The question of when to return to cinemas is a quandary with large ramifications — We’re devoted film fans. We mark time, not by the hands of the clock, but by release dates. We view history, not in terms of human experience, but in terms of the way it is reflected in cinematic evolution. Some might call it obsession but, to us, it is passion…

While nostalgia can be comforting on an individual level, large-scale nostalgia is where the wheels come off — Nostalgia is the common sensation defined as “a sentimental longing or wistful affection for a period in the past.” We all experience it, on occasion — when a particular song comes on the radio, or we spot an old movie while channel surfing. Stumbling across a dish that Grandma used…

The British attitude to immigration remains steeped in hypocrisy and classism — With Coronavirus wreaking havoc across the globe, and causing severe economic strife to countless countries, news that the United Kingdom (along with Germany) has begun chartering flights to bring seasonal workers in from other countries has prompted some breathless speculation across social media.

We thought it was Brexit that revealed the truth about the U.K. We were wrong. — Remember that time the UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights — Professor Philip Alston — told the world that the Conservative government of the United Kingdom had long possessed all the resources necessary to lift millions of children out of Dickensian levels of deprivation, but they chose…

It’s a means to an increasingly grim end — I recently received a letter from the Art Department of the High School my children attend. “Given the recent and historic funding issues that impact on smaller rural schools like ours, we have a constant challenge to be able to source affordable materials. …

It’s an eye-opening game. — When we are young, particular birthdays serve a purpose for all genders in terms of legal minimum ages. In the U.K, for example, the age of sixteen coincides with leaving secondary education, and it means you can apply for a provisional driving licence. It is also possible to leave home…

The cruel ironies of wilderness-based reality TV — For several years now, the American reality television landscape has been filled with shows that follow a similar narrative: White Americans head out into the wilderness , and have to survive while building a home, or making food, or mining for gold… or any number of manufactured scenarios. It is…

Social context is key. So is accountability. — In media criticism, social context is absolutely key. Media products do not exist in a vacuum — they are created by people who are influenced by many social factors, using technology from a particular era, and delivered to an audience who bring their own experiences to bear on it, influenced…

Most movie heroism, of men and women, is underpinned by the victimisation of women — and, ironically, that’s the only kind of gender equality in cinema — It’s fairly standard Hollywood screenwriting. The hero can’t be a hero until they overcome something. There has to be some kind of obstacle to greatness that makes their journey to greatness even greater. If that obstacle can then be spun to act as motivation of said character as well, then…