“Sound is 50% of the moviegoing experience.” – George Lucas There are very few filmmaking components as well-equipped to establish a distinctive voice as the score. Blade Runner (Ridley Scott, 1982) is arguably more recognisable for Vangelis’ game-changing synthetic … Continue reading Elitism and Complacency: The Trouble with Hollywood Film Scores
Best International Feature Film – Peter Horan Dolor y Gloria / Pain and Glory (Pedro Almodóvar, 2019) Sensitive and sensuous in equal measure, Pain and Glory is an intensely personal piece for Spanish auteur, Pedro Almodóvar. Although not quite autobiographical, … Continue reading Three Other Oscar Nominations
Joker (Todd Phillips) Contrary to popular belief, Joker did not change the world. I still remember reading those first social media reactions back when it first premiered in August and being excited, if a little confused, by some of the initial … Continue reading Tn2’s Oscars Buzz Part Two Two of our writers break down this year’s Best Picture nominations. Part two of two.
●●●●● The Lighthouse is director Robert Eggers’ follow-up to his critically acclaimed feature début The Witch (2015). The film, set in North-East America during the 1890s, revolves around two lighthouse keepers, played by Robert Pattinson and Willem Dafoe, who get … Continue reading The Lighthouse // Review
●●●●● “Red lips tarnish the scabbarded steel, High hopes faint on a warm hearth-stone– He travels the fastest who travels alone.” It is with these words from Rudyard Kipling’s “The Winners”, recited by Colin Firth in the first of a … Continue reading 1917 // Review
●●●●● Parasite, the newest film from Korean director Bong Joon-ho (The Host, Snowpiercer), opened to near universal acclaim after its premiere at the Cannes film festival earlier this year – ultimately winning the coveted Palme d’Or. Naturally I went into … Continue reading Parasite // Review Bong Joon-ho’s latest is a boldly confident masterpiece from a filmmaker at the top of his game.
●●●●○ I, Tonya’s mockumentary style makes it an enjoyable romp through Tonya Harding’s eventful early life and period of success. The film is finessed by the spectacular performances of Margot Robbie (Tonya Harding) and Allison Janney (Harding’s mother). Janney in … Continue reading I, Tonya: An enjoyable break from monotonous sporting biopics Harding is better understood as a result of the film, and we the audience are called out on our bloodthirsty media hounding of her once the scandal broke.
In a post-Weinstein Hollywood, conscious efforts are being made to avoid further scandals, and the elephant in the room is finally being addressed, with even Seth Meyers, host of this year’s Golden Globes touching on the issue in his opening … Continue reading #Oscarssodiverse marks an important shift in how we award This year’s Academy Awards sees a large proportion of people of colour nominated, but it doesn’t solve racism
The curiously-titled My Life as a Courgette is an enigma. The childlike, colourful stop motion animation belies a plot discussing dark, solemn topics, including alcoholism, child abuse, and foster home care – not your usual blockbuster material indeed. An Oscar-nominated … Continue reading Animation for the Ages: My Life as a Courgette – Review
In our February print issue, Conor Scully reflected on the wider cultural ramifications of the lack of diversity amongst this year’s Oscars nominees. Last week The Hist and DU Film co-hosted a debate on the motion “This House Would Boycott … Continue reading Boycott the Oscars Debate
On February 28th, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will, for the 88th time, award Oscars to the films they deem to have been the best released in 2015 (in America, at any rate ― due to obscure … Continue reading Tipped Scales
The film that brought Julianne Moore her fifth Oscar nomination, culminating in a win for Best Actress, does not disappoint. (●●●●○) Continue reading Still Alice – review