ITOL 2019 Round-Up: The Peanut Butter Falcon

“The Peanut Butter Falcon” is one of my top films of all time. I managed to see it twice in the cinema and can’t wait to get the DVD so I can savour it over again. It’s an adventurous escape and a lesson in the power of loving broken people – as well as yourself.

Structurally it’s a straight forward story with two central characters and two antagonists, all with very clear goals. A) Get to the wrestling school and escape life, B) Catch the protagonists. Continue reading ITOL 2019 Round-Up: The Peanut Butter Falcon

ITOL 2019 Roundup: Honey Boy

“Honey Boy” is a deeply sad, yet still hopeful story of a child, Otis, who essentially raised himself. That child’s story is largely based on the life of Shia LaBeouf, the writer and star of the film who plays his own abusive father. The film is raw and hard to watch at times as a young Otis (Noah Jupe) acts to support his parents while living in a motel with his father, James (Shia LaBeouf). Even with the upsetting events that take place, Otis finds joy in his work and through his friendship with a neighbor (FKA Twigs).  Continue reading ITOL 2019 Roundup: Honey Boy

ITOL Top 50 Films of the Decade, Entry No. 28: American Honey

Year: 2016 Runtime: 163 Minutes Director: Andrea Arnold Writer: Andrea Arnold Stars: Sasha Lane, Shia LaBeouf, Riley Keough By Mique Watson Few films in the pantheon of cinema feature stories centered around teenage girls; even fewer films depict them in ways which are universally identifiable (ask anyone to name a flick about a teenage girl off the top of their head and I bet you’d … Continue reading ITOL Top 50 Films of the Decade, Entry No. 28: American Honey

Review: Honey Boy

There hasn’t been a stronger or more talked about example childhood fame leading to a destructive transition into adulthood than the story of Shia LaBeouf. After becoming an absolute hit on Disney’s “Even Stevens” and other small movie roles, LaBeouf reached new heights in starring in “Disturbia” and the “Transformers” franchise – that is until people started to talk about something else with LaBeouf. With his countless run-ins with the law, the story of him sitting in a theater watching all of his films, and him telling everyone to “just do it” turning him into a living meme, he basically became the butt of the internet’s jokes. Continue reading Review: Honey Boy

Review: The Peanut Butter Falcon

Most people have a book that they absolutely loved growing up. While other girls were reading Little Women or the Babysitters Club I was re-reading Huckleberry Finn. I read it so many times it got creased and dogeared. I don’t remember much of the plot now and certainly wouldn’t have been aware of the deeper themes at the time. But I do remember losing myself in those hot lazy adventures, wishing I was rolling down river instead of in my bedroom in Yorkshire.

When I heard that “The Peanut Butter Falcon” was being billed as a Huck Finn style adventure I just had to see it. Continue reading Review: The Peanut Butter Falcon