9 TV Shows for Students

TV SERIES FOR STUDENTS

So you have a summative assessment due in next week? One that will probably help you with your final grade? One that you really should be focusing all your time and energy on? 

Time to get addicted to a brand new TV Show then. 

With a collective eighteen months-worth of student experience, I now have a back catalogue of classic student-friendly TV shows. A catalogue you can whack out when the inevitable surges of procrastination begin to surface. Here are nine of the most painstakingly-addictive, moorish, confusing, compelling and unanimously entertaining TV Shows there are:

American Horror Story:

Interesting premise, fantastic cast and good balance of the aesthetically pleasing and downright disturbing. Don't let 'from-the-makers-of-Glee' put you off. Each series of AHS takes place in an entirely new 'world', timeframe and with new characters (same actors though - try not to confuse yourself). This drama-horror-thriller is a classic example of how a TV show can be so addictive you start having withdrawal symptoms. Students... AHS is a good place to start.

Breaking Bad:

Oh... that show again? Yes. It took me a while (three attempts) to get properly into it and I couldn't understand the hype - until I got half way through season 2. Most people have already seen this show and worship it like the Bible so if you are within the 5% of students who haven't ... get ON IT!

Dexter:

My first. If you had approached my dorm room in the early hours of the morning anytime during first semester Fresher's.. you would find me fetal position... still awake... watching Dexter. It was the first TV Show I became obsessed with and since finishing the entire series over a year ago, I have revisited the life of ginger-haired serial killer Dexter Morgan and re-watched every episode... twice. 

House:

Not as easy-watching than the previous two: the doctor-lingo is more intense than Holby City, the illnesses more bizarre than Casualty, and the acting FAR better than either. Hugh Laurie is a genius and Dr. House is one of my favourite characters in anything, ever. 

 

Orange is the New Black:

Funny, emotional, rude, serious, entertaining... there aren't many things OITNB isn't (aside from shit). This prison drama provides a refreshing portrayal of females in the media and insight into the complexities of human relationships.  

Pretty Little Liars:

Possibly the TV Series I was the most shocked to discover I really really like. Prior to watching I couldn't see how I could relate to it in anyway. Four American, teenage girls with perfect hair and make-up at all times and who wear four inch heels to school?! ALAS, from the pilot alone I was hooked. Cleverly written, unpredictable, constantly surprising the audience ... it got to the point where I though Aria's mum  could be A (she's not). They are pretty, they are little, and my god they are liars.

Prison Break:

After a stressful day at Uni lectures, seminars... scouring the library for books to help you write that essay you haven't even started. You come home, pop on the kettle and open up Netflix to relaaaaaaaaax. On comes Prison Break and your whole life is ruined. The most stressful but exhilarating thing I have ever watched - every episode is like an intense thriller movie.  PB is also potentially the most addictive of all the TV Shows. Once you start you better kiss your social life goodbye.

Suits:

Sharp, sophisticated and shot in lots of grayscale, Suits is very much like the type of attire it suggests. (I know... it means 'suits' as in 'law suits' but still). Sit back, try not to keep up with all the lawyer/attorney/judge/paralegal (etc..) lingo and welcome Harvey Specter and Mike Ross (a.k.a Peng Sr. and Peng Jr.) into your life.

Weeds:

Very weedy, very sexy ... so very student-ty. 

Take your pick.

See you on the other side.

Kingsman: The Secret Service - Film Review

Director: Matthew Vaughn   Starring: Colin Firth, Samuel L Jackson, Taron Egerton   Genre: Spy-action comedy

"There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self"

Colin Firth's new movie Kingsman: The Secret Service is James Bond meets Kick-Ass meets... Eastenders (literally, Ronnie Mitchell is actually in it)

This wasn't the only element of the film that I found surprising: Welshman Egerton hides behind a thick cockney accent as the young male spy Eggsy, Mark Strong actually plays the good guy and I left the theatre thinking Colin Firth was actually quite.. cool.

Council estate kid Eggsy (Egerton) is recruited by top spy Harry Hart (Firth) to become a new member of the secret service Kingsman (hiding in plain sight as a tailors). When the villainous Valentine (Jackson) threatens world genocide the Kingsmen must work together to stop him.

However, this is not your typical Billy Elliot-style working-class boy overcomes societies constraints to succeed those born "with a silver spoon up their arse". It focuses more on moral lessons of attitude and self worth. 

Like other Matthew Vaughn films (Kick-Ass and X Men: Days of Future Past) there is a much respected injection of comedy into the otherwise 'serious' genre. Samuel L Jackson is ingenious as the global warming-concerned villain. With his 'dope' vocab and lisp I'm left wondering if there is anything he can't do.

From the creatively sequenced fight scenes that involve an extremely high-tech umbrella and fantastical gadgets such as poison fountain pens, grenade lighters and bladed shoes to heads exploding like fireworks; the visual spectacle of the film is something in it's own right. Even the female villain Gazelle has an impressive pair of bladed prosthetic legs and insane martial art skills that make her literally terrifying.

A good mix of humour, heart, intensity and good old bloody fantastic spy antics, Kingsman is a highly enjoyable watch.

If anything it's worth watching to see Firth utter: "I'm a Catholic whore [...] Hail Satan and have a lovely afternoon".  

TEENAGE DIRTBAG: The 90's Teen phenomenon

What happens when you take a dash of Jock, a pinch of cheerleader, stir in some misfits, firmly whisk in some guy-bets-guy plot twist and set in the sunny surroundings of an American High School with an extra serving of cheese?

The archetypal 90's Teen Movie.

These fundamental ingredients are what formed a majority of nineties films. Whether it be through a house party setting complete with red plastic cups and sound systems or the blasting of Third Eye Blind and 'The Rockafella Skank' by Fatboy Slim, these 'hangovers' of 80's teen films encapsulated the trials and tribulations of dating, awkward teenage sexual endeavors and the struggles of fitting in.

The social hierarchy of American High Schools was essential to 90's teen movies. Heightened stereotypes and situations that often involved the introduction of an 'outsider' into a crew of 'popular kids' were familiar themes along with character makeover, romantic complications and socially awkward encounters.

Clueless (1995) was the first of the quintessential American-High-School films with The Muff's 'Kids of America' blaring over establishing shots of school grounds complete with US flags and yellow school buses.

S

It sparked a whole wave of teen movies and is now regarded as a cult film in its own right (note: Iggy Azalea's music video for 'Fancy' is a pretty impressive homage). Cher (Alicia Silverstone) was the epitome of the desired stereotype: a pretty, wealthy, popular girl who always had her way.

Standardized plots such as: 'geek gets the girl'; 'Prom Queen is disgraced' and 'The popular guys choice between his mates and his new love interest' (the ultimate bros before hoes) provided the make-up for 90's teen films.

She's All That (1999) is the typical Jock-bets-he-can-date-any-girl-chooses-the-geek-ends-up-falling-for-her-and-it-all-goes-tits-up-when-she-finds-out film.

School president and Jock Zak (Freddie Prinze Jr.) is dumped by his 'every girl wants to be her and every guy wants to nail her' girlfriend Taylor Vaughn and is propositioned by his buddies to replace her by turning Arty geek Laney (Rachel Leigh Cook) into the Prom Queen.

10 Things I Hate About You (1999) the modern re-working of Shakespeare's 'Taming of the Shrew' is another prime example of nieve, horny teenagers making business deals with each other for the attention of girls. 

Popular girl Bianca is not allowed to date until her 'head case' of a sister Kat (Julia Stiles) does. A baby-faced Joseph Gordon-Levitt approaches a mysterious foreign guy (Heath Ledger) to date Kat in exchange for money, simultaneously double-crossing the schools 'big guy' Joey.

American Pie (1999) was paramount for this particular 'genre' as it spawned an entire plethora of slap-stick comedies and has become a cultural phenomenon. 

Whats so unique about these specific films (and other along a similar ilk) is simply there... American-ness. 90's teen films played a massive role in consolidating a vibrant representation of American youth culture. Everything from the fashion, the cars, the music and even the food is forceful in its 'Americanism'.

'MURICA

The Theory of Everything - Film Review

Director: James Marsh  Starring: Eddie Redmayne, Felicity Jones  Genre: bio-rom drama

"However bad life may seem, there is always something you can do"

Kicking off my 8-film review collection is James Marsh's Stephen Hawking biopic The Theory of Everything. Not only does it serve as an insightful and interesting tale of an incredible man's life and his achievements but showcases one of the best performances by an actor I have seen in a long time.

The film itself is primarily about a love story. It follows the complicated relationship of Stephen Hawking and Jane Wilde from their meeting as graduate students at the University of Cambridge throughout their thirty-year marriage and to their divorce in 1995. It was a  relationship that was a catalyst for many of the great things Hawking's achieved in his work.

Going into the movie theater I had reasonably mediocre expectations (having seen the work of Redmayne and Jones  and not been overly impressed). However, both were undeniably fantastic portraying Hawking and his devoted wife Jane. It is no surprise to me that Eddie Redmayne recently won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor. He simply blows all other nominees out of the water.

Redmayne masters the physicality of Hawking. Not only does he have an uncanny resemblance to the world renowned physicist, but believably depicts his slow deterioration due to Motor Neuron Disease (a.k.a ALS - the charity you all lobbed ice buckets over your head for last summer). He visualizes Hawking's inspiring story - a man with so much potential and ambition is told he has a limit to his life, only to fight through the many obstacles that face him to achieve some of the most groundbreaking discoveries in Science.

Felicity Jones is wonderful as Jane (whose memoir Travelling to Infinity is the basis of the film) and delivers the conflict and struggle she experienced with  grace and humanity. Her character arc alone proves there are many layer to this biopic, The Theory of Everything is more than meets the eye, dealing with issues on life and love relatable to everyone.

The film incorporates the maths and science without being too forceful or intimidating - yet informs the audience of what makes Stephen Hawking an anomaly. I particularly enjoyed the spattering of humour throughout Anthony McCarten's screenplay that displays Hawking's tremendous wit balanced with his intelligence and genius.

There are also superb supporting roles by Harry Lloyd, Maxine Peake and David Thewlis that compliment the performances of the two leads and a delightful score by Johan Johansson that adds an excellence of sound that mirrors the visual.

The cinematography, performances, pacing, score and screenplay are all exemplary. The Theory of Everything is without a doubt one of the best British films around, and a very strong contender for this years Awards Season.

Oscars 2015: Best Picture Nominees Film Review(s)

                                                           

       

This year’s Oscar nominations, released on January 15^th, have been met with an overwhelming amount of criticism for multiple snubs and a lack of diversity within the nominees.

Potential big winners this year include Richard Linklater’s Birdman and Wes Anderson’s The Grand Budapest Hotel that have both been given nine nominations.

However, top performances by Ralph Fiennes (The Grand Budapest Hotel), Jake Gyllenhaal (Nightcrawler) and Jennifer Aniston (Cake) have all been snubbed by the Academy, despite being shortlisted for numerous other award associations. The films themselves are also up for Academy Awards in other fields. 

The well-received Lego Movie has no nomination for Best Animated Feature. However, it was nominated for Best Original Song for ‘Everything is Awesome’.

Interstellar and Gone Girl were left out major categories, aside from Rosamund Pike’s Best Actress nod.

It is a shame that Matthew McConaughey who has recently emerged from a period of McConissance following his Academy Award-winning role in Byers Dallas Club at the 2014 Oscars hasn’t been recognized by any major Awards ceremonies for his performance in Interstellar. Similar with Christopher Nolan’s latest film, there are no major nominations for The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies. Both films display such incredible achievements in direction and in terms of their sheer scale and skilled craftsmanship. It is disappointing neither has been at least nominated for Best Film. All hope is not lost however, as Interstellar has been nominated for both Best Visual Effects and Best Original Score (for Hans Zimmer) and continues to be a strong contender in those categories.

A number of other notable performances seem to have gone unnoticed this awards season. Scarlett Johansson’s performance in Under the Skin and Jack O’Connell in Unbroken are just a few examples of sound work that have been rebuffed by the Academy.

On another note, the predominant white male attention has also been cause for criticism among the movie-going public.  All twenty nominees in acting categories are white and there are no female nominees for achievement in directing, cinematography or screenplay. There has been an intense reaction to the lack of diversity on social media sites, the hashtag #oscarssowhite being used intently across the Twitter-sphere.

The Martin Luther King biopic Selma is at the forefront of films being snubbed by the Academy. The film itself has been nominated for Best Picture but in terms of individual achievement, the performance of actor David Oyelowo and work of director Ava DuVernay has been completely ignored.

On an equally worrying note, a Los Angeles Times study found that the Academy rates are even less diverse than the movie-watching public with 94% being Caucasian and 71% male.

Strong contenders for awards include Eddie Redmayne for his portrayal of Stephen Hawking in The Theory of Everything. Redmayne previously won the Golden Globe Award earlier this year for one of the best performances by a young actor since Jennifer Lawrence in Silver Linings Playbook.

Boyhood also has promise being nominated for Best Film, Director and Supporting Actress for Patricia Arquette. The film itself has been declared a landmark by many critics and praised for the brave and unique style of film making that follows the life of one family shot over the period of 12 years.

The 87^th Academy Awards hosted by Neil Patrick Stewart will take place on Sunday, February 22^nd at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood.

The Academy has certainly made the white decision this year. The right one however…that’s debatable.

                                            

Unbroken - Film Review

Unbroken - Review

Director: Angelina Jolie   Starring: Jack O'Connell, Domhnall Gleeson, Miyavi    Genre: War-drama

"A moment of pain is worth a lifetime of glory"

This Christmas see's the return of the most recent actor-turned-director Angelina Jolie with her ambitious account of the life of Louis Zamperini in Unbroken.

A young Italian immigrant Louis Zamperini pushes his way out of a troubled childhood to become a champion runner who qualifies for the 5000m at the 1939 Berlin Olympics. Following the outbreak of WW2 Zamperini served as a pilot for the United States Army Air Corps. One plane he was flying crashed into the ocean off the coast of Hawaii and was he was left for dead floating upon a raft for 47 days. Surviving off raw albatross and fish for nearly two months Zamperini was only to be immediately captured by Japanese forces and sent to a brutal POW camp for two years.

In what appears (to me) to be an outstanding performance, Zamperini offers a very demanding role for Jack O'Connell previously of Skins fame. (who knew Cook could be so emotionally available?) From the distinct Zamperini-esque running style to the California dialect and O'Connell's emaciated body during the raft sequences he has clearly got his hands of a role that enables him to showcase his diverse acting abilities. O'Connell has the impressive trait of injecting the character with humility and emotion whilst simultaneously having the hard 'man's-man' quality that he is associated with.

During Zamperini's time in the P.O.W camps he endured the cruel reign of camp officer Miyaui  "The Bird" Watanabe played fantastically by Japanese rock star-turned-actor Miyavi. Jolie does not shy away from the violence. One particularly gruesome scene depicts an event where The Bird gets every prisoner in the camp to punch Zamperini in the face until he is left bloody and unconscious on the floor.

Domhnall Gleeson is also exceptional as Russell 'Phil' Phillips and Garrett Hedlund and Luke Treadaway also proved solid supporting characters.

Alexandre Desplat provides a well-rounded adequate score, nothing too fancy that distracts from the screen but one that adds to the tension. However, the random Coldplay song 'Miracles' during the closing credits was rather unexpected.

The only real fault I had with the overall film, is that I would have liked to have seen more of the running. Louis success as an athlete and his time at the Olympics was only a small fraction of the impressive things he managed to achieve throughout his life, and maybe due to time/money some scenes had to be cut out. Nevertheless, I look forward to a directors cut.

The main issue Unbroken may come up against is this. Louis Zamperini's life was so extraordinary, and he survived some of the most unimaginable experiences that he appears to be a superhero. Because of this it is easy to forget everything that happens within the film is based on true life events. Jolie has spoken about certain real life events such as Zamperini punching a shark to death whilst on the raft and his one-to-one meeting with Adolf Hitler at the Olympics (Hitler himself wanted to personally meet Louis) that had to be cut from the script as they were too 'unbelievable'.

The ending sequence explicitly reminds the audience of real-life origins of the film that acts as an emotional reflective device and hones down the films messages of the human spirit and forgiveness.

And that Louis Zamperini's life can be an example for us all.

Interstellar - Film Review

Interstellar

Director: Christopher Nolan Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain  Genre: Sci-Fi

"Love is the one thing that transcends time and space"

This month sees the return of the big-budget, star-studded, epic action whore director Christopher Nolan (also known for the Batman films and Inception) with his new Sci-Fi Interstellar. With a cast that includes Matthew McConaughey fresh from receiving his Best Actor Oscar earlier this year and entering into an era of McConaissance, the ever reliable Anne Hathaway and the down right brilliant Jessica Chastain I had high hopes going into the movie theater.

I had no prior knowledge on what the film was about, only what the trailer and an appearance by McConaughey and Hathaway on the Graham Norton Show appeared to let on. In all fairness I still don't really know what the film is about. Alas, let that not retract from the fact Interstellar is a highly enjoyable -a very long (you get your money's worth) - but highly enjoyable epic adventure that allows you to venture into the lives of space travelling outcasts. In between fantastical establishing shots of spacecrafts, galaxies and 'new' planets, there is the heart-rendering message of fatherhood weaved throughout the film. 

It's the future and humanity is faced with the threat of dying out unless another planet, habitual by humans is found. Former NASA pilot Joseph Cooper (McConaughey) is recruited by Professor John Brand (Michael Caine - no surprise there) to join his daughter Amelia (Hathaway) and 2 others to pilot the spacecraft Endurance to find such a place. Although this may to some sound like a rather unoriginal and almost predictable plot - it's not. In typical Nolan-style, intelligence and complexity is applied to both character and story, intertwining the incomprehensible (for me) physics and variety of other sciences with the constant reminder of earth's peril and all the moral conflicts it brings with it. 

Hathaway and McConaughey look concerned as they watch
 fellow astronaut open a pot noodle during zero-gravity

The additional side-plot of Cooper's uneasy relationship with his daughter Murph (Chastain) adds the sentimental, instantly relatable themes of family and more prominently loyalty that often creeps into Nolan films.  Matt Damon and John Lithgow have smaller, yet just as memorable roles in the film. All the characters are fully rounded and are there to serve a specific purpose.

With an unexpected, well thought-out plot twist and sophisticated score by the legendary Hans Zimmer (The Lion King, Gladiator, Inception) this is the sort of film (as with all Christopher Nolan films) that makes you feel smarter by just simply watching it. 

There is no doubt in my mind that Interstellar will fit quite comfortably on the long list of 'Nolan Classics'.