All posts tagged: drama

Famous director says 1970s film star ‘had an authority’ at age 12 in acclaimed drama

Famous director says 1970s film star ‘had an authority’ at age 12 in acclaimed drama

Published by Daniella Wilson

Get the latest entertainment news, reviews and star-studded interviews with our Independent Culture email Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Martin Scorsese still remembers the reason he felt confident casting Jodie Foster in his iconic 1976 film Taxi Driver when she was just 12 years old. The Independent was in attendance as the legendary director, 83, reunited with Foster — along with star Robert De Niro and screenwriter Paul Schrader — during a panel Friday at Tribeca Film Festival to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the classic film. In a conversation about how each of the Hollywood heavyweights found their way to the acclaimed drama, Scorsese said he knew that he could trust Foster with the movie’s heavy adult material when he saw her mature attitude toward playing a child sex worker in the film. The filmmaker said that at a meeting before production on the project started, Foster showed up at his Manhattan office in her school uniform and discussed …

Savage House’s Richard E Grant and Claire Foy loved subverting costume drama

Savage House’s Richard E Grant and Claire Foy loved subverting costume drama

Published by Daniella Wilson

New darkly comic period drama film Savage House is in cinemas now, and its stars Richard E Grant and Claire Foy have teased that it’s unlike anything you will have seen in the genre before. Speaking exclusively with Radio Times, Grant said that the film is “not polite”, and that in fact it’s the “impolite version of any period film”. He continued: “I liked that enormously because nothing is perfect and you feel that it’s almost falling apart and stinky. So I liked all of that. It was much more realistic.” Meanwhile, his co-star Foy added: “That’s what it felt like, realistic and not holding it to high esteem – not sort of worshipping it, which I think can happen a lot. Which is also right – I love those films and TV shows as well. But I just really loved the kind of dirt and grime and grossness of it all.” The synopsis for Savage House reads: “Set against the backdrop of 18th century England, a massive Pox outbreak, and Jacobite Uprising – this …

BBC’s ‘brilliant’ drama Under the Vines is your weekend binge – and Doc Martin fans will love it

BBC’s ‘brilliant’ drama Under the Vines is your weekend binge – and Doc Martin fans will love it

Published by Daniella Wilson

If you’re looking for a light, entertaining binge-watch to get you through a rainy weekend, you’re in luck. Season two of the charming, New-Zealand-set series Under the Vines recently arrived on BBC iPlayer. Originally debuting on Acorn TV in 2021, the story follows a disgraced London lawyer (Charles Edwards, Downton Abbey) and a broke Sydney socialite (Rebecca Gibney, The Flying Doctors) who arrive at a boutique vineyard, each convinced they are the sole heir to the estate. © Jae Frew/AcornTV, Acorn Media InternationalCharles Edwards as Louis Oakley and Rebecca Gibney as Daisy in Under the Vines If you’re a fan of Doc Martin, you’ll love this light-hearted, fish-out-of-water story set against stunning vineyard backdrops.  Here is everything you need to know before you hit play. WATCH: The trailer for Under the Vines season one What to expect from Under the Vines season two The popular dramedy, filmed in Central Otago, New Zealand, follows Sydney socialite Daisy Munroe as she arrives in Peak View at her recently deceased stepfather’s winery, which she intends to sell. What she …

Emilia Clarke, Edgar Ramirez Lead Romantic Drama

Emilia Clarke, Edgar Ramirez Lead Romantic Drama

Published by Daniella Wilson

Ivy Bettencourt (Emilia Clarke), the heroine of writer-director Drake Doremus‘ latest romantic navel-gazer, is a little bit of a mess. We know this because the first time we see her, she’s oversleeping her alarm by so much that she barely makes her train — at which point she promptly spills coffee all over a handsome stranger, Edgar Ramírez’s Diego. We also know this because one of the next times we see her, she’s getting smashed at her goddaughter’s christening, having just reconnected with Noah (Jack Farthing), the ex-boyfriend and ex-boss who’d so recently broken her heart. Next Life The Bottom Line Plenty of sugar but not enough flavor. Venue: Tribeca Festival (Spotlight Narrative)Cast: Emilia Clarke, Edgar Ramírez, Jack FarthingDirector-screenwriter: Drake Doremus 1 hour 52 minutes This is a woman who doesn’t quite know what she wants, what she’s missing or how to find it. Premiering at Tribeca, Next Life tries to embrace her in all that uncertainty, giving her two entire realities in which to try things out or make mistakes and try again. But …

The best historical drama on Netflix has no action scenes — and it’s a masterpiece

The best historical drama on Netflix has no action scenes — and it’s a masterpiece

Published by skeptic

Netflix is lousy with great historical dramas, so many that some are bound to slip through the cracks. Such was the case with The Dig, a 2021 period piece with a timely message about the power of discovery in the face of immense hardship. Directed by Simon Stone and anchored by great performances from Carey Mulligan and Ralph “Voldemort” Fiennes, The Dig is a terrific, gentle watch that deserves more attention than it got. The story of The Dig Uncovering the secrets of the past in your own backyard The Dig tells the (mostly) true story of the 1939 excavation of Sutton Hoo, a rural country estate in Suffolk, England. The estate is owned by Edith Pretty (Mulligan), a widow who lives there with her young son Robert (Archie Barnes, lately of House of the Dragon). Edith is curious about the mounds on the property, and hires archeologist Basil Brown (Fiennes) to excavate them. Although they come from completely different worlds — Basil comes from a working class background while Edith is a patrician landowner …

ITV’s ‘gripping’ 4-part crime drama Chasing Shadows is the ultimate hidden gem – and it can be binged in an evening

ITV’s ‘gripping’ 4-part crime drama Chasing Shadows is the ultimate hidden gem – and it can be binged in an evening

Published by Daniella Wilson

A gritty crime drama is one of the best genres out there, and thanks to its popularity, there’s never a shortage of one to tune in for. So if you missed the 2014 series Chasing Shadows, now is the perfect time to indulge yourself. With only four episodes, consisting of two two-part stories, it’s the perfect binge-watch for the weekend, and for fans of the serious tones and character-driven plots of Broadchurch, you will find plenty to like. Despite airing 12 years ago, the series can still be easily watched, as it continues to be available on ITVX, with no expiration date in the offing. The synopsis of the series reads: “DS Sean Stone is intense and socially awkward, a misfit who is happier dealing with data rather than people. His lack of people skills and forthright honesty make him some powerful enemies in the force, and he finds himself exiled to missing persons. WATCH: See the trailer for Chasing Shadows Sean’s new caseload is overwhelming – up to 300,000 people go missing in the …

Line of Duty and NCIS star’s 90s drama Hear My Song hailed as a ‘treasure’

Line of Duty and NCIS star’s 90s drama Hear My Song hailed as a ‘treasure’

Published by Daniella Wilson

There’s nothing quite like watching a film from a bygone era, and Channel 4 recently added one of the best from the 1990s, and it was written by Line of Duty’s Adrian Dunbar. Not only did Adrian write the film, but he also stars in the 1991 hit as club promoter Mikey O’Neill, who attempts to woo his patrons by signing the legendary Irish tenor, Josef Locke. However, given the film is a comedy-drama, as you can expect, things don’t always go smoothly. The film is currently streaming for free on Channel 4, but audiences have only a month to tune in for the BAFTA-nominated film, which is due to leave the streaming site on 4 July.  It wasn’t just the BAFTAs where Hear My Song was recognised, as it was also nominated at the Golden Globes, while winning at the British Comedy Awards, Evening Standard British Film Awards and the London Film Critics Circle. Who stars in Hear My Song? As we mentioned, the film is led by Line of Duty star Adrian Dunbar, …

Erupcja review: Drama gives taste of Charli xcx’s acting talents

Erupcja review: Drama gives taste of Charli xcx’s acting talents

Published by Daniella Wilson

A star rating of 3 out of 5. Charli xcx has been enjoying her post-Brat moment these past months. Cinemagoers have already been treated to a glimpse of the singer in Julia Jackman’s singular fairytale 100 Nights of Hero. She played herself in mock-doc The Moment and – premiering at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival – appeared in two more indies The Gallerist and I Want Your Sex. Now she takes centre stage in Pete Ohs’s sly Erupcja, a low-fi 71-minute Gen Z romantic drama that shows a tantalising taste of what she’s capable of. Titled after the Polish word for ‘eruption’, the film begins as Bethany (Charli xcx) arrives back in Warsaw with her new(ish) boyfriend, Rob (Will Madden), who is secretly planning to propose. They’re on a city break, looking for their Airbnb, but Bethany clearly has other things on her mind. No sooner have they finished lugging their cases up to their apartment than Bethany is off for a wander, reacquainting herself with the Polish capital that holds a lot of memories …

Tip Toe review: Russell T Davies returns with an urgent, state-of-the-nation drama

Tip Toe review: Russell T Davies returns with an urgent, state-of-the-nation drama

Published by Daniella Wilson

★★★★★ Add Tip Toe to your watchlist Screams ring out across the rooftops of Manchester… A man is hanging dead from a lamppost outside his own home… He is immediately recognisable as the star of the show: Alan Cumming. Standing below is his brooding co-star David Morrissey, while another key cast member, Elizabeth Berrington, lies crumpled on the pavement. Such brutal imagery kick-starts a disturbing and suspenseful five-part drama from Russell T Davies. Tip Toe may unfold on the same turf as Queer as Folk, his dazzlingly breezy calling card of the 1990s, and even Cucumber, his sour midlife-crisis drama of 2015, but now in 2026 Davies argues that life has taken a much darker turn for LGBTQ+ people in Britain. Indeed, this is urgent, state-of-the-nation stuff from one of our shrewdest screenwriters. As Davies told me recently, “Our rights are paper-thin as gay people. We’re in great danger. The fight is on. That’s what Tip Toe is about.” Leo (Alan Cumming) and Clive (David Morrissey) in Tip Toe Channel 4 / Ben Blackall Having revealed …

Inside Netflix’s Rachel Nickell drama The Witness: ‘Not many people know the truth’

Inside Netflix’s Rachel Nickell drama The Witness: ‘Not many people know the truth’

Published by Daniella Wilson

Get the latest entertainment news, reviews and star-studded interviews with our Independent Culture email Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter The day in July 1992 when Rachel Nickell took her toddler to play on Wimbledon Common was ordinary. It had been just the two of them in a secluded area of woodland, meaning that when a man suddenly appeared out of nowhere, sexually assaulted and stabbed Rachel to death 49 times, her son was the only one to see it. At two years old, Alex became the sole witness to his mother’s murder, and the most promising prospect for catching her killer. For many the case will be familiar, its torrid details, relayed at the time in a nonstop churn of salacious news coverage, forever etched into the public consciousness. For others, particularly those born after the 1990s, a new three-part Netflix dramatisation, The Witness, will serve as an introduction to one of the UK’s most notorious crimes. And for Rachel’s …