Ncuti Gatwa’s second series is so far following a very similar blueprint to his first. This is something I discussed the other week, but both series started with a silly sci-fi opener, a 20th-century period romp, and a tense space-based thriller. 73 Yards, probably the most acclaimed episode of last […]
Alex Paine
Freaky Tales (2024): High on Style, Inconsistent on Substance
The amount of 80s nostalgia there has been over the last ten years or so has meant that it’s harder and harder for films set in the decade stand out: regardless of quality, there’s nothing that stops them being seen as cynical bursts of nostalgia for a time gone by, […]
Doctor Who (2025): The Well – A Fantastic Return To Tight, Taut Horror
This new Disney+ era of the show has had a less unanimously positive reception than Russell T Davies was perhaps hoping for, but fans have always seemed really happy whenever this era delves into horror. The eerie and freakish Wild Blue Yonder, the most purely horror-focused episode until this one, […]
Doctor Who (2025): Lux – A Visual Marvel Backed Up By Fun Script (SPOILERS)
In the days leading up to Series 15, it struck me that Russell has structured this series in a very similar way to the last one. The Robot Revolution is a bright and silly family-friendly introduction like Space Babies, next week’s Episode 3 looks set to be a dark and […]
Doctor Who (2025): The Robot Revolution – A Rambunctious Start With A Unique Spin (SPOILERS)
It’s been strange seeing the Doctor Who fandom, a fandom that was so divided and downhearted during the Chris Chibnall era and therefore ecstatic when Russell T Davies and Disney+ got involved, go back to the exact same mood after last year’s series finale. A rewatch of Empire of Death […]
The Doom Busters (Glasgow Frightfest 2025)
Maybe in the future, I should judge what films I watch based on if I crack a smile or not looking at the synopsis, because when I noticed that The Doom Busters was about British citizens serving in the Home Guard uncovering an alien presence during World War II, I […]
Memoir Of A Snail (2024): The Best Stop-Motion Film Since Coraline – Yes, Really
For as much as several stop-motion films are among my favourite films of all time, I always have to pinch myself whenever I get to see a new one. I’m still by no means a connoisseur of the medium but damn if I don’t treasure the opportunity to see people […]
A Latecomer To Emilia Perez (2024): What’s All The Fuss About?
My sudden interest in the Oscars has not necessarily come from a fascination about the ceremony itself, which is always a deeply cringe-worthy affair that has to pad out time between each award and acceptance speech with bizarre jokes and banal platitudes. The only reason I’ve been interested the last couple […]
2024 in Review: A Mad Year For Cinema, and For Me
In 2022, I did a roundup of my favourite films of the year, even though I’d only managed to see a small handful of new films that came out. Last year I did the same, and I was fairly proud that I’d managed to see nearly 20 films at the […]
The Secret of NIMH (1982) – Don Bluth Gives Animation The Respect It Deserves
Don Bluth is one of those filmmakers who fascinates me, despite the fact that I had never seen one of his films until now. People talk about his animated efforts with even more reverence than we normally reserve for the best Disney and Pixar films. If you’re like me and […]