Tom Blyth – ALLIANCE OF WOMEN FILM JOURNALISTS

WASTEMAN – Review by Nadine Whitney

April 21, 2026April 23, 2026 Nadine Whitney Alex Hassell, british films, Cal McMau, Cole Martin, David Jonsson, Tom Blyth, Wasteman

Cal McMau’s debut feature Wasteman feels like the oxygen is being sucked out of your lungs as it presses the claustrophobic hell of an English prison on to the audience via the beaten down protagonist Taylor (David Jonsson). Incarcerated for thirteen years, Taylor has stayed out of trouble by shrinking himself. His hunched shoulders and heavy-lidded eyes communicate that he wants to be ignored in the overcrowded prison by both other inmates and the screws. Stepping out of line has violent consequences as the opening scene viscerally demonstrates. Shot on someone’s cell phone is an assault where the section’s drug dealers mercilessly beat a prisoner who stole from him. Paul (Alex Hassell) picks up a television and smashes it on the thief’s head. No one tries to stop what is happening, and from the response of the guards, no one really can.

Reviews

PEOPLE WE MEET ON VACATION – Review by Walker Conger (Mentorship Program Critic)

February 18, 2026February 22, 2026 Guest Post Emily Bader, Mentorship Program Critic, people we meet on vacation, the female gaze, Tom Blyth, walker conger

Are rom coms back? Did they ever really go anywhere? Whatever you may think about the state of the romantic comedy film, this adaptation of Emily Henry’s popular novel, People We Meet on Vacation, is a heartfelt, funny, and summery adventure reminiscent of the classics we know and love. The “friends to lovers” trope in this film calls back to moments in other beloved rom coms like When Harry Met Sally, 13 Going on 30, and How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days. It’s not necessarily trying to do anything new within the genre, but rather utilizing what already works and still crafting a unique, yet familiar story.

Reviews

HUNGER GAMES: THE BALLAD OF SONGBIRDS AND SNAKES – Review by Susan Granger

November 13, 2023November 18, 2023 Susan Granger donald sutherland, Fionnula Flanagan, Francis Lawrence, Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, Jason Schwartzman, Peter Dinklage, Tom Blyth, viola davis

When the original Hunger Games devoured the silver screen in 2012, I vividly remember the savage power of its pop culture message about formidable female empowerment, particularly in contrast with its banal, dull, boring prequel Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. Directed by Francis Lawrence, this epic, tri-part dystopian dirge is set 64 years before the original trilogy. The essence of what’s lacking in this franchise film: Katniss Everdeen, the resourceful, heroic character embodied by charismatic Jennifer Lawrence.