London Film Festival 2018: 'Beautiful Boy' Film Review

I've just come out of the London Film Festival press screening for Beautiful Boy, so my thoughts here are pretty fresh and raw. 

Beautiful Boy isn't a perfect film but my God is it a powerful one. This is the story of real-life journalist David Sheff's (Steve Carrell) love for his son Nic (Timothée Chalamet), who finds himself grappling with an addiction to crystal methamphetamine. The film is based on Sheff's book of the same name as well as Nic Sheff's book Tweak. 

Chalamet, despite being more of a supporting actor to Carell, delivers the film's best performance - a performance that varies greatly from his characterisation of Elio in last year's Call Me By Your Name, affirming his vast and exciting range as an actor. While it's definitely early days, I would be shocked if he doesn't receive yet another Academy Award nomination, and I think he'd have a pretty good shot at winning, too. 

London Film Festival 2018: 'Widows' Film Review

A masterpiece.

Attending the 2018 London Film Festival as a member of the press comes with its perks. We get to go to screenings in cinemas that have uber-comfy chairs, we get a cool, self-validating press lanyard, we might even get a free novel on our way into the movie theatre. That was the case for Widows, anyway, a film based on a 1980's BBC series which was itself based on a novel by Lynda La Plante - a book that now happily rests in my backpack, thanks 20th Century Fox!

'A Star Is Born' Film Review

On the edge of glory...

Bradley Cooper's remake of A Star is Born marks the fourth time Judy Garland's original got an overhaul. This isn't just a re-cast, though, because this version of the film offers commentary on the symbol of the contemporary pop star in a way that not only feels relevant to a modern audience but necessary. Musicians so often seem to sell out to reach the big time, but as Cooper's Jackson Maine states repeatedly in the film (and as I'm about to horribly misquote): when you get given a voice you have to speak with your soul. You have to speak with your soul because, if you don't, no one will listen.

London Film Festival 2018: 'The Guilty' Film Review

My second London Film Festival screening was pretty fantastic...

The Guilty is an elegant, beautiful and gripping crime thriller. From the moment the film begins you're drawn into the plot like water down a plughole - there's an inescapable magnetic force at play which is only exaggerated by the story's single location. Don't let this put you off though; in well crafted films like this it's what you can't see that frightens you most. Also like that water down a plughole you'll feel unstable and disorientated by the time the film ends, a bewilderment not only created through Jakob Cedergren's nuanced lead performance but by the script's audacity to relentlessly surprise.

London Film Festival 2018: 'Assassination Nation' Film Review

Data Whining...

Assassination Nation is a distinctly confusing film. It's both relevant and unnecessary. It's enjoyable and yet disgustingly uncomfortable to watch. It's progressive and yet it rests on such obviously outdated tropes. Simply put, I think it's not as clever of a film as it makes out to be

Disney vs Netflix | Everything You Need To Know About Disney's Upcoming Streaming Service

 Walt Disney's CEO Bob Iger is squaring up to Netflix...

You've probably noticed that the way we consume content is changing pretty quickly.

20 years ago, Blockbuster provided a new, efficient film distribution service in the form of VHS rentals and it was this chain of stores that saw in the age of the DVD. The high definition Blu-Ray has since usurped the now out-dated disc and - mostly thanks to Netflix - things have started to go digital. Less and less people are watching TV channels, subscribing to cable TV and visiting the cinema; at the same time, YouTube and streaming services are creating a direct-to-the-consumer distribution model that seems to mark the final evolution from ape (VHS) to homo sapien (streaming). 

What I Saw @ The Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2018 | Recommendations and Reviews

A round-up of the best (and least-best) shows I got the chance to see at the 2018 Edinburgh Fringe Festival...

Hey guys, I got the oppurtunity to travel to the famous Edinburgh Fringe Festival this year and it was amazing. Let's talk about what I saw there.