Ben HattApr 1, 20207 minIcarus: America's wings are meltingHow America's response to the COVID-19 pandemic reveals cracks in the American Dream Icarus. It’s a story you may be familiar with. It...
Ben HattSep 26, 201810 minThe British Countryside Is Not DeadBen is a British writer now based in Brooklyn, New York. He has travelled extensively in Asia and South America. ---- Us British can be a...
Ben HattAug 21, 201819 minThe Trans-Siberian Railway: Pot-bellied leather singers and the deepest lake in the worldBen is a British writer now based in Brooklyn, New York. He has travelled extensively in Asia and South America. ---- There’s a kick, a...
Ben HattAug 17, 20187 minDandong: A view into North KoreaBen is a British writer now based in Brooklyn, New York. He has travelled extensively in Asia and South America. ---- It is 6:39am in...
Ben HattJul 31, 20183 minA Hollywood Candy FareMamma Mia: Here We Go Again is a fanfare of chocolate and cake and a whole lot of cheese. There’s no doubting the appeal. At first bite...
Ben HattJun 21, 20183 minTrue Crime and True RetributionThere’s a fleeting shot in American Animals where Spencer and Warren, the two protagonists, are watching movies as inspiration for their...
Ben HattJun 14, 20184 minSimple is better: Morgan Neville takes a leaf out of his Subject's book with glorious effect.“Simple is best” has been an age-old adage for us all, but rarely does a film take that message so sincerely to heart and the outcome...
Ben HattJun 14, 20183 minThat Donald Trump - Kim Jong-Un "Move Trailer" VideoWe all have those devilish “what ifs,” fantasies and delusions that flutter in and out of the mind like butterflies in the stomach. For...
Ben HattJun 8, 20183 minAll Style And Little SubstanceElvis once put together a little ditty people like to call, “a little less conversation and a little more action.” The man knew how to...
Ben HattJun 7, 20185 minThe Mercurial Power of the Presidential PardonPresidential Pardons have a long and capricious history. Scooter Libby, the former Chief of Staff to Dick Cheney, had his sentence...
Ben HattMay 23, 20183 minIt’s “Ryan Reynolds” Starring Deadpool, but what else are we expecting?Deadpool 2 is filthy, smutty and vulgar; bawdy, barnyard and lewd; nigh on pornographic in its humour and explicit in its inglorious...
Ben HattMay 22, 20184 minA Suffocating Slow-Burn Drama that Plods before it ShinesThe phrase “may you live a long life” is repeated throughout the film, offering consolation at a time of pain and suffering. It is a...
Ben HattMay 9, 20183 minMotherhood: The Struggle is RealPlot-twists are sexy. They’re the damsel that comes late to the ball, the janitor-cum-genius that breaks the code, the unsuspecting...
Ben HattApr 29, 20184 minFinding the Middle Ground Voltaire was a badass. He was an unfettered forward-thinker, an enlightened activist, a satirical polemicist. In many ways he was a 21st...
Ben HattApr 27, 20183 minWith No Sound There Is Still Plenty Of FuryHP Lovecraft, one of the oft-forgotten godfathers of horror fiction, argued “it is a mistake to fancy that horror is associated...
Ben HattApr 18, 20183 minA Change In Tune For The High-School Rom-Com, But A Strong Lead Lacks Support.There’s a moment when Chris Evans’ Jack Tyler is challenged to take Janey Briggs (Chyler Leigh) to prom in the satirical teen comedy Not...
Ben HattApr 15, 20183 minThe Ticking Clock of WarSaul Dibb’s Journey’s End is a cinematic reinvention of the 1928 play by R.C. Sheriff. Set in the trenches in 1918 during the height of...
Ben HattApr 10, 20183 minThe White House of ScriptureIn the chambers of Congress and the backrooms of the White House, the Church can be a fickle mistress. The relationship between Church...