes committed during the war, Nuremberg explores the human mind at its most chilling and complex.”
Fans will no doubt be particularly excited to see One Day star Woodall step into his most challenging role yet, looking worlds away from his swoon-worthy rom-com role.
Ahead of Nuremberg’s release in UK cinemas this November, movie fans have been sharing their thoughts with one aspect of the film in particular standing out.
“I never thought I will see Russell ‘Maximus’ Crowe as Hermann Göring,” one YouTube user commented.
“But here we go. Packed with great actors. I put on my watchlist 4 sure.”
Someone else replied: “What a great cast, and original storyline. Looking forward to it.”
“So many excellent actors, it’s going to be awesome,” a third replied. “This is how movies should be made.”
“Cast and cinematography look stunning,” another agreed.
The conversation continued on Reddit, though some users there weren’t quite as impressed with the new trailer.
“I can’t think of anything worse that a bombastic movie about the Nuremberg trial featuring Russell Crowe butchering another accent,” one scathing comment read. “Jesus what the hell was this trailer? Bwaaaaaah.”
And another commented: “This trailer kinda sucks lol I know it’s a teaser but is it really going to have this weird a** style with that subject matter?”
Though they also had to admit: “Very interesting cast though.”
Is Nuremberg on your radar or is this one WWII drama you’ll be giving a miss?
Nuremberg will be released in UK cinemas on 14th November, 2025.
Marilyn Monroe died by suicide on August 4, 1962. Since then, most of what has been written about her is associated with her tragic end.
However, four years before Monroe’s passing, a film widely believed to be based on her life was released, Far Out reports. The 1958 film was directed by John Cromwell and written by Paddy Chayefsky. The biopic, titled ‘The Goddess’ starred Kim Stanley in her film debut as Emily Ann Faulkner, a young woman who was brought up in a broken home in the South, who goes on to become a Hollywood star named Rita Shawn.
The film’s synopsis reads: “As a child, she was Emily Ann, a poor girl in the South with no friends and an ineffective mother. But as an adult, she’s Rita Shawn (Stanley), an actress loved the world over. Still, all the money and fame in the world can’t buy happiness, and Rita is plagued with depression over her broken relationships – first to a handsome soldier (Steve Hill) and then to a boxing promoter (Lloyd Bridges) – and her lack of any emotional connections to anyone outside of her professional life.”
Despite Stanley’s claims that Monroe was not the inspiration behind her character, the parallels are incredibly close to the Hollywood actress. Monroe too, had experienced a lonley upbringing in the foster care system. Her time as Hollywood’s brightest star were also seen as a curse rather than a fairytale. Fame brings pressure and that paired with the commodification of her beauty, alongside the constant presence of people in her life of people who saw her as an easy pathway to stardom and wealth were seen as her downfall and what has often led to her death being treated as an inevitability.
To this day, critics and fans still debate and provide strong cases as to why the film could be based on Monroe.
Far Out said: “Emily Ann Faulkner sounds a lot like Norma Jeane Baker (Monroes real name). Both the character in the film and Monroe were born to single mothers who weren’t sure who the father was and were ill-equipped to take care of their child. Both married while still teenagers and divorced their first husbands in order to pursue a career in Hollywood. Both married a retired famous sports star, and both struggled with addiction, mental breakdowns, and suicide attempts. And both, of course, were brunettes who became blonde.”
However, it is not a sure thing that the film was based on Monroe. Turner Classic Movies published an article stating: “Some critics have conjectured that The Goddess was based on the career of Ava Gardner, but most think its primary model was Marilyn Monroe, who studied at the Actors Studio at the same time Stanley did.”
The Goddess was not seen as a masterpiece, in part due to editing.
Today, the film garners only a 50% approval rating from audience viewers, meaning it has not grown in fondness over time. Some believe The Goddess can be seen as the first failure to analyse the real person behind Monroe.
The Goddess is available to stream on Mubi.
The Samaritans can be reached round the clock, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. If you need a response immediately, it’s best to call them on the phone. You can reach them by calling 116 123, by emailing[email protected]or by visitingwww.samaritans.org.
Speaking with BBC Radio 5 Live Breakfast this morning, Knight said: “I was invited to a meeting with [producer] Amy Pascal, didn’t know what it was about, and very quickly discovered what it was about and became very, very excited and hopeful. And then a process is followed where you do some meetings, you discuss some ideas, and then you find out you’ve got it. So I found out a while ago but it was announced last night, which is great.” Agreeing it will be a “high pressure” job, the 65-year-old creator of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? added: “You’ve just got to do what you do, do it as well as you can.”
Knight continued: “It has always been on my bucket list, and it’s fantastic to be invited to do it. I can’t wait to get started. I’m hoping that, being a Bond fan for so many years, it will be imbued into me and I will be able to produce something that’s the same but different, and better, stronger and bolder.”
And then came the casting question…
Asked about where Amazon were at with casting the new Bond star, he replied: “That is a very, very good question, and one I can’t give you the answer to.” On whether this was since he doesn’t know, isn’t allowed to reveal or because a decision hasn’t yet been made, he wouldn’t elaborate. Villenueve is currently shooting Dune: Part 3 and we’d assume he’d be part of the next Bond reveal with the new actor, so our best bet is sometime in the Autumn for that. Daniel Craig’s announcement was in mid-October 20 years ago, although there’s nothing to say Amazon would follow in those footsteps.
Justin Timberlake has revealed he has been battling Lyme disease during his recent world tour, explaining how the condition has caused “relentlessly debilitating” symptoms that affected his performances.
The pop singer wrapped up The Forget Tomorrow World Tour on July 30 and took to Instagram to open up about the health struggles he has faced behind the scenes.
“This has been the most fun, emotional, gratifying, physically demanding, and, at times, grueling experience,” the 44-year-old said of the tour, adding, “I could not have done it without my family, friends, The TN Kids, and all of YOUR support.”
The dad-of-two shared that over the past couple of years he has been quietly coping with Lyme disease. “Among other things, I’ve been battling some health issues, and was diagnosed with Lyme disease — which I don’t say so you feel bad for me — but to shed some light on what I’ve been up against behind the scenes,” he wrote.
Lyme disease is a bacterial infection transmitted to humans through the bite of an infected black-legged tick. Typically found in grassy or wooded areas, Lyme disease is very treatable if caught early but can cause severe joint pain or swelling, numbness, memory problems, and facial palsy, and even heart palpitations or dizziness.
The singer admitted that the diagnosis came as a shock. “When I first got the diagnosis I was shocked for sure. But, at least I could understand why I would be onstage and in a massive amount of nerve pain or, just feeling crazy fatigue or sickness.”
The illness forced the Sexy Back singer to make a tough decision about continuing the tour. “I decided the joy that performing brings me far outweighs the fleeting stress my body was feeling. I’m so glad I kept going,” he reflected.
He continued: “Not only did I prove my mental tenacity to myself but I now have so many special moments with all of you that I will never forget. I was reluctant to talk about this because I was always raised to keep something like this to yourself. But I am trying to be more transparent abotu my struggles so they aren’t misinterpretated.
Throughout the tour the star faced harsh criticism from some fans who accused him of appearing “lazy” and “tired” on stage, and questioned his vocal effort.
Addressing the backlash in his post, he acknowledged the challenges he faced while performing and highlighting the unseen toll his health condition took on him.
Taking the opportunity to thank his support system, he added: “I could not have done it without my family, friends, The TN Kids, and all of YOUR support.”
Finally, thanking his wife Jessica Biel and their two sons, he added: “To Jess, Silas, and Phin… Nothing is more powerful than your unconditional love. You are my heart and my home. I’m on my way…”
After World War 2, the victorious Allies held the Nuremberg trials against members of the defeated Nazi Germany for their war crimes.
During the conflict, the evil regime invaded many European countries, leading to the deaths of millions, in part due to their crimes against humanity.
Most notorious of all was the Holocaust, the systematic murder of millions of Jews and other minority groups.
The highest-ranking Nazi and a close associate of Adolf Hitler captured after the war was Hermann Göring, Supreme Commander of the Air Force.
And now Russell Crowe stars as him in the first trailer for the new film Nuremberg.
Based on the book The Nazi and the Psychiatrist by Jack El-Hai, the film focuses on American psychiatrist Douglas Kelley, played by Rami Malek. It was his job to determine whether the prisoners were fit to stand trial for their war crimes. During his interviews with Göring, he found himself in a “battle of wits” with Hitler’s right-hand man. Written and directed by James Vanderbilt, the World War 2 drama co-stars Leo Woodall, Michael Shannon, Richard E Grant, Colin Hanks and John Slattery.
Nuremberg releases in UK cinemas on November 14, 2025 and will premiere on Sky Cinema in January 2026.
Gangster movie lovers are in for a treat as one of the genre’s best is now streaming on Amazon Prime. Donnie Brasco is a 1997 gangster epic starring Al Pacino and Johnny Depp. The crime drama was directed by Mike Newell and written by Paul Attanasio. It is based on the 1988 non-fiction book Donnie Brasco: My Undercover Life in the Mafia by Joseph D. Pistone and Richard Woodley. Michael Madsen, Bruno Kirby, James Russo, and Anne Heche also feature in supporting roles. The film has been described as the “best ever gangster movie” by fans, and some say it is even better than The Godfather.
The film’s synopsis reads: “Joseph Pistone (Depp) is an FBI agent who has infiltrated one of the major New York Mafia families and is living under the name Donnie Brasco. He develops a relationship with mob hit man Benjamin Lefty Ruggiero (Pacino) in order to get deeper under cover, but ends up developing a real friendship with the Mafioso. As their relationship develops, Pistone must decide whether or not to complete his job, knowing that it will lead to the murder of his new friend.”
The film received critical acclaim upon its release, showcasing it as a strong contender in the gangster genre. It has received a strong score of 88% from the critics of Rotten Tomatoes. Their consensus states: “A stark, nuanced portrait of life in organised crime, bolstered by strong performances from Al Pacino and Johnny Depp.”
One critic said: “This is Depp’s coming-of-age role, and he’s terrific. Pacino, who’s shown more flash than substance recently, reminds us how great he can be when he loses himself inside a character.”
Another critic wrote in their review: “Pacino and Depp are a match made in acting heaven, riffing off each other with astonishing subtlety and wit.”
One fan said: “Donnie Brasco, maybe the most under appreciated gangster film ever made. Pacino and Depp were an absolute powerhouse duo in this riveting soul filled two hours of clever cinematic mobster brilliance. Pacino was obviously great in The Godfather triology but my taste gravitates to this and Carlito’s Way, as my favorite gangster performances from the all time legend. Don’t let this one fly over your head. One of my all time favorites, fuhhget about it.”
An audience member said: “After watching the film again, I realised just how rememberable of a performance Johnny Depp really put on. Combine that with Al Pacino and a very suspenseful and intriguing story and you have got a great mobster movie that hangs with the best of them.”
“Johnny Depp’s second best performance after Ed Wood, but this may be Pacino’s best work. He brings pathos to the table unlike in any other gangster film,” added a viewer in their review.
Donnie Brasco is available to stream on Amazon Prime right now.
Comedy movies aren’t what they used to be. Gone are the days of original 90 minute funny films putting bums on cinema seats. Modern comedies, often with scripts suffering from political correctness, have largely been relegated to direct-to-streaming and are usually forgotten within a week. Yet Paramount Pictures has taken the gamble of rebooting The Naked Gun with Liam Neeson taking over from Leslie Nielsen. And we’re very happy to report it has massively paid off, with a very welcome return to the kind of absurdist comedy movie that Hollywood just doesn’t really make anymore.
Directed by Lonely Island’s Akiva Schaffer, Neeson is perfect casting as Lt Frank Drebin Jr, the son of Nielsen’s character from the original movie trilogy. Over 30 years since the last film in the cop spoof franchise and the gravely-voiced Northern Irishman takes on the late star’s deadpan timing to a tee. Meanwhile, co-star Pamela Anderson continues her acting renaissance as Beth Davenport, bringing plenty of laughs herself amid effortless on-screen chemistry with the leading man. So much so, in fact, the pair are now reportedly dating, much to the delight of fans.
Just like its predecessors, The Naked Gun doesn’t mess around with its 85 minute runtime, which actually well serves its gag-a-minute structure that goes all the way back to Airplane! The new film’s murder mystery plot lampooning the hard-boiled crime genre is as unashamedly full of slapstick, visual gags, puns and cameos (watch out for Priscilla Presley) as the Nielsen films and regularly had us howling. A hilarious resurrection of the good old-fashioned comedy that’s well worth catching on the big screen.
Netflix viewers are spoiled for choice as the platform has an abundance of Western dramas available to stream. Entertainment Weekly rated this series as one of the best Westerns streaming on Netflix right now. However, you may not have heard of this little-known series that was released in 2024. Wyatt Earp and the Cowboy War is a gritty docudrama that focuses on the violent aftermath of the shootout at the OK Corral, which served as a catalyst for a long-standing feud.
The series synopsis reads: “Wyatt Earp and the Cowboy War is a docudrama series that explores the legendary feud between Wyatt Earp and Ike Clanton, culminating in the iconic gunfight at the O.K. Corral. The series uses a combination of dramatic reenactments and interviews with historians to delve into the events surrounding the conflict, highlighting the power struggle between the Earp brothers and the Cowboy faction for control of Tombstone, Arizona.”
With a solid 84% on Rotten Tomatoes, the audience is hailing this docodrama as a “must-see”.
One reviewer said: “This wasn’t on my watchlist but when I saw Ed Harris’ credit, I turned it on. I had the minimum knowledge about Wyatt Earp, mainly from that famous shootout and the film Tombstone. Did I know of the sequence of events that followed? Nope. Hearing the (mostly) true story of the violence that followed was an eye opener, for sure. It really gave context and texture to the vengeful aftermath. I was very entertained.”
Another reviewer said: “Well thought out and shows the nuance and wider picture behind the gunfight at the OK Corral. Captivating!”
“Having barely read about Wyatt Earp in school and leaving much of my opinion on the man to the 1993 Hollywood portrayl by Kurt Russell, one of my favorite films, this was fascinating to watch, the true account of America’s most famous Old West legend. Very little of the ’90s movie is accurate, which was disappointing, but this docuseries does a good job explaining the value in that relationship, and a lot more I never knew or thought possible for such a time. Very cool indeed. More of this, Netflix; yes,” a third added.
Wyatt Earp and the Cowboy War is available to watch on Netflix.
Earlier this summer, Denis Villeneuve was announced as the director of the next James Bond movie.
The French-Canadian filmmaker is currently shooting Dune Part 3, so presumably, a new 007 actor will not be announced until the autumn.
Spider-Man’s Tom Holland, John Lennon star Harris Dickinson, and Elvis actor Jacob Elordi are among those being rumoured to be under serious consideration.
However, 28 Years Later’s Aaron Taylor-Johnson remains the bookies’ favourite at 2-1.
The 35-year-old is “the clear favourite” according to Betway, although such odds should be taken with a grain of salt.
Taylor-Johnson has played it very coy when asked about Bond rumours in recent years, following reports he impressed former producer Barbara Broccoli. Also running in the bookies’ race are the following: Theo James at 5/1, Harris Dickinson at 5/1, Aaron Pierre at 6/1, Callum Turner at 6/1, Jack Lowden at 10/1, Henry Cavill at 10/1, James Norton at 12/1, Josh O’Connor at 20/1, Idris Elba at 33/1, Tom Hardy at 33/1.
A James Bond film that has been acclaimed as the finest movie of the entire spy franchise is now available to stream without charge.
Helmed by Academy Award-winning director Sam Mendes, Skyfall has just landed on ITVX, ready for action enthusiasts to enjoy.
The 2012 blockbuster, which features Daniel Craig in the iconic 007 role, garnered exceptional acclaim upon its release.
It tracks Bond as he pursues an assassin across the streets of Istanbul in an attempt to retrieve a stolen list revealing the identities of MI6 undercover agents.
When the operation goes disastrously awry, Chief M (Dame Judi Dench) is compelled to take drastic action to protect the organisation, reports the Mirror.
Craig appears alongside Naomie Harris, whom Bond enthusiasts will recognise from other instalments in the series.
Additional prominent cast members include Oscar winner Javier Bardem, 28 Years Later star Ralph Fiennes and French actress Bérénice Marlohe.
As anticipated from this outstanding cast, Skyfall proved an immediate triumph.
It secured an impressive 92% Rotten Tomatoes rating, where reviewers gushed: “Sam Mendes brings Bond surging back with a smart, sexy, riveting action thriller that qualifies as one of the best 007 films to date.”
Furthermore, the espionage drama received five Oscar nominations, including recognition in the Best Cinematography, Best Original Score and Best Sound Mixing categories.
The thriller claimed the Oscars for Best Sound Editing and Best Original Song. The latter was presented to Adele for her chart-topping track, Skyfall.
Cinema enthusiasts were entranced by the film, with one Google reviewer enthusing: “By far the best Bond Movie I’ve ever seen especially given the amazing performances of Javier Braden.”
Another agreed: “Skyfall in my view is the best Bond film ever made. No Time To Die is good but this Bond film will always have the edge above others.”
In addition, an IMDb user expressed: “This is one of the best Bond movies I have ever seen.
“The story is superbly put together and has some interesting twists, the action is well done and contains none of the shaky cam which plagued the last film. The actors all do a great job.”
Netflix has an abundance of films to enjoy, but fans have recently been left “traumatised” over a 1995 psychological thriller. Starring Sigourney Weaver as a famous criminal psychologist, Copycat has been hailed by fans as “underrated” and “one of the best serial killer movies”. The film’s plot follows two female leads as they join forces to hunt down a serial killer who is committing copycat crimes after famous murders. Reception was generally positive at the time it was released, and it won the Audience Award and a Special Mention at the Cognac Festival du Film Policier. Copycat was also nominated for a Saturn Award for Best Music.
You only need to look at fan reviews on IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes to find out that the film has widespread praise. With an encouraging 76 per cent approval rating, one person said on Rotten Tomatoes: “Very, very underrated thriller. I’ve seen it a few times – it’s not as good as The Silence of the Lambs, but it’s the same type of movie and really pretty good – if you liked Lambs, watch this, you’ll enjoy it. Beware – a little scary, graphic violence.”
On IMDb, one person said in their review: “I was so hooked by it, and every twist had me on the edge of my seat. It is both terrifying AND well-made. And the score! I can’t even begin to say how beautiful and haunting the music is. This is one movie I am very happy to own.”
Another also commented: “This movie popped up in my Netflix algorithm. I’m flabbergasted that I did not know this movie existed. WOW…it’s got everything you want from a psychological crime thriller.”
The film, which had a budget of $27 million, earned an impressive $79 million at the box office. It also stars Dermot Mulroney, William McNamara, Harry Connick Jr, and Will Patton. It’s also worth noting that the film is not based on a true story.
However, one particular scene during the opening few minutes has left viewers “traumatised” since it landed on Netflix. One person reacted to the clip online: “I remember seeing this in theaters. I was freaked out in public restrooms for months!”
Another also similarly echoed: “This scene TRAUMATISED me when I saw it as a teenager, for years and years. I’d always be looking up when using the public bathroom to make sure it didn’t happen to me.”
Lorraine star Dr Hilary Jones has just released the third and final book in his World War trilogy. Under Darkening Skies wraps up the story that began with Frontline, set in the First World War and telling the story of nurse Grace, who volunteers on the Western Front. Next came the interwar years, charted in Eye of the Storm. The final book, meanwhile, wraps up Grace’s story in WW2 – and charts the discovery of penicillin that helped thwart the Nazis.
The book begins in 1937, but charts everything from the birth of the NHS to penicillin’s role in the conflict. But even as a World War buff, Dr Hilary confessed exclusively to Express.co.uk that he was still take aback by some of the things he learned.
The ITV star said: “The story about the production of penicillin is a fascinating one – not just because of the medical implications, but because of the sheer serendipity of how it came about. It nearly didn’t come about at all, for lots of reasons. It was incredibly difficult to produce it. Alexander Fleming who discovered penicillin didn’t really know what he’d discovered – he didn’t do anything with it, he didn’t test it out on animals, he didn’t see it as a therapeutic agent. He thought it might be useful in the laboratory to make cultures of other bugs.
“It was much later when a group of Oxford scientists said, ‘There could be something in this stuff’. Even a teaspoon took them years and years to produce, and then when they first tried it on the first six patients, three of them died. By today’s standards it would never, ever have been looked at further than that.
“But they realised those three patients didn’t die because of penicillin but for other reasons and they persevered, and with the help of the Americans it was produced in time for the D-Day landings and the Tripoli invasion. The book incorporates the fact that we had to send agents into Europe to stop the Nazis getting hold of it first. It was a fascinating story and I couldn’t wait to write it.”
The author added: “I loved doing the research, I found out so much. There were things that were amazing to me. For example, I had no idea that in 1948 when the NHS was finally brought into being, nine out of 10 doctors voted against it.
“Nye Bevan, at the time, wanted to give something back to the people who had sacrificed so much in the Second World War, particularly the working classes, and wanted to change the system where if you couldn’t afford private medical care, you couldn’t get any medical care for your family. So many died young.
“But nine out of 10 doctors voted against it, they wanted to keep their private medicine and their independence, they didn’t want to be employees of the state. The British Medical Association said ‘No, we don’t want it’. It was only because they were able to keep their independent contractual status as people who had a contract with the government for the NHS but weren’t employees that it ever came into being.”
There’s more. Dr Hilary was left stunned by one of the tactics used by the Army in WW1, explaining: “I didn’t know, for example, that in No Man’s Land in the First World War, they actually built artificial trees, because all the other trees were blown to pieces in the bombings, and in order to have snipers and lookout posts, they actually took photographs of tree stumps, had them recreated and set up in No Man’s Land so they could stick a soldier in there to be a lookout.”
He went on: “I found out that the person who invented Zyklon B, which the Nazis used in gas chambers, was a Jew himself who was a soldier in the First World War and then invented this poison gas which was later used by the Nazis in the concentration camps of the Second World War. That irony is shocking, a quirk of fate.
“There were also lots of medical things – I hadn’t realised that the techniques for amputations… more men died from infection than they did of the actual wounds. I learned how they did amputations so quickly in order to prevent infections and how prostheses for men who’d lost their limbs came on in leaps and bounds by necessity because of war.”
Dr Hilary’s book Under Darkening Skies is released on July 31st and is available from all good bookshops.
Slow Horses creator Mick Herron has revealed the Apple TV adaptation of his books starring Gary Oldman as spymaster Jackson Lamb was delayed by a year – because he forgot to tell lawyers one of its characters had been in an earlier novel. This prompted “dead silence” among legal experts and then a year of talks – despite there being a simple solution.
Mick, 62, was in conversation with the show’s screenwriter Will Smith, 54, at the recent Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival in Harrogate, supported by the Express. During this Mick, inset right, admitted regretting having used “Bad” Sam Chapman in his Slough House books.
Bad Sam was a former MI5 internal security officer, known as a Head Dog, turned private detective who first appeared in Reconstruction, a standalone novel about six people facing the worst day of their lives published two years before the series began. Bad Sam then appeared in the early Slough House novels but was not listed as such in talks about the TV adaptation.
Mick said: “I would not have brought him into the Slough House series had I talked to the producers first, because he basically delayed everything by about a year. They had drawn up this contract for the option and these things get discussed for months and months.
“There is noise in Hollywood and there is noise in London, a lot of long-distance phone calls and Zooms, and towards the end of the process someone asked me ‘have we covered all the characters here? Are these the only ones that appear?’.
“And I said ‘oh but this one, he was in an earlier book of mine’. There was dead silence and then another year of conversations about this. I think in the end it was solved by my saying, ‘Yes, you can use that character’. They just had to ask me, but I think a lot of lawyers’ fees were involved.”
Actress Saskia Reeves, 63, who portrays Lamb’s trusted office manager Catherine Standish in Slow Horses, also made a surprise appearance during the special event at The Old Swan Hotel last Sunday.
The star of BBC’s Ludwig David Mitchell has claimed to have only purchased two albums in his lifetime, and one is a “masterpiece.” Technically, he has purchased three albums, as he previously owned two copies of Phil Collins’ 1989 classic, But Seriously, which is often described as a “masterpiece” in reviews. He had spoken of his love of the album during an appearance on Would I Lie To You in 2008 and reiterated it during a chat with NME.
“I have only ever bought two albums. For a long time, I had only ever bought one, which was …But Seriously by Phil Collins. I was 15 and I thought I should be more into music. So I went to WHSmith and I looked on their chart on the wall and at Number One was Phil Collins …But Seriously. I thought, ‘Well, I’ll buy that one then.’ If you want to know why I never bought another one – listen to it,” he told the publication.
However, in 2018, during another appearance on Would I Lie To You, he revealed he had added another recording to his collection.
The panel were tasked with guessing whether or not he was telling the truth as he announced: “10 years ago, on this show, I revealed I’d only ever bought one album. Phil Collins …But Seriously.
“I’m now pleased to report that I’ve since doubled my collection,” he said. Probed by the panel, he said it was a Susan Boyle record.
Host Rob Brydon looked incredulous and asked him: “Why would you buy a Susan Boyle record – with the greatest of respect to Susan – why would you choose her?”
“Well, because it was much talked about, yeah, the time of its release, and I was looking for something to write about for The Observer,” he said. The panel looked unconvinced, particularly when he couldn’t name any Susan Boyle songs. “But I could guess a lot of the songs because…I don’t think she’d written the songs we were talking about.
Rob then challenged him, saying: “I will tell you the names of some of Susan’s album releases…tell me if any of them ring a bell.”
“I promise you, the album title is not gonna ring a bell for me. It was the Susan Boyle album,” he insisted.
Despite his caginess, David was actually telling the truth, much to Rob and the panel’s surprise.
A brand new superhero movie has just been released, and fans are going wild for it. Starring Pedro Pascal, The Fantastic Four: First Steps is based on the Marvel Comics superhero team, the Fantastic Four. It is the 37th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and the second reboot of the Fantastic Four film series. The film was directed by Matt Shakman and was based on a screenplay by Josh Friedman, Eric Pearson, Jeff Kaplan, and Ian Springer.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps has a stellar cast, including Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Joseph Quinn, Julia Garner, and Ralph Ineson, among others.
The film’s synopsis reads: “Set against the vibrant backdrop of a 1960s-inspired, retro-futuristic world, Marvel Studios’ “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” introduces Marvel’s First Family–Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic (Pascal), Sue Storm/Invisible Woman (Kirby), Johnny Storm/Human Torch (Quinn) and Ben Grimm/The Thing (Moss-Bachrach) as they face their most daunting challenge yet. Forced to balance their roles as heroes with the strength of their family bond, they must defend Earth from a ravenous space god called Galactus (Ineson) and his enigmatic Herald, Silver Surfer (Garner). And if Galactus’ plan to devour the entire planet and everyone on it weren’t bad enough, it suddenly gets very personal.”
The new Fantastic Four movie has been receiving high praise from critics and fans alike. The film has an 88% rating from the critics on Rotten Tomatoes. Their consensus states: “Benefitting from rock-solid cast chemistry and clad in appealingly retro 1960s design, this crack at The Fantastic Four does Marvel’s First Family justice.”
The audience however, rate the film even higher at 93%, they say: “The Fantastic Four takes the world by Storm, Thing, Reed, Johnny and baby, forging a new path for this bespoke family that, with these First Steps, leaps into cosmic action with retro-futuristic verve.”
One audience reviewer described the movie as “the best movie ever”.
Another gave viewers a tip: “Best Fantastic Four movie ever and the best MCU movie since Spider-Man: No Way Home. Be sure to stay for at least the first of the two end credit scenes.”
The Fantastic Four: First Steps is out in UK cinemas now.
Kill the Irishman is a biographical crime film that is based on the life of the Irish-American gangster Danny Greene. It was adapted from Rick Porrello’s book To Kill the Irishman: The War That Crippled the Mafia.
The film’s synopsis reads: “Kill the Irishman tells the true story of Danny Greene, a scrappy union representative who rose through the ranks of the Cleveland underworld and became a force to be reckoned with, ultimately engaging in a turf war with the Italian Mafia.
“Greene’s rise to power and his eventual assassination, which is depicted in the film, are the central themes. The film explores Greene’s ambition, his clashes with the Mafia, and the impact of his actions on organised crime in Cleveland and beyond.”
Directed by Jonathan Hensleigh, the film stars Ray Stevenson, Vincent D’Onofrio, Val Kilmer, Christopher Walken Linda Cardellini , Tony Darrow and Robert Davi, among others.
It has been praised by gangster movie fanatics, with one stating in an IMDb review: “Great cast, great acting, and an absolute must-see for mafia-philes.
“Unlike many bio-dramas, this one moves along at a rocket pace, leaving the audience on the edge of their seats.”
Another branded the film as “very underrated”.
The film received mixed reviews upon its release and was called out for its likeness to Martin Scorsese’s Goodfellas (1990).
It gets a divisive score of 63% from Rotten Tomatoes critics, who state: “Kill the Irishman may not add much in the way of new ingredients to its crowded genre, but the admirable efforts of a solidly assembled cast add extra depth to a familiar story.”
Audience reviewers were quick to jump to its defence as one described it as “the best true crime drama out there” and another stating they “absolutely love this [film]”.
One said: “This is a really entertaining movie and very true to the actual facts. I would recommend watching the documentary on Danny Green first and then watching this movie.”
“Top notch to the acting and production. Highly enjoyable 1970’s gangster movie,” another added.
Kill the Irishman is available to stream right now on Amazon Prime.
Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale is due to land in cinemas in the coming weeks, and Elizabeth McGovern has revealed what fans can expect from the film. It marks the third and final film in the Downton Abbey franchise, which will see many of the show’s iconic stars return to their roles one last time.
Elizabeth, 64, has revealed that things were different on set this time round, with one specific rule being broke. She told how the new film includes a bit of improvisation, which was previously forbidden.
“Most of the time, there was an absolute rule that not one syllable could ever be changed,” she told Deadline. “Which, in a way, gives it its distinctive flavour.”
The upcoming title also marks the first Downton Abbey film without Maggie Smith, who played Violet Crawley. The actress sadly passed away in September 2024.
Maggie’s absence was deeply felt among the cast, but Elizabeth revealed that the film still manages to capture the magic of Downton Abbey, where Maggie’s presence still remains.
“She permeates everything, definitely,” Elizabeth said.
The star, who plays Cora in the hit franchise, reflected on working with the same team for over a decade, with the first episode of Downton Abbey having aired back in 2010.
She said: “You can’t help but feel a real attachment,” before confirming it is “definitely” the end of Downton Abbey.
Despite her certainty, she did add: “Unless they do something like go back in time and it’s a different cast. You know, the young Maggie. There’s been quite a lot of that sort of talk.”
Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale will see the likes of Hugh Bonneville, Michelle Dockery, Laura Carmichael, Jim Carter and Joanne Frogatt all return to their roles.
New faces joining the cast include Joely Richardson, Alessandro Nivola, Simon Russell Beale and Arty Froushan.
Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale arrives in cinemas on 12 September.
Hulk Hogan enjoyed a sporadic but memorable film career (Image: Getty)
Hulk Hogan wasn’t just one of the most recognisable names in professional wrestling – he was one of the defining figures of 1980s and 1990s pop culture. Born Terry Gene Bollea, Hogan became the face of the World Wrestling Federation (now WWE), helping transform the sport into a global entertainment phenomenon with his charisma, catchphrases and strong persona.
Alongside his wrestling career, Hogan crossed over into film and television, appearing in a string of roles that often played on his imposing yet affable image. While he never pursued acting with the same intensity as wrestling, his appearances on the big screen – from cult comedies to blockbusters – cemented his place as a household name far beyond the ring.
On July 24, 2025, it was reported that Hogan had died aged 71 after a suspected cardiac arrest at his home in Clearwater, Florida. As fans mourn the loss, we look back at five of Hulk Hogan’s most popular films, as ranked by Letterboxd.
5. 3 Ninjas: High Noon at Mega Mountain (1998)
In the fourth and final instalment of the 3 Ninjas franchise, Hogan plays Dave Dragon, a children’s TV action hero who finds himself pulled into a real-life adventure. The film follows the familiar formula of the series, with its young martial artist protagonists facing off against a group of criminals, this time led by Loni Anderson’s villainous Medusa.
Hogan’s Dave Dragon brings an intentionally over-the-top sense to the film, playing on his wrestling persona while interacting with the younger cast. Though largely aimed at children, his role marked one of his more prominent turns as a family-friendly action figure.
Read more: Sylvester Stallone was left ‘mangled’ and in ‘agony’ after being battered
Read more: Hulk Hogan’s greatest moments and matches as WWE legend dead at 71
4. Suburban Commando (1991)
One of Hogan’s best-known leading roles came in Suburban Commando, where he starred as Shep Ramsey, an intergalactic warrior forced to lay low on Earth after a failed mission. The comedy sees Hogan’s character adjusting to suburban life while still dealing with extraterrestrial threats.
Co-starring Christopher Lloyd and Shelley Duvall, the film combined light science fiction with slapstick humour, giving Hogan plenty of room to showcase his musclebound screen persona in a comedic setting.
3. No Holds Barred (1989)
Released at the height of Hogan’s wrestling fame, No Holds Barred cast him as Rip, a World Wrestling Federation champion who becomes embroiled in a brutal underground fighting tournament. Produced by WWE’s Vince McMahon, the film blurred the line between Hogan’s on-screen character and his real-life persona, featuring plenty of high-energy fight sequences and larger-than-life theatrics.
While not a critical success, No Holds Barred remains a notable project in Hogan’s filmography for its direct connection to his wrestling career, capturing the spirit of his peak popularity.
2. Spy Hard (1996)
In the comedy spoof Spy Hard, starring Leslie Nielsen, Hogan appears in a small but recognisable cameo. The film parodies a wide range of action and spy genres, and Hogan’s brief role leaned into his established public image as an imposing but approachable figure.
Though his appearance is short, it continued a trend of Hogan taking on self-referential roles throughout the 1990s, offering a nod to audiences who knew him primarily from his wrestling career.
1. Rocky III (1982)
Hogan’s most famous film role came early in his acting career as Thunderlips in Rocky III. Appearing opposite Sylvester Stallone, Hogan played the flamboyant professional wrestler who faces off against Rocky Balboa in a high-profile exhibition match.
Though his screen time is brief, the role made a significant cultural impact, helping Hogan gain exposure beyond wrestling just as his WWF career was taking off. His larger-than-life performance perfectly encapsulated the spectacle of wrestling entertainment, making Thunderlips one of the most memorable characters in the Rocky series.
One in four concert goers typically miss the encore and depart early, with a third prioritising their wellbeing for the following day. Tiredness also plays a role, with 36 per cent of all adults confessing they’re concerned about how they’ll feel the next day. A survey of 2,000 music fans revealed that a quarter prefer to unwind after the gig rather than stay for the final song, with Gen Z most likely to make a swift exit.
Four in ten have a post-concert self-care routine to ensure they wake up refreshed the following morning. However, this may not be having the desired effect as over half of all adults typically wake from their post-gig sleep feeling tired and worn out.
The study was commissioned by Holiday Inn Express, which has partnered with Will Best and AJ Odudu to launch limited edition ‘Fresh or Fried’ packages – available online and at participating hotels.
The packages include items such as hydration sachets, earplugs, caffeine gum, sleep enhancing essential oils and under eye cool masks – and are intended to help concertgoers recover post-gig. Guests have the option to choose between the two based on how they typically feel the morning after a concert.
This comes as 40 per cent of those surveyed said that they prefer to rise at their usual time after a concert, while 38 per cent enjoy sleeping in late and having a ‘lazy day. ‘.
Will Best said: “I go to lots of gigs, but I still have to get up early for breakfast radio, so while I have fun and definitely indulge in some questionable dad dancing, I still like to wind down properly afterwards.
“A great sleep, strong coffee and a decent breakfast is what I need when I get up so I’m ready to tackle the day”.
In contrast, AJ Odudu said: “I am a night owl and I always get a second wind, especially when in a concert environment – I definitely get that from my mum!”
The study discovered that for some, it’s not just about self-care following a live music event, 16 per cent will take a pre-show nap and eight per cent will even meditate.
This is particularly common among Gen Z (21 per cent and 17 per cent) and Millennials (29 per cent and 17 per cent).
According to Onepoll.com, the most eagerly awaited shows of the summer are Ed Sheeran, followed by Oasis who came in second. Beyoncé took third place, followed by Billie Eilish in fourth and then Olivia Rodrigo.
Holiday Inn Express spokesperson, John Wright, said: “As the research shows gig goers have different approaches – some are night owls who stay up until dawn, while some are self-care enthusiasts who prefer a more relaxed concert experience.
“It’s important that everyone can enjoy iconic summer concerts, and the morning after, in a way that suits them best. Our Fresh or Fried care packages were designed with these distinct personas and gig routines and behaviours in mind.”
Ozzy Osbourne will be remembered as the leading frontman for Black Sabbath, and just two weeks ago, the band reunited for their Back to the Beginning farewell show in their hometown of Birmingham. The singer died on Tuesday at the age of 76, and tributes have been pouring in from all over the world. His death was confirmed by his family in a statement which read: “It is with more sadness than mere words can convey that we have to report that our beloved Ozzy Osbourne has passed away. He was with his family and surrounded by love. We ask everyone to respect our family privacy at this time. Sharon, Jack, Kelly, Aimee and Louis.”
Known for his nickname, the “Prince of Darkness,” the rock icon heavily contributed to the sound of heavy metal in the music industry. Ozzy is also remembered for his infamous performances, notably when he bit a bat’s head off live on stage in January 1982. But what actually happened?
During a concert in Des Moines, Iowa, a fan threw a live bat onto the stage. This wasn’t unusual, as fans had become accustomed to throwing rubber snakes and cockroaches during performances. Today, there still remains debate as to whether the bat was alive or dead when it was thrown on stage.
Ozzy then assumed the bat was a rubber toy and picked it up and bit its head off. It was not a toy. The singer noted in his 2010 memoir that as soon as he chomped onto the bat, he knew something was seriously wrong.
“For a start, my mouth was instantly full of this warm, gloopy liquid, with the worst aftertaste you could ever imagine. I could feel it staining my teeth and running down my chin. Then the head in my mouth twitched,” he recalled.
“Next thing I knew, I was in a wheelchair, being rushed into an emergency room,” he wrote. “Meanwhile, a doctor was saying to Sharon [Osbourne], ‘Yes, Miss Arden, the bat was alive. It was probably stunned from being at a rock concert, but it was definitely alive. There’s a good chance Mr. Osbourne now has rabies.'”
Whether intentional or not, the bat bite incident became synonymous with Ozzy and his brand. According to the Des Moines Register, Ozzy had to take multiple rabies shots “every night for the rest of the tour.”
Years later, the singer sold bat plushie toys with a detachable head and bat-themed makeup.
Prior to their comeback show at Villa Park in Birmingham last month, Black Sabbath had gone 20 years without performing together on stage. The last time all bandmates appeared together was back in 2005, when they performed at Ozzfest.
As ever, with a new month comes a new wave of TV series, films and documentaries on streaming platform, Netflix. At your leisure, you can browse, add to your watchlist and debate what you and your family will be watching this evening. Will it be a throwback classic in the form of Annie, a new Netflix original docuseries, or perhaps you want to watch the entire Jaws film franchise? Here is the full list of new additions on the streaming platform this month.
July 1
17 Again (2009) A Hundred Flowers (2022) Annie (1982) Antz (1998) Attack on London: Hunting the 7/7 Bombers (Limited Series) Netflix Original Blades of Glory (2007) Blow (2001) Born on the Fourth of July (1989) Captain Phillips (2013) Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 (2013) Friday Night Lights (2004) Grown Ups 2 (2013) Here Comes the Boom (2012) Horrible Bosses (2011) Mission: Impossible (1996) Mission: Impossible II (2000) Mission: Impossible III (2006) Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol (2011) Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation (2015) Pacific Rim (2013) Portlandia (Seasons 1–8) PAW Patrol (Seasons 1–2) Penguins of Madagascar: The Movie (2014) Red Eye (2005) Mom (Multiple Seasons) Tangerine (2015) The Deer Hunter (1978) The Hitman’s Bodyguard (2017) The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard (2021) The Karate Kid (1984) The Karate Kid Part II (1986) The Karate Kid Part III (1989) The Notebook (2004) The Other Guys (2010) (PG-13) The Polar Express (2004) The Sweetest Thing (2002) Trainwreck: The Cult of American Apparel (Volume 1 – Episode 4) Netflix Original Yellowjackets (Season 2) V for Vendetta (2005) White Chicks (2004) White House Down (2013) (PG-13) Zathura: A Space Adventure (2005)
July 2
Raid 2 (2025) The Old Guard 2 (2025) Netflix Original Tour de France: Unchained (Season 3) Netflix Original
July 3
Countdown: Taylor vs. Serrano (Season 1) Netflix Original Detective Conan (Special Season) Mr. Robot (Seasons 1-4) The Sandman (Season 2 – Volume 1) Netflix Original
July 4
All the Sharks: Find the Sharks. Win The Cash. (Season 1) Netflix Original
July 5
The Summer Hikaru Died (Season 1) Netflix Original
July 6
Puniru is a Kawaii Slime (New Episodes)
July 8
A Star is Born (2018) Better Late Than Single (Season 1) Netflix Original Nate Jackson: Super Funny (2025) Netflix Original Quarterback (Season 2) Netflix Original Sullivan’s Crossing (Seasons 1-2) Trainwreck: The Real Project X (Volume 1 – Episode 5) Netflix Original
July 9
Building the Band (Season 1) Netflix Original The Gringo Hunters (Season 1) Netflix Original Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) Under a Dark Sun (Season 1) Netflix Original Ziam (2025) Netflix Original
July 10
7 Bears (Limited Series) Netflix Original 8 Vasantalu (2025) A Brother and 7 Siblings (2025) Brick (2025) Netflix Original Leviathan (Season 1) Netflix Original My Love Will Make You Disappear (2025) Offroad (Season 1) Netflix Original Sneaky Pete (Seasons 1-3) Too Much (Season 1) Netflix Original
July 11
Almost Cops (2025) Netflix Original Bread Barber Shop (Season 4) Katie Taylor vs. Amanda Serrano 3 (LIVE) Netflix Original Madea’s Destination Wedding (2025) Netflix Original The Amazing Journey of the Letters (2025)
July 14
Apocalypse in the Tropics (2025) Netflix Original
July 15
Entitled (Season 1) Jaws Movie Collection: Jaws, Jaws 2, Jaws 3, Jaws: The Revenge Trainwreck: Balloon Boy (Volume 1 – Episode 6) Netflix Original
July 16
Amy Bradley Is Missing (Season 1) Netflix Original Krampus (2015) Mamma Mia! (2008) Ride Along 2 (2016) Wanted (2008)
July 17
Catalog (Season 1) Netflix Original Chihayafuru: Full Circle (Season 1) Community Squad (Season 2) Netflix Original Cora Bora (2023) UNTAMED (Limited Series) Netflix Original
July 18
Almost Family (2025) Netflix Original Delirium (Season 1) Netflix Original I’m Still a Superstar (2025) Netflix Original Superstar (Limited Series) Netflix Original To Kill A Monkey (Season 1) Vir Das: Fool Volume (2025) Netflix Original Wall to Wall (2025) Netflix Original
July 19
Eight for Silver (2021)
July 21
The Hunting Wives (Season 1) The Steve Harvey Show (Seasons 1-6)
July 22
Trainwreck: P.I. Moms (Volume 1 – Episode 7) Netflix Original
July 23
Critical: Between Life and Death (Season 1) Netflix Original Hightown (Seasons 1-3) House of Lies (Seasons 1-5) Letters From The Past (Limited Series) Netflix Original Pagtatag! The Documentary (2025)
July 24
A Normal Woman (2025) Netflix Original Hitmakers (Season 1) Netflix Original Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation (2018) Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (Season 19) My Melody & Kuromi (Season 1) Netflix Original The Sandman (Season 2 – Volume 2) Netflix Original Their Marriage (Season 1) Until Dawn (2025)
July 25
Happy Gilmore 2 (2025) Netflix Original Mandala Murders (Season 1) Netflix Original Trigger (2025) Netflix Original The 19th Medical Chart (Season 1) The Winning Try (Season 1) Netflix Original
July 26
The Penguin Lessons (2024)
July 27
Learning to Love (Season 1)
July 28
Everything About My Wife (2025) The Lazarus Project (Seasons 1-2)
July 29
Dusty Slay: Wet Heat (2025) Netflix Original Trainwreck: Storm Area 51 (Volume 1 – Episode 8) Netflix Original WWE: Unreal (Season 1) Netflix Original
July 30
Conversations with a Killer: The Son of Sam Tapes (Season 1) Netflix Original Unspeakable Sins (Season 1)
July 31
An Honest Life (2025) Netflix Original Glass Heart (Season 1) Netflix Original Leanne (Season 1) Netflix Original Marked (Season 1) Netflix Original The Sandman (Season 2 – Volume 3) Netflix Original
Sue Mautner left school at 16 in 1962 and, through chutzpah and serendipity, found herself rubbing shoulders with the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, and many more 60s legends while still in her teens. Mautner went from a Ready, Steady Go! TV dancer to an accidental music journalist and then a record company executive, becoming a front-row witness to pop’s first golden age.
Along the way she mixed with high-class hookers on the Beatles’ 1966 German tour. Her much older boyfriend, unbeknown to her, was selling them LSD; and she was rescued from an over-amorous pop star by their producer George Martin.
All this, plus how Sue discovered Cat Stevens, her close friendship with tragic Rolling Stones star Brian Jones, Simon Dee’s ego, and why she ended up wearing Cathy McGowan’s trousers, can be heard at length for the first time on her new podcast series, She’s With The Band: A Love Letter to Rock and Roll.
Here Sue, 79, shares some of her secrets…
The Beatles played Essen on the second night of their 1966 German tour. This concert was absolutely wild; the noise was deafening. You couldn’t hear the band for the screaming. After the show, the boys had to leave by the exit door at the back of the hall and there was a stampede. I thought I was going to be trampled to death. Peter Brown [then manager Brian Epstein’s personal assistant] practically lifted me out. The police outside looked like Nazis and they set their big Alsatians on these very young kids, and used tear gas on them. They were teeny-boppers. Kids. In the panic, shoes were lost and clothes were left behind. It was the most horrendous thing I’d ever seen.
I dated a guy called John Riley in 1964. I was still 17, he was 33 and a dental surgeon. We went out for about six months. He was my date for the first Beatles premiere that July. He was often late picking me up, he’d turn up with his hair still wet, and he used to disappear mysteriously.
The Beatles used to talk about “Dr Feelgood” – unbeknown to me, it was John. Years later it emerged that he had spiked their coffee with LSD and then became their supplier. He was their dentist! He was leading a double life. No wonder he turned up late and in a state. I was so ashamed.
The 1966 tour started in Munich in June. I arrived too late for the concert, but there was a note waiting saying the boys were having a party in their suite after the show and they’d love to have me there. I went up to the suite, everyone was there and along with lots of very beautiful women, really good-looking girls as one would expect when the Beatles were in town. I was the only journalist there. After midnight I was talking to George [Harrison] and noticed the women had all gone. I said, “Where have all the lovely girls gone?” He said, “Sue, what did you think they were?”
I said, “Models”. George grinned and shook his head. “They weren’t models,” he said. “They were ladies of the night. They left at midnight because they’re not allowed in the hotel after midnight.” I was 20, but in many ways, I was quite naïve.
When we reached Hamburg, I wanted to visit the Kaiserkeller – the bierkeller where the Beatles used to have a residency. Everyone was friendly until we said we were on the Beatles tour. The manager of the venue went ballistic. He said that one of the band had had his way with his daughter.
*Groundbreaking podcast She’s With The Band: A Love Letter to Rock and Roll launches tomorrow, chronicling the untold stories of a music industry insider.
Happy Gilmore 2 is one of the most highly anticipated new comedy movies of the year, following an almost 30-year wait for the much demanded sequel.
The follow-up to the hit 1996 comedy revisits unconventional golfer Happy, who comes out of retirement to pay for his daughter Vienna’s (played by Sunny Sandler) ballet school.
Featuring the return of the original film’s beloved cast, including Julie Bowen, Christopher McDonald and Ben Stiller, it’s expected to be watched by millions of fans when the film drops soon.
The cast also includes newcomers Benny Safdie and Bad Bunny, as well as an exciting collection of cameos and guest appearances from the likes of Travis Kelce, Margaret Qualley, Eminem and several professional golfers.
With the long-awaited sequel finally just around the corner, let’s take a look at what we know about Happy Gilmore 2’s release date.
When will Happy Gilmore 2 be released?
Happy Gilmore 2 is scheduled to be released by Netflix on Friday, 25th July.
As opposed to the original film, the Netflix Original sequel is following the trend of Sandler’s other streaming comedies and bypassing a theatrical release.
That means fans around the world will be able to watch the film whenever they want from this Friday, provided they have a Netflix subscription.
When it comes to what time the film will be released, this all depends on what timezone you’re in as the streaming service drops new releases concurrently in every territory.
Films and TV series tend to be released just after midnight in the Pacific Time Zone in the US as the Netflix offices are based in California.
For those living on the east coast States, the film will be released at 3am Eastern Time.
Meanwhile, UK viewers will be able to watch the film as early as 8am on Friday morning.
This means Happy Gilmore 2 will be waiting for most subscribers worldwide as soon as they switch on their TV screens on Friday morning.
The Friday release makes the sequel the perfect watch for viewers ready to laugh this weekend.
Moreover, as Happy Gilmore 2 is a Netflix Original, it won’t be leaving the platform any time soon, so fans have unlimited time to watch the comedy caper over and over again.
Happy Gilmore 2 will be released Friday, 25th July on Netflix.
Denis Villeneuve has been hired to direct the next James Bond movie and the latest rumour is that the likes of Tom Holland, Harris Dickinson and Jacob Elordi are in the running to replace Daniel Craig as 007.
These three are among the stars with the best odds in the bookies’ race, which should be taken with a pinch of salt.
In the latest from Betfred’s Robert Ford: “The ever-changing next James Bond betting market has another huge development, with favourite Aaron Taylor-Johnson cementing his place at the head of the odds, moving into odds-on (8/11) from even money.
“This is the shortest price that Taylor-Johnson, who’s held top spot on numerous occasions, has had for a number of months and has moved even further away from former favourite Theo James in second place.
“The majority of other names near the head of the market remain unmoved, except for Happy Valley star James Norton, who’s also received backing in the past few days, resulting in his odds being slashed to 7/1 from 10s.”
Also in the bookies’ race are the following: Theo James at 9/4, Scott Rose-Marsh at 5/2, Aaron Pierre at 5/1, Henry Cavill at 11/2, Tom Holland at 6/1, James Norton at 7/1, Jack Lowden at 15/2, Harris Dickinson at 9/1, Josh O’Connor at 10/1, Jacob Elordi at 10/1, Austin Butler at 10/1. Hopefully, the new 007 star will be announced later this year before shooting begins in 2026.
Last year, Sir Brian May spent his 77th birthday in Tuscany performing a set with Andrea Bocelli, at the third and final of his consecutive 30th anniversary concerts.
In addition to being surprised with a birthday cake and the Italian maestro singing Happy Birthday to him live on stage, the pair performed a duet together.
The Queen guitarist went on to call the concert “one of the most unforgettable moments of 2024”, and now he’s returning to the Teatro del Silenzio for its 20th anniversary in a surprise new performance this weekend.
Bocelli posted on his Instagram account: “The Teatro del Silenzio, the stage of wonders which has lit up under a canopy of stars every year for the past 20 years, will welcome a legendary artist who knows the stars better than any of us.”
Bocelli continued: “On July 26, a friend, an astrophysicist, a brilliant composer, and Queen’s guitar player returns: rock legend Brian May, welcome to Lajatico!To the delight of fans around the world (and mine as well) we will properly celebrate a special guest who has shaped the history of music. Last year, we celebrated his birthday behind the scenes; this year, we’ll honor his extraordinary career on stage, in a once-in-a-lifetime chance to relive his masterpieces. He returns to Lajatico with his iconic guitar, exactly the one he built with his father as a young boy, as he once told me. The same guitar that helped define sixty years of great music, and that I had the privilege of hearing during rehearsals as I paid tribute with one of Queen’s immortal songs: Who Wants to Live Forever.”
Descenders publisher No More Robots is getting ready to reveal new information about the original game and sequel.
Dubbed Descenders Day, the publisher is holding a special live stream to showcase the two games.
The event kicks off at 5pm BST UK time on the afternoon of July 21. You can watch the Descenders Day live stream in full by clicking play on the YouTube embed below.
As part of the event, No More Robots will unveil more about the next big Descenders update, which is described as the biggest yet.
The publisher will also announce a release date for the upcoming sequel, which adds new downhill sports to the mix.
No More Robots explains more: “From the teams at No More Robots and RageSquid, Descenders Day is a one day only celebration packed full of big reveals, giveaways, and downhill hype.
“There’s a livestream you won’t want to miss, and yes, we’re finally dropping two huge pieces of news: The biggest Descenders update to date and the release date for Descenders Next.”
While the original Descenders tasked players with surviving downhill runs on a BMX, the sequel adds snowboards to the mix.
“It’s time to conquer the world of extreme sports,” reads the official description. “This is Descenders Next.
“Grab your snowboard and tackle the steep, snowy slopes, or tear up the harsh, lush terrain with your mountainboard! Feel like taking on the challenge with a squad? Match up with your friends and Descenders players all around the world, and take on the tracks together! The mountain is calling – will you master it?”
The game is said to be Steam Deck Verified, which means you can play it in handheld mode when it makes its debut.
The Freida McFadden hype is real – and many are obsessed with her twisty-turny books that leave you gripped from start to finish. Most notable of all the books is arguably The Housemaid series, with countless BookTokers shouting from the rooftops about how good it is.
Many fans have also been floored to learn that she is a practising physician specialising in brain injury. Freida writes under a pen name so she can separate her medical life from her life as a bestselling author.
However, some book lovers are keen to show that Freida McFadden has many more books than just this series, and if you’re a fan of The Housemaid, she has so much more to give.
One of these Freida fans is Richie Reads, who regularly shares his bookish opinions and book hauls on his page. He explained that he was going to rank them, in his opinion, from “worst to best”.
Of course, there are ten that he has yet to read, but he did not discuss these in the video.
21. The Gift
20. The Coworker
19. The Teacher
18. The Housemaid’s Wedding
17. One By One
16. The Perfect Son
15. The Widow’s Husband’s Secret Lie
14. The Housemaid is Watching
13. Do Not Disturb
12. Do You Remember?
11. The Wife Upstairs
10. Ward D
9. The Crash
8. The Housemaid
7. The Ex
6. The Boyfriend
5. The Housemaid’s Secret
4. The Locked Door
3. The Inmate
2. The Tenant
1. Never Lie
Many will be shocked to see that The Housemaid came in at number eight, but will likely be intrigued to read some of the other books he recommended as part of the list. If you’re looking for more motivation to read his top five, look no further.
5. The Housemaid’s Secret
Step inside a house full of secrets, where every locked door hides a disturbing truth. In The Housemaid’s Secret, Freida McFadden will keep you guessing – right up to the shocking final twist.
4. The Locked Door
What if your father was a notorious serial killer – and now, twenty-six years later, someone is copying his crimes? In The Locked Door by Freida McFadden, Dr. Nora Davis thought she’d escaped her dark past, but a chilling new murder threatens to unlock secrets she’s desperate to keep hidden.
3. The Inmate
A nurse returns to her hometown, only to find herself working at a prison – and face-to-face with the man convicted of killing her high school sweetheart. But is he really guilty, or is the real murderer still out there, watching her every move?
2. The Tenant
Step inside a building where every door hides a secret, and the new tenant is about to discover that some mysteries are better left locked away.
If you love chilling twists and can’t resist a puzzle, The Tenant by Freida McFadden will keep you turning pages late into the night.
1. Never Lie
The story takes place in a remote mansion where secrets echo through every room – and every lie could be deadly.
In Never Lie by Freida McFadden, nothing – and no one – is what they seem. Are you ready to uncover the truth before it’s too late?
In the comments of Richie’s video, one woman wrote: “Never Lie was the first book of hers I read last week and did it in a day. I then did one by one, tomorrow I will be starting Locked Door! Staff member in The Works laughed when I just brought her books but I honestly really enjoy her writing. I haven’t even seen some of the books you’ve got lol!!”
Another penned: “I like how easy her books are to read, but I always find her books a little disappointing. She did get me out of my reading slump though”.
And a third aded: “Never Lie was my first read of hers, and I have been chasing that high ever since.”
This horror film has captivated its audiences and is often called one of the best. If you’re looking for a terrifying film that will keep you on the edge of your seat, look no further.
This classic mystery thriller, Don’t Look Now, from Nicolas Roeg, has been adapted from the famous Daphne Du Maurier’s writing. Grieving the loss of their young daughter in a tragic accident, Laura and John Baxter visit Venice, where John is helping to restore a dilapidated church. As John works, Laura is befriended by two sisters, one of whom warns them to leave the city, claiming she has seen their dead daughter.
One reviewer on Letterboxed said: “Don’t Look Now isn’t just a title, it’s a warning. Right from the very opening shot of a rain-filled pond, Nicolas Roeg instills a sense of masterful psychological unease in this occult thriller, adapted from the Daphne du Maurier short story, that has rarely been matched in cinema before or since, creating something truly unique and remarkable in the bargain.”
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an impressive score of 93% making it very well-reviewed by film-lovers. The film has been named as one of the top 10 British horror films by What Sleeps Beneath.
Another person on Rotten Tomatoes writes: “This haunting thriller and study of the psychology of grief is one of the most accomplished, and most troubling, films by the British director Nicolas Roeg.”
The 1973 film is known for its innovative and disjunctive editorial style, it features scenes which were highly controversial for the time it came out.
Director Nicolas Roeg uses flashbacks and flash-forwards to distort the viewer’s perception of what is really happening.
Vincent Canby from The New York Times says: “It stops being suspenseful and becomes an elegant travelogue that treats us to second-sightseeing in Venice, which was not convincing on screen, since it appeared simply like a flash-forward, which is a standard storytelling device in films.”
All Time Low excited their fans earlier this month with the news that they are returning to the UK with a monumental tour. This isn’t one of their normal ventures to Britain, though; this time around they are playing arenas around the country. This exciting news means they’ll be playing London’s O2 Arena, Manchester’s Co-op Live, Utilita Arena, and plenty more.
Tickets were released on Friday, July 18, 2025, but plenty of them sold out in no time. And, as a result, fans have been looking at resale websites to get their fix instead. That means online retailers such as viagogo and StubHub. Here’s the breakdown of how to get involved now.
A character driven thriller from 1995 that marked the first onscreen pairing of Robert De Niro and Al Pacino is now streaming on Netflix. With an 84% score on Rotten Tomatoes and 94% on Popcornmeter, this epic crime thriller follows the intertwining journeys of decorated LAPD Lieutenant Vincent Hanna (Al Pacino) and career-criminal Neil McCauley (Robert De Niro).
The star studded line up also includes Tom Sizemore, Jon Voight, and Val Kilmer. Heat was released by Warner Bros Pictures on December 15, 1995. It grossed $187 million on a $60 million budget. Widely regarded as one of the best American action-thrillers, this all time classic is now available on Netflix, 30 years after its acclaimed debut.
This isn’t the first time Heat has been available on Netflix with it last departing on May 1 2024, before reappearing on the streaming giant on July 1 this year.
Just Watch Editor says there is “never a bad time to watch Heat”.
He said: “If you’ve never seen Heat, watch it now and your life will improve dramatically. In fact, if you’ve seen Heat before, watch it again, and I guarantee everything will be better.
It’s the kind of film that, if you’re channel hopping and found it playing halfway through, you’d simply have to stop and watch it anyway; it’s that good.
“Between the enthralling cat and mouse dynamic between Robert De Niro and Al Pacino, and the blistering support work from Val Kilmer, there’s so much class oozing from Michael Mann’s epic crime thriller. They really, truly don’t make movies like this anymore.”
What is Heat about?
The gripping plot follows McCauley, a professional thief who hopes to pull off one last heist before he retires. However, he is under the constant surveillance of a police detective, Hanna, who tries to thwart his plan.
McCauley and Hanna, despite trying to take one another out, form a sort of mutual respect, with De Niro and Pacino earning their stripes in brilliant portrayals.
It is widely believed that this engrossing crime drama has the best bank robbery scene ever filmed.
Those who do not have access to Netflix can catch Heat on ITVX, Amazon Prime, Google Play Store, Apple TV and Disney Plus.
Last year, Oscar-winning director James Cameron announced he is set to helm a new World War 2 film called Ghosts of Hiroshima.
This will be his first non-Avatar directing duty since Titanic almost 30 years ago.
The film is based on the upcoming book of the same name by Avatar and Titanic science consultant Charles Pellegrino.
Ghosts of Hiroshima will follow the true story of a man who in 1945 survived the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima by the US to force Japanese surrender, got a train to Nagasaki and survived that second nuclear explosion too.
A trailer for the book narrated by Martin Sheen has now debuted alongside a release date set for August 5 to coincide with the 80th anniversary of the two atomic bombings.
The book and its predecessor Last Train From Hiroshima feature many eyewitness accounts by those who experienced the only two nuclear bombs ever used in warfare. Both were developed by American theoretical physicist J Robert Oppenheimer, as depicted in Christopher Nolan’s Oscar-winning movie. The latter director had hoped another filmmaker would capture the Japanese side of the story – when between 150,000 and 246,000 were killed in the atomic blasts – and it looks like Cameron is the man for the job.
Not only has he had the fear of nuclear war on his mind since witnessing the Cuban Missile Crisis at age eight, but he directed two Terminator movies which deeply explored this terror. On top of that, he even met the man Tsutomu Yamaguchi that his upcoming World War 2 film is about, just days before he died at 93 in 2010.
Marvel Rivals developer NetEase is getting ready to release a new set of skins, just hours after the launch of the Summer Special Event.
New summer skins for Marvel characters Loki and Psylocke are about to be available to purchase from the in-game store.
Psylocke’s new skin is the Breezy Butterfly, while Loki will receive the Robe of Relaxation. For UK fans, the new skins have a July 18 release date and a 3am BST release time.
In terms of pricing, the Breezy Butterfly Psylocke bundle is said to cost 2,200 Units.
The Legendary pack contains the Breezy Butterfly Costume, as well as a Spray, Emote, MVP and Nameplate.
Elsewhere, the Epic rarity Loki Robe of Relaxation bundle costs 1,600 Units. It contains the costume itself, as well as a Spray, Emote, MVP and Nameplate.
The new skins arrive just hours after the start of the Summer Special Event, which also features a host of new skins, albeit for owners of the Battle Pass.
Running until Sunshine Thing and Cool Summer Luna Snow are available to unlock via the Summer Special Premium Battle Pass, while the new Worthy Waves Thor skin is available for free.
Finally, the Summer Special Event launched alongside a new balance update, which you can read about in the patch notes below.
ADJUSTMENTS
DUELIST
Wolverine
• Time to temper Logan’s rage and slightly reduce his survivability.
– Increase Berserk Claw Strike Base Damage from 6 to 8. Reduce Percentage Damage per attack at maximum Rage from 4.5% to 3.5%.
– Increase Regenerative Healing Factor cooldown from 90s to 105s. Increase cooldown reduction from 10s to 12s when participating in KOs.
TEAM-UP ABILITIES
Primal Flame (Phoenix – Wolverine)
• Our fiery mutant duo’s bond has been a little too hot to handle. So we’re cooling down Wolverine’s healing when teaming up with Phoenix.
– Reduce Lifesteal gained during Phoenix Warrior from 33% to 25%.
Action films have long been a favourite for movie fans around the world. With fast-paced fight scenes, tough heroes and intense standoffs, the genre rarely goes out of style, and now one “high-octane” title starring Jason Statham is available to stream free of charge.
Homefront, a 2013 action thriller written by Sylvester Stallone, is now on ITVX for UK viewers. The film is based on the novel by Chuck Logan and was originally meant to star Stallone himself, but the lead role was handed to Statham, who brings his usual grit and intensity to the screen. The story follows Phil Broker, a former DEA agent trying to build a quiet life with his daughter.
But after a schoolyard incident, they become targets of Gator Bodine, a ruthless local crime boss played by James Franco.
Set in rural Louisiana, the film blends family drama with intense action. There are high-speed chases, hand-to-hand fights and a dramatic face-off between Statham and Franco that some critics have called “breathless”.
Some viewers have also called it one of Statham’s most underrated performances.
One reviewer said: “Homefront is a tense, adrenaline-fueled thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat from start to finish. Jason Statham delivers one of his most underrated performances as the rugged and principled Phil Broker.
“James Franco is also chillingly effective as the unhinged Gator Bodine.”
Another added: “The fight scenes are intense. I was totally immersed throughout the entire movie. The sense of family was really touching and it kept my adrenaline pumped.”
Others praised the cast and the flow of the movie, with one person writing: “I loved this movie. I loved everything about this movie. Great cast. Beautifully done. I recommend this movie to everyone! Lots of action, good story, suspenseful, violent.”
The movie, which also stars Winona Ryder and Kate Bosworth, made over $51million (£38million) at the global box office, which was more than double its $22million (£16.5million) budget.
It held a top 10 position in the US box office for three weeks after release.
But not everyone was convinced. One viewer said: “Homefront was OK. I believe it had good standing actors but the plot could’ve been better. Jason did a great job as usual.”
Another added: “Far from great but not bad either. Homefront is a straightforward action thriller with some corny writing and gripping action.”
A third commented: “Jason Statham delivers but the movie is bogged down by a standard plot and an unconvincing James Franco as the primary antagonist.”
With a 61% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes from more than 25,000 reviews, Homefront won’t be for everyone.
But for those after a solid action flick with a familiar face and plenty of punches, it’s now available on ITVx.
Cyberpunk 2077 developer CD Projekt has announced plans to release update 2.3 in the very near future.
In fact, Cyberpunk 2077 update 2.3 has been given a July 17 release date on PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC. Sadly, however, Nintendo Switch 2 fans will have to wait a little longer, as CD Projekt confirms plans to release a Switch 2 update “at a later date”.
The news was announced during a special live stream in which CD Projekt revealed new details about the imminent update.
As you can see from the patch notes below, the update adds four new vehicles, which for the most part can be unlocked by completing new side missions.
That’s on top of the new Autodrive feature, which takes players to their destination without having to actually control the car. The new feature is complemented by the new self-driving Delamain cabs, which are available on demand.
You can check out the Cyberpunk 2077 update 2.3 patch notes below…
Read more: One of the best games based on a movie is less than £10 on PS5 and Steam
Read more: EA FC 26 release date confirmed and it’s great news for Nintendo Switch 2 fans
Cyberpunk 2077 update 2.3 patch notes…
Vehicles
• Added 4 new vehicles, including several Side Jobs tied to acquiring them:
• Yaiba ARV-Q340 Semimaru
– Reward from a new side job (to unlock, complete The Hunt and The Beast In Me).
– An additional side job unlocks the CrystalCoat™ feature for it.
• Rayfield Caliburn “Mordred”
– Reward from a new side job (to unlock, complete The Beast in Me: Badlands, The Beast in Me: Santo Domingo, Transmission, and Search and Destroy).
• Yaiba ASM-R250 Muramasa
– Reward from a new side job (to unlock, purchase 1 Yaiba vehicle, purchase at least 3 vehicles through AUTOFIXER, and complete Reported Crime: You Play with Fire…).
– If you fail the side job, the vehicle can later be purchased through AUTOFIXER.
• Chevillon Legatus 450 Aquila
– Available for purchase on AUTOFIXER.
• Introducing AutoDrive! This cutting-edge, autonomous driving feature will take you to your chosen destination (i.e. job objective or placed pin on the map). If you have no set destination, it will take you on a leisurely ride through the streets of Night City. Simply hop in any of your vehicles, make sure you’re on a road, and hold H (PC) / Left Stick (consoles) to activate. This feature is disabled when you enter combat or when your vehicle is heavily damaged.
• Implemented Cinematic Camera for AutoDrive. Hold Q (PC) / D-Pad Right (consoles) to activate. Sit back and enjoy cinematic views of Night City as you cruise toward your destination.
• Self-driving Delamain cabs are now available on demand! Simply open the menu to call vehicles, then select “Delamain Cab” from the list to request a ride. This feature unlocks after completing the job Don’t Lose Your Mind (regardless of outcome) and receiving a message from Delamain.
• Rayfield’s CrystalCoat™ is now available for vehicles from partner brands, including motorcycles. Additionally, the infamous hacker known as Cosmetic_Troll exploited a vulnerability and created a cracked version of Rayfield’s CrystalCoat™ technology for lower-end vehicles. Please note, however, that some models do not support the technology, such as heavily modded nomad vehicles and job-related vehicles.
• Fixed an issue where unique colour schemes did not work properly on the Mizutani Shion MZ1 and MZ2.
• Fixed an issue where unique colour scheme could not be applied properly to the Villefort Deleon “Vindicator”.
Photo Mode
• Added 27 new NPCs that can be spawned in Photo Mode, including Rita Wheeler, the Cassel twins, fixers, Dum Dum, the iguana, Brendan, and more.
• You can now switch between alternative outfits for NPCs spawned in Photo Mode.
• You can now switch between V’s saved Wardrobe outfits in Photo Mode.
• Added a confirmation pop-up when exiting Photo Mode to prevent accidental exits after setting up the perfect shot.
• Added more customisation options to the Look-At Camera feature, including an option for only the character’s eyes to turn toward the camera instead of their entire body.
• Added multiple new stickers and frames, including iconic quotes and stylish overlays that let you turn your screenshots into Night City postcards – perfect for sharing memories from the City of Dreams.
• Improved Depth of Field and moved it to the Camera tab.
• Added a new Colour Balance tab, allowing you to create your own custom filters.
Quality of Life & Accessibility
• The game will now detect if the player is using inverted mouse button settings and automatically adjusts in-game button prompts accordingly.
• Added an option to toggle aiming down sights in Settings → Controls.
Jobs and Open World
• Cyberpsycho Sighting: Bloody Ritual – the “Crack the ritualist’s shard” objective now properly disappears from the Journal after completing the objective.
• Sex on Wheels – now properly appears in the Journal after receiving the message from Jake Estevez.
• Shot by Both Sides – fixed an issue where selecting a specific dialogue option in the conversation with Bree created a nameless, iconless item in the player’s Inventory.
• Shot by Both Sides – fixed an issue where the button to go to the lower level didn’t appear on the elevator panel.
Gameplay
• Fixed an issue where, when using a controller in Trauma Drama, the controllable character would default to shooting upwards instead of forward.
• Players can now drop more Cyberware Capacity Shards if some within the intended drop limit were previously missed.
• Fixed an issue causing automatic weapons to fire slower than intended.
• Fixed an issue where the Official BARGHEST Tac Vest didn’t drop from the scripted Airdrop as intended.
• The level 60 Engineer perk no longer activates the EMP blast outside of combat or after entering a vehicle.
• Added an option to replay the gameplay tutorial at any time via Settings → Controls.
??????Update 2.3 arrives with screeching tires tomorrow on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S! ??????
New vehicles, AutoDrive, and Delamain taxis will take care of your transportation needs — and that’s not all. Even more freedom in the photo mode, FSR 3.1 support, and availability… pic.twitter.com/CLNebyXfb2
• Added an option to tell Johnny to go away after you look at him for a short while when he appears in the passenger seat. He takes the hint and disappears as a passenger for a couple days.
• Fixed an issue where the sound of V’s Radioport could be randomly interrupted by the Radioports of nearby NPCs.
• Fixed an issue where History by Gazelle Twin and Trash Generation played too loudly compared to other songs on the radio.
• Improved the HDR Setting screen: fixed the HDR calibration preview so it correctly reflects the chosen settings, and clarified the description of the “Tone-Mapping Midpoint” setting.
• Updated the End User Licence Agreement. You will be asked to accept it again when you load the game after updating.
• Fixed several visual issues with missing, clipping, or floating textures.
• Fixed several localisation issues in various languages.
PC-specific
• Added support for AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution 4 for compatible AMD GPUs. IMPORTANT: The FSR 4 option will not be available in the in-game settings until the supporting AMD driver is installed. Please note that the driver will be released at a later date.
• Added support for AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution Frame Generation 3.1 for compatible hardware. It can now be used in combination with any upscaler.
• Added support for Intel XeSS 2.0, with XeSS Frame Generation available on compatible hardware.
• Added support for HDR10+ GAMING certified Intel GPUs. To enable this feature, your display must support the technology (Find My Display) and have “Game Mode” enabled. The HDR10+ GAMING toggle can be found in Settings in the Video tab.
• Fixed an issue where the DLSS Super Resolution Preset would invisibly revert from the CNN model to the Transformer model after restarting the game, even though the UI still displayed the CNN model as active.
• Added more detailed information to the DLSS Super Resolution Preset tooltip in Settings to help players choose the best option for their setup.
• Added the ability to move the mouse cursor to a different display while in Windowed Borderless mode.
• Increased the maximum save size from 12 MB to 15 MB.
• It will now be possible to rebind the key used to jump out of vehicles with the Stuntjock perk.
Console-specific
• Added VRR (Variable Refresh Rate) support for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.
• Fixed an issue where foliage was not properly affected by weather conditions on PlayStation 5.
EA Sports is about to officially unveil the next entry in its annual football series.
The EA FC 26 gameplay reveal will be broadcast live on YouTube at 4.57pm BST on the afternoon of July 16.
Of course, you can actually watch the entire reveal live right here by clicking play on the YouTube embed below.
As you can see from the trailer preview, football legend Zlatan Ibrahimovic is heavily involved in the new game.
In fact, EA Sports has confirmed that Zlatan will be the cover star of the EA FC 26 Ultimate Edition.
Likewise, the preview video below features Chelsea forward Cole Palmer, which suggests he may be on the cover of the UK version.
The preview video below also suggests that EA Sports will show actual gameplay instead of just a cinematic.
In terms of a release date for the game, EA FC 26 is likely to launch in September for PlayStation, Xbox and PC.
Fans will also be hoping for an up-to-date Nintendo Switch 2 version that’s on par with the PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC editions.
While waiting for the release of EA FC 26, fans can check out the Season Finale update for the current game.
According to Electronic Arts, the most recent update aims to “provide fair and fun gameplay outcomes”.
This includes changes to passing, as Electronic Arts “moderately increases accuracy of Ground Passes for players with high Passing related Attributes”.
Likewise, the update reduces the effectiveness of goalkeepers rushing with the Rush Out Playstyle and increases the accuracy of contested and uncontested headers.
Netflix, Amazon Prime and ITVX viewers have front row seats to one of cinemas all-time classic thrillers. The film has been hailed as “infinitely watchable” and has achieved a near-perfect score of 97% on movie reviewing platform Rotten Tomatoes. Jaws is an American thriller film released in 1975. It was directed by Steven Spielberg and based on the 1974 novel by Peter Benchley. The film follows a series of shark attacks that take place in New England, United States. Jaws stars Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw, Richard Dreyfuss, Lorraine Gary and Murray Hamilton.
The film’s synopsis reads: “When a young woman is killed by a shark while skinny-dipping near the New England tourist town of Amity Island, police chief Martin Brody (Scheider) wants to close the beaches, but mayor Larry Vaughn (Hamilton) overrules him, fearing that the loss of tourist revenue will cripple the town. Ichthyologist Matt Hooper (Dreyfuss) and grizzled ship captain Quint (Shaw) offer to help Brody capture the killer beast, and the trio engage in an epic battle of man vs. nature.”
Jaws is widely known as one of the classics of cinematic history, achieving widespread success and overtaking The Godfather as the highest-grossing film at a North American box-office.
Rotten Tomatoes critics have echoed this in their reviews, awarding the film an impressive 97% score. Their critics consensus states: “Compelling, well-crafted storytelling and a judicious sense of terror ensure Steven Spielberg’s Jaws has remained a benchmark in the art of delivering modern blockbuster thrills.”
One critic described Jaws as “infinitely watchable”, with another highlighted that it is widely considered as the “first blockbuster film”.
Another critics review said: “The first summer blockbuster elevates its so-so source material into a thrilling horror adventure that still manages to instill a sense of genuine terror to this very day.”
“It may seem like a somewhat simple concept to have a shark terrorising a community and then having a group of men go hunt it down, but that simple concept is used to great effect, resulting in one of the greatest thriller-horror-dramas of all time,” added another critic.
Jaws is available to watch on Netflix, Amazon Prime and ITVX.
Tom Holland, Margot Robbie and Zendaya are being hailed as the future legends of Hollywood, according to a survey conducted amongst Brits. English actress Florence Pugh, known for her roles in Dune: Part Two and Oppenheimer, and Willy Wonka’s Timothee Chalamet also made it into the top five. Austin Butler, who played Elvis Presley in Baz Luhrmann’s 2022 biographical drama, ‘Elvis’, also featured in the list. Meanwhile, other famous names on the list include American heartthrob Sydney Sweeney and former Queen’s Gambit star, Anya-Taylor Joy.
The study was commissioned by Compare the Market, which found that the majority of Brits believe the UK should have its own iconic film landmark. To kickstart the idea and celebrate 10 years of movies, the price comparison app has erected a giant replica of Los Angeles’ renowned ‘Hollywood’ sign but in Hollywood, Worcestershire.
The research revealed that 48 percent of Brits go through their weeks on ‘autopilot’ – with 55 percent desperate for midweek entertainment, not just weekends.
Four in 10 rarely go out and do anything on worknights. Now, they are ‘actively looking’ for ways to break up their midweek routine.
Steve Nissen, president and CEO of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, commented: “It’s not every day you see the Hollywood sign pop up halfway across the world – let alone in another place called Hollywood.
“We’re thrilled to see our iconic sign reimagined in Worcestershire and proud to share a little piece of Hollywood with our friends in the UK.”
Here are the top 10 actors Brits believe will become Hollywood legends:
What book do you think everyone must-read at least once? (Image: Getty)
From the classics to contemporary literary fiction and everything inbetween, there are so many must-reads out there. If you are a bit of a bookworm you probably already have a list that you are working your way through – but you still may be missing a few.
And here’s where we can help – as these are the most voted for books that everyone should read at least once in their life, according to the book-lovers’ website Goodreads.
10. The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
This covers the three books of Tolkien’s iconic trilogy that was famously adapted for film. The books follow The One Ring, which is a powerful artifact that has been faked by the Dark Lord Sauron and so it becomes hobbit Frodo Baggin’s mission to destroy it. This journey, with the help of the Fellowship, is what the novels follow and is crucial in attempting to defeat Sauron and saving Middle-earth.
9. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
This novel from Salinger follows the experiences of 16-year-old Holden Caulfield after he’s been expelled from school. It deals with feelings of alienation, the adult world and trying to find a sense of belonging. Holden travels to New York while dealing with these feelings of disconnection. At its core, The Catcher in the Rye is a coming-of-age story.
8. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
The Great Gatsby is set in the Jazz age of Long Island in 1920s America. It follows the lives of Jay Gatsby, a self-made millionaire, and Daisy Buchanan, a wealthy young woman whom Gatsby is pursuing and loved in his youth. The book was written in 1925, but it still remains one of the classics and many people’s favourite.
7. The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
Another classic tale, The Little Prince tells the story of a pilot who has become stranded in the Sahara Desert. He meets a young prince from a tiny asteroid and begins to learn about the prince’s journey through the universe and his encounters with various planetary characters. The themes of love, friendship and the importance of seeing the world with the heart run through the book.
6. 1984 by George Orwell
An incredible book that has influenced the world, Orwell’s 1984 is a dystopian tale that follows one man’s Nightmare Odyssey as he pursues a forbidden love affair through a world that is ruled by warring states and has a tough power structure. The popular reality television show Big Brother was directly inspired by Orwell’s classic tale.
READ MORE Top 10 book series of all time lists The Hunger Games at number 3 The 10 ‘worst’ books of all time ranked by readers – 4 by the same author
The Truman show film explores similar themes to Orwell’s 1984 (Image: Getty)
5. Animal Farm by George Orwell
The second book by Orwell to feature on the list, Animal Farm follows a group of farm animals as they revolt against their human owner, Farmer Jones. The book’s main theme of power mirrors society. Initially, the animals achieve equality and therefore success, but quickly, the pigs abuse their power and exploit their fellow animals.
4. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (Harry Potter, #1) by J.K. Rowling
Rowling’s first Harry Potter book is where the wizarding world all began. The book tells the story of Harry Potter, a young boy who lost his parents when he was a baby and discovers he is a wizard. Its popularity among both children and adults is unmatched, and if creating the film version wasn’t enough, a TV series is now under production.
3. The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank
The Diary of Anne Frank is a deeply moving and vulnerable firsthand account of the Holocaust. Perhaps it’s one of the most visceral accounts of how it was to live during this time and it comes from the perspective of Anne, a brave Jewish teenager grappling with desire, ambition and an uncertain future.
2. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Austen’s most famous book, Pride and Prejudice, follows the Bennet family, particularly Elizabeth, as they navigate the societal pressures of finding husbands in the English countryside in the 19th century. It centres on Elizabeth’s relationship with the wealthy and seemingly arrogant Mr. Darcy. It also explores other romantic interests and the complexities of class, social standing and marriage.
1. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Lee’s poignant story follows a young girl and her brother as they deal with the prejudice of their small town. When their father must defend a Black man who is falsely accused of rape, the children must face the harsh realities of racism. The story’s themes include morality and innocence through a young lens.
ABBA legend Björn Ulvaeus, 80, has admitted he is unsure if the band’s smash hit virtual concert Voyage will continue in the event of the death of one of the foursome. The group, which also comprises Agnetha Fältskog, 75, Benny Andersson, 78, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad, 79, reunited for the first time in almost 40 years to record the 2021 album Voyage before launching the show in London in 2022. It sees “ABBAtars” of the group perform their hits, including their Eurovision Song Contest winning track Waterloo. Now in its third year, it has been seen by over three million people to date, but despite its success, Bjorn is uncertain of the show’s future.
Asked on Times Radio if the virtual concerts will continue if a member of the group dies, he said: “That’s a question I’ve never had before… I honestly don’t know, hadn’t thought about that. It’s good you raise that question – I’ll talk to the others about that as we need to decide beforehand between us if it’s OK for all four of us to go on after we’re gone.”
The show features a 10-piece live band performing alongside the virtual group in a purpose-built arena in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, London.
In May this year, the production was tweaked to extend the running time by adding extra songs. The 90-minute show was extended to 100 minutes with the addition of hits Super Trouper, The Name Of The Game, and Money, Money, Money.
They also added Take A Chance On Me, which alternates with Super Trouper. However, to accommodate the changes, they dropped one song, When All Is Said and Done.
Both Benny and Anni-Frid attended the third anniversary show on May 27, which marked the first time people had seen or heard the new version.
ABBA first came to prominence when they won the Eurovision Song Contest with their hit Waterloo in Brighton in 1974, making them the first ever Swedish winners of the contest.
Following their win, they went on to have nine UK number ones and 19 top 10 hits. Their biggest success in the UK was Dancing Queen in 1976, which spent six weeks at number one. T
Prior to Voyage, their songs had also inspired the smash hit musical Mamma Mia!, which began in London in 1999, before becoming a worldwide sensation.
It has since spawned two movies, 2008’s Mamma Mia! and 2018’s Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again.
A brand new thriller film is the most popular movie on streaming platforms right now, according to Rotten Tomatoes. The film is and American horror drama with a starry cast and direction from Ryan Coogler.
Sinners follows twin brothers as they attempt to leave their difficult pasts behind only to discover upon their return to Mississippi that evil is awaiting them.
The film’s synopsis, via Men’s Health, reads: “The whole plot of Sinners hinges around twins Smoke and Stack and their quest to define a creative space for their community.”
Set in 1932 in the Mississippi Delta, Michael B. Jordan stars as both of the twin brothers in this popular thriller movie.
The stellar cast lineup also includes Hailee Steinfeld, Wunmi Mosaku, Jack O’Connell, Miles Caton, Li Jun Li, Jayme Lawson, Omar Benson Miller and Delroy Lindo.
With critics on Rotten Tomatoes awarding the film with a 97% rating, their consensus reads: “A rip-roaring fusion of masterful visual storytelling and toe-tapping music, writer-director Ryan Coogler’s first original blockbuster reveals the full scope of his singular imagination.”
However, with more than 25,000 ratings equating to 96% via the audience reviewers, their consensus states: “Ryan Coogler has not only delivered a deliciously vicious vampire hit, but an unapologetically Black genre knockout ablaze with a killer cast and a cranked-up score.”
One audience reviewer said: “Michael B. Jordan did a great job playing two roles. Lots of twists and turns that kept you on the edge of your seat. The supporting characters were excellent.”
The film has been receiving great reviews and critical acclaim.
A Google reviewer called the film “phenomenal” and said: “Sinners has been one of my most anticipated films of the year, and after a long wait and a few frustrating viewing delays, I can happily say it delivered on all fronts.
“As a horror enthusiast and a true cinemaholic, my brain is still buzzing with vampires after experiencing this film. Honestly, I had an incredible time, and this is hands down the best movie I’ve seen this year so far.”
Netflix viewers have access to thousands of films and some of those are the best of the best. The platform is currently streaming a popular war movie with a 94% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Full Metal Jacket has been described as the “best film of all time” by fans. It was driected by Stanley Kubrick and released in 1987. The war epic stars Matthew Modine, Adam Baldwin, Vincent D’Onofrio, Lee Ermey, Dorian Harewood, Arliss Howard, Kevyn Major Howard and Ed O’Ross.
Kubrick adapted the film from a screenplay he co-wrote with Michael Herr and Gustav Hasford. The film is based on Hasford’s autobiographical novel The Short-Timers, which was published in 1979. The story follows a platoon of U.S. Marines through their boot camp training at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, South Carolina. It stars Matthew Modine, R. Lee Ermey and Vincent D’Onofrio among others.
The film’s synopsis reads: “Kubrick’s take on the Vietnam War follows smart-aleck Private Davis (Modine), quickly christened “Joker” by his foul-mouthed drill sergeant (Ermey), and pudgy Private Lawrence (D’Onofrio), nicknamed “Gomer Pyle,” as they endure the rigors of basic training. Though Pyle takes a frightening detour, Joker graduates to the Marine Corps and is sent to Vietnam as a journalist, covering – and eventually participating in – the bloody Battle of Hué.”
Full Metal Jacket has been praised by critics and fans alike with both rating the film highly at 90% and 94% respecitively. The critics consensus on Rotten Tomatoes reads: “Intense, tightly constructed, and darkly comic at times, Stanley Kubrick’s Full Metal Jacket may not boast the most original of themes, but it is exceedingly effective at communicating them.”
A critic awarded the film five out of five stars and said: “A hard-hitting movie laced with moments of dark humour and brimming with social commentary, Full Metal Jacket is viewed as one of the all-time great war movie.”
One fan on Reddit described the war picture as the “best film of all time”, with another fan via Letterboxd stating: “Full Metal Jacket is one of the greatest films of all time.”
Action films have entertained audiences for decades. They often have everything from thrilling stunts to unforgettable characters. But every now and then, one comes along that truly blows people’s minds.
One such film is Fight Club, a 1999 movie that some fans call “the best action film ever made”. Starring a young Brad Pitt alongside Edward Norton and Helena Bonham Carter, the movie is now available to watch on ITV. Directed by David Fincher, Fight Club is based on the 1996 novel of the same name by Chuck Palahniuk.
The film follows an unnamed narrator (played by Norton) who is fed up with his office job and empty lifestyle.
After meeting a soap salesman named Tyler Durden (Pitt), the two start an underground fight club that changes everything.
The movie didn’t do well at the box office when it was first released, and it split critics.
But over time, it gained a huge following. On its tenth anniversary in 2009, The New York Times called it “the defining cult movie of our time”.
Today, the film holds an 81% critic score and an impressive 96% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, with fans continuing to praise it as one of the best and most original movies of all time.
One reviewer said: “One of the greatest films of all time. Brilliant acting and directing. First film I see that’s a lot better than the book it is based on.”
Another added: “Brilliant film. Easily one of the best films I’ve ever seen. If you haven’t seen it, watch it. It’s more relevant than ever.”
Many have called it unforgettable. One person wrote: “A masterpiece of original techniques and ideas. One of those films that you talk about for hours and years after you watch it.”
Others said it had one of the best twists ever put on screen: “A cult hit! Pitt at his best, the twist of all twists.”
For some, it’s simply their all-time favourite. One viewer said: “My favorite film of all time.”
And one summed it up by writing: “One of the best movies you can see. If you see it for the first time it will blow your mind, if you see it a second time it will be just as good.
“Even if you know what the ending will be, no minute is filler and it is worth watching every second of this movie. It’s the best action film ever made.”
There aren’t many better things to do after a long and exhausting day than sitting down in front of the TV and watching a comedy. And Britain has a very specific kind of humour, which has been entertaining audiences around the world for decades. One example of that humour is a film that many have branded the funniest comedy ever made.
Monty Python and the Holy Grail, released in 1975, is a British film that was written and performed by the Monty Python comedy group – Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones and Michael Palin – and directed by Gilliam and Jones in their feature film debuts.
It’s a surreal parody of the King Arthur legend, filled with ridiculous characters, silly songs, and jokes that fans are still quoting nearly 50 years later.
The film grossed more in the US than any other British film that year, and its reputation has only grown.
It was officially voted the second-best comedy of all time by US viewers in an ABC and People magazine poll, narrowly beaten by ‘Airplane!’.
In the UK, Total Film readers ranked it fifth, and Channel 4 viewers placed it sixth in their list of greatest comedies.
But despite not taking the top spot in those polls, many fans say it is the best comedy film ever made.
Online reviews back that up. One person said: “Every scene, character, line, shot and song in this movie is iconic and hilarious.”
Another wrote: “Always a blast to watch. The laughs don’t stop. Quite possibly the best comedy movie ever made.”
Someone else said: “I’ve never laughed so hard. It’s the funniest comedy ever made.”
Another added: “Basically a perfect movie. The most funny random movie I’ve ever seen. Just hilarious.”
Others called it: “Easily one of the best comedies of all time, and simply put an iconic masterpiece,” while another said: “I don’t know what these guys were on when they wrote this movie, but the result is one of the silliest and funniest movies ever made!”
The film’s impact has been huge, inspiring the hit stage musical Spamalot and earning strong critical praise.
On Metacritic it holds a score of 91, and on Rotten Tomatoes it boasts a 92% critic rating and a 95% audience score from more than 250,000 reviews.
Even Empire magazine said: “Elvis ordered a print of this comedy classic and watched it five times. If it’s good enough for the King, it’s good enough for you.”
Monty Python and the Holy Grail is now available to stream on ITVX Premium.
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I read every day without fail — here are my 10 best books I’ve read in the last five years (Image: Steffan Rhys)
Reading is a simple and inexpensive joy. But if you’re anything like me you sometimes struggle to find the time. There is so much competition for our attention these days, from multiple streaming services and new series dropping virtually every day to mobile gaming and several social media platforms.
Books are now competing with things we’d barely even imagined a decade or two ago so it’s understandable if you don’t always have the time or the inclination to spend another half an hour or so absorbing yet more information.
But there are lots of reasons to pick up a book instead of a phone, from learning something new to exploring a topic in depth or just enjoying an exciting story for the entertainment and escapism it provides. On top of that, there are all the benefits you’re getting without even realising. There is research to suggest you are actively improving your health by reading, activating more parts of your brain, strengthening it and allowing you to process information better in future.
Other research has shown reading significantly reduces your stress levels, with blood pressure and heart rate falling after a few minutes of reading. A 2021 online study conducted over social media asked 496 participants to read a book in bed before sleeping and 496 participants to not read a book before sleeping. After a week, 42% of the readers felt their sleep improved. Only 28% of the non-readers reported better sleep. And another 2021 study suggested that reading for a short time before bed may help you stay asleep longer.
Of course, if you can really enjoy something while you’re subconsciously making all these improvements then that’s even better. And with that in mind, here are my recommendations for the best books I have read in the last five years, a mixture of fiction and non-fiction. If you enjoy the recommendations, please feel free to let me know and to share your favourites in the comments too.
For more book recommendations, reviews and news, click here to subscribe to our free weekly newsletter, The Bookish Drop, on Substack.
1. The Five by Hallie Rubenhold, 2019
Chances are you know all about Jack the Ripper but nothing of the women he murdered. This book sets out to change that. The level of research involved to piece together the lives of these five women, who lived and died in the 19th century, is staggering. In doing so, it gives them the identities, the histories and the personalities that they deserve but have never had. They lived, loved and were loved. They had been wives and mothers. They weren’t just “Jack the Ripper’s victims”. As one critic described it, it is “urgent, eloquent, angry and beautifully put together”. Buy it here on Amazon or from Waterstones here.
2. Ultra-Processed People by Chris van Tulleken, 2023
I can say with confidence that this book has been literally life-changing for me and, from what I can tell from the social media communities that have sprung up around it, thousands of others too. In the book, the NHS doctor and BBC science presenter looks in-depth at how much of the “food” we eat today is barely worthy of the name.
The book asks the important question: “Why do we all eat stuff that isn’t food… and why can’t we stop?” It is a staggering look at how a huge proportion of what we now eat (as much as 60% by some estimates) in developed western countries is ultra-processed and a long way from what our families were eating just a few decades ago. Dr van Tulleken looks at the chemical processes and indsutrial ingredients that go into our food, and how the obesity epidemic has exploded at the same time. It’s jaw-dropping stuff. Buy it here on Amazon or here from Waterstones.
Dr Chris van Tulleken’s Ultra-Processed People may change the way you think about food forever (Image: Adam Gerrard)
3. Empire of Pain by Patrick Radden Keefe, 2021
Another book that has taken almost superhuman levels of research. It tells the story of oxycontin, the legally-available drug that sparked an unprecedented epidemic of opioid abuse in the United States, and the family behind its creation, the Sackler family, one of the wealthiest and most secretive in America. Through their pharmaceutical firm, the Sacklers made billions as people became devastatingly addicted to, or killed by, oxycontin. Keefe received “several dozen letters and emails” from lawyers representing the family as he researched the book, which also goes to show it took extraordinary bravery as well as research. Buy it here on Amazon or from Waterstones here.
A protest at the Louvre museum in Paris against the museum’s ties with the Sackler family (Image: AFP via Getty Images)
4. In Memoriam by Alice Winn, 2023
Alice Winn’s beautiful writing brings even more emotion to this heartbreaking novel about the love between two young men (boys, really) during World War One. She tells the story from the perspectives both of the main characters but also the reports printed in their school newspaper. It was, in fact, reading an old school newspaper and finding real tributes from pupils to their brothers and friends who were dying on battlefields in Europe that gave Winn the idea for the story, which she tells in vivid, haunting language. Buy it here on Amazon or from Waterstones here.
5. Brooklyn and Long Island by Colm Toibin, 2009 and 2024
These two novels follow Eilis Lacey as she leaves her small town in Ireland alone in the 1950s to make a new life in Brooklyn. It was the real-life experience of millions of people who emigrated from Europe to the USA in the 20th century and never saw their families again. In Brooklyn, Eilis leaves behind the sister she adores, and the man she may have loved, and begins to build a new life in New York City.
The second novel starts 20 years later. Eilis’ life, now in Long Island, is shattered by the actions of her husband and she returns to Ireland and the people she last saw two decades ago. It begins as a temporary visit but as she is reacquainted with those she once spent all her time with, she needs to decide if she will ever go back to the USA. Buy Brooklyn here on Amazon or from Waterstones here and Long Island here on Amazon or from Waterstones here.
6. How To Win The Premier League by Ian Graham, 2024
A football insider story like no other, this book shows in fascinating detail just how much goes into achieving success at one of the world’s biggest and best-known sports teams.
Between 2012 and 2023, Ian Graham worked as Liverpool Football Club’s director of research, during which time the club won its first domestic league title in 30 years (it won it again in 2025). He and his team used astonishing levels of data to better understand almost every aspect of the game you can think of and led to the signings of both Jurgen Klopp and Mohammed Salah.
One especially intriguing segment shows just how many things need to go right to make the purchase of a player a successful one — and therefore how much it matters to choose based on evidence. Buy it here on Amazon or from Waterstones here.
Mo Salah celebrates after winning the English Premier League – Ian Graham helped sign him (Image: AP)
7. The Power of Geography by Tim Marshall, 2021
This book is a fascinating look at how geography has shaped the fortunes of nations, how much they need to think about as a result, and how all that feeds into the global rivalries that shape our world, our headlines and all our fortunes as a result. For example, most of us probably never think of the Sahel in sub-Sarahan Africa. But its unique circumstances may be what causes the next refugee crisis in Europe. Similarly, we may all assume that Australia cares far more about its relationship with the USA than China — but it’s twice as far away. The best thing about this book is how it tells complicated issues in a very accessible way. Buy it here from Amazon or from Waterstones here.
8. The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell, 2019
This brilliant book centres on an abandoned mansion in Chelsea, London, where the bodies of three adults were discovered alongside a healthy baby in a cot, alive and seemingly well looked after. When that baby inherits the house 25 years later, she sets about uncovering its dark past. The book jumps between the present and past, with a great twist. This book turned me on to Lisa Jewell, who I’d never heard of before a colleague recommended her work to me a few weeks ago. I’ve since read four of her books and am on my fifth (the sequel to this book, as it happens).
You can buy it on Amazon here or at Waterstones here. You can see my other recommendations for Lisa Jewell’s books here and the one I couldn’t put down here.
9. Putin’s People by Catherine Belton, 2020
Like Empire of Pain and The Five (above), a truly outstanding level of research has gone into this book looking at the rise of Vladimir Putin through the KGB and into the role of one of the most influential people on the planet. That rise includes roles as an agent in Dresden and as the deputy mayor of St Petersburg. At every step, Putin and his network learned the skills that we see in their toolkit (and in the headlines) today, from money-washing and disinformation to blackmail and the relationships forged with other notorious organisations. It is a fearless piece of work. Buy it here from Amazon or from Waterstones here.
10. The Second Stranger by Martin Griffin, 2023
This is such a great concept and it had me gripped from the start. A lone hotel worker has one shift left at a remote hotel in the Scottish Highlands before it shuts for the winter and she leaves for good. Then Storm Ezra hits. Phone lines go down, and an injured man appears at the door. PC Don Gaines was in a terrible accident on the mountain road. The only other survivor: the prisoner his team was transporting. She lets him in. Then a second stranger arrives. He also says is name is PC Don Gaines. They can’t both be telling the truth. Buy it here from Amazon or from Waterstones here.
Earlier this month, Lewis Capaldi returned from the void and made a surprise appearance on a Glastonbury stage. This is the first time he has been seen since he took some time away from the limelight. And now, he is back with a vengeance. The Scottish star confirmed the release of a new single, album, and a string of tour dates taking place in September this year.
But the arena tour quickly sold out. Fans were quick off the mark and snapped up tickets for every date in record time. Despite the fact there were well over approximately 200,000 tickets over ten dates, there was not enough to quell the demand. Thankfully, there are now tickets available on a number of online retailers’ websites, including viagogo, Seat Unique and more. Here’s the breakdown.
Meanwhile, there are also options for fans who want to purchase tickets from official retailers.
The aforementioned Ticketmaster may still have tickets become available (or resale tickets may go on sale), but at the time of writing, there are none left.
Thankfully, Seat Unique is here to save the day. The official retailer specialises in selling VIP and hospitality tickets. Some of these include complimentary food and drink, premium views, box seats, and plenty more.
If you’re a fan of Marvel Rivals then you’ll be pleased to hear that a new season is about to launch on PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC (via Steam).
Marvel Rivals Season 3 has a July 11 release date, where it will launch alongside a big update. The update will be available from 10am BST UK time.
According to Marvel Rivals developer NetEase, the update will launch alongside a period of server downtime, which is “expected to last for two hours”.
This means that while you can download the update at 10am BST, the content won’t be playable until around 12pm BST.
The headline new feature of Season 3 is the addition of Jean Grey (Phoenix) as a playable character.
Phoenix will throw fire at opponents, have the ability to teleport and can soar into the air and crash back down to the ground to cause damage.
NetEase explains more: “The King in Black’s chains are shattering, and the Phoenix has arrived, blazing above Klyntar’s skies!
“The clash of light and darkness is about to ignite! Spread your wings, sharpen your blade, and become part of this legendary conflict!”
Elsewhere, the new season adds the Klyntar: Celestial Husk Domination map, as well as a brand new Battle Pass.
As you can see from the video below, the Battle Pass adds the Symbiote Squirrel, Golden Black Panther, Phoenix Force Weapon Phoenix Wolverine, Symbiote Flora Groot, Phoenix King Namor Costume, King in White Adam Warlock Costume, Black Suit Spider-Man Costume, Phoenix Diamond Emma Frost Costume, Symbiote Raccoon Rocket Raccoon Costume and the Devouring Duo Jeff the Land Shark Costume.
Needless to say, fans can also expect a selection of bug fixes and balance changes, which you can read about in the patch notes below.
Marvel Rivals Season 3 update patch notes…
All-New Content
• New Hero Ignites the Battle!
• Phoenix turns up the heat in Marvel Rivals!
New Map to Explore!
• New Domination Map – Klyntar: Celestial Husk
S3 Battle Pass
• Unlock a fiery new Battle Pass featuring 10 all-new sets of heroic costumes! This season’s theme is the cosmic power of the Phoenix Force and the mysterious Symbiotes. We hope you enjoy it!
Season Event
• New Event: Milano Repair Logs – Join the crew to help repair the Milano and earn a free Symbiote Storm costume.
• This event launches alongside the new season.
Competitive
• Rank Reset: Based on your final Season 2.5 rank, ranks will be demoted by 7 divisions. For example, if you ended the season at Diamond I, your Season 3 journey begins at Gold II.
• New Rank Settlement Rewards: New rewards have landed, and they’re hotter than a supernova! Reach Gold for the incredible Phoenix – Emerald Flames costume, and earn fresh Crests of Honour for Grandmaster, Celestial, Eternity, and the illustrious Top 500.
• But that’s not all! This season, we’re igniting some fiery fun with brand-new Nameplate Frame rewards for Diamond and Platinum ranks.
Mission System Adjustments
• Daily Missions Removed: Their Chrono Token rewards will be redistributed to other missions.
• Weekly Missions Improved: Unfinished weekly missions will now roll over and can be completed until the mid-season ends.
• New Season Missions: These last the entire season and can be completed repeatedly for rewards.
• More Mission Types: New missions added, while excessive hero-specific missions have been removed.
New Systems
• Accessories: Earn Accessory Points in matches and redeem them in the Shop for hero-specific accessories.
• Student Perks: College students can verify their school email to get free trial access to 10 costumes.
• Main Menu Update: New Events tab for easy event tracking.
• Discord Integration: Reconnect your Discord account after the update to receive 100 Units and unlock new features: Chat with Discord friends in-game and message in-game friends via Discord when not in the game.
• New Practice Option: Team captains can now queue all members into the same practice Doom Match session.
Tournaments
• The third season of the Marvel Rivals Championship is here! Dynamic nameplate designs have been introduced for champion, runner-up, and third-place. Play 10 Open Qualifiers for an exclusive spray reward. Platinum III remains the minimum sign-up rank, with faction slots for each region increased to 2,500. The sign-up phase is shorter due to the season length adjustment. Stay tuned for the official schedule and check the Marvel Rivals Championship rules for details.
• New Verified Faction System: Officially approved Factions get access to a unique name pool, verified name styles, and exclusive icons.
Fixes and Optimisations
All Platforms
• Match Summary Revamp: More detailed stats and functions added.
• Gallery Update: Merged “Serials” and “Special Edition,” added a new “Cinematics” tab featuring map cutscenes.
• Costume MVPs: Previously Costume-Exclusive MVPs can now be used with any costume for greater customisation. Mix and match freely!
Maps and Modes
• Fixed terrain issues that could cause characters to become stuck or clip through odd locations.
• Resolved various issues, including floating broken objects, collision errors, etc.
• Improved symbiote lift devices: Now require a player to stand on them to trigger upon attack.
Heroes
• Soundwave Enhancement: Added new, softer high-frequency hit and impact sound effects. Adjust settings in Audio > Combat Mix.
• Thing’s Rocky Road: We’ve fixed an issue where The Thing’s Embattled Leap ability couldn’t target Wolverine while the Fastball Special was charging up. Now, nothing will stop Ben from jumping to Logan’s side.
• Emote Antics: We’ve patched up several emote animation bugs across the roster.
Console
• To reduce future patch sizes, we’ve reorganised client files for S3, but this update’s patch size may be larger. Thank you for your understanding!
Steven Spielberg has revealed a brutal confrontation with a Hollywood celebrity prior to the release of Jaws. The acclaimed filmmaker catapulted to stardom with his 1975 blockbuster thriller, which became notorious for its troubled production.
Adapted from Peter Benchley’s 1974 novel, the film chronicles a small seaside community terrorised by Great White shark assaults and the local officials’ quest to hunt the predator down.
Spielberg predominantly filmed the horror flick on the open ocean, employing a mechanical shark for the most terrifying sequences.
Regrettably, the mechanical beast suffered constant technical breakdowns, causing substantial production setbacks, reports the Mirror US. Weather conditions also created headaches for the director, who had helmed just one feature film previously.
“We’re not sailors. We were filmmakers and we were a film company. And we were way out of our element,” Spielberg recalls.
“There were times, making that movie, where I thought Jaws would probably be the last thing I ever made before people would stop hiring me.”
The Oscar-winning director shares these insights in Jaws @ 50: The Definitive Inside Story, a retrospective documentary arriving on Hulu this Friday, July 11th.
Alongside backstage anecdotes, the National Geographic production includes archive material from Jaws’ filming and conversations with the original cast.
While the filmmaker was trying to salvage the production, word of his on-set difficulties quickly became the talk of Hollywood.
“I mean it was reported everywhere,” remarked Star Wars creator George Lucas in the documentary.
The press wasn’t alone in its fascination with the troubled project; Spielberg also remembers a disheartening encounter with an actor, who doubted his future in the industry due to the notorious setbacks and increasing budget.
“About sixty days into the schedule, and we were already like twenty days behind schedule. Somebody from Hollywood, an actor, came up to me and said ‘Everybody’s talking about you, you’re never gonna get a job after this movie because you’re irresponsible with the budget,” the acclaimed director shared.
Spielberg continued: “This actor was so sure I would never work again, they didn’t care if they told me that. It was a very mean thing, by the way, to do.”
Though he tried to shrug off the negative comment, the 78-year-old admits it was “demoralising”.Yet, amidst the difficulties, the renowned filmmaker found solace in the support from fellow cinematic giants.
“Martin Scorsese used to come over to the set, from New York,” Spielberg revealed.
Scorsese would make trips down to Martha’s Vineyard, offering a sympathetic ear and sharing Spielberg’s distress over the challenging shoot.
Jaws @ 50: The Definitive Inside Story premieres Friday 11th July at 8pm on National Geographic and streams the same day on Disney+
As the biggest star in the world, Elvis Presley had many girlfriends across his short 42 years.
Yet one of the longest relationships was with his first major partner after divorcing Priscilla Presley.
From 1972 to 1976, The King dated Miss Tennessee model Linda Thompson, who lived at Graceland with him.
Marking the anniversary of their meeting at a Memphis movie theatre, his old flame has shared a gallery of rare couple snaps from Elvis’ final years.
Posting on Instagram, Linda wrote: “On this date, July 6, 1972 I met the man who would change my life forever.”
The 75-year-old continued: “It doesn’t matter that it’s been… Is it 10 years? Or is it 53 years? He is still remembered all over the world and celebrated for the legacy he has left behind! I’ll be at Graceland again this year August 7 through the 14th to pay homage to the memory of Elvis. EPE & Graceland offer so many opportunities to remember and celebrate Elvis‘s legacy, and they do so in such an honorable and respectful way! I hope you will come to Memphis and see for yourself. Please stop by and say hello. All love…”
Bridgerton star Simone Ashley has joined the all-star cast of the long-awaited Devil Wears Prada sequel, Deadline is reporting.
The highly anticipated follow-up will reunite core cast members Anne Hathaway, Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt and Stanley Tucci.
British acting legend Sir Kenneth Branagh was the first new addition to the cast, with Ashley now set to join along with Lucy Liu and Justin Theroux.
The Bridgerton and Sex Education actress has shared the announcement to her Instagram Story, seemingly confirming reports she’ll be joining the stylish blockbuster.
She’s best known for starring in Netflix’s glamorous period drama as Lady Kathani ‘Kate’ Sharma opposite her romantic co-lead Jonathan Bailey.
Ashley has also starred in Sex Education, Disney’s The Little Mermaid remake and Prime Video’s romantic comedy Picture This.
Her casting is a huge win after her latest big screen role in the Brad Pitt-led F1: The Movie was cut.
Filming for the sequel is believed to have already started, with original director David Frankel and screenwriter Aline Brosh McKenna reuniting nearly 20 years after their 2006 hit.
Early plot details suggest the follow-up will see Streep’s formidable editor-in-chief of Runway Miranda Priestly struggling with the decline of magazine sales.
Meanwhile, her former assistant Emily (played by Blunt) is now a high-flying executive at a luxury fashion group whose advertising revenue could save the publication – if they can settle old scores, that is.
Branagh will reportedly portray Miranda’s husband, while Ashley’s role is currently unknown, as are Hathaway’s Andy Sachs and Tucci’s Nigel Kipling’s roles in the narrative.
Blunt previously revealed to Entertainment Tonight that Emily and Miranda will have “beef” in the sequel.
“[Streep and I are] so mean to each other in every movie we do,” she joked.
“We always have beef with each other. I don’t know what it is. Let’s hope we remedy it. I’m not sure!”
Unfortunately, she wasn’t able to shed any further light on the sequel’s still mysterious plot details.
“I don’t know. Where is [Emily]?” she admitted. “I don’t know.
“Can you tell I’m skirting the issue? Can you tell I’m not telling you anything?”
The Devil Wears Prada will be released in cinemas on 1st July, 2026.
PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium subscribers are counting down to the reveal of the new games for July 2025.
The next batch of PS Plus Extra and Premium games will be revealed by Sony at 4.30pm BST UK time on the afternoon of July 9.
Most of the games will be available to download and play on July 15. Sony will remove six PS4 and PS5 games from the PS Plus Extra library on the same day. It will need to be a strong line-up to match the Xbox Game Pass titles for July.
Indeed, some heavy hitters will be removed from the service in July, including Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion.
The Final Fantasy 7 spinoff will be joined by Dying Light 2: Stay Human, as well as the superb Remnant 2.
Job Simulator, Vampire: The Masquerade Swansong and Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord will also be removed on July 15.
On a more positive note, Sony has already announced three of the games coming to PS Plus Extra and Premium this month.
Premium subscribers will be able to play classic vehicular combat games Twisted Metal 3 and Twisted Metal 4 on July 15.
The brand new day-one release Abiotic Factor will join the service the following week, coming to PS Plus on July 22.
The remaining PS Plus Extra and Premium games remain a mystery ahead of the official reveal.
With this in mind, some fans have been attempting to predict the line-up ahead of Sony’s announcement.
In the monthly predictions thread on Reddit, multiple PS Plus Extra subscribers believe Mortal Kombat 1 will join the line-up on July 15.
The upcoming release of Resident Evil Requiem has resulted in Resident Evil 4 and Resident Evil Village receiving countless picks in the predictions thread.
With the football season at an end, and the next entry in the series still a few months away, there’s also a strong belief that EA FC 25 could make an appearance on PS Plus Extra.
Quite a few Ubisoft games are mentioned in the predictions thread, including The Crew Motorfest, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora and Assassin’s Creed Mirage.
The usual suspects of Atomic Heart, Hades, Lords of the Fallen, Pacific Drive and various Yakuza/Like a Dragon games are also picked.
Amazon Prime Day is in full swing, complete with hundreds of discounts on everything from household appliances and fashion, to consumer tech and groceries.
This year, Amazon Prime Day is running for four whole days from Tuesday July 8 to Friday July 11. Prime Day sales and prices are available exclusively to Amazon Prime subscribers. If you aren’t signed up, you can claim a free or discounted trial by signing up using the link below.
In addition to the discounts available during Prime Day, Amazon Prime subscribers receive next-day shipping where applicable, as well as access to video streaming and music.
There’s even something for gamers, with Amazon Prime Gaming offering a selection of free video games each month to subscribers.
Indeed, as part of Amazon’s Prime Day celebrations, the company has added four superb games to the subscription service, including a Marvel superhero title that’s considered one of the best.
READ MORE: Amazon Prime Day 2025 – Best tech deals including Apple, Samsung and Kindle READ MORE: Steam Deck rival ROG Ally sees huge price cut during Amazon Prime Day
If you’re an Amazon Prime member, then you can pick up free copies of Marvel’s Midnight Suns. Football Manager 2024, Amnesia: The Dark Descent and Star Wars Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II.
That’s four highly-rated games that are available for free from now until end of play on July 11.
Marvel’s Midnight Suns, Football Manager 2024 and Amnesia Dark Descent are available from the Epic Games Store, while Star Wars Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II can be redeemed from GOG.
The pick of the bunch is arguably Marvel’s Midnight Suns, which is a strategy game from the makers of XCOM.
“Confront the darker side of the Marvel universe in an all-new Tactical RPG featuring Iron Man, Wolverine, Captain America, Ghost Rider, Blade, and more,” reads the official description.
The game sees players use various superheroes to battle the bad guys, all the while building their base to improve their skills.
Football Manager 2024, on the other hand, is a hugely addictive sports game in which players manage all aspects of a football team.
This includes signing players, organising training, dealing with the media and choosing the right tactics to win games.
Amnesia: The Dark Descent is an influential horror game with a first-person perspective and oppressive atmosphere.
Players must explore a building, all the while avoiding the terrifying monsters found within.
Finally, Star Wars Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II is a third-person action game featuring lightsaber duels and Force Powers.
Amazon explains more: “Star Wars Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II continues the story of Kyle Katarn, a young mercenary that successfully infiltrated the Empire, as he embarks on a quest to discover his past and learn the ways of the Jedi.”
After selling out in the run up to launch, retailers have started to consistently restock the Nintendo Switch 2 console, although it’s still selling fast.
Needless to say, you might want to hurry and make the purchase before customers snap up the console and it sells out again.
It’s worth noting that the Mario Kart World bundle is limited to one per customer at the MyNintendo Store.
The Nintendo Switch 2 makes a number of improvements over the original console, including a bigger screen and superior JoyCons.
The Switch 2 display measures in at 7.9-inches and comes with HDR support and a maximum refresh rate of 120Hz.
The JoyCons are bigger than their predecessors, and can also be used like a PC mouse. This makes them ideal for genres like first-person shooters, strategy and classic adventure games.
The console itself is also more powerful, which means it can offer an experience closer to the PS5 and Xbox Series X.
Hopefully this means we’ll finally get a new Call of Duty game for Nintendo Switch 2, as well as other third-party releases like EA Sports FC 26 and more.
Mario Kart World, meanwhile, is an open-world version of the popular racing game.
The game features a free-roam mode in which players can explore the map, as well as traditional Grand Prix races, online multiplayer and a Battle mode.
The highlight, however, is the addition of the Knockout Tour mode, which sees players race across multiple courses.
Knockout Tour begins with 24 racers, and culminates with four players and just one winner. The length of the courses and regular item placement means that despite losing four racers at every checkpoint, the chaos never subsides.
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3+4 is one of the biggest new gaming releases of the month, coming to PlayStation, Xbox, PC and Nintendo Switch consoles on July 11.
However, despite officially launching on July 11, there is a way to play Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3+4 three days early.
Indeed, the Digital Deluxe Edition of the game has a July 8 release date and a midnight release time on PS4 and PS5, at least.
The Digital Deluxe Edition is priced at £59.99 and contains a selection of additional in-game items and bonuses.
The Digital Deluxe version contains The Doom Slayer and The Revenant playable skaters, each with two secret moves. The Doom Slayer also includes two unique outfits and the Unmaykr Hoverboard skate deck.
That’s on top of additional songs within the in-game soundtrack, as well as exclusive Doom Slayer, Revenant, and Create-a-Skater skate decks, not to mention exclusive Create-a-Skater Items.
If you don’t purchase the Digital Deluxe Edition, then Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3+4 will be available from July 11.
The game is also coming to Xbox Game Pass as a day-one release, so don’t pre-order if you’re a subscriber.
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3+4 is said to contain remade versions of the original stages from the classic skating games.
Interestingly, the game also contains three brand new stages, including Waterpark, Pinball, and Movie Studio.
Elsewhere, the development team has added a New Game+ mode, featuring various Pro Goals and Expert Challenges.
That’s on top of quality of life upgrades such as a Push to Talk function for Voice Chat, as well as a Streamer Mode that skips tracks not suitable for content creation.
Needless to say, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3+4 also contains cross-platform multiplayer and Create a Park functionality.
Oasis made a highly anticipated return to the stage after more than 16 years in Cardiff last Friday. But amongst the joy and excitement of the band’s comeback tour, fans were disappointed by the notable song missing from the band’s setlist.
Performing to a crowd of 75,000 at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium for the first night of their Live ’25 tour, new fans and old were giddy at seeing their favourite band reunite on stage regardless of the setlist, which is never going to please everyone. The frontmen started the gig with their song Hello, which is not generally considered to be one of their big-hitters. Liam greeted the audience; he said: “Hello beautiful people, it’s been too long.”
They then played Acquiesce and most of the tracks from their hit album What’s the Story (Morning Glory). Yet, while their show has been met largely with rave reviews, there was a bit of disapointment around one specific track’s absence.
Lyla was a UK number one hit for the band and huge favourite of the fans, yet it was not played on the night. Some fans claimed to be “devastated” to not have heard their favourite track, Wales Online reports.
An Oasis fan, Maxi Gonzalez, posted a picture of the setlist on X and said: “What did you think of the setlist? For me, it was perfect. Thank you OASIS.”
The thread had a huge response from fans sharing their thoughts on the long-awaited setlist.
One fan said: “Lyla would have been the biggest sing-along in history.”
Another fan commented: “Was gutted to not see Lyla on the set list. That hits hard live and always goes down well.”
“Take out Bring It On Down for Lyla and it’s perfect,” another added.
But it was not only Lyla that fans felt was skipped from the line-up. The band also chose not to include the 2002 single Stop Crying Your Heart Out, the 2002 single which has gone on to become one of Oasis’ biggest songs across the globe. Other tracks, such as Columbia and She’s Electric, were also missing.
Despite this, fans agreed that there were simply “too many good songs” to choose from and it is impossible to keep everyone happy. But with a long string of gigs to go, it’s likley that the setlist will adapt over time, so perhaps Lyla could make its own comeback later in the tour. The band will head to Manchester’s Heaton Park for five nights (July 11, 12, 16, 19 and 20) as it’s next stop ahead of further dates in London, Dublin and Edinburgh, prior to a world tour.
Gaming fans only have a few months left to enjoy a high-profile gaming flop before it’s no longer playable.
Anthem represented something of a departure for developer BioWare, a studio that was famous for creating narrative-driven role-playing games like Mass Effect and Knights of the Old Republic.
The multiplayer-centric shooter saw players team up to complete various missions in a shared world containing live service elements.
Unfortunately, however, Anthem wasn’t particularly well received by critics and fans, and failed to reach sales targets.
Now, roughly six years after making its debut back in 2019, BioWare has announced plans to take the game offline for good.
This means that from January 12, 2026, anybody with a copy of Anthem for PlayStation, Xbox or PC will no longer be able to play the game, even in single-player.
The news was announced by BioWare on the Anthem website: “We have an important update to share regarding Anthem.
“After careful consideration, we will be sunsetting Anthem on January 12, 2026.
“This means that the game will still be playable online for the next 180+ days. As of today, you can no longer purchase in-game premium currency, but you can still use your remaining balance until the servers go offline.”
In a separate FAQ, BioWare confirms that the game won’t be playable in any form once the servers are offline.
“Anthem was designed to be an online-only title so once the servers go offline, the game will no longer be playable,” BioWare adds.
If you already own a copy of Anthem, you can still download and play the game until next January.
However, users will no longer be able to purchase in-game currency, although you can use any credits already in your account.
BioWare also confirmed that Anthem will be removed from the EA Play subscription service on August 15, and that no jobs were lost as a result of the decision.
“Unleash Your Power,” reads the official description. “In a world left unfinished by the gods, a shadowy faction threatens all humankind. Only you stand between the Dominion and the ancient power they covet. Team up as heroes in this cooperative action-RPG from BioWare and EA.”
Ozzy Osbourne has graced the Villa Park stage for his final ever live performance – at the Black Sabbath Back to the Beginning gig tonight.
The Prince of Darkness has taken to the stage, after a day-long gig, for his farewell show – and it’s a moment the audience has been anticipating.
He emerged from beneath the stage on a black winged throne, prompting deafening screams from the masses.
Our correspondent Kirsty Bosley is at the concert and reported: “Ozzy looks emotional and the crowd is too. His body might be frail but his voice is NOT.
“He’s pausing to drink water and spray his mouth between songs but he’s incredible.”, reports Birmingham Live.
“The crowd is at his feet and he’s wild eyed and determined!”.
“Mr Crowley in particular got a giant sing-along. I haven’t felt energy like this before at a gig.
“It’s like everyone in Birmingham is channelling their energy into the Prince of Darkness and he’s hurling it right back.
“This is where he belongs. This is where he has lived and where he will always live: under the lights with his people.
“What’s more, if the other performers tonight are proof of anything, it’s that the power of Ozzy and of Black Sabbath live on through them, and heavy metal musicians all around the world.
“Few things are eternal, but Ozzy Osbourne is!”.
Our correspondent Robson McCallister is also amongst the crowd tonight. He said: “From intro to the intermissions, he’s keeping it short and sweet but his performance remains unmissable. He’s still giving one hundred percent to what he can.
“The phone cameras are lighting up like fireflies for Ozzy’s farewell set, nobody wants to forget a moment as history is made.
“Ozzy is joined on stage by his lead guitarist for many years Zakk Wylde. It wouldn’t be a farewell show without Wylde’s inclusion”.
Kirsty added: “Torch lights up across the arena for Mama I’m Comin Home, tears, snuggles. Sharon has said in the past this was one of her favourite songs. I wonder how she feels in this moment.”
At the end she said: “Man that was the BEST set.
“After the tears of Mama, we got Crazy Train, pure celebration! Ozzy couldn’t have looked happier, he grinned from ear to ear any time his clap inspired 40k other claps, any time he raised his arms and got 40k screams!”.
“It was incredible. Ticker tape cannons for a celebratory finish. What a superb time. We couldn’t have asked for more. Time hasn’t taken his spirit, his sense of humour or his determination to entertain and put on a show.
“This will surely give him the renewed energy he needs. But I don’t feel he needs it. He isn’t ailing, he’s ROCKING THE F*****G PLACE.”
Devotees of Priyanka Chopra Jonas are buzzing over what is hailed as her most thrilling film to date, demonstrating unequivocally her prowess as an action lead.
The latest release on Prime Video features the Indian-Hollywood icon as an MI6 operative joining forces with global leaders to quash a perilous plot.
Despite heavyweights Idris Elba and John Cena taking prominent roles, enthusiasts agree that it’s Chopra Jonas who captivates audiences with her portrayal of Noel Bisset in Heads of State.
“Every critique you can throw at Heads of State…I’ll agree with you but I still had a fun time with this,” one fan wrote.
“John Cena and Idris Elba Still Have Great Chemistry. PRIYANKA CHOPRA JONAS IS ABSOLUTE ACTION STAR!!! Needle Drops were fun. Jack Quaid Underutilized but Great”, reports the Mirror US.
One admirer effused: “She’s always stood shoulder to shoulder with the best. #PriyankaChopra brings sharp grit and global gravitas to #HeadsOfState.”
“#HeadsOfState reminds us why #PriyankaChopra is in a league of her own. Charisma, clarity, control,” quoted another aficionado.
Adding to the accolades, a follower proclaimed: “Heads of State is such a fun action movie. Priyanka Chopra finally getting her dues and kicking a**. She’s fantastic throughout.
“Idris Elba, John Cena are such a fun duo, loved their banter. Wasted opportunity by the makers, should have released [the] movie in the theatres!”
A glowing five-star Google review extolled: “Priyanka Chopra Jonas steps into the role of MI6 agent Noel Bisset with an understated authority that sets her apart in the action genre, not through spectacle, but through sharp precision and narrative discipline.
“Her performance is a reminder that action, when rooted in character, becomes more than choreography; it becomes storytelling.”
Similarly impressed, another critic commented: “Priyanka Chopra shines in her role, bringing strength, charisma, and impeccable timing to every scene.
“Her performance is both powerful and entertaining – a true standout.”
Adding to the chorus of praise, an enthused fan shared: “#HeadsOfState is everything I thought it would be, a fun ride.
“Priyanka Chopra is here to stay and even rule hollywood. A bonafide action star.”
Amidst the stellar cast of high-calibre stars, consensus amongst viewers suggests it’s Chopra Jonas who steals the show in this wildly entertaining new action extravaganza.
Heads of State is available to stream on Prime Video.
Queen guitarist Sir Brian May was visibly moved to tears after hearing a powerful tribute to Freddie Mercury during the 2025 Polar Music Prize ceremony.
The rock legend attended the prestigious event in Stockholm in June alongside drummer Roger Taylor, where they accepted the Polar Music Prize on behalf of Queen.
During the ceremony, Swedish artist Miriam Bryant delivered a breathtaking performance of Queen’s anthemic track ‘The Show Must Go On’, leaving Brian May overwhelmed with emotion.
The song holds extraordinary meaning for the band, marking Queen’s final single before Freddie Mercury’s death in 1991. Written in 1990, The Show Must Go On was co-created by Brian May and Mercury as a dramatic statement of Freddie’s determination to keep performing, even as he privately battled AIDS.
Miriam Bryant’s heartfelt interpretation of the song clearly struck a chord with Brian, who interrupted a live TV interview after the performance to personally thank her.
“That was such a beautiful interpretation,” he told Miriam. “I feel very honoured. She’s amazing – you’re amazing! We’re all like hearts in our mouth, [it was] beautiful… I was just so moved, that was perfect, just perfect. Thank you, thank you, thank you.”
Brian, now 77, has often spoken about how The Show Must Go On captured Freddie’s courage and spirit during the band’s most painful period.
In a 2023 interview with Guitar World, Brian remembered writing the song’s challenging vocals, and how Freddie insisted on singing them despite his failing health.
“By that time he was suffering a lot. He could hardly stand,” Brian explained. “I played him some of the demo, with me singing, which went incredibly high and was very difficult. In the past, Freddie was always shouting at me, like, ‘It’s too f****** high! You’re making me ruin my beautiful voice!’ So I thought he was going to shout at me this time.
But he just heard it and said, ‘I’ll f****** do that. Don’t worry,’” Brian recalled. “So he downed a couple of vodkas, neat, then propped himself up on the desk and worked his way through singing all of that song. He absolutely smashed that vocal. It’s like he reached into a place that even he’d never got to before. It was beautiful. I think it’s one of his finest performances of all time.”
First released in October 1991 as the closing track on Queen’s Innuendo album, The Show Must Go On has become one of the band’s most powerful songs.
The song has since been covered by numerous artists and featured in films, television, and live tribute concerts. Brian’s iconic guitar parts and Freddie’s fearless vocal delivery together make it a striking reminder of the band’s artistry, even in the darkest moments of their career.
The Polar Music Prize, sometimes called the “Nobel Prize of music,” was awarded this year to Queen for their monumental contribution to popular music. Both Brian and Roger accepted the award in Freddie’s honour, celebrating his enduring legacy as one of rock’s greatest frontmen.
The long wait is finally over as Oasis reunite for their highly anticipated tour in Cardiff tonight. Brothers Liam and Noel Gallagher will perform in front of thousands of fans at the first of two gigs in the Welsh capital. Oasis will also perform again tomorrow at the Principality Stadium before heading to Heaton Park in Manchester for five performances on July 11, 12, 16, 19, and 20.
The brothers will then head on to the rest of the UK leg of their reunion tour, which includes performances at London’s Wembley Stadium, Edinburgh, and Dublin. Noel was reportedly spotted by a fan at Cardiff Central station ahead of tonight’s gig. Fans are already queuing outside the Principality Stadium hours before the gates open, and we will be bringing you all the latest updates from the gig, including the build-up outside and the latest on setlist rumours, support acts, and news from inside.
Are you going to the Oasis reunion tour? Get in touch on X/Twitter at @Daily_Express.
So, I went in apprehensively to the star-studded opening night of this controversial Andrew LLoyd-Webber musical reboot already annoyed that I knew I wasn’t going to see the iconic balcony scene live but rather through a video relay while Rachel Zegler sang it outside the theatre to West End passers-by. And, frankly, it has been impossible to forget my horror at the 2016 production.
You can read my raging rant about why I absolutely hated the original staging of Jamie Lloyd’s Evita here, and it is fascinating to see what crucial things have been changed. It fundamentally remains the same in the look and approach to the material, but suddenly so many things that just didn’t work have gripped audiences inside the theatre and, famously, on the streets outside.
We critics can be curmudgeons, but genuinely always want things to work, to be great. We love theatre and we want it to shine and continue, but sometimes we can overthink things. So I will point out that some of my main issues with the themes of Evita remain, but I have to review this new production on how I and the screaming audience inside, including the very famous tearful Oscar-nominated actor sat beside me, felt.
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Cast of Evita (Image: PH )
Evita: Diego Andres Rodriguez (Che), Rachel Zegler (Eva Perón) & James Olivas (Juan Perón) (Image: PH )
Back in 2019 I wrote “Do cry for me, Argentina,” in despair. The first big game changer, of course, is the cast. Zegler was savaged by fans and press during the build-up to the release of the live action Snow White, much of it centred around her outspoken comments about updating the story and gender roles.
She is, of course, very young at 24 (and looks even younger) to play the Argentine icon who died at 33. Traditionally, you need to go on a journey from backwater teenage opportunist to global icon and then a woman drained by her drive, her work and then cancer.
Jamie Lloyd’s production opens with her in satin bra and shorts, presented almost as a megawatt ingénue pop star. The tiered steps set and swooping stadium lighting, combined with a thunderous sound system (more on that later) and orchestrations make almost every single musical number electrifying with choreography and superb muscular dancing often calling to mind Janet Jackson’s militarist Rhythm Nation. And with Zegler absolutely radiant at its heart.
“I need to be dazzling” she sings in Rainbow High and is that and more. With smirks, twirks, struts and knowing looks, and an absolutely show-stopping voice, she radiates a woman who knows the effect she has on people, her power to thrill them and to sell her story and that of her husband, Juan Peron, as they plot their way to the presidency.
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How the Evita audiences sees Rachel Zegler’s balcony scene (Image: PH )
She’s matched vocally by James Olivas, far more youthfully hunky than usual as her husband. Her main counterpart is the revolutionary Che, played by Diego Andres Rodrigues with intense glowers and a voice of supple beauty. He is absolutely vital as the commentator and conscience of the show to help audiences see and understand the hypocrisy and self-interest of the Perons and the system they try to bring down but, crucially, I got very little of that from him.
Tim Rice’s incisive, sometimes savage lyrics, are packed with layered meanings which this show rather steamrollers over. Similarly, Lloyd-Webber’s melodies have plenty of glorious anthemic rock opera moments but also numerous exquisite quieter interludes that are mainly bludgeoned by a tsunamic soundscape.
Normally, all of this would frustrate me. I’m not sure how much of a sense of an imploding Argentina as the nation that almost became a First World superpower we really get. Nor a sense of Eva’s extraordinary journey, since she starts immediately as a megastar. But, but, but… I just couldn’t resist the exhilarating, spine-tingling power of the staging, vocals and orchestrations. There were numerous mid-show ovations and not just my neighbour was in overwhelmed tears.
Fans watch Rachel Zegler as Evita (Image: GETTY)
As for that balcony scene, Eva’s pivotal address to her devoted public, we watched it on a huge screen and the entire theatre gasped and then applauded as the camera panned across the thronged street outside. Here’s my top tips for how to watch Rachel Zegler sing Evita from the street.
I found a similar gimmick in Sunset Boulevard tiresome but here it is a coup de théâtre, capturing the essence of who Evita was. And when she returns to the stage, the audience went nuts.
This is an extraordinary thing to be part of, a phenomenal night out. Its relentless bombast absolutely conveys the staggering impact and charisma of grifter, enraged by society’s inequalities, who climbed the very highest peaks and was worshipped by millions. She was flawed, in a system even more flawed. We will never know if she could have restored her reputation or would have been consumed by the beasts she fought and created, since cancer struck her down so young.
At Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre, the sound system and setting meant the orchestrations and staging evaporated into thin air. Lloyd has thankfully reworked Eva singing Don’t Cry For Me Argentina heinously in her knickers and replaced the purposefully gloomy, depressing overall designs with a dynamic, thrilling spectacle. Inside the cavernous Palladium, it all becomes an immersive, pulse-pounding sensation.
It is the event of the year so far. Do not miss it.
Just a month after the launch of the Switch 2, Nintendo has added a new game to the Expansion Pack Gamecube library.
Joining the likes of Wind Waker and F-Zero GX, Super Mario Strikers aka Mario Smash Football is out now for Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack subscribers.
The news was announced by Nintendo on X, alongside gameplay footage of the cult classic football game.
“Go for goal on Nintendo Switch 2!” reads a Nintendo post. “The Nintendo GameCube classic Mario Smash Football is available now with Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack.”
Mario Smash Football made its Nintendo Gamecube debut all the way back in 2005. Featuring a number of iconic Nintendo characters, the game features 5-v-5 arcade-style action, complete with power-ups and special abilities.
Like most Mario Sports games, it features a colourful art style and is easy to pick up and play, making it ideal for multiplayer.
Unfortunately, there’s no way to purchase the game individually, as it’s only available with a Switch Online subscription.
As a reminder, Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack costs £34.99 for an annual membership, or £59.99 as part of a Family membership.
As part of the subscription, members can play Gamecube titles such as Wind Waker, F-Zero GX and Soulcalibur 2.
That’s on top of N64 titles like Super Mario 64, Star Fox 64 and Sin and Punishment on N64, as well as Zelda Ocarina of Time and Mario Tennis.
SEGA Mega Drive games are also playable with the Expansion Pack tier, alongside Game Boy Advance titles.
Mega Drive games include well known classics like Sonic the Hedgehog, Streets of Rage 2 and Gunstar Heroes, as well as cult favourites such as Crusader of Centy (Soleil), Musha, Pulseman and Alisia Dragoon.
Then there are the Game Boy Advance releases, which include everything from Zelda: The Minish Cap and Metroid Fusion, to Kuru Kuru Kururin and the Japanese version of F-Zero Climax.
One of the great things about the Switch 2 is that gaming fans can finally play the latest releases on a Nintendo device thanks to the increased power under the hood.
This includes titles like Cyberpunk 2077, Sonic X Shadow Generations and Street Fighter 6, which launched alongside the Switch 2 in June.
2K Sports has since announced another high-profile game for the Nintendo Switch 2, confirming plans to bring WWE 2K25 to the device later this month.
As you can see from the trailer below, WWE 2K25 has been given a July 23 release date for the Nintendo Switch 2.
This means the latest WWE game – which has an 80% score on Metacritic – will be available just before WWE’s big Summerslam event on August 2 and August 3.
According to 2K Sports, the Switch 2 version will feature all of the game modes from PlayStation and Xbox, only with the ability to play in portable mode on the go.
“Pre-order is available today for the Nintendo Switch 2 version, which will support the full set of WWE 2K25 game modes and match types, while also offering the ability to play offline modes on-the-go, and online modes with internet connection.”
The Standard Edition of the game is available for £59.99 on Nintendo Switch 2, while the Deadman Edition with additional content costs £89.99. There’s also a ridiculously expensive Bloodline Edition, which costs a whopping £119.99.
The more expensive versions of the game contain the Season Pass, which adds wrestlers like Stephanie Vaquer, Giulia, Abyss and Shaq.
WWE 2K25 adds the Bloodline themed Showcase mode, which features iconic matches and moments from the group.
The game is also said to feature the return of chain wrestling, Underground and Bloodline Rules match types and barricade diving.
Elsewhere, MyGM is said to have gone global with the addition of online multiplayer and multi-week seasonal content.
WWE Universe mode features commentary-driven promos with new cutscenes, as well as branching choices with multiple outcomes.
The roster has also been given an upgrade, featuring more than 300 wrestlers from multiple generations, including The Undertaker, CM Punk, Cody Rhodes and more.
Bringing one of the greatest tennis rivalries to the big screen is director Janus Metz Pedersen’s 2017 biographical sports drama Borg vs. McEnroe.
With a screenplay penned by Ronnie Sandahl, Borg vs. McEnroe sees Sverrir Guðnason in the role of tennis great Björn Borg, while Shia LaBeouf portrays the legendary John McEnroe. Supported by Stellan Skarsgård, Tuva Novotny and Robert Emms, the film has been praised for the cast’s stellar performances.
Borg vs. McEnroe focuses on the professional tennis rivalry between its namesakes — which culminated at the men’s singles final at the 1980 Wimbledon Championship — where the two faced each other in what has often been described as one of the most brilliant and dramatic tennis matches of all time.
The sports biopic is a joint production between Sweden, Denmark, and Finland and grossed $3.4million at the global box-office on a production budget of 65 million SEK (approximately $7.5 million).
With an 84 per cent approval rating on review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes, Borg vs. McEnroe received fairly positive feedback from critics, with one writing: “Like the sport itself, the film is dramatic and beautiful. Tennis has simply never looked better on the big screen thanks to sublime cinematography and a career performance by Shia LaBeouf as McEnroe.”
A second reviewer who was impressed with the lead actors wrote: “LaBeouf and Gudnason are electrifying in the best on-screen rivalry since Chris Hemsworth and Daniel Brühl battled it out in Ron Howard’s Rush.”
While a third critic said: “Borg vs. McEnroe is a taut, suspenseful, pitch-perfect retelling of what many fans and tennis historians consider to be the greatest match ever played.”
In an interview with Variety in 2016, LaBeouf spoke about his portrayal of McEnroe and shared: “[McEnroe and I have] everything in common. Passionate. Perfectionist. Narcissistic. I’m a bit of a caricature also. You look for parallels in your life, and I’m lucky because there is a lot here. I got nothing but love and respect for him.”
Talking about the script, LaBeouf said: “The script is brilliant. We are all here because of that. I cried the first time I read it. It’s not based on a book or a biography. It’s based on hard work.”
Critics weren’t the only ones impressed with Borg vs. McEnroe. Viewers also had positive things to say about the Pedersen directorial, with one calling it: “A great movie for a sports or non sports fan, extremely gripping, emotions are felt through the story telling.”
While another fan wrote: “Great movie for a sports or non sports fan, extremely gripping, emotions are felt through the story telling.”
And a third audience review stated: “Amazing film, honestly may be one of my favourite sports films of all time. Was gripped from start to finish. It’s clearly not really about tennis, more the pressure of greatness. But the film was done to perfection.”
Borg vs. McEnroe is available to stream on Disney+.
To say that anticipation was high is the understatement of the decade. On one hand, there were those salivating to see the latest Jamie Lloyd production starring the American wunderkind Rachel Zegler; on the other hand, there were those honing their hatchets to slice and dice the gimmicky director and/or the upstart star whose appearance in Disney’s Snow White movie suggested she was box office poison.
Could she recoup her reputation in the role of a South American dictator’s main squeeze who rose from humble origins as a 15 year-old tango ‘dancer’ to become Argentina’s First Lady? The answer is a resounding yes. This is not just a great production of Evita but one of the most exciting musicals I have witnessed in years.
It’s a gussied up version of Lloyd’s first attempt at the musical 6 years ago. Rebooting his own production, he gets everything right. The music is thunderous yet clear – the band ranging from sumptuous semi-orchestral pomp to full-blooded stadium rock in the blink of an ear, with Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s superb songs sounding freshly minted. Everyone’s a winner, baby, that’s for sure.
Fabian Aloise’s choreography is athletic and restlessly inventive in Bob Fosse’s All That Jazz style and performed by an astonishingly supple ensemble. Diego Andres Rodriguez invests Che with scorchio sexuality, James Olivas as Perón is fiercely buttoned up until released by Eva. Both convey emotional weight as well as vocal power. Bella Brown as the discarded mistress pours her soul into Another Suitcase in Another Hall.
And at the heart of it all is Rachel Zegler who owns the stage from the moment she appears clad in black underwear like a Victoria’s Secret model until eventually donning the platinum wig and flowing cream gown of Evita to step out onto the balcony of the Palladium and deliver Don’t Cry for me Argentina to the West End tourists and passersby assembled in the street while those inside watch on a giant screen from various angles.
It’s an audacious moment but one that is so finely orchestrated that it brings roars of approval from inside and outside the theatre. And here’s how you can get the best view of Rachel Zegler singing Evita from the street.
With side glances and a mischievously arched eyebrow, Zegler nails the idea that Eva Perón was a calculating actress playing a role until reality kicked in to unravel her.
After his extraordinary reboot of Sunset Boulevard, Lloyd has done it again. This is one for the history books. For Zegler, it’s a personal triumph. If it doesn’t lay the ghost of Snow White, nothing will.
Taylor at Wembley last summer (Image: Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images for TAS Rights Management)
Taylor Swift’s epic Era’s Tour was part of a blockbuster summer of live music that swelled UK tourism by attracting more than 23 million live music fans in the UK last year, leading to an unprecedented £10bn boost to the UK economy. The figure represents a 26% increase on the 2023 total spend of £8 billion, according to UK Music’s Hometown Glory report published today – with 4.3 million extra people attending concerts and festivals.
While the vast majority, 93%, were fans from the UK, the number of overseas music tourists climbed to 1.6 million – a 62% annual increase. The report credits Swift’s Eras tour, the most commercially successful tour of all time, with helping to drive the figures to a new high, while festivals including Glastonbury, Download and Boardmasters were also big draws.
Girls Aloud (Image: ITV)
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Other major acts that played in the UK last year included Sam Fender, Olivia Rodrigo, Girls Aloud, Chappell Roan, the Killers, Bruce Springsteen, Charlie xcx and Foo Fighters.
This year’s Oasis Live ’25 Tour starting on Friday is set to continue the success story.
The figure includes £5.1bn spent directly by music tourists on tickets, food and drink, merchandise, travel, parking and accommodation. It also includes £4.9bn classified as indirect spending such as on fencing and security at concerts.
While the additional 4.3 million music tourists who attended gigs and concerts last year helped fuel the record £10bn spend, the impact of inflation on accommodation, travel and food and drink, as well as soaring ticket prices, also played their part.
Music tourists also supported 72,000 full-time equivalent jobs in the live music sector in 2024 – up 16% on the 2023 total of 62,000. The jobs are a key part of the wider music eco-system that also includes the UK’s world class music studios, record labels, music publishers and other music businesses.
Bruce Springsteen (Image: Getty Images)
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The Hometown Glory report builds on UK Music’s work looking at regional economic trends and provides new insights and strategies to grow music scenes and industries at a local level across the country.
The report outlines how music has the power to regenerate places, support skilled employment, and promote the UK’s global cultural leadership. It argues that supporting local music can be a key tool in strengthening communities and driving local and national pride, while simultaneously providing the support the music industry needs to thrive.
Local music ecosystems stimulate the economy by boosting footfall, powering the hospitality and retail sectors, and creating vibrant places that attract residents, visitors, and investment. They also provide vital opportunities for those looking to enter the industry to learn their craft.
However, the UK music industry faces a number of significant challenges that jeopardise its world-leading status including the rising cost of touring in the UK and overseas, the threat of more closures to grassroots music venues and the cost-of-living crisis facing many music fans.
The Foo Fighters perform in London (Image: PA)
The Express’s Strike A Chord crusade has reported how the Association of Independent Festivals’ 2025 Festival Forecast Report, 250 festivals ceased to operate between 2019 and June 2025. The new research identified 592 music festivals in the UK in 2025, of which 360 are green field festivals and 232 are single venue or multi-venue festivals.
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said: “These numbers show just how powerful the UK is as a home for live music – attracting the biggest acts, drawing in millions of fans, and giving a real boost to local economies through tourism and jobs. Whether it’s a massive stadium show or a packed-out local venue, music is bringing people together and making a huge difference.
“We’re incredibly proud of our music industry. It’s one of our greatest exports, it inspires young people everywhere, and it’s part of who we are as a country. That’s why we announced a £30 million Music Growth Package last week – to support emerging talent, protect the venues that give them a start, and make sure our music scene keeps growing and reaching new heights.”
UK Music chief Tom Kiehl (Image: -)
UK Music Chief Executive Tom Kiehl said: “In 2024, our fantastic UK music industry pulled in 23.5 million music tourists who spent £10 billion to see their favourite acts and performers right across the UK.
“But while music generates huge benefits for our local areas, there remain a number of challenges facing our sector such as the rising cost of touring for artists and the threat of closure looming over venues, studios and other music spaces.
“From Lands’ End to John O’Groats, all communities have the potential for thriving and diverse music sectors and can offer something unique. At a time when Government is seeking growth, it is crucial to empower local leaders to make this happen to help boost our artists, creators, venues, studios and music businesses.
“The Local Music Action Charter, launched in this report, will embolden local actors, particularly in the face of change and disruption, to support sustained growth, and enable those that form part of our local music industries to truly fulfil their potential.”
Councillor Liz Green, chair of the Local Government Association’s Culture, Tourism and Sport Board, said: “These record-breaking figures show just how important live music is — not just for our local economies, but for the happiness of our communities. Councils up and down the country are proud to back the artists, venues and festivals that bring people together and put our towns and cities on the map.
“UK Music’s Hometown Glory report is a timely reminder that investing in local music isn’t just good sense – it’s a way to boost pride in place and breathe new life into our high streets. We’re committed to working with local partners to make sure music continues to thrive in every corner of the UK.”
US star Chappell Roan (Image: FilmMagic)
As well as the economic benefits of music, UK Music’s Hometown Glory report also reveals just how important live music is to people and their wellbeing. Polling of more than 2,000 people carried out by Whitestone Insight and commissioned by UK Music found:
*42% of those questioned say it was important to them to have access to music events within reasonable distance of where they live. The figure is equivalent to more than 22m adults.
*Six in ten (59%) feel that ‘Local music should be better supported by the council’. A similar proportion (60%) agree that ‘Empty or underused spaces in my town should be opened up for music and cultural use’.
*Music is also widely seen as regenerative, with 62% who agree ‘Music, nightlife, and music spaces (e.g. recording studios) should be part of how we bring life back to the high street’.
*Coordinating public services is important to people too – with 50% of all adults saying that ‘I’d be more likely to go to music events if public transport matched event times better’, including 38% of over-75s.
*Seven in ten (69%) agree that ‘If new homes are built near a music venue, it should be the responsibility of the builder to make sure noise isn’t a problem, not the venue’s job to change or close’.
Western movies have long been a cornerstone of American filmmaking, conjuring images of legends like John Wayne and Clint Eastwood. The genre has produced an array of classics, ranging from the action-packed flicks of the ’50s to the spaghetti westerns of the ’60s, as well as contemporary films such as The Power of The Dog and The Hateful Eight.
The New York Times included one Oscar-winning film in their selection of top Westerns since the turn of the millennium. Brokeback Mountain has also garnered considerable attention amongst film critics as one of the finest Western films. Directed by Ang Lee, it stars Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal as cowboys who meet during the 1960s while working as sheep herders on Wyoming’s fictitious Brokeback Mountain.
Rotten Tomatoes’ critics consensus describes the film: “A beautiful, epic Western, Brokeback Mountain’s love story is imbued with heartbreaking universality thanks to moving performances by Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal.”
“The lonesome chill that seeps through Ang Lee’s epic western, Brokeback Mountain, is as bone deep as the movie’s heartbreaking story of two cowboys who fall in love almost by accident,” extolled Stephen Holden in his 2005 review for The New York Times.
“It is embedded in the craggy landscape where their idyll begins and ends. It creeps into the farthest corners of the wide-open spaces they share with coyotes, bears and herds of sheep and rises like a stifled cry into the big, empty sky that stretches beyond the horizon.”
Both Ledger and Gyllenhaal were broadly applauded for their work, with Mick LaSalle of SFGate praising Ledger in particular.
“Both actors do memorable work, but Ledger has the better role, and he makes the strongest choices,” he noted.
“He gives Ennis a voice and mannerisms that are utterly idiosyncratic, and then inhabits those choices psychologically, making sense of the locked-down speech, the haunted look and the strong but diffident manner. He completely transforms himself.
“It’s a performance that was thought through in detail and then lived in the moment, and it’s one of the most beautiful things in movies this year.”
The film is an adaptation of a short story by Annie Proulx, first published in The New Yorker in 1997. It has since been transformed into a West End play and an opera bearing the same name.
“Brokeback Mountain is far more than a gay western,” Rick Moody penned in a 2005 review for The Guardian. “It’s a great American love story.”
Anne Hathaway and Michelle Williams portray the wives of the lead characters, as the film traces the complex love story of two cowboys over several years.
Is Brokeback Mountain a Western film?
Entertainment Weekly placed Brokeback Mountain in fifth place in a list of the 35 best Western movies from 1990 to 2024.
The publication said it was an “esssential” inclusion: “Though far from a Western in terms of structure, Brokeback Mountain is a powerfully emotional look at the model of American masculinity and the cowboy, and how that model fails two men completely.
“Anchored by four stellar performances from Heath Ledger, Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Williams, and Anne Hathaway, the film is an essential entry in the genre, regardless of its utter lack of shoot-outs.”
They defended the film’s standing as a Western movie, adding: “Anyone doubting Brokeback’s status as a Western should note that the script was penned by Lonesome Dove author Larry McMurtry and his co-writer, Diana Ossana.”
Oasis enthusiasts may be well-versed in the band’s anthems, but they might have overlooked Noel Gallagher’s contribution to a major Hollywood blockbuster.
The iconic rockers are gearing up for their 41-date comeback tour, which kicks off this Friday (July 4th) in Cardiff, followed by a five-night stint at Heaton Park the following weekend.
Despite the 16-year hiatus since their last album, Dig Out Your Soul, Noel has kept fans on their toes with fresh tracks. Yet, many may be unaware of his behind-the-scenes guidance to Hollywood heavyweight Bradley Cooper for his role in A Star is Born.
The 2018 hit film, a modern rendition of the 1930s original, charts the tumultuous life of music icon Jackson Maine (Cooper), who falls for rising starlet Ally Campana (Lady Gaga).
Cooper’s portrayal of Jack not only captivated audiences but also landed him an Oscar nomination for Best Leading Actor, and it appears Gallagher played a part in this achievement, reports the Manchester Evening News.
In a chat following the film’s debut, Gallagher disclosed his involvement in coaching Cooper for the character.
“He used to say to me, ‘I want to get it right.’ The hardest thing in the world is pretending to be a rock star,” he shared with Q Magazine.
Gallagher even praised Cooper’s performance, remarking: “For somebody who isn’t a singer or a guitar player he carries that s*** f****** well.”
While Gallagher remained tight-lipped about the specific advice he gave, he did mention that one of his stage “moves” made it into the final edit.
His on-stage mannerisms are reflected in the film as Cooper’s character walks across the stage, bends both arms and claps twice.
The rock star reflected: “I was like, ‘That is me. That’s my patented f****** move!”
The film scooped up multiple Oscar nominations including Best Picture and won Best Original Song for its hit sngle, Shallow. Sam Elliott was recognised with a Best Supporting Actor nomination, while Lady Gaga vied for Best Leading Actress.
The movie also contended for awards in Cinematography, Adapted Screenplay, and Sound Mixing.
A Star is Born is streaming now on Sky Cinema and NOW
Glastonbury Festival made its big return this year for another five-day extravaganza. As the iconic event draws to a close, fans will already be looking ahead to next year.
However, in 2026, everything will be quiet at Worthy Farm because the massive annual festival will not be happening. Emily Eavis, the organiser of the Glastonbury Festival, announced to fans last summer that 2026 will be a “fallow year”. This means that Glastonbury will be going on a break for 724 days, but will be back in style for 2027. But what is a fallow year and why are they important?
A fallow year is a planned break that allows the farmland to grow uninterrupted. The last time this happened was in 2018. However, due to the coronavirus pandemic, both the 2020 and 2021 festivals were cancelled. Since then, the festival has taken place every year.
Ms Eavis explained to Annie Mac and Nick Grimshaw that Glastonbury was “due a fallow year”. Typically, the fallow years take place every five years of the festival.
She said on the BBC’s Sidetracked podcast: “We are due a fallow year. The fallow year is important because it gives the land a rest, and it gives the cows a chance to stay out for longer and reclaim their land.
“I think it’s important, I think it gives everybody time to just switch off and the public as well. It is a lot, isn’t it? Then you kind of go away for a bit and it feels lovely when you come back. And I think it’s quite good not [to] seem to be cashing in.”
Ms Eavis also said the year off is beneficial to the local area. She explained to the BBC: “Sustainability and the need to live in harmony with the land has always been vital to Glastonbury Festival. And I think it’s important because it just gives everybody a little time to just switch off.”
If you are already planning ahead for Glastonbury 2027, tickets will likely go on sale next year, either in October or November 2026, with a resale in April 2027.
You can watch the highlights of Glastonbury 2025 on BBC iPlayer.
Fans of animated films are being warned they have just days left to watch a “heart-warming” family comedy for free.
“The Secret Life of Pets 2”, the 2019 animated sequel, continues the adventures of house dogs Max and Duke as they embark on a farm-bound road trip. Facing off against unfriendly foxes and cows, they encounter the wise sheepdog Rooster who imparts some life lessons to Max.
The film’s synopsis details: “The lives of Max and Duke are turned upside down when their owner Katie meets and marries Chuck. With the new arrival of their baby son Liam, Max is initially disapproving but grows to love the boy. His tendency to be overprotective is challenged by a visit to Chuck’s uncle’s farm, where sheepdog Rooster teaches Max some valuable lessons.”
Currently available on BBC iPlayer, “The Secret Life of Pets 2” will soon depart from the service, with just days remaining.
The deadline to stream the movie is July 8. The voice cast boasts Kevin Hart as Snowball and Harrison Ford as Rooster, with Chris Renaud voicing Norman and Jenny Slate as Gidget, reports Surrey Live.
Following its predecessor in 2016, this sequel has maintained its status as a fan favourite, hailed as the perfect “summer movie.”
A Rotten Tomatoes user praised the film, saying: “So good and so simple! The type of movie that you don’t mind watching a couple times(30) with your five year old. Great sequel. Enjoy this movie with the family.”
Another said: “Childhood classic!!!!!!!!!”. A third reviewer wrote: “Hilarious, exciting, warm, and sweet as can be, Secret Life of Pets 2 is perfectly wholesome entertainment with just enough adventure to keep it popping. The affections of the characters and the willingness they have to help each other in hilarious ways makes a great escape from reality.”
On Google reviews, a fan praised the film: “The Secret Life of Pets 2” continues the playful and heartwarming exploration of what our beloved pets get up to when we’re not around.
“Directed by Chris Renaud and co-directed by Jonathan del Val, this sequel expands on the world introduced in the first film while introducing new characters and adventures.”
Another critic raved: “I loved this movie! It was much better than I expected it to be. I like it more than the first. Good blend of action and comedy.
The Secret Life of Pets 2 can be streamed on BBC iPlayer.
Netflix viewers will be pleased to learn that the sequel to a brand new horror movie is now streaming on the platform. Fans have described the film as “tense” and “everything a zombie film should be”. 28 Weeks Later was directed by Juan Carlos Fresnadillo and stars Jeremy Renner, Robert Carlyle, Rose Byrne, Imogen Poots, Mackintosh Muggleton, Harold Perrineau and Idris Elba among others.
The film’s synopsis reads: “Six months after the original epidemic, the rage virus has all but annihilated the population of the British Isles. Nevertheless the U.S. Army declares the danger past, and American soldiers arrive to restore order and begin reconstruction. Refugees return to British soil, but one of them carries a deadly secret: The virus is not gone and is even more dangerous than before.”
The film does not have as high a rating on Rotten Tomatoes as its successor 28 Years Later but it still scores a respectable 73% from the critics. Their consensus reads: “While 28 Weeks Later lacks the humanism that made 28 Days Later a classic, it’s made up with fantastic atmosphere and punchy direction.”
One critic said: “It’s an exciting, well-directed thriller that, while providing more than enough action and gore to satisfy genre fans, also offers the political commentary that has characterized zombie movies.”
“Relentlessly grim and grisly, 28 Weeks Later is not for the faint of heart. But its provocative post-apocalyptic theme makes for a smart and deeply unsettling film,” another added.
An audience user said: “Everything a zombie film should be. Sinister and cutthroat intensity that builds frightening chaos. Fast cut editing and a great score with emotional layers. The writing fills out the franchise in exciting ways with insane action.”
One reviewer described the film as “tense” with another billing it as a “masterpiece”.
A reviewer added: “With the franchise now in the hands of other cinema professionals, 28 Weeks Later does an incredible job of replicating Danny Boyle’s directorial style, as well as Alex Garland’s Britain of horrors. Everything, including filming setbacks, such as the original’s shaky hand cam recordings and experimenting with color and quality, have been reproduced.”
PS5 owners can take advantage of a special bonus this weekend, as Sony makes online multiplayer available for free.
In order to celebrate the 15-year anniversary of PlayStation Plus, all PS5 and PS4 owners can play online multiplayer from 12.01am BST on June 28, until 11.59pm BST on June 29.
This means you can play the likes of Elden Ring Nightreign in groups, EA FC 25 against human opposition, and Overcooked with friends.
Sony explains more: “We’ll have an Online Multiplayer weekend this Saturday and Sunday (June 28 at 12:01am to June 29 at 11:59pm local time) where all players can join online multiplayer matches with no PlayStation Plus membership required.”
The free online multiplayer weekend is just one of many bonuses available to celebrate the anniversary of PlayStation Plus.
PlayStation Plus Premium subscribers, for example, can check out trials of WWE 2K25 and Monster Hunter Wilds.
There’s also an exclusive sale for PlayStation Plus subscribers, which runs from June 27 until June 29.
It’s not quite on par with the Steam Summer Sale, but there are discounts on the likes of Sniper Elite: Resistance, Sid Meier’s Civilization VII and Star Wars Outlaws.
Elsewhere, there’s a brand new free Valorant Pack for PS Plus members, which contains two Prelude to Chaos Gun Buddies, a Kohaku & Matsuba Player Card, one Imperium Spray, one Chronovoid Spray, and ten Radianite Points.
There’s even a chance to win prizes courtesy of a selection of PlayStation Tournaments.
Sony explains more: “Players will get the opportunity to compete in popular titles like EA Sports FC, NBA 2K, UFC, Madden NFL, College Football, Tekken 8, and more for a chance to win prizes including in-game virtual currency, an exclusive PSN avatar, and Sony Pictures Core Movie Credits.
“Access the Tournament through custom tournament cards or the in-game menu, choose your competition, and prepare to showcase your skills in exciting 1v1 matchups.”
Finally, PlayStation Plus Premium members can unlock a 15% discount on up to 2,000 movies from the Sony Pictures Core library.
To coincide with the announcement of the free online multiplayer weekend, Sony revealed the PS Plus games for July 2025. The line-up includes Diablo 4, King of Fighters 15 and Jusant.
Goodfellas is hailed by many as the pinnacle of cinema, a towering achievement in film-making and a cornerstone of the gangster genre. Martin Scorsese’s iconic film chronicles the life of Henry Hill, an Irish-Italian American who grows up idolising the Mafia in his New York neighbourhood, subsequently spiralling into a world of crime.
The movie opens with the famous line: “As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a gangster.” This true-to-life saga follows Henry’s ascent and descent in the underworld from the 1950s through to 1980. Often cited as second only to The Godfather in the echelon of mob movies, it received higher praise from acclaimed critic Roger Ebert, who hailed it as superior.
In The Chicago Sun-Times, Ebert writes: “No finer film has ever been made about organized crime – not even The Godfather.”
Goodfellas, possibly Scorsese’s most revered work, was described by USA Today as “a whopping good time” at its premiere and has remained timeless since.
The consensus on Rotten Tomatoes describes it as: “Hard-hitting and stylish, GoodFellas is a gangster classic — and arguably the high point of Martin Scorsese’s career.”
Curiously, the film enjoys even greater adulation among general movie-goers than critics on Rotten Tomatoes, boasting a dazzling 97% audience rating over the critics’ score of 94%. On IMDB, it scores a lofty 8.7 out of 10.
David Denby, writing for New York Magazine in 1990, praised the Scorsese masterpiece GoodFellas as: “GoodFellas, written by Nicholas Pileggi and Martin Scorsese, and directed by Scorsese, is the greatest film ever made about the sensual and monetary lure of crime, and the whole perversely brilliant movie comes into focus in a single, staggering shot.”
The cinematic heavyweight was placed eighth by Empire in its definitive roundup of the ‘100 Best Movies of All Time to Watch’, trailing The Godfather by five positions.
“No film hits like Goodfellas,” proclaimed the esteemed film magazine. “Just like the cocaine that turns effortlessly charismatic gangster fanboy Henry Hill into a reckless maniac, that drives him to the edge of a heart attack, that makes him paranoid (OR IS HE? ), the film enters your system with a jolt, giving you an immediate rush, and keeps you wanting more, more, more, MORE, until it finally comes crashing down, back to bleak reality, and then just finishes.
“And you have to live the rest of your life like a schnook, because, frankly, no other film compares to Goodfellas. The only solution: another big snort of Goodfellas. Scorsese, writer Nicholas Pileggi and editor Thelma Schoonmaker constructed almost the entire film like a trailer, one scene bleeding into the next, not giving you the opportunity to stop watching, to let go, to take a breath. It’s an unstoppable feat of propulsion. Now that’s cinema.”
Coldplay enthusiasts have been eagerly anticipating the band’s colossal Music of the Spheres tour, set to kick off in just a matter of weeks. The group, led by Chris Martin, will be gracing the UK with 12 massive stadium performances throughout August and September. And, not only will they be making their debut at Hull’s Craven Park Stadium, but the Yellow hitmakers will also be undertaking a ten-show stint at London’s iconic Wembley Stadium where they’ll be performing to a cumulative 1 million fans.
Tickets for these gigs were launched last year and, as expected, most – if not all – of them were bought up in minutes. Since then, fans have been scouring a plethora of websites to get their Coldplay fix. This includes both official, VIP and resale websites. And we’ve got the full breakdown below on where to get the cheapest tickets right now.
Coldplay tickets are currently available for purchase on several online websites. This includes both official and resale websites.
Resale retailers such as viagogo, Vivid Seats and StubHub allow fans to buy and sell tickets at their leisure.
And, at the time of writing, prices for these tickets seem to be on the downward spiral.
Meanwhile, the VIP and hospitality website Seat Unique still has some availability right now. And this platform offers fans the opportunity to purchase Coldplay tickets with additional perks, such as box seats, premium views, complimentary food and beverages, and much more.
The Squid Grounds map will be the sole Reload map during the launch weekend and will replace Oasis in the long-term.
In terms of POIs, the Squid Grounds map features staged town sets and a hollowed-out labyrinth. Fans can even play Red Light Green Light.
The full list of POIs include Player’s Power, Square Meals, Affluent Arrivals, Costly Condos, Manager’s Meals, Designer Docks, Phoney Crossroads, Hectic Hedges, Red Greens and The Labyrinth.
It also adds a few new and debuting weapons for Reload, including the Red-Eye Submachine Gun, the Uncommon Boogie Bomb and the Itemised Glider Redeploy.
It’s also worth noting that the Squid Game map will coincide with the Rank Reset in Fortnite Reload.
Prior to the release of the Squid Grounds map, Epic Games will also release a selection of Squid Game skins.
The Fortnite Squid Game bundles will be available with the Item Shop reset at 1am BST UK time on June 27. That’s 8pm ET on June 26 for fans living in the US.
the Squid Game crossover features Guard and Manager skins, as well as Squid Game Player skins.
Guard and Manager skins are priced at 1,500 V-Bucks each, while Squid Game Players cost 1,200 each.
There’s also an accessory pack that will reportedly be available for 700 V-Bucks.
It contains the Delicious Dalgona Backbling, the Ddakji Box Backbling, the Squid Shape Wrap and the Lil’ Prized Piggy Bank emote.
James Bond has revealed its next director in a bombshell new announcement from Amazon MGM Studios. Denis Villeneuve, who recently directed blockbusters Dune and Dune: Part Two, as well as Sicario and Prisoners, will be taking the helm as the highly-anticipated film’s new dirctor. In a statement he said: “Some of my earliest movie-going memories are connected to 007. I grew up watching James Bond films with my father, ever since Dr. No with Sean Connery. I’m a die-hard Bond fan. To me, he’s sacred territory.
“I intend to honour the tradition and open the path for many new missions to come. This is a massive responsibility, but also, incredibly exciting for me and a huge honour.” Mike Hopkins, Head of Amazon MGM Studios, said: “We are honoured that Denis has agreed to direct James Bond’s next chapter. He is a cinematic master, whose filmography speaks for itself … James Bond is in the hands of one of today’s greatest filmmakers and we cannot wait to get started on 007’s next adventure.”
The new appointment is part of a new series of changes to the franchise following producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson giving creative control to Amazon, a deal which is reported to have cost a whopping $1bn.
Villeneuve is about to begin shooting the third Dune film, Dune: Messiah, which is currently scheduled for a 2006 release.
There has been no confirmation of the release date of the next Bond film, and bosses are also yet to announce the next James Bond following Daniel Craig’s exit, with speculation rife about who it could be.
The current top favourites for the coveted role are Theo James, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and James Norton. Speaking about the role, Taylor-Johnson appeared to rule himself out, telling GQ: “I don’t feel like I need to have a future drawn out for me. I feel like, whatever’s drawn out for me, I can fucking do better.”
Movie boss Barbara Broccoli has dropped a huge hint about the role, saying the next James Bond actor will be in his 30s and could be of any race, saying: “It will be a man. He’ll likely be in his 30s. Whiteness is not a given.”
Fortnite fans are about to be treated to another new crossover event, which begins with an imminent Item Shop update.
To coincide with the release of the final season of Squid Game, Fortnite developer Epic Games will release new Squid Game skins, items and a Reload map in the coming days.
The Fortnite Squid Game bundles will be available with the Item Shop reset at 1am BST UK time on June 27. That’s 8pm ET on June 26 for fans living in the US.
According to insiders such as Shiina, the Squid Game crossover features Guard and Manager skins, as well as Squid Game Player skins.
Guard and Manager skins are priced at 1,500 V-Bucks each, while Squid Game Players cost 1,200 each.
There’s also an accessory pack that will reportedly be available for 700 V-Bucks.
It contains the Delicious Dalgona Backbling, the Ddakji Box Backbling, the Squid Shape Wrap and the Lil’ Prized Piggy Bank emote.
The full bundle will be available at the discounted price of 3,000 V-Bucks.
In addition to Squid Game skins and items, Epic Games is also releasing a brand new Squid Game map for Reload, which was leaked following the recent Fortnite update.
The Squid Game Reload map makes its debut at 12pm BST UK time on June 27. It launches alongside the Rank Reset.
The Squid Grounds map is said to feature familiar playground locations from the games, including staged town sets and a hollowed-out labyrinth. According to Epic Games, fans can even play Red Light Green Light.
The Squid Grounds map will be the sole Reload map during the launch weekend and will replace Oasis in the long-term.
It also adds a few new and debuting weapons for Reload, including the Red-Eye Submachine Gun, the Uncommon Boogie Bomb and the Itemised Glider Redeploy.
Fans of the legendary songwriter Bob Dylan believe one of his best albums is an “overlooked” release from late in his career.
The Blowin’ in the Wind songwriter has plenty of great releases under his belt, but those working through his expansive discography believe they have stumbled on a classic.
A fan who took to the r/BobDylan Reddit page believes one of the later stage releases to be “one of the best,” matching the standard set by firm fan favourites like Highway 61 Revisited and Blood on the Tracks.
Fellow listeners are in agreement at the album being “one of his masterpieces” as they say it holds up when compared to the highlights of his discography.
One user has even argued it is the defining album of Dylan’s career so far, and could be considered “his greatest masterpiece.”
The original post reads: “I just listened to Time Out of Mind for the first time and it’s one of the best. Im a long time Dylan fan since I was a kid I even managed to get all of his records 1962-1978 Street Legal was the last good one I heard.
“Slow Train Coming wasn’t awful just not my type of thing. Oh Mercy was pretty good and Saved was, wellm I’ll just leave it at that. But why does no one talk about Time Out of Mind as much?
“It sounds like the same vibe of Rough and Rowdy Ways but if Dylan had energy. Has anyone else just recently listened to it for the first time?”
Favourable comparisons to Dylan’s most recent studio album, Rough and Rowdy Ways, caught the attention of a few commenters. One fan suggested Time Out of Mind kicked off a “renaissance” period for Dylan, which also includes his 2020 album release.
They wrote: “It and Highway 61 Revisited are my favorite Dylan albums and two of my top ten favorites by anyone. Time Out of Mind won the Grammy award for album of the year.
“It’s a masterpiece – every song on it is amazing, and they work together to create an atmospheric mood. Heartbreak, mortality, and blues.
“And it was even more of a comeback than Oh Mercy was – it kicked off his late period renaissance that continued with Love and Theft and through Rough and Rowdy Ways to today.”
Another has suggested Time Out of Mind is a gold standard for Dylan. They shared: “Time Out of Mind is definitely one of his masterpieces, it is debatable his greatest masterpiece.”
One user though has found little to love about the 1997 album release, calling Time Out of Mind a predictable piece that they simply could not get into.
They wrote: “Tried it once and couldn’t get into it. Despite the hype it just didn’t sound like Dylan to me. My one memory of it is that there were lots of rhymes you could see coming a mile away. That ain’t Dylan.”
WWE 2K25 fans are counting down to the release of the second major DLC pack and content drop.
Available as part of the season pass, the Dunk and Destruction Pack has a June 25 release date on PlayStation, Xbox and PC.
As the name suggests, the add-on introduces five new characters to the game, including three NBA stars.
For starters, the Dunk and Destruction Pack adds NBA legend and big wrestling fan Shaquille O’Neal.
Shaq has made multiple appearances in WWE and AEW, previously entering the Andre The Giant Battle Royale.
NBA stars Tyrese Haliburton and Jalen Brunson are also part of the DLC pack, although it’s unclear if the latter will be available on June 25 or later in the year.
Fortunately for WWE fans, the Dunk and Destruction Pack also adds a couple of actual wrestlers to the game.
This includes The Great Khali, as well as popular TNA mainstay and current WWE producer Abyss.
Additional DLC packs will be released in the coming year, beginning with the Fearless Pack in July, the Attitude Era Pack in September and the Saturday Night’s Main Event Pack in November.
Upcoming characters include Road Dogg, Billy Gunn, Mark Henry, Sid Justice, Junkyard Dog and Jesse ‘The Body’ Ventura.
WWE 2K25 adds the Bloodline themed Showcase mode, which features iconic matches and moments from the group.
The game is also said to feature the return of chain wrestling, Underground and Bloodline Rules match types and barricade diving.
Elsewhere, MyGM is said to have gone global with the addition of online multiplayer and multi-week seasonal content.
WWE Universe mode features commentary-driven promos with new cutscenes, as well as branching choices with multiple outcomes.
The roster has also been given an upgrade, featuring more than 300 wrestlers from multiple generations, including The Undertaker, CM Punk, Cody Rhodes and more.
As Glastonbury Festival 2025 approaches, a detailed list of all the food vendors has been revealed, ensuring that festival-goers are well-fed and energized for the exciting week and weekend ahead. The festival’s gates officially open to the public tomorrow (Wednesday, June 25), welcoming over 100,000 people to the mini-city in Somerset to enjoy performances by Olivia Rodrigo, Neil Young, and The 1975, among others.
The comprehensive list of food vendors was made available by Glastopedia, an unofficial Glastonbury Festival information site. On June 9, Glastopedia shared the names and locations of all 357 food stalls that will be present at the festival this year via Blue Sky. In an initial post on June 6, Glastopedia announced: “Do you like Glastonbury? Do you like food? Do you like.. me?
“Anyway here’s the full list of food vendors for 2025. 70+ newcomers and a few fan favourites returning after some time off. Locations slowly being added!”
Out of the 357 food stalls, over 250 will be participating in the festival’s £6 meal deal. Participating vendors will display a sticker on their menu, highlighting the food options available for the deal, reports SomersetLive.
For £6, festival-goers can enjoy a range of options, including a katsu wrap, classic grilled cheese with slaw, a muesli and coffee breakfast combination, a bowl of homemade chilli, a kids’ meal with a drink, a falafel pitta, a hearty salad, Thai curry and rice, and chicken with fries and gravy. The £6 meal deal, a staple since 2015, underscores Glastonbury’s commitment to affordable grub.
This year sees over 70 fresh additions to the menu, alongside returning crowd-pleasers like Anna Mae’s Mac and Cheese, Archie’s Toastie Shop, Dosa Deli, The Hippy Chippy, Tibetan Kitchen, and Mexican Soul.
So, before you embark on your journey to the festival, get acquainted with the plethora of culinary delights on offer below.
Fortnite fans are counting down to the release of a new Blitz Royale ruleset, which introduces Avatar: The Last Airbender gameplay.
Blitz Royale is a new limited time game mode that runs until July 15. Perfect for mobile play, Blitz Royale matches last for around five minutes and feature ever-evolving gameplay.
Indeed, each week Epic Games will introduce a new twist to the formula, including a Last Airbender theme for week two.
Blitz Royale’s The Avatar Returns event has a June 24 release date on all platforms.
Running for a week, the Avatar Returns Blitz Royale event sees players start with the Bending Scroll from the series.
“Pagodas from the Four Nations appear on the map, and players start with a Bending Scroll from Avatar: The Last Airbender,” Epic explains.
New gameplay will be introduced next week, when the Bad Bosses event starts of July 1.
According to Epic Games, Bending Scrolls will be replaced by power-packed boss weapons like Thorne’s Vampiric Blade and the new Blitz Chain of Hades.
Finally, beginning on July 8, fans will be treated to a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles event in Blitz Royale.
TMNT Melee Mayhem introduces melee weapons from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, plus Megalo Don’s Nitro Fists, the Mythic Typhoon Blade, Blitz Kneecapper, and more.
If you haven’t already played it, Blitz Royale is a 32-person game mode in which all players start with the same random Medallion or unique weapon on a small map.
Players can increase their Blitz Levels by eliminating opponents and surviving Storm circles.
Epic explains more: “As you level up, get powerful weapons and power-ups. Loot Golden Chests for even more power-ups and Golden Supply Drops for even more Medallions.”
If you earn ten Account Levels in Fortnite or secure top ten finish in 20 different Blitz Royale matches, you’ll unlock the Blitz Knight Outfit. It’s available until July 15.
Yungblud delivered a rock-heavy performance as he celebrated his new album (Image: Getty)
It was a big weekend for Yungblud, aka Dom Harrison. Just one day after releasing his fourth studio album, Idols, the gates opened for his self-curated festival, Bludfest ,which returned for a second year. This time, the star was getting exactly what he wanted. The latest album marks a new chapter for the Doncaster star: it’s thoughtful, less chaotic, and noticeably more mature. But after a long campaign building up to its release, instead of giving fans an opportunity to digest it, Dom believed that performing it live almost immediately was the only way to give the album the recognition it deserves.
“There’s no better celebration,” he said ahead of his headline slot. “People will form a different connection with the songs they hear live, so it might change someone’s perception of their favourite on the album and I love that.” That trust in his fanbase is what’s made Bludfest possible in the first place. And this year, everything about the setup showed that lessons from the previous year had been learned.
Don’t miss… Sting sends message as support act drummer collapses at festival [LATEST] Kelsey Parker announces tragic death of third child in heartbreaking post [LATEST]
Gone were the long queues and delays that affected last year’s entry. By early afternoon, the arena was already filling out smoothly. Once inside, the scale of the event felt bigger and better thought out. Fans could head straight into the main stage area, check out the second stage, or explore the returning Yungblud Village.
The village itself had been expanded to include a skate ramp, fairground-style stalls like bingo and hook-a-duck, and a huge Idols truck stocked with new merch.The second stage in particular stood out as a real upgrade. It was positioned where fans could find it more easily and, more importantly, where the performances got the space and attention they deserved.
Nashville-based, up-and-comer, Reece Young opened the stage with his first ever UK performance, later calling it: “the best show he ever played,” explaining the short four day trip was: “a long way to come but worth it.”
The star is ready to take his festival to the next level (Image: Getty)
Throughout the day, Bludfest delivered a series of firsts. Luvcat made her main stage debut, drawing an enthusiastic crowd, while Blackbear returned to live music after a three-year hiatus, even live-streaming part of his set from on stage. Later, Rachel Chinouriri closed out the second stage with her first festival headline set.
Though her crowd wasn’t as large as she deserved – thanks to the relentless sun and a scheduling clash with Chase Atlantic on the main stage – she still delivered a joyous set with both ease and emotion. As a steady stream of crowds moved between the two stages all day long, it showcased just how playing at Bludfest can help elevate artists and their fanbase.
But there was no doubt who the day had been building toward. A sea of Yungblud merch stretched across the arena, some worn-in, others freshly bought by fans and families alike. And as the sun dipped behind the trees at Milton Keynes Bowl, the crowd erupted for the star of the show.
Dressed in a matching leather jacket and trousers, Yungblud swaggered onstage opening with the nine-minute ‘Hello Heaven, Hello’ and making it clear he was ready to take the spotlight.
The stage, which jutted out into the crowd in a long T, let him move between fans with ease as he launched into ‘Lovesick Lullaby’, fully kicking off the set with feverish energy. He tore through ‘The Funeral,’ ‘Strawberry Lipstick,’ and ‘Fleabag’ before vanishing, only to return with an orchestra for a dramatic live debut of ‘The Greatest Parade.’
He knew this was his stage and he loved every minute of it. But even so, he made sure to thank his fans throughout: “This is because of you,” he told the crowd, arms stretched wide. “I love you all.”
From there, he delivered a run of fan favourites: ‘Parents,’ ‘California,’ and ‘Cotton Candy’, while new tracks ‘Change’ and ‘Monday Murder’ slotted seamlessly into the set.
The highlight of the night soon followed. After all, an album titled Idols wouldn’t be complete without a real idol making an appearance. And with that, Yungblud introduced none other than Billy Idol to the stage.
The star was joined on stage by Billy Idol (Image: Getty)
Together, they launched into Billy’s 1982 hit, ‘White Wedding’; two generations of leather-clad rebels sharing the spotlight. Dom dropped to his knees, giving full praise to the star before him. It felt like a clear message: this was the status Dom aspired to in the future.
For the encore, he returned with the iconic ‘Loner’, anthemic newcomer ‘Ghosts’, and the heartful ‘Zombie’. The latter track, given even more weight by its striking music video starring Florence Pugh, hit just as hard live and closed the set with a sense of purpose.
Earlier in the day, I asked Dom what all this meant going forward.
Would Bludfest be sidelined as he focused on his growing stardom or would it start to evolve into something bigger? “I promise I will do one Bludfest a year, minimum,” he said.
Would that be in Milton Keynes or somewhere further afield I nudged? “It’s going international.”
So whether that’s in Prague, Paris, Latvia or South America, it’s clear that Bludfest is here to stay.
Sting has shared updates on the status of one of his friends after they suffered a cardiac arrest live on stage. The multi-award-winning musician appeared on the Pier Head stage on Sunday evening finish off the four-day music extravaganza, On The Waterfront.
However, his set began with him relaying to fans the harrowing events that had suspended festivities a few hours prior.
The Christians were performing their afternoon gig when suddenly one of the band’s members collapsed, leading to immediate alarm and an abrupt cessation of their act.
Witnesses recounted how lead singer Garry Christian made an urgent plea for medical assistance onstage. A screen was rapidly put up around the stricken band member to give them privacy as concert-goers observed the tense rescue effort in hushed concern.
A representative for the band – believed to be their manager, Emma Bridget – soon provided an anxious crowd with grave news. She verified that the band member had experienced cardiac arrest but was fortunately still alive, reports the Mirror.
“We’re really hoping he is going to make it,” she declared to the audience. “He didn’t have a pulse, he’s got one now, we think. Thank you so much.”
In the wake of the unsettling episode, The Christians are said to have shown enormous spirit, urging Sting to continue with his planned headliner show, giving him their complete backing.
Upon gracing the stage, Sting took a moment to address the audience with sombre news about the preceding band’s drummer: “The drummer in the band before is OK. He’s in hospital. All of us are praying he’s going to be fine. Our thoughts are with him.”
The iconic singer’s heartfelt acknowledgment was a notable emotion-tinged moment, marking his first performance in Liverpool since the late ’70s.
Embracing the musical heritage of the city, the distinguished artist expressed his sentiments, adding: “I apologise. I don’t know what kept me. I’m happy to be in this historic music city. The most historic music city in the world for obvious reasons.”
Hailing from Wallsend, North Tyneside, Sting shared a touch of nostalgia, commenting on Liverpool’s resemblance to his own roots prior to his performance.
His concert concluded the 2025 On The Waterfront festival, which featured a series of performances at the renowned Merseyside venue by acts that included The Wombats, The Wolfe Tones, and Cream Classical Ibiza.
To date, there have been no new updates on the state of health of The Christians’ drummer.
A “brutally realistic” war film has been hailed as “fantastic” but “gruelling” to watch, and is “Certified Fresh” on Rotten Tomatoes. Beasts of No Nation (2015) tells the story of a young boy called Aga (played by Abraham Attah) as he is groomed to become a child soldier amid a horrific civil war in a fictional West African country.
Idris Elba co-stars as his sickeningly evil commandant, in a performance that saw the Hollywood actor nominated for a Golden Globe. The film was written, directed, and co-produced by Cary Joji Fukunaga, known for his work on the likes of hit series True Detective and James Bond flick No Time to Die.
Based on Uzodinma Iweala’s novel of the same name, the film is praised for its gritty realism and tragic depiction of Aga’s loss of innocence.
One audience reviewer on Rotten Tomatoes described the film as “Fantastic, gruelling, and emotional. This movie should have got some Oscar noms. Edris Elba is incredible in this role, one of his best performances, in my opinion.”
Another said: “I don’t remember it being this good. This is simply one of the best war movies I’ve ever seen.
“Brutally realistic. Nothing is watered down,” they added.
A third, who gave the film five stars, said the film “represents what I couldn’t even dream of in a nightmare”.
“It’s almost soul-destroying, but I cannot recommend it enough,” they continued.
“It’s a pertinent depiction of what is going on in the world, and you NEED to watch this, and hopefully feel compelled enough to do something to help, however big or small the gesture may be.”
The film is rated 15 and features some deeply disturbing scenes. The British Board of Film Classification notes that it contains strong bloody violence, sexual violence, bad language, and drug misuse, so it may not be for everyone.
But though the film confronts hideous aspects of the child soldier phenomenon, its high score among critics and the broader public reflects the high esteem in which it is held.
On Rotten Tomatoes’ Tomatometer, the film has a score of 91% (the percentage of approved critics who have given it a positive review).
It’s also got a 92% Popcornmeter score, which is based on the percentage of users who gave it a rating of 3.5 stars or higher.
The next batch of PlayStation Plus games are about to be announced by Sony. Consisting of three PS4 and PS5 games, the next wave of releases should be revealed at 4.30pm BST UK time on the afternoon of June 25. The games will be available to download and install from July 1.
The new games will replace the current line-up of Bomb Rush Cyberfunk, Alone in the Dark and NBA 2K25. Judging by the latest predictions, many fans believe another high-profile sports title will join the service in July.
Indeed, in the regular predictions thread on Reddit, EA FC 25 is one of the games with the most picks.
With the Premier League season at an end and a new game inevitably launching this autumn, now would be a good time to release the game on PS Plus.
EA Sports recently released the Season Finale update, which made various gameplay improvements and tweaks, including changes to passing, goalkeepers and more.
Needless to say, the usual suspects of Atomic Heart, Assassin’s Creed Mirage, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora and Jusant also receive lots of predictions.
With Resident Evil Requiem announced for next year, it’s no surprise to see Resident Evil Village receive plenty of votes. There are also picks for Resident Evil 3 and Resident Evil 4.
However, Resident Evil Village makes the most sense, as it will give fans a chance to catch up on the story before the new release.
Lies of P seems to be picking up steam thanks to the recent release of the game’s Overture DLC. Giving the game away would boost player numbers and potentially help the studio sell more DLC.
Speaking of DLC, Still Wakes the Deep received a number of picks following the launch of Siren’s Rest.
There are also picks for Rise of the Ronin, LEGO Horizon Adventures, Lords of the Fallen, Terminator Resistance, Nier Automata, Gollum, and Persona 3 Reloaded.
There are also multiple picks for a Call of Duty game to join the line-up, with picks for a Modern Warfare, Vanguard and more.
Renowned film critic Roger Ebert was one of the most notable voices in cinema. He was the first film critic to win the Pulitzer Prize Award and he shared his views and passion for movies in an accessible and engaging way. He was first and foremost a fan of film before a critic and this was reflected in his writing.
One year before his death in 2013, Ebert decided to share a list of his favourite films to share with the British Film Institute for their popular Sight & Sound poll.
Here are five of his greatest films of all time that Ebert stated: “moved me deeply in one way or another”.
Casablanca
First up is the 1942 war romance directed by Michael Curtiz. Ebert said: “After seeing this film many times, I think I finally understand why I love it so much. It’s not because of the romance, or the humor, or the intrigue, although those elements are masterful. It’s because it makes me proud of the characters. These are not heroes — not except for Paul Heinreid’s resistance fighter, who in some ways is the most predictable character in the film. These are realists, pragmatists, survivors: Humphrey Bogart’s Rick Blaine, who sticks his neck out for nobody, and Claude Rains’ police inspector, who follows rules and tries to stay out of trouble. At the end of the film, when they rise to heroism, it is so moving because heroism is not in their makeup. Their better nature simply informs them what they must do.”
Citizen Kane
Citizen Kane was next on the list for Ebert: “I have just seen it again, a shot at a time, analyzing it frame-by-frame out at the University of Colorado at Boulder. We took 10 hours and really looked at this film, which is routinely named the best film of all time, almost by default, in list after list. Maybe it is. It’s some movie. It tells of all the seasons of a man’s life, shows his weaknesses and hurts, surrounds him with witnesses who remember him but do not know how to explain him. It ends its search for Rosebud, his dying word, with a final image that explains everything and nothing, and although some critics say the image is superficial, I say it is very deep indeed, because it illustrates the way that human happiness and pain is not found in big ideas but in the little victories or defeats of childhood.
“Few films are more complex, or show more breathtaking skill at moving from one level to another. Orson Welles, with his radio background, was able to segue from one scene to another using sound as his connecting link. In one sustained stretch, he covers 20 years between Merry Christmas and A very happy New Year. The piano playing of Kane’s young friend Susan leads into their relationship, his applause leads into his campaign, where applause is the bridge again to a political rally that leads to his downfall, when his relationship with Susan is unmasked. We get a three-part miniseries in five minutes.”
Floating Weeds
“I do not expect many readers to have heard of this film, or of Yasujiro Ozu, who directed it, but this Japanese master, who lived from 1903 to 1963 and whose prolific career bridged the silent and sound eras, saw things through his films in a way that no one else saw. Audiences never stop to think, when they go to the movies, how they understand what a close-up is, or a reaction shot. They learned that language in childhood, and it was codified and popularized by D. W. Griffith, whose films were studied everywhere in the world — except in Japan, where for a time a distinctively different visual style seemed to be developing. Ozu fashioned his style by himself, and never changed it, and to see his films is to be inside a completely alternative cinematic language.
Floating Weeds like many of his films, is deceptively simple. It tells of a troupe of traveling actors who return to an isolated village where their leader left a woman behind many years ago — and, we discover, he also left a son. Ozu weaves an atmosphere of peaceful tranquility, of music and processions and leisurely conversations, and then explodes his emotional secrets, which cause people to discover their true natures. It is all done with hypnotic visual beauty. After years of being available only in a shabby, beaten-up version usually known as Drifting Weeds, this film has now been re-released in superb videotape and laserdisc editions,” said Ebert on his third selection.
Gates of Heaven
1978’s Gates of Heaven was next up, with Ebert stating: “This film, not to be confused in any way with Heavens Gate (or with Gates of Hell, for that matter) is a bottomless mystery to me, infinitely fascinating. Made in the late 1970s by Errol Morris, it would appear to be a documentary about some people involved in a couple of pet cemeteries in Northern California. Oh, it’s factual enough: The people in this film really exist, and so does the pet cemetery. But Morris is not concerned with his apparent subject. He has made a film about life and death, pride and shame, deception and betrayal, and the stubborn quirkiness of human nature.
“He points his camera at his subjects and lets them talk. But he points it for hours on end, patiently until finally they use the language in ways that reveal their most hidden parts. I am moved by the son who speaks of success but cannot grasp it, the old man whose childhood pet was killed, the cocky guy who runs the tallow plant, the woman who speaks of her dead pet and says: ‘There’s your dog, and your dog’s dead. But there has to be something that made it move. Isn’t there?’ In those words is the central question of every religion. And then, in the extraordinary centerpiece of the film, there is the old woman Florence Rasmussen, sitting in the doorway of her home, delivering a spontaneous monolog that Faulkner would have killed to have written.”
La Dolce Vita
“Fellini’s 1960 film has grown passe in some circles, I’m afraid, but I love it more than ever. Forget about its message, about the “sweet life” along Rome’s Via Veneto, or about the contrasts between the sacred and the profane. Simply look at Fellini’s ballet of movement and sound, the graceful way he choreographs the camera, the way the actors move. He never made a more “Felliniesque” film, or a better one.
“Then sneak up on the subject from inside. Forget what made this film trendy and scandalous more than 30 years ago. Ask what it really says. It is about a man (Marcello Mastroianni in his definitive performance) driven to distraction by his hunger for love, and driven to despair by his complete inability to be able to love. He seeks love from the neurosis of his fiancee, through the fleshy carnality of a movie goddess, from prostitutes and princesses. He seeks it in miracles and drunkenness, at night and at dawn. He thinks he can glimpse it in the life of his friend Steiner, who has a wife and children and a home where music is played and poetry read. But Steiner is as despairing as he is. And finally Marcello gives up and sells out and at dawn sees a pale young girl who wants to remind him of the novel he meant to write someday, but he is hung over and cannot hear her shouting across the waves, and so the message is lost,” added the film critic.
If you’ve ever dreamed of being an FBI agent and solving crimes, then the latest Epic Games Store freebie is one for you.
A week after giving away Two Point Hospital for free, Epic Games is back with another excellent giveaway, as detective game The Operator joins the line-up.
Set in the 1990s, The Operator sees players investigate crimes at a desktop PC by taking calls, decrypting files and analysing evidence. It’s kind of like The X-Files meets The Blacklist.
In order to bag your free copy, simply visit the Epic Games Store, login to your account and click GET on The Operator store page.
Once you’ve added the game to your account, it’s yours to download and keep, no strings attached.
The Operator will be replaced by another game in less than a week, so make sure you act fast to avoid missing out.
Indeed, in its bid to compete with Steam as the number one PC gaming platform, Epic gives away at least one game for free every week.
The Operator is free from now until 4pm BST UK time on June 26, when it will be replaced by Sable.
As for The Operator, the popular detective game currently has a 92% rating on Steam.
“Time to clear your head, work through your hangover and start your first day as an Operator,” reads the official description.
“There are plenty of cases to solve. Assist our field agents using your computer console and ingenuity to bring criminals to justice. Ready to make the world a better place?
“When our field agents need support, they’ll call you. Help them by fact-checking, searching databases, identifying killers, and more. Each case will have evidence to evaluate, and it’s your job to dig into documents, connect the clues, and solve the mysteries.”
Earlier this year, Amazon MGM Studios announced that David Heyman (Harry Potter, Paddington) and Amy Pascal (Spider-Man franchise) will produce the next James Bond movie.
And now, the latest scoop from Hollywood is that the five major directors have pitched their visions for the 007 reboot to the pair.
According to two sources (and as already previously rumoured), Edward Berger (Conclave, All Quiet on the Western Front) has already pitched.
Meanwhile, Alfonso Cuarón (Harry Potter 3, Children of Men) had been in the mix, but the same insiders claim he’s recently removed himself from consideration.
Nevertheless, there are four other big names set to meet the producers for their Bond pitch.
According to Hollywood scooper Matthew Belloni, they are Denis Villeneuve (Dune, Arrival) and Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, Scott Pilgrim, Baby Driver). Additionally, Sir Christopher Nolan’s brother Jonathan Nolan (TV’s Westworld, Fallout) and Paul King (Paddington 1&2, Wonka). The plan is to have a director hired this summer, followed by a script and then comes casting the next Bond.
It’s fair to say that the FIFA/EA FC series has dominated the virtual football genre, pretty much eliminating all of the competition in its pursuit of the top spot.
As a fan of football games since the 1980s, I miss the variety of the classic footy titles like Sensible Soccer, International Superstar Soccer and Dino Dini’s. It felt like barely a week went by without a new football game hitting the shelves, something that’s sadly missing in a world where EA is the only game in town.
If you are sick of EA FC or simply fancy an alternative, then the good news is that there’s finally an alternative, as a new football game called Rematch makes its debut on PS5, Xbox Series X|S and Steam.
Rematch is developed by Sloclap, which is the same studio behind the superb beat-em-up Sifu and Absolver.
The game is much more of an arcade-style experience, featuring 5-v-5 matches, rush goalkeepers and no fouls. The only drawback is that it’s an online-only affair.
While it’s a complete departure from the studio’s previous releases, the early reviews for Rematch are very positive.
The game has a Mostly Positive rating on Steam and a 77% score on Metacritic. Gamesradar compares it favourably to Rocket League, saying the “just-one-more-game pull is magnetic”.
Rematch is available for £19.99 on PS5, or £20.99 on Steam and Xbox Series X|S. Alternatively, Xbox users can play the game as part of Game Pass.
Rematch developer Sloclap describes the game as a “perspective on football”.
“Designed from the ground up as an online multiplayer experience, Rematch offers split-second gameplay response that always feels fair,” reads the official description.
“Just like real football, winning requires both accuracy, fast reactions as well as flawless team collaboration.”
The game will feature seasonal gameplay, complete with new game modes and other events.
A beloved sci-fi classic from the director of Titanic and Avatar has been pulled from Disney Plus in the UK over the presence of an illegal scene. The Abyss, by legendary director James Cameron, includes a scene which sees a rat being dunked in a vat of fluorocarbon liquid, and a real rat was used in filming the scene.
Because of animal harm laws over films in the UK, the movie could have been banned in the UK unless the offending illegal scene was cut out. When The Abyss was released in 1989, the scene had to be cut out for its UK release after a campaign by the RSPCA. The rat is believed to have survived, but the after-effects of its dunking in a vat of liquid are not known. The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC), which issues age ratings to all films released in the UK, forced the film to be cut and remove the offending scene under the Cinematograph Films (Animals) Act 1937.
That law stipulates that no film can be released in the UK which contains scenes in which a real animal was harmed or suffered. Violating this law can carry both a fine and a prison sentence. The Video Recordings Act 1984 was also used to cut the scene later on home video release – meaning the scene had to be cut out on DVD and Bluray releases in the UK later on too, and the scene cannot be shown on TV.
Despite all these legal restrictions in place on every variant of the film in the UK, the uncut version was added to Disney Plus in the UK in April.
Following its addition, the RSPCA called out the ‘loophole’ which had allowed it to go onto the streaming service – because online streaming is not bound by the same laws as cinema and home DVD releases.
David Bowles, Head of Public Affairs for the animal charity, said in May: “The RSPCA is really concerned that a loophole currently exists allowing animal abuse scenes deemed unacceptable elsewhere to be streamed freely and legally into our homes.
“The Abyss’ controversial rat scene has long concerned the RSPCA, and has always been deemed unacceptable by BBFC — so it’s hard to fathom out why Disney Plus has decided to broadcast it.
“We need to ensure people are not being exposed to content which promotes or showcases cruelty to animals.
“As the way millions of households consume entertainment changes, it’s vital the legal framework is responsive to that and continues to consistently protect people and animals.”
Following the row, the film has now been pulled from Disney Plus entirely in the UK.
The Abyss currently has 89% score on Rotten Tomatoes. It’s been dubbed as ‘technically brilliant’ and a ‘visual tour de force’ including ‘the greatest underwater sequences ever seen on film’. The story involves a top secret recovery operation of a nuclear submaine ambushed deep underwater in mysterious circumstances.
The Beatles legend Ringo Starr has defended his son Zak Starkey after the drummer was sacked from The Who following a dispute with frontman Roger Daltrey.
Starkey, 59, who had played with the band since 1996, was let go for a second time in May after an on-stage disagreement at a Royal Albert Hall concert in March.
Speaking to Rolling Stone, Starkey claimed it was Daltrey, 81, who made the mistake during the group’s performance of The Song Is Over, insisting the singer “came in four bars early”.
“He just got lost,” Starkey said. “He blamed it on the drums being too loud and then it got made into this huge social media thing.”
Footage from the night showed Daltrey turning to Starkey and saying: “To sing that song I do need to hear the key and I can’t. All I’ve got is drums going boom boom boom.”
Starkey initially apologised on social media, writing: “Sorry Rog I dropped a few beats,” after reportedly being urged to do so by guitarist Pete Townshend. Townshend later said: “Roger did nothing wrong but fiddle with his in-ear monitors. Zak made a few mistakes and he has apologised.”
Despite being reinstated shortly after, Starkey was sacked again weeks later. Townshend said at the time: “The time has come for a change.”
Starkey told Rolling Stone that his father, Beatles drummer Ringo Starr, 84, had backed him after the split. “I’ve never liked the way that little man [Daltrey] runs that band,” Starr reportedly said.
“I’m very proud of my dad for standing up for me,” Starkey added.
When asked if financial reasons were behind his departure, Starkey said: “Roger is quite renowned… I once asked John Entwistle [former Who bassist] if Roger still had the money from the last Who tour. He goes, ‘He’s still got the money from the first one.’”
Despite the fallout, Starkey said he would still consider a return. “Of course I would go back if they asked,” he said, adding that Daltrey had recently told him: “Don’t take your drums out of the warehouse, we might be calling you.”
Daltrey, who has previously spoken about hearing loss, told fans earlier this year: “Not only am I going deaf, I’m also now going blind.”
“Fortunately I still have my voice because if I lose that I’ll have the full Tommy,” he said, referring to the band’s 1969 rock opera about a “deaf, dumb and blind” character.
Starkey, the godson of the late Keith Moon, is expected to be replaced ahead of The Who’s US tour this summer.
The long awaited third film in the epic British zombie franchise hits cinemas tomorrow.
28 Years Later stars James Bond favourite Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Jodie Comer and Ralph Fiennes, helmed once again by the original’s director Danny Boyle and screenwriter Alex Garland.
After being unavailable for a period outside of DVD, 2002’s 28 Days Later is finally back on digital.
The Cillian Murphy original is streaming now on BBC iPlayer and NOW in HD.
Meanwhile, 2007’s 28 Weeks Later starring Robert Carlyle and Jeremy Renner is available to watch on Netflix, Disney+ and Amazon Prime Video.
The latest movie takes place in 2030, 28 years after the British zombie apocalypse of 2002. The new film follows a Geordie family living on an island off the coast of the north of England as Great Britain remains permanently in quarantine, with neighbouring European nations patrolling the shores.
In just three weeks, Ozzy Osbourne will reunite with Black Sabbath for one final and special performance in Birmingham, a city which has long been a special place for the band. With many fond memories made in the West Midlands region, including the formation of the band, a number of never-before-seen photos of the quartet from the late 70s have been released ahead of their show.
At the time, the band was enjoying success following the release of their hit singles War Pigs, Paranoid, Supernaut, and Fairies Wear Boots. They enjoyed lavish new homes, which were a far cry from their working-class upbringing in Aston. During the 70s, the group, comprised of Ozzy, Tony Iommi, Bill Ward, and Geezer Butler, invited the Mirror to their homes and in previously unreleased photos, the band members look near unrecognisable.
In the old throwbacks, Tony posed in a plush and luxurious 70s-decorated living room, while seated on a vintage armchair. Elsewhere, Ozzy could be seen with an ammunition belt around him and breaking open his double-barrelled shotgun, according to the publication.
He was known to have had an interest in guns, particularly air rifles, during the 1970s and in a 2023 interview admitted to owning 23 air rifles and shooting 10,000 pellets a week.
In another photo released by the outlet, the rock group also mucked around in some water on the river in the scenic Wye Valley, with Ozzy and Geezer completely soaked.
The cover of Black Sabbath’s 1970 self-titled debut album, also features a striking image of a woman in a black cloak standing in front of a 15th-century watermill, Mapledurham Watermill, on the River Thames in Oxfordshire.
The heavy metal legends will play their farewell gig at hometown Birmingham’s Villa Park on July 5, with the original line-up reuniting on stage for the first time in more than 20 years. They will be supported by a stellar cast of rock and roll A-listers, including Metallica, Slayer, Pantera, and Gojira.
This performance will also mark Ozzy’s final performance, with a short solo set preceding Black Sabbath’s gig, with many songs from his critically acclaimed solo career. Proceeds from the concert will be donated to Cure Parkinson’s, Birmingham Children’s Hospital, and Acorn Children’s Hospice.
Ozzy revealed he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2019 and publicly announced it the following year. He has been open about living with the condition.
That year, during an interview on Good Morning America, the singer said: “It’s been terribly challenging for us all … I’m no good with secrets. I cannot walk around with it any more because it’s like I’m running out of excuses, you know?”
Robert De Niro’s legacy in the history of cinema is unquestionable – and aside from gracing our screens with his acting talent, De Niro has also helped bring some truly powerful stories to audiences.
One of De Niro’s best-reviewed, most celebrated and quietly haunting films was adapted from a book he counts among his personal favourites.
When De Niro picked up I Heard You Paint Houses, the 2004 nonfiction title by Charles Brandt, he immediately saw its cinematic potential. “Marty [Scorsese] and I were working on a project before that, and it was a different type of genre film… I said, ‘Well, I have to read this book that I spoke with Eric Roth about a couple of years earlier when it came out,’” he explained during the Variety Screening Series.
“There might be a lot of good research material here. I read it, and I said to Marty, ‘You’ve got to read this book. You’ll see.’ And that’s how it started.”
That suggestion eventually led to The Irishman – a film that garnered multiple Oscar nominations, widespread acclaim, and recognition as a late-career triumph for both De Niro and Scorsese.
The true crime novel is based on extensive interviews with Frank “The Irishman” Sheeran, a World War II veteran turned mob enforcer, in which he admits to numerous crimes – including, most notably, the killing of union boss Jimmy Hoffa.
It chronicles Sheeran’s transformation from soldier to hitman, highlighting his entanglements with the Bufalino crime syndicate and his close bond with Hoffa. Framed as a final confession to author Charles Brandt, a former prosecutor, the book dives into decades of underworld history.
While I Heard You Paint Houses has been applauded for its gripping narrative and window into organised crime, it has also stirred debate, with some questioning the truthfulness of Sheeran’s account – particularly around the events surrounding Hoffa’s death.
In Scorsese’s adaptation, De Niro takes on the role of Sheeran, opposite Al Pacino as Hoffa, and is joined by a cast that includes Joe Pesci, Ray Romano, Anna Paquin, Stephen Graham, and others.
“It was all there in the book. It had so many great things in it. The way the Frank Sheeran character talks is totally believable, totally real,” De Niro said about what drew him in.
“The situations he describes are real. You can’t fake that stuff”, he added. “You know it’s coming from a real place. For Marty and our history of doing stuff, I thought this would be a really good thing to do.”
Steam customers looking to buy some new games might want to hold off for a few days before making a purchase.
One of the biggest video game sales of the calendar is about to make its debut, with the Steam Summer Sale kicking off on June 26.
The Steam Summer Sale features hundreds, if not thousands of discounts on a selection of new and classic games. Indeed, if you’ve got lots of titles on your Steam Wishlist, then it’s likely they’ll receive a discount during the Summer Sale.
Previous Summer Sales have seen first-party games like Left 4 Dead and Portal reduced to next to nothing, while huge third-party blockbusters like Elden Ring and Hogwarts Legacy have been discounted by 50 to 75%.
There’s usually a Steam Deck section of the sale, which features discounts on games that are fully verified for Valve’s popular handheld device.
Unlike some of the smaller Steam Sales, the Summer Sale runs for two weeks, meaning you have plenty of time to take advantage of the discounts.
This year’s Summer Sale is pencilled in from June 6 until July 10, with more details expected to be revealed during the coming days.
In the meantime, PC gamers looking for a new gaming fix might want to check out the Epic Games Store, where Two Point Hospital is currently being given away for free.
To claim your free copy of Two Point Hospital, simply visit the Epic Games Store, where the game is available as the latest weekly giveaway.
Indeed, in its bid to compete with Steam as the number one PC gaming platform, Epic gives away at least one game for free every week.
Two Point Hospital is free from now until 4pm BST UK time on June 19, when it will be replaced by The Operator (which is also worth checking out).
Once you visit the Epic Games Store and have logged into your account, head over to the Two Point Hospital page and click the ‘GET’ button to add it to your library.
Once Two Point Hospital has been added to your library, it’s yours to download and keep, no strings attached.
Two Point Hospital is the latest in a long line of premium freebies on the Epic Games Store. The company recently gave away the likes of Dead Island 2, as well as Sifu, Limbo and Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands.
Steam, meanwhile, is about to launch its Fishing Fest event, which means fishing games will be discounted from June 16 until June 23.
Few figures have dominated both sides of the lens as successfully as Clint Eastwood – first as a tough-guy icon of Westerns and gritty thrillers, and later as the respected filmmaker behind hits like Million Dollar Baby, Unforgiven and American Sniper.
With over 50 years behind the camera and four Oscars to his name, Eastwood’s legacy in Hollywood is secure. And now, even in his 90s, the Dirty Harry star continues to direct films with the same stripped-back style that defined much of his career.
But despite his own towering achievements, Eastwood has never been shy about crediting those who came before him – and one filmmaker, in particular, stood out to him above all others.
In a conversation with The Guardian, Eastwood named Don Siegel as the most knowledgeable filmmaker he’d ever encountered. “He knew more about filmmaking than anybody I knew. He knew how to do a lot with very little.”
Siegel directed Eastwood in five features, including Coogan’s Bluff (1968), Two Mules for Sister Sara (1970), The Beguiled (1971), Escape from Alcatraz (1979), and most famously Dirty Harry (1971) – a film that not only spawned a franchise, but forever cemented Eastwood’s image as the antihero.
Their partnership helped to refine the sharp, no-frills approach to directing that Eastwood himself would later adopt.
“Don Siegel was much more of an old-school, B-movie director,” Eastwood explained. “He made some of the best B-movies ever made: Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Riot in Cell Block 11.”
Siegel’s early career in the Warner Bros montage department, cutting together scenes and learning the rhythm of film, gave him a foundational grasp of cinematic language that few could match.
By the time he was directing features in the 1940s, he had already internalised the mechanics of pacing and structure – something Eastwood admired deeply.
“He just understood the medium,” Eastwood said, noting how Siegel could stretch resources without sacrificing storytelling.
Whether it was a prison break, a Western showdown, or a tense psychological standoff, Siegel’s style was defined by economy, tension, and strong visual storytelling – qualities that Eastwood would later carry into his own directing career.
It looks like slim pickings for PS5 owners in 2025, as Sony outlines launch plans for its first-party exclusives.
According to a new business report, Sony plans to release two major first-party games in 2025, including Death Stranding 2 on June 26, followed by Ghost of Yotei in October.
Unfortunately, however, it looks like one of the most hotly-anticipated superhero games since Marvel’s Spider-Man won’t be released until April 2026 at the very earliest.
READ MORE: PS5 gamers running out of time to play best action game since Dark Souls
In the PlayStation business report, Death Stranding 2 and Ghost of Yotei are listed for this financial year, which ends next April.
Marvel’s Wolverine and Naughty Dog’s Intergalactic are listed as ‘Upcoming’, which means they won’t launch until Financial Year 26 at the earliest.
Even more worrying is that Wolverine and Intergalactic aren’t even officially confirmed for Financial Year 26, which runs from April 2026 until the end of March 2027.
Considering Marvel’s Wolverine was announced all the way back in 2021, it seems likely that Sony and developer Insomniac will have it ready in 2026, but we’ll have to wait and see.
Intergalactic, on the other hand, almost certainly won’t launch in 2026, at least according to industry insider Jason Schreier.
In a post on ResetEra, Schreier said that last year’s Intergalactic reveal was a very early tease and that the game won’t launch next year.
This makes it even more crucial that Wolverine makes an appearance on PlayStation 5 in 2026.
With Sony typically releasing a big blockbuster game in the autumn season ahead of the holidays, I predict a September-November release date for the upcoming superhero game.
Little is known about Marvel’s Wolverine, which was announced with a cinematic teaser trailer featuring the popular member of the X-Men.
Unsurprisingly, Marvel’s Wolverine is said to feature a more mature tone than games like Spider-Man, which was also developed by Insomniac Games.
The developer has also confirmed plans to take advantage of the PS5 Pro, which means superior visuals and improved frame-rates.
The developer has a fantastic track record, creating some of the best superhero games ever in the form of Spider-Man, Miles Morales and Spider-Man 2. The studio is also responsible for the likes of Ratchet and Clank and Sunset Overdrive.
Sony also addressed its PlayStation Plus pricing strategy during the recent business report, hinting that prices could continue to increase in the future.
This newly released horror has been praised for its “unpredictability” and it has a near-perfect rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Final Desintation: Bloodlines is the most recent installment of the franchise, which last released a movie more than 10 years ago.
The comeback has been widley praised despite the franchise facing largely mixed reviews in the past.
Final Destination’s premise is to explore the consequences that follow when defying fate and attempting to escape death. It uses premonitions as a means to introduce a group of characters that find death to have a personal vendetta against them. The films are extremely gory and the methods of death rather inventive.
The film’s synopsis reads: “Plagued by a violent and recurring nightmare, a college student heads home to track down the one person who might be able to break the cycle of death and save her family from the grisly demise that inevitably awaits them all.”
Directed by Zach Lipovsky and Adam Stein, Final Destination: Bloodlines stars Tony Todd, Brec Bassinger, Richard Harmon, Teo Briones, Owen Joyner, April Telek and Anna Lore.
Variety praised the film, stating: “Clever, unpredictable and fun, Final Destination: Bloodlines offers the series a transfusion of creativity that virtually guarantees that it will live to kill again.”
Final Destination: Bloodlines has received a score of 92% from the Rotten Tomatoes critics.
The critics consensus reads: “Adding some surprising emotional layers onto the ghoulish bones of Final Destination’s mythology, Bloodlines ingeniously executes grisly set pieces with precision and turns impending doom into outrageous fun.”
The audience reviewers rate the film slightly lower at 88%, with the consensus stating: “Defibrillating the franchise into one of its bloodiest installments yet while still supplying an emotional punch, Final Destination Bloodlines proves that ingenious death runs through its veins.”
With the original Final Destination movie rating at 49% on Rotten Tomatoes, the franchise has come a long way, nearly doubling in its score.
The gangster flick is one of the most popular and loved film genres, raking in billions of pounds for studios across the globe. Hollywood has never shied away from depicting the violent deeds and lives of these brutal criminal clans – be they of Irish, Russian or Italian origin.
Not to be outdone, British cinema has its own rich repertoire of gangster movies, many starring some of the UK’s most iconic actors. Bob Hoskins will be forever remembered for his portrayal of Harold Shand in the Long Good Friday, while Richard Attenborough won many plaudits for his depiction of Pinkie Brown in Brighton Rock.
Other notable British gangster films include Sexy Beast, The Krays and Guy Ritchie’s Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels.
But perhaps the greatest one is Mike Hodges’ 1971 classic starring Sir Michael Caine as Jack Carter.
Get Carter follows the eponymous hero as he returns to his hometown of Newcastle from London to find that his brother has been murdered.
Caine’s character embarks on a vengeful rampage that takes him deep into the dark criminal underworld of Newcastle.
The British acting legend said he had used his own childhood and upbringing to help bring his character alive on the big screen.
“One of the reasons I wanted to make that picture was my background,” he told a local Californian newspaper in 2002.
“Carter is the dead-end product of my own environment and my childhood. I know him well. He is the ghost of Michael Caine.”
The film has been praised for its gritty realism and over time gained a cult following.
“Rarely has the criminal underworld been so realistically portrayed than in this 1971 masterpiece,” the Chiswick Cinema wrote in a rave review on its website.
They added: “Shot on location, resulting in a devastatingly authentic snapshot of life in the north east of England in the late industrial period, Get Carter remains arguably the grittiest and greatest of all British crime films.”
Get Carter was a financial success in the uK, but was not a major box office hit overall.
On its opening week at ABC2 cinema at Shaftesbury Avenue in London, it broke the house record taking £8,188.
You really can’t beat the feeling of truly getting stuck in a book. Not being able to drag yourself away from a story is the best sign that it’s a good one, and for many people, a psychological thriller is their go-to.
If you love a book with an eerie, uneasy plot and heart-wrenching twists and turns, then there’s one that should be on your list. Magpie by Elizabeth Day, which was released in 2021, was described as the ‘most gripping psychological thriller of the year’ on Amazon. And for the month of June, you can get your hands on it for just 99p.
The book is one of hundreds available on the Kindle store for 99p just now. These deals change every month, so it’s worth checking every now and then to see if there’s anything that catches your eye.
Magpie follows the story of pregnant Marisa, who is a children’s book illustrator, and her boyfriend Jake, who have just moved into a new home in anticipation of starting their new family.
After suffering through a very troubled past, Marisa thinks her life couldn’t get any better with her new man by her side. That is, until a lodger moves into their property.
Kate is everything Marisa isn’t – polished, professional and seemingly with no sense of personal space or boundaries. Marisa notices her constantly overstepping the mark at home. Most notably, her unhealthy obsession with Jake and his oblivion to it.
With alarm bells ringing in her head, Marisa is on a mission to find out exactly who Kate is and what she wants with their family. And when the truth comes out, it’s more traumatising than she ever could have imagined.
This book is the true definition of a page-turner, guaranteed to keep you hooked with each twist and turn until the very end. Drawing on difficult themes of motherhood, cheating, greed and guilt, it’s no wonder Magpie has such impressive ratings on Amazon, with the average person scoring it four stars out of five.
One person said: “Could not put it down, it gripped me from the first few chapters. Well done Elizabeth Day, beautifully written. I absolutely loved it.”
Another raved: “An original tale with unexpected twists and turns. Wonderfully written to keep you engaged to the end. Will be reading more from this author.”
Kylie Minogue has revealed that she has had to postpone a string of tour dates after falling ill. The Padam Padam singer originally completed her UK tour run, visiting cities such as London, Glasgow, and Newcastle, before continuing her tour leg in Europe.
Taking to her social media, she told fans that she been taken ill while travelling and this meant that her upcoming dates in Poland, Germany, Lithuania, and Estonia would have to be postponed. She wrote on Instagram, “Hi Lovers, as some of you may know, a week ago we finished the UK leg of The Tension Tour.
“I made it over the finish line (Yay) but unfortunately have succumbed to a viral infection (Hello laryngitis). I’ve tried my best to recover fast to start our next run of shows on Monday but I’m afraid it will take me some days to be well enough to get back on stage and perform my best for you.”
She concluded with, “I’m so, SO sorry! I have no choice but to postpone the shows in Berlin, Lodz, Kaunas and Tallinn as scheduled. Please keep hold of your tickets, we’re doing our very best to reschedule the dates and will update you very soon on that. Thank you for understanding – you know I love you all. And I LOVE THIS SHOW! And I’ll miss you next week. And, I can’t wait to see you. Love Kylie xxx.”
It is not yet confirmed when the rescheduled dates for Berlin, Lodz, Kaunas, and Tallinn will take place. She was due to perform in Germany on Monday.
Kylie will resume her tour in Finland on June 23 before heading to Sweden, France, Germany, Spain, and Switzerland. In August, she will travel to Argentina, Chile, Brazil, and Colombia and end with three performances in Mexico.
The 57-year-old kicked off her tour in February earlier this year in Perth, Australia. It’s her biggest tour since 2011, and her shows are usually split into five parts.
She starts with her hit Lights Camera Action before performing her soundtracks, In Your Eyes, Get Outta My Way, and Spinning Around. Kylie also sings her earlier hit singles, such as Better The Devil You Know and The Locomotion. The final act concludes with Padam Padam, Can’t Get You Outta My Head, and All The Lovers.
Award-winning thriller writer M W Craven has been revealed as the author of a new James Bond action-series for children – sending the world’s best-known secret agent back to school to train the next generation of British spies. James Bond and the Secret Agent Academy, filled with “courage, cleverness, and laugh-out-loud moments” and due to be published next June, will be the first of a series set in the 007 universe aimed at attracting a new generation of fans.
It promises to portray Bond “as you have never seen him”, taking the “world’s most beloved secret agent to a place of dread, weirdos and strange food: school”. “A new generation of young heroes, mentored by 007, have entered the Secret Agent Academy to see if they have what it takes to join the ranks of the Double O’s,” explains the blurb. “Together with Bond can they defeat a deadly foe lurking in the shadows – and, more importantly, can they pass their exams?”
With the future direction of the James Bond films still uncertain following Amazon’s recent buy-out of Eon Productions, the books will be a stop-gap for young fans
Craven, a Newcastle-born former soldier turned probation officer, is now a bestselling crime writer, whose sixth Washington Poe book, The Mercy Seat, won thriller of the year earlier this week at the Capital Crime Fingerprint Awards. “While writing a middle-grade book that features James Bond training the secret agents of tomorrow is undoubtedly an extraordinary honour, it also comes with a daunting responsibility,” admits the 57-year-old.
“The challenge of introducing Ian Fleming’s Bond – a brand that has transcended books and movies to become part of our national identity – to a brand-new audience is not something to accept lightly, but it wasn’t an opportunity I felt I could turn down.
“Yet this is not James Bond as you’ve seen him before. Expect whacky gadgets, whacky lessons, and even whackier members of staff.”
Amanda Douglas, MD at Ian Fleming Publications, says: “This series represents a new and imaginative chapter for 007, introducing the world’s most famous secret agent to the next generation of readers – seen for the first time through children’s eyes. It’s a fun, fast-paced adventure that remains true to the spirit of Bond, featuring a cast of original characters who get to experience Bond not just as a legend, but as their teacher.”
Simon Ward, Publishing Director at Ian Fleming Publications, adds: “We are always looking for stories we want to read: stories that have everything we love from Ian Fleming’s legendary James Bond adventures but with new characters and new settings that Ian would approve of. This is a James Bond story unlike any other we’ve done: a world of twisted villains, extremely silly names and bizarre gadgets but with a contemporary setting and a cast of young heroes children can relate to.”
Craven’s agent, David Headley, added: “Bringing together the gripping storytelling of M W Craven with the legendary world of James Bond is a brilliant step toward inspiring younger readers to pick up books. M W Craven’s unique voice promises to breathe new life into Bond for a younger generation.”
Following two years of army service in West Germany, Elvis Presley was welcomed home extravagantly.
Arriving back home Stateside, the King co-starred in 1960 TV special The Frank Sinatra Timex Show: Welcome Home Elvis.
The programme also happened to be the professional debut of the crooner’s daughter, fellow future music and movie star Nancy Sinatra, who was famously sent to the airport on Frank’s behalf to welcome Elvis home to the USA.
She would later end up singing a duet on the TV special with her father of You Make Me Feel So Young/Old. And later on in the show, Elvis and Frank performed each other’s songs, Witchcraft and Love Me Tender, a verse at a time.
Then, some seven years later, Nancy and The King were reunited as they co-starred in 1968’s Speedway together, a movie that was released 57 years ago today
The musical action movie was shot the year prior, which was also when her Sean Connery Bond theme You Only Live Twice was released. Speedway saw Elvis play NASCAR driver Steve Grayson opposite Nancy’s IRS agent, Susan Jacks. Her character’s role involved being assigned to watch over Stev,e who had $150,000 in debt to pay with any future prize money from racing.
Naturally, this being an Elvis movie meant Nancy’s Susan ended up falling romantically for The King’s character. The film, which was originally planned to star Sonny and Cher, was the last time Frank’s daughter ever acted in a movie. Now 85-years-old, Nancy has shared touching memories of her time on the Speedway set with Elvis, who died aged 42 in 1977.
Speaking previously with PEOPLE, she said: “I know he was the funniest man and probably the most serious man I knew, both people in one. He made me laugh so hard. And at the same time, he would call me late at night to discuss things like the ghetto, and his concern for people in the ghetto. I don’t know if that’s surprising. People who follow his life probably are aware of his sensitivity.”
Nancy and Elvis never dated, but she has admitted in the past that there was some “friendly flirting.” The King had married his only wife Priscilla on May 1, 1967 and filming on Speedway began a few weeks later on June 26. Elvis and his co-star were so close that he had asked Nancy to throw a baby shower for Priscilla when she became pregnant during filming. And the following year before Speedway was released, The King’s only daughter Lisa Marie Presley – who tragically died in January 2023 at 54 – was born.
When the Beach Boys released Pet Sounds in 1966, it marked a turning point in their career – moving away from the surf and sun themes that had defined their early work, the group embraced a more experimental and emotional sound.
But despite its critical acclaim and influence, one of its standout tracks faced unexpected resistance from US radio.
‘God Only Knows’ is now widely regarded as one of the band’s most well-known songs. It was co-written by Brian Wilson and Tony Asher, with lyrics that deliberately pushed the boundaries of what was typical for a 1960s love song. Asher later explained to Goldmine magazine: “We were taking some real chances with it. First of all, the lyric opens by saying, ‘I may not always love you,’ which is a very unusual way to start a love song.”
However, it wasn’t the lyrical content that led to the song being banned on some American radio stations – it was the title.
At the time, the use of religious language in mainstream pop was still considered controversial in some parts of the United States. The word “God” in the title – despite being used in a non-religious context – was enough for some broadcasters to pull the track from airplay.
The issue was particularly pronounced in more conservative regions of the country, where religious sensitivities held greater weight over programming decisions.
In contrast, stations in more liberal states continued to play the song without issue, and the track performed well in many markets.
Brian Wilson had anticipated that the title might cause problems. In fact, he briefly considered changing it to something less likely to provoke a reaction. One idea reportedly floated was ‘Fred Only Knows’, though it never made it past the discussion stage, and, in the end, Wilson kept the original name, confident in the strength of the material.
While some radio stations did ban the song, it didn’t stop it from gaining traction. The song was still released as the B-side to ‘Wouldn’t It Be Nice’ in the US and eventually earned widespread recognition.
Despite the initial pushback, the song’s reputation only grew. Today, God Only Knows is considered a milestone in pop songwriting and a key reason why Pet Sounds remains such a revered album, with some of the most acclaimed artists in the world praising it.
Paul McCartney has frequently cited it ‘God Only Knows’ as a personal favourite, as have John Lennon, Bono, Barry Gibb and Pete Townshend. The song was also covered – by Elton John, Lorde, Chris Martin, Kylie Minogue, Stevie Wonder, Brian May, One Direction, Dave Grohl, Sam Smith and many more – on a BBC special to commemorate the launch of BBC Music in 2014.
Robbie Williams works hard for his audience. At 60… sorry, 51… that glint in the eye he had as a young lad in Take That remains firmly in place. As a performer, he’s addictive. You can’t take your eyes off him. Indeed from his flamboyant outfits (“There’s always been one rumour which has followed me around…” he joked at one point last night), to impressive staging and a throng of boob-bejweeled dancers, the whole show was a visual feast. “I asked how much it was to give you all a light up wristband… but at £5 each you can switch your phone lights on,” he laughed. But wristbands aside, the show had it all, from loo-roll-esque confetti, pyrotechnics, a B stage at the back of the arena. At one point Robbie was even chaotically lowered to the ground on bungee ropes.
The two-hour-long show began with his new song, Britpop, before making way for a career-spanning set of hits. There was Come Undone, Strong, Kids, She’s The One… One by one they came like a poptastic box of chocolates. Rudebox was sadly amiss. Let me entertain you, Robbie sang. And entertain us he did. It was pure theatre from the start, with more patter than I’ve seen in a long time at a show. A particular highlight came via interactions with his AI older and younger selves. Because if there’s one thing Robbie’s fans love even more than his music – it’s him.
“You better be good, because I’m phenomenal,” he teased the 23,000-strong Co-op Live crowd on the first of two sell-out nights in Manchester for the singer, who opened up to fans about his struggles with mental health. “This was about five mental breakdowns ago,” he said, introducing Old Before I Die, admitting too that there was someone down at the front he’d slept with in the 90s.
And before the uplifting Love My Life, Rob talked about the transformative effect being a parent had had on him. “My life began when I met my wife, or as some of you say in the internet chatrooms… ‘that bitch’,” he said. “But my family – my four kids, their tiny hands and their big hearts – gave me a reason to live, to get out of bed, even when my head told me not to.” He’s spoken widely about his mental health over the years, but every time he does it’s deeply powerful.
Later, during a pretty little acoustic session on the B stage, surprise guest Lucy Spraggan came out to sing Lulu’s part in Relight My Fire. My sister, dancing next to me, was beside herself. “Tonight this song is mine,” Robbie joked of the Take That banger, sung by Gary Barlow.
As the show came to a close with an encore of the anthemic Feel and Angels, Robbie looked triumphant. And he had every right to. The King of Entertainment gave his people what they wanted: the hits, and lots of them. Every song from the carefully curated setlist was a crowdpleaser. Two hours in Rob’s company was a serotonin-boosting, raucous, dose of pure unadulterated joy. Can we do it all again, please?
It’s worth noting that Currys offers next-day delivery for certain items ordered by 9pm BST.
Likewise, the retailer also gives customers the ability to pick up purchases at their local store within two days.
The website has a postcode checker on the item page, which will let you know if you’re eligible for the aforementioned services.
Currys also offers flexible payment schemes for customers looking to spread the cost over a longer period of time.
The console has proven to be incredibly popular since making its debut, selling over 3.5 million units in just a matter of days.
This makes it the fastest-selling Nintendo console of all time, overtaking the 3DS, which launched all the way back in 2011.
The Nintendo Switch 2 makes a number of improvements over the original console, including a bigger screen and superior JoyCons.
The Switch 2 display measures in at 7.9-inches and comes with HDR support and a maximum refresh rate of 120Hz.
The JoyCons are bigger than their predecessors, and can also be used like a PC mouse. This makes them ideal for genres like first-person shooters, strategy and classic adventure games.
Needless to say, the console itself is more powerful, which means it can offer an experience closer to the PS5 and Xbox Series X.
Hopefully this means we’ll finally get a new Call of Duty game for Nintendo Switch 2, as well as other third-party releases like EA Sports FC 26 and more.
Spotify’s most listened to track has been hailed as the “best pop song of the decade” by fans.
Blinding Lights by The Weeknd (also known as Abel Makkonen Tesfaye) is now the most listened to song on the music streaming platform, overtaking Ed Sheeran’s Shape of You.
The song first hit the charts upon its release in 2019 prior to the album it holds place on, After Hours, being released on March 20, 2020.
It’s timely release coincided with the beginning of the the UK’s and many other countries’ first Covid-19 lockdown.
Blinding Lights grew massive popularity through a trend that involved a dance routine circulating TikTok, which was also growing in popularity at the time. Many people took to the app to show off their best dance moves to the catchy song.
The Weeknd’s song was a huge commercial success, topping the record charts in over 40 countries, including his native Canada, therefore it is his most successful single to date. It has since become the song with the most weeks spent in the top five and top 10 after it was the first song to remain in the top ten for an entire year.
For a short period of time Blinding Lights was the longest-charting song in history, remaining on it for a total of 90 weeks.
One reddit user described the song as the “best pop song of the decade” with another adding “I love this song”.
“10/10 Abel did not just bring back the sound of the 80s, but made a huge timeless hit that is catchy. You just can’t hate this song,” another user added.
Billboard named Blinding Lights as the top song of the century.
Gray News said: “It’s official: Blinding Lights by The Weeknd is the song of the century. On Friday, Billboard crowned the smash hit as the No. 1 song of the 21st century.”
Netflix has just dropped a touching comedy-drama sure to delight The Big Bang Theory enthusiasts.
Jim Parsons, the comedy titan who immortalised Sheldon Cooper in CBS’s smash-hit The Big Bang Theory over 12 seasons, continues his success with a string of high-profile projects post-series finale in 2019.
Amongst those is Spoiler Alert, a heartfelt dramedy starring Parsons, which just made its UK Netflix debut.
Despite a modest box office showing of $1.4 million (£1.03 million), Spoiler Alert has enchanted critics and viewers in equal measure – boasting a stellar 87 percent on Rotten Tomatoes and a whopping 97 percent audience score.
Adapted from Michael Ausiello’s autobiographical memoir, audiences are touting Spoiler Alert as an essential watch for its tender but tragic portrayal of real-life love.
Rotten Tomatoes’ critical consensus hails Spoiler Alert as “a heartwarming, funny and life-affirming story of how Michael and Kit’s relationship is transformed and deepened when one of them falls ill.
“It can be frustratingly uneven, but strong performances from a talented cast help Spoiler Alert stay on the right side of saccharine.”
Google reviews glow with admiration for Spoiler Alert, where one enthusiastic fan wrote: “From the outset, the film is unflinching in its portrayal of reality.
“We are made aware early on that Kit’s life will be cut short, yet this knowledge doesn’t diminish the emotional impact.
“Instead, it enriches our understanding of the depth of their bond. Director Michael Showalter masterfully guides us through their shared moments, blending humor and heartbreak in a way that feels both authentic and raw.”
Another ardent supporter shared: “This movie was amazing. It shows you how beautiful and sudden life can be.
“Shows us to always appreciate and love those around us, and also ourselves. I loved the story that was shown in this film and enjoyed the flashbacks the character had.”
Letterboxd users also heaped on accolades, with a cinephile confessing: “Truly do not remember the last time I cried that hard during a movie.. and after.”
A further viewer enthused: “I really can’t give this anything less than 5 stars.
“The dynamic between Michael and Kit was so lovely. They were so easy to root for so by the time you reach the end you feel like your heart is being ripped from your chest.
“God this was truly equal parts beautiful and devastating.”
Will you be tuning in to this heartwarming yet heartbreaking love story this week?
Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears (or, you know, eyes in this case). I stand before you to bear witness that the thespian might of Sir John Gielgud and James Mason did battle with the American upstart over the words of that fine gentleman William Shakespeare. Some say that it changed the course of Hollywood forever.
Method actor heartthrob Marlon Brando had set the screen alight with his muscular intensity in 1951’s A Streetcar Named Desire, but there were snooty scoffs two years later that he would be tackling The Bard as Mark Anthony is the great tragedy Julius Caesar.
The film industry back then had generally accepted that such roles were the plummy purview of Laurence Olivier and the like, as much on stage as on the screen.
Just watch the electrifying clip below to see how that was all blown away by Brando’s magnificent, magnetic presence. His legs weren’t bad, either.
The cast was truly stellar. Gielgud and Mason played Cassius and Brutus, the architects of Caesar’s assassination, with Broadway star Louis Calhern as the doomed dictator.
Hollywood beauties Greer Garson and Deborah Kerr were Calpurnia and Portia, the wives of Caesar and Brutus, but Brando, with the help of dialect coach Florence O’Neill, outshone them all.
Gielgud and Brando took home BAFTAS for their performances, while the American star received his third consecutive Oscar nomination, before he finally bagged his first of two the following year for On The Waterfront.
TIME magazine called the film “The best Shakespeare that Hollywood has yet produced.” The praise for Brando was even more glowing, with many singling out the climactic scene below.
The New Yorker said: “Over Caesar’s corpse Brando begins to mix grief, rage, cunning, and ferocity; his reading of the funeral oration is so quakingly angry you understand why it would rouse the rabble.”
Another critic added: “Brando became a legend in gritty Elia Kazan productions, but it was his naturalistic approach in nonrealistic Mankiewicz fare like this and 1955’s Guys and Dolls that helped transform all acting.”
Sadly, the star wouldn’t return to Shakespeare again, but you can watch this legendary film, which has just been added to BBC iPlayer, for free now.
Netflix is removing a top-rated film with a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes in the coming days. It’s a film lauded by viewers as “both beautiful and heartbreaking” and one that “had me glued from beginning to end”. Fans have hailed it as “one of the finest movies I’ve seen in years”, with accolades pouring in for the “outstanding” lead performances.
Critics have joined the chorus of admiration, praising the movie’s “masterfully done” production and branding it “deeply intelligent”. One said: “It’s a movie that will live with me for a long time.”
Leave No Trace’s 100% rating outshines cinematic titans like The Godfather (97%), Schindler’s List (97%) and Casablanca (99%). It is not the only film with a 100% rating but it is the most recent, with the vast majority of films achieving the remarkable score being older classics like Seven Samurai, Singin’ in the Rain or 12 Angry Men. But it may have flown under your radar due to its low-key release, absence of star names, and a modest box office haul of just £5m.
The poignant narrative of Leave No Trace follows a war veteran and his young daughter who lead a secluded life in an Oregon nature reserve. Their tranquil existence, hidden away in a tent and punctuated by reading and campfire cooking, spirals into disarray after an unexpected encounter with a hiker.
The gripping tale is grounded in reality: a father and daughter who evaded detection while residing in a vast Oregon country park for an extended period. A 2004 article in The Oregonian disclosed that Portland police were tipped off by a jogger who reported “suspicious people” lurking in the park, described as “an older man with bushy white hair and a beard and a young girl in a remote part of the park” who appeared to have been living there for some time”, reports Surrey Live.
The piece went on to describe how, after a thorough search operation, authorities discovered them the following day, concealed just a short distance from their intricately constructed campsite carved into a steep hillside. Concealed beneath a tarpaulin and wooden frame, items such as sleeping bags, partially burned wood, a collection of aged World Book Encyclopedias, gardening implements, and other tools were unearthed.
Additionally, they stumbled upon a rope swing, a diligently cultivated vegetable plot, and a tranquil brook nearby.
To the astonishment of the police, the duo had maintained excellent hygiene and health despite four years in the wilderness, with officers noting the 12 year old’s articulate nature.
In the cinematic adaptation, Ben Foster and Thomasin McKenzie breathe life into the roles of the father and daughter under the direction of Debra Granik, a filmmaker who has garnered critical acclamation despite not being a household name — her work is praised as “exceptional” by The Guardian’s film critic Peter Bradshaw and she is credited with propelling Jennifer Lawrence to stardom in an earlier project.
The New York Times lauded the lead performances, saying: “Neither actor begs for your heart, but each – like this movie – takes it.”
It adds: “Debra Granik has a gift for cinematic spaces that are vibrantly, palpably alive, and for putting you in places, whether modest homes or the great outdoors, that make you feel as if you’re standing right alongside her characters.”
According to the Chicago Sun-Times: “Leave No Trace is further evidence Granik is one of the most talented directors around – and Ben Foster ranks among the finest and most intense actors working today.”
Meanwhile, The Dallas Morning News said: “Granik is one of the most distinctive filmmaking voices we have; I’d love to see her make more features but I’m also glad she takes the time to do them right.”
Disney+ has just unleashed what could be the cinematic sensation of 2025, leaving audiences utterly gobsmacked.
This unorthodox gem blends science fiction, action, and horror to become the latest instalment in one of cinema’s most enduring sagas.
Breaking new ground, this entry diverges from its forerunners by introducing a novel animated style and weaving together three distinct narratives of terror and endurance.
Predator: Killer of Killers, helmed by Dan Trachtenberg, is now available for streaming and offers devotees of the iconic sci-fi franchise an exhilarating journey across epochs as three historic warriors confront a formidable alien adversary.
Charting the exploits of a Viking marauder and her offspring, a ninja amidst a family conflict in feudal Japan, and a WWII aviator probing an enigmatic menace from above, early viewers have lauded it as a standout addition to the Predator canon, reports the Mirror US.
Director Trachtenberg, who previously breathed new life into the series with his celebrated period thriller Prey, is poised to elevate the saga to unprecedented glory with his much-anticipated sequel, Predator: Badlands, set to premiere later this year.
Cinephiles on Letterboxd have been effusive in their praise for Killer of Killers since its Disney+ debut on Friday (6th June).
A fervent admirer exclaimed: “In my opinion, this film is truly the best thing that has come out in the first half of this year and I have no doubts about it.”
One viewer was utterly impressed, exclaiming: “Who would have thought that one the BEST films I’d watch in the first 6 months of 2025, is a direct to streaming PREDATOR ANIMATION.”
They continued: “It’s packed to the walls with non stop bada** action. The art direction is distinctively gorgeous with painted textures, and the fight sequences imaginative and satisfying.”
Another fan couldn’t contain their excitement: “THIS GOES SO HARD??? An absolute must-watch for fans of the predator franchise holy s*** this was amazing.
“Overall the different settings, time periods, characters (etc) were so imaginative and everything worked together SO well I NEED A SEQUEL IMMEDIATELY.”
Reddit users also joined the chorus of praise, with one stating the Predator anthology surpassed recent cinema offerings.
They shared their experience: “Just watched Ballerina and The Phoenician Scheme the last two days in theaters. Pretty decent time at the theater.
“Then I come home and watch this on my couch, having just learned of its existence a few hours ago, and it was easily the best thing I’ve watched the last two days.”
They lamented: “This deserved a theatrical release. Or some marketing of some kind.”
The clamour for more is growing among fans, with one Reddit user eagerly posting: “I need more of these stories.
“Predator vs gladiators, Predator vs Spartans, Predator vs Paladins. Keep em coming.”
Speculation is rife that Predator: Killer of Killers could herald a new chapter for the iconic sci-fi series – fans should stay tuned for future developments.
Predator: Killer of Killers is available to stream on Disney+.
Fans of this incredible and intriguing yet dark war film have said that it is a must-watch. The independent film has been commended for its cast, cinematography, and captivating storytelling. A number of fans revealed that they were surprised to find that the film is based on true events, and one viewer even said it is “one of the best World War II movies [they’ve] seen in years.”
The Captain, currently streaming on Amazon Prime tells the story of a German army deserter that comes across a Nazi Captain’s abandonded uniform during the final weeks of the war. With his newfound power under impersonation, he takes command of a group of stragglers and then a camp that holds German soldiers accused of desertion.
Fans on Rotten Tomatoes, where the film has an 83% score, have warned of the dark content and violence. However, many have also vowed that it is a definite watch.
Pieter R wrote: “A dark and riveting story. Watch until the end, the sequence that runs under the end credits is truly chilling and underscores the message (and therefore warning) that this excellent film conveys.”
Echoing the film’s excellence, another fan said: “Actually based on a true story, which I didn’t realise until the end. Helluva story, brilliantly directed and beautifully shot in black and white. See it!”
Those who especially love war films shouldn’t wait to watch it at all, according to Craig B, who said: “Quite an intriguing war drama based on a true story. Very bleak, violent and quite confronting at times. War movie buffs should get something out of this interesting flick.”
Noting feelings of shock and a sense of urgency to watch, this particular fan, who even placed it at the top of their list of war films, had a lot to say about the film.
They wrote: “What can I say except, if you can go out and buy this movie right now! It is absolutely fabulous! This is easily one of the best World War II movies I have seen in years!
“The film is a wonderful look into the psyche of a man blinded by a false sense of authority, and the chilling things a person can do when emboldened by power.
“I was blown away by the acting and camera work done by Music Box Films, and the best part is that this movie isn’t even a mainstream release! it’s completely independent and fresh! Do yourself a favor and support this amazing movie and these amazing creators! I give The Captain a 10/10!”
Fortnite Chapter 6, Season 3 is about to make its debut on PlayStation, Xbox, PC, Nintendo Switch, Switch 2 and Android.
Just minutes after the end of the Death Star Sabotage event, Fortnite is getting a big new update.
Unfortunately, however, Fortnite fans won’t be able to check out the new Season 3 content until after a period of server downtime comes to an end.
Indeed, Fortnite developer Epic Games has taken the game offline for maintenance in preparation for the start of the new season, which is titled SUPER.
The new was announced by Epic Games on X, alongside confirmation that update 36.00 will launch today (June 7).
“Following the Death Star Sabotage Live Event, Fortnite will go into downtime at 2:30 PM ET. Look forward to v36.00 releasing later this evening!” reads an Epic Games tweet.
There’s no word on when server maintenance will come to an end, but fans can expect at least a couple of hours of downtime.
Hopefully this means UK fans will be able to check out the new season of content later this evening.
Speaking of the new season, update 36.00 introduces a superhero theme to Fortnite Battle Royale.
As you can see from the image below, the new Battle Pass skins include Superman and Robin.
In addition to Superman and Robin, upcoming Battle Pass and Item Shop skins include Synthwave, Myst, Storm Beast, Killswitch and Chameleon.
As for the Season 3 map, fans can explore new and returning locations such as Supernova Academy and Utopia City.
Other POIs include Demon’s Domain, Shogun’s Solitude, Shining Span, Outpost Enclave and Kappa Kappa Factory.
That’s on top of Canyon Crossing, Crime City, Lonewolf Lair, Flooded Frogs, Outlaw OasisFoxy Floodgate and Brutal Boxcars.
Elsewhere, some fans have discovered new crossovers coming to Fortnite in the coming weeks.
Cleveland from Family Guy will reportedly join Fortnite, alongside Deadmau5, Bob’s Burgers and King of the Hill.
A new horror film that fans have called a “masterpiece” is now available to stream at home, with some even saying it’s the best movie of the year so far. Sinners, directed by Ryan Coogler, has taken the world by storm with its mix of supernatural thrills, dark humour, and blues music.
Set in Mississippi during the 1930s, the film follows twin brothers Smoke and Stack, both played by Michael B. Jordan, as they return to their hometown hoping to start over. But their plans are quickly derailed by a mysterious force that arrives one night at their newly opened juke joint.
The film is now available to buy or rent on Amazon Prime Video in the UK and US, as well as Apple TV and other major platforms.
It premiered in cinemas in April and has since earned more than £275 million at the global box office.
Sinners has been widely praised for its originality, storytelling, and powerful performances.
It currently holds a 97% rating on Rotten Tomatoes after 75 critic reviews, a score higher than Coogler’s earlier hits Creed and Black Panther.
One fan wrote on IMDb: “This is my favourite movie so far to come out in 2025.”
Another described it as “the best horror of 2025 without a doubt,” adding: “Coogler wraps you up in a beautifully crafted world with fascinating characters.”
The film has also been celebrated for its music. Featuring a blues soundtrack by composer Ludwig Göransson, viewers have called the score “the best thing about the whole movie”.
One reviewer said: “The music took me on a journey and was the best thing about the whole movie.
“Found myself going from dancing to having a jumpscare to laughing. It was a thrilling rollercoaster!”
Others were even more direct: “Masterpiece, faultless, superb! I could easily finish the review right there with those three simple words.”
Sinners is set in the Jim Crow-era Deep South and blends horror with history.
Inspired in part by the legend of bluesman Robert Johnson selling his soul to the devil, the story touches on West African spiritual traditions, haunting folklore, and racial injustice.
It’s hard to keep up with all of this, so here’s a quick round-up of the next few announcements.
Once the Atomic Heart 2 trailer finished, fans were treated to a look at a new MMO RPG shooter called The CUBE, which is also being developed by Mundfish.
This was followed by new footage for retro-style beat-em-up Marvel Cosmic Invasion and then Onimusha Way of the Sword. Hopefully this isn’t the last time we hear from Capcom during tonight’s show.
I was quite intrigued by new boxing game Felt That Boxing, which looks like Punch Out meets The Muppets.
Murder mystery action game Killer Inn was announced by Square Enix, complete with confirmation of a closed beta coming soon on Steam.
We had a trailer for multiplayer extraction shooter ARC Raiders, which launches on October 30.
There were also trailers for Dune Awakening, Nicktoons & The Dice of Destiny, LEGO Voyagers and Mafia The Old Country among others.
André Rieu, the celebrated Dutch violinist, conductor and composer, is set to dazzle UK audiences with his return to the stage next year. At 75, he’s announced a spectacular new tour that promises an extraordinary series of concerts. During this run of shows, the maestro will grace nine massive venues across the country in April 2026, wooing fans with his performances in sprawling arenas.
Rieu plans to sweep through some of the UK’s most vibrant cities on his musical escapade, including London, Nottingham, Liverpool, Manchester, amongst others. And, thankfully, tickets for the highly anticipated concerts are going on sale later in the week, with expectations running high for sold-out performances in record time. Here are the links you’ll need.
André Rieu tickets go on sale from Friday, June 6, 2025, at 12pm midday.
These tickets will be available to everyone who wants to get involved.
That means no presale codes or special links are required for fans looking to secure their spot at one of Rieu’s sensational shows.
At the time of writing, however, there are only a limited number of websites with tickets for André Rieu’s tour.
Ticketmaster is perhaps the biggest retailer to get tickets for Rieu’s upcoming concerts. However, André Rieu’s own official website is also offering a selection of tickets.
André Rieu is extremely excited for his upcoming tour, which kicks off in April 2026.
Speaking out about the tour, he said: “Performing in the UK and Ireland is always a highlight for me. The warmth and enthusiasm of the audiences are truly special.
“I can’t wait to return and share the joy of music with everyone – let’s create unforgettable memories together!”
Jeffrey Voorhees, who played the ill-fated Alex Kintner in the iconic film ‘Jaws’, is still reaping the rewards of his brief but memorable role 50 years on. At just 12 years old, Jeffrey’s character met a bloody end at the jaws of the great white shark, a scene that left audiences reeling and became one of cinema’s most shocking moments.
Half a century later, Jeffrey is a star attraction at Jaws conventions worldwide, leads tours on the island where the movie was filmed, and crafts personalised videos for die-hard fans. His website is a treasure trove for enthusiasts, offering signed photos of his grisly demise alongside merchandise like t-shirts, mugs, and even signed replica rafts for £107 each.
Now 62, he told The Mirror: “It pays to die. I was a 12-year-old kid who was in the movie for like a minute, but there are some real Jaws fanatics out there.”
He revealed the extent of his post-Jaws success: “One guy in England just bought 125 photos. I do signings. They fly me all over the world and pay me in cash at those things – around £10,000 a time.”
The actor also hosts special events, saying: “There are Jaws tours and people pay double if I’m on them and next month I’m appearing at three Meet, Greet and Mingle Parties.”
Even TV reruns continue to line his pockets, as he shared: “I still get paid every time the film appears on TV. My brother lives in Portugal, and I’ll get texts from him going: ‘Good news, you just died on TV over here. You’ll get another cheque.'”
Until recently, Jeffrey was running a restaurant where he sold Alex Kintner burgers and fans would pay him to record personal Cameo videos.
He recalled: “I did one yesterday from the beach where I died and said: ‘Hey! From your dear wife and the dead Alex Kintner – happy birthday!”People seem to like it, although I had a strange one last year. A family got in touch and said: ‘Our father was a big Jaws fan and he died on the couch watching the movie, can you send your regrets.'”
He added: “I thought: ‘What on earth is this?’ But I decided I’d do it and went down to the beach to record it.
“I said: ‘Hey, your father and I had a little something in common. He died watching me die. This is the dead Alex Kintner, Jeff Voorhees, here on Martha’s Vineyard – Amity Island. Just want to say – have a Jawesome funeral.'”
“I thought they’d be upset, but they gave me a five-star review.”
Released in June 1975 and based on the Peter Benchley novel, Jaws was an immediate blockbuster. The story of a terrifying man-eating great white shark caused a significant drop in beach attendance worldwide.
It rapidly became the highest-grossing film ever. Almost a third of America’s population rushed to the cinema to see it – more than 67 million people – and an audience of 23m tuned in when it was shown for the first time on UK television in 1981.
Jeffrey snagged the iconic part quite serendipitously, initially signing on as an extra, but swiftly found himself rubbing shoulders with Tinseltown titans such as director Steven Spielberg, on the cusp of blockbuster fame, and stellar actors Richard Dreyfuss, playing marine biologist Matt Hooper, and Robert Shaw, cast as shark hunter Quint.
However, Jeffrey recollected that Shaw, a known heavy drinker, was less than thrilled to be performing alongside youngsters.
According to Jeffrey: “Spielberg felt bad for all the kids because we were freezing cold and he set up some cook-outs and baseball games, so we’d be out there playing baseball with Richard Dreyfuss. Robert Shaw would be sitting over by the fire, far away from everyone. We were just little kids and we went: ‘Oh, let’s go say hello to him.'”
“We all ran up and he sounded just like he did in the movie. We could smell booze and he went: ‘Get away from me you little s***s!’ He wanted nothing to do with us!”
After starring in Jaws, Jeffrey went on to appear in the hit American TV series Santa Barbara and the movie One More Shot before taking the helm at a seafood restaurant.
He hung up his hat last year, yet his role in Jaws continues to reel him into the spotlight. Recalling a fan encounter, he shared: “I went to a fan convention in Manchester a few years ago. There was a man who’d been waiting there since 2am and had Jaws tattoos all over him. He said he had one spot left and asked me to sign inside the shark’s mouth. He then went off to get my autograph tattooed there permanently.”
Despite Jaws celebrating its 50th anniversary, the film’s chilling impact lingers. Reflecting on its influence, Jeffrey revealed: “My nephew watched Jaws when he was 10. We went to the water a couple of weeks later and he said: ‘I’m not going in there; I don’t want to be eaten by a shark.’ He wouldn’t go in the sea for a whole summer!”
