DVD & Digital · GFF24

Film review: Restore Point

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Taking us into a not-so-distant future where unnatural deaths can be cancelled out by innovative back-up hardware, ambitious sci-fi thriller Restore Point comes from Czech director Robert Hloz. The action follows detective Em Trochinowska (Andrea Mohylová) as she investigates the suspicious deaths of the David Kurlstat (Matej Hádek), who happens to be the developer of this restorative science, and his wife. Meanwhile, a mysterious organisation known as the River of Life are rebelling against the new technology by committing heinous acts of terrorism to bring about natural order.

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cinema · GFF24

Film review: Bleeding Love

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In the mid 1990s, Ewan McGregor burst onto the scene with iconic roles in Shallow Grave and Trainspotting and was the picture of fearless, reckless youth. Now, around thirty years on, his daughter Clara is following in his acting footsteps. In Bleeding Love, the feature debut from Dutch director Emma Westenberg, they star together as an estranged father and daughter en route to rehab after a near fatal overdose. Travelling through the American Southwest, they have various pitstops and attempt to mend their fractured relationship.

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GFF24 · Interviews

Tummy Monster Interview: Ciaran Lyons & Lorn Macdonald – ‘There was a real energy to the shoot – you could feel it’.

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Have you ever had a bad experience when asking a celebrity for a selfie? Glasgow-based filmmaker Ciaran Lyons explores the dark side of this idea in his debut feature Tummy Monster, a psychological black comedy set entirely in a tattoo studio. Rising star Lorn Macdonald plays Tales who gets embroiled in a twisted game when a musician turns up at his parlour to get inked in the middle of the night.

Ahead of its World Premiere at Glasgow Film Festival 2024, I jumped at the opportunity to sit down with director Ciaran Lyons and actor Lorn Macdonald to discuss their inventive new film…

I note that you’re both credited with writing the screenplay along with Orlando Norman. What was your process around collaborating? I guess that there was some improv involved…?

CL – Yeah, it’s partly the improv element. I wrote the first draft and it was always my intention that it would be a very actor led piece. I really wanted to give both Lorn and Orlando scope to flesh out their characters and contribute to the script and they did. They both brought an awful lot to it and they crafted their roles into the characters you see on screen.

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cinema · GFF24

Film review: Tummy Monster

Garry Arnot1 Comment

 Just how far would a desperate person go to get a selfie with someone famous? Scottish filmmaker Ciaran Lyons explores this in his impressive feature debut Tummy Monster. Fusing psychological thriller elements with jet black comedy, the plot centres around tattoo artist Tales (Lorn Macdonald) who is living out of his studio following a run of misfortunes. When an American pop star (Orlando Norman) and his security guard (Michael Akinsilure) turn up at his shop in the dead of night, he thinks his luck might have changed. After giving him the ink that he desires, Tales asks for a quick snap as a memento because his ‘niece is a big fan’ but when the musician surprisingly declines, their spat starts to spiral out of control.

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cinema · Features · GFF24

Top 5 Must-See Movies of Glasgow Film Festival 2024

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Celebrating its milestone 20th edition, Glasgow Film Festival returns with a typically eclectic line-up with director Allison Gardner steering the ship. As well as great retrospective screenings and a country focus strand on Czechia, the festival will open with the UK premiere of Love Lies Bleeding, the much anticipated new feature from British director Rose Glass. After perusing the programme, here are five that I have my eye on…

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DVD & Digital

Film review: Defoe

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After making a couple of award-winning short films, US-based writer and director James Ross has come across the pond for his debut feature, shifting genre from horror to sports documentary. A lifelong Spurs fan, this biographical film charts the illustrious career of one of their most prolific strikers. Defoe came up playing on the streets of East London before competing at the highest level for West Ham United, Tottenham Hotspur, Sunderland, and more, and represented England on the world’s stage.

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cinema

Film review: The Sweet East

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Best known for his work as a cinematographer, Sean Price Williams has brought his rough and ready aesthetic to independent hits such as Good Time, Funny Pages, and Her Smell. Fantasy drama The Sweet East marks his directorial debut and sees him doubling down on his experimental approach and follows high schooler Lillian (Talia Ryder) on a field trip to Washington, D.C. 

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DVD & Digital

DVD review: The Taste of Things

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Twenty years on from the end of their marriage, Juliette Binoche and Benoît Magimel reunite on screen in French romance drama The Taste of Things. Written and directed by Trần Anh Hùng, it is set in 1885 and centres on the relationship between cook Eugénie (Binoche) and Dodin (Magimel), her acclaimed gourmet. Bonded over a shared passion for exquisite cuisine, they are joined in their idyllic chateau by assistant Violette (Galatea Bellugi) and her young niece Pauline (Bonnie Chagneau-Ravoire) who is primed to be their latest apprentice.

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