Kaleem Aftab

The World Cup of corruption made me realise that every single football fan should fight for VAR to be banned!

Swiss sports commentators, somehow right on the money when it comes to saying the quiet part out loud.

Hermano, Has ganado el mundial. Has hecho historia. 🥹❤️ Pero más allá del trofeo, gracias por esto: has hecho que millones de inmigrantes como nuestros padres se sientan orgullosos de que sus futuros hijos algun dia puedan vivir lo que tu has vivido y de que millones de españoles empaticen con nuestra historia que no es solo la nuestra sino la de todas las personas que dejan todo atrás por un futuro mejor, porque has tocado el cielo con los dedos y has demostrado que con trabajo y esfuerzo todo es posible. Hoy el mundo te ha conocido mas si cabe y has puesto nuestro apellido en el infinito, por lo siglos de los siglos. Te admiro. Te amo. Campeón del mundo ✊🏿🏆🥹

@fuzzyyarns you did, emma will reply when she's at the computer. thank you

@aftabamon Took me a while to get through Substack bugs but I think I managed to get my comment through.

The big question answered by Emma Jones: Did Homer Solve Christopher Nolan's 'Woman Problem'? open.substack.com/pub/cinemainon…

We're incredibly sad to hear the news that our former manager Kevin Keegan has passed away. A legend of the game, Keegan led Fulham to the Football League Second Division title in 1999. He left Craven Cottage at the end of that season to focus on his duties as England manager. Our thoughts are with his friends and family at this difficult time.

@fuzzyyarns Ooh nice, write a comment on the end of the piece and Emma will reply! I love a Grecian wrestling match :)

@aftabamon I'd argue Nolan's Penelope is diminished compared to literally any previous screen version of her. x.com/fuzzyyarns/sta…

The half time show is the ultimate death of football. It is worse than VAR

@DankestThomas Thanks

@aftabamon Amazing review!!

The Palme d'Or used to critique traditional institutions. Patriarchal families. Authoritarian states. Oppressive churches. But Cannes 2026 went somewhere different. Fjord critiques progressivism itself. And it's divisive for a reason.

@NasCostomano I agree, but it's always been thus with marketing. When I was a critic, I used to think my duty was to the audience to help them see though the PR speak. Now I feel too much of what we read and see is PR speak

@aftabamon People tiring of being told what to think thpugh, by any side, the constant moaning grifts. Fake outrage. Honest reviews, fine, but if people enjoy The Odyssey, after all that fuss - they'll go back to just making up their own mind, thanks.

Christopher Nolan refused influencer screenings for The Odyssey. Disney embraced them for Moana — and got savaged anyway. Hollywood has lost control of influencers. I wrote about why that's the best news cinema has had in years.

@fuzzyyarns If you listen to the podcast we say the influencers got in anyway. But most critics I know have seen, and are waiting for release to review

@aftabamon Influencers did see THE ODYSSEY before most critics.

Belgium players did the “Trump Dance” in the locker room after eliminating USA from the World Cup DIABOLICAL 😭

Overturn this. 🧏‍♂️ #USABEL

USA got Trumped by Belgium. When your preparation is overshadowed by a scandal it's hard to concentrate on the task ahead.

this is why football is the best game in the world!

Me ha encantado la respuesta dels seleccionador Luis De la Fuente cuando le recordé que el seleccionador portugués es español, que han habido once jugadores nacidos en España que están en otras selecciones, y que uno de cuatro futbolistas de este Mundial no nacieron en el país que representan. Le pregunté: ¿eso enriquece el Mundial? La respuesta le honra 🎥: @FelipeRamis

One rule for one, One rule for another, and they tell us that VAR is fair! Awful decision to postpone Balogun's red card, now every team should expect the same...

Film culture made A24 blink in 4 days over an AI deal. The same week, it handed a box-office run to a comedy where a woman is bludgeoned to death for laughs. We picked the wrong fight. New piece: The Week Film Culture Picked the Wrong Fight open.substack.com/pub/cinemainon…