I saw Lawless on Saturday morning after 3 hours of sleep. I thought for sure I would nod off during the movie. But not even for a minute. I can’t say it’s the greatest movie or my favourite - the excessive violence makes me really uncomfortable - but it definitely keeps you there, and I mean more than just Tom Hardy who...oh my God... is as powerful a man presence as you have seen in a while. More on him later.

As for Shia - I have always said that I enjoy watching Shia a lot. He is a strong actor. And he’s only getting better. I believe him every time. You know what he’s good at? Shia is really good at crying. I first noted this in Money Never Sleeps and it’s even more effective in Lawless. There’s something about the way he accesses grief that I find very compelling, very endearing, and heartbreakingly authentic. His performance however is more than just the tears. Shia plays perfectly to the frustration of being the “runt” to two older brothers who live on legend, whose family name rides on a reputation he’s yet to earn. This is what we have to look forward to - Shia’s skill as an actor is growing very apparently.

As is his hair.

All I can think about when I see his hair is that he relaxes it which is only something I learned recently.

Here’s Shia on Saturday at the Palais and on Saturday night at the Johnny Walker Blue Label party for Lawless. He was in a great mood. His ma was his +1. At one point he was behind the counter mixing drinks. Boy knows his way around a bar.