Short films project finds success in competitions
Comedy / Film / Horror / Music / Romance / Science fiction / Writing

Short films project finds success in competitions

A series of short screenplays, known as The Annalium Project (featured in this blog earlier this year), has been finding success in international competitions.  The project’s creator (my pal) Robert Lancey had been hoping to have started filming the first film ‘Sssss’ by now, but the continuing COVID-19 pandemic has kept that on hold until … Continue reading

Over the forest and into adventure – Annalium goes online
Comedy / Film / Horror / Romance / Science fiction / Writing

Over the forest and into adventure – Annalium goes online

An intriguing series of short, dialogue-free screenplays, has now gone online. Annalium is the work of Cardiff-based writer (and my pal) Robert Lancey, who has created a website to showcase the screenplays and their potential to be realised on screen. Each opens with a flight over a forest, and then a descent through the treetops … Continue reading

When Daniel met Isla – a clever and engaging short film ‘One Another’
Film / Romance / Writing

When Daniel met Isla – a clever and engaging short film ‘One Another’

A boring and bored man, unhappily married and hating his job, unexpectedly encounters a beautiful woman. He’s captivated, and she leads him on an exciting adventure. It’s a familiar male fantasy, which has formed the basis for some memorable films – Edward G Robinson and Joan Bennett in Fritz Lang’s Scarlet Street (1945) and Gene … Continue reading

How Talking Pictures found the perfect nostalgic formula
Comedy / Film / Horror / Romance / Science fiction / Television

How Talking Pictures found the perfect nostalgic formula

The idea of a channel devoted to classic films isn’t new, but in the UK Talking Pictures TV has found what seems to be the perfect nostalgic formula. While TCM (Turner Classic Movies) has been around since the 1990s and more recently Sony Movies has launched a dedicated ‘Classic’ channel, these and others tend to … Continue reading

Rediscovering Sparrows Can’t Sing and its cast of future stars
Comedy / Film / Music / Romance / Writing

Rediscovering Sparrows Can’t Sing and its cast of future stars

It’s interesting to watch an old film and spot a future star in a small role. I noticed some of Hollywood’s biggest names when I rewatched Annie Hall, and recently I enjoyed a whole cast of soon-to-be-big actors in the British comedy-drama Sparrows Can’t Sing. This is a fascinating film in many ways. I hadn’t … Continue reading

Meet Mhairi Calvey – the in-demand actress, whose career started, age 5, eating donuts with Mel Gibson!
Film / Horror / modelling / Romance / Science fiction / Television / Theatre

Meet Mhairi Calvey – the in-demand actress, whose career started, age 5, eating donuts with Mel Gibson!

From the role of Young Murron in Mel Gibson’s Oscar-winning Braveheart to in-demand lead in a huge range of features and shorts, Mhairi Calvey‘s career has come a long way in the last 25 years. As an actor, she has some exciting feature films on the way, and is also writing and directing her own … Continue reading