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Review

Review: Romain Gavras Goes All-Out with His ‘Sacrifice’ Eco Thriller

by jummy84 September 13, 2025

written by jummy84

Review: Romain Gavras Goes All-Out with His ‘Sacrifice’ Eco Thriller

by Alex Billington
September 12, 2025

Screening at the 2025 Toronto Film Festival. What does it take to really change the world? And who must make a sacrifice if that is ultimately what it takes? These are the foundational questions at the core of this bonkers new eco-thriller film titled Sacrifice, a world premiere at the 2025 Toronto Film Festival playing as a Special Presentation. By the time I watched the film and started writing this review, it has already been lambasted and torn apart by many critics at the festival, some even calling it one of the worst films at TIFF. I couldn’t disagree more. I can say it’s certainly not the best film of TIFF 2025, as it is a bit crass & obnoxious, though that’s on purpose. Yes there are tons of eco-thrillers being made these days, tons of new films about climate change and saving the planet and caring for nature, though few of them are actually making a real difference (unfortunately). What makes Sacrifice unique is it fully leans into the fantastical side of its story, a totally made-up, unrealistic tale of rebellion that is somehow still engaging and entertaining – even if it is ridiculous. But this is a refreshingly different vibe compared to all the more depressing, realistic eco cinema.

Sacrifice is co-written by Will Arbery and Romain Gavras, directed by French filmmaker Romain Gavras. It’s Gavras’ 4th feature film (following Our Day Will Come, The World Is Yours, and Athena) so far and his first in English. Like many filmmakers, he’s clearly pissed about climate change and the state of the world, he’s clearly upset about how little change is happening, though this film also shows he’s clearly tired of all the performative activism that doesn’t result in much of anything except clips “going viral” on social media. Sacrifice starts out with an disquieting premise: a bunch of other wealthy people go to an uber-wealthy tech idiot’s special charity event / party being hosted inside of a marble mine somewhere in Greece. One of the invited guests is Mike Tyler, a washed-out, falling-apart movie star played by Chris Evans. The uninvited guests are a group of eco warriors from a nearby island where a volcano is located, featuring Anya Taylor-Joy as their leader Joan. They take over the event and demand 3 people to be used as a sacrifice to stop the volcano from erupting and killing off all life. Damn, okay. Scary. Similar to Bugonia’s premise, these people seem totally nuts and their claims can’t be real – but maybe they are right? After another breakdown at the event, Mike gets mixed up with them and becomes their sort-of-spokesperson as they carry on with the plan.

This film rocks. It’s bold, wild, and brash yet still highly entertaining and all-out ambitious in its concept. I dig it. I dig what Gavras is going for here, even if it doesn’t all work. I really dig the way he sticks to the wild & crazy vision of a tribe of volcano warriors abducting people then bringing them to the volcano in order to fulfill their prophecy of saving the world from this volcano. This is not how it starts out – the first act feels like something closer to The Menu. But at some point their work there is done, it’s time to move on. And so Gavras keeps going, onward following Sam & Frodo & Gollum towards Mt Doom. It’s stylish & visually bold with an eye for wide angle, open lens cinematography to capture the grandeur of the doomsday story. Some of the negative reviews I’ve read claim Gavras’ execution is “muddled”, but I don’t know where that’s coming from. If anything, his execution & willingness to follow through is one the best parts about this. He doesn’t cut corners or stray or decide that maybe nah things will just end at this party. Perhaps there’s something to be said about how loud & annoying it often is, but this is often why many viewers do not connect with most eco cinema these days – they dislike all the preachiness. The good thing is this one is not actually preachy, because the point of the script is to mock the very people being so preachy (e.g. the character of Mike Tyler).

There is a meaningful point to this story, and I do think it’s a strong message that we should consider in the real world. Yes, it hits all the usual cliches about how rich people are the worst, how eco warriors are usually jerks, how the craziest people are often the most sane in this crazy world we live in. However, it takes us on a wild ride in the meantime. It’s not meant to be realistic. There isn’t really a volcano threatening the planet (🌋 or is there?) and this tribe of eco warriors isn’t an accurate presentation of any activist movement. It’s cinema. It’s purposefully brash, this is what Gavras enjoys when he makes films. Sacrifice is very clear and specific in its execution and premise, especially with regards to the volcano as the centerpiece. But it’s also big and loud and crazy in a way that I not everyone will be into – as evident with the polarizing reviews at TIFF. Anya Taylor-Joy is just having fun playing this more kooky role (she’s always good). Evans, though, is the best performance in this. He’s playing a complex character who is dealing with a boatload of emotions weighing on him at once. And he’s the one we’re meant to consider, to think about in relation to our actions and what we’re doing – or not – in hopes of helping solve the very real, very bad problem of climate change.

Alex’s TIFF 2025 Rating: 7.5 out of 10
Follow Alex on Twitter – @firstshowing / Or Letterboxd – @firstshowing

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September 13, 2025 0 comments

Bollywood

Heer Express Review – Warm at The Edges, Empty at The Centre

by jummy84 September 13, 2025

written by jummy84

Punjabi families in the midst of high drama, traversing the cultures and locations of Punjab and London should be declared a no-go for all filmmakers and screenwriters. How many times can the magic of Jab We Met and Queen be rehashed for the big screen? Heer Express is a sweet film, but it does commit the cardinal cinematic sin of being all-too-familiar, a little too often.

Director Umesh Shukla (who has previously made movies like 102 Not Out and Oh My God!) presents Heer Express as a clean, old-school family entertainer. The kind of movie that tugs politely at the heartstrings while serving a handful of soft laughs and life lessons. On paper it has the ingredients: an earnest newcomer, Divita Juneja playing Heer, as the likeable heroine, seasoned character actors who know how to hold a frame Sanjay Mishra, Gulshan Grover, Ashutosh Rana, and a premise that shifts from Punjab to London so you get family sentiment mixed with a fish-out-of-water vibe. Trouble is, the film mostly stays on the tracks of predictability and never builds enough steam.

Performance-wise the movie is serviceable. Divita Juneja is an exciting discovery. She’s sincere on screen and carries the film’s emotional weight better than the script deserves. Prit Kamani and Ashutosh Rana provide welcome support, and there are moments where Sanjay Mishra and Gulshan Grover quietly lift the proceedings with small, lived-in touches. Audiences seem to notice and like the lead’s warmth even if they grumble about the rest.

Where Heer Express falters is structure and stakes. One could say that the bland screenplay, cliché beats and manufactured crises neither surprise nor deepen the characters. Scenes that should land emotionally feel preordained, and the film’s attempts at comedy don’t often land, which makes the tonal shifts feel clunky rather than charming. The pacing occasionally drags, and many plot turns feel like they belong to a movie that would have been more forgivable a decade ago.

On the technical front the film is tidy but unremarkable. Competent cinematography and a safe musical palette that never quite lodges itself in memory. When a film trades on sentiment rather than invention, it needs either a razor-sharp script or an exceptionally evocative sound/visual design; Heer Express has neither.

If you love family dramas that follow a comforting, familiar blueprint and you came for performances and a gentle vibe, you’ll probably enjoy parts of it. If you want sharper writing, surprises, or something emotionally risky, this one won’t satisfy.

Bottom line is, Heer Express is a clean, well-meaning film with a capable lead and a few sweet moments, but its insistence on safe, clichéd storytelling keeps it from being memorable. Watch it if you’re in the mood for a warm, undemanding evening. Go in with low expectations and you might come out smiling.

Also Read: Heer Express Trailer: Hilarious Family Drama Introducing Debutant Divita Juneja

September 13, 2025 0 comments

Music

David Byrne: Who Is the Sky? Album Review

by jummy84 September 13, 2025

written by jummy84

David Byrne’s American Utopia, released in 2018 as a resistance manifesto and rallying cry during the first Trump administration, was as ambitious as its title. Beginning as a songwriting reunion with his old partner Brian Eno, the album ballooned into a Broadway production that was eventually captured on film by Spike Lee. Every iteration and star collaboration positioned American Utopia as a major statement, a reckoning with the distance between the illustrious promise of the United States and its benighted reality.

Arriving after all that commotion, Who Is the Sky? feels like a sigh of relief, an exhale after such a gargantuan endeavor. The two albums, so different in feel, derive from the same premise: Joy is precious in the 21st century, so it’s worth celebrating the reasons to be cheerful. That phrase, lifted from an old new-wave hit from Ian Dury & the Blockheads, is the name of Byrne’s ongoing cross-platform positivity project, a kind of Buzzfeed for relentless optimists. It wouldn’t be a stretch to consider What Is the Sky? an extension of that publication: These songs are designed to help get you through the day—vivid, colorful tunes that place a premium on human interaction. But an album is a different beast than a daily dose of motivation. The line between positivity and platitude is a fine one.

Byrne certainly sounds tirelessly exuberant on What Is the Sky?, thanks in part to the assist he receives from Ghost Train Orchestra, a freewheeling ensemble that’s no stranger to ambitious undertakings. Prior to teaming with Byrne, the collective released a tribute to visionary polymath Moondog, performed in collaboration with avant-classical veterans Kronos Quartet. If any group can navigate Byrne’s buoyant polyrhythms and sly stylistic shifts, it’s Ghost Train Orchestra. But Who Is the Sky? is not intended as high art: It’s designed to be a bustling pop album, so Byrne has brought in producer Kid Harpoon—a British musician who’s helped Harry Styles and Miley Cyrus take home Grammys—to supply the requisite pizzazz.

Don’t take Kid Harpoon’s presence, or the cameo from Paramore’s Hayley Williams on the galloping “What Is the Reason for It?,” as a sign that Byrne is tempering his eccentricities in hopes of reaching a broader audience. Kid Harpoon’s sparkling production gives Byrne the freedom to live loud, pushing his eccentricities to the extreme, a shift that’s evident the moment “Everybody Laughs” launches the album on a note of aggressive happiness. Yelping a laundry list of banal universals (“Everybody laughs and everybody cries/Everybody lives and everybody dies”), Byrne sounds like an over-caffeinated busker desperate to get passersby to join the party. His zeal steamrolls any hint of the darker side of human nature (“Everybody knows what everybody does”), as does the zest of Ghost Train Orchestra: They’re all clashing primary colors.

September 13, 2025 0 comments

Hollywood

Review: Francis Lawrence’s ‘The Long Walk’ is an Emotional Wallop

by jummy84 September 13, 2025

written by jummy84

Review: Francis Lawrence’s ‘The Long Walk’ is an Emotional Wallop

by Alex Billington
September 12, 2025

“Walk until there’s only one of you left…” This unexpected end of summer surprise is one of the best of the year. The Long Walk is one of three new Stephen King adaptations this year – as well as The Life of Chuck and The Monkey. It’s based on one of the early novels by King published back in 1979 (under his pseudonym Richard Bachman). The Long Walk features a dystopian American future + a yearly government game a lot like The Hunger Games; though let’s be honest, it’s more than likely The Hunger Games borrowed from this story, considering The Long Walk was published a full 29 years before any of those books. And they really pulled this off. This movie got me good… It’s even more emotionally impactful and thrilling as a depiction of fascist dystopian hell than so many other stories trying the same. It shook me up proper. Yep we’re heading towards exactly what is depicted – it’s a zeitgeist concept. Not only is the filmmaking top notch, it’s riveting and so unsettling to watch, but the performances are what matter the most and they’re all excellent in here.

Here is the setup: in the near future with a devastated economy, America now offers a once-a-year become-very-wealthy game for young men around the country. One boy from each state is chosen through a lottery to compete in “The Long Walk.” The rules are simple: everyone must keep walking at a speed of 3 MPH or above. You keep on walking & walking until there’s only one person left. “If you fall below the speed of three miles per hour, you get your ticket.” Meaning they kill you. A convoy of military vehicles follows along to maintain the rules. If you do the calculations, this “long walk” should last about 3 days and cover over 300 miles, which is right around when the exhaustion is so unbearable you pass out or go crazy. There are up to 3 warnings issued if you slow down, which also grants them time to urinate or tie their shoe if necessary. It’s grueling. It’s insane. Of the 50 competitors in this long walk, the focus is on Cooper Hoffman playing Ray Garraty (#47) and David Jonsson playing Peter McVries (#23), who become friends over the course of the arduous stroll. Along with Stebbins (#38 – Garrett Wareing), Arthur (#6 – Tut Nyuot who is yet another stand out), Barkovitch (#5 – Charlie Plummer), Hank (#46 – Ben Wang), Collie (#48 – Joshua Odjick).

The relationships formed on this long walk are the most important part of this story – this is the real meat of King’s tale. Of course it is also brutally honest commentary on fascism & capitalism, and the way the world rewards only those willing to kill themselves (more on that below). But it’s also a story of these “boys”. This movie has the most vivid and deeply moving Sam & Frodo energy between Ray & Pete I’ve experienced in a long time. Some of the most perfect casting picks ever getting Cooper Hoffman and David Jonsson as the two leads. They are remarkable together in this. I was wiping away tears by the end. I won’t stop thinking about them for a long time… It’s not just their friendship, it’s their comradery, their conversations, the way they grow to appreciate each other for who they are, not for the endurance to win this walk. And everything changes once they finally open up and tell each other their real stories. It’s so beautiful and wholesome… I think there’s a wise lesson in here about listening to each other, understanding each other, well beyond the macho-ness of competing in this walk thinking you’ll win it. Winning isn’t really what matters, right? I hope everyone else watching this movie comes to understand this point that King is making between Ray & Pete.

The film’s key metaphor of endlessly walking towards wealth is exceptionally accurate & clever. One of most representative analogies for life in late-stage capitalism. Yes, of course, it is literally about how insane it’d be to watch 50 boys walk for 3 days non-stop without any rest or breaks or anything. Yes, it’s gory and brutal to watch, with all the usual grisly injuries that could happen along the way. This story cannot be told without showing the gory truth of how this much walking destroys a body. The brutality is also part of the metaphor. Much like the Spanish film The Platform, simplicity is key in depicting this metaphor of America’s obsession with chasing wealth. Only 1 of the 50 will make it and win “endless riches” – it’s interesting that they never state an exact amount, just the dream of “riches” is enough. Much like life in poverty, you have to believe in yourself to get to the end or you literally won’t make it. You have to keep on marching, no matter how hard it gets. There’s wealth there at the end of the tunnel! Everyone else is dead? Whatever, keep on going, you only have yourself to worry about… And you’ll get there soon enough. Or you won’t… March on! For there is glory waiting: if you can outlast the brutality longer than everyone else! Then you, good Samaritan survivor, will finally be rewarded. Don’t worry about the 49 boys who didn’t make it… they’re not the winner. You are.

The Long Walk director Francis Lawrence, who’s also known for directing all The Hunger Games sequels after the first one (including Songbirds & Snakes), outdoes himself this time by bringing things back to the basics with pure, focused storytelling. The way he depicts the dystopian small towns along the way, flashes & moments of sullen locals watching like ghosts in the distance, indicates he has such a keen understanding of what is broken in modern society. And he wants us to see it and pick up on that within this movie. And to also feel the heaviness and bleakness of this scenario, how it’s not so far off from really happening, how this long walk is not the answer. It’s just perpetuating the madness. The sneakiest trick Francis Lawrence pulls is instilling so much hope and positivity into the first half of the movie. All 50 boys are so cheery & upbeat! It’s also part of the madness… You have to believe in this BS and create false hope in order to get even halfway there. I will admit this movie is quite depressing to watch, but the ending hits hard and lands right where it should, making the right decision. He is a Hero. He does what is necessary, but is that enough? I hope so…

Alex’s Rating: 9 out of 10
Follow Alex on Twitter – @firstshowing / Or Letterboxd – @firstshowing

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September 13, 2025 0 comments

Music Review: Jon Batiste opts for chill vibe on stripped-down album, 'Big Money'

Bollywood

Music Review: Ed Sheeran returns to his roots on ‘Play,’ a cross-cultural playground

by jummy84 September 12, 2025

written by jummy84

NEW YORK — Ed Sheeran has long sought to bring people together with his music, whether it be his emotionally resonant acoustic ballads or unproblematic, danceable pop hits. “Play,” his eighth studio album out Friday, stays in that familiar lane for the most part.

Music Review: Ed Sheeran returns to his roots on ‘Play,’ a cross-cultural playground

In his quest, Sheeran has maintained an everyman quality by carefully evolving with the status quo . The aesthetic of Ed Sheeran, global star, still matches that of Ed Sheeran, up-and-coming troubadour. Most of the time, it’s still just Sheeran, his guitar and his loop pedal against the world.

Of course, Sheeran, like most pop stars, knows that as his stardom has risen and his audience widened, the meaning of that relatability has shifted. His listeners, over a decade in, know that too. So “Play,” the first project in a new series from Sheeran named for symbols , uses Sheeran’s global acclaim to his advantage — without straying too far from his singer-songwriter roots.

Recorded throughout his “Mathematics World Tour” and finished in Goa, India, the project feels split. There are moments that herald the return of Sheeran the hitmaker, an exciting development after his last two albums — the final chapter of his mathematics series, “Subtract,” and the folk-pop “Autumn Variations” — were well received but failed to produce the kind of chart-toppers that created Sheeran, the megastar. Most tracks, however, fall more in line with those albums, deviating little from the narrative songwriting toolkit that raised Sheeran, the artist.

Sheeran turned to new collaborators for a couple songs that are already established hits. The addictive “Sapphire” features Indian singer Arijit Singh, who ranks among Spotify’s most popular artists globally. A Farsi version of the single “Azizam,” written and produced with Ilya Salmanzadeh, Savan Kotecha and Johnny McDaid, was released in April featuring Iranian singer Googoosh. Sheeran isn’t just eyeing the U.S. and U.K. charts here — he’s playing for cross-cultural domination, and having fun while doing it.

The rest of the tracks, those that feel more classically Sheeran, see old themes recycled: “Old Phone” provides him the space to remember old friends and reminisce about his changing personal life, just as the landscape in 2017’s “Castle on the Hill” provided a tangible marker of memory. The conceit of the sappily sweet “Camera” — “I don’t need a camera to capture this moment” — comes in conflict with that of Sheeran’s own beloved “Photograph” from 2014’s “Multiply.”

There are still moments that feel like they’ll stick: Sheeran’s ode to his daughters, “For Always,” with cooing backing vocals from co-writer Amy Allen, is sure to be a favorite father-daughter dance track, right behind the groovy “The Vow” on wedding playlists.

Sheeran flexes his pen on “Opening,” the album’s first track. Bounded by glittery verses about boundaries, he raps about his family, his mental health, that court case, fame and what comes next. “Been a long time up top but I ain’t complacent/If I look down I can see replacements,” he raps at one point. “Gotta make dreams and chase them.”

Sheeran wants to be for everyone. And to do that, he’ll still be an everyman.

“Play” by Ed Sheeran

Three stars out of five.

On Repeat: “Opening”

Skip it: “Camera”

For fans of: Romance novels, Bollywood playback singing, “Shape of You,” Coldplay

This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.

September 12, 2025 0 comments

Music

Algernon Cadwallader: Trying Not to Have a Thought Album Review

by jummy84 September 12, 2025

written by jummy84

Though admired by a range of emo and indie rockers, Algernon Cadwallader originally considered themselves an off-kilter punk band, and they fully embrace that identity on Trying Not to Have a Thought. It’s their densest and loudest album, even if each member sounds more controlled on the whole. From the gnarled rock propelling “Shameless Faces (even the guy who made the thing was a piece of shit)” to the artful, ketamine-fueled post-punk of “noitanitsarcorP,” all four members sound energized, focused, and inspired by each other’s ideas. “There is no ‘I’ in Algernon,” Helmis yells with relief on the title track. It’s a testament to the band members’ tight bond and how their live shows allow the public to share in it.

In the band’s first run, Algernon Cadwallader were sometimes criticized for being too in thrall to their influences: Cap’n Jazz, Joan of Arc, Owls. But even that intended bullet bounces like a rubber band in the emo scene, where the Kinsellas are venerated like saints and simultaneously recognized for how they’ve continued to evolve as musicians over the years. Algernon would like to attempt the same, and the development of Helmis’ vocal tactics on “What’s Mine” alone warrants the reunion album: He mumble-speaks like Phil Elverum, switches to pining long notes, and lets melodic hiccups accent his transition from scream-yodel to full-on yell. Meanwhile, Tazza continues the tradition of Analphabetapolothology’s childlike percussive loafing by casting a prism of pastel textures over “Koyaanisqatsi” with triangle, shakers, and diaphanous drum patterns.

Reinhart, who also mixed the album, trains the spotlight on the precise jabs of a buttoned-up fencing match with Mahony, his co-guitarist. The two dance around one another in equal volume, light on their feet, with intricate finger-tapping and rhythmic interplay that cherry-picks from Midwest emo, bluegrass, jazz, and fingerstyle guitar. In “You’ve Always Been Here,” atop Tazza’s steady beat and Helmis’ bassline, Reinhart and Mahony ramp up until their two guitars sound like four, then six. The intentional frenzy of Algernon Cadwallader’s past work is refined into contemplative passages (“What’s Mine”) and sugary Pop Rocks explosions (“World of Difference”) that raise your heart rate without mandating participation in the mosh pit. Tempting as it is to credit that melodic punk push as being solely Reinhart’s handiwork—he’s the band’s not-so-secret weapon, a producer for Beach Bunny and Modern Baseball—a closer ear takes notice of the crucial choices Mahony makes in each of his complementary guitar parts.

By waiting to return to the drawing board, Algernon Cadwallader built Trying Not to Have a Thought on their own time and in their own way. The mood is grateful and reflective, but it doesn’t dull their unruly style. The title track, the album’s centerpiece, introduces an effortless, freewheeling hook that drips with bittersweet nostalgia as Helmis belts mouthfuls like, “I’m trying not to get caught in the backwash of an artificial world constructed by bloodsucking motherfuckers in an anti-social coliseum.” He’s having fun, but he’s not putting on blinders for the sake of a good time. “Hawk” opens the album by grieving a high school friend: Helmis remembers roughhousing and playing with pocket knives together, never imagining they’d run out of time. “A few of your favorite clothes from your high school wardrobe/Are the closest thing to having you back,” he sings. His bandmates know exactly how to brighten pockets of the song to match Helmis’ elegy: “When we had the chance/We did it right.”

September 12, 2025 0 comments

Bollywood

Jugnuma review: Manoj Bajpayee soars in Raam Reddy’s dreamscape where magic meets everyday life

by jummy84 September 12, 2025

written by jummy84

The first thing that hooks you to The Fable (releasing in India as Jugnuma) is the opening frame itself. Shot on film, a rarity today, it immediately sets the mood. Glossy widescreen frames may look impressive, but when the setting is the 1980s, the masterstroke lies in the choice of format. The grainy texture of the stock suits a story that calls itself a fable, and the makers are careful not to smooth it over. The effect is a sense of magic and story coming alive.

The film’s unique cinematography and authentic performances create a captivating story about family and the environment.

What is Jugnuma about?

Jugnuma is not a run-of-the-mill film. The only familiar presence is Manoj Bajpayee, whose mainstream success in the OTT world has given him the freedom to experiment. Raam Reddy’s film benefits immensely from that. Viewers may arrive for Manoj, but they stay for Raam’s storytelling. The film follows Dev (Manoj), an orchard owner in Himachal who lives happily with his wife and two children. One day, part of his orchard is torched. Suspicion falls on the villagers tasked with guarding it at night. What happens next is the rest of the film.

Movie Review

Jugnuma

3/5

The film follows a Himachal orchard owner living with his wife and children, whose orchard is partly torched, putting suspicion on the night guards.

Cast

Manoj Bajpayee, Priyanka Bose

Verdict

Jugnuma reveals that a fable is less about magic and more about the truths woven into daily life, leaving behind questions, images, and a mood that lingers well past its runtime.

There is a plot, but the film does not rush. It prefers to let events unfold at their own pace, aided by touches of magic realism. Early on, Dev dons a pair of enormous wings he has built himself and soars into the sky. Magic is part of everyday life here.

The nuances stand out. A video camera, first introduced innocently as Dev’s youngest child runs around excitedly with it, turns the viewer into a lens. Later, the same camera offers a final glimpse of what may have happened to the family, which disappears without trace. Man’s battle with the environment is also a recurring theme.

A stunning picture

The visuals themselves, crafted by cinematographer Sunil Borkar, a former national-level shooter, are fascinating. A look into how the film was made, and the awards it has already won, is enough to leave anyone impressed, do give it a read on Wikipedia.

Among the performances, Manoj is so good at slipping into his characters that it hardly feels like acting. He is Dev. Priyanka Bose complements him perfectly as his wife. With half the cast drawn from real villagers trained on location, the story gains an added sense of authenticity. Deepak Dobriyal, as Dev’s manager and the narrator, does his part well.

Overall, Jugnuma shows that a fable is not just about magic but about the truths hidden within the everyday. It leaves you with questions, images, and a mood that lingers far longer than the runtime.

September 12, 2025 0 comments

Music

Ed Sheeran ‘Play’ Review

by jummy84 September 12, 2025

written by jummy84

On the bubblegum pink cover of his eighth studio album, Play, Ed Sheeran clearly lays out his goals for the project in a written message. “Play is leaving the past behind. Play is colorful. Play is dancing. Play is nostalgic,” the mission statement reads. Can an album leave the past behind and be nostalgic at the same time? Ed sure hopes so.

On the opening track, aptly-titled “Opening,” the multi-platinum singer-songwriter draws a line in the sand and moves beyond the emotional struggles that were present on 2023’s − (Subtract). In the process, he turns towards South and West Asian rhythms to create a fusion of dance-ready, upbeat pop songs that represent the bright disposition implied by the album’s title and cover. Yet, as promised, Play is also mainly steeped in fond memories of the past as Sheeran spends most of the record revisiting the singer-songwriter pop ballads that made him famous. It’s a somewhat disorienting move for a project that is supposed to be looking ahead.

The most interesting moments on Play are the cross-cultural, experimental songs that find Sheeran hitting a new pop wave. “Sapphire” is built around a shiny, irresistible rhythm thanks to Iranian-Swedish producer Ilya and an assist from Indian mega star Arijit Singh. Similarly, the sultry, dancefloor number “Symmetry” has a thumping heart that can get anyone dancing, even if they don’t know what the Hindi chorus is saying. Mostly, though, when it comes to globetrotting musical fusions Sheeran isn’t exactly George Harrison or Paul Simon. Instead, songs like “Azizam” and “Don’t Look Down” sound misplaced, especially as their bright sitar and flute tones push against the more melancholy, acoustic-driven tracks on Play.

For the most part, the album finds Sheeran returning to the singer-songwriter ballad form. Save for the rap verse on “Opening” which recalls early career innovations like 2011’s “You Need Me, I Don’t Need You” and pensive folk track “Old Phone,” Sheeran’s time travel only takes him back a few years, to 2017’s Divide to be exact. “Camera” is a sappy, crescendoing ode in the vein of “Perfect” that will undoubtedly dominate future wedding playlists, while “The Vow” is a soulful, jazz-inflected moment with Hallmark-card lyrics ( “I thank the broken road that led me to you”) that weirdly seems to channel a Rascal Flatts love song of all things. It’s not all misses; Sheeran flexes his detail-focused songwriting on softer ballads like “In Other Words” and “Slowly.”

Overall, despite some of its nods to a more global sound, Play is a lot more of the same radio-tailored singer-songwriter music that has become Sheeran’s signature in his 15-year career. “Been a long time on top, but I ain’t complacent/ If I look down, I can see replacements,” he raps on “Opening.” That sentiment in mind, it’s kind of ironic that in a pop music landscape filled with post-Sheeran balladeers like Alex Warren and Teddy Swims, the man himself can’t find a way to move his music forward.

September 12, 2025 0 comments

Music

Ed Sheeran – ‘Play’ review: a hasty retreat to the genre-spanning of old

by jummy84 September 12, 2025

written by jummy84

Even at their most successful, Ed Sheeran albums are a mixed bag. 2017’s ‘÷’ (yes, the one that featured the barely believable ‘Galway Girl’) worked on its own terms because it was a more adventurous record than his critics would give him credit for. Among the usual saccharine acoustic ballads, the open-minded listener was invited to stumble across wailing dad-rock guitar, sprightly Ghanaian highlife and that admittedly queasy Irish jig.

READ MORE: JADE – ‘That’s Showbiz Baby!’ review: pop’s star student is ready for the big leagues

You might not rate the results of these sonic explorations, but it’s better to live in a world where somebody as big as Sheeran is willing to play against type. Indeed, the Halifax-born, Suffolk-raised singer (who identifies “culturally as Irish”) really runs into trouble when he goes on autopilot. Take 2023’s ‘Autumn Variations’, a downcast collection that was about as drab as the tatty old mac you dragged out of the wardrobe as summer slunk off.

While he’s never been a critical darling, the reviews were particularly gruelling for what proved to be his lowest-charting album on the Billboard 200 in over a decade. Ed doesn’t see the point in music reviews, so he won’t have read them, but album eight coincidentally finds him ditching the beige sonic palette in favour of colourful pre-release singles ‘Azizam’ and ‘Sapphire’. These respectively Persian and Punjabi-inspired workouts (the latter a team-up with Indian playback superstar Arijit Singh) suggested that the 34-year-old had returned to his stylistic hopscotch. After all, it served him well in the past: ‘÷’ remains his biggest-selling album to date.

It’s dispiriting, then, when ‘Play’’s opening track – entitled, ingeniously, ‘Opening’ – starts off as yet another introspective, finger-picked ballad. The lyrics, though, are bracing enough to snuff out any cynicism: “I have cried at my brother’s grave / I have shaken hands with my wife’s surgeon.” Soon, too, comes a brittle beat as that fragile croon gives way to Ed’s breathless flow. It’s never not annoying to hear a white guy who went to prep school trying to rap, but, again, the words cut through. Seemingly referring to the plagiarism accusations he’s battled in recent years, Sheeran huffs: “Two of them tried it; I won both cases.”

While ‘Play’ directly addresses the life-threatening illness that Sheeran’s wife faced during pregnancy, as well as the death of his best friend Jamal Edwards (the entrepreneur behind rap channel SB.TV), this is the sound of someone rallying from the darkness. There’s a bit of agreeable, lightweight soul (‘A Little More’ and ‘The Vow’), some Bon Iver-style folktronica (‘Heaven’) and – no shit – a Fred Again-assisted psytrance banger (‘Don’t Look Down’) that could have been in the trailer for one of those ropey Matrix sequels in 2003.

Sheeran hasn’t committed as wholeheartedly to the genre-hopping bit as he did on ‘÷’. There are an awful lot of those sickly ballads, some of which are better than others: ‘Old Phone’, inspired by seeing an old text from Edwards, is genuinely moving. But ‘Play’, which apparently kicks off a groan-inducing new series of albums named after buttons on a remote control, just about makes the most of his bag of tricks.

Details

ed sheeran play review

Record label: Gingerbread Man Records / Atlantic Records
Release date: September12, 2025

The post Ed Sheeran – ‘Play’ review: a hasty retreat to the genre-spanning of old appeared first on NME.

September 12, 2025 0 comments

TV & Streaming

‘A Life Illuminated’ Review: Documentary About Bioluminescence

by jummy84 September 11, 2025

written by jummy84

Dr. Edith “Edie” Widder isn’t exactly comfortable in front of the camera, preferring to offer plain-spoken voiceover instead or, even better, just letting the stunning images of her life’s work do the talking. But as we see throughout Tasha Van Zandt’s refreshingly unflashy documentary “A Life Illuminated,” about the pioneering oceanographer and bioluminescence obsessive, the sea geek has spent years pushing past that. After all, she’s got way too much to say. And that compulsion — a genuine, profound desire to share her findings with the world — makes for a classic, stick-to-your ribs documentary experience about a fascinating person.

Van Zandt (“After Antarctica”) wisely uses traditional storytelling lanes to tell Dr. Widder’s story, tracing a pair of intertwining narratives over the course of the film‘s snappy running time of 89 minutes. At the forefront: Dr. Widder’s biggest swing yet, as she readies for a deep-sea dive in which she’ll test brand-new technology in hopes of documenting a bioluminescent phenomenon she’s long been obsessed with. Weaved in alongside that: an unfortunately light exploration of her biography, tracing her through childhood and many professional milestones (deeper explorations into her personal life are not on offer).

Dr. Widder’s plain-spoken nature isn’t inherently cinematic, but it’s so credible and trustworthy that it makes for a smart fit for the material. Consider early on, when she notes that it’s important for people to have role models to look up to, and that she was lucky enough to have a big one in her mom: Both her parents were mathematicians. Dr. Widder would never ask someone to look up to her, but her honest nature (and major accomplishments) naturally engender just that.

But Dr. Widder’s pragmatism has another side, and when she lights up (ha) while talking about bioluminescence, the effect is contagious. Early in her career, when Dr. Widder first became entranced by the chemical reactions that would frame all of her scientific journeys, she tells us she got teased a bit by her colleagues (many of them, of course, men) for comparing seeing scads of sea creatures lighting up underwater to “the Fourth of July.” The real problem, of course, was making other people see that, literally.

Early oceanographic technology was quite primitive — many of Dr. Widder’s first expeditions involved simply trawling the ocean with giant nets, hoping to catch dead or dying sea creatures to study, an experience that has also made humane capture of utmost importance to her. Actually showing people what she saw beneath the waves, therefore, long felt impossible. How do you show the full spectrum (again, ha) of what you see under the sea when all that’s available to you are giant nets and, if you’re really lucky, black and white still photography unable to show actual colors?

Other people might have gotten frustrated. Dr. Widder got to work. Over the course of her career, Dr. Widder went on hundreds of submersible dives, developed her own camera systems to capture marine life in all its glory, and became obsessed with photographing “flashback,” in which sea creatures “flash” their bioluminescence back at another light (even if human-operated).

Mostly, showing flashback to others might help sell what’s most important to Dr. Widder: that the ocean is so vast, so unknown, and so magical, it deserves to be studied far more. The world deserves it, its people deserve it.

Because of Dr. Widder’s longtime renown, Van Zandt has been gifted with all kinds of wonderful archival footage, and we’re able to see technology improve in both of the film’s timelines (including a heartbreaking sequence that follows a different doc appearance by Dr. Widder that ended up following the failure of another key dive, no wonder she’s a little shy on camera).

What Van Zandt and cinematographer Sebastian Zeck show is, much like Dr. Widder herself, extremely impressive and not at all showy. In following Dr. Widder’s journey, we learn how much even a single good shot of bioluminescent activity is valued. By the time the film ends, we are treated to the whole fireworks display. Illuminating, absolutely.

Grade: B

“A Life Illuminated” premiered at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival. It is currently seeking U.S. distribution.

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September 11, 2025 0 comments

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Grade: B