Tag: film
Horror Cinema and the Female Villain: The Perpetuation of Female Victimisation
Monsters have long dominated the realms of the gothic and horrific, both in literature and the cinema. What’s more, these monsters are often male, seeking out women to overtake or destroy. Subsequently, the most common image of women in horror has been a pose of utter victimisation – the scream. In a seminal article entitled…
Rambo Revisited: From First to Final Blood
As the media erupts with slightly affectionate derision at the thought of another Rambo film, now seems like the perfect time to engage in a defense (sort of) of Sylvester Stallone’s flagship movie series, the Rambo tetralogy (soon to become a pentalogy). And why not defend the adventures of John Rambo? No, he may not…
Debating the Auteur Theory: An Argument Against
The second of a two-part debate between CURNBLOG’s Simon Butler and Jonathan Eig on the legitimacy of the Auteur Theory. See Part One here. Let’s go to the source. Andrew Sarris, writing in the Introduction to his seminal book The American Cinema: “Not all directors are auteurs. Indeed, most directors are anonymous. There is much…
Debating the Auteur Theory: An Argument For
The first of a two-part debate between CURNBLOG’s Simon Butler and Jonathan Eig on the legitimacy of the Auteur Theory. See Part Two here. My esteemed colleague Jonathan Eig and I have a little debate going on: Is the auteur theory, which finds that the director is the creative visionary behind the film, truth or hogwash?…
The British New Wave: 5 Movies About Gritty Brits
Before 1960, most films about the British working people showed them in a patronising, if affectionate way. They always worked hard, paid their bills, and endured hardship with a grin. Apron-wearing matriarchs hen-pecked their husbands, and terrified prospective sons-in-law. Men returned from work to enjoy a wash in the sink, followed by a frugal meal.…