About Us

FILM REVIEW DAILY

THE WORLD’S LONGEST-RUNNING FILM ANNUAL

Film Review Daily is an independent film criticism website publishing daily reviews and features, a cinema legacy that began in 1944. Continuing the tradition of the Film Review annual, Film Review Daily brings cinephiles, movie lovers and enthusiasts the ‘Releases of the Year’ on a daily basis.

We publish reviews of the latest theatrical and streaming releases, along with in-depth features and film industry news. Our contributors are accomplished critics and journalists with decades of industry experience and a deep knowledge of both film history and contemporary cinema.

Film Review has been a leading authority on cinema for more than 80 years, and Film Review Daily builds on that foundation through our mission to deliver trusted coverage and thoughtful film critiques for today’s moviegoer.

A Letter from Our Executive Editor

Welcome to Film Review! After 71 years and 70 issues of the ground-breaking volume kicked off by F. Maurice Speed in 1944, the digital age caught up with us (and we with it). So, as the 70th edition – Film Review 2014-2015 – hit the bookstalls, we launched the Film Review Daily website with up-to-date critiques by our usual panel of discerning and frequently movie-loving critics.

As the Annual had covered film releases for the last seven decades, it seemed only proper that we continued the tradition. Reviews old and new are being uploaded on a daily basis, along with an expanded In Memoriam section, as well as News & Features. For fans of the Annual, it should be pointed out that Mansel Stimpson and James Cameron-Wilson are still very much on board, with Michael Darvell providing the obituaries.

For those unfamiliar with F. Maurice Speed’s publishing phenomenon, a quick history lesson: In 1944, the first handsomely produced volume sold 80,000 copies. The following year, the second Film Review annual shipped 250,000 copies. The second edition of the annual did so well that it provided Maurice with the funds to buy a house and to furnish it “lavishly,” in his own words. Contributors over the years included luminaries such as Ingrid Bergman, Bing Crosby, Cecil B. DeMille, Walt Disney, Clark Gable, Sir Alec Guinness, Rita Hayworth, Audrey Hepburn, Alfred Hitchcock, Bob Hope, Burt Lancaster, James Mason, Gregory Peck, and Michael Powell—to name a few.

Later on, the book attracted the penmanship of such venerable writers as William K. Everson, Peter Cowie, Oswell Blakeston, Ivan Butler, Derek Elley, Allen Eyles, Gordon Gow, Marshall Julius, Peter Noble, Jonathan Rigby and Anthony Slide. In the intervening years, the Annual also passed through the hands of several publishers, starting out with Macdonald and then moving on to W.H. Allen, Columbus, Virgin, Reynolds & Hearn and then, finally, Signum Books. Since Maurice hung up his typewriter, Film Review was edited by four other journalists (including myself, for two decades) and in its final years the duties were shared by Michael Darvell and Mansel Stimpson. Of course, you can't keep a good brand down.

James Cameron-Wilson
Executive Editor, Film Review

1944-1945 Film Review Annual

The inaugural 1944-1945 edition Cover: Kismet (James Craig, Ronald Colman, Carmen d’Antonio)

2014-2015 Film Review Annual.jpg

The definitive film yearbook’s final annual, its 70th edition Cover: The Imitation Game (Benedict Cumberbatch)

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Film Review has been celebrating cinema since 1944. The world's longest-running film annual, Film Review was the first book of its kind to cover an entire year of 'filmgoing' and invited industry professionals to comment on their craft. Over the years our contributing authors have included such luminaries as Alfred Hitchcock, Michael Powell, and Cecil B. DeMille — just to name a few. Film Review published 70 annual print volumes between 1944 and 2015 before the yearly look at cinema moved to an entirely digital format, Film Review Daily. Read more about our history.

  • The seasoned critics on our staff have been professionally reviewing films since the 70s, including our Executive Editor James Cameron-Wilson, who took over the reins from founder F. Maurice Speed. The vast majority of our contributing critics are also long-standing members of the prestigious London Film Critics' Circle — the national professional body of British critics and the UK’s longest-standing critics’ organisation. Read more about our contributors.

  • Beginning where the print annual left off, FilmReviewDaily.com has continued bringing audiences the ‘Releases of the Year’ on a daily basis for over a decade, along with industry news and features, filmmaker interviews, in memoriam tributes, and film-focused podcasts. What began as a UK publication now has a dedicated online audience of cinephiles and movie lovers.

  • Independently owned and operated, Film Review Daily is committed to keeping our publication free and accessible to all — without paywalls, subscription fees, or an endless barrage of ads. Your readership and support make all the difference. We bring over 80 years of film criticism into the present with thoughtful, independent daily coverage of both theatrical and streaming releases — all aimed at what the annual did best: to provide a snapshot of the moviegoing year and present a fair, intelligent discourse on the art of cinema.