Thursday, March 28Royal Holloway's offical student publication, est. 1986

Author: Thomas McDonald

Culture & Literature, Film & TV

Black Mirror: Please Mr. Brooker, can we have some more?

Over the Christmas period we were lucky enough to be treated to another devilishly evil Black Mirror episode, starring Rafe Spall and John Hamm, warning of the dangers of our “block” culture, where we would rather “block” a person than deal with them face on. It was a typically brilliant and twisted episode, entwining three separate stories into a terrifying, gut wrenching climax, made all the worse by the fact it isn’t all that far away from the world we currently live in. Once again, Charlie Brooker knocked it out of the park, with the episode receiving suitably rave reviews. Some have even started to recognise Brooker as one of the finest script writers working in this country. He has now been the creative force behind over 4 successful tv series, and with Black Mirror has written 6 ...
Culture & Literature, Film & TV

The Joys of a young Artist

With the hard economic climate, it is unsurprising that funding for the Arts has been dwindling. Personally, as a young film-maker, I have watched with worry as funding for great companies such as the BFI deplete. The BFI have also taken away their internship programme, with it being found that interns were being given the workload of paid workers, without the pay, which many saw as exploitation. Moves like this bring worry for young people hoping to make it, as they see potential avenues start to disappear. It becomes even more infuriating when the lack of help being offered by government institutions is viewed first hand. A few months ago I, as part of a production by the Film Festival Society, got in contact with Brighton council about getting a permit to film there. I stated that we...
Culture & Literature, Film & TV

Has Peter Jackson done a “George Lucas”?

In 1998 George Lucas was adored. The news of the prequels created unfettered joy and excitement, a chance to be brought back to the wonderment of their childhood. Now Lucas is not much more than the butt of jokes, seen in the “George Lucas Edition” of the Star Wars: The Force Awakens trailer. Exactly the same, just now filled with endless CGI characters everywhere. The joke is from a quote where Lucas said how CGI allowed him to make every frame of the prequels “dense”. In his pursuit of density all Lucas succeeded in was filling each frame with needless CGI, ruining the tone and making the film feel soulless and fake. Lucas’ error was believing CGI was brilliance in itself, not simply a means to an end. He wasn’t using it for a reason, just using it because he could. He also looked to ...
Culture & Literature, Film & TV

A film out of this world

Nolan has always dedicated himself to making truly big films. It’s why he has been compared to the likes of David Lean, Stanley Kubrick and Steven Spielberg, film makers who formed bold new ideas and presented audiences with grand set pieces the likes of which they have never seen. They are arguably generous comparisons. He does not have the cerebral or artistic qualities of Kubrick, the subtle, human aspects of Lean, and has yet to make films which are so widely embraced as Spielberg, with even his most loved films still holding as somewhat divisive. But what he does do, is make films as big as they did. Interstellar is no different. What bigger story is there than the pursuit into the great unknown that is space. Themes of progress and human development, of what unknown things lie in ...
Culture & Literature, Film & TV

Its Shaken, and a Little Stirred.

When Skyfall came out two years ago, many hailed it as the best ever Bond film, an argument supported by its massive box office takings and two Oscars. It was announced that the two films left on Craig's Bond contract after Skyfall would form a 'two-parter', helmed by Sam Mendes to be released in 2014 and 2015. However, after the initial excitement, production got pushed back. Mendes decided he wanted a break from film to return to the stage, and the idea of a back-to-back release was scrapped. Bond 24 is now expected to be released October 23rd 2015, with John Logan currently working on the script, and Sam Mendes now back on the project as director. On the surface it sounds good; consistency from the last film. Surely the same writer, director and star can put together another great fi...
Culture & Literature, Film & TV

Mr. Turner

Mike Leigh has been an omnipresent figure in the British film industry over the last 30 years, telling stories about real people, living real lives. There are no far off universes, no space travel, no mechanised monsters here. To have had such continuous success with the ability to touch the audiences with their day-to-day emotions, making them sympathise and say “yes, that is what my life is like” while also holding a mirror up to society, is a true triumph. It is no surprise therefore that, even at the age of 71, there is no slowing Leigh down as he delivers another brilliant picture about real people. But this time, this character actually IS real, in the form of one of our countries best ever artists, Turner. But to say Leigh delivers us the story of Turners life, isn’t particularly...
Sports & Socs

A society for all film fans

Whether you like making films, watching films, or just want to try out a new hobby and make friends, the Royal Holloway Film Festival society is for you. Despite only having existed for two years, we have already won Best New Society in our first year, runners-up and then winners in the Skills and Employability, both years, as well as one of our members having won the Freshman of the year award. On top of this, we had one of our films get into the final 15 of the international film competition the 48 Film Project, with our entry being screened in Hollywood in September. We also set up the first ever Roho Film Fest on campus, a week-long festival showing short films from across the world and including talks by industry professionals, such as Raindance founder Elliot Grove. There are p...