Stephen ‘Spling’ Aspeling, a leading film critic and radio broadcaster, today announced the release of his new book, ‘The Essence of Dreams: An Anthology of Film Reviews’. The collection of Aspeling’s best-reviewed and most transportative films explores cinema’s ability to create immersive and seamless worlds that continue to linger in our imaginations long after the credits roll.
“I’ve always been fascinated by the way that films can transport us to other worlds,” said Aspeling. “In The Essence of Dreams, I share my love of cinema and explore the ways in which film enables us to live vicariously through someone else’s dream.”
At an exclusive book launch, set to take place at the iconic and magical Labia Theatre, Spling will be doing a book signing, a reading, a Q&A and a screening of ‘Sing Street’, which features in ‘The Essence of Dreams’.
The book features reviews of some of the most celebrated and innovative films of all-time, including: Arrival, Boyhood, Mad Max: Fury Road and Everything, Everywhere All at Once to name a few. Aspeling’s insightful and engaging writing brings these movies to life, offering readers new insights into their meaning and power. The reviews are accompanied by surreal sketches from Alan Lamprecht, inspired by the films themselves, which help create an artful and dream-like state for readers.
Dr Janet van Eeden, screenwriter and author of ‘Cut to the Chase’, says “Stephen ‘Spling’ Aspeling is South Africa’s answer to Roger Ebert” and describes the book as “an entertaining treat”. While Matthew Kalil, author of ‘The Three Wells of Screenwriting’ praises Spling’s instinctive feel for how a film ‘lands’ for an audience as “incredible”, and says that the “gems of reviews” all collected in one book “will deepen our experience with cinema”.
‘The Essence of Dreams: An Anthology of Film Reviews’ is available now in paperback and ebook formats. The book can be purchased via Amazon.com and splingmovies.com.
About Stephen Spling Aspeling
Stephen Spling Aspeling is a respected film critic and radio broadcaster with over 15 years of experience. The founder of Spling Movies, he’s written for a variety of publications, appeared on a number of radio and television programmes, and presented over 500 episodes of Talking Movies on Fine Music Radio. Now the author of the book ‘The Essence of Dreams: An Anthology of Film Reviews’, Aspeling intends to finally visit Hollywood, attend a few international film festivals and continue collaborating with screenwriters and filmmakers via reviewmyscript.com.
