Family

New Brave trailer showcases Emma Thompson and Billy Connolly's roles

24 Apr 2012

A new trailer for Disney-Pixar's Brave is available, revealing a little more of the Highland-set story line. In it, we see a lot more of the dynamic between impetuous heroine Merida (Kelly Macdonald), her indulgent father King Fergus (Billy Connolly…

Mirror Mirror

Snarky re-telling of the Snow White myth, with the odd visual flourish

5 Apr 2012

Tarsem Singh is a frustrating director; he has a canny eye for striking imagery, but an uncanny knack for picking scripts with little or no charm (The Fall being his sole exception so far). So it was with J-Lo vehicle The Cell and Clash of the Titans…

The Pirates! In An Adventure With Scientists 3D

An enjoyable, if occassionally laboured, family animation from Aardman

27 Mar 2012

(U) 88min Aardman's Pirates! In An Adventure With Scientists is the most ambitious undertaking yet from the Bristol-based clay-mation specialists but while often enjoyable it's not all plain sailing. The madcap story of a pirate captain, who…

Disney Pixar's Brave to premiere at Edinburgh International Film Festival

The highly-anticipated family film to close EIFF

13 Mar 2012

Disney Pixar's Brave has been announced as the film that will close the 2012 Edinburgh International Film Festival. The screening will also double as the film's premiere, following a similar slot by Pixar's last release, Toy Story 3, in 2011. Brave…

The Muppets' most memorable moments

A gallery of clips from our favourite frog and his friends

1 Feb 2012

The Muppets have a string of movies to their names already, including The Muppet Movie, The Muppets Christmas Carol, The Muppets Take Manhattan, and The Great Muppet Caper. Never ones to shirk away from serious film, darling, they’ve also had cameos in…

Ronan Keating wants reality show judging role

TV Gossip

13 Jan 2012

Ronan Keating would love to be a judge on a reality show in Europe. The Boyzone singer - who currently works alongside Melanie B, Natalie Bassingthwaighte and Guy Sebastian on the Australian version of 'X Factor' - admits he would love to be closer…

Preview of 2012 - Brave

Pixar’s highland fling has a lot of heart

6 Jan 2012

After dropping the ball with Cars 2 last summer – the only one of their 12 feature-length releases so far to have been deemed a bit lacklustre – the award-winning animation house will be looking to score big again with Brave. Set in the misty and…

War Horse

Unashamedly sentimental cinema from Spielberg

5 Jan 2012

(12A) 146m As War Horse begins, with soaring shots of rolling English hills and a sweeping John Williams overture, director Steven Spielberg sends a clear message: settle down for some large-canvas, unashamedly romanticised, old-fashioned big-screen…

Gavin Rossdale feels pain when away from Gwen

Celebrity Gossip

20 Nov 2011

Gavin Rossdale finds it "painful" when he is away from his wife Gwen Stefani. The Bush frontman is currently on tour and he admits the worse thing about it being on the road is not waking up next to the No Doubt singer - who he has been married to…

New Pixar film Brave set in Scottish highlands

Stars Kelly MacDonald, Billy Connolly, Emma Thompson and Robbie Coltrane

17 Nov 2011

Pixar – the CG animation powerhouse behind hits such as Finding Nemo, Up and Wall-E – are turning their attention to Scottish shores for their next feature, Brave. Due to be released on Fri 22 Jun 2012, it stars Kelly Macdonald as the voice of Merida, a…

Design and Democracy exhibition - Free Family Weekend to mark St Andrew's Day

Free events include building your own rocket and radio-controlled car

16 Nov 2011

Design affects the lives of all of us. Whether it’s an intuitive new phone, a car that tells us we’ve left the lights on, or the Kindle doing something nobody expected and actually improving on the design of a book, who of us have not had our lives…

Africa in Motion 2011 animation strand wins the day

Burkinabé animated film L'arbre aux esprits (Tree of Spirits)

4 Nov 2011

Animation is a small but rapidly growing genre in African cinema. L’arbre aux esprits (Tree of Spirits) is one of several animated films to be screened at Africa in Motion 2011 as part their children’s programme, taking place on Saturday. The story…

Monte Carlo

Flat romcom vehicle for Justin Bieber's paramour Selena Gomez

12 Oct 2011

(PG) 108min The star of tween drama Wizards of Waverly Place, but better known as the current squeeze of Justin Bieber, Selena Gomez is being relentlessly packaged for fame. Her previous venture, last year’s Ramona and Beezus sank like a stone, and…

Pamela Anderson wants family meeting with Queen

Celebrity Gossip

24 Sep 2011

Pamela Anderson thinks Britain's Queen Elizabeth would hit it off with her great aunt. The Canadian star and her family are a huge fans of the 85-year-old monarch and says she would be made to feel very welcoming should she ever want to visit…

Mel B wants family labour panic

Celebrity Gossip

7 Aug 2011

Mel B can't wait to go into labour - so she can watch her family "panic". The former Spice Girls star is eight months pregnant with her third child and recently played a prank on husband Stephen Belafonte and daughters Phoenix, 12, and Angel, four…

Amy Winehouse's family left 'bereft' by her death

Music Gossip

24 Jul 2011

Amy Winehouse's family have been left "bereft" by her death. The 'Rehab' singer was found dead at her home in Camden, North London yesterday (23.07.11) after a suspected alcohol and drugs overdose and a statement today from her loved ones reveals…

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2

The boy-wizard franchise goes out on a high

18 Jul 2011

(12A) 130min It gives this critic great pleasure to confirm that the final film in the franchise adapted from JK Rowling’s boy wizard publishing phenomenon is among the top three of the eight-part series. Since the series hit the ground running ten…

Cars 2

Uninspired sequel fails to keep the Pixar engine running

13 Jul 2011

(U) 112min After 25 years of animation production and a run of critical and commercial smash-hits, the super-smooth Pixar production line finally blows a gasket with Cars 2, a colourful but overstuffed, noisy and heartless sequel that feels more like…

Zookeeper

Kevin James stars in woefully bad family rom-com

13 Jul 2011

(PG) 101min Part rom-com, part Doctor Dolittle style family comedy, Zookeeper, starring lardarse comic actor Kevin James (The Dilemma, Grown Ups), is a wholly unsatisfactory experience for all but the most juvenile minds. The latest offering from…

Prom

Disney comedy is bland and generic tween fluff, starring Aimee Teegarden and Thomas McDonell

23 May 2011

(U) 103min After the huge success of the High School Musical franchise, Disney have been quick to cash in on the teen genre, and Prom is based on another event from the school calendar upon which it hangs a familiar story. But despite the assured…

Easter Revelry event at Edinburgh Castle

Edinburgh Castle hosts a weekend of family events this Easter

21 Apr 2011

The Easter Revelry event at Edinburgh Castle takes place on Sat 23 - Mon 25 April, and includes historically-themed activities that'll appeal to all the family. Kramis the wizard will perform magic tricks to amuse and amaze you, while Sir Hugo Sofboiled…

Rod Stewart's family emails

Celebrity Gossip

13 Mar 2011

Rod Stewart emailed his children to let them know he was a father again. The 'Maggie May' hitmaker and wife Penny Lancaster welcomed Aiden, their second son together, into the world last month and the singer didn't want his kids from previous…

Top five: Actors who steal the show from the animated characters they voice

In tribute to Johnny Depp's compelling performance in Rango

10 Mar 2011

Johnny Depp is usually famed for his leading roles in Hollywood blockbusters, his ageless face always strikingly present on the promotional canvases. However, there is talk buzzing about his brilliance in his latest film Rango, where he plays…an…

David Beckham: Victoria is doing 'great'

Celebrity Gossip

9 Mar 2011

David Beckham says pregnant wife Victoria is doing "great". The soccer star - who already has three sons, Brooklyn, 12, Romeo, eight, and six-year-old Cruz with the fashion designer - says his 36-year-old spouse is loving every minute of her fourth…

West is West an uninspired and unrewarding sequel to East is East

Andy DeEmmony's plodding, bland drama stars Om Puri and Aqib Khan

18 Feb 2011

(15) 103min East is East was one of the British box office successes of the late 90s, and found an even bigger audience on video and DVD, but it’s hard to believe that there is much, if any, anticipation for this belated sequel. That is probably for…

Joe McElderry wants a quiet family Christmas

Celebrity Gossip

21 Dec 2010

Joe McElderry is looking forward to a family Christmas. The 'Ambitions' hitmaker is hoping to enjoy a quiet festive period after having a busy 2010 promoting his debut album 'Wide Awake' - although he is unsure how much time off he will have. He…

Family weekend: Rebels with a Cause – The Jacobites and the Global Imagination

Traditional music, egg decorating and quiz among highlights of weekend of free children's events

17 Nov 2010

Rebels with a Cause – The Jacobites and the Global Imagination Wednesday 27 October to Saturday 8 January (closed Sundays except Sunday 28 November and 24 - 28, 31 December and 1 - 3 January) Monday and Friday 10:00 - 16.00 (last entry 15:30)…

Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows: Part 1

16 Nov 2010

(12A) 145min The decision to split the final adaptation of JK Rowling’s Harry Potter books into two episodes will mostly pay dividends at the accounting office of Warner Brothers, as on-screen the latest wizard tale, the seventh in the series, lacks…

The events from Scottish history that shaped the nation's character

Jacobites exhibition reveals source of sentimentality in Scottish psyche

27 Oct 2010

Rebels with a Cause: The Jacobites and the Global Imagination exhibition reveals origin of Scottish character’s tendency for the romantic, mournful and sentimental.

Legend of The Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole

22 Oct 2010

(PG) 90min Recommended to anyone keen to see a bunch of cartoon owls knocking lumps out of each other, Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole marks the animated debut of Zack Snyder (300, Watchmen). Combining a talent better known for violent…

Ramona and Beezus

22 Oct 2010

(U) 104min Adapted from Beverly Cleary’s popular children’s books, Ramona Quimby is a highly imaginative nine-year-old girl with a penchant for getting into mischief. In Elizabeth Allen’s feature, Ramona (Joey King) has to deal with that most…

Alpha and Omega

22 Oct 2010

(U) 88min Improbably dedicated to the late Hollywood wild man Dennis Hopper, who provides the voice of pack leader Tony, Alpha and Omega is a cutesy animation for toddlers only. Sultry alpha wolf Kate (Hayden Panettiere) is expected by her pack’s…

Pixar make Brave move with Reese Witherspoon and Billy Connolly after Toy Story 3

Edinburgh International Film Festival Blog

22 Jun 2010

Sunday 20 June Edinburgh calls itself a festival of discovery, and it’s true, the majority of films playing here are by first- or second-time filmmakers, and you go into each screening hoping to discover the next great moviemaking talent. But, as…

Toy Story 3 and The Illusionist among Edinburgh International Film Festival 2010 highlights

5 May 2010

With The Edinburgh Film Festival 2010, which runs between 16-27 June, only a matter of weeks away, the red carpets are getting waterproofed and the popcorn machines are getting serviced. Now in its 64th year, the twelve day festival, packed with…

Wallace and Gromit Present: A World of Cracking Ideas

31 Mar 2010

Oscar-winning characters Wallace and Gromit take centre stage at this Aardman Animations exhibition, as visitors get the chance to tour around Wallace and Gromit’s 62 West Wallaby Street home, as well as looking at, and interacting with, their most…

Emily Woof - The Whole Wide Beauty

22 Mar 2010

(Faber) The debut novel of actor and playwright Emily Woof, The Whole Wide Beauty arguably betrays its author’s thespian background with the sheer self-absorption of her characters, densely layered but seemingly incapable of empathy outwith sudden…

Nanny McPhee & The Big Bang

22 Mar 2010

(U) 109min Sequel to popular 2005 family film. This time Maggie Gyllenhaal is single mum Isabel Green (hubbie Ewan McGregor is off to fight the Hun in WW2) with three out of control nippers to contend with and two insufferably posh evacuee cousins…

How to Train Your Dragon

22 Mar 2010

(PG) 97min Commendable new DreamWorks animation set in the mythical world of Vikings and dragons, and based on the book by Cressida Cowell. Hiccup, a Viking teenager befriends a dragon. Voice work by Gerard Butler, America Ferrara and Craig…

Old Dogs

18 Mar 2010

(PG) 88min Having earned his rubbish comedy spurs on Walt Becker’s biker comedy Wild Hogs, John Travolta returns on a fool’s errand to partner Robin Williams in the same director’s follow-up Old Dogs. Via a series of arch plot contrivances that…

The Spy Next Door

18 Mar 2010

(PG) 94min Some years after Arnold Schwarzenegger in Kindergarten Cop and Vin Diesel in The Pacifier, Jackie Chan is the latest action star seeking to reinvent himself for a younger generation by portraying himself as a put-upon babysitter to bratty…

Percy Jackson & The Lightning Thief

25 Feb 2010

Having passed on the Harry Potter directing reigns after the second instalment, Chris Columbus attempts to kick-start another fantasy franchise with this adaptation of the first book in Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson and The Olympians series.

Where The Wild Things Are - Spike Jonze interview

2 Dec 2009

Plagued by creative and corporate problems and criticised for being too scary for kids, the long-awaited film adaptation of Where the Wild Things Are finally sees its UK release this month. Miles Fielder talks to director Spike Jonze about the often…

Nativity!

13 Nov 2009

(U) 105min Surprisingly enjoyable British family drama about one school’s attempt to put on the best nativity play in Britain by getting the media involved. Martin Freeman and Marc Wootton as the two primary school teachers at the eye of the storm…

Behind the scenes of The Fantastic Mr Fox

20 Oct 2009

Andy Gent, chief animator on Wes Anderson’s The Fantastic Mr Fox, reveals the cinematic inspiration behind the project and the difficulties inherent in making a stop-animation film. ‘As well as being a huge fan of Roald Dahl, Wes loves old films like…

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Two-dimensional dystopian animation

16 Oct 2009

With visionary heavyweights Tim Burton and Nightwatch / Wanted director Timur Bekmambetov amongst the producers, Shane Acker’s feature-length animation, based on his own Oscar-nominated short, promises revolutionary animation, but never delivers the…

Interview: Wes Anderson

The director talks about adapting Fantastic Mr. Fox for the big screen

15 Oct 2009

Texan born director Wes Anderson is renowned for making highly detailed and idiosyncratic films populated with slightly neurotic, child-like characters (The Royal Tenenbaums, The Darjeeling Limited). Seeing him in person, you realise that he wouldn’t…

Up

More Pixar genius

1 Oct 2009

You almost tire of saying it but Pixar have created another masterpiece with Up. As uplifting as it is heartbreaking, Pete Docter and Bob Peterson’s film is a magical adventure that takes an odd couple relationship and turns it into one of the most…

First Word: Supergran

12 Aug 2009

First record you ever bought I have never bought a record. Last time you were chatted up The chance would be a fine thing! First film that really moved you I have not a clue. Last lie you told I’m too goody-goody. First movie you…

The Meerkats

30 Jul 2009

There’s something about meerkats. Maybe it’s their little beady eyes, or their curiously stiff, upright posture that makes them appear to be striving to be human. Whatever that quality is, the camera clearly loves them, making the humble meerkat an…

George Dawes Green - Ravens

30 Jul 2009

It has been 14 long years since we were gripped by George Dawes Green’s best-selling novel The Juror, so this follow-up has plenty to live up to. Thankfully, Ravens delivers – and then some. Set in the deathly quiet US town of Brunswick, it tells the…

Gallery Of Modern Art Family Festival Day

23 Jul 2009

Letting your kids draw on an historical building is usually frowned upon by the powers that be. But at GoMA Family Festival Day, things are a little more relaxed. The floor of the Gallery of Modern Art’s Portico becomes a giant canvas just waiting to be…

Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian

14 May 2009

Silly but enjoyable sequel to 2006 comedy. Ben Stiller’s night watchman joins characters from the earlier film in a battle to save the Smithsonian museum. General release from Thu 21 May.

Monsters VS Aliens

2 Apr 2009

ANIMATION/SCI-FI As with the cheerfully vacuous Bolt, Monsters vs Aliens exemplifies the virtues of today’s 3D cinema – eye-popping to watch, leavened with self-referential humour that makes it easy to digest, but also playing things so painstakingly…

Race to Witch Mountain

2 Apr 2009

FANTASY/ADVENTURE Director Andy Fickman (She’s the Man, The Game Plan) revives one of Disney’s most venerable properties by pimping out 1975 ‘alien kid’ adventure Escape to Witch Mountain as a high-concept vehicle for the studio’s current star Dwayne…

Film - Also Released

11 Dec 2008

White Christmas (U) 120min New digital print of this Christmas staple. GFT, Glasgow and Filmhouse, Edinburgh from Fri 12-Wed 24 Dec. North Face (12A) 121min Exciting historical adventure recounting the dangerous ascent of the Eiger in 1936 by two…

Inkheart

11 Dec 2008

(PG) 106min Christmas may not have been cancelled, but the withdrawal of the latest Harry Potter instalment left a gaping hole in the festive cinema schedules, with Iain Backbeat Softley’s long-shelved adaptation of Cornelia Funke’s children’s novel…

Audio: It's a Wonderful Life - film panel discussion

10 Dec 2008

The classic film It's A Wonderful Life has, over the decades, become a festive favourite - always getting a cinema screening around Christmas and earning a place in the television schedule. Here, a panel from The List led by Film Editor Paul Dale…

Summer scoops top prize at Bafta Scotland awards

10 Nov 2008

Summer, Grand Theft Auto, Gary’s Wrr and Lorraine Kelly were amongst the winners last night at the Lloyds TSB BAFTA Scotland Awards. The ceremony, at Glasgow’s City Halls with an audience of over 800, was broadcast live online worldwide.

Family

Martial arts and B-boy battles

21 Aug 2008

Head spins. Body spins. Spinning hand stands. Spinning kicks. Spinning on one hand. This energetic show from Korea makes outrageous martial arts and breakdance moves look so effortless that you begin to believe you could do it all yourself.

The Fox and the Child

7 Aug 2008

FAMILY/ADVENTURE (U) 92min Luc Jacquet’s follow-up to March of the Penguins has a title which sums up the film’s content precisely. The Fox and the Child is the simple story of a giggly eight-year-old French child (Bertille Noël-Bruneau) who strikes…

William Sutcliffe - Whatever Makes You Happy

8 May 2008

FAMILY COMEDY (Bloomsbury) William Sutcliffe, Edinburgh-based spouse to Maggie O’Farrell and schoolmate of Ali G, is still best known for his 1997 coming of age debut Are You Experienced? Eleven years and three more books later, his fifth novel…

Nim’s Island

24 Apr 2008

FAMILY/ADVENTURE (U) 95min Jodie Foster tries vainly to kick-start a career as a children’s entertainer in, a post-modern adventure aimed squarely at undemanding family audiences. Co-directed by Jennifer Flackett and Mark Levin, who made the similarly…

The Spiderwick Chronicles

13 Mar 2008

DRAMA/FAMILY/FANTASY (PG) 95min When newly divorced mother of three Helen Grace (Mary-Louise Parker) moves her kids to the secluded rundown Spiderwick estate, once owned by their great great uncle Spiderwick, the children are less than impressed. Twin…

The Game Plan

28 Feb 2008

FAMILY/COMEDY (U) 110min ‘Can you smell what The Rock is cooking?’ Although wrestler-turned-actor Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson doesn’t get to use his trademark catchphrase in Disney family-values comedy The Game Plan, his charismatic presence turns some…

Asterix at the Olympic Games

(U) 116min

31 Jan 2008

The third of the live action Asterix movies retains Gérard Depardieu as rotund sidekick Obelix, but sees Clovis Cornillac taking over from Christian Clavier as the diminutive warrior. Much like the first two entries in the series, Asterix at the Olympic…

Britney Spears' family anger

Celebrity Gossip

30 Jan 2008

Britney Spears is furious with her family for trying to make her seek psychiatric help. The 'Gimme More' singer's parents Jamie and Lynne - who believe their daughter's erratic behaviour is down to bipolar disorder - are not welcome in her life…

Enchanted

(PG) 107min(PG) 107min

13 Dec 2007

Like all large conurbations New York City can be a frightening place. Especially if you have just fallen out of an animated Disney fairytale world that resembles every cartoon feature made by the dream factory since 1937’s Snow White and the Seven…

Fred Claus

29 Nov 2007

FAMILY/COMEDY (PG) 115min In his third film with director David Dobkin (Clay Pigeons, The Wedding Crashers) Vince Vaughn trades far too heavily on his familiar wise-guy charms in this cloying Joel The Matrix Silver-produced Christmas offering.

'Twas The Night Before Christmas

15 Nov 2007

AERIAL SHOW Opposite Ocean Terminal, Leith, Sat 24 Nov, 5pm The words ‘Christmas’ and ‘free’ rarely go hand in hand these days, but a one-off event in Leith is bucking the trend. ‘Twas The Night Before Christmas is a free outdoor family event…

Nancy Drew

18 Oct 2007

FAMILY/MYSTERY (PG) 99min ‘Get a clue!’ trills the ad for this hasty update of the venerable teenage gumshoe franchise. Sadly, the Nancy Drew of 2007 feels more like a clueless retread than an inspired reboot. Filmed under the working title Nancy…

Daddy Day Camp

18 Oct 2007

COMEDY/FAMILY (PG) 88min The indelible image of Cuba Gooding Jr enthusiastically ejaculating over Roger Moore’s face in 2003’s dismal comedy Boat Trip seemed to signal a new low in the one-time Academy Award-winner’s career trajectory. But somehow…

Ratatouille

4 Oct 2007

(U) 110min COMEDY/ANIMATION Writer/director Brad Bird’s animated version of The Iron Giant made him the obvious candidate to follow on from John Lasseter’s innovative groundwork at Pixar, where he scored an immediate hit with The Incredibles. So even…

Great Expectations

4 Oct 2007

Don’t miss this screening of the new digital print of arguably the best film version of Charles Dickens’ 1860 novel. David Lean’s 1947 version, starring John Mills, Jean Simmons, and of course Lean regular Alex Guinness, is a masterwork of technical…

Happily N'Ever After

1 Aug 2007

Although its makers claim they conceived Happily N’Ever After long before that big green ogre Shrek took over the box office swamp, animation filmmakers Paul J Bolger and Yvette Kaplan’s procrastinations mean that this contemporary take on olde fairy…

Firehouse Dog

16 Jul 2007

FAMILY/COMEDY FIREHOUSE DOG (PG) 111min Rexxx is a pampered pooch star in the Rin Tin Tin mould, apparently known and loved by millions as the star of blockbusters such as Jurassic Bark. But when a stunt on his latest film, Terrier at…

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

2 Jul 2007

FANTASY/ADAPTATION At over 800 Pages Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix was always likely to be the hardest of JK Rowling’s tomes to adapt and true to form this is the worst of the little wizard films. The franchise, which has thus far been…

Regular Lovers - Feature

Wild innocence

1 Sep 2006

Wild innocence - As Phillipe Garrel’s Regular Lovers finally reaches Scottish screens, Tony McKibbin offers a cut out and keep guide to the man they call the ‘the Rimbaud of French cinema’.