Film & TV – Page 13 of 13

2Nov

By Harry CrawfordNo Comments

Wild at the BFI London Film Festival

Gather round film-lovers, for it’s that time of year again - yes, the BFI London Film Festival is back! It saddens me to say that I did not get the chance to see this year’s prime starlets, (Mr Turner, Foxcatcher and The Imitation Game spring to mind) but all is not lost. 'Wild' has crept below many people’s radars, even my own. I can blame the marketing campaign as much as I like but I should have known better. This is director Jean-Marc Vallée’s second film of 2014, and the first, 'Dallas Buyers Club', was outstanding, landing two Oscars. Is 'Wild' another Academy contender? Based on Cheryl Strayed’s similarly titled memoir, 'Wild' focuses on her hike along the Pacific Crest Trail in the mid-nineties. Years of reckless behaviour as a drug and sex addict, kickstarted by the untimely de...

2Nov

By Michelangelo FanoNo Comments

Culture & Literature, Film & TV

Gone to the Movies – Gone Girl

Having sold over 2 million copies, it is fair to say the adaptation of the book 'Gone Girl' was going to come with a fair bit of anticipation. Similar to Fincher's previous film, 'The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo', there was plenty of pressure coming from fans of a much beloved book to get this story right. As stylish and brilliantly made as 'The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo' was, it lacked the grit that the story, and the original Swedish adaptation, had that made it so good. There was a sense that Fincher didn’t feel truly passionate about the project, resulting in a stunningly made, if somewhat hollow film. In many ways, 'Gone Girl' is similar, with it failing to scale the heights of Fincher's early masterpieces 'Fight Club', 'Se7en' or 'Zodiac'. However, it seems Fincher has had more fun...

1Nov

By Michelangelo FanoNo Comments

Culture & Literature, Film & TV

We’re all falling for Wingman

Ever found yourself way out of your depth, falling so fast you barely even felt the ground as it slipped from underneath you? Ever wished that the person you fell for would, somehow, also be the one to catch you? Ever felt the pinch of Cupid’s arrow as it hits you on your – ahem – derrière and known, almost instantaneously, that you were in trouble… Us too. When Cupid lands on a university campus, he has only one thing on his mind – earning back his wings. He soon finds out that his one, single, tiny mistake isn’t so small after all and he has a whole lot more to learn about falling in love than he could have possibly imagined. Wingman is the SURHUL Film Festival society’s latest project. In collaboration with RhubarbTv, the project is a six week long web-series set to be aired ea...

29Oct

By Michelangelo FanoNo Comments

Culture & Literature, Film & TV

BFI – Debate in Film.

‘Debate; Riveting films that amplify, scrutinise, argue and surprise.’ Open your eyes. Are you an individual, or a collective? Are you an opinion, or ideology? Do you care? Perhaps not. So often we are party to a single vision, and see only a single side of a coin. As an academic, university student body, we are all striving to open our minds beyond our own ideas and attempting to get an understanding of all the facts presented to us. After all these efforts, we are still likely to return comfortably to our old seats in our cultural surroundings. For all its entertainment value, film is often marginalised to the glamour, high production values, special effects and emphatic scripts of Hollywood. Fed by Americanisms, impartiality is difficult, and it is tempting to all lean in one directi...

29Oct

By Michelangelo FanoNo Comments

Culture & Literature, Film & TV

Basically BFI

It’s October time yet again, and in the English film industry that means one thing: Hollywood is once again coming to London in the guise of the BFI London Film Festival. While not quite holding the same reputation as other festivals such as Cannes, Venice or Sundance, it has still become a core date in the film calendar, and gives the chance for two, or three weeks to see some of Hollywood's biggest stars here in London. This year’s festival opens with a homegrown number - 'The Imitation Game' - starring Benedict Cumberbatch as the famous Alan Turing, meaning anyone around Leicester Square on the 8th has the chance to spot Sherlock Holmes himself, Kiera Knightly, and Royal Holloway alumnus Mark Strong all in the flesh. However, it’s the festivals closing film which will really see Holl...

29Oct

By Michelangelo FanoNo Comments

Culture & Literature, Film & TV, Music

Hans Zimmer Revealed

There have been a handful of film composers whose scores have entered the public consciousness, becoming more than just scores but rather an entrenched part of modern culture. Hans Zimmer is one such composer, and on the 10th and 11th of October, he hosted performances of his work in London. He walked on stage to instant applause, picking up a banjo to pluck away the score to the recent Sherlock films, clearly using the opportunity to live out his dreams of being a rock star. He then introduced the score to Crimson Tide, mentioning how Tony Scott was the man who brought him to Hollywood for the first time. It seemed like a way for him to thank and honour the now tragically deceased Scott, a touching and subtle moment which made the lengthy playing of the superb, bombastic score that much ...

18Aug

By Laura DenhamNo Comments

Culture & Literature, Film & TV, Theatre & Performance

Summer Arts in London

These were some of our top tips for things to do and see around London over the summer! Did you attend one of these, or know someone who did? We'd love to hear how they went, so please contribute an article to either Vincent or Lukas, the Arts Editors, and tell us about your experience! We'd love to know if our tip-offs were useful! The Drowned Man: A Hollywood Fable With award winning production company Punchdrunk, the NT brings you the epitome of immersive theatre experiences. Lose yourself, literally, in four floors of a transformed London postal warehouse in this production that shows you the underside of 1960s Los Angeles. Running until 6th July, this production gives you the complete freedom to explore some of theatres most exciting work. Running until July 6th From £25. Stude...

24Feb

By Laura DenhamNo Comments

Culture & Literature, Film & TV

Film Reviews: ‘The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug’ and ‘American Hustle’

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug I do not like fantasy films… There, I said it. Then why am I reviewing this film, you ask? Regardless of my tastes, I know a good film when I see one. The original trilogy, The Lord of the Rings, was stunning, and deserved its colossal Oscar haul. The plot, for me, was the key: Peter Jackson took a fantasy story, and made it entertaining for everyone; not only was there quality in the script, but also in the acting and the direction of photography. What most people were wondering was whether Jackson could repeat those same feats. The first instalment in the Hobbit trilogy, An Unexpected Journey, was a good start, introducing us effectively to this prequel world and its characters. The Desolation of Smaug, however, had to up the ante. We find the characte...

15May

By Laura DenhamNo Comments

Culture & Literature, Film & TV

Rust and Bone: Review

Jacques Audiard's last feature, A Prophet, is seen by many as one of the best films of the last decade, resulting in a lot of buzz and excitement for his latest film, Rust and Bone, starring the wonderful Marion Cotillard. Arguably two of the best French film-makers of recent years, the film has been greatly revered by critics as a touching love story. However, the film is in many ways Audiard's worst to date. It tells the story of two people in tragic circumstances: Ali, a wannabe fighter, struggling to raise his young son in the absence of his mother and with little money made in illegal fighting rings, and Stephanie fighting through the pain of losing both her legs in a tragic killer whale accident. The two meet, fall in love and help each other correct their lives. It is a plot don...

15May

By Laura DenhamNo Comments

Culture & Literature, Film & TV

The Great Gatsby: Review

Baz Lurhmann's take on F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel, The Great Gatsby, is an explosion of colour, music and sexual tension, bringing to life what I consider to be a story that trails at a snail's pace. Behind all the glitz and glamour of Lurhmann's directorial style, it is his choice of actors that helps to give life to the otherwise lifeless portrayals of Fitzgerald. Leonardo DiCaprio does well in playing the infamous Jay Gatsby, a man both famous and mysterious for his regular mansion parties, whose relationship with Carey Mulligan's Daisy is made both awkward and increasingly addictive from their first encounter. My admiration of Gatsby's characterisation increases drastically alongside the rapid fall of Daisy's likability, a woman who frustratingly glides through life, child-like and i...