Outside the Spotlight

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

Beyond the Rainbow: 4 Unconventional Must-Watch Movies For Pride Month

Discover a list of underrated LGBTQ+ movies that explore queer identity in nuanced, unconventional ways. These films don’t rely on stereotypes- they thrive in subtlety, subtext, and emotional truth. A fresh take on Pride Month viewing.

Film Lists

Alex Leptos

Jun 18, 20255 min read

Official poster for John Maclean's 'Tornado.'

'Tornado' Movie Review: John Maclean’s Samurai-Western Is a Slow-Burning, Blood-Soaked Return to Form

'Tornado' is a moody samurai-Western from 'Slow West' director John Maclean- set in 1790s Scotland, it’s a stunning, slow-burn thriller with standout performances from Kōki and Tim Roth.

Mainstream Moments

Alex Leptos

Jun 16, 20253 min read

Poster for in Wes Anderson's 'The Phoenician Sheme'

'The Phoenician Scheme' Review: Another Wes Anderson's Visual Masterpiece- But Is It Style Over Substance?

Wes Anderson’s 'The Phoenician Scheme' is a vibrant, visually striking film packed with quirky characters and a star-studded cast. But beneath the candy-coloured palette, does the story truly hold up? Dive into Outside the Spotlight's review to find out.

Mainstream Moments

Alex Leptos

Jun 6, 20252 min read

REVIEW: 'Mickey 17' (2025): Bong Joon-ho's Oddball Sci-Fi Comedy With Robert Pattinson Is A Quirky And Bold... Masterpiece?

Bong Joon-ho's Mickey 17 stars Robert Pattinson, Mark Ruffalo, Toni Collette , Steven Yeun, Naomi Ackie, Anamaria Vartolomei and...

Mainstream Moments

Alex Leptos

Feb 16, 20253 min read

'Nosferatu' 2024 Review: Robert Eggers' Dark, Atmospheric Reimagining of the Vampire Classic

Nosferatu oozes with undeniable passion as Robert Eggers realises the vision that he has been working on for years.

Mainstream Moments

Alex Leptos

Jan 2, 20253 min read

REVIEW: The Exorcist: Believer (2023)

Is the Exorcist sequel trilogy worth believing in?

Mainstream Moments

Alex Leptos

Nov 19, 20233 min read

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THE CASE FOR PHYSICAL MEDIA 💿

With PlayStation announcing that they will cease production of physical discs from 2028, many are saying that physical media is dead 🪦

Streaming is great, but it cannot be a replacement ❌

#PhysicalMedia #PlayStation #PhysicalMediaCollector #PhysicalMediaForever #MovieCollector

Stay cool out there 🫡☀️

'Kumiko the Treasure Hunter' will break your heart 💔 but remind you about belief, hope, and relentless perseverance in the eyes of doubt.

By director David Zellner and starring Rinko Kikuchi 🎭

Post partially inspired by @ultimatemoviebuff 😆❄️

#MovieRecommendation #SadMovies #RinkoKikuchi #FilmRecommendations #HiddenGems

Not that one 🙅🏻‍♂️ Michael Mann's 'Collateral' with Tom Cruise and Jamie Foxx has one of the greatest movie needle drops of all time 💿

What's your favourite?

#NeedleDrop #Collateral #MichaelMann #TomCruise #MovieMusic

Cowboys riding dinosaurs?! 🤠🦖

The team behind @primitivewarmovieofficial return with the next instalment in its universe!

The @kickstarter campaign is officially LIVE- but only for 30 DAYS! Get involved 👈🏼👈🏼👈🏼

First it was dinosaurs in the Vietnam war, now it's dinosaurs in the Wild West! What a time to be a film fan! 🍿

(ad)

#Western #IndieFilm #IndieMovie #PrimitiveWar #AustralianFilm

What's your favourite jump scare? 😱

When it comes to the best movie jump scares, most people would point to The Exorcist III (which is amazing), but for me... It's from 1967's 'Wait Until Dark' with Audrey Hepburn 😨

#WaitUntilDark #ThrillerMovies #MovieRecommendation #AudreyHepburn #JumpScare

Is 'Bonnie and Clyde' a romance movie? 😅

Some of my favourite "love stories" in cinema aren't the most conventional... In the Mood for Love, Before Sunrise, Bonnie and Clyde, Love Exposure, I Origins

See the rest on my @letterboxd 👈🏼

#RomanceMovies #LoveStories #BonnieandClyde #Letterboxd #MovieRecommendation

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

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Outside the Spotlight

Beyond the Rainbow: 4 Unconventional Must-Watch Movies For Pride Month

'Tornado' Movie Review: John Maclean’s Samurai-Western Is a Slow-Burning, Blood-Soaked Return to Form

'The Phoenician Scheme' Review: Another Wes Anderson's Visual Masterpiece- But Is It Style Over Substance?

REVIEW: 'Mickey 17' (2025): Bong Joon-ho's Oddball Sci-Fi Comedy With Robert Pattinson Is A Quirky And Bold... Masterpiece?

'Nosferatu' 2024 Review: Robert Eggers' Dark, Atmospheric Reimagining of the Vampire Classic

REVIEW: The Exorcist: Believer (2023)

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