If we consider all the films that have come out this year, it seems like whatever wins at the Oscars, studios know they can make a lot of money from something which is ultimately unoriginal. I know this accusation is thrown around really frequently- usually by bitter middle-aged people on the Internet complaining that their […]
cinema
Fresh ideas: Aronofsky challenging the ‘three act structure’
Originality is coming scarily close to being lost in twenty-first century cinema. Nowadays, a somewhat rare trip to the cinema is often forgotten due to the churning out of franchises and live-action remakes. But is this culture the result of us not wanting to face change and innovative ideas? We’re so used to our usual […]
Review: Eye in the Sky
As I left the cinema following an opening-day screening of Eye in the Sky, the atmosphere of hushed thoughtfulness said it all. Eye in the Sky is masterfully executed, with fantastic performances from the entire cast and powerful cinematography that captures current concerns about modern warfare, surveillance and morality. “This is a film that feels… like an elaborate […]
One Man in Amman – The Cinema
Cinema is one of those things you can always enjoy. There’s the stale-in-the-mouth popcorn that you wish you’d never bought, the seat with three or four pieces of chewing gum glued to the underside – reluctantly discovered by an overcurious hand, the floors imbibed with sodas spilled through the decades that you can peel your […]
Review: The Big Short
Nobody likes bankers. Nobody likes bankers, but most of us don’t really understand why. Look at your most basic broadcast journalist vox pop experiment, and you’ll be bombarded with murmurs of bonuses, bail-outs, and fraud. They’re little more than buzz words, really. For the vast majority of the public, both here and across the Atlantic, the financial […]
On the phenomenon of cult cinema
If you look into the definition of ‘cult’ in the Oxford English Dictionary you get a particularly clear-cut idea of what contributes to one of popular culture’s stranger fascinations: “a collective obsession with or intense admiration for a particular person, thing, or idea.” Yet, this definition doesn’t really seem to cut it for me and, […]
Review: The Revenant
Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s 6th film is a far more gut-wrenching affair than his previously Oscar-winner Birdman. An epic adventure set in 1823, the plot centres on the embellished true story of fur trapper Hugh Glass – mauled by a bear and left for dead by his comrades, he claws his way through the frostbitten Montana […]
Review: Carol
Carol. A soft-spoken name, a name that is repeated throughout the film in hushed voices, as though it needs to be handled with care. An apt name for a movie set during Christmas, but one that also deals with a period of time – the 1950s – that left same-sex lovers with little to rejoice […]
Bill Douglas Museum pop-up cinema event
After the success of a similar event last year, the University is playing host to a pop-up cinema event at the Bill Douglas Museum. A group of postgraduate Film Business students are running the events, divided into 5 groups, each making a programme of their choice. The events at ’Bill Douglas Pop-Up Cinema’ will be […]
Review: Brooklyn
New York City, a luxurious department store. Eilis, the new shop assistant from Ireland, feels out of place. She is shy and frightened; she is not very good at entertaining customers with small talk. Ireland. Eilis, the girl who went off to America, walks along the deserted beach with her Irish friends. She looks sophisticated, […]