Mark Salisbury

British cinema is as diverse and ever-shifting as the country itself. In 2024, it encompasses everything from David Lean’s historical epics to Ken Loach’s socialist missives, and Steve McQueen’s muscular biographical dramas to Joanna Hogg’s intimate mood pieces. Danny Boyle’s pitch-black comedy ‘Trainspotting’ is a quintessential British film – but so too, in another way, is the Richard Curtis-penned romcom ‘Four Weddings and a Funeral’. And more recent dazzling recent such as Charlotte Wells' aching coming-of-age tale ‘Aftersun’ and Molly Branning Walker's prickly, ambiguous ‘How to Have Sex’ are pushing the medium into bold, bracing new territory. In compiling this list of the best British movies of all-time, we surveyed a diverse array of actors, directors, writers, producers, critics and industry heavyweights, including Wes Anderson, Mike Leigh, Ken Loach, Sam Mendes, David Morrissey, Sally Hawkins, Thandiwe Newton and the late Terence Davies. Unsurprisingly, it’s a richly varied and fascinating collection of must-see movies. Written by Dave Calhoun, Tom Huddleston, David Jenkins, Derek Adams, Geoff Andrew, Adam Lee Davies, Paul Fairclough, Wally Hammond, Alim Kheraj, Matthew Singer & Phil de Semlyen Recommended: 💂 50 great British actors🔥 The 100 best movies of all-time🎥 The 100 best movies of the 20th century so far🇬🇧 The 100 best London songs 

Review by Mark SalisburyIn contrast to Lady Gaga’s Ally in ‘A Star Is Born’, the wannabe singer at the centre of this sparky and hugely likeable zero-to-musical-hero country fable is frequently her own worst enemy. On parole, working-class Glaswegian single mum Rose-Lynn Harlan (Jessie Buckley) is desperate to kickstart her dream of making it in Nashville, whatever the cost to family and friends. Country music, proclaims the gobby singer, is ‘three chords and the truth’ – a mantra she’s had tattooed on her arm. While blessed with talent and ambition, what she doesn’t have is the cash for a plane ticket. A job as a cleaner for Sophie Okonedo’s wealthy stay-at-home mum helps, but Rose-Lynn’s self-destructive tendencies – as evidenced by her fractious relationship with her despairing mum (Julie Walters) and her two young children – keep getting in the way. Buckley, so good in serial-killer thriller ‘Beast’, is sensational here. A gifted singer-songwriter (she co-wrote most of the songs), her committed performance wrings every drop of raw emotion from her scrappy, flighty rebel in white cowboy boots and an electronic ankle tag. Director Tom Harper wisely stands back and lets his star shine. And she burns up the screen, whether singing or not. Walters and Okonedo offer fine support, while Nicole Taylor’s script is heartfelt and honest, striking few bum notes en route to the crowd-pleasing musical finale. You will cheer. You will cry. You may even tap your toes. The film’s terrific

En libertad condicional, Rose-Lynn Harlan (Jessie Buckley), madre soltera de clase trabajadora de Glasgow, está desesperada por poner en marcha su sueño de triunfar en Nashville, a cualquier costo y sin importarle familiares y amigos. Aunque bendecida con talento y ambición, lo que no tiene es dinero para un boleto de avión.  Lo único que la sostiene es un trabajo como limpiadora en la casa de la millonaria Sophie Okonedo, pero sus tendencias autodestructivas, como lo demuestra su relación frenética con su madre desesperada (Julie Walters), y sus dos hijos pequeños, siguen interponiéndose en el camino al éxito. Buckley es sensacional como una talentosa cantante y compositora (ella coescribió la mayoría de las canciones), su actuación exprime cada gota de emoción cruda con botas de vaquero blancas. El director Tom Harper sabiamente retrocede y deja brillar a su estrella. Y ella quema la pantalla, ya sea cantando o no.  Walters y Okonedo ofrecen un excelente apoyo, mientras que el guión de Nicole Taylor es sincero y honesto, con pocas notas en el camino hacia el final musical que agrada a la multitud. Te animarás. Llorarás. La película es excelente, Buckley notable. ¿Ha nacido una estrella? Más, como una supernova.

No Time to Die is finally out – in most countries, at any rate – and going gangbusters at the cinema. Daniel Craig’s send-off is shaping up to be a biggie, and after 15 years, five movies and a tonne of bumps and bruises, it’s the very least he deserves as he hangs up his license to kill for good. But if you’ve seen it, you’ll know there’s a lot to unpack in this epic final outing. Some questions, like the whereabouts of those ‘fast boats’ at the end and Paloma’s exact CIA backstory, will remain mysterious for time eternal. But with access to top-secret Bond dossiers and some time spent on set in Pinewood and Italy, writer of No Time To Die: The Making of the Film Mark Salisbury is able to throw some light on the big questions to emerge from Bond 25. Warning: contains No Time to Die spoilers throughout.Why is Vesper Lynd buried in Italy? Given Daniel Craig’s Bond had already visited Venice, Siena and Rome, director Cary Fukunaga was looking for somewhere mysterious and unique for Vesper’s tomb. He picked the ancient hilltop city of Matera in southern Italy, said to be the third oldest continually habited settlement in the world, for its ‘haunted quality’. Both the tomb and cemetery were fake, however, built by the production on the hillside across from the city. And the bridge Bond leaps off is actually in nearby Gravina, but, via the magic of movies, was ‘relocated’ to Matera. Photograph: ShutterstockThe hotel room balcony in Matera Can you stay in Bond and Madeleine’s hot