issue 11
It’s fair to say that we’ve all spent a little more time on Netflix than we expected during the lockdown, so the wave of new series hitting the streaming service, including the final seasons of Dark and BoJack Horseman, is exactly what we needed. A hidden gem amongst these is the philosophical adult animation by the creator…
By Josh Osman
issue 10
Coined by Nathan Rabin in his 2007 review of Elizabethtown, the term 'Manic Pixie Dream Girl' (MPDG) refers to fictional young women who teach their male leads to live and love freely and wildly through their quirky antics and carefree…
By Holly Chen
I walked into Todd Phillips’ ‘Joker’ expecting to enjoy a phenomenal, profound character study, going deeper than ever before into one of the most notorious villains of all time. Walking out, I was shocked, disturbed and speechless: ‘Joker’ is anything…
By Josh Osman
BOJACK HORSEMAN - ONE OF TELEVISION’S GREATEST PORTRAYALS OF MENTAL HEALTH
With the growth of the awareness of mental illness in the modern-age came the growth in the number of pieces of modern media attempting, and often failing, to depict mental health in a realistic way. After having to endure the sorry attempts by Netflix’s 13 Reasons Why at exploring such a complex issue, often romanticising suicide…
By Senan Karunadhara
issue 9
SPIDER-MAN: FAR FROM HOME REVIEW
Being the web-slinger’s fourth outing in just over a year (I recounted to make sure), it would be reasonable to assume that the over-exposure of the character and the Marvel brand as a whole would lead to monotony. Well…. not at all. Spiderman…
Sathujan Manmatharajah
2019 FILMS AND TV YOU MAY HAVE MISSED
So far, 2019 has been a year of ups and downs for film and television. We’ve had immense successes, like ‘Avengers: Endgame’ and ‘Chernobyl’, and... smaller successes (I really don’t think the eighth season of ‘Game of Thrones’ was that bad, but…
By Josh Osman
issue 8
Even before the film was released, ‘Captain Marvel’ was attacked by Internet trolls with negative reviews, with over 50,000 reviews, more than ‘Infinity War’ received in its entire run in cinema, posted on Rotten Tomatoes before the release date and under 35%…
By Josh Osman
Netflix’s new original ‘The Umbrella Academy’ is a superhero TV series adapted from the comic book of the same name revolving around the life of the Hargreeves, a group of superpowered siblings, adopted and trained by the eccentric…
By Sathujan Manmatharajah
ISSUE 7
The rise of the superhero genre over the past decade or so has been unpredictably huge. However 2018 may take the crown as the most influential year of superhero movies. Films such as ‘Black Panther’ and ‘Spiderman: Into the Spiderverse’ are shining examples of the leaps made, but what could this progress mean when looking at media in…
By Sathujan Manmatharajah
The 91st Academy Awards are less than a month away, the Oscars are set to have their most confused and illogical year yet. The ceremony is currently without a host and is seemingly relying on the ‘Avengers’ in some kind of perverse marketing campaign (both Marvel and ABC, which screens the Oscars, being owned by Disney). The Academy has decided that the…
By Ryan Ratnam
Right from the start, ‘The Good Place’ was a charming sitcom with a simple, yet effective, story and a lovable cast to drive it forward. However, this deceptive comedy manages to blow its premise out of the water and continually evolve its story, to the point where it becomes intriguing and somewhat complex, without sacrificing any of the heart that makes the show so…
By Josh Osman
issue 6
One would think that by now, filmmakers would have decided to stop using the same premises repeatedly in their films. Despite this, ‘A Star is Born’ succeeds in capturing the hearts of audiences and critics alike as they witness a tale of ambition and downfall, just as the original did in 1937…
By Josh Osman
ISSUE 5
THE MCU - PERCEPTIONS OF SUPERHEROES
Since the turn of the millennium, the superhero genre has seen astronomical growth in popularity. Notable movies include The Avengers, Spider-man and Guardians of the Galaxy. The Marvel Cinematic Universe…
By Sathujan Manmatharajah
The Shining is considered to be one of the best horror classics ever created. And of course, this is said with good reason. The art of Stanley Kubrick, known also for 2001: A Space Odyssey, A Clockwork Orange and Eyes Wide Shut…
By Deniz Kaya
issue 4
With the awards season finally over and 'Coco' managing to win the 'Best Animated Picture' award at the four largest award ceremonies (those being the Academy Awards, BAFTA, Golden Globe and Annie Awards), it seemed appropriate to write a review on the film. Going into 'Coco', I expected nothing short of the cinematic magic brought across in other Pixar classics such as 'The Incredibles',
By Josh Osman
CHINESE BOX OFFICE MARKET GROWTH
Over time, the film industry has turned from a culturally western business to a global Leviathan, housing business juggernauts surrounded by a plethora of films, ranging from triple A Blockbusters to low budget Art-House productions. These developments have seen the increasing prominence of China...
By Ryan Ratnam
ISSUE 3
Now, after its third series, the fanbase of Channel 4's Hunted is only growing. The series, in which ordinary members of the public are pitched against an elite team of Hunters makes for tense, nail-biting viewing. With the powers of the state and a whole army of Hunters (all in silver Volvos) on their trail, the 'fugitives' must use their cunning...
By Oscar Smith
ISSUE 2
Normally, this article would start off with sheet excitement, speculating the film event of the year. Unfortunately, it starts on a rather melancholy note, due to my main predictions from the previous article, going down in flames. Whilst I could complain for pages and pages about the travesty that is Wonder Woman’s omission from any...
By Ryan Ratnam
THE THREAT OF SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES ON CINEMAS
We’ve all had the feeling of flicking through guides to be disappointed at the selection of movies available at the cinema and that sentiment is becoming more and more commonplace as cinemas fail to do enough to engage our interests...
By Ishveer Sanghera
TOP 5 GREATEST AND WORST MOVIE SCENES
What makes a good scene great? Is it the performance quality, the writing, the cinematography, the fearlessness of the themes, the boldness of the film making or is it how directly it grapples with the human condition? On the other end of the spectrum we will also explore the five worst scenes in history...
By Asha Bakhai and Bhiramah Rammanohar
The X Factor
This year the X Factor was a real breath of fresh air, really showcasing British talent. The best thing was that both acts in the final, Grace Jones and Rak-Su sang original music throughout the competition, rather than just covering...
By Oscar Smith
MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS REVIEW
On the 3rd November, Agatha Christie’s 1934 novel took another chance at the box office and with Kenneth Branagh at the helm, Judi Dench as Princess Dragomiroff, Daisy Ridley as the governess and Johnny Depp as the sly art dealer, critics were not surprised to see it bring in $2....
By Ishveer Sanghera
Once again we are coming to the end of the year, which means that it is time for one of the biggest events in the film industry; Awards Season. And I think that this specific Awards Season could be special, with their being four specific blockbusters in the running.
Why is this a special feat? The Academy, the Screen Actor’s Guild and most other boards which vote on these awards have always been seen...
By Ryan Ratnam
ISSUE 1
Stephen King’s classic novel collected £123.1 million on its first release day (8th September) for Warner Bros and New Line Cinema at the North American box office.According to Warner Bros, it’s the largest opening for a horror movie ever. According to box...
Ishveer Sanghera
Entertainment: Latest TV and Music
After a hugely successful first series in 2016, with an average of 7.7 million viewers per episode (the most successful TV drama of 2016), Victoria has once again returned to its coveted prime time Sunday evening slot. The period drama charts the trials...
Oscar Smith
The first album to go double platinum with no features in 25 years
2014 Forrest Hills Drive is J.cole’s 3rd studio album released on the 9th of December 2014 and it went number 1 on the...
Ronit Gandhi