Media Studies Blog

Little Women Review Greta Gertwig's Little Women is deservedly set to win many Oscars this year(despite not being nominated for Best Female Director), having won many other prestigious awards too. The film's events are set sometime during the 1860's in an America torn my civil war ( however this war is little focused upon). The real story takes place from the perspective of a middle class American family, as four girls look back on their childhood around 10 years earlier as all of the sisters begin to find love. The tone throughout is consistent, charming an audience, despite some upsetting moments. The actors all work hard to portray their characters accurately and with high quality after Gertwig and others adapted the screenplay from the original book. Each character is distinctly different, adding interest to the film as the focus shifts from one character to another. The film is great throughout with accurate set and costume design. Its a film for anyone. 7.5/10

Scott Pilgrim Vs The World Review Edgar Wrights adaptation of Scott Pilgrim Vs The World is arguably one of the best comic adaptations of all time, managing to stay true to the comic format and Pilgrim story while also managing to adapt the story to the big screen. Use of pacing and camera work is also spot on in the film, creating a unique tone not matched in any other movie. The film can seem absurdist to many viewers however its best to go with the flow and enjoy the film, Edgar Wrights clever direction keeps the movie entertaining throughout, as well as the great use of comedy. An annoyingly underappreciated element of the movie is also the original music, adding to the story of the movie, while also being genuinely good. The story is also great, well thought through and again entertaining, what takes place is trippy and absurdist, yet so well executed an audience doesn't question it.As our main character meets the mysterious Ramona Flowers, a while after he meets her the...

                                                                                                                                                         Aliens (1986) Review:   James Cameron's Aliens follows up from the original sci-fi instalment, as Ripley wakes up from hyper-sleep having discovered that over 50 years has passed, after waking up on a colony spaceship. Soon she realises that there are many more of the aliens she originally thought,so  attempts to find and destroy them with the help of the marines, however when reaching the planet the aliens are based on they discover that they ar...

Saving Private Ryan Review Saving Private Ryan is a harsh document of reality, presenting the emotional turmoil and extreme violence of WW2. The very second scene of the film takes place on a beach in France, as American soldiers are forced to push back German soldiers from the beach while being shot at from all angles.  What shines through in the film is the great script and sound design, as such important elements help to immerse an audience in a tense and action-packed environment. The three-hour-long film follows a captain and his team as they have to roam the French countryside in search of a Private Ryan, after receiving orders to bring him back home. Yet a seemingly simple premise snowballs into a battle for harsh survival as the soldiers are attacked by hundreds of German soliders, leaving them to hold them off for as long as they can. The film is particularly unforgiving in its killing off of characters, a sad reality of such a harsh war, the film ends with both a sad...

Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back Review       George Lucas' vision of Star Wars is arguably one of the most influential elements of pop culture, as the original Star Wars trilogy released to instant acclaim while holding up strongly today. The 3rd installment of this franchise is clearly the best, as the budget, script, effects, and stakes all substantially heighten. Essentially it is bigger and better. Taking place on multiple different planets the original trilogy releases its climax as the clash between the Empire and The Rebel Alliance reaches full swing. The story is tense, as Emperor Palpatine attempts to manipulate Luke into becoming his new apprentice, and all the while the rebels begin to launch their plan to destroy the death star, thus ending the Empire's oppressive reign of terror. Lucas clearly parallels the story of the sith with that of the Nazi's, as their power rose to extreme heights yet only to be destroyed by the more morally motivated allied fo...

Seven Review: David Fincher's crime thriller classic has aged incredibly well, as its gritty portrayal of a criminal New York stays fresh to this day. It could be argued that Fincher's film borders on horror as he refuses to hold back on the violence and gore. The film takes place with a partnership between a cynical detective (Morgan Freeman) and a fresher detective with a considerably brighter outlook (Brad Pitt), as they find themselves on the tail of a disturbed serial killer. The interesting element of the film is the nature of the killer, as his moves are extremely methodical, to the point where he tortures a man for a year keeping him bedridden just to make a point. The killer makes his purpose clear, as he orchestrates clever murders on seven victims in order to make an even larger point on the sickness of humanity, fuelled by his obsession with religious literature. The film manages to stay steadily tense throughout as the murders become increasingly ...

Bram Stokers Dracula Review The film version of Bram Stokers Dracula is strange yet iconic. Such a horror masterpiece is hard to translate onto screen, often with books, key details and interesting characters are too often overlooked in the film adaptation. However one of these films main strengths has to be the triumph of an accurate translation, while some details and scenes are missed out, the important essence is still there. The film adds more to the book, giving characters an iconic face and an interesting look into Dracula's twisted love story, the purest thing about him. The special effects are also another great triumph, considering it was the 90's the use of VFX is wonderful the makeup of Dracula in his different forms and even just the use of blood was refreshing making it no surprise that it won an oscar of its visual effects ( ignoring the terrible blue flame at the start). The tone is often spot on, coupled with tense music and shots the theme of horror is gre...

The Joker Review                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         ...

The Dark Knight Review:  Released in 2008 the Dark Knight was a smash hit with comic fans and average moviegoers alike, and today 11 years later it still manages to hold up fantastically. The films great mix of well written and iconic characters mixed in with great storylines and actions managed to win Christopher Nolan's superb creation over 20 awards. The story takes place in a crime-ridden Gotham ruled by a circle of vicious gang kingpins, however, due to the good work of  Harvey Dent and Batman countless of these criminals are crushed and imprisoned. Despite this, the streets of Gotham aren't safe for long as the infamous Joker makes his first big-screen appearance in decades. Joker then decides to proposition these gangsters, for much of their money he will kill the Batman, after this the Joker begins his own crime spree around Gotham vowing to kill more and more people each day until the Batman turns himself in. Now although the film appears simplistic in natur...

John Wick Chapter 3 Review: Over 5 years after John Wick's first release, John Wick Chapter 3 has finally graced our screens. Taking place after Wick's 'excomunicado' in the previous installment our hero is forced onto the run as he has a huge assassination contract on his head. These high stakes help to instill an impression of intensity as a wounded Wick has to stumble through NY with a wound and a horde of criminals to fight off. Wick manages to gain help for his wound but not soon after he is once again attacked by a group of assassins. This setting for the story creates a whole host of different settings and situations for Wick to fight off his pursuers with various weapons. The violence also manages to ramp up in this installment as multiple new and violent close-ups are employed to increase the realism. The stakes rocket up even higher when it comes to Wicks's final stand in the iconic continental hotel when the mysterious table send in their full...

THE MATRIX REVIEW The epic 1999 Matrix has been loved by fans for just over 20 years now, and for good reason. Winning four Oscars and a Bafta after it was enjoyed by fans everywhere. Taking place on a deceitful version of planet earth Mr.Anderson (hacker code name Neo) idly strides through the daily motions of a monotonous life until one day he is contacted by a group of freelance hackers. After this group of hackers reveal to him his own real importance his life changes drastically, being chased by a murderous group of agents Neo has no choice but to join up with the other hackers. The story's tension then heightens to an insane level after Neo learns that the world he lives in is a simulation created by sentient robots after the real Earth was overrun and destroyed. Much of the movie itself is focused on Neo's escape by the self-named 'Agents'(programs added to the matrix in order to keep the human race believing the lie they are trapped in)however when...

   W hy the LOTR is the movie trilogy of all time Ever since the LOTR trilogy hit cinema screens the effect it had and still has will always be monumental to cinema.Although the Dark Knight trilogy comes close nothing beats it, the work of Peter Jackson as director along with a fantastic crew and actors the trilogy is a masterpiece.It seems impossible to think of a single flaw. Tolkien's great universe is brought to life as iconic characters and settings are portrayed extremely well on camera.The writing and set designs, the CGI, the costumes, prosthetics , makeup and most importantly the bad guys. The whole purpose of a narrative is conflict and without a good villain to cause the conflict and chaos the film will flop. Tolkien's evil character Sauron is seen as one of the best and most iconic movie villains of all time, even though he hardly appears to many people he is a terrifying power over middle earth. Another great element is consistency while the Godfather fail...

Thoughts On the New Joker film While not yet having been released at this point, Todd Philip's Joker movie looks extremely promising. Being released in October this daring new Joker film has already essentially received universal praise from critics, now currently sitting as the highest rated comic film of all time on IMDb and also receiving the Venice Film festivals top prize, the 'Golden Lion'. However i don't want to go to in depth into the Joker trailers themselves as that can often spoil the story-line for a viewer. The story appears to focus on Arthur Fleck, a failed comedian who finds his life increasingly worsening, even to a point where he is ridiculed by a fellow comedian on tv while sitting next to a seriously ill close relative in a hospital. Unable to get a solid grip on life and finding his personal therapist no help Arthur begins to become increasingly unstable as he starts to take on the psychotic personality of the joker. The film lo...

A CLOCKWORK ORANGE-REVIEW While often seen as a controversial film in mainstream media, Stanley Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange is a masterpiece in its own way. For some people the adult themes and ultra violence easily over ride the interesting points and themes embedded into the story, however if you can look past the violent parts of the story-line you find yourself in the midst of a brilliantly presented moral conundrum. The story focuses on Alex, a morally questionable delinquent teen. While out with his gang of affectionately named 'Droogs' Alex commits a number of terrible crimes ranging from assault on the homeless to theft and fighting with gangs all the way to rape. However Alex's crime spree soon ends as he is caught by the police after being betrayed by his fellow gang members. After a while of staying in prison for his crimes Alex hears news of a new psychological program to cure criminals of the want to commit crime.After hearing this Alex manages t...