Jonathan Wakeham
@jonathanwakeham.bsky.social
Screenwriter at Independent Talent (UK) & Lit Entertainment (US). Mentor at Arts Emergency. Coming soon: Hollywood noir, polar science and spies. WGGB.
THE SWIMMER (Eleanor Perry and Frank Perry, 1968) The American dream becomes a nightmare in the Perrys' suburban satire turned psychological horror as Burt Lancaster swims across his county towards the truths he fears to face. Gorgeously shot, courageously acted, stunningly scored. A masterpiece.
November 9, 2025 at 10:47 AM
THE SWIMMER (Eleanor Perry and Frank Perry, 1968) The American dream becomes a nightmare in the Perrys' suburban satire turned psychological horror as Burt Lancaster swims across his county towards the truths he fears to face. Gorgeously shot, courageously acted, stunningly scored. A masterpiece.
“I think those of us who live with great fame have to say that it is a trick of survival, and that a lot of us don’t like it.”
A powerful, poignant obituary for Maria Riva, Marlene Dietrich's daughter, whose childhood reads like a Hollywood horror story: www.nytimes.com/2025/11/02/a...
A powerful, poignant obituary for Maria Riva, Marlene Dietrich's daughter, whose childhood reads like a Hollywood horror story: www.nytimes.com/2025/11/02/a...
November 4, 2025 at 11:59 AM
“I think those of us who live with great fame have to say that it is a trick of survival, and that a lot of us don’t like it.”
A powerful, poignant obituary for Maria Riva, Marlene Dietrich's daughter, whose childhood reads like a Hollywood horror story: www.nytimes.com/2025/11/02/a...
A powerful, poignant obituary for Maria Riva, Marlene Dietrich's daughter, whose childhood reads like a Hollywood horror story: www.nytimes.com/2025/11/02/a...
Sydney Sweeney is terrific in David Michôd's CHRISTY, which kept me on the edge of my seat for 2 hours. It's a powerful, visceral, sometimes harrowing film that's as much about gender, class & relationships as it is about boxing, with fearless support from Ben Foster & an incandescent Katy O’Brian.
October 28, 2025 at 1:28 PM
Sydney Sweeney is terrific in David Michôd's CHRISTY, which kept me on the edge of my seat for 2 hours. It's a powerful, visceral, sometimes harrowing film that's as much about gender, class & relationships as it is about boxing, with fearless support from Ben Foster & an incandescent Katy O’Brian.
Congratulations @mrdavebyrne.bsky.social & his team at the Royal Court for a barnstorming 70th Anniversary season. I'm particularly excited to see The Shitheads, The Afronauts & John Proctor Is The Villain; do check out the brilliant new playwriting opportunities too: royalcourttheatre.com/whats-on/
October 28, 2025 at 12:30 PM
Congratulations @mrdavebyrne.bsky.social & his team at the Royal Court for a barnstorming 70th Anniversary season. I'm particularly excited to see The Shitheads, The Afronauts & John Proctor Is The Villain; do check out the brilliant new playwriting opportunities too: royalcourttheatre.com/whats-on/
Lucile Hadžihalilović is one of the great directors of coming-of age stories. Her new film THE ICE TOWER is a sparkling, sinister fairy tale about the power of film, the seduction of stardom & the deceptions of desire, starring Marion Cotillard & Clara Pacini. Coming to BFI & UK cinemas next month.
October 24, 2025 at 3:35 PM
Lucile Hadžihalilović is one of the great directors of coming-of age stories. Her new film THE ICE TOWER is a sparkling, sinister fairy tale about the power of film, the seduction of stardom & the deceptions of desire, starring Marion Cotillard & Clara Pacini. Coming to BFI & UK cinemas next month.
Kelly Reichardt is my favourite director so it's no surprise that I loved THE MASTERMIND, a tragicomic 1970s heist movie with Josh O'Connor as (perhaps) the US cousin of his British tomb raider in LA CHIMERA. In our era of triumphant male mediocrity it's a timely story told with style, wit & warmth.
October 24, 2025 at 2:20 PM
Kelly Reichardt is my favourite director so it's no surprise that I loved THE MASTERMIND, a tragicomic 1970s heist movie with Josh O'Connor as (perhaps) the US cousin of his British tomb raider in LA CHIMERA. In our era of triumphant male mediocrity it's a timely story told with style, wit & warmth.
I loved Nia DaCosta's sly, sensual, serpentine HEDDA, starring Tessa Thompson as the brittle, beautiful Hedda & the magnificent Nina Hoss as her ex-lover & potential nemesis. Set over one night at an English country house in the 1950s, it's a witty, decadent treat, beautifully shot by Sean Bobbitt.
October 24, 2025 at 12:10 PM
I loved Nia DaCosta's sly, sensual, serpentine HEDDA, starring Tessa Thompson as the brittle, beautiful Hedda & the magnificent Nina Hoss as her ex-lover & potential nemesis. Set over one night at an English country house in the 1950s, it's a witty, decadent treat, beautifully shot by Sean Bobbitt.
Movie jewel thieves: "We need to get your pulse down to 30, your temperature to zero and your fingerprints lasered off. Also a cryptographer, an acrobat, a hacker, two HALO suits and a mini submarine."
French jewel thieves: "Get me 2 mopeds, a chainsaw and a ladder. See you at lunch."
French jewel thieves: "Get me 2 mopeds, a chainsaw and a ladder. See you at lunch."
October 19, 2025 at 12:16 PM
Movie jewel thieves: "We need to get your pulse down to 30, your temperature to zero and your fingerprints lasered off. Also a cryptographer, an acrobat, a hacker, two HALO suits and a mini submarine."
French jewel thieves: "Get me 2 mopeds, a chainsaw and a ladder. See you at lunch."
French jewel thieves: "Get me 2 mopeds, a chainsaw and a ladder. See you at lunch."
Cord Jefferson's terrific AMERICAN FICTION, starring a deservedly Oscar-nominated Jeffrey Wright, is on BBC2 on Sunday night. Based on Percival Everett's novel Erasure, it's bleakly ironic that it's currently unavailable either on streaming or disc in the UK, so don't miss this chance to catch it.
September 26, 2025 at 12:25 PM
Cord Jefferson's terrific AMERICAN FICTION, starring a deservedly Oscar-nominated Jeffrey Wright, is on BBC2 on Sunday night. Based on Percival Everett's novel Erasure, it's bleakly ironic that it's currently unavailable either on streaming or disc in the UK, so don't miss this chance to catch it.
Condraculations to @mogster.bsky.social & Emma Baggott for their ferocious, funny & frightening Dracula at @lyrichammersmith.bsky.social. Umi Myers is a captivating Mina, re-enacting her own story as a timely warning to all of us to question who's trying to scare us & why. lyric.co.uk/shows/dracula/
September 24, 2025 at 1:50 PM
Condraculations to @mogster.bsky.social & Emma Baggott for their ferocious, funny & frightening Dracula at @lyrichammersmith.bsky.social. Umi Myers is a captivating Mina, re-enacting her own story as a timely warning to all of us to question who's trying to scare us & why. lyric.co.uk/shows/dracula/
MELANCHOLIA (Lars von Trier, 2011)
September 18, 2025 at 2:37 PM
MELANCHOLIA (Lars von Trier, 2011)
Darren Aronofsky's CAUGHT STEALING is a giddy, gaudy, gruesome soufflé that brings a welcome, loose-limbed new swing to his style. For me it never quite recovered from a key character death that should have landed much harder, but Austin Butler & Zoë Kravitz are a delightful screwball double-act.
September 12, 2025 at 11:40 AM
Darren Aronofsky's CAUGHT STEALING is a giddy, gaudy, gruesome soufflé that brings a welcome, loose-limbed new swing to his style. For me it never quite recovered from a key character death that should have landed much harder, but Austin Butler & Zoë Kravitz are a delightful screwball double-act.
Spike Lee's HIGHEST 2 LOWEST is a wildly entertaining kidnap caper that loses the heartstopping tension of Kurosawa's original but gains a spry wit, social satire and swagger that plays like a Denzel Washington greatest hits album, gorgeously shot by Matthew Libatique. In UK cinemas now.
September 11, 2025 at 2:57 PM
Spike Lee's HIGHEST 2 LOWEST is a wildly entertaining kidnap caper that loses the heartstopping tension of Kurosawa's original but gains a spry wit, social satire and swagger that plays like a Denzel Washington greatest hits album, gorgeously shot by Matthew Libatique. In UK cinemas now.
Dance down to Southbank tonight if you can for WE SHOULD HAVE NEVER WALKED ON THE MOON, Rambert and (LA)HORDE's takeover: a playful, political, sensual carnival that feels like a much-needed act of defiance in this time of joylessly totalitarian politics. www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/we-...
September 6, 2025 at 10:56 AM
Dance down to Southbank tonight if you can for WE SHOULD HAVE NEVER WALKED ON THE MOON, Rambert and (LA)HORDE's takeover: a playful, political, sensual carnival that feels like a much-needed act of defiance in this time of joylessly totalitarian politics. www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/we-...
Jack Clayton's SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES (1982) dates from Disney's brief era of kid-friendly horror, most of which proved to be far too frightening (cf. RETURN TO OZ). It's a gorgeously shot, truly unsettling film, haunted by the fear of death, with a terrifying performance by Jonathan Pryce.
September 4, 2025 at 12:18 PM
Jack Clayton's SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES (1982) dates from Disney's brief era of kid-friendly horror, most of which proved to be far too frightening (cf. RETURN TO OZ). It's a gorgeously shot, truly unsettling film, haunted by the fear of death, with a terrifying performance by Jonathan Pryce.
I just finished reading Joanna Howard’s new novel Porthole and loved it. After a fatal accident on a film set, a celebrated director finds herself in a mysterious clinic where she must face up to her past loves and choices. It’s a gorgeously strange, funny, menacing novel, published by McSweeney’s.
August 30, 2025 at 10:31 PM
I just finished reading Joanna Howard’s new novel Porthole and loved it. After a fatal accident on a film set, a celebrated director finds herself in a mysterious clinic where she must face up to her past loves and choices. It’s a gorgeously strange, funny, menacing novel, published by McSweeney’s.
WEAPONS (Zach Cregger, 2025) is a film of two halves. I was much more on board for the first, with its echoes of TWIN PEAKS and THE LEFTOVERS, but the whole film is confident, characterful film-making, and I hope Julia Garner & [redacted] get nominations, as acting awards so rarely recognise horror.
August 25, 2025 at 11:14 AM
WEAPONS (Zach Cregger, 2025) is a film of two halves. I was much more on board for the first, with its echoes of TWIN PEAKS and THE LEFTOVERS, but the whole film is confident, characterful film-making, and I hope Julia Garner & [redacted] get nominations, as acting awards so rarely recognise horror.
Yes! Striking that the ratio of remakes / sequels to originals is almost reversed compared with 2025. Hopefully the success of F1 / Sinners / Elio / Weapons will encourage more investment in originals (while recognising that F1 is giant IP!).
August 24, 2025 at 11:30 AM
Yes! Striking that the ratio of remakes / sequels to originals is almost reversed compared with 2025. Hopefully the success of F1 / Sinners / Elio / Weapons will encourage more investment in originals (while recognising that F1 is giant IP!).
2025 has been a good summer for Hollywood, with a string of popular hits and more to come. But look what THE ROCKETEER was competing with in summer 1991!
August 24, 2025 at 11:15 AM
2025 has been a good summer for Hollywood, with a string of popular hits and more to come. But look what THE ROCKETEER was competing with in summer 1991!
A treat to revisit Joe Johnston's THE ROCKETEER (1991), a funny, fast-paced WW2-era adventure that prefigures his CAPTAIN AMERICA. Billy Campbell is a perfect, pure-hearted comic book hero, but Timothy Dalton is its MVP as dastardly movie star Neville Sinclair, and James Horner's score is a joy.
August 24, 2025 at 11:15 AM
A treat to revisit Joe Johnston's THE ROCKETEER (1991), a funny, fast-paced WW2-era adventure that prefigures his CAPTAIN AMERICA. Billy Campbell is a perfect, pure-hearted comic book hero, but Timothy Dalton is its MVP as dastardly movie star Neville Sinclair, and James Horner's score is a joy.
I'd been saving BADLANDS (Terrence Malick, 1973) to see on a cinema screen, so thank you BFI for an unforgettable evening: a film of breathtaking beauty, shocking violence & sly, seductive charm, more about movie stardom & media than it is about crime. A timeless masterclass in visual storytelling.
August 19, 2025 at 11:20 AM
I'd been saving BADLANDS (Terrence Malick, 1973) to see on a cinema screen, so thank you BFI for an unforgettable evening: a film of breathtaking beauty, shocking violence & sly, seductive charm, more about movie stardom & media than it is about crime. A timeless masterclass in visual storytelling.
Come and celebrate the 70th anniversary of Ingmar Bergman's sublime sexual comedy SMILES OF A SUMMER NIGHT, starring Gunnar Björnstrand, Eva Dahlbeck and Harriet Andersson, at @thegardencinema.bsky.social next Thursday 14th August at 6.30pm: www.thegardencinema.co.uk/film/smiles-...
August 8, 2025 at 12:21 PM
Come and celebrate the 70th anniversary of Ingmar Bergman's sublime sexual comedy SMILES OF A SUMMER NIGHT, starring Gunnar Björnstrand, Eva Dahlbeck and Harriet Andersson, at @thegardencinema.bsky.social next Thursday 14th August at 6.30pm: www.thegardencinema.co.uk/film/smiles-...
François Girard's THIRTY TWO SHORT FILMS ABOUT GLENN GOULD (1993) is absolute heaven: warm, witty, intimate, rich with insight and striated with melancholy as it leaps time, form and genre to create a dazzling kaleidoscopic portrait of a truly original artist, brilliantly played by Colm Feore.
August 8, 2025 at 11:10 AM
François Girard's THIRTY TWO SHORT FILMS ABOUT GLENN GOULD (1993) is absolute heaven: warm, witty, intimate, rich with insight and striated with melancholy as it leaps time, form and genre to create a dazzling kaleidoscopic portrait of a truly original artist, brilliantly played by Colm Feore.
Diane Kurys' PEPPERMINT SODA (1977) is enchanting: a raw, funny, painfully honest — and honestly painful — look back at her adolescence. Minute in its focus but epic in its themes — sex, class, colonialism, anti-Semitism — it's a giddy, glorious masterpiece, beautifully shot by Philippe Rousselot.
August 7, 2025 at 10:37 AM
Diane Kurys' PEPPERMINT SODA (1977) is enchanting: a raw, funny, painfully honest — and honestly painful — look back at her adolescence. Minute in its focus but epic in its themes — sex, class, colonialism, anti-Semitism — it's a giddy, glorious masterpiece, beautifully shot by Philippe Rousselot.