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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
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You Have Been Watching…The Wicker Man
In the winter of 1977 the film magazine Cinefantastique dedicated an entire issue to a largely forgotten 1973 movie The Wicker Man, calling it ‘the Citizen Kane of horror movies’. With hindsight, this can be seen as the moment that the fortunes of The Wicker Man began to change and a film that was poorly […]
Alistair Braidwood
September 24, 2010
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You Have Been Watching…Local Hero
We can quibble about what is Scotland’s greatest film or who is our greatest director, but it is difficult to refute that Bill Forsyth’s run of his four ‘Scottish’ films has never been equaled. From debut That Sinking Feeling, through Gregory’s Girl and Comfort and Joy before finishing off in fine style with Local Hero, […]
Alistair Braidwood
September 17, 2010
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You Have Been Watching… Shallow Grave
Before Trainspotting there was Shallow Grave, Scotland’s filmic John the Baptist if you like. The 1980s had been pretty barren in terms of Scottish cinema, Bill Forsyth aside. Even those films that were being made, such as the previously featured Restless Natives and Soft Top, Hard Shoulder, did not do significant box office.
Alistair Braidwood
September 10, 2010
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You Have Been Watching… On A Clear Day
Peter Mullan is Scotland’s best living actor. Discuss. Certainly there are few Scottish actors whose name I’m as glad to see appear on a film’s credits. It means that even if the film isn’t great, there will be something worth seeing.
Alistair Braidwood
August 27, 2010
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You Have Been Watching… Restless Natives
The term cult film is really overused. Some claim that Reservoir Dogs or The Usual Suspects are cult films when they are really just critically appreciated successful films with a cool cast and/or soundtrack. A cult is something that demands devotion, even blind faith, and, by its nature, is often a well kept secret.
Alistair Braidwood
August 13, 2010
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You Have Been Watching… The Big Man
Since I was a youngster men seemed to be split into two groups, big men and wee men. As everyone is a big man when you’re young this distinction seemed arbitrary, but as you grow up you realise that someone being labelled big man is about more than height or bulk, there was an aura. […]
Alistair Braidwood
August 6, 2010
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You Have Been Watching… The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie
This week’s featured film is a bona fide classic, and, like Muriel Spark’s 1961 novel from which it is adapted, much more subversive and controversial than many would give it credit for. The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie is a film about loyalty, betrayal, guilt, duty, responsibility and questions of nature versus nurture.
Alistair Braidwood
July 23, 2010
