Film & TV – Page 10 of 14

The DUFF- An interview with Bella Thorne

7May

By Rhiannon LloydNo Comments

The DUFF- An interview with Bella Thorne

On first hearing the premise for The DUFF (which stands for Designated Ugly Fat Friend), you might be skeptical. After all, who wants to watch a film that, on first impression, boxes people up into stereotypical categories and judges their value based on their appearance? However, you must be careful not to be guilty of the same with this film. We follow Bianca, the so-called DUFF, as she discovers that she is the “friendly approachable one” guys talk to in order to date her “hot” best friends. Outraged by this, Bianca sets out to reverse-DUFF herself, with the help of the school’s most popular jock Wesley. This film is laugh-out-loud funny, with the banter between Bianca and Wesley both cheeky and heart-warming. Mae Whitman (Bianca) brings so many little idiosyncrasies to her characte...

Suffragette (2015)- Representation in Film

7May

By Laura DenhamNo Comments

Culture & Literature, Film & TV

Suffragette (2015)- Representation in Film

With the general election approaching, it is important to remember the feminist movements that took place in the late 19th and early 20th centuries in the fight for women to have equal rights, including the right to vote. Later on this year, the film Suffragette will be released and it is likely to be a dominant force within the 2016 Oscar race. The film will tell the untold story of the real foot soldiers of the Suffragette movement who were prepared to go beyond peaceful protests, often turning to violence and prepared to lose everything, to fight for equality and change. Its revolutionary status in history will be further reinforced within the production value of the film, as it is the first in history to have been given permission to be shot at the Houses...

6May

By Laura DenhamNo Comments

Culture & Literature, Film & TV

BFI Flare

The BFI LGBT film festival, dubbed ‘Flare’, was held between the 19-29th of March and played host to the years best crop of LGBT films as well as special revival screenings and events. During this flamboyant 10 days we attended 2 of the marquee events, a screening of the much celebrated new French film ‘Girlhood’ as well as a 40th anniversary screening of The Rocky Horror Picture Show. As we entered the atmosphere was electric and Grindr was lighting up like a christmas tree. We were seated in the BFI’s gorgeous south bank auditorium where we first viewed Céline Sciamma’s ‘Girlhood’. The film was a beautifully shot coming of age story about a young girl in urban paris, a locale not often explored in french cinema which has a strikingly similar aesthetic to London. It proceeds to documen...

6May

By Douglas KnightNo Comments

Culture & Literature, Film & TV

White God Review

Man’s best friend? What’s that 02? Be more dog should we? Kornél Mundruczó might beg to differ on that one if his new film, White God (‘Feher isten’), is anything to go by. In an internet-age saturated and suffocating with viral videos of nearly all things cute and cuddly under the sun squeaking and squawking, White God is quite the oxygen mask strap-on. Telecommunication marketing strategies aren’t likely to be changed though, as White God is unlikely to make it beyond the art house circuit, despite attracting critical approbation. Bearing an opening dedication to Hungary’s famed politico-auteur, Miklós Jancsó, Mundruczó’s seventh film is a political allegory with bite, a bizarre, quixotic tale of canine uprising that his countryman would have been proud to have his pawmark on. Swappin...

6May

By Douglas KnightNo Comments

Culture & Literature, Film & TV

The Falling Review

The Falling, dir. Carol Morley, UK, 2014, 102 mins, cert. 15 Two things lingered in my mind, one acridly the other more pleasurably, after watching The Falling, Carol Morley’s new film after the experimental based-on-a-true-story documentary Dreams of a Life. The first is a tenebrous line spoken by Maxine Peake’s character, the mother of the central schoolgirl Lydia (Maisie Williams), in the penultimate scene of the film. The other is, or rather are, Tracey Thorn’s ephemeral songs peppered throughout the film at the end of scenes like choric punctuation rocking the narrative along. To single out the musical soundtrack and this moment is not to de-emphasize the sway The Falling exerts on the spectator as a whole. Whilst purposefully redolent of Picnic at Hanging Rock and Heavenly Crea...

6May

By Laura LawrenceNo Comments

Culture & Literature, Film & TV

It’s All About The Waistline

It's All About The Waistline Last month saw the release of Disney's new live-action re-telling of the classic fairy tale Cinderella. Kenneth Branagh's masterpiece has obviously been a success making over $70 million on its opening weekend. However the film has already sparked controversy among the parents of its target audience due to Lily James’ unbelievably small waist. Before its release the film was accused of using digital trickery to enhance James’ waistline in the movie promotion advertisements. However, Disney reacted by insisting that this was not the case and that her waist in the movie is natural but enhanced by the corset of the dress. Although, Lily James, who plays Cinderella, did admit to undertaking a liquid diet throughout the filming process in order to fit into the icon...

Anything But Casual: Art Direction, The Casual Vacancy and Recent TV Aesthetics

16Mar

By Douglas KnightNo Comments

Culture & Literature, Film & TV

Anything But Casual: Art Direction, The Casual Vacancy and Recent TV Aesthetics

Discourses in the public media don’t usually revolve around the way television looks or sounds, musically or otherwise. All things considered, such a state of affairs is pretty bizarre. At the end of an average working week it can be guaranteed that a sizeable proportion of the populus will be enjoying the companionship of their sets, or torpidly watching catch-up services on their iPads or laptops, the more likely option for those under 35. In other words most people divest a significant proportion of their free time to looking at the stuff. In part, this can be attributed to TV’s trenchant position as an inherently narrative-driven medium. Increasingly eulogised as the definitive apparatus for telling gripping yarns, TV over the past few years seems to be in the state of receiving tri...

BAFTA, Backstage- An Exclusive Exhibition

27Feb

By Jordan ThorneNo Comments

Culture & Literature, Film & TV

BAFTA, Backstage- An Exclusive Exhibition

With both a passion for film and photography, I was excited to get tickets to a free exhibition at the BAFTA Headquarters in London showcasing the best work of eight talented photographers who are well known for capturing the BAFTAs throughout the years. This was a rare opportunity to see behind-the scenes of one of the most celebrated nights in the UK film calendar. The afternoon at BAFTA began with an introductory Q&A where the audience were given a chance to quiz the photographers on their experiences in the industry. Jessie Craig was the official backstage photographer at the 2014 BAFTAs and it was interesting to hear her discuss how they are only given two minutes with each person to capture their perfect image before they have to move on. As if photographing the likes of Leonard...

26Feb

By Molly HarrisNo Comments

Culture & Literature, Film & TV

The Theory of Everything

One of the films nominated for multiple Oscars this year, The Theory of Everything is based on Jane Wilde Hawking’s book ‘Travelling to Infinity: My life with Stephen’, a memoir dealing with her marriage to Stephen Hawking, his deterioration due to Motor Neurone disease and of course his legendary success in the world of physics. Although the film has brought with it great success, there have been some debates regarding using a non-disabled actor to play a disabled part. In a recent Guardian article, this enactment of a disabled character was compared to that of an actor playing the part of a different race to their own. ‘We wouldn’t accept actors blacking up, so why applaud ‘cripping up’?’ Personally when watching The Theory of Everything I felt uncomfortable through some scenes, in wh...

25Feb

By Lis CarltonNo Comments

Culture & Literature, Film & TV

A Night at the Oscars!

On Sunday night, the most important night in Hollywood and in cinematography took place and I had the determination to see it through, right there and then, with an all-nighter. Neil Patrick Harris once ironically said: “I am incredibly grateful to Ellen for setting the bar very high for me”. Indeed, Ellen de Genres, who triumphed last year as a superb host in the magical night of Hollywood set the bar extremely high and it would take an extraordinary performance to top it. Neil Patrick Harris managed to entertain the audience in a charismatic and captivating way, but that generated some controversial arguments regarding some of his offen sive jokes and some awkward interactions with the audience. Of course, there were some flops in his performance, such as his Oscar predictions. He s...