A stellar cast featuring Cate Blanchett, Minnie Driver, Rupert Everett, Julianne Moore and Jeremy Northam brings to life a British film adaptation of a beloved classic work.

Released in 1999, Oscar Wilde’s An Ideal Husband garnered critical acclaim and box office success.

The film earned multiple award nominations and was chosen as the closing night selection at that year’s Cannes Film Festival.

Contemporary critics praise its wit – with Everett delivering most of the memorable quips – along with its lavish period settings and costumes, and viewers can judge for themselves as it’s currently streaming on BBC iPlayer.

Sir Robert Chiltern (Northam) is an esteemed Member of Parliament at the dawn of the 20th century, but his world threatens to unravel due to the scheming interference of Lady Markby (Lindsay Duncan).

She reacquaints his wife, the principled Lady Gertrude Chiltern (Blanchett), with a former school rival, Mrs Laura Cheveley (Moore), who blackmails her husband into backing a new bill or facing public disgrace, reports the Mirror.

It emerges that Robert isn’t quite as virtuous as he appears, having amassed his wealth by revealing a cabinet secret – something his devoted wife knew nothing about.

He seeks counsel from his companion Lord Arthur Goring (Everett), an apparently frivolous yet sharp-witted gentleman who urges him to come clean to his wife. The narrative becomes increasingly intricate with betrayal, misunderstandings and extortion.

Devoted Wilde enthusiasts will spot several departures from the original 1895 stage production.

A sequence involving Mrs Cheveley’s brooch has been cut, whilst the conclusion is more complex due to a wager between two principal characters.

Critics gave the film a largely positive reception upon release, with it grossing £2.9 million at the UK box office and £11.2 million across the US and Canada. It boasts an 85% score on Rotten Tomatoes, where its sharp humour and visual splendour are highlighted.

One cinema fan said: “It’s lavish, clever entertainment, a welcome opportunity to laugh without shame.”

Another added: “The exquisite teamwork and byplay make the film such a delight to watch.”

A third wrote: “Charming, delightful, comical at times, interesting at others, this film is drenched in beautiful settings and costumes, witty dialogue, and a great cast of actors in their top form,” they wrote.

An Ideal Husband is available to watch on BBC iPlayer now.

Arguably the best Assassin’s Creed game is set to make a comeback courtesy of an upcoming remake for current-gen consoles and PC.

After a divisive third mainline entry, Ubisoft upped its game with the release of Assassin’s Creed Black Flag in 2013.

The game was praised for its story, characters and setting, not to mention the introduction of sailing elements that would inspire the eventual release of Skull and Bones.

Assassin’s Creed Black Flag was so well received that fans have been calling for a remake for years.

If the latest reports are to be believed, then fans are finally about to get the news they’ve been waiting for, as Ubisoft gets ready to announce a current-gen version of the popular action-adventure game.

According to Insider Gaming’s Mike Straw on a recent podcast, the Assassin’s Creed Black Flag remake should be announced at some point in April.

This means we’re just over a month away from seeing footage from the latest remake from Ubisoft.

It’s believed the Black Flag remake will launch in 2027, although exact dates are likely to be revealed when the game is officially announced by Ubisoft.

In terms of what fans can expect from the game, the remake is almost certain to feature improved visuals and frame-rates, not to mention various quality of life upgrades.

There are also rumours of new content, as well as changes to the map and the same weather system used in AC Shadows.

The original Black Flag sees players take control of pirate Captain Edward Kenway.

It features appearances from famous pirates like Blackbeard and Charles Vane, and takes place in locations such as Havana, Nassau, and Kingston.

“You are Captain Edward Kenway, a pirate among assassins,” reads the official description.

“Set sail for a unique adventure in the Caribbean where you will live by your own rules, explore uncharted islands and discover the gritty life of the legendary outlaws of the 18th century.”

A “masterpiece” World War 2 film you may not have heard of is hailed as “better than Saving Private Ryan“. Letters from Iwo Jima (2006) is a Japanese-language American film that depicts the Battle of Iwo Jima, fought between the United States and Imperial Japan in 1945.

The film was directed by Clint Eastwood and tells the story from the Japanese perspective. It’s a companion piece to his previous film, Flags of Our Fathers, which shows events from an American point of view. The film stars Ken Watanabe, Kazunari Ninomiya, Tsuyoshi Ihara, Ryō Kase, and Shidō Nakamura, and offers a bleak and unflinching portrayal of the real-life battle. Collider included the film among 10 war movies superior to Steven Spielberg‘s 1998 masterwork, Saving Private Ryan, which is often held up as the gold standard of war film realism.

Praising the Letters from Iwo Jima’s unusual focus on the experiences of America’s adversary at the time, Collider says it “exposes the tragic symmetry of war” by “emphasising shared humanity across ideological lines”.

“It also delves into the culture and psychology of the Japanese soldiers,” the outlet added. “These men fight not because they believe in victory, but because surrender is unthinkable.”

Fans have flocked to IMDb to shower the war epic with praise. One wrote: “With ‘Letters From Iwo Jima’, Clint Eastwood breaks the shackles and delivers an out-and-out masterpiece.

“He doesn’t arrest his style into the boredom of flashback wartime drama or any chauvinistic propaganda. In fact, he takes radical U-turns.

“In ‘Flags Of Our Fathers’, he shows that there is nothing more honourable than to die for a native land, and in ‘Letters From Iwo Jima ‘, he shows the parallels in the misery of death.”

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A third wrote: “In the end, this isn’t just a war film. It’s a meditation on empathy, perspective, and the cost of loyalty – and only someone like Clint Eastwood could bring it to life.”

A fourth said Letters from Iwo Jima is Eastwood’s “masterpiece”.

Reddit users posting on the popular r/movies subreddit were also keen to give the film its flowers. One wrote: “Letters from Iwo Jima is definitely one of the best war films I’ve seen; for me, the narrative is reminiscent of Thin Red Line, which is also amazing.”

Another wrote: “It’s so strange how he made Iwo Jima and Flags Of Our Fathers at the same time, but Iwo Jima is just so much better in every way. Very underrated war film and one of my favourites.”

The drama has a 15 certificate and contains strong violence – so viewer discretion is advised.

Letters from Iwo Jima is available to buy or rent on various platforms, including Amazon Prime Video, YouTube, Apple TV, and Sky Store.