Arts – Page 8 of 9 – The Orbital

Review: Matthew Bourne’s Sleeping Beauty

26Jan

By Louise JonesNo Comments

Culture & Literature, Theatre & Performance

Review: Matthew Bourne’s Sleeping Beauty

Matthew Bourne (or so I should say), Sir Matthew Bourne (New Year’s Knighthood and the likes), famed for his successful take on two of the great Tchaikovsky ballets, reinventing a dark, Dickensian Nutcracker and a wild Swan Lake, has taken to the stage to complete the Tchaikovsky trilogy with Sleeping Beauty. Yet, in tackling Sleeping Beauty, one would consider it to be a much harder challenge. A simple story with much loved, well-known characters, and the Disney retelling cemented in the public consciousness, in theory and on paper, Sleeping Beauty seemed a much harder ballet to reinvent. But Bourne delivers with style and excellence. (more…)

The National presents Shakespeare’s “As You Like It”

8Jan

By Jordan ThorneNo Comments

Culture & Literature, Theatre & Performance

The National presents Shakespeare’s “As You Like It”

When the National takes on a Shakespeare play, we all expect great things, and this season’s production of the comedy, "As You Like It", with Polly Findlay at the helm, lives up to the high standards the company have set themselves. (more…)

Ahead of its time: ‘Back to the Future’ turns 30.

5Nov

By George SomersNo Comments

Culture & Literature, Film & TV

Ahead of its time: ‘Back to the Future’ turns 30.

October 21st 2015. For any self-respecting cinema fan, this date has a notorious significance. Hurtling forward in time to save the Mcfly family pride, this is the day to which the big screen’s most famous DeLorean is catapulted into the future, amidst a world of hoverboards, flying cars and the eighteenth 'Jaws' sequel. Admittedly, the writers were a bit off. One of the defining films of the eighties – and single-handedly making the science fiction genre cool again – 'Back to the Future' pulled in a staggering $380 million at the box office, as well as cementing itself as one of the most successful movies of all time. With this year marking the close of its thirtieth year, former cast, crew and devoted fans alike are refusing to let this occasion go unnoticed. With special trilogy scre...

26Oct

By Louise JonesNo Comments

Culture & Literature, Theatre & Performance

Interview with Director of MTS

I caught up with MTS director Kathryn Pickering and spoke with her about the Into the Woods Performance and its production, and why being involved in MTS is such an excitement. Why did you decide to get involved in MTS? – is it because of the course you did or because it is just something you love to do? It is something I love to do (although I do study drama and music). When I started I had to make a decision about whether to continue in drama society or MTS, I chose MTS as I had been cast in their performance of A Little Shop of Horrors, however I wonder how different my university life would have been if I had continued with another society. Was there someone who inspired you to get into theatre? Sounds silly but not particularly. I always wanted to do it (performing), I...

24Oct

By Louisa WicksNo Comments

Culture & Literature, Film & TV

Biggest Film of 2015 – Jurassic World

Director: Colin Trevorrow Release date: 11th June 2015 Starring: Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Vincent D’Onofrio, Ty Simpkins, Nick Robinson, Omar Sy, B. D. Wong, Irrfan Khan REVIEW When Steven Spielberg brought Jurassic Park to cinemas way back in 1993, the world fell in love. With 3 Academy Awards under its belt, the classic film changed the way audiences saw visual effects, as this was the first film to really bring dinosaurs to life realistically. Now, 22 years later, the world of dinosaurs is brought back to the audience’s attention. Although there were 2 sequels to the classic, The Lost World: Jurassic Park and Jurassic Park III, they didn’t quite live up to their predecessor. Jurassic World, on the other hand, arguably does. In this film, we see the dream of John Hammond (...

7Jun

By No Comments

News

Alumni Win Big in Award Season

Royal Holloway alumni have been sweeping up the awards during this year’s award season. Georgina Campbell was awarded a BAFTA for best actress on Sunday 10th of May for her role in BBC 3 hard Hitting Drama ‘Murdered By My Boyfriend’, a series based on a true story of domestic abuse. Georgina beat off competition from established actresses Sheridan Smith, Sarah Lancashire and Keeley Hawes who were all nominated for the Leading Actress award. Georgina developed her acting career while studying BA Film Studies at Royal Holloway from 2011-2014, since leaving she has appeared in many well-known dramas including 'Holby City', 'Casualty', 'Doctors' and the ITV drama 'The Ice Cream Girls'. Likewise in early April, Mark strong won the Olivier for the best Actor award for his role in ‘A View fro...

28Jan

By Jordan ThorneNo Comments

Culture & Literature, Film & TV

BAFTA Masterclass with Cinematographer Dick Pope

A rapturous round of applause ensues as Dick Pope, a leading creative force in cinematography, takes to the stage. The academy award nominated Mr Pope is still working today, and his impressive portfolio spans many films including a variety with the iconic film maker Mike Leigh to Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging (2008) – the later which was neglected from the talk, unfortunately. What came next was a selection of personally selected clips, conversation and audience questions. Dick seemed a lovely, humble gentleman passionate about his craft who saw cinematography as an art form. At its core cinematography is the basics of what goes into a shot – the colours, lights and camera shots for instance that creatively manipulate every frame we view and can add so much more depth and intrigue...

28Jan

By Jordan ThorneNo Comments

Culture & Literature, Film & TV

Jeremy Irvine and Phoebe Fox talk Woman in Black 2: Angel of Death

Following the success of the unnerving first instalment of The Woman in Black, I went to meet with stars of the sequel, Jeremy Irvine and Phoebe Fox, to talk horror, rocking chairs and men in shorts… Q: So, the film draws on many traditions of the horror genre, what is it about these elements that make the film so scary for audiences? Jeremy – A lot of it is down to sound mixing and the way that you prepare a scare through the editing. We all know something is about to happen and then it happens when you don’t expect it, and that’s when you get the best jumps. Phoebe – One of the things that works really well in the first movie, and in the play, that feeds through into our movie is the sound of the rocking chair – it’s terrifying! Q: There’s a very creepy atmosphere, as you menti...

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...

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...