52 h. ago Portobello review – Marco Bellocchio’s glorious saga of TV stars, mafia prisoners and lace doilies

Venice film festivalIn the first two episodes of a six-part series, the stardom of 80s primetime host Enzo Tortora is cleverly crosscut with the scramble of a mob secretary who implicates him – and his parrot – in drug traffickingMarco Bellocchio, the tireless warhorse of Italian cinema, kicks up a swirling dust cloud of corruption with this fabulous, stranger-than-fiction account of an 80s TV star convicted of conspiring with the Camorra. Shot for the streaming service HBO Max, it is the director’s second historical miniseries after 2022’s Exterior Night, about the kidnapping of Aldo Moro, and features the same lead player in Fabrizio Gifuni, an actor who has surely cornered the market in playing glossy public figures whose lives are about to take a hellish turn. Bellocchio’s dramas typically inhabit this kind of shonky, venal moral universe. The ground is liable to drop away pretty much at any moment.Gifuni stars as Enzo Tortora, a primetime TV presenter in the twinkling Terry Wog...

Events

3 d. ago Popular streaming service shuts down on Amazon Fire TV Sticks affecting users today

Amazon Fire TV Stick users will notice that a favourite app is no longer accessible on their device from September 1

Events

7 d. ago Amazon issues rare statement as The Summer I Turned Pretty stars targeted online

The Summer I Turned Pretty has become a runaway hit for Amazon's Prime Video streaming service - but the show's stars have been left 'scared' by the reaction

Events

8 d. ago Does buying a film digitally mean you actually own it? | J Oliver Conroy

A new lawsuit aimed at Amazon questions the legitimacy of the word ‘buy’ when it comes to owning a movie on your devicesA possible class-action lawsuit against Amazon Prime, one of the world’s biggest platforms for streaming film and television, has raised an odd question: what does it mean to buy something?The proposed lawsuit, which was filed last week in federal court and first reported by the Hollywood Reporter, alleges that Prime’s practice of offering users the chance to “buy” (as opposed to “rent”) content is inherently deceptive. The suit argues that buying something implies perpetual possession – but that Amazon, like many other streaming services, is really just selling its customers viewing licenses that can be revoked at any time, in keeping with fine print that most customers do not read or understand. Continue reading...

Politics

8 d. ago Think you actually own all those movies you've been buying digitally? Think again | J Oliver Conroy

New lawsuit aimed at Amazon questions the legitimacy of the word ‘buy’ when it comes to owning a movie on your devicesA possible class-action lawsuit against Amazon Prime, one of the world’s biggest platforms for streaming film and television, has raised an odd question: what does it mean to buy something?The proposed lawsuit, which was filed last week in federal court and first reported by the Hollywood Reporter, alleges that Prime’s practice of offering users the chance to “buy” (as opposed to “rent”) content is inherently deceptive. The suit argues that buying something implies perpetual possession – but that Amazon, like many other streaming services, is really just selling its customers viewing licenses that can be revoked at any time, in keeping with fine print that most customers do not read or understand. Continue reading...

Economics

8 d. ago Netflix fans hooked on 'gripping' movie with BBC star leading 'superb acting'

Starring BBC The Girl Before actor David Oyelowo, the film has made it into the Netflix streaming service's top 10 charts this week.

Politics

9 d. ago Broadband expert shares simple ways to cut streaming subscription costs before next month

Almost 70 per cent of UK households pay for at least one streaming service.

Politics

1 week ago Amazon users warned streaming service is ending next week – how to keep watching

Amazon is shutting down its free, ad-supported service Freevee in just seven days time, but has reassured viewers they can still watch the content

Events

1 week ago Psychological thriller on Netflix is '10 out of 10 and ending is a twister'

A film fan has recommended watching a psychological thriller on streaming service Netflix which is a 'must-see', rating it 10 out of 10 and saying the ending is a 'twister'

Science

2 w. ago People are cancelling Netflix subscriptions for very unexpected reason

Netflix is one of the many streaming services that have a range of movies and shows - but now users are cancelling their subscriptions and opting for another source of content

Politics

2 w. ago The Guardian view on Britain’s AI strategy: the risk is that it is dependency dressed up in digital hype | Editorial

The UK’s plans seem to outsource sovereignty for phantom efficiency. Public services provide the data and power while US tech giants reap the rewardsThere was a time when Britain aspired to be a leader in technology. These days, it seems content to be a willing supplicant – handing over its data, infrastructure and public services to US tech giants in exchange for the promise of a few percentage points of efficiency gains. Worryingly, the artificial intelligence strategy of Sir Keir Starmer’s government appears long on rhetoric, short on sovereignty and built on techno-utopian assumptions. Last week Peter Kyle, the technology secretary, was promoting the use of AI-generated discharge letters in the NHS. The tech, he said, will process complex conversations between doctors and patients, slashing paperwork and streamlining services. Ministers say that by applying AI across the public sector, the government can save £45bn.But step back and a more familiar pattern emerges. As Cecil...

Events

2 w. ago Fire in the hole: the Indigenous crews blasting the Alaskan rainforest to save it

After a historic land buyback by the US Forest Service, Tlingit crew members are demolishing culverts to restore streams, salmon runs and cultural history deep in the Tongass national forestThe morning begins with a sense of anticipation – the calm before 1,200lbs of explosives detonate a stream culvert buried 10ft in Alaska’s Tongass national forest.Jamie Daniels, 53, and his crew of Tlingit forestry workers take cover in a glade of alders. Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago 'Outrageous' documentary streaming on Netflix guaranteed to make your 'jaw drop'

The series landed on the streaming service earlier this week

Politics

2 w. ago 'Compulsively watchable' Second World War series is based on heartbreaking novel

The series is available to watch on Channel 4's streaming service and is based on Mary Wesley's novel of the same name

Events

2 w. ago Netflix users share 'most underrated' crime drama with 'incredible acting'

Netflix fans have been searching through the streaming service's catalogue to find the best hidden gems, and one 'absolutely incredible' particular show is getting a lot of love

Events

3 w. ago Can’t pay, won’t pay: impoverished streaming services are driving viewers back to piracy

As subscription costs rise and choice diminishes on legal sites, film and TV fans are turning to VPNs and illicit streamers, with Sweden – home of both Spotify and The Pirate Bay – leading the wayWith a trip to Florence booked, all I want is to rewatch Medici. The 2016 historical drama series tells of the rise of the powerful Florentine banking dynasty, and with it, the story of the Renaissance. Until recently, I could simply have gone to Netflix and found it there, alongside a wide array of award-winning and obscure titles. But when I Google the show in 2025, the Netflix link only takes me to a blank page. I don’t see it on HBO Max, Disney+, Apple TV+, or any of the smaller streaming platforms. On Amazon Prime I am required to buy each of the three seasons or 24 episodes separately, whereupon they would be stored in a library subject to overnight deletion. Raised in the land of The Pirate Bay, the Swedish torrent index, I feel, for the first time in a decade, a nostalgia for the hi...

Politics

3 w. ago BBC is forced to apologise to Robert Jenrick after he was branded 'xenophobic' on Thought For The Day over article he wrote for the Mail On Sunday

Corporation bosses apologised to the Shadow Justice Secretary and had Radio 4's Today taken down from its streaming services and edited.

Politics

3 w. ago How to watch new Shannon Matthews documentary 17 years on from fake kidnap scandal

The kidnapping of Shannon Matthews rocked the UK in 2008, and now a new documentary following the fake abduction plot will arrive on one of the world's biggest streaming services

Events

3 w. ago Netflix fans break down in tears at 'heartbreaking and messy' film based on true story with all

The movie, directed and written by Sean Durkin, was released back in 2023, but is about to find a new audience on the popular streaming service.

Politics

3 w. ago Peaky Blinders star joins 'compelling' Harlan Coben thriller with 'eerie' twist

The new psychological thriller is set to be a 'gripping' addition to the streaming service's collection.

Politics