Cinema in Context

Wizarding World sequels. Sarah Watt, Jeremy Downing and William Chen discuss the second Fantastic Beasts film, The Crimes of Grindelwald, and the third Harry Potter film, subtitles The Prisoner of Azkaban. Our discussion begins by discussing the Wizarding World logo and the franchise quality of these films, and then quickly develops into how the two stories are structured. We compare the casts in...

Diegetic musicals. Sarah Watt, Jeremy Downing and William Chen discuss A Star Is Born and Cabaret. We begin by discussing the prowess of both Lady Gaga and Liza Minelli in the opening of each film. We unpack the narrative structure of A Star Is Born, looking at the first and second half, and stylistic throw-backs to other directors, which include Richard Linklater and David O. Russell. We talk abo...

Culture clash wedding films. Sarah Watt, Jeremy Downing and William Chen discuss Crazy Rich Asians and My Big Fat Greek Wedding, two romantic comedies that have broken Box Office records. Our discussion begins with acknowledging that My Big Fat Greek Wedding has not aged very well, so we try and find redeemable qualities in the film. We burst out in outrage at the poor Health and Safety protocols...

Tom Cruise action films. Sarah Watt, Jeremy Downing and William Chen discuss Mission: Impossible - Fallout and Top Gun. We jump straight into a discussion about the Mission: Impossible films, highlighting the strength of the director talent for each of the films, comparing it to the James Bond and Harry Potter films. Our chat then moves to Top Gun and how out of date the film feels in retrospect....

Action films in a building. Sarah Watt, Jeremy Downing and William Chen discuss Die Hard and Skyscraper. We begin by comparing Skyscraper to other films, like Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Galaxy Quest, Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, MacGyver, and even the musical Annie. Dwayne Johnson does a great job as the "every man" action hero and Neve Campbell does a great job as his calm and collected...

Ocean's Eleven franchise films. Sarah Watt, Jeremy Downing and William Chen discuss Ocean's Eight and Ocean's Eleven, starting with acknowledging that the two films are very similar. We talk about the strength of the cast in Ocean's Eight, especially with the film's focus on character. We talk about the cinematography in both films, with the strength of cinematography in Ocean's Eleven and the str...

Social satire set in Japan. Sarah Watt, Jeremy Downing and William Chen discuss Isle of Dogs and Battle Royale. Discussion starts by comparing Battle Royale to our teaching experience, to The Hunger Games and to the current popularity of Battle Royale genre computer games, like Fortnite. We shift discussion to Isle of Dogs and commend the beautiful imagery, the tonal darkness of the story and how...

Science Fiction thrillers. Sarah Watt, Jeremy Downing and William Chen discuss A Quiet Place and Signs, two films with a lot of similarities, with the most obvious connections being that they are about small families surviving in the midst of an invasion by hostile creatures. We start by discussing the merits of A Quiet Place and the dated qualities of Signs. We discuss the history of cinema aroun...

Super hero films. *SPOILER ALERT FOR MANY SUPERHERO FILMS* Sarah Watt, Jeremy Downing and William Chen discuss Black Panther and any of the superhero films made in cinema history. We jump right into the discussion around black representation in Black Panther and if it does enough for representation. We compare representation of race with similar representation in Wonder Woman and District 9. We th...

Oscar Special 2018. Sarah Watt, Max Tarrant, Jeremy Downing and William Chen discuss the films nominated for Academy Awards this year. Here are our picks: - Best Picture: Dunkirk - Actor in a Leading Role: Gary Oldman, Darkest Hour - Actress in a Leading Role: Frances McDormand, Three Billboards outside Ebbing Missouri - Actor in a Supporting Role: Sam Rockwell, Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Mi...

Frances McDormand. Sarah Watt, Max Tarrant, Jeremy Downing and William Chen discuss the films Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri and Fargo. We begin by praising Fargo, particularly the performances of the actors and the balancing of tones in the film. We then compare the merits, similarities and differences between the two McDormand characters. The discussion then moves onto the merits and...

Top films of 2017. Max Tarrant, Sarah Watt, Jeremy Downing and William Chen discuss each of their top three films of the year. Max’s top three: 1. The Square 2. The Killing Of A Sacred Deer 3. Get Out Sarah’s top three: 1. Manchester by the Sea 2. The Killing of a Sacred Deer 3. Baby Driver Jeremy’s top three: 1. Alien: Covenant 2. Blade Runner: 2049 3. War for the Planet of the Apes William’s top...

Taika Waititi films. Sarah Watt, Max Tarrant, Jeremy Downing and William Chen discuss the films Thor: Ragnarok (2017) and Hunt For The Wilderpeople (2016). The discussion starts by talking about the wonderful pace and opening of Hunt For The Wilderpeople and Waititi’s knack for pathos. All of his films balance both sadness and joy extremely well. We talk about Taika Waititi’s status as an auteur a...

Two Blade Runners. Sarah Watt, Max Tarrant, Jeremy Downing and William Chen discuss the films Blade Runner and Blade Runner 2049. Our discussion starts by discussing the bold visual choices in both films, particularly the mastery present in the lighting, as well as the complimenting iconic music. We talk about some of the story elements, particularly the opening, and the keeping of Hampton Fancher...

Mother times two. Sarah Watt, Max Tarrant, Jeremy Downing and William Chen discuss the films mother! (2017) and Madeo, or Mother (2009). The discussion starts around mother! (2017) and unpacks its more horrific elements. We then have a back and forth discussion around the merits of Jennifer Lawrence’s character and the strength of her performance. We then jump into the allegory of the film, wonder...

Luc Besson Space Operas. Sarah Watt, Max Tarrant, Jeremy Downing and William Chen discuss the films Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets (2017) and The Fifth Element (1997). The discussion touches on gender politics and romance stories in both films. We talk about the connections to other films, like Blade Runner, Stars Wars, Avatar, Indiana Jones and Singin’ in the Rain. Luc Besson clearly...

Heist films with music. Max Tarrant, William Chen and Jeremy Downing discuss the films Baby Driver (2017) and Reservoir Dogs (1992). The discussion begins by talking about the tightly woven nature of both films and a clear confidence in each. We focus initially on Reservoir Dogs, talking about the strength of the characters and relationships, particularly the work of Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Micha...

William, Jeremy, Max and Sarah discuss their best and worst cinema experiences.

Comic book action heroines. Sarah Watt, Max Tarrant, Jeremy Downing and William Chen discuss the films Wonder Woman (2017) and Barbarella (1968). The discussion touches on the fun to be had in both films, as well as its exploration of female empowerment, sexual politics and the qualities of both title characters. Sex plays a prominent role in the cult classic sexploitation Barbarella, while carefu...

Bringing racial tension home. Sarah Watt, Max Tarrant, Jeremy Downing and William Chen discuss the films Get Out (2017) and Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner (1967). The discussion touches on: uncovering racial prejudices in society that both films investigate; how the films shift social perceptions on issues like interracial marriage, and both the problematic and successful aspects of that; the gap be...

William, Jeremy and Max discuss Alien: Covenant (2017). Warning: Spoilers!

Oscar winners of the Best Foreign Language Film Academy Award: the first winner and the latest winner. Jeremy Downing, Max Tarrant and Sarah Watt discuss the films The Salesman (2016) and La Strada (1954). The discussion touches on the treatment of the women in the films and the meta quality of Federico Fellini. The connection between the theatrical in both films is discussed, with the travelling...

Protagonists struggle with sanity. William Chen, Jeremy Downing and Max Tarrant discuss the films A Cure For Wellness (2016) and Repulsion (1965). The discussion focusses on protagonists that struggle with their sanity or their perception of sanity. The conversation touches on a number of different areas, starting off with a discussion around Roman Polanski’s cinematic work, how his films endure b...

Trainspotting times two. Jeremy Downing, Max Tarrant and Sarah Watt discuss the films T2: Trainspotting (2017) and Trainspotting (1996). The discussion touches on the films of Danny Boyle and his fall out with Ewan McGregor. The strength of T2 as a sequel, with themes of reconciliation and redemption, as well as the questioning of one’s past and how they have spent their time. Talk then continues...

Musicals on film. William Chen, Jeremy Downing, Max Tarrant and Sarah Watt discuss the films La La Land (2016) and Singin’ In The Rain (1952). Both films are movie musicals about filmmaking. The discussion touches on the magic of musicals, while both films deconstructing the magic of cinema. Nostalgia for older cinema, in both films. The suspension of disbelief in musical films and the grey area b...