I Deserve This – a poem for Christmas by Calum Maclean
The talented Glasgow poet Calum Maclean reveals his thoughts on Christmas. I Deserve This I must’ve been the architect of some outrageous larceny, my henchmen thieving priceless jewels delivered to me personally. Presumably, I used that swag to fund an act of treachery, facilitated shady deals, created instability, ensured elections swung my way, indulged in […]
Read the full article: I Deserve This – a poem for Christmas by Calum Maclean
Monday, January 28, 2019 | Filed under: Calum Maclean – poet and aspiring writer, Christmas Poems , Stories and Winter Tales, stories and poems, Writing for the Festive Season
The Stress of Christmas Wrapping by Calum Maclean
Christmas 2018 I’m wrapping your present with delicate care, While sweating and shaking with tape in my hair. I wish I could do it with style and aplomb, Instead it’s much more like defusing a bomb. The paper’s dishevelled, all battered and creased, Though the cartoons of Reindeer are festive at least. There might be […]
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Sunday, December 23, 2018 | Filed under: Calum Maclean – poet and aspiring writer, Christmas Poems , Stories and Winter Tales
Crohn’s or: How I’m Learning to Stop Worrying and Love the Bag by Calum Maclean
The ninth of October 2013 was a big day for me. On that morning I felt the chill of porcelain against my bare thighs for the very last time. It was also my final day with all my original internal organs as that evening I underwent a surgery known as a Pan-proctocolectomy, which is digestive […]
Wednesday, September 19, 2018 | Filed under: Calum Maclean – poet and aspiring writer, Writing
Refugee Festival Films at GFT
Refugee Festival Scotland celebrates the contribution refugees make to life in Scotland – the food and drink, music and poetry, dance, visual art and ideas. The festival offers people from different backgrounds the chance to meet and celebrate together: to sample a little of each other’s cultures, listen to each other’s stories and get to […]
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Saturday, June 2, 2018 | Filed under: Calum Maclean – poet and aspiring writer, Cinema
Interview with Filmmaker Samir Mehanović – Calum Maclean
Interview with Filmmaker Samir Mehanović 8 September, 2016 BAFTA award winning filmmaker Samir Mehanović returns to his homeland in his powerful new documentary The Fog of Srebrenica. The film explores the human stories of one of the darkest chapters of recent European history, the genocide of 8000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys by the Serbian […]
Read the full article: Interview with Filmmaker Samir Mehanović – Calum Maclean
Friday, May 25, 2018 | Filed under: Calum Maclean – poet and aspiring writer, Cinema
The Death of Stalin – film review by Calum Maclean
Directed by Armando Ianucci Screenplay by Armando Ianucci, David Schneider, Ian Martin and Peter Fellows Based on The Death Of Stalin by Fabien Nury and Thierry Robin Cast – Steve Buscemi, Simon Russell Beale, Jeffrey Tambor, Michael Palin, Jason Isaacs, Andrea Riseborough, Rupert Friend, Paul Whitehouse, Adrian Mcloughlin, Olga Kurylenko, Paddy Considine Running Time – […]
Read the full article: The Death of Stalin – film review by Calum Maclean
Friday, December 1, 2017 | Filed under: Calum Maclean – poet and aspiring writer, Cinema, Film Reviews by Calum Maclean
Mindhorn directed by Sean Foley – review by Calum Maclean
Mindhorn Directed by Sean Foley Written by Julian Barratt and Simon Farnaby Cast – Julian Barratt, Essie Davis, Russell Tovey, Andrea Riseborough, Simon Farnaby, Steve Coogan It’s always a pleasure to see an idea as brilliantly daft as Mindhorn make it into mainstream cinema, but it’s even more enjoyable when that concept is carried through […]
Read the full article: Mindhorn directed by Sean Foley – review by Calum Maclean
Thursday, May 18, 2017 | Filed under: Calum Maclean – poet and aspiring writer, Cinema, What's On Glasgow West End: cinema, clubs, theatre, music, events, festivals, community and more
Moonlight, Written and Directed by Barry Jenkins – review by Calum Maclean
Moonlight Written and Directed by Barry Jenkins Based on In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue by Tarell Alvin McCraney Cast – Trevante Rhodes, Ashton Sanders, Alex Hibbert, André Holland, Jharrel Jerome, Jaden Piner, Janelle Monae, Naomie Harris, Mahershala Ali and Patrick Decile Running Time – 110 Minutes Hotly tipped to be one of next year’s […]
Read the full article: Moonlight, Written and Directed by Barry Jenkins – review by Calum Maclean
Thursday, January 19, 2017 | Filed under: Calum Maclean – poet and aspiring writer, Cinema, Film Reviews by Calum Maclean, What's On Glasgow West End: cinema, clubs, theatre, music, events, festivals, community and more
La La Land, Review by Calum Maclean
La La Land Written and Directed by Damien Chazelle Cast – Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone, John Legend, Rosemarie DeWitt, Jessica Rothe, Sonoya Mizuno, Callie Hernandez, J.K Simmons, Finn Wittrock, Tom Everett Scott Running Time – 128 minutes Damien Chazelle’s romantic musical comedy drama is currently on course to sweep the 2017 awards season, and less […]
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Sunday, January 15, 2017 | Filed under: Calum Maclean – poet and aspiring writer, Cinema, What's On Glasgow West End: cinema, clubs, theatre, music, events, festivals, community and more
A Night of Horror Podcast review by Calum Maclean
A Night of Horror is a new podcast series produced in Scotland by Kathleen Kidd. The series consists of six short episodes so far, with more planned for the New Year. Each episode tells a macabre short story, building an unnerving atmosphere with committed vocal performances from the cast and a subtly eerie score. Fans […]
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Friday, January 13, 2017 | Filed under: Calum Maclean – poet and aspiring writer, Film Reviews by Calum Maclean
The Fog of Srebrenica review by Calum Maclean
The Fog of Srebrenica Filmed, Directed and Produced by Samir Mehanović Edited by Laura Carreira Music Composed by Nigel Osborne The Fog of Srebrenica is a powerful new documentary from acclaimed filmmaker Samir Mehanović, telling the story of one of the most horrific acts of genocide in the later twentieth century. Using testimony from witnesses […]
Read the full article: The Fog of Srebrenica review by Calum Maclean
Friday, September 30, 2016 | Filed under: Calum Maclean – poet and aspiring writer, Cinema, Film Reviews by Calum Maclean, Pat's Home Page Blog
Sid and Nancy 30th Anniversary Edition, Film Review by Calum Maclean
Sid and Nancy 30th Anniversary Edition Directed by Alex Cox Written by Alex Cox & Abbe Wool Cast – Gary Oldman, Chloe Webb, David Hayman, Debby Bishop, Andrew Schofield, Courtney Love, Xander Berkeley, Perry Benson, Tony London, Barbara Coles, Iggy Pop & Kathy Burke Alex Cox’s 1986 depiction of the life, love, and self-destruction of […]
Read the full article: Sid and Nancy 30th Anniversary Edition, Film Review by Calum Maclean
Thursday, August 4, 2016 | Filed under: Calum Maclean – poet and aspiring writer, Cinema, Film Reviews by Calum Maclean, What's On Glasgow West End: cinema, clubs, theatre, music, events, festivals, community and more
Ghostbusters (2016) review by Calum Maclean
Ghostbusters (2016)Directed by Paul FiegWritten by Katie Dippold & Paul FiegCast – Kristen Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, Kate McKinnon, Leslie Jones, Chris Hemsworth, Charles Dance, Michael Kenneth Williams, Cecily Strong, Andy Garcia, Matt Walsh, Neil Casey, Ed Begley Jr, Zach Woods The first trailer for this reboot of the 1984 original was the most disliked in […]
Read the full article: Ghostbusters (2016) review by Calum Maclean
Saturday, July 16, 2016 | Filed under: Calum Maclean – poet and aspiring writer, Cinema, Film Reviews by Calum Maclean, What's On Glasgow West End: cinema, clubs, theatre, music, events, festivals, community and more
Pauline Lynch – Armadillos: Meet the Author review by Calum Maclean
Pauline Lynch – Armadillos: Meet The Author Waterstones Sauchiehall Street 14/07/16 6.30pm Armadillos is Pauline Lynch’s debut novel, and it’s a fantastic read. It tells the story of Aggie, a fifteen year old runaway, escaping from her abusive family and encountering a variety of characters, some trustworthy, some not, and attempting to survive alone in […]
Read the full article: Pauline Lynch – Armadillos: Meet the Author review by Calum Maclean
Elvis & Nixon – film review by Calum Maclean
Elvis & NixonCertificate 15Directed by Liza JohnsonWritten by Joey Sagal, Hanala Sagal and Cary ElwesCast – Michael Shannon, Kevin Spacey, Alex Pettyfer, Colin Hanks, Evan Peters, Tate Donovan, Sky Ferreira and Johnny Knoxville One of the strangest meetings of twentieth century cultural figures is the inspiration for this slight yet enjoyable film. On December 21 […]
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Thursday, June 30, 2016 | Filed under: Calum Maclean – poet and aspiring writer, Cinema, Film Reviews by Calum Maclean
The Nice Guys film review by Calum Maclean
The Nice GuysWritten by Shane Black and Anthony BagarozziDirected by Shane BlackCast – Russell Crowe, Ryan Gosling, Angourie Rice, Matt Bomer, Margaret Qualley, Keith David and Kim BasingerRunning Time 116 minutes After watching The Nice Guys I’ve come to the conclusion that Shane Black should direct movies more often. As a screenwriter he created the […]
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Monday, June 20, 2016 | Filed under: Calum Maclean – poet and aspiring writer, Cinema, Film Reviews by Calum Maclean
Where You’re Meant To Be review by Calum Maclean
Where You’re Meant To Be Directed by Paul Fegan Cast – Aidan Moffatt, Sheila Stewart Running Time – 76 minutes Due to be released on June 17, Where You’re Meant To Be is a funny and deeply poignant documentary exploring the conflict between tradition and innovation in the arts. Through the efforts of former Arab […]
Read the full article: Where You’re Meant To Be review by Calum Maclean
Friday, June 17, 2016 | Filed under: Calum Maclean – poet and aspiring writer, Cinema, Film Reviews by Calum Maclean, What's On Glasgow West End: cinema, clubs, theatre, music, events, festivals, community and more
Sing Street – review by Calum Maclean
Sing StreetWritten and Directed by John CarneyCast – Ferdia Walsh–Peelo, Lucy Boynton, Jack Reynor, Aiden Gillen, Maria Doyle Kennedy, Don Wycherley, Ben Carolan, Mark McKenna, Percy Chamburuka, Conor Hamilton, Kelly Thornton, Karl Rice, Ian Kenny and Lydia McGuinessRunning time 105 minutes There is a moment in John Carney’s Sing Street where one character tells another […]
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Tuesday, May 24, 2016 | Filed under: Calum Maclean – poet and aspiring writer, Cinema, Film Reviews by Calum Maclean
The Jungle Book – review by Calum Maclean
The Jungle BookDirected by Jon FavreauScreenplay by Justin MarksCast – Neel Sethi, Bill Murray, Ben Kingsley, Idris Elba, Lupita Nyong’o, Scarlett Johansson, Christopher Walken, Giancarlo EspositoRunning Time – 105 minutes I went into this one with a bit of scepticism. The 1967 Disney animation has always been one of my favourite musicals, with its iconic […]
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Friday, May 20, 2016 | Filed under: Calum Maclean – poet and aspiring writer, Cinema, Film Reviews by Calum Maclean, Pat's Home Page Blog
Eye in the Sky film review by Calum Maclean
Eye in the SkyDirected by Gavin HoodWritten by Guy Hibbert Cast – Helen Mirren, Alan Rickman, Aaron Paul, Barkhad Abdi, Jeremy Northam, Ian Glen, Pheobe Fox and Aisha TakowRunning Time – 102 minutes At this time of year, with the saturation of superhero franchises and big budget Disney remakes, it’s easy to overlook a smaller, […]
Read the full article: Eye in the Sky film review by Calum Maclean
Friday, May 13, 2016 | Filed under: Calum Maclean – poet and aspiring writer, Cinema, Film Reviews by Calum Maclean
Room – film review by Calum Maclean
Directed by Lenny Abrahamson Cast – Brie Larson, Jacob Tremblay, Joan Allen, Sean Bridgers and William H. Macy Running time – 118 minutes The difficulty in recommending Room, which I absolutely do, is that part of the enjoyment comes from a sense of mystery. In my opinion this is a film best enjoyed with as […]
Read the full article: Room – film review by Calum Maclean
Saturday, April 30, 2016 | Filed under: Calum Maclean – poet and aspiring writer, Cinema, Film Reviews by Calum Maclean, What's On Glasgow West End: cinema, clubs, theatre, music, events, festivals, community and more
10 Cloverfield Lane – review by Calum Maclean
Directed by Dan Trachtenberg Cast – Mary Elizabeth Winstead, John Goodman, John Gallagher Jr Running Time – 103 Minutes The film opens with Michelle, (played brilliantly by Winstead), leaving her boyfriend after what he describes as a ‘fight’. Driving down a long road in rural Louisiana, listening to radio reports of a series of blackouts […]
Read the full article: 10 Cloverfield Lane – review by Calum Maclean
Friday, April 29, 2016 | Filed under: Calum Maclean – poet and aspiring writer, Cinema, Film Reviews by Calum Maclean, What's On Glasgow West End: cinema, clubs, theatre, music, events, festivals, community and more
Nobody Told Me: Poetry and Parenthood Poetry Reading Q and A with Hollie McNish review Calum Maclean
The Mitchell Library 17/3/16 Aye Write 2016 I was really looking forward to this festival appearance, and happily was not disappointed. Hollie McNish is one of my favourite poets. Her verse tackles subjects as diverse as racism, politics, gender, hypocrisy, love and family, but the focus in her latest collection Nobody Told Me is on […]
The Revenant review by Calum Maclean
The Revenant Directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu Cast – Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hardy, Domhall Gleeson, Will Poulter, Forrest Goodluck, Lukas Haas, Paul Anderson and an incredibly realistic CGI Bear. Running time – 156 Minutes Set in 1823 and partially based on the novel by Michael Punke, The Revenant tells the story of a group of […]
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Friday, March 25, 2016 | Filed under: Calum Maclean – poet and aspiring writer, Cinema, What's On Glasgow West End: cinema, clubs, theatre, music, events, festivals, community and more
Spotlight – film review by Calum Maclean
Directed by Tom McCarthy Cast – Mark Ruffalo, Michael Keaton, Rachel McAdams, Liev Schreiber, John Slattery, Brian d’Arcy James, Stanley Tucci, Billy Crudup and an uncredited voice cameo from Richard Jenkins. Arguably the biggest surprise of the 88th Academy Awards was the Best Picture victory for Spotlight. The film had already secured Best Original Screenplay, […]
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Aye Write! What I Learned From Johnny Bevan – Luke Wright review by Calum Maclean
What I Learned From Johnny Bevan Written and Performed by Luke Wright Live at the Mitchell Library 10/3/16 Aye Write 2016 A small audience is a strange thing. On one level I feel a sense of disappointment, even anger, that more people haven’t taken the time to support the artist. But on another there is […]
White: Live at Queen Margaret Union, 20 February, 2016 – review by Calum Maclean
White live at QMU, University of Glasgow, 20/02/16 For a group embarking on their first headline UK tour, Glaswegian five piece White displayed no nerves during their blistering forty five minute set last night. I arrived at the show familiar with five songs, Future Pleasures, Private Lives, Blush, Be the Unknown and Living Fiction, but […]
Tuesday, February 23, 2016 | Filed under: Calum Maclean – poet and aspiring writer, Gig Guide plus Club Events, What's On Glasgow West End: cinema, clubs, theatre, music, events, festivals, community and more
