Last month, a Guardian article pointed out an interesting trend among Oscar-winning actors and actresses in the past decade or so – they’re getting older. In the 2000s, best actresses had an average age of 36, which then went up to 41 from 2010 onwards. Best actors have also seen a slight increase in the […]
The Coup D’Etat
The Oscars will celebrate achievement in film for the 91st time later this month. Over the years, the Academy has faced growing criticism, including its underrepresentation of people of colour within its membership as well as its nominations, and its tendency to snub several well-received films each year. With critically acclaimed films such as 1979’s […]
A Critical Failure? Contrasting Critics and Audiences
When the much-anticipated Venom had its review embargo lifted just a few days before its release in early October, fans were disappointed to hear critics dismiss it as an unsurprisingly bland, throwaway film. Or were they? Against all odds, the poorly received Tom Hardy spectacle actually achieved a massive opening weekend of over $80 million, […]
A Fistful of Genres – Black Comedy
At the end of Monty Python’s 1979 classic Life of Brian, in which a Jewish man is mistaken for the Messiah, a potentially upsetting mass crucifixion scene takes an oddly optimistic and light-hearted turn when the sufferers break into song, joyfully encouraging each other to ‘Always Look on the Bright Side of Life’. This is […]