Niki Boyle

Men at Lunch

Lightweight documentary about the iconic New York photograph, Lunch Atop a Skyscraper

The photograph of 11 construction workers grabbing a bite to eat on a girder 800 feet above street level is one of the most iconic images of the 20th century, capturing the spirit of the American Dream and fuelling the mythic ideal of New York as the…

The Thieves

Patchy Korean heist flick with an overly large cast but some impressive action set-pieces

Korean writer/director Choi Dong-Hoon follows up previous efforts The Big Swindle and Tazza: The High Rollers with another crime caper aiming to be the Eastern equivalent of Ocean’s Eleven. Unfortunately, The Thieves comes in rather below those slick…

Gimme the Loot

A naturalistic, sun-kissed indie film about two New York graffiti artists

In a documentary clip at the beginning of fiction feature Gimme the Loot, a trio of New York graffiti artists discuss the art form’s holy grail: tagging the Mets' Apple (a gimmicky trophy that appears whenever the baseball team hit a home run). Sofia…

Spring culture preview 2013

Nick Evans: Solar Eyes Evans' forthcoming solo show features a new set of his striking amorphic white plaster sculptures. The most ambitious is a large architectural complex which mimics the geometry of an Aztec temple. Evans' fascination with motifs…

Hollywood actor John C Reilly to play intimate music show in Glasgow

The star of Wreck-It Ralph is also a roots musician

Hollywood star John C Reilly will be visiting the Glasgow's St Andrews in The Square on Tue 12 Feb to play an intimate gig, alongside fellow musicians Becky Stark and Tom Brosseau. Reilly, who is signed to Jack White's Third Man Records label, plays…

Silver Linings Playbook leads the pack in 2013 Oscar nomination

Lincoln, Amour and Les Miserables also nominated

The nominations for the 2013 Academy Awards have been announced, with Silver Linings Playbook, Lincoln and Amour leading the pack of those films who stand a chance of winning at the awards ceremony on Sunday 24 February. Silver Linings Playbook, a…

Dabangg 2

Enjoyable Bollywood action sequel starring Salman Khan and Kareena Kapoor

Dabangg, released in 2010, introduced us to hyper-macho super-cop Chulbul Pandey (Salman Khan), a sharply dressed unorthodox policeman living and working in rural northern India. The sequel, produced and directed by Arbaaz Khan (who also stars in both…

Dirty Beggars – Voodoo Rooms, Edinburgh, Wed 5 Dec 2012

The bluegrass quintet headline a varied line-up of folk/roots acts

Adam Holmes has gathered together an impressive cross-section of folk/roots musicians for the latest edition of Adam Holmes and the Embers Present... Starting off with the beautiful vocal harmonies of Jenn Butterworth & Laura Beth Salter (or Jenn and…

Hogmanay 2012: Glasgow and Edinburgh events round-up

A round up of the best New Year events outside of Edinburgh’s official Hogmanay celebrations

In Glasgow, there’s a whole programme of events on Hogmanay Day (George Square, 31 Dec), featuring kids’ storytelling, highland dancing and traditional/ceilidh music. There’ll also be a touch of trad at the Ashton Lane Street Party (31 Dec), courtesy of…

Dan Mangan – Oran Mor, Glasgow, Sun 25 Nov 2012

Raw, vulnerable alt.indie folk with spaced-out banter

‘I don’t think this is the most jet-lagged I’ve ever been onstage – I think this is the most jet-lagged I’ve ever been.’ There’s a hint of ragged, rough-round-the-edges-ness to Canadian indie-folkie Dan Mangan’s gig tonight, due no doubt to his…

Hot 100 2012: 10-2

John Tiffany, Andy Murray and Luke Fowler among Scotland's hottest cultural contributors in 2012

The Hot 100 is our list of Scotland’s 100 hottest individuals and groups who’ve made a splash this year, from comic book writers to comedians, artists to actors. If they've contributed to Scotland's cultural landscape in 2012, you'll find them here.

Hot 100 2012: 19-11

David Greig, Karen Gillan and Chris Hoy among Scotland's hottest cultural contributors in 2012

The Hot 100 is our list of Scotland’s 100 hottest individuals and groups who’ve made a splash this year, from comic book writers to comedians, artists to actors. If they've contributed to Scotland's cultural landscape in 2012, you'll find them here.

Hot 100 2012: 29-20

Chvrches, Cora Bissett and Grant Morrison among Scotland's hottest cultural contributors in 2012

The Hot 100 is our list of Scotland’s 100 hottest individuals and groups who’ve made a splash this year, from comic book writers to comedians, artists to actors. If they've contributed to Scotland's cultural landscape in 2012, you'll find them here.

Hot 100 2012: 49-40

FOUND, Paul Brannigan and Kerry Hudson among Scotland's hottest cultural contributors in 2012

The Hot 100 is our list of Scotland’s 100 hottest individuals and groups who’ve made a splash this year, from comic book writers to comedians, artists to actors. If they've contributed to Scotland's cultural landscape in 2012, you'll find them here.

Hot 100 2012: 59-50

Billy Connolly, Optimo and Kevin Bridges among Scotland's hottest cultural contributors in 2012

The Hot 100 is our list of Scotland’s 100 hottest individuals and groups who’ve made a splash this year, from comic book writers to comedians, artists to actors. If they've contributed to Scotland's cultural landscape in 2012, you'll find them here.

Hot 100 2012: 69-60

Rachel Sermanni, Limmy and Peter Capaldi among Scotland's hottest cultural contributors in 2012

The Hot 100 is our list of Scotland’s 100 hottest individuals and groups who’ve made a splash this year, from comic book writers to comedians, artists to actors. If they've contributed to Scotland's cultural landscape in 2012, you'll find them here.

Hot 100 2012: 89-80

Daniel Sloss, Canongate and Julie Fowlis among Scotland's hottest cultural contributors in 2012

The Hot 100 is our list of Scotland’s 100 hottest individuals and groups who’ve made a splash this year, from comic book writers to comedians, artists to actors. If they've contributed to Scotland's cultural landscape in 2012, you'll find them here.

Hot 100 2012: 100-90

JK Rowling, Tilda Swinton and Andrew Fairlie among Scotland's hottest cultural contributors in 2012

The Hot 100 is our list of Scotland’s 100 hottest individuals and groups who’ve made a splash this year, from comic book writers to comedians, artists to actors. If they've contributed to Scotland's cultural landscape in 2012, you'll find them here.

Hot 100 2012: Brave

Pixar's first foray onto Scottish soil was one of the cultural events of the year

Just casting a glance over the 2012 edition of our annual Hot 100, you can see how pervasive Brave’s influence is. Kelly Macdonald (Hot 100 #3) and Billy Connolly (#51) took leading roles as Highland princess Merida and her father King Fergus…

Hot 100 2012: Not 100

They’re not hot, and there are only five of them - our pick of those who’ve not had such a good year

Donald Trump The Obama ‘birther’ conspiracist and owner of the only ego visible from space isn’t technically Scottish, but his anti-wind farm stance and opposition to a BBC screening of Anthony Baxter’s documentary You’ve Been Trumped mean he’s…

The best places to buy Christmas trees in Glasgow and Edinburgh

Real Christmas trees, fake trees, wreaths, firewood and flowers

Caring Christmas Trees has outlets for their sustainably-farmed Nordmann Firs in various locations around the country, including Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dundee, Aberdeen, Musselburgh, Paisley, Livingston and Fife. The ‘caring’ part of the title comes from…

Starbuck

Likeable but flawed comedy drama about a prolific sperm donor

David Wozniak (Patrick Huard) is a loser. He works – barely – at his dad’s butcher shop; he neglects his girlfriend Valerie (Julie LeBreton); he’s borrowed money from gangsters to start his own domestic pot farm, and is unable to pay it back. On top of…

Annie Mac on crying at the telly, fantasizing about Gosling and saving her record collection

First record you ever bought Guns N’ Roses – Use Your Illusion I and II. Last thing you recommended to someone The Django Django LP. I love it. First film you saw that really moved you ET! Last time you cried Probably at something on the…

Interview: Canadian singer-songwriter Dan Mangan

The musician returns to Glasgow off the back of recent album Oh Fortune and new EP Radicals

It's quite rare for a band to release standalone single - how did 'Radicals' come about? It was a neat opportunity - we had a couple of extra songs left over from when we made Oh Fortune, particularly one with a very long title, ‘We Want to be…

Grassroots

Eminently dislikeable political comedy starring Jason Biggs

There’s a lot of things going for Grassroots. It’s a political comedy timed for release when US election fervour is at its peak; it focuses on the same type of community-led campaigning that won Barack Obama his first term; it has the feelgood status of…