Friday 3rd September, 2010
LATEST

Film

Iron Man 2

Iron Man 2 June 14th, 2010
Alec Hawley, Film Editor

So, Iron Man is back, bigger, bolder and brasher than before, and what is quickly becoming apparent is not that the franchise is producing great films (they are essentially excuses for a firework show), but that it has produced a truly great character in Tony Stark/Iron Man, or at least the superhero/alter ego combination as played by Robert Downey Jr. [Full Article]

Let's Meet at the Odeon

Let's Meet at the Odeon June 14th, 2010
Patrick Cowling

We must have made an odd sight standing in a crowd around the corner of the old Odeon cinema at the top of Oxford Road, popcorn in hand, watching a projection of old film footage on the wall of the building. People of all ages had come out to support the old Paramount Picture Palace, which is in danger of being demolished to make way for a new 14-floor tower block. [Full Article]

Johnny Mad Dog

Johnny Mad Dog May 10th, 2010
Bill Knowles

On a shattered staircase, in the shell of an empty house, Johnny Mad Dog and Laokole meet. They look into each other’s eyes, and from then on Johnny begins to change. In Hollywood, it could be the beginning of a bittersweet romance, in France or Britain, the refrain to a careful, quiet drama. It is not either, though. This is Jean-Stephane Sauvaire’s unnamed African state, in the throes of a civil war, and Johnny is a soldier. He is a murderer. He is a child. [Full Article]



Top 5 Film Drinking Games

Top 5 Film Drinking Games March 7th, 2010

We students love an occasional alcoholic beverage, and most of us like the occasional film. So why not put the two together? – If that’s not science, then I don’t know what is. Be warned, these are not easy; if playing number one, it’s probably best to get yourself on [Full Article]

The Crazies

The Crazies March 7th, 2010
Tom New

It seems that the world of supernatural beasties is very much ‘in’ at the moment; between the cinema, television and gaming, there are more vampires, werewolves and zombies than you can shake a big (preferably stake shaped or spiked) stick at. So, if you are feeling a slight sense of vampire overexposure but still crave a bit of undead action in your life, fear not; The Crazies is here for you. [Full Article]

Losing the Plot

Losing the Plot March 7th, 2010
Stephen Jones

Whatever happened to good old fashioned, edge-of-your-seat, what-happens-next-ism? Everyone likes a good story, but that doesn’t seem to be the priority any more. Apparently strong narratives play fiftieth fiddle to a whole host of other things, and those things are overwhelmingly emotional journeys and stuff blowing up. [Full Article]



A Single Man

A Single Man March 1st, 2010
Abigail Davies

There are few films that have the ability to fully engage the audience within the opening ten seconds. [Full Article]

Case 39 Screening

Case 39 Screening February 23rd, 2010
Alec Hawley, Film Editor

Student Direct has teamed up with first4movies.com to offer readers a chance to see new pyschological horror Case 39 before its March 5th release date and for free. [Full Article]

Top 5 Assassin Films

Top 5 Assassin Films February 22nd, 2010
Beth Cook

Who in their right mind doesn’t want to be an assassin? Uber-cool outfits, adrenaline-fuelled gunfire and car chases a-plenty, these five films ignited a longing for black spandex and raised a collective sigh from men all around the world. [Full Article]



Everybody's Fine

Everybody's Fine February 22nd, 2010
Bill Knowles

Whoever designed the poster for Everybody’s Fine is a moron. Really, they may as well have just stuck a massive airbrushed photo of Robert De Niro under a black and white banner that says ‘this film is bad’ [Full Article]

A Fine Job

A Fine Job February 22nd, 2010
Bill Knowles

Kids from Bristol don’t make movies. They don’t get Golden Globe nominations, and they certainly don’t tell Robert De Niro, Drew Barrymore and Sam Rockwell what to do. [Full Article]

A Touch of Class - Downfall

A Touch of Class - Downfall February 22nd, 2010
Jo Gewirtz

Downfall tells the story of Adolf Hitler during the final days in his bunker as the reign of Nazi Germany comes to a dramatic end. [Full Article]



Diary of a Disgraced Soldier

Diary of a Disgraced Soldier February 22nd, 2010
Patrick Cowling

I like to think of myself as a liberal minded sort of person, so when I went to see a film focused on the video of British soldiers beating a group of Iraqi protesters, I naturally grimaced and hardened my mind for two hours of self-justification by a warped military psycho. [Full Article]

Afterschool

Afterschool February 22nd, 2010
Stephen Jones

Harbouring a strong but standard British hatred for anybody above me in the class system, my usual knee-jerk-acid-spitting reaction came in full force when I read that this film is centred on the supposed troubles of a young teen at a private school. No, it’s not Harry Potter, It’s Afterschool, and even I was surprised by its ability to make the viewer sympathise and engage with the main character. [Full Article]

The Skeleton Crew

The Skeleton Crew February 15th, 2010
Bill Knowles

At the centre of the table, flanked by the bright young things of the film, Peter Jackson and Susan Sarandon seem like the grown-ups in this game: almost oblivious to the seated journalists, while the kids on either side – Saoirse Ronan (Suzie Salmon), Rose McIver (Lindsey Salmon) and Reese Richie (Ray Singh) – eye the room with interest. It has been a long project for all of them, Jackson tells us. “I don’t think we thought it would be as difficult as it was when we started,” he says. “I think it’s the hardest thing we’ve done.” [Full Article]



Battle for Terra

Battle for Terra February 15th, 2010
Stephen Jones

Modern marketing techniques are highly sophisticated. No-one wastes their time with mass audiences any more, they find your specific interest and they nail you. As if it wasn’t intrusive enough. However, I can’t for the life of me work out who Battle for Terra is aimed at. [Full Article]

Tony Manero DVD Review

Tony Manero DVD Review February 15th, 2010
Tom New

Set in Chile in the late ’70s, at the height of Augusto Pinochet’s totalitarian regime, the film follows Raul, whose only dream is to dance like John Travolta’s character from Saturday Night Fever, Tony Manero. [Full Article]

A Touch of Class - A Bittersweet Life

A Touch of Class - A Bittersweet Life February 15th, 2010
Tom New

A Bittersweet Life knows what it is, and does what any action film should do – entertain, and in massive great bucket loads. [Full Article]



Top 5: The Very Best of Disney

Top 5: The Very Best of Disney February 15th, 2010
Jo Gewirtz

Why is it that, once at uni, many of us find we spent precisely half of all free time re-watching the Disney movies that defined our childhoods? Well, I’m not Sigmund Freud, but I think the easy explanation is this: THEY ARE AWESOME. [Full Article]

The Lovely Bones

The Lovely Bones February 15th, 2010
Bill Knowles

The outcome of Peter Jackon's change in tone, in deciding to remake Alice Sebold’s careful, clever bestseller, The Lovely Bones, was always going to be interesting. [Full Article]

Top 5 Films of 2009

Top 5 Films of 2009 February 7th, 2010
Stephen Jones

It suddenly dawned on me during the holidays, somewhere between watching every Star Wars film in a day and stuffing my face with After Eights that 2009 has been an absolutely fantastic year for film [Full Article]



A Touch of Class - Encounters at the End of the World

A Touch of Class - Encounters at the End of the World February 7th, 2010
Alec Hawley, Film Editor

Antarctica is one of the few blind spots in our passing global knowledge. It is this unique possibility that Werner Herzog’s voyage of polar discovery explores [Full Article]

REVIEW- Precious

REVIEW- Precious February 5th, 2010
Catherine Mansfield

If you’re feeling down at the start of term, this could be the perfect film to put things into perspective [Full Article]

REVIEW- Youth in Revolt

REVIEW- Youth in Revolt February 5th, 2010
Danijela Topalovic

Youth in Revolt opens with nerdy teenager Nick Twisp wanking off in his bedroom- in spectacularly clichéd terms he proclaims his fixation with sex and the desperate need for a girlfriend who could lend a helping hand [Full Article]