After navigating a hailstorm and the local dolmus system (more taxing), eventually made it to the Aspendos Theatre in Turkey. One of the best-preserved Roman theatres in the world. Stunning.

Toe-tapping and string-swinging debut by Seonaid Aitken's new gypsy jazz quartet Manouche Nouveau at Linlithgow Jazz Club tonight featuring guitarists Ross Baird and Ronan Toal, and double bassist Roy Percy.

Thought Wasteman was excellent. Harrowing snapshot of prison life grippingly told. Great performances all-round.

For the second match in succession, Celtic score an injury time winner. Should've been out of sight, but after a dominant opening marked with great urgency, they struggled to convert possession into chances. Best Celtic performance: Stephen Welsh's late equaliser for Motherwell.

"Everyone wants to know," seemingly, about Melania Trump's journey from private citizen to first lady. Which is as glossy and gushing as it is vacuous. It's a mystery how she gets into her dress, swoons a designer. It's a mystery how she puts up with the pussy-grabber.

The joy that The Clare Teal 5 felt performing with one another on the second night of the Southport Jazz Festival radiated through The Princess Grace Suite of the Southport Grand whose elegance was matched by wonderful arrangements, musicianship and vocals soon to be heard on Boom Radio.

Fabulous finale to the opening day of the Southport Jazz Festival with the effervescent patron Liane Carroll letting the good times (and one-liners) roll with Emma Holcroft and the Swingtime Big Band. southportjazz.co.uk

Great chemistry between, casting of and subtlety by Paul Mescal and Josh O'Connor in The History of Sound in what is a tender, slow-moving love affair rooted, ironically, in the unspoken. Heartstrings rarely fluttered, mind you, until the closing scenes.

28 Years Later: The Bone Temple is that rare thing - a sequel (or rather, fourquel) which is just as enjoyable, if not more so, than the original.

Hamnet: prolonged close-ups of tear-stricken howling at the moon may be an accurate depiction of raw grief, especially for the sudden loss of a child, but their excessive use distance rather than engage the viewer. Nonetheless, Jessie Buckley delivers a mesmeric performance.

Given the increasingly loose and dangerous cannon that is Trump and his trigger-happy team, I am sure there are many like me who wished he had taken his own Covid advice and injected - or better still, drank - the fucking bleach!

Backed by a superb six-piece band, Georgia Cecile's festive gig at The Old Fruitmarket in Glasgow was a funky mix of reworked classics and catchy originals. The latter of which suggest her forthcoming album is going to be another success.

Ian Shaw's always been one of my favourite jazz vocalists and his latest album Stephensong - a pared-back collection of Sondheim ballads with pianist Barry Green - doesn't disappoint. Anyone can whistle, but few can sing with such depth and dexterity. www.ianshaw.biz

Give Lurker a look. Excellent debut thriller by Alex Russell in which the controlled becomes the controller in the pulsating world of pop.

A brace of Lewis Hetherington shows today: Beauty and the Beast at The Citz (my first foray since its reopening, still "lovely and intimate" as one audience member reflected) and A Christmas Carol at Platform (jam-packed and equally as intimate in a more contemporary way).

As a rom-com, Eternity has its moments. But the heartstrings aren't tugged hard enough, and the funny bones aren't tickled often enough, to elevate what is a great premise and game cast (particularly Da'Vine Joy Randolph) into a timeless classic.

It's Christmas time, Arthur's been on the wine, Ebenezering sans reason or rhyme My review of Count Arthur Strong is Charles Dickens in 'A Christmas Carol'. www.scottishreviews.com/2025/12/coun...

"All the world's a stage, and all the men play with their parts." Wise words from Count Arthur as he plays all the parts (including the understudy) in his one-man tour-de-France: A Christmas Carol by Charles Dance. His finale,The Twelve Drinks of Christmas, a literal show-stopper!

Harry Melling and Alexander Skarsgård are the oddest of odd couples since the blonde bombshell Nicole Smith married the wheelchair-bound octogenarian J Howard Marshall, but their performances in Pillion and the power dynamics of their relationship are funny, sweet and compelling.

Chittering penguin waddles through snowstorm To find what it means to truly feel warm Review of Brrrr!!! The Chilliest Penguin In The World at Macrobert Arts Centre... www.scottishreviews.com/2025/11/brrr...

Humorous, moving, thought-provoking and authentic. Can't ask for much more in a film. And "I Swear" provides all four. Excellent cast and performances, too. Particularly Shirley Henderson. A hit. Go see.

Thoroughly enjoyed the Scottish National Youth Jazz Orchestra's Big Band Jazz In The Afternoon gig at the Tollbooth in Stirling directed by Sean Gibbs whose Robert Burns-inspired tunes were excellent. Next up for the band: Eastgate Theatre in Peebles followed by St Brides Centre in Edinburgh.

The wall of anger masquerading as peaceful protest which last night in Falkirk stood & stared & sniggered outside a hotel housing asylum seekers fleeing threats of death, torture & persecution was chilling. Empathy, compassion & reason sadly lacking. Aw Jock Tamson's bairns?

Excellent article in today's Herald about Geoff Bailey's updated book Falkirk or Paradise: The Battle of Falkirk Muir which is due to be launched at Falkirk Library. www.heraldscotland.com/news/2530915...

"I loved and supported Aaron as my son," said De Niro of his trans child, "and now I love and support Airyn as my daughter. I don't know what the big deal is. I love all my children." At last, a positive story about trans people and their loved ones. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Thoroughly recommend @lauracarreira.bsky.social's debut feature On Falling which quietly and devastatingly explores the soul-destroying nature of the gig economy and the rise of social disconnection in modern society.

Despite dominating possession and playing the better football, only one win in five for Falkirk, conceding late goals in four of them. Controversial decisions aside (offsides, red cards, hand balls), they should be home and dry by now. Surely they won't blow it against Hamilton!

While I appreciate that the Supreme Court ruling on the meaning of a woman in the Equalities Act 2010 will bring great comfort, relief and joy to many. Trans people, one of the most vulnerable, vilified and victimised groups in society, have never felt so scared. Empathy required.

Slow down, appreciate and connect. And when a storm brews, prepare for the worst but hope for the best; accept and adapt. What's not to like about the Oscar-winning charmer Flow.

Three episodes into Adolescence and it truly is one of the most original, riveting, disturbing and memorable dramas in recent years. Exceptional on so many levels.

Today's cobwebs-clearing excursion: a leisurely stroll around Linlithgow Loch followed by a cultural keek into the Palace and the adjacent St. Michael's which much like the town's motto is indeed kind to strangers. But beware of the beak-snapping swans. What a neck!

Today's blues-bursting cycling odyssey: Sustrans route 76 from the Kelpies over the Kincardine Bridge along the Fife coastal path returning over the Forth Road Bridge and the south side of the estuary via Blackness Castle. Fair puggled and only one puncture. Thankfully not a lung!

Rangers had to be on their A game to beat Celtic, but their first half performance was A+. Fast start, high press. Thoroughly deserving of their half time lead. They weren't as good in the second half which allowed a once again below par Celtic to claw it back only to be pipped.

Thoroughly enjoyed the true life survival thriller Last Breath. Gripping with a dry sense of humour and an emotional punch.

When "breasts, rhinestones and joy" fall out of favour, a showgirl without a show faces some tough choices in The Last Showgirl. Pamela Anderson is perfectly cast and her sweet, vulnerable and childlike performance is endearing. As is Jamie Lee Curtis's as a washed-up waitress.

Fernanda Torres delivers an exceptionally nuanced performance in the slow-burning Oscar-winner I'm Still Here, but after a gripping ratcheting up of tension, the flashforward finale is less compelling.

My enjoyment of the latest Bridget Jones film would've been heightened if the ditzy breeziness had been curtailed, for it only really gets going in the final quarter when the focus shifts to the film's crux: living with grief and falling in love. On a side note, I thought the child actors were fab.

Bargain alert!!!

Sobering reality check for Celtic. Unsurprisingly outclassed by Bayern. Spent most of the 1st half on the back foot, reacting rather than creating. Much better in the 2nd. But losing goals at either side of the break was fatal. Fought back well to keep the tie alive, but an away win is a hard ask.

Hard Truths is a hard watch because the main character is so hard to like. As a character study, though, it's fascinating.

For a film about groundbreaking comedy, Saturday Night is - despite its snappy pace, anarchic energy and spirited performances - surprisingly humourless.

Bob Dylan comes out of A Complete Unknown like a complete and utter cunt. Albeit an extraordinarily talented, unique and enigmatic one. Excellent film, terrific cast and great performances, particularly by Timothée Chalamet and Edward Norton.

While the artistic and technical ingenuity of Presence is impressive - a series of lengthy continuous shots from the POV of the boogie man - it's lacking in the thrills and chills department.

I've not seen all of the films shortlisted for the Oscars, but The Brutalist is well worthy of its multiple nominations, particularly actor, director, score and cinematography. The three and a half hours was not an issue at all, as the film was beautifully crafted and totally engrossing.

It takes a while for the heat of battle to rise, but William Tell is nonetheless a solid swashbuckler. To be continued...

I thought The Invisible Man was excellent, but Leigh Whannell's latest contemporary reboot Wolf Man doesn't get the pulse racing as much and as often.

My initial reaction to most cinema releases these days is: Great casting and excellent performances, but... Babygirl is no different. Can't fault Kidman, Dickinson and Banderas, but wasn't convinced by the hook of the affair and found the sex scenes more dull than dangerous.

Not many belly laughs in A Real Pain, but relentlessly smile- and occasionally chuckle-inducing. Lovely performances by the leads whose odd couple chemistry is quietly delightful. Great ending.

Might be in the minority, but We Live In Time didn't do it for me. Emotional and sexual attraction between couple weak. And Garfield's character's constant whispering and shuffling irked. Excellent actors, but wrong vehicle.

Glad to see the first screening of Nosferatu at my local cinema was mega-busy, but though it looked great and held the attention, it failed to reach the heights I had hoped for. Lots of writhing and screeching! And the melodramatic score failed to compensate for a lack of actual drama.