Outside the Spotlight

Sharing thoughts on cinema and showcasing up-and-coming creators from across the globe.

Official poster for Brent Baird's 'A Night with Nathan.'

'A Night with Nathan' Review: A Poignant, Hopeful Comedy-Drama

Brent Baird's emotional comedy-drama explores themes of masculinity and mental health through an unlikely friendship.

Indie Spotlight

Alex Leptos

6 days ago4 min read

Official poster for short film RELOAD by writer/director Dalila McFarlane-Martin.

INTERVIEW: Dalila McFarlane-Martin On Her Debut Short Film 'RELOAD'

RELOAD takes place in London's underground club scene and is a vibrant and music-heavy short with a lot to say.

Indie Spotlight

Alex Leptos

May 86 min read

Official poster for 'The Sky's Forest', written and directed by Garrett Schulte.

'The Sky's Forest' Review: A Fresh Indie Sci-Fi Horror Twist On Bigfoot

An eerie indie sci-fi horror, 'The Sky’s Forest' blends Bigfoot myth with extraterrestrial mystery, delivering atmosphere, intrigue and a fresh genre twist.

Indie Spotlight

Alex Leptos

Apr 15 min read

'Say Less' Review: A Tense Teen Drama Feature From Director Michael Kellman

'Say Less' review: Michael Kellman’s debut feature film is a teen drama that blends tension, awkward humour and emotional honesty as one chaotic night spirals out of control.

Indie Spotlight

Alex Leptos

Mar 114 min read

Offical poster for Tobias Jon's action-thriller 'Gifted Pain.'

'Gifted Pain' Review: A Martial-Arts Inspired Action Thriller Of Trauma And Survival

'Gifted Pain' by writer/director Tobias Jon is a gritty indie vigilante-esque drama with a dark, stylish edge.

Indie Spotlight

Alex Leptos

Jan 175 min read

'The Professional Parent' Review: An Oscar-Qualifying Short Film On Hard Truths In Slovakia

Oscar-qualifying short-film 'The Professional Parent' by writer/director Erik Jasaň tackles social problems and difficult truths in a poverty-stricken part of Slovakia.

Alex Leptos

Nov 29, 20254 min read

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I will not tolerate this 'The Witch' slander, even from Robert Eggers himself 😭🤣

Eggers is also very proud of aspects of his debut feature, but his criticism is harsh 😆

Counting down to Christmas for 'Werwulf' 🐺👀

#RobertEggers #TheWitch #Werwulf #AnyaTaylorJoy #HorrorMovies

Has anybody else seen this movie? 😭🌈

Ugo Bienvenu's feature debut 'Arco' evokes old-school fantasy animated classics by the likes of Hayao Miyazaki and Ralph Bakshi 🎨

#Arco #MovieRecommendation #AnimatedMovie #FilmRecommendations #FrenchMovies

Name a better ending, I'll wait 👀

Michael Mann's 'The Last of the Mohicans' has the best movie ending of all time 😭 And that score by Trevor Jones 🤌🏼

#TheLastoftheMohicans #MichaelMann #DanielDayLewis #MovieRecommendations #BestMovies

'A Night with Nathan' by writers Brent Baird (also Director) and Peter Comrie, who both star in the film is deeper than it first appears.

A character-driven indie comedy-drama about unlikely friendships, masculinity, loneliness and understanding.

Full reviews at www.outsidethespotlight and YouTube. Links in bio 👈🏼

@a_night_with_nathan @brent__baird

#IndieMovie #IndieFilm #IndieComedy #FilmReview #MovieRecommendations

ad | @downloadpopcorn is a game-changer! 🍿

In just one week Popcorn has recommended me two movies I LOVED!

And that's entirely the point- no more movie recommendations that don't click with you, because Popcorn knows exactly what you like 🙌🏼

#Ad #Popcorn #MovieRecommendation #FilmRecommendations #MovieRecs

'Quest for Fire' is unlike anything else you've ever seen 🔥

Why aren't there more genuine early human movies? If there are, let me know!

#QuestforFire #UnderratedMovies #MovieRecommendation #HiddenGems #FilmRecommendation

Name a better piece of movie music ☠️🎵

Hans Zimmer's "Jack Sparrow" is one of my favourite pieces of film score, and 'Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest' is an all-time favourite movie 🏴‍☠️🍿

What's your favourite piece of film score?

#JackSparrow #HansZimmer #MovieScore #MovieSoundtrack #PiratesoftheCaribbean

How have I never heard of 'Hostiles'?!

@downloadpopcorn recommending bangers 🫡

A bleak and melancholic Western about past conflicts, grudges, the weight of our actions and the guilt we carry.

Gorgeous visuals with the landscapes of New Mexico and Colorado looking vast but in an isolating and lonely kind of way.

Christian Bale shines as always, Rosumand Pike gives arguably a career-best performance and Ben Foster in anything will always make me happy 😌

#Hostiles #MovieReview #WesternMovies #MovieRecommendation #ChristianBale

No no no no... Have you seen OBSESSION? 🪆

The story of Bear (Michael Johnston) that wishes for his friend Nikki (Inde Navarrette) to fall in love with him, resulting in horrific consequences 😬

X 'Get Out' by writer/director Jordan Peele 🎬

#Obsession #HorrorMovieScene #IndeNavarrette #NewMovies #GetOut

Steven Spielberg is quite ambitious with his latest...

'Disclosure Day' bounces around different genres but never really allows any of them to flourish. It does start to settle into itself towards the closing minutes but ends leaving much to be desired.

What do you think?

#DisclosureDay #StevenSpielberg #EmilyBlunt #MovieReview #NewMovies

The day is disclosed and not everybody is happy about it 👽 What alternative movies would you recommend over Steven Spielberg's latest?

Steven Spielberg's 'Disclosure Day' with Emily Blunt, Josh O'Connor, Colin Firth and Colman Domingo has received positive reviews from critics, but fans are more divided.

#DisclosureDay #StevenSpielberg #MovieRecommendation #SciFiMovies #NewMovies

Thinking about my #LastFourWatched @letterboxd 👀👉🏼 I talk about some of these in my latest video

#LetterboxdFriday #MovieRecs #Harakiri #Apocalypto

These movies made movies fun again. What are your comfort movies?

Kingdom of Heaven, The Last Samurai, Harakiri, Apocalypto, Righting Wrongs

#MovieRecs #MovieRecommendations #EpicMovies #BestMovies #MoviestoWatch

Judy Garland was born on this day in 1922- 104 years ago 🎂

Garland is remembered for many things and roles over her four-decade-long career, but none more recognisable than Dorothy in MGM's 1939 legendary hit 'The Wizard of Oz.' 🪄🧙🏼‍♂️

Clip from 'The Judy Garland Show', with the Scarecrow actor Ray Bolger (1904-1987) 🌾

#JudyGarland #TheWizardofOz #RayBolger #MovieIcon #FilmHistory

The Disclosure Day reviews are in! 👽 ⭐

Did you know that the eerie creature sounds of Steven Spielberg's latest are actually Emily Blunt herself? 👀

Behind every terrifying movie monster is often an actor, a microphone, a sound engineer and a lot of creativity 🔊

#DisclosureDay #EmilyBlunt #StevenSpielberg #SciFiMovies #BehindtheScenes

Before Tom Cruise, there was Yuen Biao 💀

Tom Cruise has become the guy who hangs off planes in 'Mission: Impossible', but Yuen Biao was doing it in Hong Kong action classics like 'Righting Wrongs' (also released as 'Above the Law') 💪🏼👮🏼‍♂️

Also starring martial arts icon Cynthia Rothrock, 'Righting Wrongs' is a fast-paced action cheese-fest in the best way. Some nonsensical plot points, over-the-top comic relief and somewhat abrupt theatrical ending aside, it's certainly a good time 💥

#YuenBiao #HongKongCinema #HongKongAction #TomCruise #MissionImpossible

You want Bruce Lee? We have Bruce Li, Bruce Le and Dragon Lee 🐉

After Bruce Lee's death in 1973, audiences still wanted Bruce Lee movies 👀

The result was an entire wave of films starring lookalike actors such as Bruce Li, Bruce Le, Bruce Lai, Bruce Thai and Dragon Lee, recreating his image, fighting style and screen presence 🙅🏻‍♂️🥋

The phenomenon became known as "Bruceploitation" and remains one of the strangest chapters in film history 🎦

#BruceLee #Bruceploitation #MartialArtsMovies #KungFuMovies #HongKongCinema

Before Michelle Yeoh, Cynthia Rothrock and modern action stars, there was Angela Mao 🥋

A pioneer of martial arts cinema and one of the genre's biggest stars of the 1970s, Angela Mao earned the nickname "The Female Bruce Lee" thanks to her incredible screen presence and fighting ability 🙅🏻‍♀️

Starring in classics such as 'Hapkido', 'Broken Oath' and even Enter the Dragon as the sister of Bruce Lee's character, her influence on martial arts films can still be felt today 💪🏼

#AngelaMao #BruceLee #KungFuMovies #MartialArtsMovies #HongKongCinema

The late, great Marilyn Monroe would've turned 100 today- born on this day in 1926 🎂

Whilst she is primarily known as a blonde bombshell, with roles as seductive love interests and comedy icons, Monroe was capable of far more than she is often given credit for.

Her first major dramatic role came in 1952's 'Don't Bother to Knock', where she was unlike anything we had seen before from the icon- demonstrating her true acting abilities 🎭 She would go on to star in only a handful of dramatic roles over the course of her career.

100 years on, her legacy remains as enduring as ever.

#MarylinMonroe #FilmNoir #ClassicHollywood #FilmHistory #HollywoodIcon

Martial arts movies hit differently 🥋🥊

The discipline. The pain. The fear. The commitment.
From Bruce Lee to Jackie Chan to Tony Jaa, there’s just something endlessly compelling.

#MartialArts #MartialArtsMovies #BruceLee #JackieChan #TonyJaa

Sir Christopher Lee on why we're drawn to horror movies. He was born on this day in 1927- he would've turned 104 today 🧘🏼‍♂️

Sir Christopher Lee made much of his fame in horror movies such as 'The Wicker Man', 'Dracula' and 'The Curse of Frankenstein.' He is also well-known for playing the corrupted wizard Saruman in 'The Lord of the Rings' and Count Dooku in 'Star Wars.' 💍🧙🏼‍♂️

1968 interview with BBC.

#ChristopherLee #HorrorMovies #Dracula #HorrorFan #HorrorLover

Have you seen ARCO? 🌈

I watched the French animated film ARCO on my journey back home, and thought this would be a fun little song/movie mash-up 🎵🎬

The style, colour palette, atmosphere and emotion of Ugo Bienvenu's feature debut evoked old-school fantasy animated classics. Calling back to the likes of Hayao Miyazaki and Ralph Bakshi, ARCO captures a certain magic that I haven't seen in a long time.

#Arco #Dio #MovieEdit #AnimatedMovie #AnimatedFilm

When in Kuala Lumpur 🇲🇾

Florence Pugh famously jumped from Malaysia's Mederka 118 in the MCU movie Thunderbolts* - the second-tallest building in the world 🌍🌎🌏

#KualaLumpar #Thunderbolts #FlorencePugh #MarvelMovies #Malaysia

Can anybody actually guess where I am though? Somewhere ✨ cinematic ✨ ... that may or may not be a filming location 🎬

Don't try to find me, I'm busy finding myself. Or something.

Posting might be less consistent or non-existent for a couple of weeks ⛱️ Back to regularly scheduled movie content soon 🔜

#FilmLocations #MovieLocations #Cinema #MovieFans #FilmFan

Why is "Top Gun Day" on May 13?

Despite Top Gun actually releasing on May 16, some early posters and marketing materials mistakenly listed the release date as May 13.

The error stuck- and eventually became known as TOP GUN DAY ✈️

#TopGun #TopGunDay #TomCruise #MovieTrivia #MovieFacts

Two icons, two excellent portrayals 🎤🕺

The Michael Jackson musical biopic MICHAEL has overtaken Freddie Mercury film 'Bohemian Rhapsody' as the highest-grossing biopic of all time 🤯

👉🏼 Which one do you prefer??

#MichaelJackson #FreddieMercury #Queen #RamiMalek #JaafarJackson

Have movies changed… or have we?

I recently re-watched a few early 2000s epics, and it got me thinking...

There’s something about films like 'Kingdom of Heaven' and 'The Last Samurai' that feels increasingly rare in cinema today.

Epic historical dramas with real scale, practical sets and locations that feel lived in.

Long scenes, meaningful dialogue, emotional storytelling and movie soundtracks that really make you feel.

Movies that weren’t constantly rushing to the next action scene, sequel tease or cinematic universe setup.

Scale. Patience. Sincerity. Atmosphere.

What do you think?

#EpicMovies #MovieTalk #FilmTalk #KingdomOfHeaven #TheLastSamurai

Love you Liam Neeson 🫶🏼

The fence jump in 'Taken 3' has become legendary… but at what cost? 😆 Then there’s Jackie Chan casually doing it like it's his daily routine (probably is)

Who did it better?

#JackieChan #LiamNeeson #Taken3 #ActionMovies #FightScene

⭐ INDIE SPOTLIGHT: 'RELOAD' by writer/co-director Dalila McFarlane-Martin (with McKenzie Alexander)

FULL INTERVIEW WITH DALILA MCFARLANE-MARTIN AT
👉🏼 www.outsidethespotlight.com 👈🏼

🪩 Following a budding DJ in London's underground club scene, when things go wrong- she must decide: Fight for her dreams or cave to her insecurities?

Written by @dalilakali and directed by she and @mckealexander,

Starring @dalilakali, @ashleywalters, @tanianwachukwu

#IndieFilm #LondonUnderground #HiddenGems #SupportIndieFilm #IndieFilmmaker

👉🏼 Were you sure of your end once?

Ridley Scott's historical epic KINGDOM OF HEAVEN was released on this day in 2005 👑

The film is renowned for its philosophical dialogue, often delivered by King Baldwin IV played by Edward Norton.

#KingdomofHeaven #RidleyScott #EdwardNorton #OrlandoBloom #MovieQuotes

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