James Absolon explains how this Pope-themed film, despite its risky premise, works
Alex Pollard reviews Hollywood's biopic of the controversial Margaret Thatcher
It is the end of another term at the YSC this week and it’s a good one; first an unusual science fiction thriller in Limitless on Monday, then on Friday we go out with a bang with the mighty marvel adaptation Thor. On top of this, Movie Soc are screening gritty racism drama American History X, whilst World Cinema Soc offers a lighter viewing experience with the peculiar comedy Everything is Illuminated.
Bradley Cooper stars as a failing and troubled writer unable to cope with his problems until he starts taking some rather unusual medication that greatly increases brainpower. Soon everything is brilliant and he is on top of the world, until businessman Carl Van Loon (Robert De Niro) decides he wants in on his secret. What follows is a fascinating power struggle pushing both men to their absolute limit, and keeps you on the edge of your seat.
Yes, the Norse God Thor, one of Marvel Comics most powerful and popular characters, finally gets his big screen debut in this critically acclaimed film from director Kenneth Branagh. Thor (Chris Hemsworth) finds himself exiled to earth by his father (Anthony Hopkins) and must soon confront both its strange customs and inhabitants (including Natalie Portman), before facing evil from his own realm in the form of the treacherous, traitorous machinations of his brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston). Overall the film is an epic fantasy spectacle that will thrill and delight in equal measure.
Tony Kaye’s 1998 directional debut follows Derek Vinyard (Edward Norton) and his younger brother Danny (Edward Furlong) and the birth and development of their racism. Though clearly an intelligent man, Derek is a passionate follower of the neo-Nazi movement, until his experiences in prison with the Aryan Brotherhood gang. His brother, however, has grown up with Derek’s old ideologies, and so upon release Derek tries to inform Danny of the error of his ways. A gritty, brutal film, American History X attempts to tackle the issue of racial hatred and, aided by charismatic acting, has been acclaimed by critics and the public alike.
Everything is Illuminated is the quirky tale of a young Jewish man Jonathan Foer (Elijah Wood) who goes in search of the woman who saved his grandfather’s life during the Holocaust. Alongside an eccentric cast of characters - including Alex, his talkative, hip-hop crazed translator, and Alex’s ‘blind’ grandfather and disturbed dog – Foer’s journey is full of humour, sentimentality and whimsy.
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