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tarotoftheendless · 6 months

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Tom Sturridge: A Review

Disclaimer: I have ADHD, so, please forgive me if I jump around and go on tangents... I have lots of thoughts about this man and his projects, so....

At this point I have seen almost everything the man has been in. And I have thoughts about most of his work. I may have to do this review in parts as some of his work I need to re-watch in order to get my true thoughts out on it.

Firstly, Tom seems to enjoy choosing projects that are obscure, which I can appreciate. It fits in line with him not wanting to be in the spotlight and kind of live a more private life. In fact, The Sandman is both in line with the sentiment and yet isn't at the same time.

It kind of reminds me of Adam Driver and his filmography... and then Star Wars happened. Granted, Adam Driver has since been in the spotlight more, but he sure was uncomfortable with the attention when he was in Star Wars.

And I think Tom is the same. Not only does Tom come of as neurodivergent (it is just a speculation, not confirmed... I have observed his mannerisms and the way he speaks from many video interviews...), but he is introverted, doesn't have social media (though he might have at one point, though I think he got rid of all of it when his daughter was very young). There is something about him that screams "Don't perceive me" even with all the modeling he has done and him serving cunt on the Red Carpet. He does acting for the art not the fame, and I think he is handling The Sandman the same way. He always seems so uncomfortable at Cons... actually, it reminds me of how Jensen Ackles used to be at Supernatural Cons...

Anyway, I am sure I could go on and on about Tom himself, but I have thoughts about his films and shows. I will not be review The Sandman though... it's been done to death and I really don't feel like weighing in on it right now. But I would love to discuss in the comments about Tom himself with other Tom lovers if ya'll have something that you feel should be brought up about him.

I have seen the following projects of Tom's:

The Sandman - Dream/Dream of the Endless/Morpheus

2. Sweetbitter - Jake

3. Irma Vep - Eamonn - this was basically just a glorified cameo

4. Skin - Nathan

5. Velvet Buzzsaw - Jon Dondon - almost another glorified cameo

6. 3 Way Junction - Carl

7. Hello Apartment - Adam - basically a cameo... a sexy cameo...

8. Mary Shelley - Lord Byron

9. Double Date - John - a goth pretentious musician cameo

10. Remainder - Tom

11. Far From a Maddening Crowd - Sergeant Francis Troy

12. Effie Gray - John Everett Millais

13. On The Road - Carlo Marx

14. Junkhearts - Danny

15. Waiting for Forever - Will Donner

16. The Boat The Rocked/Pirate Radio - young Carl

17. Like Minds/Murderous Intent - Nigel Colbie

18. FairyTale: A True Story - Hob (A Fair) - cameo

I tried watching Journey's End and it was slow and depressing, so I never finished it... and I plan on watching Hollow Crown... but those episodes are basically films in themselves, so, that'll take forever... and I can't find a way to watch A Waste of Shame...

I have thoughts on many of these shows/films, so I will go though them in no particular order. And I might not have much to say about all of them because either there isn't much to say or I need to watch them again to fully be able to give my thoughts on them.

SWEETBITTER

Jake is a traumatized 30 something bartender that hides behind sex, drugs, and alcohol... and he has no idea how traumatized he really is because the one person that has continued the trauma for him has also been his savior, according to him... and he has to believe that in order to cope with his life, his choices and what actually happened to him. He was absolutely groomed by Simone, and before the show got cancelled I really think they were gonna go there with his character.

I love Jake. I both love his bad boy tendencies, but what makes me love him more is who he is beyond that, beneath that. The episode where is really opens up with Sasha was really eye-opening. He is struggling, and he has to believe that Simone is his lifeline because otherwise his whole life has been based on a lie, "No one knows you like I do", which is word for word what domestic violence abusers say to their victims. He truly believes that Simone fixes things, he has to believe that otherwise he'll fall apart. Much like Frodo has to believe that there is good in Gollum, Jake has to believe that Simone is actually his protector. Everything falls apart if Jake faces reality, hence drowning in the sex, drugs and alcohol. The lies are better than the truth.

He hates himself and doesn't believe that he deserves love, so he believes Simone's narrative of being damaged and dangerous because it is easier than really breaking away from her control and standing on his own two feet.

It makes me sad that we will never get a season 3 of Sweetbitter because Jake was such a beautiful and fascinating character, far more than Tess. I don't think I would have wanted Jake to actually be with Tess in the long run, I think Tess was also wanting Jake to fill a role so Tess herself could grow and use him a stepping-stone forward, a "been there, done that" sort of thing. Tess liked the bad boy, and she tried to make it seem like she wanted to help him but I still think it was for her own gain rather than actually wanting to help Jake, and that is why she would have ultimately lost him. He would run to what he has always known; Simone. Jake needs someone that gives him space to breathe for once. Someone that sees him and hears him and helps him see the truth without wanting anything from him in return. He needs permission to live, truly, for himself rather than for others that always want something from him. He needs therapy and better coping skills... cuz yeah not being sober and burying his dick in everything he can is not helping him at all.

So, really, that's review of the character... and I think Tom did a great job playing an aloof yet interested character that is a bad boy. The song 'Hot n Cold' by Katy Perry fits him quite nicely, I think.

The Boat That Rocked/Pirate Radio

So, I saw this film years ago, probably around 2018/2019, before I had any idea who the fuck Tom Sturridge was. I remember liking it.

Then I watched again after seeing The Sandman and I have grown a lot in my leftist views... and oh boy... this film is so sexist, homophobic and really super okay with SA it is scary... Tom has gone on record saying he would never do the 'Switch' in real life, but holy fuck that is some toxic shit.

As far as young Carl goes, I don't think casting a 23 year old Tom Sturridge was the right move if they wanted the audience to believe he was a virgin. Tom has always been gorgeous, and this film is no exception. And he got expelled for smoking, cigarettes and weed if the implications the film made are correct, making him a bad boy sort of. Girls and guys alike would have gone feral for him. As awkward as he is, it is more charming than anything else.

He should not have forgiven Marianne and he absolutely shouldn't have forgiven Dave. He also shouldn't have been okay with SA of a woman that would've had seemingly no idea that someone else was having sex with her other than the person she wanted to have sex with. I know that we all love young Carl, and I still do and will, but he really shouldn't be let off the hook for considering and almost going through with an SA all because he didn't want to be a virgin anymore.

All in all, I don't believe young Carl would've actually been a virgin because of Tom Sturridge portraying him, but also, the toxic shit that he goes along with shouldn't be over-looked either.

I love this film and Tom's character, but yeah, 2009 was a different time...

Waiting for Forever

So, this film is basically unwatchable... except for Tom's Will Donner... and even then, we have got to talk about the toxicity of this film.

Will Donner is basically a Manic Pixie Dream Boy... and his mental health issues are not only not named but they are handled poorly and without care. AND STALKING IS NOT CUTE OR ROMANTIC. Period. He should not have gotten the girl in the end. That gives the wrong message... like oh yes, we need more incels thinking they can just try and try and follow women and be quirky and then they will wear us down enough for us to see how romantic it was all along.

Now, that being said, I do think that Will is neurodivergent, ADHD and autistic specifically, with PTSD/C-PTSD as well as some sort of delusional disorder that has him speaking to people/ghosts that aren't really there... not schizophrenia exactly, but close to it. And I really think that he had no idea that what he was doing with the stalking because of his mental health issues. He didn't know any better... still that is no excuse and Emma should not have chosen him in the end.

Will Donner has no idea who Emma is. He has an idea of who he thinks she is in his head and that is who he is in love with. It was 2011 and men in films often were rewarded for being in love with a woman even if he has no idea who she really is... and that is a problem. Will, as precious and charming as he is, should not have been rewarded for loving his idea of who Emma is... and he really should not have been rewarded for his stalking... I love Will, he is a cinnamon roll of a man, and I get he has mental health issues, I too have ADHD and autism, but he should have had to work through his own toxicity before Emma would ever consider him... but I really don't think Emma should have ever chosen him.

And that brings me to Emma... as toxic as Will is, Emma never deserved his love. She does not deserve him at all. Will was a last resort to her. She had to loose her father and find out her ex was a murderer before even considering Will as an option. And she is a cheater... Will does not come off as the type that would be open to anything other than complete loyalty and monogamy... at least if he is with Emma. I would think trust issues would be abundant in their relationship, which is a shit foundation for any relationship.

As far as the film goes... I am sorry, but it is not good. If we followed Will only, maybe it would have been better, but all the B-plots with Emma and her family and everything really tanked the film. Will and Emma have no chemistry... yeah, I love Tom and he played the character well, but yeah... not his finest choice in film. I would watch his character literally in anything else other than the film we got.

I also wanted to punch Will's brother in the throat. 2011 really had a fuck ton of stigmas towards neurodivergent folks and this film just reiterated that.

Like Minds/Murderous Intent

So, I watched this after The Sandman hype... and oh boy...

This film came out in 2006 and in Hollywood the only way you could be gay is if you were a villain... or magic... and Nigel nor Alex were not magic... so...

This film is so homoerotic that it hurts... I think if they had just kissed... or better yet, fucked, that would have solved everything. No murder... no incest... no necrophilia... just gay butt fucking.

But Nigel is a psychopath. And I am not sure if it started with Alex or not... Nigel seems to think that Alex was the one that was fucked up and then they had a mind-meld... and Nigel just was more okay with going with it than Alex was? Honestly, this film is confusing... because the narrator is unreliable. Who knows what the truth really was. Maybe Alex was right, maybe Nigel was... maybe both... either way, Alex ends up accepting it and being a toxic evil fucker too, so...

Also, Nigel and Dream are not the same at all... I am weirded out by everyone relating the two characters together. Nigel is a psychopath... Dream is just dark... and toxic sometimes, but Dream is not a psychopath. Ugh. They are not the same, fucking hell.

Junkhearts

So... Tom's character in this is almost worse than Nigel... Danny is fucked up. Not only is he having sex with a minor, but yeah, the drugs and taking advantage of a vet was beyond fucked up. I am glad that Tom said that he took the role because Danny was so different from himself... which thank fuck that's the case because Danny is a nightmare. Though gurl.... that sex scene? Jesus... if Jake had you blushing with all his sex scenes, Danny has you dripping... and you know what the fuck I mean. Damn. I was watching this film with my partner and yeah, I had to take a moment afterwards to try to stop having my cheeks so red. It made me feel things I didn't exactly want to feel...

But yeah, fuck Danny... I don't think he should've been murdered in the end, but he was a terrible character.

I am not sure if this film was great... or even if Danny was necessary to tell the story, but yeah... maybe I will have to watch this film again to have more to say about it later.

Irma Vep

Ugh. I was kinda pissed that I had to watch 8 hours of this show and we only got Tom for about what, 15 minutes? Ugh! And he is hot... and toxic. A cheater and a liar. And him and Kristen Stewart? I want to know the history there so bad, because we all know that Tom and Robert Pattinson are besties... and then Tom has worked with Kris on the film On The Road too... and then he is taking her pants off and kissing her like that in this show? Fucking hell... makes me think Tom and her may have... idk, history beyond Kris dating Rob? There have been rumors... but idk how much of it is true... and old social media profiles have been abandoned and I am unsure if they are real or not, but there might be history... and this show, with Tom's 15 minute glorified cameo raised some questions about that.

Skin

This short film really moved the fuck out of me. I was balling my eyes out by the end of it and I had to sit with it for about an hour after I watched it. Tom's acting ability really shines through in just 11 minutes and it is just him, an Alexa-type voiceover and flashbacks with him and his husband. In 11 minutes. I was blown away by this short film and Tom and if you haven't seen it, you need to. All of the trigger warnings though; death of a loved one, grief, alcoholism, self-harm, suicidal ideation, bulimia-like actions... it's rough and very raw and real. But it is amazing and really shows how amazing Tom really is as an actor. You will cry and be in utter awe at the same time.

Velvet Buzzsaw

This film could have used more Jon Dondon... I do want to watch this again and give a more in depth review of this film and Tom's character in it, but yeah, I loved his South African accent and his pretentious ditzy character. He is funny, sexy and charming. It is a shame that they had to kill off his character.

3 Way Junction

So... this film felt like two films smashed into one and it was weird. Tom was brilliant in it, but I am not sure what the writer(s) was to say... also he would have died... 2 weeks in those conditions and not figuring out how to survive quickly? Yeah, he would have died. No one can survive 2 weeks like that. I do think I need to see this film again to give a better more detailed review on it and Tom's character.

Mary Shelley

I do need to see this film again... but I remember Tom's Lord Byron being sexy and amazing and well worth the re-watch for all Tom Sturridge lovers.

Effie Gray

The film is kinda boring, I'll be honest. But I do love Tom in this film. He plays a hopeless romantic well. It fits him quite well. I don't have much else to say about it than that. I did see this film for the first time before I knew who Tom Sturridge was, I love period piece films, so yeah. Watched it again recently, and I loved him in it, but yeah, the film itself is kinda boring.

Far From a Maddening Crowd

OMG! I wanted to flip a table when I realized he faked his own death. And then he comes back because he wants money? Bitch! He deserved a shot gun to the chest, damn. What a bitch. A hot sexy bitch that kisses women and grabs 'em by the pussy and then leaves, but a little bitch nonetheless. Tom, coming in and serving cunt and then dying. Goddamn.

Remainder

I had no idea that Tom kisses a man in this film... I just watched it because it had Tom as the main character... and then that kiss happened... probably the sexiest thing I've ever seen. Fuck. I do need to watch this film over again to really get a feel for... well all of it... more. This film was confusing as fuck and it deserves a re-watch for a better understanding of the story and Tom's character...Tom...

There other films on the list of stuff I've watched but not all of them really need a review... at least not right now.

Does anyone else have any thoughts or comments of these films and or shows? What about Tom in general? I kinda just want to gush with Tom Sturridge lovers about his roles and just him in general. I know I could have gone more in depth on some of his roles, but I think some of his roles have stood out more than others.

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tsintotwo · 2 years

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(Part 1/4)

Like a lot of us, I've been going through Tom Sturridge's filmography since watching Sandman on Netflix. I've watched a good amount of stuff so far, and I have Thoughts™ . Writing a few lines about him in each of the projects (because apparently this is a Tom Sturridge fan blog now??)

Now, you watch Tom in interviews and he is the DEFINITION of a cinnamon roll, so you would never think this- but this man has been absolutely wildin for over a decade. The projects he chooses? The roles he takes on? Half the time it's as if he's like 'if it's not excruciatingly dramatic, absolutely insane, and/or heart-poundingly, breath-chokingly sexy, don't even bother'. Also something else I think I figured out from watching these and Tom's interviews- it's possible that in his mind, wild/dangerous = seductive. So, anytime he's playing a character of that sort, he turns it on and immediately has intense sexual tension with everyone in sight. It's mind-blowing.

This is what I've watched so far:

Like Minds/Murderous Intent (2006)- Eddie Redmayne's first movie. Tom plays Ed's boarding school classmate, a psycho. He was 20/21 in this, unbelievably pretty, and nailed the 'devil with an angel's face' character to a tee. The chemistry with Ed is, predictably, insane. He says and does some seriously disturbing things in the movie. This was so early in his career too! It's possible that Tom's always been a 'choose the interesting project' person vs 'choose something that might make me a popular sweetheart' person.

Waiting for Forever (2010)- I have to say this first, I legit loved this movie so much. It strikes just the right balance between soulful and real, and the whole effect is incredibly sweet and touching. They don't make movies like this anymore. Tom's character is a very innocent type: naive and clueless to the extent of disturbing, but full of hope and belief. Tom is SO good in this. He plays it a bit slow and spacey, and captures the wide-eyed wonder and confusion of the character perfectly. *chef's kiss*

The Hollow Crown s2 (2012)- This was a series of BBC adaptations of Shakespeare's historical plays based on English kings. Tom was Henry VI, and I was fkn depres*ed for a week after watching this, no lie. Henry VI on screen is spineless, pathetic, and being manipulated left and right by every single person in his vicinity. The politics is nasty, the murders are brutal, and King Henry, 17, doesn't want any of it (but is still too much of a wuss to give up his crown so he clutches on religion instead). Tom, with his young face, long hair, gray cloak and his rosary that he desperately hangs onto, speaking of hope and heartbreak in Shakespearean lingo, just made me feel lots of emotions - terribly angry and frustrated with the king, then sad and horrified for him. It was draining. (The series overall is fantastic tbh.)

On The Road (2012)- Based on Jack Kerouac's novel, this movie is all sorts of nasty- drugs upon drugs, lurid sex, people treating other people terribly. Tom in this is sensitive writer boi in unrequited love with a fuckboy, and his personality is "we can take sexuality out of it, just hold me, man". I pray for the gays who will see this movie now because they won't survive Tom in this. (I mean I'm straight and I barely survived). The messy hair? Thick black-framed glasses? The hurt glances? Manic-pixie smiles? Teary-eyed, swollen-lipped monologue? (Edit: Scene) I'm f*cking deceased. (No kidding tho, I can't take movies that are so on-the-nose seriously and I skipped through it, and still Tom with his limited screen time managed to make me genuinely feel for his character. He was amazing.) Fun fact: The scene of him being bodily carried away for a threesome and proceeding to break the bed (literally) lives rent free in my head. No, I am not all right.

Far From the Madding Crowd (2015)- Adaptation of Thomas Hardy's classic novel. Tom plays Sgt. Francis Troy (opposite Carey Mulligan) and is a regular no-good rake. Listen, you'd think Tom with his sweet mouth and wispy facial hair couldn't pull off a moustache. You'd be wrong. He looks great. And he has that charisma that makes you wanna drive off a cliff for him even though you know he's an asshole. They made his character halfway decent tho, Troy is worse in the book. (EDIT: No they did NOT! I was skipping thru the movie and missed a scene lol. But I've watched the whole thing now and, yeah). And Tom switches vibes from sinister to emotional without missing a beat. What a goddamned treat watching this man is.

I'll stop now, and do the next installment on another 5 Tom projects (I guess Remainder, Mary Shelley, Sweetbitter, Irma Vep, Sea Wall/A Life? We'll see.)

(Edit: Part 2 , Part 3, Part 4, Part 5/ Bonus)

#tom sturridge #dream of the endless #sandman #the sandman #like minds #waiting for forever #on the road #far from the madding crowd #the hollow crown #morpheus

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