Film – Page 2 of 3 – The Orbital

16Dec

By Karolina SchallerNo Comments

The two extremes of tolerance

Some ideas and controversial social concepts are treated rather unevenly today with them being either completely ignored or actively imposed upon the people. Covering all of these issues and their controversial treatment will definitely take more than one article, so I would like to focus your attention on one of the most versatile and sensitive of them all – on tolerance. Before we begin, let us look at that term with a little more depth. Theoretically saying that tolerance means to be patient about something or someone different would be right. But would it socially? Would you love to live in a society built on bare patience that can run out any minute? That definitely makes you feel less stable than a society where everyone respects each other, so let us stick to that: tolerance is...

14Jun

By Georgia BeithNo Comments

Culture & Literature, Film & TV

And The Winner Is…

“Acting is the ability to put yourself in someone else’s shoes, and that doesn’t need to be separated into two different categories.” These were Emma Watson’s words as she accepted the MTV Award for “Best Actor in a Movie” as a result of her role as Belle in Beauty and the Beast. Her acceptance speech not only expressed her gratitude for receiving the award, but also her joy at it being the first ever gender neutral award for acting. While the MTV Awards are not renowned for being the most prestigious, in comparison to awards like the Oscars or the Emmy’s, the 2017 awards mark a milestone for gender equality in Hollywood. Many, like Watson, expressed their approval of the move. Billions’ actor Asia Kate Dillon, who presented Watson with the award, perfectly summed up the motivation b...

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...

22Dec

By Harry BrownNo Comments

Culture & Literature, Film & TV

Hail, Caesar! Review

The Coen Brothers’ Hail, Caesar! is one of their most hilarious, absurd and grand films yet. What the film lacks in emotional depth is more than made up for in laughs and often stunning spectacle. Taking place in 1950’s Hollywood, the film stars Josh Brolin as Eddie Mannix, the man who makes sure everything at fictional studio Capitol Pictures runs smoothly. His day to day work ranges from trying to rescue rumour-ridden star Baird Whitlock (George Clooney) from a kidnapping, to managing the pregnancy of starlet DeeAnna Moran (Scarlett Johansson). While the subject matter could treated as a biopic in other hands, the Coen Brothers inject these stories with a silliness often bordering on parody. It is actually this aspect of the historical period’s depiction which is one of the film’s str...

14Dec

By Georgia BeithNo Comments

Culture & Literature, Film & TV

Netflix & Diversity

Orbital's Georgia Beith gets to grips with an issue bigger than Netflix and Chill: the topic of Netflix and Diversity. Netflix is widely recognised as the future of the entertainment industry - it’s not news to anyone. It’s a way of watching film and TV that has rapidly increased in popularity. But it isn’t just its quickly garnered success that sets Netflix apart; it also far outstrips traditional forms of media in terms of representation. TV and film’s lack of diversity is not a new issue by any means but, more recently people have finally been taking notice of this problem. The #OscarsSoWhite controversy, a response to the lack of diverse acting nominees at last year’s Oscars, highlights the limited opportunities and recognition given to actors of ethnic minorities. The lack o...

28Oct

By Olivia AtkinsonNo Comments

Culture & Literature, Film & TV

Suffragette: the fear of change

Family movie night premiered Sarah Gavron’s latest film, "Suffragette"; a raw, eye opening success that has introduced significant thought and discussion both within the public eye and my own living room. Not a single word was spoken as my family and I were fixated on the motion picture. In my awestruck eyes, this interpretation of the development of our democratic history perfectly encapsulates the lengths it took for the women of the past 100 years to get to 1 vote for the women of today. The film highlights the immense effort, thought and planning that went into protests, both passive and violent. Beatings carried out in the streets and the death of world-renowned martyr, Emily Wilding-Davison, were incredibly intense moments and were, at times, rather grotesque and shocking, yet w...

Film adaptation of Wicked announced to be released in 2019

27Jun

By Beth CarrNo Comments

Culture & Literature, Film & TV, Theatre & Performance

Film adaptation of Wicked announced to be released in 2019

The adaptation has been discussed since 2004, but was viewed by some fans as a mere rumour after news of the film had gone quiet. Universal Pictures, however, confirmed via Twitter that the motion picture is scheduled for release on 20th December 2019. Within 24 hours, their tweet has received over 5,000 likes and 7,500 retweets, with speculation already rife about who will play the lead characters and visible excitement from eager followers. The musical phenomenon WICKED comes to the big screen. In theaters 12.20.19. pic.twitter.com/rFojgh56oH — Universal Pictures (@UniversalPics) June 16, 2016 Wicked retells L. Frank Baum's 1900 story The Wizard of Oz, popularised by the 1939 film, from the perspective of the witches, exploring their childhoods and how they came to take the titles o...

Sexism and Cinema: are women disappearing from the business?

10Jan

By Niamh.dunne.2015No Comments

Culture & Literature, Film & TV

Sexism and Cinema: are women disappearing from the business?

October marked the release of ‘Suffragette’, a film directed by a woman (Sarah Gavron), written by a woman (Abi Morgan) and, unsurprisingly, starring a lot of women, including some of the finest actresses of our time. I wish I could say that this is a common occurrence. Unfortunately, I don’t have that luxury. (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...