Film Opinion
Opinion pieces from our film writers looking at key debates and discussions around films, directors, actors, and cinematic trends. Here you can also find insight to stay current with coverage of booming film festivals.
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OpinionHead Canon: Being John Malkovich in the social media age
Twenty-five years after its UK release, Being John Malkovich offers a prescient look at celebrity, parasocial relationships, and the horror of being inside your own head Read more »| 18 Feb 2025 -
OpinionDavid Lynch, a filmmaker who opened up the world
The late David Lynch was not an artist you had to understand. His films were not puzzles to solve, they were journeys that had to be experienced. One writer reflects on how dipping her toes in Lynch's films after years of reluctance opened up the world Read more »| 31 Jan 2025 -
OpinionThe Great Queer Filmmakers of the 21st Century
Ahead of The Skinny's screening of Matthias & Maxime at GFT as part of Queer Cinema Sundays, we asked our writers: "Who are the great LGBTQ+ auteurs of the 21st Century?" Read more »| 06 Jan 2025 -
OpinionThe Skinny's Films of 2024: Our Writers' Top 10s
Our film writers reveal their personal top ten film lists for 2024, their honourable mentions, their rereleases of the year and the stinkers they could not stand Read more »| 16 Dec 2024 -
Opinion20 Underrated and Overlooked Films from 2024
Some films are universally adored, but others require a bit of work to appreciate their greatness. Here are some of the overlooked movies from 2024 that were misunderstood by critics, ignored by audiences and done dirty by their distributors Read more »| 11 Dec 2024 -
OpinionScotland on Screen: Review of 2024
It's been a horrible year for arts funding in Scotland, but our film festivals and programmers continue to keep the scene vibrant with their rich and diverse curation and events. We speak to some of our favourites to hear their highlights of 2024 Read more »| 10 Dec 2024
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OpinionThe Skinny's Films of 2024
The Skinny's film writers have once again chosen their films of the year. Our top ten features tales of 80s Etruscan gravediggers and lesbian bodybuilders via stories of horny tennis players, brassy erotic dancers and livewire Irish rappers Read more »| 03 Dec 2024 -
OpinionWhy I love watching It's a Wonderful Life at GFT
'Tis the season to visit GFT and watch Christmas movies – and in Glasgow, one seasonal classic reigns supreme over all others Read more »| 27 Nov 2024 -
OpinionHow The Family Comedy Can Get Its Groove Back
A genre that once offered sharp wit and genuine invention now has Ryan Reynolds and the Minions at the wheel – here's our cri de coeur for a beloved film genre Read more »| 11 Nov 2024 -
OpinionScotland on Screen: Laura Carreira
From her incisive short films to her upcoming feature debut On Falling, Laura Carreira has shown herself to be a filmmaker with an eye for nuanced cinema concerned with social justice. Ahead of On Falling’s UK premiere, we look back at this body of work Read more »| 10 Oct 2024 -
FestivalsTen Films to See at Edinburgh International Film Festival 2024
From noir dramas to moody docs, time-travelling women to road-tripping ventriloquists, our picks from this year's Edinburgh International Film Festival Read more »| 25 Jul 2024 -
OpinionProwess beyond the pecs: Zac Efron's dynamism
Ahead of A Family Affair coming to Netflix, we look back on Zac Efron’s eclectic career and underrated star power Read more »| 28 Jun 2024 -
OpinionShallow Grave is 30, and Edinburgh renting is still a nightmare
Shallow Grave is back in cinemas this month for its 30th anniversary. Looking back at this dazzling landmark in Scottish cinema, we have many thoughts, most of them concerned with the nightmare that is renting a flat in Edinburgh Read more »| 07 May 2024 -
OpinionEye for Film: The greatness of Lynne Ramsay's early shorts
Ahead of the 25th-anniversary rerelease of Lynne Ramsay's Ratcatcher, one writer explores how Ramsay's talent for visual filmmaking was forged in her early shorts like Gasman and Small Deaths Read more »| 04 Apr 2024 -
OpinionFilm festivals as a space for community and radical change
Scotland has a thriving film festival scene, and it's at its best when it functions as a communal and political space. Programmers like Xuanlin Tham and Sanne Jehoul are among those unleashing this collective and radical potential of film festivals Read more »| 04 Mar 2024