Me (left) and my buddy meeting Kevin Smith at the 2016 edition of EIFF. Growing up in Scotland as a young boy who dreamt of making films was not easy. Although Scottish cinema is in a healthier place today, choosing to study film after finishing high school in 2015 felt like a risky decision at … Read more
Indeed, “where to start with Christopher Lee?” is a question worth asking. Even setting aside his immense film career, his personal life reads like an extraordinary biography. Born into an aristocratic family with Italian roots and a lineage traced back to Charlemagne, Lee’s childhood alone contained astonishing encounters, including meeting some of the men involved … Read more
Edgar Wright has been one of the most distinctive and inventive voices in British cinema for more than two decades. From his early collaboration with Simon Pegg on the cult sitcom Spaced through his move into mainstream international filmmaking capped by the 2017 action film Baby Driver, Wright has consistently produced original, stylish work that … Read more
The Orphanage (2007) Director: J.A. Bayona Screenwriter: Sergio G. Sánchez Starring: Belén Rueda, Fernando Cayo, Roger Princep, Mabel Rivera, Montserrat Carulla, Geraldine Chaplin, Andrés Gertrúdix, Edgar Vivar, Óscar Casas When a noted filmmaker attaches their name to a project as a producer, it can transform how that film is perceived and financed. In the case … Read more
The Centre for the Moving Image Enters Administration; Edinburgh and Aberdeen Filmhouses Close The Centre for the Moving Image (CMI), the charity that operated Edinburgh Filmhouse, Aberdeen Filmhouse and the Edinburgh International Film Festival (EIFF), has ceased trading and entered administration. The announcement has led to the immediate suspension of operations at both cinemas and … Read more
Ah, rip-offs. We’ve all encountered them. Wander into the DVD aisle of any supermarket and you’ll spot titles like Chop Kick Panda, AVH: Alien vs Hunter or Tappy Feet. These are the DVDs that sometimes end up under the tree because a well-meaning relative mistook them for the real thing. If any genre is particularly … Read more
Mr Harrigan’s Phone (2022) Director: John Lee Hancock Screenwriters: John Lee Hancock Starring: Jaeden Martell, Donald Sutherland, Kirby Howell-Baptiste, Joe Tippett, Cyrus Arnold, Colin O’Brien Stephen King built his reputation on stories that blend everyday life with uncanny dread, but not every King adaptation prioritizes shock over character. Mr Harrigan’s Phone (2022), directed and written … Read more
Martyrs (2008) Director: Pascal Laugier Screenwriter: Pascal Laugier Starring: Mylène Jampanoï, Morjana Alaoui, Catherine Bégin, Patricia Tulasne, Robert Toupin Pascal Laugier’s Martyrs (2008) is a brutal, unsettling film that refuses to provide easy comfort. It pushes into a deliberately uncomfortable zone—one where extreme violence is used not as spectacle but as a vehicle to explore … Read more
The Others (2001) Director: Alejandro Amenábar Screenwriter: Alejandro Amenábar Starring: Nicole Kidman, Christopher Eccleston, Fionnula Flanagan, Alakina Mann, James Bentley, Eric Sykes, Elaine Cassidy The horror genre continually evolves, yet it often returns to timeless anxieties that never go away. Alejandro Amenábar’s 2001 film The Others is a modern gothic thriller that taps into those … Read more
Hocus Pocus 2 (2022) Director: Anne Fletcher Screenwriter: Jen D’Angelo Starring: Whitney Peak, Belissa Escobedo, Lilia Buckingham, Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kathy Najimy Hocus Pocus 2 returns to screens as a nostalgia-driven, female-forward continuation of the original cult classic. After nearly three decades, the film brings back the Sanderson Sisters—played once again by Bette … Read more