Stephen Morgan

@drsmorgan.com

3055 Followers 725 Following

De/anti-colonialism, Indigenous Cinemas, Settler National Cinemas (CANZUS). Settler kid, raised on Peramangk country. Programming: londonaustfilm.com Teaching: @kingsfilmstudies.bsky.social

A screengrab of Sleep Now in the Fire, from Rage Against the Machine's album The Battle of Los Angeles, playing on Tidal.
A screenshot of my JustGiving page.
Screenshot of my Letterboxd review of One Battle After Another, which reads: "Believe (some of) the hype. This is entertaining as heck, looks phenomenal, and has some extremely salient things to say about Amerikkka, but... I can't shake a slight sense that it maybe has a little too much of a Centrist Dad kinda outlook on increasingly polarised political ideologies. In the same way that an unwavering identification with DiCaprio's character sucked all of the redemptive potential out of Killers of the Flower Moon, his otherwise excellent performance here shifts from wide-eyed revolutionary to 'a man with responsibilities' (albeit a berobed, 'reefer-smoking' man, that is as heavily indebted to Jeffrey 'The Dude' Lebowski as was 'Doc' Sportello in PTA's previous Pynchon paranoia adap, Inherent Vice). And so this cynic's paradise of a satire paints a world in which there are objects of ridicule on both sides, even if the powerful baddies - caricatured members of a secretive, yet comical white supremacist cabal - feel inherently more dangerous than the failed/failing idealogues who are mostly found fumbling in the dark. I mean, the film even takes time to poke fun at contemporary culture's penchant for pronouns and safe spaces, precisely the kind of thing about which every Centrist Dad makes 'harmless' jokes. All that being said, the film's coda does at least offer some indication of where our sympathies should lie amid these cyclical battles. (Sidenote: I particularly appreciated the subtle ways in which it drew attention to the settler colonial complex rather than simply ignoring it.) Don't get me wrong, I bloody loved this. But also, don't get this film wrong, it ain't some revolutionary tract slipped under the Hollywood radar. It is rather good though."
A screenshot of the Guardian website with a headline reading: "Putin's 'hidden have' lies behind Iran's drone tactics, UK defence secretary says".
Screenshot of a Guardian update on the situation in the middle east. The headline reads: "UK, Germany and France condemn Iranian attacks" and goes on to note that: "The UK, Germany and France have condemned Iranian attacks on countries in the region, saying Iran must refrain from indiscriminate military strikes. They did not comment on US and Israeli attacks on Iran. British prime minister Keir Starmer, French president Emmanuel Macron and German chancellor Friedrich Merz issued a statement Saturday saying their countries didn’t take part in the strikes on Iran but are in close contact with the US, Israel and partners in the region. The three countries have led efforts to reach a negotiated solution over Iran’s nuclear program."
Screenshot of Ilana Glazer on Subway Takes saying "late stage capitalism is so annoying."
Screenshot of StubHub listings for seated tickets for Freya Skye, with cheapest listed tickets priced at £304.
Bloodied, but staunch as, vampire hunter Tyson (Rob Collins) and his protege Neeks (Shantae Barnes-Cowan) stand in an underground lair, weapons drawn, in front of a large wall of upside down human skulls. The image acts as a poster for the TV series FIREBITE, with the show's logo written in a serif font in which the 'I' and 'T' form the shape of fangs. Text on the poster reads: "An AMC+ Original Series, Firebite, Season 1". The tagline, at the bottom of the poster, reads: "Hunting vampires is in their blood".
A photo of my TVs display screen showing You Am I's Berlin Chair playing in Craig Charles' Radio 6 Music show.
A still from S5e4 of Stranger Things. A shaft of sunlight illuminates a sparsely decorated cave, as Max shows Holly her 'home'.
Screengrab from ABC News article reading: "That revelation, which had the remarkable side-effect of prompting the exact same "void series" joke out of every human with a UK passport, was a perfect storm for England."
Screenshot of two marketing images from the Signature Entertainment website. On the top is a promotional image for Beast of War, which carries the title, and a photo with a burning, sinking warship in the background, a massive shark fin in the foreground, and four men on a raft in the mid-ground. The bottom image is for Fear Below, and features the title, and an underwater image of a giant shark looming up, Jaws-style on an unsuspecting diver, who floats just below a small boat.
Rubbish on the side of the road in Hackney. A blue, partly crushed can of Fosters beer lays beside a discarded, disposable cup from Amala Chai.
A still from Australian TV series Mustangs FC. Marnie and Gabe walk down a path in dappled sunlight. Gabe is carrying a football looking ahead, whilst Marnie steals a glance at him.
Screenshot of an email from Dice.FM reading: "Postponement: Band Statement A message from the event organiser The band is disappointed to announce that we must postpone our scheduled UK/EURO tour dates. The decision hasn’t come easy, and we’ll make it up to you come 2026. For now we appreciate your well wishes and respect for our privacy. Take care of yourself and each other while we’re gone. The new date for 2026 will be announced as soon as possible."
A fairly average photo of a great band. Refused, on stage at the Brixton Academy.
Partial screenshot showing what could easily be an AI composite of a media executive (gammony white, receding grey hairline), accompanied by the text: "Perry A. Sook - Founder of Nexstar Media Group".
A photo of my laptop screen, showing 24856 people ahead of me in the virtual queue for System of a Down tickets.
A screenshot of my Spotify subscription cancellation screen. When you cancel, the service asks 'What's the main reason you cancelled your Spotify subscription?'. Since, unsurprisingly, there wasn't an adequate option among the many choices, I chose 'other' and entered 'Spotify CEO Daniel Ek's investment in genocidal military hardware' because Fuck Spotify.
A screenshot of a Guardian headline, reading "More than 40% attested for last summer's riots had been reported for domestic abuse".
A screenshot of my 'Favorites' on Letterboxd, which includes Les Quatre Cent Coups, Gummo, The Overlanders, and Wake in Fright.
A photo of Big Noter playing live at Oslo, London on 2 July 2025. Bright, colourful lights spread across the stage, as the guitarist and bass player rock out, and the drummer and vocalist trade metaphorical rock blows up stage.
A screenshot of a Guardian headline: "Birthrate: Brigid Phillipson says she wants more young people in UK to have children"
A screenshot of the Guardian's live Glastonbury blog, reporting from Kneecap's set on the West Holts stage. The text reads: "Numerous times, the trio chanted “Fuck Keir Starmer!”, with the crowd passionately shouting back. Rod Stewart – playing the Pyramid stage tomorrow – also came under fire, having suggested in an interview that the public should give Nigel Farage “a chance”. Describing him as “Rod the Prod”, Ó hAnnaidh said: “I mean, the man’s older than Israel.”"
Screenshot of Dice listing.
A screenshot of text from the Picnic @ 50 symposium programme, reading as follows: "Programme 9-9.30am Arrival and Registration 9.30-10.30am Keynote: Dr. Stephen Morgan (King’s College London) ‘“Waiting a Million Years, Just For Us”: Picnic at Hanging Rock and the possessive logic of settler national cinemas’ 10.30-10.45am Coffee/Tea Refreshment Break 10.45am-12.15pm Panel 1 ‘The making of Picnic… inside Australia’s film and television studio system’ - Quentin Turnour (National Archives of Australia, Audiovisual Preservation) ‘Aftermath: Picnic at Hanging Rock and the Australian response’ - Stephen Gaunson (RMIT University) ‘Sylvia Lawson and the critical reception of Picnic at Hanging Rock’ - Sam Twyford-Moore (University of Technology, Sydney)"
Information for the Picnic @ 50 symposium, organised by the Sheffield Centre for Research in Film, which takes place on June 20th as a hybrid event. The poster mostly features text, as well as the title screen from Peter Weir's film Picnic At Hanging Rock, which will be the focus on the symposium.
A blurry, chaotic photo of the pit during Speed's set at Outbreak London.
Screenshot of seating map for a screening of The Ballad of Wallis Island at Everyman Screen on the Green.
Screenshot from the Lido app, showing clashing stage times for Knocked Loose and Sunny Day Real Estate.
A wide view of NFT1 at BFI Southbank, as Elena Gorfinkel introduces Wanda, and the wider Barbara Loden season.
A screenshot from Letterboxd showing the last two films I watched. The poster for High Tide features a tight close up of Judy Davis' face, with sunglasses reflecting her backing singer character and her young, estranged daughter (Claudia Karvan), surrounded by neon scribbles that look decidedly 1980s. The poster for Wanda features Barbara Loden's titular character partly obscured by a police officer's shoulder, as she looks on distraught. Both films have a score of four stars.
Screenshot of the IMdB cast credits for Peter Weir's The Last Wave, listing three cast members: Greg Rowe as Carl; Katrina Sedgwick as Sophie Burton; and Ingrid Weir as Grace Burton.
A haunting image publicising Hawkstone Beer, a beer label co-created by professional dirtbag Jeremy Clarkson. At the centre of the image is a painting of Clarkson and some other weasel cosplaying as uniformed Communists, whilst the text around the outside of the circular image reads 'Welcome to the Mighty and Glorious Independent Republic of Hawkstone'. The mural is painted on the black wall of a godforsaken Cotswolds drinking establishment, with beer kegs lined up along the wall. The only redeeming feature of this image is the small bunch of sunflowers out of focus and 'dirtying' the frame in the lower foreground.
Screenshot from Guardian website, including a headline reading: "Counting under way as Australians pick their next prime minister"
A screengrab of a short excerpt from Stephen Graham Jones' THE BUFFALO HUNTER HUNTER, which reads: "In January, I wasn't exactly denied tenure, but I was told that, instead of continuing with my application, I consider asking for the extension I'm currently on. The issue wasn't my teaching - I'm the dayworker of Communication and Journalism, covering all the 1000- and 2000-level courses - it was that my publications aren't up to University of Wyoming "standards for promotion." See: get a book under contract, Etsy, and then we'll talk. And if you don't? Then all your schooling, all your dreams of being a professor, they're smoke, and you're out in the cold."
A foyer standee for Ryan Coogler's SINNERS.
A photo of the special IMAX 70mm poster for Ryan Coogler's SINNERS.
A detail photo of Lidl's prime animal fat product, "Simply... Lard".
Liverpool FC, Premier League Champions 2024/25!!! This is a very poor photo of my TV screen with a smiling Mo Salah and the words 'Liverpool Champions' at the bottom.
A screengrab detail from the Letterboxd app in which the 'Popular this week' section is headed by Sinners and Conclave. The posters for the two films are positioned in such a way that it looks like Michael B Jordan's character from Sinners is pointing a gun directly at Ralph Fiennes' character from Conclave.
Screenshot of a Hollywood Reporter article which reads: "Kneecap followed up its Coachella set on social media with numerous posts about their "uncensored messaging" and a request for young Americans to send clips to President Trump, whom they called a derogatory term that starts with a c."
A view of the players coming on to the pitch at Marine Travel Arena, the home ground of Marine AFC.
A cassette recording of Boyz II Men's 1991 album Cooleyhighharmony. The cassette itself sits to the right of the album cover, which features the group's name at the top in a red lozenge shape, and the album title at the bottom. The main image features the group posed in a portrait, all wearing white woolen knits, white dress shirts, and bowties, as well as a variety of red baseball caps.
A bright sun forces its way through a bushel of eucalyptus leaves, silhouetted against a bright blue sky. Two Kew Gardens glasshouses are on the horizon.
A photo of a page from the Australian Express, a London-based publication for ex-pats. The headline reads 'Hoges has Picnic in Regent Park', and it features Paul Hogan seated on the left, in front of a lake, smiling in a relaxed pose as he chats to John 'Strop' Cornell. Between them, Germaine Greer kneels on a picnic rug, opening a wicker basket, and looking at Strop. The image's caption reads: "Any'ow 'av a go at Hoges. Your (sic) right. Hoges is in London - he's here to produce another Hogan abroad program. He is seen above with Germaine Greer and Hogans (sic) manager John Cornell on location in Regents Park."
A photo of today's Fopp purchases, Penelope Spheeris' punk rock classic SUBURBIA, and Baz Luhrmann's retromaniacal fever dream ELVIS.
A copy of Indicator's release of Harlequin in the wild (aka a shelf in Fopp). The cover features a close up of a mysterious man (Robert Powell), whose pale face is framed by a harlequinesque border pattern, a reaching hand, and a pistol.
A screenshot of a Guardian news headline that reads "UK creating ‘murder prediction’ tool to identify people most likely to kill", which is basically the plot of Philip K Dick's novella The Minority Report, in which a 'pre-crime' bureau employs 'precogs' to track down future criminals before they can crime.
A photo of the cover of the new book GLOBAL INDIGENOUS HORROR (Mississippi, 2025), edited by Naomi Simone Borwein. The cover features the painting 'Raven's New Purse' by Jon Thunder, in which a blue half-raven, half-woman screeches to the sky, holding a red purse. Her strands of blue hair contrasts with long red strands in the background that look like blood vessels.
A promotional image for WILD WEST (David Attwood, 1992). A view down a car bonnet emblazoned with a letter 'J' in a yellow star, and surrounded by many small blue stars, shows a British-Asian country music band, complete with tasselled shirts. Four of them stand in the back seat of this convertible, arms aloft and one raising a guitar, as the sun sets in the background and they drive past a London tube station.
An open book (Patricia Lovell's memoir No Picnic) dominates the foreground, while a stack of books (and a Picnic at Hanging Rock dvd) are piled in the background. Books include Dermody and Jacka's The Screening of Australia Vol.1; Anna Backman Rogers' BFI classic on Picnic at Hanging Rock; Jonathan Rayner's The Films of Peter Weir; and David Stratton's The Last New Wave.
A wide-angled close-up of a short tumbler glass of luscious orange liquid, beside a old-timey glass bottle of Barr's Irn Bru 1901 (which is, according to the label, 'a very special vintage'). It's not, of course, an actual vintage, but merely Scotland's finest liquid export brewed in the original stylee.
A small pile of potatoes are overlaid with a red circle with a line through it, implying a visual representation of the phrase 'no potatoes'. Peter Dutton looks like a potato, and he and the Lib-Nats would be BAD for Australia.
The brilliant Kulraj Phullar introduces a film in St Margaret's Chapel House in Bethnal Green, as part of Hollie Price's fabulous Four Corners screening series.
A screenshot of my Letterboxd 'review' of Chantal Akerman's Je Tu Il Elle, which reads: "Et tu, ennui? Il, non? Elle, oui?"
A screenshot, containing text from the quoted article: "Moreover, as indigenous critiques from other settler colonies like Australia and Canada attest, recognition is not the basis of a just politics. Recognition, indeed, may simply be a means to extend a colonial relationship, deepen an occupation, and erase a people further."
Album cover for the album Hot Dog Daiquiri by The Porkers (1998). A woman in vaguely 1930s garb is sipping on a cocktail glass that contains a hot dog, whilst a man in a Mexican wrestling mask (known as Porkman) looms menacingly in the background.
A screengrab from a YouTube video, featuring a clip from Reservation Dogs in which Bear says 'Elora's grandma is dying', but which the captions translate as 'The Lord's grandma is dying'.