Film & TV – Page 12 of 14

28Jan

By Thomas McDonaldNo Comments

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 ...

28Jan

By Rosie Cranie-HiggsNo Comments

Culture & Literature, Film & TV

I’m A Celebrity: An Experience Regretted

On the 7th December, a most undesirable event befell me. I had the misfortune of seeing, for the first time, the abomination that is I’m A Celebrity. It so happened to be the final, which, helpfully or unhelpfully, provided a recap of the whole series - meaning I was presented not only with the most recent trials, such as the consumption of unappetising parts of both camel and ostrich, but with a horrific past instance of a contestant drinking deer’s blood. I had heard a great deal about this show prior to seeing it, of course. It is extremely difficult to avoid, what with the painful media focus on bikini bodies and jungle flirtations, and the fact that it seems to dominate headlines throughout the few weeks of its run. What I had not realised, however, was the sheer depravity of it. D...

28Jan

By Harry BrownNo Comments

Culture & Literature, Film & TV

The Top 5 Greatest and Most Disappointing Films of 2014

The film industry had its fair share of tragedies and scandals in 2014. The losses of talents such as Robin Williams, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Harold Ramis in devastatingly quick succession, while the recent Sony Pictures hacking and the following cancellation of The Interview’s release has set a troubling precedent. On the brighter side though, the sheer number of quality releases was staggering. With that said, my top five films of the year! 5. Locke (Steven Knight) One incredibly hard film to recommend, Locke is simply 85 minutes of Tom Hardy talking to people on his phone in a car. It might sound boring but it quickly becomes clear how engrossing this character’s struggle is, combined with Hardy’s best acting to date. 4. The Raid 2 (Gareth Evans) The most precise and dynamic ...

28Jan

By Takudzwa Coco MajariNo Comments

Culture & Literature, Film & TV

The Theory and Art of How to Get Away With Murder

As a dedicated consumer of television series it is always an exciting prospect when a new, well-acted and edgy show is introduced. In this case it is even more exciting when it is produced by the powerhouse that is "Shondaland". Producer and writer Shonda Rhimes is the brains behind some of what I consider to be the best shows to ever hit TV, Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal - and most recently the new series "How to Get Away with Murder". Known for her innovative ways her shows feature powerful, strong and kickass women, she does not shy away from showing women as multifaceted beings with desires and goals that go far beyond successful careers and marriage. HTGAWM has been for me by far the most engaging show from this producer as it has three of my favourite things in TV: a diverse cast, strong,...

28Jan

By Emma JefferyNo Comments

Culture & Literature, Film & TV, Theatre & Performance

Funny Girls

In recent years there has been a visible surge in the popularity of female comedians, seemingly in correlation with a rise in the awareness of feminism. Their presence on prime-time comedy shows is increasingly noticeable, and rightly so; there is some serious talent which needs to be televised. Dated attitudes such as "she's funny… for a woman" are thankfully fading, as is the distinction between male and female comics. More and more, comedians are appreciated for their wit and creativity, regardless of gender. Despite the excellent progression of women in the comedy business, they are still greatly outnumbered in their field. Upon reflection, I have assembled a list of those who I consider to most greatly embody female success in the industry. So without further ado; here are three of m...

28Jan

By Michelangelo fanoNo Comments

Culture & Literature, Film & TV

Getting closer to the Academy

Lo and behold Royal Holloway! Award season is upon us, and here are the predictions for one of the most awaited events of the year: The Oscars. Indeed, the biggest cinematography event of the year is getting closer and closer and one is naturally led to wonder to whom the famous golden statue will go to. However, of course, it is too early to predict who might actually triumph on the night of the 22nd of February at the Dolby Theater. I'll try my best to point your way to the nominees, however. One film that most captured my attention was Wes Anderson’s “The Grand Budapest Hotel”. The film is about the adventures and misadventures of the last concierge Monsieur Gustave H. (fantastically interpreted by Ralph Fiennes) of the luxurious Hotel before the war, seen from the perspective of ...

28Jan

By Catriona O'SullivanNo Comments

Culture & Literature, Film & TV

Rich, Russian & Living in London – A Documentary Review

‘Rich, Russian & Living in London’: a title worthy of Channel 4, but it is, in fact, the name of the BBC’s latest foray into cutting-edge documentary. An account of a selection of wealthy Russian-Londoners, we delve into the depths of a world unseen by, and unknown to most of the population. Those of us who cannot afford rhinestone-encrusted Jaguars or whimsically spend hundreds of thousands on an artwork. It is, in a way, for the majority of the documentary, a sort of fetishisation of a high-life, seemingly without care or consequence. A disgustingly gluttonous display of excess. It is appealing. But it is capitalism on steroids. A reaction against years of suppression and corruption in Russia (although the latter is merely hinted at). They have signed up holus-bolus to th...

26Nov

By Michelangelo FanoNo Comments

Culture & Literature, Film & TV, Lifestyle

NewTube

Sitting alone in the room and talking to a camera – not something most of us are used to. And yet thousands of relatively normal people do those very things, pretty regularly. And have people watch them. Here’s our account of some new Youtubers that have caught our eye this month. Youtube is not only a website for funny cats and fail videos, it’s become more than that. It has recently become a job for many users, with many of them able to work for YouTube thanks to their wide audience: the more subscribers and view on a video a channel gets, the higher probability it has to get YouTube partnership and thus earn money. But the universe of video-blogging is not just made of celebrities like PewDiePie, with over 31 million subscribers: there are many who fly under the radar in vlogland. ...

26Nov

By Michelangelo FanoNo Comments

Culture & Literature, Film & TV

Interstellar – Good enough to be reviewed twice.

WARNING: This entire article may be biased. Why? Because Christopher Nolan. Because Matthew McConaughey. The greatest director of our time paired with, currently, an actor at the very top of his game. Interstellar promised so much for film fans: legit scientific concepts of space and time, special effects beyond your wildest dreams… essentially, most people anticipated the best film of all time. Without giving too much away, the world’s food supplies are dwindling, and dust storms threaten humanities existence - the only way is to find another planet to inhabit. Farmer and former test-pilot Cooper (McConaughey) stumbles across NASA’s secret lab and joins the crew, making a promise to meet his daughter Murphy again. The film is captured in an oh-so-very Nolan-esque way. The vast range of...

26Nov

By Thomas McDonaldNo Comments

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 ...