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Living is a drama film starring Bill Nighy and directed by Oliver Hermanus.

An excellent remake with a brilliant performance by Bill Nighy. A great movie. However, it might not be the kind of film you feel like watching. Nonetheless, if you give it a chance, you’ll be glad you did.

Storyline

William is an elderly man who receives a devastating medical diagnosis: he has six months to live.

About the Film

Brilliant in every way, from the cinematography to the superb direction by Oliver Hermanus, who manages to transfer Kurosawa’s original film to an English setting – a challenge for any director.

It draws on and adopts from the original and is totally faithful to it, in addition to providing – and, above all, counting on – an exceptional actor in what is probably the role of his life. Billy Nighty is magnificent in a film that, once seen, could not exist without him.

Bill Nighy as Mr. Williams in Living. Photo credit: Jamie D. Ramsay. Courtesy of Number 9 films / Sony Pictures Classics.

Bill Nighy gives a striking performance as colorless taciturn bureaucrat whose his rigid, repetitive life is transformed by a terminal diagnosis, in Living. Director Oliver Hermanus, working with a script by novelist Kazuo Ishiguro (“Remains of the Day”), re-tells Akira Kurosawa’s Ikiru by transporting it to 1950s London, with its armies of buttoned-down businessmen in identical conservative dark suits, bowler hats and umbrellas, moving through the same drab routines day-to-day. The change works amazing well, and is aided by a perfect script, evocative period-style photography, nice period flourishes and, of course, a remarkable performance by Bill Nighy, which certainly ranks among his best in his long career. Living is a moving drama about living a meaningful life, a film well worth seeing.

Living opens with credits that completely recreate the look of 1950s dramas,...

Living Trailer 3 — The third movie trailer for Living (2022) has been released by Lionsgate. View here the second Living trailer. Cast and crew Oliver Hermanus‘ Living stars Bill Nighy, Alex Sharp, Adrian Rawlins, Hubert Burton, Oliver Chris, Michael Cochrane, and Aimee Lou Wood. Kazuo Ishiguro wrote the screenplay for Living. “It’s produced [...]

Continue reading: Living (2022) Movie Trailer 3: Bill Nighy is an impotent cog within London’s Bureaucracy after WWII...

"Small wonder I didn't notice what I was becoming." Sony Pictures Classics has revealed the final official US trailer for Living, the English-language remake of the beloved Akira Kurosawa film Ikiru from 1952. It's still one of the best films of the year (read my review). We already posted the US teaser trailer and a full UK trailer a few months ago. The US release is in December just before the end of the year. Set in London in the 1950s, Bill Nighy stars in the lead role as Williams, a grumpy, curmudgeonly government office worker who has an awakening when he's diagnosed with terminal cancer. He realizes he hasn't really be "living" and goes about trying to change that. Also starring Alex Sharp, Adrian Rawlins, Hubert Burton, Oliver Chris, Michael Cochrane, and Aimee Lou Wood in a breakout role as Margaret Harris. This beautiful trailer really captures the magic of this film,...

Living Trailer 2 — Lionsgate has released the second movie trailer for Living (2022). Cast and crew Oliver Hermanus‘ Living stars Bill Nighy, Alex Sharp, Adrian Rawlins, Hubert Burton, Oliver Chris, Michael Cochrane, and Aimee Lou Wood. Kazuo Ishiguro wrote the screenplay for Living. “It’s produced by Stephen Woolley and Elizabeth Karlsen.” Plot Synopsis Living‘s plot [...]

Continue reading: Living (2022) Movie Trailer 2: Civil Servant Bill Nighy’s Medical Diagnosis Forces him to Take Stock of His Life...

"It does seem to me that he's changed…" "Yes." Lionsgate UK has revealed their own official UK trailer for the acclaimed film Living, the English-language remake of the beloved Akira Kurosawa film Ikiru made in 1952. We already posted the US teaser trailer a few weeks ago and with the Venice Film Festival premiere this week, marketing is finally kicking in. The US opening is set for December. Set in London in the 1950s, Bill Nighy stars in the lead role as Williams, a grumpy, curmudgeonly government office worker who has an awakening when he's diagnosed with terminal cancer. He realizes he hasn't really be "living" and goes about trying to change that. Also starring Alex Sharp, Adrian Rawlins, Hubert Burton, Oliver Chris, Michael Cochrane, and Aimee Lou Wood as Margaret Harris. I saw this at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year and loved it, easily one of this year's best.

"Small wonder I didn't notice what I was becoming…" Sony Pictures Classics has revealed an official teaser trailer for the film Living, which is actually an English-language remake of the beloved Akira Kurosawa film Ikiru from 1952. This premiered at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival and earned rave reviews as one of the best films of the fest, and a rare remake that actually lives up to the original in every way (which is an especially impressive feat considering the original is one of Akira Kurosawa's best films). Set in London in the 1950s, Bill Nighy stars in the lead role as Williams, a grumpy, curmudgeonly government office worker who has an awakening when he's diagnosed with terminal cancer. He realizes he hasn't really be "living" and goes about trying to change that. Also starring Alex Sharp, Adrian Rawlins, Hubert Burton, Oliver Chris, Michael Cochrane, and Aimee Lou Wood as Margaret Harris.

Johnny English Strikes Back and Paddington 2 star Ben Miller has joined the cast of ITV psychological drama The Man.

Miller will star alongside Christopher Robin and Killing Eve star Ken Nwosu in the three-part bullying drama, which was created by Doctor Foster and Press creator Mike Bartlett.

Also joining the cast are Sean Sagar (Top Boy), Susannah Fielding (Black Mirror), Gwilym Lee (Bohemian Rhapsody), Phoebe Nicholls (Downton Abbey), Ritu Ayra (Humans), Alexandra Roach (Black Mirror), Michael Cochrane (The Archers) and Debbie Chazen (Doctor Who).

This contemporary drama will be directed by Julia Ford (Safe) and produced by Colin Wratten (Killing Eve). It is produced by ITV Studios’ Tall Story Pictures, the production company that recently produced Barlett’s Adrian Lester and John Simm-fronted Trauma.

The Man is a workplace psychological drama centered around middle management. Nwosu plays Thomas Benson, a hard-working father and husband who works in a business park outside of London.

Don't panic! Your first look at BBC Two's upcoming Dad's Army origins drama is here.

We're Doomed! The Dad's Army Story tells of the struggles creators Jimmy Perry and David Croft had to endure to get the classic comedy on screen.

The stills show Friday Night Dinner's Paul Ritter and Game of Thrones actor Richard Dormer as Perry and Croft, respectively, and John Sessions as a dead ringer for Arthur Lowe.

EastEnders star Shane Richie will play Bill Pertwee in the one-off film, with the rest of the Dad's Army actors portrayed by Julian Sands (as John Le Mesurier), Mark Heap (as Clive Dunn), Kevin Bishop (as James Beck), Michael Cochrane (as Arnold Ridley) and Ralph Riach (as John Laurie).

Meanwhile, Keith Allen will appear as TV executive Paul Fox and Sally Phillips will play Croft's wife Ann.

The drama has been written by Stephen Russell (Shameless) and...

A revival of classic cult series The Prisoner has cast its new Number Six.

Big Finish - producers of audio drama based on Doctor Who, The Avengers and Blake's 7 - have hired Mark Elstob as the lead for their new series.

Elstob is best known for his stage work, though soap fans will remember his role as Andrew Fraser on Emmerdale from 2001-2002.

The Prisoner originally starred Patrick McGoohan as a former spy trapped in a peculiar - and sinister - village. Robbed of his identity, McGoohan's character was known only as 'Number Six'.

"I knew, of course, that the casting of Number Six was pivotal," said Nicholas Briggs - writer, director and producer on the audio revival. "Patrick McGoohan was the driving force of the original series, both on and off-screen. The new central performance would have to be every bit as powerful in its own way."

Briggs called Elstob "a brilliant,...

There's already a Dad's Army movie remake on the horizon, and now there's going to be a drama based around its origins.

EastEnders star Shane Richie will play Bill Pertwee in BBC Two's Making Dad's Army, a one-off film about the classic and beloved British sitcom.

The drama will focus on the show's original idea in 1967 up until its first broadcast in 1968, and the struggles creators Jimmy Perry and David Croft had to endure to get it on screen.

Friday Night Dinner's Paul Ritter will play Perry, while Game of Thrones actor Richard Dormer will portray Croft.

The rest of the Dad's Army actors will be played by John Sessions (as Arthur Lowe), Julian Sands (as John Le Mesurier), Mark Heap (as Clive Dunn), Kevin Bishop (as James Beck), Michael Cochrane (as Arnold Ridley) and Ralph Riach (as John Laurie).

Meanwhile, Keith Allen will play TV executive Paul Fox,...

Cameron K McEwan Aug 16, 2016

Cameron sings the praises of 25 classic and modern Doctor Who adventures that went underappreciated. See what made the cut below...

Doctor Who fans can be an odd bunch at times (and by that I mean all the time), what's gold to one is dross to another. And when you think everyone is agreed on a genuine stinker (Timelash, for example), you'll find it has admirers in abundance. But what's here are some of the stories that, for whatever reason, get overlooked, underseen and, perhaps, undervalued - in no particular order.

The Awakening

Two-parters often get forgotten about (in classic Doctor Who at any rate) and this Peter Davison story, whilst perhaps best known to Who fans for a famous blooper featuring a horse, has some tremendous imagery and beautiful location shooting. Best of all is the villain of the piece, The Malus, who put the willies...

Feature Cameron K McEwan 26 Apr 2013 - 07:00

Cameron sings the praises of twenty-five classic and modern Doctor Who adventures that deserve more love. See what made the cut below...

Doctor Who fans can be an odd bunch at times (and by that I mean all the time), what's gold to one is dross to another. And when you think everyone is agreed on a genuine stinker (Timelash, for example), you'll find it has admirers in abundance. But what's here are some of the stories that, for whatever reason, get overlooked, underseen and, perhaps, undervalued - in no particular order.

The Awakening

Two-parters often get forgotten about (in classic Doctor Who at any rate) and this Peter Davison story, whilst perhaps best known to Who fans for a famous blooper featuring a horse, has some tremendous imagery and beautiful location shooting. Best of all is the villain of the piece, The Malus,...

Philip Madoc in A Mind to Kill. Acorn Media DVD

Kieran Kinsella

The late Philip Madoc was a fantastically talented actor who specialized in playing dark and brooding characters. A familiar face on British TV, Madoc appeared in everything from Doctor Who to Dad’s Army but he saved his best performances for the crime drama A Mind to Kill. Two versions of the series were made with one being in English and the other in Madoc’s native Welsh tongue.

Madoc’s character was Detective Chief Inspector Noel Bain – an old-school detective who unhappily faces up to the fact that the world is a darker and scarier place than it was when he first walked his beat. Much to his chagrin, his daughter Hannah, (Ffion Wilkins) eventually decides to follow in his footsteps and become a police officer. The duo have a difficult relationship away from the office and...

[rating 4.5]

Warning: Significant spoilers ahead!

Previously on Doctor Who…

When last we left the Doctor (Tom Baker) and Leela (Louise Jameson), they’d just tracked down the source of an old Roman legend, met a bizarre colonel who chased Leela around in a tank (Michael Cochrane) and encountered the Doctor’s best enemy, the beef-jerky-in-a-cloak version of the Master (Geoffrey Beevers). The story ended with a set up for this audio. I liked part one. Does part two measure up?

In this chapter we have the Master working alongside the Kraals (previously seen in “The Android Invasion” and, hilariously, a name which my spell-check recognizes). He gives the Doctor over to them, and then sort-of steps back and mocks them (which eventually results in the Kraals arresting him), as they begin their plans to take over the Earth with the help of Colonel Spindleton (who the Master keeps calling Colonel Simpleton...

The Rise and Fall of Margaret Thatcher. co. BBC America

On 18 October 2011 you can own The Rise and Fall of Margaret Thatcher on DVD. The two-disc BBC America DVD charts the meteoric rise of Britain’s first female prime minister and her eventual demise. The career of the so-called “Iron Lady” is brought to life over the course of the three plays: Long Walk to Finchley, The Falkland’s Play and Margaret.

The three plays feature a star studded cast that includes Geoffrey Palmer, Robert Hardy, Patricia Hodge, Lindsay Duncan, Samuel West and Andrea Riseborough. We are pleased to offer three of our readers the chance to own this set courtesy of BBC America. All you have to do is email us or like a post about this release on our Facebook page. Three winners will be chosen at random. (Full details listed below)

The Long Walk to Finchley is...

Ask me what my favourite Scooby Doo episode is, and I'd promptly say that it's the one that takes place in the creepy mansion called What The Hex Going On. In case you haven't seen it, a guy dresses up as the ghost of Elias Kingston, a blue faced old wretch who apparently has the power to age people into skeletons (visually, he's the spit of Thatcher's press secretary Bernard Ingham). It's great stuff, even if the villain inexplicably wears glasses underneath all the heavy make-up.

I only mention this since I've seen Ghost Light, a fortunate return to form for Doctor Who after the silly Battlefield. I don't know, Ghost Light just reminds me of Hex for some odd reason – both stories take place in a spooky old mansion with sliding doors, shadows and creepy rooms, complete with a baddie in long flowing robes wreaking havoc. Plus, the title...

Chicago – Sean Bean is an actor who naturally exudes menace. His dark squinting eyes always seem to be up to something, and surely assisted him in getting cast as the bad guy in a variety of blockbusters. While American moviegoers know him primarily for roles such as Jack Ryan’s adversary in “Patriot Games,” British audiences view Bean as their equivalent to a heroic Jack Ryan-type everyman, thanks to his portrayal of swashbuckling soldier Richard Sharpe.

Based on Bernard Cornwell’s series of historical fiction novels, the “Sharpe” film saga was originally broadcast in the mid-90s, consisting of no less than fourteen installments. Sharpe starts out as a British sergeant who receives a promotion after saving the life of the future Duke of Wellington. The books, and their subsequent television adaptations, chronicle Sharpe’s adventures in the Napoleonic Wars, climaxing at the Battle of Waterloo. Two more “Sharpe” films were shot a decade later,...