Category: Films
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Witches, lesbians and Blackness: Queering Wicked
I’m not a big fan of musicals, but my kids really wanted to watch the new film Wicked so off we went to see the Wizard. Upon leaving the cinema though I admit to not just being taken in by the emotive, searing musical numbers, and the glittering and quite…
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The Substance: The Emptiness of the Neoliberal Self
***This is a guest post by Fern Snedeker (they/them). Feedback, thoughts, and criticism are happily welcome at natesneds at gmail.com, and their other writing can be found at nathanielsnedeker.com*** In a world of self-commodification, never-ending branding in life (and death), and endless self-improvement, The Substance offers an macabre antidote: reunification…
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Woody, a fascist: A contemporary reading of Toy Story
Toy Story is a fantastic film, let me say that straight away. Indeed, the first 3 films are considered one of the finest trilogies in all cinematic history and there is no doubting that they have had a profound effect on many people all over the world. And yes, Woody…
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The liberal life of Riley: An ubuntu critique of Inside Out 2
I finally got round to watching Inside Out 2 the other day, and as a father to a 13 year old daughter (and with another not far behind), it certainly struck an emotionally reverbate, and achingly familar chord. The film is great. I want to say that straight away. It…
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Bubblegum Dystopia: The Sweet Decay of Late-Stage Capitalism
I recently came across the term ‘bubblegum dystopia’ (this video explains that it comes from a quip about Terry Gilliam’s 2014 film The Zero Theorem) and oh yes, it’s a *chefs kiss* description of the current conjuncture of late-stage palliative capitalism we find ourselves in… Because while the world boils,…
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Exploring Blackness of the Inner City: A Review of Netflix’s “The Kitchen”
As an urban geography professor, there are some films that are so on the nose with regard the themes that pervade my teaching and research encounters that they demand a closer inspection: and Netflix’s The Kitchen by Kibwe Tavares and Daniel Kaluuya is one such film. Set in a near…
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From Below (2022)
A quick post to say that our feature-length documentary film produced as part of the recent AHRC-funded research project on mutual aid in the pandemic is now available for FREE online. Entitled ‘From Below’, and directed by the brilliant Matthias Kispert, the film speaks of how people and volunteers mobilised…
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Fight Club 20 years on: suicide and empathy
David Fincher’s Fight Club is now 20 years old. And that the film still manages to talk directly to the issues of today is a testament to the foresight of Chuck Palahniuk’s original novel, but also to the incisiveness of Fincher’s film-making. There are countless blog posts, papers, books, online documentaries,…
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Blade Runner 2049: A loving review
As the new Blade Runner film dissipates from the cinemas, I feel it acceptable to write about it in-depth, given that (hopefully) those of you interested in it, would have seen it by now. *****warning MAJOR spoilers ahead*****
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The Materiality of Die Hard
Last night I had the privilege of watching Die Hard on the big screen at the Filmopolis Christmas Party. A great night, with an even greater film. Die Hard is one of those films that you can watch repeatedly, and rarely strays from perfection. Despite containing now tired Hollywood clichés,…
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