‘Blue Jean’ Review: A Lesbian Teacher Faces (and Perpetuates) Systemic Homophobia in a Quietly Searing British Debut

K.J. Yossman The first image has been released of Bill Bailey and Adjoa Andoh’s characters in upcoming BBC short film “The Smeds and The Smoos.” Based on Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler’s picture-book of the same name, it tells the story of two warring families whose children, Bill and Janet, fall in love and run away together. Hotly pursued by their grandparents, Grandfather Smed (Bailey) and Grandmother Smoo (Andoh), the two young aliens lead their families on a chase across space, giving them the opportunity to find out they have more in common than they think. Rounding out the cast are Ashna Rabheru as Janet, Daniel Ezra as Bill, Rob Brydon as Uncle Smoo, Meera Syal as Aunt Smed and Sally Hawkins as the narrator.

published Sunday. “Each one is a day on which someone died violently in Braddock, Pennsylvania, while I was mayor.

Ellise Shafer We pledge allegiance to Poguelandia. John B (Chase Stokes) and the “Outer Banks” crew are back in Netflix’s first teaser for the series’ third season, and it seems they’ve finally found some peace on an island they call Poguelandia. The sky is so blue that it’s almost turquoise, the sand is soft and it looks like the gang has set up their own little sun-soaked world far away from Ward (Charles Esten), Rafe (Drew Starkey) and the Sheriff’s Department. But, of course, nothing is as it seems. Soon, the trailer heats up, showing Sarah (Madelyn Cline), Kie (Madison Bailey), Pope (Jonathan Daviss) and JJ (Rudy Pankow) running away from wild dogs and participating in car chases as they continue to search for treasure. There’s also lots of fighting, including with Ward and Rafe, and the return of Cleo (Carlacia Grant) and John B’s resurrected-from-the-dead father, Big John Rutledge (Charles Halford).

Both Jonathan Bailey and Bridgerton have been making headlines this week, so we figured it’s the perfect time to look back at these hot photos of him on the show!

There’s huge Wicked movie news that just broke!

Marc Malkin Senior Film Awards, Events & Lifestyle EditorJonathan Bailey is in talks to join the cast of Jon M. Chu’s “Wicked” movies.The “Bridgerton” star will play Fiyero in the two-part feature adaptation headlined by Ariana Grande as Glinda and Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba. The Universal Pictures films are set for release on Christmas in 2024 and 2025.“Wicked” is a prequel to “The Wizard of Oz,” telling the story of how Elphaba became the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good Witch.“We decided to give ourselves a bigger canvas and make not just one ‘Wicked’ movie but two!” Chu wrote in a statement when announcing the two-parter. “With more space, we can tell the story of ‘Wicked’ as it was meant to be told while bringing even more depth and surprise to the journeys for these beloved characters.”

The stars of Amsterdam are stepping out for the movie’s premiere!

Guy Lodge Film Critic In the little-remembered 1950 noir “The Damned Don’t Cry,” Joan Crawford plays a Texan housewife whose grief for her late son spurs her to make a new life for herself in the urban underworld. Fyzal Boulifa’s exquisite new film of the same title is named expressly for that Crawford vehicle, but is neither a remake nor a direct homage. Rather, it remixes the narrative components of that film and others of its ilk into the kind of new-school-old-school heart-tugger — one might say tearjerker if its characters weren’t, true to its title, stoically dry-eyed throughout — that might have been designed for the shoulder-padded diva were she alive in 2022 and, perhaps more crucially, of Moroccan heritage. 

Ethan Shanfeld Disney made quite a splash at its D23 Expo last weekend with a first look at Halle Bailey’s live-action “The Little Mermaid,” which earned over 104 million global views, Variety has learned exclusively. The clip takes viewers on a journey through the ocean before showing the shimmering underwater life of Ariel (Bailey), who teases her version of the iconic “Little Mermaid” song “Part of Your World.” “The Little Mermaid” teaser floated above those of all recent Disney live-action titles, including “Cruella” (68 million views), “Beauty and the Beast” (94 million views), “Alladin” (74 million views) and “Maleficent 2” (62 million views). Due to Queen Elizabeth II’s death on Thursday, “The Little Mermaid” metrics do not include views from the U.K., Ireland and Australia.

EXCLUSIVE: Amazon and German production and distribution force Constantin Film are teaming up on YA fantasy feature Silver (working title), based on the popular novel series of the same name by Kerstin Gier.

Venice Film Festival. Set in England in 1988 as Margaret Thatcher’s government is set to pass the anti-LGBT Section 28 law, “Blue Jean” stars Rosy McEwen as Jean, a gym teacher who must now live a double life.

Magnolia Pictures acquired North American rights to Blue Jean, the directorial debut of Georgia Oakley which just world-premiered in the Venice Days section of the Venice Film Festival. Pic stars Rosy McEwen and won Venice’s Giornate degli Autori (GdA) People’s Choice award. Magnolia plans to release the film next year.

Manori Ravindran International Editor Magnolia Pictures has acquired the North American rights to Venice Film Festival sensation “Blue Jean.” The directorial debut of Georgia Oakley, which just world-premiered in the Venice Days section of the Italian festival, is set in England in 1988, where Margaret Thatcher’s Conservative government is about to pass a law stigmatizing gays and lesbians. The new legislation forces Jean (Rosy McEwen), a closeted gym teacher, to live a double life. But as pressure mounts from all sides, the arrival of a new student catalyzes a crisis that will challenge Jean to her core.

Today at D23, Disney offered a first look at its live-action adaptation of The Little Mermaid, starring Halle Bailey and directed by Rob Marshall, which is slated to hit theaters May 26. Watch the teaser above.

Her last appearance. Queen Elizabeth II‘s final royal engagement came just days before her death when she appointed new Prime Minister Liz Truss on Tuesday, September 6.

With its abundance of flickery grain, exceedingly credible period production, and eminently authentic ensemble, UK filmmaker Georgia Oakley’s astonishing debut feature “Blue Jean” — which premiered at the Venice Film Festival last week, no doubt primed to pick up a swath of gongs and laurels — could well be a relic exhumed from the back cupboards of a dusty film archive.  READ MORE: Venice Film Festival Preview: 16 Must-See Films To Watch Set amid Margaret Thatcher’s reign of terror in the late ‘80s, the little-known Rosy McEwen puts in a calling card performance for the ages as Jean, a closeted lesbian gym teacher torn asunder by the emergence of Section 28: barbaric British legislation that, until 2003, prohibited the “promotion of homosexuality” across the country.