I think Spider-Man: Brand New Day…might…be…quite good? Fist of these to *look* good and have some action scene verve. That being said, there is an emotional intelligence in the writing and performances that would have been nice to give more room to breathe without all the MCU cruft: boxd.it/fIhbcn

A review of Spider-Man: Brand New Day (2026)

I think this…might…be…quite good? First of this generation of Spider-Man films that felt like it was photographed with some thought to the lighting (still a few green-screen-y moments but it feels lik...

boxd.it

LilyPad from Toy Story 5 being used in an EE advert for giving teenagers a smart device feels a bit dystopian.

Listening to @barryglendenning.bsky.social on Football Weekly say GenAI/LLMs frequently get basic football facts about players and teams wrong. Reminds me of the early days of ChatGPT, when it continually insisted that Lionel Messi signed for Manchester City in 2021, despite being told it was wrong.

The only real problem with mega hits not based in 12A storytelling is not that everyone shares opinions on social media — that could and should actually be great — it’s everyone sharing them as if their opinion or interpretation is ironclad fact, even if it is the most harebrained nonsense.

Forgot to try and get tickets when the extra batch of Odyssey 70mm IMAX tickets at BFI IMAX went on sale…

Ryan Gosling in Blade Runner 2049

ALT: Ryan Gosling in Blade Runner 2049

static.klipy.com

Half the planet is having a massive fight about how to correctly interpret an Ancient Greek poem but go ahead, close some more humanities departments.

Kind of cute to get an email from the Sundance press office entitled 'What to Know About the 2027 Sundance Film Festival', when it seems, since 2024, the content should merely be "You? You don't need to know anything, peasant!"

We have a go at Americans for their terrible global geography knowledge, but the UK Prime Minister has set up ‘No 10 North’ about 125 miles south of Newcastle.

They all have half decent ratings (even Tenet), but in context against the rest, the rating for Dunkirk feels like a joke.

Letterboxd@letterboxd.social · 2w ago

As Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey dominates at the worldwide box office, we delve into the Letterboxd community’s ranking of this iconic director’s entire filmography from best to worst. https://boxd.it/3hC

"When Odysseus speaks of “ten years of rage” being unleashed upon Troy, [a] specific modern echo is difficult to pin down, [yet] THE ODYSSEY is a triumphant piece of filmmaking; one that fills the frame in all dimensions, spatial and emotional." - @jimgr.com reviews: buff.ly/KGLLkUZ #filmsky

The Odyssey | TAKE ONE Magazine | Reviews

Nolan’s choice to adapt the Odyssey shows the continuing influence on modern storytelling, and the technical choices are emblematic of Nolan’s domination of modern blockbuster filmmaking.

buff.ly

You don’t need to like THE ODYSSEY (I did, review publishes Tuesday) but reading Emily Wilson’s review since drafting mine…hmm. The source material insight is, of course, interesting but the critique is annoyance at the film not being the one you wanted, rather than critique of the one actually made

I’ll be publishing longer, more considered thoughts on The Odyssey soon, but my first impression is I hadn’t realised my childhood on the Scottish coast fine tuned my ability to spot a Scottish sand dune quite as sharply as it did.

Off to see a man about ̷a̷ ̷d̷o̷g̷ an Odyssey.

We did our customary wrap-up episode for this series on the Terminator franchise. This has been a fascinating franchise because, as Jim and I discuss, it is so creatively impacted by business decisions behind the scenes and passing the franchise rights around like a pass the parcel.

TAKE ONE ███zine 📽️🎞@takeonecinema.net · 3w ago

Final(!) episode of Terminator pod series. In this epilogue, @simonxix.com & @jimgr.com wrap up thoughts as a whole, give final rankings of the films, and expand thoughts how the impact of capital on the franchise made it more commodity than creative endeavour: takeonecinema.net/podwithusify...

Olivia Stoll one of four(!) writers making their @takeonecinema.net debut this week, here writing about one of my favourite films of the year so far.

TAKE ONE ███zine 📽️🎞@takeonecinema.net · 3w ago

“With a nuanced perspective and a harmony of performances and technical elements, THE INVITE elevates itself into a surprisingly affecting examination of love from director Olivia Wilde. ” - Olivia Stoll reviews. #filmsky

Another 'TAKE ONE Presents...' run comes to a conclusion, and the Terminator series was very up and down, lemmetellya. In a parallel universe, this series of films kept its finger on the pulse of humanity's relationship to tech. The idea that unfettered capitalism ruined that is of little surprise.

TAKE ONE ███zine 📽️🎞@takeonecinema.net · 3w ago

Final(!) episode of Terminator pod series. In this epilogue, @simonxix.com & @jimgr.com wrap up thoughts as a whole, give final rankings of the films, and expand thoughts how the impact of capital on the franchise made it more commodity than creative endeavour: takeonecinema.net/podwithusify...

Final(!) episode of Terminator pod series. In this epilogue, @simonxix.com & @jimgr.com wrap up thoughts as a whole, give final rankings of the films, and expand thoughts how the impact of capital on the franchise made it more commodity than creative endeavour: takeonecinema.net/podwithusify...

TAKE ONE Magazine | Episode 7 - Outro | Pod With Us if You Want To Live

In this epilogue to their Terminator series, Simon and Jim wrap up their thoughts on the franchise as a whole, explore what the directors of these films went on to do, give their final rankings of the...

takeonecinema.net

My radio chat about this seems a good point to throw up my review of the film from a short while ago. Loved BLUE HERON.

TAKE ONE ███zine 📽️🎞@takeonecinema.net · 3w ago

“BLUE HERON is a gentle demonstration of cinema’s power, and Romvari's ability to create a tangible, shared experience of something difficult to put into words. The film is one of fuzzy memories & half-truths, but the impression it leaves is firm & enduring.” - @jimgr.com reviews. #filmsky

Ok, the World Cup is over so I’ll be back on my normal filmy nonsense with a side order of wailing at the world.

This might be the worst thing Tom Cruise has done since Scientology. #WorldCup

I know it makes me a fuddy-duddy…but what in the name of fuck is all this bobbins music before the kick off? Is this the #WorldCup final or Eurovision for fuck’s sake?

At a kid’s birthday party: I don’t know if this is true, but it feels very Scottish to me that whenever I need to address or help out a pre-schooler who is a boy, I instinctively seem to revert to calling them “wee man”…

Delighted to be back on air with @cinetopia.bsky.social for the first time in ages. Chatted Blue Heron & The Invite with @cinemaperspective.com and @amandainflux.bsky.social for the EH-FM. Worked out great: two of my favourite films of the year so far. Spotify link below, but available other places!

July 2026: 2026 Edinburgh International Film Festival Preview, The Invite, Blue Heron, and Rosebush Pruning

Cinetopia Radio · Episode

open.spotify.com

I called Spain getting past France on the strength of defence and control. France were favourites but I’m not sure why everyone on ITV are talking like France were beaten by Dumbarton Athletic or something. They’re European champions ffs, and have beaten them twice in tournament semis recently.

Sorry, I know I’m petty rooting for England’s opponents, but whenever I see some Scotland and England fans giving it big licks about mutual support if one gets knocked out, this is all I can see in my head.

We have an easy way out of the tedious ‘football’ v ‘soccer’ debate, and it’s really just to embrace the Italian word ‘calcio’.

The high stock levels of Irn-Bru also indicate there were no Scots celebrating the result. A picture tells a thousand words…

Matthew Highton@matthighton.bsky.social · 4w ago

I’m not saying everyone was on it last night but the Lucozade shelf speaks for itself.

My highlight of the England v Norway game was when the coverage innocently cut to Alf Inge Haaland in a exec box only to see him immediately start flicking v’s to the ref and clearly mouth ‘fuck off’, and then cut away again super fast.

Jude Bellingham again doing his best to ruin the song Hey Jude for me by dragging England through tournaments and England fans singing it.

English pundits at the hydration break: “They look leggy - there for the taking” Norway: <score immediately>