Writing stationary words about moving pictures. Film critic/showbiz journo. Editor at
@voicemaguk
. Host of
@WaterlooRoadPod
. 'Beta nerd' apparently. (he/him)
Over at
@voicemaguk
, I've been trying to shine a spotlight on the current situation for working class people in the arts. I've interviewed stars who have broken the "class ceiling", and groups "holding the ladder" for the next generation.
Read more:
Don't want to tap the "physical media" sign again, but this is why it's important. We've been conditioned in recent years to believe streaming companies will make originals available forever, and that clearly isn't the case. Most of these movies/shows never got physical release.
I was blown away by the sheer scale of
#AvatarTheWayOfWater
, which fulfils every mad promise its creators have made about cinematic innovation. Underwater stuff, especially, is mind-blowing. But it's also huge, epic filmmaking of the kind that has become Cameron's trademark.
The only thing you need to know about
#Tenet
is that Robert Pattinson plays the sexiest character of the year, drenched in suave charisma, floppy hair and gorgeous suits.
They called him Neil. Just Neil.
I'm rewatching THE SOCIAL NETWORK for the millionth time and it's just a masterpiece. The pinnacle for everyone involved. It gets better every time I watch it.
Shocked to see so many use the Wonder Woman discourse as an excuse to be fucking horrible to young writers or those who write for genre-focused sites. This industry is so often a nightmare of elitist gatekeeping, when it's so much better if we lift each other up.
#Wonka
is really special. Paul King allows the prickly side of Dahl to shine through, but equally makes sure his film is packed with light & joy. I cried on at least 3 occasions and laughed consistently throughout. And I couldn't be more in love with Chalamet's pure earnestness.
As a massive horror fan, it's a big deal to me to be making my debut for the incredible
@BDisgusting
, writing about the horror genre's love affair with calling things 'The Final Chapter', whether they actually are or not. Many thanks to
@FreddyInSpace
and
@bradmiska
!
A visibly emotional Letitia Wright discussing how she almost quit acting due to depression. I think we can all be glad she didn't. We are so lucky to have her!
"Let your light shine," she says.
#EEBAFTAs
#EERisingStar
People discussing THE SHAPE OF WATER on the timeline today and I still find it baffling that there's a narrative of it being a "boring" Best Picture winner.
It's an interspecies romance in which Sally Hawkins fucks a fish man and then dances with him in a Fred and Ginger homage.
🚨 PERSONAL NEWS (always wanted to do that) 🚨
As of today, I will no longer be freelancing because I've joined the wonderful team at
@thedigitalfix
as a Staff Writer. Looking forward to getting started! 💪
THE DEVIL ALL THE TIME is on Netflix this coming week. Tom Holland and Robert Pattinson stans might find it a tough watch. I loved it.
Here's my review for
@flickeringmyth
...
Truly adored
#Spencer
, from Kristen Stewart's perfectly pitched performance (she begins overly mannered, but ultimately disappears into Diana) to Jonny Greenwood's wild score. Costume drama gives way to psychological torment and even splashes of gothic horror. Loved it!
#LFF
Well, the new
#Gladiators
is loads of fun. So glad to have it back and they've wisely kept everything pretty much as it was in terms of format and vibe. Nostalgia at its best!
An absolute delight to receive such a warm endorsement from someone who I have always considered (and continue to consider) a great inspiration in this bonkers industry. Thank you so much! 😊
Threads dedicating to smashing Mr Morgan are always a delight, but this one is also a valuable education on what exactly the Leave vote was all about. (spoiler: nobody wanted a no deal Brexit)
Hello Mr Morgan,
I’ve just seen this tweet. I don’t know if you were out of the country at the time, but let me respectfully explain why this isn’t a fair reflection of what the referendum was about, and therefore what people "voted for"....
In one of my favourite recent interviews I've done, I got the chance to sit down with RRR director S.S. Rajamouli for
@YahooEntsUK
to discuss his three-hour Indian historical epic's status as a bona fide global phenomenon.
John Cameron Mitchell's utterly bonkers
@neilhimself
adaptation
#HowToTalkToGirlsAtParties
is out on UK Blu-ray/DVD today. To mark the occasion, I chatted to Mitchell about this movie, the legacy of Shortbus and his work on
@GlowNetflix
. It's a fun one!
Peter Capaldi on privilege in the arts. He's absolutely spot on. I particularly chime with the idea of it being a comfort when you see art that showcases the vibrancy and diversity of people outside of the most privileged worlds.
And obviously, cynical folk will sit there and go "well, nobody likes these ones anyway", but there will be people who did love these shows/movies, especially kids. And now they're gone completely.
There's a lot I could say about the importance of Media Studies in the midst of today's discourse, but I'm mostly just baffled that people still think it's an unimportant, "Mickey Mouse" subject in an era when surely we have to understand the media more than ever.
Physical media is the only way to actually OWN movies, rather than being at the whims of tech companies and/or streaming catalogues. We must protect it.
08/10/22 ❤️
The most perfect of days marrying the most perfect of people. We could not have asked for a better celebration and we are completely overwhelmed by how much love we felt from everybody.
Thank you to Megan, Ian and the whole
@DraycoteHotel
team!
#BeasleyWedding2022
Very happy to receive the latest
@filmstoriespod
magazine today, for which I wrote a very personal article about the barriers of access to film criticism in 2021. And it's an honour to be writing something like that for a mag with the almighty
@KermodeMovie
on the cover!
I've just seen
@tom_six
's THE ONANIA CLUB and it's a grimly compelling nightmare of bad taste, unfolding behind the opulent front doors of LA. Even nastier than the Centipede movies, but also far more complete in its dark ideas.
In a true bucket list moment, I was lucky enough to chat to Steven! Actual! Flippin'! Spielberg! about
#WestSideStory
(and Jaws!) for
@YahooEntsUK
. What a day!
One of my favourite things is when conspiracy nuts believe the puppet masters are clever enough to run the world, but dumb enough to leave a breadcrumb trail of easily solvable clues.
After discussing HALLOWEEN with
@twpercival1
for an upcoming podcast, I was reminded of this piece I wrote for
@BDisgusting
on horror's love for "final chapters". It's one of my favourite things I've ever written, so I'm gonna shamelessly re-share it.
So you get all of the visual splendour, but it's also big-hearted, resonant on the subject of family and staunchly environmentalist. This Avatar sceptic was thoroughly won over.
Justin Kelly's slippery, engrossing portrait of the
#JTLeRoy
story, starring Kristen Stewart and Laura Dern, is out in the UK in a week or two. Here's my
@flickeringmyth
review of a very interesting film...
I've made my debut for
@ringer
with an examination of Bray Wyatt's new gimmick and the potential of The Fiend to shape WWE.
But that's burying the lede, when I really just want to shout out how good the art with the piece is. I want it on my wall.
I wrote a bit for
@YahooEntsUK
about how much I loved
#Spencer
at
#LFF
, as well as Kristen Stewart's Oscar chances (very good!) and how it stacks up with history.
I think a lot about Matthew Lillard and how underrated he is. Two of my favourite performances of the late 90s and early noughties. And I'm totally serious about the Scooby-Doo one.
Read that piece about how celebs love podcasting because it's easy and I'd like to join the many indie podcasters I've seen saying "fuck you famouses". It's only easy when you have an automatic audience, a queue of sponsors spewing cash & someone else to do the editing work. 🙄
Here are the movies I submitted for the
#SightAndSoundPoll
! It was an honour to be asked to take part and I loved the difficult task of boiling my film taste down to just 10 movies. Hopefully I get to go again in 2032, with Paddington 2 in its rightful place on the list for sure.
The onus is on the government to save cinemas. It's as simple as that. They spent all of August stimulating the restaurant sector. Why can't cinemas get some of the same energy?
Gunn is absolutely right with his quotes here. This obsession with everything being R-rated is ludicrous. Some movies are built to be full of blood and swearing, while some aren't.
Shapiro's meltdown about Glass Onion includes the sentence "we are actively deceived by the writer", which is the funniest bit of film criticism I have ever read.
IT'S A MURDER MYSTERY, BEN!
@flickeringmyth
I also sat down with the brilliant star of
#Suspiria
, Dakota Johnson, and director Luca Guadagnino to talk all about dance, shooting on a mountain and the Call Me By Your Name sequel.
Very likely I'll be made redundant by Xmas. Festive news! 🙃 But this means I'm once again wading into the freelance swamp for reviews/junkets/features/shifts/podcasts/etc. Please fund my crippling chocolate addiction 🍫 (and also my mortgage)
Portfolio:
I interviewed Hugh Bonneville yesterday and told him I check my phone every morning hoping for PADDINGTON 3 news.
So I'm choosing to believe I made this happen.
Old movies are not automatically better than new movies.
New movies are not automatically better than old movies.
Neither group should be dismissed out of hand.
Why is this even a debate?
I sat down with
#AngryBirds2
producer
@JohnCohen1
for a chat about the new film, in which we compare it to
#AvengersEndgame
and discuss other smartphone games that could be movies.
BELFAST is a delightful film. Approaches the story of the Troubles from a child's perspective, delivering a story that's as much a coming of age tale as it is a historical document.
#LFF
During the last year, it seems to have become standard behaviour for men in full suits to zip around London on those hilarious little scooter things.
But not a single one of them seems to be enjoying it. I've never once heard a "wheeee". Sad.
But to end on a positive note, it means that people like
@simonbrew
,
@clarisselou
,
@awarmann
and many others, who help to hold the ladder in place for those on the way up, are worth their weight in gold! ❤
The absolute joy of seeing Charlie Simpson win a singing show last night after being told for most of my childhood that Busted were awful. 😂
#MaskedSingerUK
The absolute joy of getting into bed last night without setting an
#LFF
alarm. As much as I love the festival, it is an absolute endurance test. Thank goodness for the great films and the great people!
Worth noting that the fact you haven't heard of someone doesn't mean they're not incredibly famous. You might not have seen
#SexEducation
, but the most recent season was streamed by 55 million accounts on Netflix. That's hugely popular, by any measure.
#DoctorWho
#BirdsOfPrey
is everything I wanted it to be and more. Silly, sweary and directed by Cathy Yan with an energy I don't think I've ever seen in a DC movie - even the ones I like. I can't wait to see it again.