Glasgow Film Festival — A–Z of films

16 Years Till Summer shows what can be done on a low budget with patience, insight and attention to detail.

The film is completely unabashed and utterly committed to delivering on its promise of adventure.

To think that Ridley Scott provoked so much tension and dread from just one is strange. When they are all over you, it makes for a superior sequel.

Another sumptuously realised and animated film that will be creeping onto lists of “films you probably haven’t seen” in a decade or so.

Mixes observations on capitalism, society and storytelling.

Its plot is more cleverly structured than is at first apparent, and although it seems to lose its way part way through, there's always something going on upstairs.

Showcasing Bogart and Bacall at the height of their talents, it sizzles with energy.

The pairing of the silent, brooding tiger-like masculinity embodied by Sundance with the quick wit of Cassidy is a classic formula.

The sheer craftsmanship, through script, story, song, and unadulterated uplifting emotion is nearly peerless.

For all its supernatural stylings, it's the natural connections that count.

The levels of twee are fairly high, and contrasted with the bizarre and often regressive gendered comedy it’s likely to divide audiences right down the middle.

Bridgend is a superb piece of work.

The irreverent score, the gothic art direction, and Mario Tosi’s kaleidoscopic, slithering cinematography coalesce into something mesmeric.

Takes a bawdy idea and turns it into something far more complex.

The film is briskly paced, infused with energy and the backdrop remains interesting.

Larraín's judgement when it comes is fiercely Old Testament - harsh, unexpected and fast.

Kate Dickie is amazing.

The director is adept at confronting ordinary people with extraordinary situations to test their resilience.

Sizzling and sassy, this thriller still cuts it amongst today's effects-laden offerings.

Gyllenhaal puts in such a brilliant performance that it’s hard not to get swept away.

This is water colour territory, the palette dominated by blues and greens - beautifully captured by up-and-coming DoP Brian Fawcett - Jools Scott's music subtly affecting and the mood as melancholy as rain running down a window pane.

Centering on a beautifully observed performance by co-director Verónica Llinás, this is a film that treats its outsider heroine with dignity and reminds the viewer what it really takes to survive in this way.

Eisenstein is embodied by the fabulous Elmer Bäck, who gallops at the role in the way Liberace might have plunged into a haberdashers.

Daneskov's remarkable debut film is evocatively shot.

This is a film of two halves, the first - and best - has the cold creeping dread of icy sea water slowly soaking into your swimming costume.

Almereyda jumps straight into the experiment which, over half a century later, is as fascinating and timely and important as ever.

The music is an intensely emotional force within the film, and effectively acts as an interpretive guide for the audience in relation to the images of poetic abstraction.

Where lesser filmmakers aim to make magic with the long light, Härö waits until afterwards, when Hutri can conjure something less distinct and more distinctive from the dusk, from the thickening mist.

A fantastic adaptation that manages to surpass its source material while staying entirely true to its spirit.

The film is a hodge-podge of archive clips and interview material but it just about gels and a host of smaller scale family stories round it out nicely.

Both Gamboa and Barberini acquit themselves admirably in what is almost a two-hander.

Even though the structure of the film is fairly formulaic it opens a window onto worlds rarely glimpsed from outside.

Severin Fiala and Veronika Franz’s film is one entirely about small details.

Less psychological and more formulaic than his previous feature, this is still relentlessly entertaining.

One of the bleakest whodunnits to grace our screens for some time, for all its wit and intermittent playfulness, this slice of Noida noir is full of compromised characters.

Hamish provides an interesting and enlightening insight into a culturally important man.

The Coens' obvious fun in concocting scenes of mid-century paranoia is infectious.

For all that the Hitcher is an ambiguous horror film it is also a spectacular piece of Eighties action cinema.

In the literal act of performance there is room to talk about self as performance, and that is where High-Rise is strongest.

Hitchcock/Truffaut has the intriguing aura of a first episode with all the questions answered easily producing 500 more to be asked.

A thoughtful film which finds plenty of fresh dramatic potential in its subject.

In making this her first venture into long form, Pennell has bitten off more than she can chew.

Slipak gives Lucas a vitality and natural effervescence that keep us with him even as he expresses his suspicions about the people around him.

It's pleasing to see the usual bravado downplayed in favour of something more realistic; likewise, although the dialogue doesn't always sparkle, it's much more in keeping with the way real soldiers talk.

In his customary style, Cousins makes a lot of points, not all of them hitting home.

This film feels fresh and real even to those of us who have been there.

There's a wonderful flexibility to Fukatsu's performance as a woman who bears endless slights as she struggles to retain her decorum.

Labyrinth Of Lies is an interesting document of a very important piece of national history, but it fails to make it engaging.

From silence and small details, César Augusto Acevedo weaves a devastating tale.

The randomness of death in times of war aside, Land Of Mine - perhaps unavoidably - leans towards the conventional in its overall narrative arc.

This is a disappointing effort which uses the crudest of tools to try and manipulate audience emotions.

The tone remains upbeat despite all the dodgy dealings, making this a cheery and entertaining film throughout.

It's a simple concept brilliantly realised and viewers may find that they've never had this much fun in a cinema before.

This is a classic, undiminished by time.

Trier has difficulty holding it all together as he examines themes of grief, parenting, family, and coming of age.

It's visually stunning, endlessly creative, and it doesn't fail to deliver on the kaiju promise, even if the stomping scenes are also metaphorical.

Whitman respects and relishes in Austen's creation but is no slave to it, inventing additional characters to help the story flow.

What makes this particular romance so touching is the undeniable chemistry between Farrell and Gaynor.

Its disgusting surface is supported by a framework that’s more intelligent than in plenty of prettier films.

Cheadle attempts to give us the feel of the man rather than the real essence.

The latex and practical effects, the lighting dominated by primary red and blues, and the synth-heavy score by Steve Moore, all contribute to the strong Eighties vibe.

Though the impression is of something collected in a very informal way, the whole is skillfully assembled.

Full of dazzling images.

A bold study of what it means to be Chinese in the modern age.

The director and her co-writer Alice Winocour side with their young protagonists, drawing on their boundless energy to tell their story in the spirit of a fable and in a way that makes it accessible to younger audiences.

Nise - The Heart Of Madness is a brilliantly rendered slice of history which touches on numerous subjects and really does justice to the people it portrays.

Global Economic Crash: The Musical.

Aleandro beautifully captures Alicia's sense of loss as everything around her falls apart.

There is potential in the scenario and a game cast, but Farr's film is hobbled by some clunky execution and tonal uncertainty.

Deftly scripted, subtle and challenging, this is a film which reminds us why Muntean is such an important contributor to the Romanian New Wave.

A powerful piece of cinema sustained by some great performances.

An always engaging, often intriguing and highly comical story of the monstrous feminine.

This is slow cinema at its finest.

Fonzi's performance is perfectly judged.

Peace Officer is an interesting film because of its balance.

There are elements of courthouse film and elements of police procedural here, but the overall mood is closer to that of a Cold War spy thriller.

There may be no chemistry between Rock and Doris and the jokes may be tired, tedious and misplaced, but hindsight will always provide a warped perspective.

Looking at all these themes on paper, there is no way they should be able to co-exist within the same film, let alone do so in harmony, but Guzmán lets each wave of thought flow over the other, tributaries of history gathering to a ocean of argument.

Atom Egoyan's terrifically paced episodic thriller Remember is hard to forget.

Pacy, to the point and smart enough not to outstay its welcome.

The story is gently played out and generally avoids exploitation, despite the risk of Jilal coming across as the magical exotic character there only to help Sebastian experience transformation - Suarez is too grounded for that.

Demonstrates what an action movie ought to be.

Carney simply loves the music of the era and adores these kids, and his affection is infectious.

Some just won't manage to connect but others will relish its intelligence and find it deeply moving.

The parallel stories of the two serial killers exponentially increase the tension of the whole and this unrelenting film never lets the audience relax.

Unusually coherent for a film of this type and well structured so that the different directors' styles complement one another rather than clashing.

The nostalgic delight of this movie is due partly to Santo Loquasto's production design and Laura Cunningham Bauer's costumes, both of which are outstanding.

Frequently dark, often stunning, and only morally murky.

Though the events unfold forward, the feel of Summertime is that of a pleasantly painful memory recalled backwards, clutching you emotionally as if you were looking at a faded photo album.

Rightly regarded as Fred and Ginger’s greatest movie together.

Wu keeps us caring with an intense yet nuanced performance, as if relishing the chance to break out of the romantic hero mould that characterised his early career.

Family drama this may be, but it's far from the heartwarming cliché, and it's not clear that anyone will be redeemed.

Gere, despite his image both off and on screen, gives a flawless performance.

Gay challenges the usual cliches of disease films.

The fact that this film still gets people talking, and arguing, nearly 20 years on, is surely an argument for its quality and relevance.

Cruise, the cheesy soundtrack and the stunning aerial photography that marks out its combat scenes are its three main selling points.

This is a film that should be watched on as big a screen as possible, but even on a smaller one, the tsunami is stunning.

Mimi Rogers is on the kind of form we haven't seen from her in over 20 years.

Somehow Moffat manages to be endearing even when he's being crass..

A fiercely intellectual film, Lafosse shears away any shred of sentimentality, although humanism remains.

Taylor has the capacity to be dowdy yet glamorous, crude yet sensual at the same time. This is a career best performance for her.

Very well observed and boasts some fine performances.

The meandering pace can get tedious at times, but cinematically it's a masterpiece.

Danes deftly avoids making her character appear at all weak or insipid, instead showing us a young woman of great courage and agency, in spite of how little control Juliet seems to have over her life.

Although the narrative beats don’t sear with originality, it is clever and has enough nuance and ambiguity to keep folks guessing right up until the finale, with a cast of characters throughout that are a genuine treat.

Indisputably one of the greatest concert films ever made, DA Pennebaker's striking work captures those last moments onstage in all their glory.