Michael Fassbender in X-Men: First Class (2011). Michael Fassbender has long attracted top-tier directors, and recent reports suggest he may soon add David Fincher to that list. The Irish actor is in talks to star in the assassin thriller The Killer, a film being developed for Netflix and reportedly set to begin production in September. … Read more

This article was written exclusively for The Film Magazine by Jack Cameron. The Mauritanian (2021) Director: Kevin Macdonald Screenwriters: Michael Bronner, Rory Haines, Sohrab Noshirvani Starring: Tahar Rahim, Jodie Foster, Benedict Cumberbatch, Shailene Woodley, Zachary Levi From its opening moments, The Mauritanian signals confidence and care. Director Kevin Macdonald, returning to narrative drama after years … Read more

Poly Styrene: I Am a Cliché (2021) Directors: Celeste Bell, Paul Sng Screenwriters: Celeste Bell, Paul Sng Starring: Celeste Bell, Marianne Elliott-Said, Ruth Negga When most people picture punk, images of its outspoken male icons often come to mind: provocative frontmen and disruptive personalities who defined the sound and spectacle of the movement in the … Read more

This article was written exclusively for The Film Magazine by Shona Leigh Pope. Representing autism on screen has long been a challenge for filmmakers. For decades one film in particular—1988’s Oscar-winning Rain Man—dominated the public imagination as the primary cinematic depiction of autism. While it helped raise visibility for autistic people, it also shaped a … Read more

Creation Stories (2021) Director: Nick Moran Screenwriters: Dean Cavanagh, Irvine Welsh Starring: Ewen Bremner, Leo Flanagan, Suki Waterhouse, Jason Isaacs, Mel Raido, Thomas Turgoose, Michael Socha, Ed Byrne, Paul Kaye, Perry Benson, Steven Berkoff, Rufus Jones Creation Stories attempts to dramatize the life of Alan McGee, the Glasgow-born music entrepreneur who founded Creation Records and … Read more

Contemporary films that depict LGBTQ+ lives often receive the most attention in cinema today. That interest reflects social and legal progress, but there is equal value in revisiting earlier films made before decriminalisation and other LGBTQ+ milestones. These earlier works offer poignant, sometimes surprising, perspectives and show how representation has evolved. Below is a curated … Read more

Alongside Akira Kurosawa and Kenji Mizoguchi, Yasujirō Ozu stands among the most celebrated Japanese filmmakers in history. Born in Tokyo in 1903, Ozu built a career spanning four decades—from the silent era of the 1920s through the transformative 1960s—producing intimate, sharply observed portraits of Japanese life. His films examine family ties, marriage, social expectations and … Read more

Jumbo (2021) Director: Zoé Wittock Screenwriter: Zoé Wittock Starring: Noémie Merlant, Emmanuelle Bercot, Bastien Bouillon At first blush, a story about a woman who falls in love with a fairground ride sounds like an absurd premise for a feature film. Yet Zoé Wittock’s Jumbo treats that premise with sincerity, curiosity and a surprising tenderness. The … Read more

Trainspotting (1996) Director: Danny Boyle Screenwriter: John Hodge Starring: Ewan McGregor, Ewen Bremner, Jonny Lee Miller, Kevin McKidd, Robert Carlyle, Kelly Macdonald Trainspotting stands as a landmark British film and a quintessential work of Scottish cinema. Directed by Danny Boyle and adapted by John Hodge from Irvine Welsh’s novel, the film captures the grit, humor, … Read more

This article was written exclusively for The Film Magazine by Sophie Cook. Penguin Bloom (2021) Director: Glendyn Ivin Screenwriters: Shaun Grant, Harry Cripps Starring: Naomi Watts, Andrew Lincoln, Jacki Weaver, Griffin Murray-Johnston, Essi Murray-Johnston “It must be weird to have wings but not be able to fly.” Penguin Bloom, released on Netflix, is a quietly … Read more