Joshua Boyle

Takes a fairly left wing but unfortunately accurate stance with a pseudo-vision of an apocalyptic comet standing in for climate change. Those likely to watch Fox news and Facebook for the latest hot take will likely despise or completely miss the points being quite bluntly made by what is at its core a rather damning satire of the self-consumed culture that has enveloped large portions of the globe. The ensemble cast is broadly terrific save for the occasional misfire with Merryl Streep essentially channelling a female take on Donald Trump, Ariana Grande and Kid Cudi doing a Jay-Z/Bey stand-in for the A-List of celebrity culture and Mark Rylance as a hybrid Bezos-Zuckerberg-Branson-Gates pied piper; a wealthy private citizen with so much power over the government that he is able to essentially control it for potential commercial gain at the potential expense of the uninfluencial vast majority. DiCaprio and Lawrence steal the key limelight with great performances and due to the allegoric message the film is trying to scream at a society that in part doesn't want to listen, those that choose to get it will have to excuse the heavy-handed obviousness with which some of the metaphorical comparisons to reality are chosen to be made. Nevertheless, it's a rare case of a new concept being deployed with some actual substance and provides a refreshing change of pace from the typical churned out movie drawl that plagues the industry at present. Leftists will love it too much, the politically neutral/objective will likely watch on with a degree of appreciative dismay and the remaining demographic will likely denounce it and return to their lives immediately. Would highly recommend as one of the better films to be released into what is otherwise typically an ocean of mediocrity.

In short, another artistic masterpiece from Bo Burnham. One of the most talented and layered comedians of a generation, if not ever. This special is a little more grounded rather than some of the zany aspects of his previous work. An introspective look at isolation, anxiety, loneliness, self-loathing and a variety of other points along the colourful spectrum of general mental health challenges. Despite the serious heartbeat, there are a fair few laughs peppered throughout and whilst not traditionally typical comedy, this vitriolic comedic approach blended with absurdity hits some poignant and trademark notes. A long time coming, this work fits perfectly with the crescendo of a global pandemic that shredded the lives of millions. Supporting and deriding the woke-always-online society that has come to exist in equal measures hits many notes of varying depth. "White Woman's Instagram" focuses on the banal, clichéd posts populating most middle class feeds and their disposable mediocrity. A clear swipe at the vanity and waste of time social media often can represent but with a less obvious message within the punctuated bridge that cuts to an example of the truly emotional expression that the web can lend itself to, before swiftly returning to the mundane normality of everyday posturing. The habitual exchange of every thought and feeling however leads to the devaluation of those with true merit because of how lost those things can become within the sea of alternative throwaway content amongst an individual's online activity. Plenty of other songs and micro-songs reside amongst artistic and personal angst which ranges from at times uncomfortable to enlightening and liberating. Scathing at times towards corporate leaders, modern day parents who have become complicit in the consumerisation of the future generations and just liberally sprinkled with observational apathy around the concept of "content", Inside says what most people don't know want to ackowledge or just haven't taken the time to realise. With an open mind viewing this, the undertone does at times make grim yet accurate assessment about the state of the world in which we reside. Bo Burnham is a leading light with such a unique ability to dissect society's beauty and flaws in the same fell swoop so here's hoping the pain filming this special caused does not deter him from future releases if they are even half as credible as this one. Written, filmed and produced without any support, this represents a truly masterful understanding of media and performance.