Contributions from Simon Bland | Little White Lies

Contributor Simon Bland

Collage of colourful animated character photos in various scenes and compositions.
In Praise Of

A Goofy Movie hits different as a parent

by Simon Bland

Despite flop­ping on release, Dis­ney’s heart­warm­ing sto­ry of a dad try­ing to bond with his son on a sum­mer road trip has become a cult clas­sic – espe­cial­ly for peo­ple with chil­dren of their own.
Two men in coats standing in a grassy field against a cloudy sky.
Interviews

‘It completely changed the course of my life’ – Shane Meadows on Dead Man’s Shoes at 20

by Simon Bland

Two decades ago, a grim North­ern revenge west­ern star­ring Pad­dy Con­si­dine as a man on the war path shocked audi­ences and made Shane Mead­ows one to watch out for. He reflects on the long lega­cy of Dead Man’s Shoes.
Two people wearing green clothing with "VOTE FOR PEDRO" printed on the shirt, set against a floral patterned background.
Interviews

‘It was hard to hit me in the face with the steak’ – Jon Heder on 20 years of Napoleon Dynamite

by Simon Bland

Two decades on from an unlike­ly cul­tur­al phe­nom­e­non, the star of Jarred Hes­s’s lo-fi cult clas­sic talks Moon Boots, Jamiro­quai and doing his own stunts.
A young man with dark hair and a serious expression, wearing a blue shirt, looking towards the camera.
Interviews

“People have said they feel less alone after seeing this film” – Bill Hader on The Skeleton Twins at 10

by Simon Bland

From Sat­ur­day Night Live’s MVP to indie-movie dar­ling, Bill Had­er explains how this small emo­tion­al indie paved the way towards his crit­i­cal hit Barry.
Closeup of a smiling person's face in a red-tinted frame against a blurred background.
Interviews

‘Tom understood this wasn’t a film about being tough, it was about fairies’ – Nicolas Winding Refn on Bronson at 15

by Simon Bland

The Dri­ve direc­tor reflects on smug­gling Bronson’s actu­al mous­tache out of prison and the per­son­al sto­ry behind his ethe­re­al biopic of the UK’s most noto­ri­ous inmate.
Two men in suits standing on a Blackberry smartphone against a purple background.
Interviews

Matt Johnson: “People say ‘Now you’ve got to make the Twitter movie'”

by Simon Bland

The writer, direc­tor and co-star of Black­Ber­ry – an irrev­er­ent take on the rise and fall of a tech giant – reflects on his third fea­ture while mak­ing his way across Toronto.
Two women in black outfits posing against a concrete wall.
Interviews

“The emotional part overwhelmed me” – Catherine Hardwicke on Thirteen at 20

by Simon Bland

Par­tial­ly inspired by the tur­bu­lent home life of one of its stars, this hard-hit­ting com­ing-of-age dra­ma still packs a punch – even for direc­tor and co-writer Cather­ine Hardwicke.
Two people wearing brightly coloured clothing against a pale background.

“I modelled the movie off of Broadcast News” – Jason Segel on Forgetting Sarah Marshall at 15

by Simon Bland

Writer and star Jason Segel spills on the naked real-life inspi­ra­tions and upcom­ing small-screen future of his heart­break-based mod­ern com­e­dy classic.
A man in a white coat appears to be flying over a cityscape at night, with the lights of the buildings and streets visible below.
In Praise Of

The Big Lebowski at 25: How embracing ‘Dudeism’ can lead to a happier life

by Simon Bland

Oliv­er Ben­jamin, the founder of the world’s ​“slow­est grow­ing” reli­gion, reflects on how The Coen Broth­ers’ clas­sic crime caper inspired him to start a glob­al movement.
Old man in dinner jacket seated at table with roast turkey and Muppet characters.
Interviews

How Christmas Saved The Muppets – The Muppet Christmas Carol at 30

by Simon Bland

It’s hard to image the hol­i­day sea­son with­out this zany reimag­in­ing of Dick­ens’ clas­sic tale – but as pup­peteer Steve Whit­mire explains, The Mup­pet Christ­mas Car­ol was make or break for the beloved company.
Three people in formal attire against a blue background.
Interviews

‘Our pact with the devil was to try and pull it off’ – Ghostwatch at 30

by Simon Bland

Cre­ator Stephen Volk and direc­tor Les­ley Man­ning reflect on the chaos and unlike­ly impact of their meta-Hal­loween horror.
Two young people exploring rural landscape, man holds map, woman carries flowers and suitcase.

“There were certain dance moves that were all me” – Jared Gilman on Moonrise Kingdom at 10

by Simon Bland

The now 23-year-old actor returns to Camp Ivan­hoe to share his mem­o­ries of mak­ing a film with Wes Anderson.