Pure storytelling perfection takes the form of Arco at Manchester Animation Festival 2025
A favourite for an Oscar, Arco – a unique, heart-wrenching, powerful story – is completely justified in its critical acclaim.
New Animated Voices: Student Animation at Manchester Animation Festival 2025
A staple of Manchester Animation Festival’s line-up is their New Animated Voices showcase, a screening where they play a curated selection of the best animated shorts.
Predator: Badlands review: frontline Yautja, frontline feelings
The Predator franchise brings its titular antagonist to the driver’s seat, marking a strange but exciting change of pace.
Resurrection review: a wildly ambitious success at Leeds International Film Festival 2025
Screening at Leeds Film Festival, Bi Gan’s Resurrection is a monumental love letter to film and creativity
Sentimental Value review: the best film of 2025 is here at Leeds International Film Festival 2025
Sentimental Value is pretty easily my favourite film of the year, even amongst very stacked competition, and I have been desperate to see it again since its release.
Bugonia and the Rise of Conspiracy Theory
Yorgos Lanthimos’ latest installation explores how isolation breeds belief in the imaginary, and how this resonates with our current political climate.
Chloé Zhao’s Hamnet at HOME cinema: Jessie Buckley delivers the performance of a lifetime
Hamnet is a tender tragedy based on Maggie O’Farrell’s award-winning novel. It studies, with unbelievable soreness, how the death of William Shakespeare’s only son tore apart his family and motivated what would become widely recognised as the greatest play of all time.
Ratings or romance? Why Married at First Sight is no better than a dating app
What began as a social experiment over a decade ago has become one of today’s most streamed reality shows. But does this popularity reveal something deeper about dating in society?
Review: Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere delivers a quiet search for self
A profound portrayal of the person behind the icon, exploring isolation, struggle, and the search for direction.
Alpha review: a profoundly disappointing mess at Leeds International Film Festival 2025
Julia Ducournau’s latest, Alpha, proves that one of the most exciting directors of the 21st century isn’t infallible
Zuławski’s Cosmos: The absurd horror to end the film bros
If you were then to tell a film bro you had, in fact, seen the film which they revere so dearly, they would then proceed to ask you “well, did you really GET it?” Andrzej Zuławski’s film Cosmos may put an end to this
Steve Henderson talks animation from around the world and the future of the Manchester Animation Festival
I talk with Steve Henderson ahead of the 11th run of the Manchester Animation Festival.
Review: One Battle After Another might just be the scariest film of 2025
Paul Thomas Anderson’s new action thriller, One Battle After Another, serves up a scarily realistic action-thriller masterpiece
The best of Grimmfest 2025
Manchester’s Grimmfest saw a wide array of titles from World War 2 Shark films to grounded Manchester based thrillers. Here are the four films I saw and thought were particularly worth your attention
Spooky season watchlist for horror haters
There’s no better time to dive into a world of supernatural film and TV than now – but we know jump scares aren’t for everyone. This guide rounds up the best picks for the season, from uncanny Halloween-style watches to cosy autumn stories
Interview: Cult filmmaker Kenichi Ugana on Grimmfest 2025, horror, and his insane work rate
Kenichi Ugana is a cult film star on the rise with three films out just this year. I spoke to him at Grimmfest 2025 about his new film and his crazy productivity.
Interview: Jake Myers and Paige Bourne discuss their comedy-horror Kombucha @ Grimmfest 2025
In conversation with director Jake Myers about the making of his satirical horror comedy, Kombucha.
Happyend: the feel-good dystopian film of the year
A heartfelt Japanese goodbye to youth and praise of rebellious energy and friendship
Interview: Ryland Tews on Hundreds of Beavers, touring, and The Odyssey
I sat down with the mastermind behind Hundreds of Beavers, Ryland Tews, ahead of his Manchester tour dates to discuss his insane touring film.
The Roses (2025) : A Domestic Tragedy
The Roses – Divorce has never been so difficult. A story about ambition and sacrifice.