For some reason at this moment in time there is a dearth of really good film magazines in the UK. We have a choice between, at one end of the spectrum, magazines like Empire and Total Film, which over the years have become increasingly focused on super-hero films and genre films in general, and at the other end of the spectrum, a magazine like Sight & Sound, which loves to show how “intellectual” it is by writing long articles on the meaning of the word “semiotics”. Both types of magazine have their strengths and weaknesses. The problem with a magazine like Empire is that it’s passion and enthusiasm has become increasingly narrow in focus. I mean, not everyone likes Star Wars! The problem with Sight & Sound is that whilst it has great depth and breadth of knowledge, it is over-analytical and doesn’t communicate any passion or real LOVE for cinema. Why can’t we have a magazine that combines the passion, irreverence and humour of Empire with the intellectual and analytical approach of Sight & Sound? In other words, a magazine that combines the best of both approaches. Or to put it in broader terms, a magazine that combines the format of Empire with the wide film coverage of Sight & Sound. My intention is that this blog will go some way to filling that gap. Humour, passion, intellectualism, analysis, knowledge, and giving as much weight to the next obscure Iranian film as someone else may give to the next super-hero film.