Film & TV – Page 6 of 13

30Mar

By Joanne ArcherNo Comments

Disney and Diversity

Joanne Archer discusses the developments and diversification in Disney’s films. If you know me well, it is no secret that I am a huge fan of Disney, probably the most obsessed person you will meet. That said, I am able to see the faults in the company, and diversification is a matter that Disney has often fallen short with. Although Disney have been including diverse characters in their films and TV programmes for a while, Princess Tiana was Disney’s first black princess, joining Jasmine and Mulan in the line-up of diverse females. Released in 2009, I can’t help but agree that this revelation came far later than it should have. The Princess and the Frog is one of my favourite Disney films, but it was considered a Box office failure when it made ‘only’ 267 million USD. That may still see...

29Mar

By Georgia BeithNo Comments

Culture & Literature, Film & TV

‘Lipstick Under My Burkha’

Georgia Beith criticises the ban of ‘Lipstick Under My Burkha’ Upon first inspection, the Indian Hindi film ‘Lipstick Under My Burkha’ would seem to be a relatively harmless, small, independent yet uplifting film. And what was intended to be an empowering portrayal of ordinary Indian women has sparked a wave of controversy after the Indian Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) refused to certify it; thereby preventing it from being released in India. There is little basis for their argument, which has opposed the film on the grounds that it is “lady orientated” and contains “sexual scenes, abusive words and audio pornography”. It is the first criticism of the film that has garnered the most attention, with accusations that this is an attempt to silence women in Indian popular cult...

17Mar

By SumibalNo Comments

Culture & Literature, Film & TV

What Went Right at the Oscars?

The Orbital’s Sumi Bal discusses the disaster that was the Oscars. As I’m sure you’ve heard, the 2017 Oscars were quite the event. We had milestones reached with the first Muslim to win an Oscar, and we had disasters like a performer savagely attacked by a prop, and of course presenting an award to the wrong film. It’s been interesting to say the least. Let’s go through the good, the bad and the oh so very uncomfortable. The highlight of the night was Moonlight’s Mahershala Ali being the first Muslim actor to win an Academy award. His hard earned success is being celebrated across the world, as not only is Moonlight centered around a black cast, but is also based on a gay relationship. This film breaks boundaries, and in doing so will be a source of inspiration for like minded people...

Look At Me: Get Involved in Student Film

16Mar

By Joanne ArcherNo Comments

Culture & Literature, Film & TV

Look At Me: Get Involved in Student Film

The Orbital’s Joanne Archer interviews the producer, Ellie Glover, and crew of Look At Me, a student film in the making. Tell us more about the film project. The film is very much in the works at the moment, but here’s a synopsis: Following the aftermath of the assault of her son, Jane begins to question the choices she has made as a mother. Meanwhile Jake, her son, decides whether he should be honest about the secrets that have been quietly tearing him apart. Jake and Jane’s relationship begins to crumble as resentment of one another rises leading to terrifying consequences. We have a crew of four people and are looking for a cast to get involved in this very exciting project. The film will be about 10 minutes long, it's a collaboration project and it's our graduation film....

6Mar

By Beth CarrNo Comments

Culture & Literature, Film & TV

The Heartbreak of Molly Hooper

SPOILERS FOR THE LATEST SERIES OF SHERLOCK An opinion on the emotional repercussions of the Sherlock series finale. Sherlock Series Four concluded last month and frankly I wasn’t a fan. One thing that captured my attention was THAT Molly Hooper scene, in which Sherlock is told to make Molly say ‘I love you’ so that the bomb supposedly planted in her kitchen would not blow up and kill her. On the plus side it reflects Sherlock’s emotions: he clearly struggles with the situation. He knows that making Molly say this will hurt her, yet he desperately wants to prevent the irreversible damage of her death. Nevertheless, we have all known about Molly’s love for our protagonist since the show began. Even Sherlock knew that she loved him but never truly confronted this, allowing it to be a...

6Mar

By Georgia BeithNo Comments

Culture & Literature, Film & TV, Literature

Historical Fact or Fiction?

Georgia Beith discusses whether historical fiction should be more accurate. A piece of historical fiction, whether that be in the form of a book or a period drama, is one of life’s ultimate guilty pleasures. And as a student, especially a history student like myself, it’s not the most respectable thing in the world to admit that you like them. They’re riddled with anachronisms and inaccuracies that make a lot of people look down on them but that doesn’t diminish their entertainment factor. Perhaps as someone who studies the past it should bother me that Anne Boleyn probably didn’t consider sleeping with her brother in order to produce a child, or that Queen’s ‘We Will Rock You’ wasn’t likely to be heard at medieval jousting tournaments. But it doesn’t, though there are a number of p...

21Feb

By Rhona ReedNo Comments

Culture & Literature, Film & TV, Music

‘La La Land’ and The Vintage Revival

Rhona Reed delves into ‘La La Land’ and the controversial topic of modern-day jazz. Should it be an experimental reinvention, or purely replicate the past? If La La Land proves anything – beyond the fact that Linus Sandgren’s cinematography is genius – it is that we cannot frown at today’s reinterpretations of classic trends. Purchasing a remastered vinyl or an overpriced imitation of a vintage dress may make many purists grimace. Yet, every season reinvents a classic trend from past decades. Do we really want to just repeat history, rather than alter it? The predicted revival of 2017 is the controversial kitten heel and, while you may scorn now, this is the perfect opportunity to see how our reinvention of a retro trend may actually make a dated style fashionable and enjoyable. T...

7Feb

By Nebiu SamuelNo Comments

Culture & Literature, Film & TV

Turn Off Your Phone

Nebiu Samuel discusses the possibility of a theatre mode for iPhones and his take on cinema etiquette. We’ve all been there sitting in a darkly lit room, waiting to lose ourselves in a film when suddenly a light appears a few feet away shining someone’s face so brightly you’d almost think they’d seen the face of God. But sadly, no it’s someone using their phone while in a cinema. Considering how long mobile phones have existed you would have thought that this would have stopped but people still do it. However, it has recently been leaked that Apple may have a solution to this problem. Among some of the rumoured new features in the next iPhone update set for January 10th is a theatre mode which would disable sounds, block calls, messages, and reduce screen brightness. Now, as appeali...

2Feb

By Jordan ThorneNo Comments

Culture & Literature, Film & TV

Can our technology be predicted?

One thing is clear in the society that we live in, and that is technology is increasingly pervading our everyday lives. Seemingly everywhere you go, you will witness people of all ages in public, blank-faced and glued to their phone screens (and I can’t say that I’m not guilty of this). The television show Black Mirror somewhat prophetically explores the intricate ways in which technology affects human relationships and interaction. Every single episode has its own individual story line and they seem to be at different points of technological progress. Some display the technology that is very similar to what we currently have, but other episodes provide a bleak view of what our future has to offer. *Spoiler alert* In episode one of the newest series, people give each other ratings in th...

30Jan

By Ruby_rogersNo Comments

Culture & Literature, Film & TV

Doctor Who?

Ruby Rogers discusses the decline of BBC’s ‘Doctor Who’ and ‘Sherlock’ “Doctor who?” – the famous question, that has been asked by almost every character on the BBC’s favourite family sci-fi drama, has suddenly gained new meaning for me. I, like many other people my age, remember vividly when the Doctor returned to our screens in 2005, in the form of the leather-jacket-wearing, more-intense-less-eccentric Christopher Eccleston. My brother and I watched it every week without fail for years, and, when it wasn’t on, we’d spend countless hours re-watching previous episodes, playing with my brother’s TARDIS set or running around the garden pretending to be aliens. Then, the question “Doctor who?” was nothing more than a plot device, a question to which the answer was simply ‘the (italics) ...