Stop Scrolling and Start Watching: Spling’s WKNDwatchlist is Here
In an era of “content overload,” where the hardest part of watching a movie is often just choosing one, Stephen “Spling” Aspeling has become South Africa’s most reliable filter. Known simply as Spling, this Cape Town-based critic has turned the Friday ritual of “what should we watch?” into a curated event through his WKNDwatchlist series.
The Friday Ritual: WKNDwatchlist
Every Friday, just as the work week winds down, Spling releases a new installment of the WKNDwatchlist. The series is designed to be a high-speed, high-value guide for the modern viewer. Whether you are heading to a Ster-Kinekor cinema or scrolling through Netflix, Showmax, or Disney+ Spling’s recommendations bridge the gap between blockbuster hype and independent gems.
What makes the WKNDwatchlist insightful isn’t just the “what,” but the “why.” Spling doesn’t just list movies; he contextualizes them. Recent episodes have featured:
The “Battle for the Golden Horn”: A deep dive into SAFTA (South African Film and Television Awards) nominees like Old Righteous Blues, A Kind of Madness and Death of a Whistleblower. Watch Now
Oscars Countdowns: Expert breakdowns of Best Picture contenders, helping local audiences navigate the awards season. Watch Now
“Don’t WING it, SPL!NG it!”
The catchphrase is more than just a clever pun on his nickname. It represents a philosophy of intentional viewing.
Spling’s journey began in 2007 with a radical commitment: reviewing a movie a day for an entire year. That discipline forged a critic who values the “illusion of film” and treats every production with respect, regardless of budget. He avoids the “snobbery” often associated with film criticism, instead evaluating a movie on its own merits – whether it’s a $200 million superhero epic or a gritty, low-budget local drama.
A Multi-Platform Authority
Beyond the WKNDwatchlist, Spling is a fixture of South African media:
Broadcasting: He has hosted over 650 episodes of Talking Movies on Fine Music Radio.
Literature: He authored The Essence of Dreams, an anthology of high-rated film reviews featuring surreal sketches.
The Industry “Enforcer”: As the founder of the Film Critics Association of South Africa (FCASA) and a member of the International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI), he is a fierce advocate for the craft.
The Critic as a Collaborator
One of the most unique aspects of Spling’s work in 2026 is his role as a script consultant through ReviewMyScript.com. By offering “notes” to filmmakers before a project is even finished, he has moved from being a passive observer to an active participant in improving the quality of South African cinema.
In a world where algorithms often tell us what to watch based on what we’ve already seen, Spling offers something far more valuable: a human perspective. His WKNDwatchlist isn’t just a list; it’s a conversation with a friend who happens to have reviewed hundreds if not thousands of films, ensuring that when you finally sit down on a Friday night, you aren’t just “winging it.”
