The Cineskinny

The Odyssey, the biggest film of the year in every sense, has rolled into town. Christopher Nolan's epic has been receiving rapturous reviews from critics and packing them in at the cinemas on its opening weekend; now the CineSkinny team weigh in.

And in terms of this week's theme, we were slightly uninspired, but we did notice that the Earth was now over halfway round its yearly rotation of the sun. Therefore, we thought it was a good time to take a little stock of film in 2026 and pick out our favourite movies from the year so far. 

TIMESTAMPS:

What We’ve Been Watching: Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (02:49)
The Odyssey review (11:25)
The Films of 2026 so far: Blue Heron, Obsession, Everybody to Kenmure Street and more (45:01)

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Music: Too Cool by Kevin MacLeod  (https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4534-too-cool) License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-

The Cineskinny were delighted to be invited back again to Queer Cinema Sundays, the GFT's brilliant monthly film night bringing rarely-screened queer films back to the big screen. First time around, we screened Xavier Dolan's Matthias & Maxime. This time we plumbed for Gregg Araki's 1997 snapshot of disaffected youth, Nowhere. 

Set over the course of one wild day, it follows a group of horny and sexually fluid Los Angeles teenagers as they navigate 24 hours of drugs, partying, heartbreak and possible alien abductions, and it was wonderful to see this candy-coloured blend of melodrama, expressionism, and teen nihilism on GFT's biggest screen. 

After the screening, Peter, Anahit, Ellie and Jamie sat down to discuss the film, Gregg Araki's contribution to queer cinema and what we imagined some of Araki's characters might be doing now, 30 years later. Have a listen!

Find out more about Queer Cinema Sundays at https://www.glasgowfilm.org/queer-cinema-sundays/

Get us on Bluesky, Instagram and Letterboxd  @thecineskinny, email us at cineskinny@theskinny.co.uk

Music: Too Cool by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4534-too-cool) License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Just a couple of episodes ago, we were praising Steven Spielberg as one of our greatest living filmmakers. Then we watched Disclosure Day, and might have to roll back some of those compliments. 

We gush over Blue Heron, the extraordinary memory piece from Sophy Romvari. And inspired by Romvari's sophisticated approach to exploring her own childhood experiences – both real and imagined – through cinema, we discuss some other films that dig into the concept and aesthetics of memory in interesting ways. 

And finally, we get excited about our upcoming screening of Gregg Araki’s Nowhere on 28 June at GFT, which will be followed by an on-stage discussion.

TIMESTAMPS:

What We’ve Been Watching: Tip Toe, Mama Mia and Toy Story (01:42)
Disclosure Day review (11:25)
Blue Heron review (29:38)
Our favourite films dealing with memory (45:01)

If you like The Cineskinny, tell your pals! Leave us a five-star review! Share the episode on socials!

Follow us on Instagram @thecineskinny, email us at cineskinny@theskinny.co.uk

Music: Too Cool by Kevin MacLeod  (https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4534-too-cool) License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-

Charlie xcx is a great pop star, but is she any good as an actor? We find out by watching her as the lead in Erupcja, the new low-key relationship drama from director Pete Ohs.

In honour of Erupcja, which makes great, lyrical use of its setting of Warsaw, Poland, we consider some of the other films in which the cities they are set in feel like characters in their own right. 

We also take a look at The Fall of Sir Douglas Weatherford, a dark comedy starring Peter Mullan as a tour guide who begins to lose the line between history and fantasy when a TV production comes to town.

TIMESTAMPS:

What We’ve Been Watching: Star Wars: The Despecialised Edition; Titanic; Obsession (01:02)
Erupcja review (15:13)
The Fall of Sir Douglas Weatherford review (28:06)
The team discuss "the films in which the city they're in set feels like a character" (39:50)

If you like The Cineskinny, tell your pals! Leave us a five-star review! Share the episode on socials!

Follow us on Instagram @thecineskinny, email us at cineskinny@theskinny.co.uk

Music: Too Cool by Kevin MacLeod  (https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4534-too-cool) License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-

The full team – Peter, Anahit, Ellie and Jamie – are in the house this week for reviews of crime caper Tuner and chicken-eye-view adventure Hen. And with Steven Spielberg about to release Disclosure Day, his 35th feature-length film, we take a look back at his stacked CV, from the rollercoaster cinema of Jaws and Raiders of the Lost Ark to the awe-inspiring sci-fis ET and Close Encounters to gems from this century like Catch Me if You Can and Minority Report.

TIMESTAMPS:

What We’ve Been Watching: Alien; Everybody to Kenmure Street; Yes, Madam; Half Man (0:55)
Hen review (12:05)
Tuner review (24:29)
The team discuss the great Steven Spielberg (40:15)

If you like The Cineskinny, tell your pals! Leave us a five-star review! Share the episode on socials!

Follow us on Instagram @thecineskinny, email us at cineskinny@theskinny.co.uk

Music: Too Cool by Kevin MacLeod  (https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4534-too-cool) License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-