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You Have Been Watching…Aberdeen
It’s been a recent theme that many of the films featured on these pages had only the briefest of visits to cinemas before being shelved. This week’s choice didn’t even make it that far. Apparently the BBFC didn’t even think it worth giving it an age certification. But the most baffling aspect of this neglect is that […]
Alistair Braidwood
November 26, 2010
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You Have Been Watching…Complicity
For all his reasonable and affable public persona, the author Iain Banks is an angry man. At least he can be. Most of his mainstream novels have sections where this anger appears on the page and Banks lets rip at numerous targets through his characters. This anger can cover religion (The Crow Road and Whit), […]
Alistair Braidwood
November 19, 2010
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You Have Been Watching… Urban Ghost Story
Good Evening. Scotland doesn’t have a great tradition in horror movies, which is odd considering the wealth of Scottish Gothic and supernatural writing which provides potential material. There are a few exceptions such as The Bodysnatchers, Dog Soldiers, The Wicker Man etc, but there should be many more.
Alistair Braidwood
November 12, 2010
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You Have Been Watching…16 Years of Alcohol
After my recent post on Laura Fraser (see Tell Laura I Like Her…) I think it only right that we look at one of the films that backs up my claim that she is an overlooked and underrated talent. One of her best, and most archetypal, performances can be found in 16 Years of Alcohol.
Alistair Braidwood
November 5, 2010
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You Have Been Watching…Tunes of Glory
Certain films take you by surprise. You come at them with preconceived expectations and leave with those confounded. The poster, the cast, the trailer and soundtrack normally work together to prime you for what you are about to watch, but occasionally they lead you in the wrong direction. One such film is Tunes of Glory.
Alistair Braidwood
October 29, 2010
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You Have Been Watching…Tutti Frutti
There are works of art that you carry with you, that make you look at life in a different way and hold a significance beyond simply enjoyment or appreciation. I suppose you fall in love with them. For me one of these is John Byrne’s Tutti Frutti. It was only six episodes long but it […]
Alistair Braidwood
October 22, 2010
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You Have Been Watching…Small Faces
Stereotypes and our relationships with them is a thorny business, and this seems to apply particularly to Scots. For instance, our image in football terms has gone from marauding drunks who all have a square of Wembley turf in our back garden, to ‘the best fans in the world TM’ who are still drunk, but, […]
Alistair Braidwood
October 15, 2010
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You Have Been Watching…American Cousins
Watching Shane Meadow’s film Once Upon A Time in the Midlands the other night two thoughts struck me. The first is that Meadow’s is probably the most talented and diverse British film-maker of recent times (Dead Man’s Shoes and This is England being two of the best recent British movies) and could I justify claiming […]
Alistair Braidwood
October 8, 2010
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You Have Been Watching…A Shot at Glory
I’m not a great fan of that widely used term ‘guilty pleasure’. I think if something gives you pleasure then feeling guilt over it can only cause you problems in the long run, as the history of Scotland has adequately shown. Who cares if you have a soft spot for late 70’s American disco, often […]
Alistair Braidwood
October 1, 2010
