Long wanting to catch Kenichi Ugana’s work, it wasn’t until we caught the inimitable punk fever of last year’s The Gesouidoz (at London Fanta) that we finally caught up with the eclectic director making a name for himself on the international festival circuit. When his name popped up again for […]
Rob Simpson
Chief Editor
Host of the Uncut Network. With a love of movies kicked off by Hong Kong Action and Claymation Monsters, Rob has forever been cradled in the bosom of Cinema. Rob has his hands in many a pie, including no budget film making. Filthy
Cold Prey (2006-2010) A Rare Nordic slasher Trilogy gets its due
The country most people associate with the idea of a horror franchise is America. The UK has a few, as do Hong Kong, Japan, and Thailand, but the notion of anyone competing with the USA on franchising is laughable. Which is why the existence of a Norwegian slasher trilogy isn’t […]
Our Picks from Fantasia Film Festival’s 2026
Happy 30th Anniversary to Fantasia Film Festival, the Montreal‑based titan of the genre space. Over the past three decades it has grown from upstart festival to one of the few global events genre fans look to for upcoming trends, talent breakouts, and the next 12 months of must‑see titles. Put […]
Littermates (Dances with Films 2026) A Whimsical, Well‑Crafted British Oddity
Scott Tinkham & Michael Woloson’s feature debut fills me with the best kind of nostalgia. Before the most destructive vote in British political history, independent British cinema was in a far healthier place, to the extent that it felt like there was a genuine breakthrough of a new creative voice […]
Love is the Monster (2026) A Handsome, Horny, Hopelessly Chaotic Horror
After the cultural success of Ari Aster’s Midsommar, I’m surprised there weren’t more Scandisploitation, English‑language horror movies. Just as countless people became fascinated with Norse mythology off the back of Chris Hemsworth’s now‑iconic turn, this too felt like the perfect set‑up for more. There have been a few, but the […]
Kraken (2026) A tale of tension, patience, and a creature waiting in the wings
Since André Øvredal’s era‑defining Trollhunter in 2010, there’s been a small but persistent Scandinavian micro‑scene of giant‑monster movies, even Netflix got involved through its Troll outings (2022 & 2025). Now in 2026, we have a new addition to that tradition: Pål Øie’s Kraken, released by Signature Entertainment. At one end […]
Signal One (2026) A small‑scale sci‑fi that refuses to stay small
One of the great existential questions for modern man is whether we are alone, and given the sheer expanse of the universe surrounding us, the answer cannot possibly be no – there’s simply too much out there for us to be the only ones. It’s a statistical probability bordering on […]
Kikuyu Land (Sheffield Doc Fest 2026) A journey into the truths a nation keeps buried
Paraphrasing one of the younger subjects of Andrew H. Brown and Bea Wangondu’s documentary Kikuyu Land (fresh from screening at Sheffield’s DocFest), a young man who has probably seen far too much far too young notes that, like any country, there’s the version the world sees and the version kept […]
Hi Mom! (1970) De Palma’s Wildest Early Provocation
Brian De Palma has been accused of many things as a filmmaker, from being a Hitchcock copyist to a rampant sexist, whether accurately or not. Outside of the outliers, however, there’s a pretty standardised image of what one of his movies is, from its narrative concerns to the way he […]
Hacked: A Double Entendre of Rage-Fueled Karma (2025) A chaotic act of cinematic payback
While not very common, there have been a few occasions in recent years where people have taken an awful personal experience and utilised the trauma for cinema. Starring Jerry as Himself saw someone from the Asian American community exploited through a series of phone calls, with the voice on the […]