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Home , Ben Affleck, Cartoon Saloon

Will Tyrell journeys through the mind of one of ’s most creative artists of all time.

Living in an era that revolves around technology, we can sometimes lose touch with the natural world. Ellie Schenk looks at how two iconic films in particular depict this situation at very different times in history.

Krupa Dodhia counts down some of the best underdog movies of all time. Did your favourite make the list?

Great Scott! Thomas Shutt explores some of Hollywood’s most famous crazies in lab coats to see exactly how their role over the years contributes to some of the most endearing movies of all time.

Blood, sweat and tears… and that’s just one day in the life of an actor! Niall Whitehead discusses the lengths that some directors go to in order to create artistic perfection in the outdoors. We’re looking at you Leo!

Is Ben Affleck the hero we deserve?Sarah Armstrong talks casting, criticism and the cowl.

Pixar: a crowd favourite or overdone? No one wants to say it but everyone is thinking it…right? Matthew Singleton investigates.

You’ve got the schedule. But what to watch? Here are a few reviews to help you…

You’ve got the business card. You’ve seen our page. Here’s just one more flash of rainbow as your reference for this term’s movies.

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YSC can be found in P/X/001, located in the Physics and Electronics Department on Hes West, at the south end by the Student Centre.

Editor Cover Design Sarah Armstrong Sarah Armstrong (images from 20th C Fox and Warner Bros.) Deputy Editors Krupa Dodhia, Holly Huxter, Writers Matthew Singleton and Sarah Armstrong, Krupa Ellie Schenk Dodhia, Ellie Schenk, Thomas Shutt, Matthew Singleton, Will Tyrell and Niall Whitehead.

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And so it is the beginning of the end of a monumental year for YSC. Our 50th anniversary, complete with old friends and alumni, was a blast. We felt the love between cries of horror at the state of our old 35mm projector.

In this year’s last issue, before I leave Exposure in the capable hands of Krupa Dodhia, we decided to celebrate the oddballs and the outsiders. From Tarantino to LeDic, I think we have all our bases covered.

As always, if you are interested in joining (of course you are, just look at all the pictures of us having fun), drop us an e-mail at [email protected] or come along to any of our screenings. Information can be found on our website (yorkstudentcinema.org). Be sure to monitor Facebook or for updates on our showings (York Student Cinema and @ysc respectively). SA

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AN AUTEUR AND HIS VISION:

Photo: Lionsgate An auteur filmmaker is defined as one that has such a be classed as a sort of Western I guess, but I can't personal artistic influence over their movie that they can imagine Alejandro González Iñárritu is going to follow it be regarded as the "author" of the piece; think people like up with a stylish kung fu movie - but it does mean that and , directors where he can liberally borrow/steal (depending on how much of you can watch a movie and instantly tell that it's one of a fan you are) ideas, themes, character traits, music theirs. This is perhaps more true for Quentin Tarantino cues (the Django Unchained theme music is actually than for any other modern director: his trademarks of originally from the 1966 western Django, the eponymous witty and eloquent characters, bloody violence, overuse lead of which does make a brief cameo) and even entire of a certain racial slur, Samuel L. Jackson, and shots of his scenes from films that he loves and repurpose them. actresses’ feet instantly make his films recognisable no However - to rebut all of the naysayers who claim that matter whether it's the stylish, non-linear crime he's nothing more than a cinematic thief who lacks classic Pulp Fiction or the bloody historically revisionist originality - he combines all these references and WW2 movie Inglorious Bastards. In Tarantino's case homages with his very distinctively sharp writing style though perhaps scrapbook filmmaker would be a more and a vividly physical visual style to create films which apt description, as he has successfully used an are incredibly popular both with audiences and with encyclopaedic knowledge of cinema (in an interview with critics. Think about it: how many other filmmakers still The Talks he claims that in his late teens to early working can lay claim to the release of one of their new adulthood he would average around 200 movies a year, films generating as much hype amongst professional which is something I wish I could do if only my degree critics and the general public? I can only think of didn't get in the way) to create his own distinctive style of , and maybe Martin filmmaking defined by the way that it borrows from and Scorsese, and neither Nolan nor Cameron have as makes homages to the films he loves most. distinctive a style as ya boi QT (and I doubt the average His fascination with genre fare - from Hong Kong movie-goer could name more than 5 of Scorsese's films, gangster movies and Japanese samurai movies, to the whereas they could probably name nearly every one of Blaxploitation films of the 70s and the hundreds of Tarantino's). Westerns churned out by Hollywood - is reflected in the There are those that hate him and those that love him sort of films he makes; he is unashamedly a genre (personally I don't care for Kill Bill) but it cannot be filmmaker. Such a focus on this sort of filmmaking is denied that Quentin Tarantino is one of the most unusual for such an influential, auteur filmmaker in the distinctive cinematic artists working today, and I think current cinematic climate - The Revenant could arguably that's something to be celebrated. WT

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Stand by Me is one of the definitive coming-of-age films, adapted by from a novella by Stephen King. It charts the laughs and tears of four boys as they journey to find the dead body of a peer in the summer before they start Junior High School. Kings of Summer is a quirky, warming (if at times silly) update to this genre. Three boys look for manhood, comradery and escape from their overbearing parents in a self-made house in the woods. Despite being produced 27 years apart, and set 54 years apart, the outside is integral to both films.

THERE HAVE UNDOUBTEDLY The latter sounds a bit morbid, so I phenomenon. It feels, however, been leaps in technology between understand if many readers would that the boys’ affinity for the

1959 and 2013. We can now occupy prefer the modern pursuits. Yet, outdoors comes down to

our time with Facebook, Instagram, despite the twenty-first century something beyond the influence of BuzzFeed, Snapchat and Funny Cat forms of entertainment the boys of a TV icon, something that the Compilation videos (speaking from Kings of Summer still seek by Me boys felt too, something experience). In Stand By Me, the outdoors, as Geordie and friends that has transcended decades. choices of entertainment are more do, to escape from their reality, not What it comes down to is that quaint, ranging from playing cards their phones or laptops. Joe and the outside equates to freedom. in a club house, storytelling, finding company relate the outdoors with Movie and cultural history has a jar of pennies you hid (poor survival and manhood; perhaps already cemented the connection Vern), camping under the stars, and what we are witnessing is merely between summer and freedom,

finding the dead body of a peer. the repercussions of the Bear Grylls but Stand byMe and Kings of Sony Pictures, Photos: Beach Big Films

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Summer show that the connection is distressing ones. In Stand By Me, just escape by watching the turtle really between the outside and each boy is faced with his fears, sing Coldplay one more time? The freedom, which the summer whether they relate to grief, answer is that there are bound to climate affords. In Stand by Me, it expectations, adults not being what be havens and dangers anywhere is the freedom to sleep outdoors, they seem, or being run over by a you go, it is just that the outdoors traverse a railroad bridge and find steam train. The film ends on an affords you both. The experiences a dead body. For Joe and friends, it is the freedom away from parents, school and adolescent trifles. Indeed, maybe the latter yearnings are something we can all relate to in a world where we are bombard- ed by social media, emails and other people’s lives; did you know a syndrome has now been diagnosed for the fear one feels ominous but realistic note as each of both groups of boys shows that when witnessing events on social boy’s future is described, and the the outside expects nothing. In media they cannot attend? Yes, truth that the boys did drift apart return, it can give us moments like FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) is a in Junior High is imparted to the Geordie observing the deer, or the thing! audience. A reflective view is not hilarity Joe and his friends I am, however, not saying that afforded so much in Kings of experience when trying, but the outdoors are a kind of oasis in a Summer, but problems are nonetheless failing, to kill an animal for the first desert of material and pointless faced. Instead of manhood and the time. Yet, you do not have to do pursuits and that we should all nurturing side of nature, the any of those things- your life is not head back to the good ol’ 1950s. menace of the outdoors and the a film. If you want, you can just Problems of everyday life find you usual adolescent disagreements click sleep on your phone and walk wherever you are; through the find a way into their kingdom. out the door (preferably locking it cinematography, the films present So, why is the outdoors always behind you). Do this before its too an openness to the outdoors that seemingly connected with late and you experience real allows a freedom to let thoughts escapism? Why go into the FOMO: Fear of Missing the and feelings surface, including the dangerous wilderness? Why not Outside. ES

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There’s nothing more inspirational than an underdog movie, watching the unsung heroes finally basking in the light that they deserve. Krupa Dodhia takes a quick look back at some of the best films that capture these greats…

You can’t talk about underdog movies without mentioning our very own 50th Anniversary special. Rocky Balboa, the Italian Stallion from the local Philly neighbourhood, encompasses strength and sportsmanship when he goes up against the infamous Apollo Creed. The small-time boxer is given the chance of a lifetime to express everything it means to be powerful against all odds. While chasing his neighbourhood love, the local bum is given the chance to prove to himself, his peers and the world that courage and perseverance go a long way in life. All that matters is that he never gives up.

A crowd favourite, this heart-warming 1994 epic follows the adventures of Forrest Gump… and what adventures he encounters! Forrest isn’t considered bright or prosperous by those in his community – with his IQ of 75 and social unconventionalities, you would tend to lean more towards pity than heroic praise! But does he prove us wrong. From fighting in the Vietnam War to being a world expert in ping pong, we witness the world through the eyes of a man with a refreshing simplicity and fairness, showing that positivity and faith is all you need to make the most of life. No words will ever do this film justice. The breath-taking, Oscar-winning performance by Tom Hanks meets the subtle yet perfect balance of comedy and reality to bring us a magical journey of what it means to be the true hero in life.

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A Jamaican bobsled team. For those who haven’t seen this movie, you’re probably thinking that these are words that should not go together… but that’s the beauty of it! Cool Runnings was one of the first movies to show us what it means to go after what you want when the whole world is against you. Underneath the humour and crazy 90s fashion sense, there is a deeper message of self-belief and pursuing your dreams. From raising money to get to the Olympics, to encountering tough competition from their German rivals, the team are met with obstacle after obstacle, showing exactly what the strength of the underdog can do. And even though they fall at the last hurdle, they achieve something more meaningful: the true spirit of unity and sportsmanship.

Clint Eastwood’s Oscar-winning masterpiece follows the story of Maggie, a girl tired of waitressing who finds serenity in the boxing ring. Her fierce intensity and hidden spark is encouraged when guided by boxing trainer Frankie (Eastwood) and his friend Scrap (). This is not your conven- tional boxing movie. Yes, you have the fights and the wins. But what it is really about is a woman determined to make something of herself with the help of those who have no faith in her. ‘No faith’ slowly turns to friendship, which slowly turns to one of the most caring companionships cinema has ever seen. This movie has its dark elements, with sombre shadows and highly private characters. Above all, however, this is a story about how three unsuspecting people find their personal light through a journey of self-awareness and faith.

Detroit is riddled with division: within the community, between music and race, and inside a young boy battling with his dreams. In many of the movies we have seen so far the underdog rises against external oppression – but what about the demons inside your own head? Jimmy Smith Jr. is full of rage and love and passion and profundity… and rap music is his medium of expression. He strives to excel as an artist and as a human being in a world that constantly drags him back down. Very early on we see him about to go onstage at a rap club, finding his style and feeling his lyrics, but fate works against him when he freezes and flees. From here, we witness the internal struggle of a man trying to find happiness when he thinks he doesn’t deserve it.

Photos: United Artists Corporation, Paramount Pictures, Walt Disney Pictures, Warner Bros. Pictures, Universal Pictures 9

Photo: Marvel Studios, Universal Pictures, 20th Century Fox, Paramount Pictures, Columbia Pictures

THE MAD SCIENTIST HAS BEEN AN ICON OF CINEMA classic Universal Studios version of 1931, featuring iconic from the beginning. Acting as a conduit for popular fears and turns from Colin Clive and Boris Karloff as the doctor and obsessions, the character can exist in many forms - from hero monster respectively. As is usually the case, this film ends and salvation to the bringer of doom and destruction. with Dr. Frankenstein being kidnapped by his monster and The trope itself often works to render the discussion of nearly killed. taboo subject safe by presenting them through the filter of a Predating the Universal Frankenstein, but clearly character on the cusp of insanity. Although the mad scientists influenced by Shelley’s original book, perhaps the definitive are often benevolent, things rarely work out well for them. mad scientist in film is Rotwang in Fritz Lang’s Indeed, it is this trend that acts as a connective between (1927). Played by Rudolf Klein-Rogge, Rotwang builds a many of the films discussed here: When brilliant people go robot in the image of his dead wife who incites the working beyond their limits into new and uncertain endeavours, classes to riot, plunging the titular city into chaos. Rotwang things never quite go as hoped and the status quo must snap falls to his doom in the third act after a tussle with his back to protect us. Generally this is represented through creation. creations veering out of control – signifying an underlying The importance of Rotwang is impossible to understate – concern that anarchy could rule were scientific advancement with his laboratory influencing countless movie sets with its not kept in check. foaming test tubes, buzzing Tesla coils, and needlessly Many of the popular mad scientists in film are sourced from complex array of dials. Similarly, Rotwang's appearance had or inspired by classic literature - the works of H.G.Wells and an impact – with his crazy hair, white lab coat and wild Jules Verne - borne in the industrial revolution, where demeanour adopted as the stock mad scientist look. technological developments pushed science (and scientists) to Other iconic characters of the next decade, again lifted from the forefront of the popular imagination. the pages of classic science fiction, are Dr. Griffin in The One of the earliest examples is the 1818 novel Frankenstein Invisible Man (1933), played by Claude Rains, and Dr. Moreau, by Mary Shelley. Though Dr Frankenstein himself is played by Charles Laughton in Island of Lost Souls (1933). ultimately a sympathetic character, he crosses boundaries Moreau is perhaps the quintessential evil mad scientist, a that ought not to be crossed, refusing to heed the consequenc- leader who uses his elevated position for self-centred es and ultimately paying the price for his hubris– a trait purposes, playing god to spawn an array of animal-human carried through all the characters mentioned hereafter. hybrids and inflicting continual suffering on his creations. The most enduring film iteration of the character is the In the mid twentieth century the Cold War gave rise to

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increasing threats of worldwide destruction, the advent of the atomic bomb birthing genuine fears that science and technology was out of control. Perhaps the most famous example of this is in Stanley Kubrick's Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1963), in which Peter Sellers plays the titular Dr. Strangelove. A darkly comedic creation, Strangelove is an ex-Nazi scientist recruited by the US government and directly represents real concerns at the time, specifically Operation Paperclip – wherein ex- Nazi scientists such as Wernher Von Braun were taken on by the USA to develop new weaponry in the Cold War. Less based on reality but just as imaginative, The Fly (1958) concerns the perils of teleportation and an obsessed scientist who tries to perfect the process for the good of humanity. The film's 1986 remake takes a slightly different approach to the story, concerning a scientist’s slow transformation into an abomination while his girlfriend suffers the consequences. Top: The inimitable Ian Malcolm. Bottom: 1984’s Ghostbusters. This film is notable for being the first of many mad scientist performances by Jeff Goldblum. modifications. Robots are commonplace, and the digital The seventies introduced a comedic angle, with ’ world dominates everything we do. Young Frankenstein (1974) starring Gene Wilder skewering the This has led to a fresh template for the mad scientist, with tropes in homage to the thirties classics. This self-awareness focus on the financial and philosophical merits of scientific reached fever pitch with cult musical The Rocky Horror tinkering. Recently, Ex-Machina (2015) carried on with similar Picture Show (1975), starring Tim Curry as Dr Frank-N-Furter. themes to impressive ends with Oscar Isaac giving a great The eighties saw the mad scientist fall squarely into the era performance– even the title of the film is a nod at playing of the blockbuster, with the Ghostbusters (1984) sharing every god. characteristic of mad scientist between them: playing with the Over the last decade comic book movies have dominated, supernatural, mad nuclear technology and a complete with characters such as Bruce Banner, Tony Stark and Bruce disregard for the safety of themselves and anyone else. The Wayne demonstrating shades of Jekyll and Hyde – all could most famous modern incarnation of the mad scientist is be perceived as mad scientists, using modern technology to undoubtedly Doc Brown in Back to the Future (1985), played create new personas and attempt to do good for society, often by Christopher Lloyd. Alternately powering his time warping with less than great results. This continues next year with Delorean with plutonium, a lightning bolt and bananas, he Benedict Cumberbatch starring as Dr Strange (2017). travels with hero Marty McFly to various key points in It’s not just sci-fi and comic book movies either, with horror American history, in order to correct complications that arise recently capitalising on primal fears of lunatics doing things from the very existence of his own invention. they shouldn’t – with the villains in franchises such as Saw In the nineties, Jurassic Park (1993) contains a cast of (2004) and The Human Centipede (2009) playing god much characters that are nearly all mad scientists of one form or like Dr Moreau did a century ago. another, with one of the key focusses on the implications of Looking to the future, Ghostbusters is back in a big way this playing god. From ’s noble yet summer, while Jeff Goldblum returns to one of his biggest misguided overload John Hammond, to Jeff Goldblum’s roles in Independence Day 2. It’s not all sequels and remakes babbling eccentric Ian Malcolm (a character he later reprised though - Keanu Reeves stars in Replicas as a scientist hell beat for beat in Independence Day). Indeed, it is also worth bent on bringing his dead family back to life. noting that B.D.Wong’s geneticist Dr Henry Wu returned While the appearance and underlying character of the mad twenty years later in Jurassic World to play god in a more scientist has changed over a century of cinema, the purpose overtly sinister capacity. remains much the same- skewering our fears of the strange and new. As long as advancements in technology and As the 21st century kicked in, medical science has allowed medical science continue, there will always be a mad scientist. limbs and organs to be transplanted with ease, the genetic TS code has been mastered, allowing for clones and genetic

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As proven by the entirety of the 1990s, the best way to make something more exciting is to slap on the prefix “EXTREME”. Case in point: extreme filming, which is a surefire way to draw in the crowds once you’ve assured people your film was made with blood, sweat and more blood. Most recently, The Revenant’s been taking the awards circuit by Photo: Regency Enterprises storm, after a harrowing shoot where meanwhile, came out in 1985 and did himself claimed those who couldn’t sets got torn apart by snowstorms, much of its filming in Coober Pedy, a keep up were “wussies”, before almost computers literally froze and a naked mining town on the edge of the Great dying himself: his oxygen tank ran out character in a battle scene got dragged Stony Desert. Temperatures ended up partway through a shoot, a safety through the snow. as high as 63 degrees, which was bad diver again blew water down his But extreme filming’s been going on luck for the drivers in black cars throat instead of air, and he had to for a long time. A personal favourite of wearing black leather. Ten of them punch the diver in the face before mine is Roar, a 1981 film from Noel ended collapsing from exhaustion, and blacking out and floating to the Marshall starring his wife Tippi in fact, the heat was bad enough to surface. Hedren, his three children and 110 real collapse twelve cars, too. Of course, directors had been almost big cats, including lions, tigers and But at least those actors had the killing vast swathes of their actors long jaguars (oh my). Filmed mostly in a luxury of being able to breathe before the 1980s rolled around. Stanley little lodge out in the jungle, the end whenever they felt like it. No such luck Kubrick’s first film, the 1953 anti-war result is a crossover of Swiss Family for the cast of James Cameron’s 1989 story Fear and Desire, features a scene Robinson and natural selection, as wide- blockbuster The Abyss, where 40 per with a lot of rolling fog. As it turns out, eyed actors spew out their lines while cent of the shooting took place in an Kubrick didn’t have the money for a trying to shove away lunging hordes abandoned underwater nuclear tank (I fog machine, so he built one himself by of apex predators. mean, at least three of those words launching mineral oil and water out of Hedren got bitten in the neck by a sound like they could probably kill a crop sprayer. The only problem was lion and needed 38 stitches (which you). There were scenes were actors that he forgot to remove the insecticide made it into the film); the assistant swam underwater without helmets on. from said crop sprayer, which created director got his throat bitten open and Safety divers were around to blow life- a toxic death cloud that nearly his jaw mauled, and the director giving oxygen into their faces, except asphyxiated the cast and crew (on the himself ended up getting gangrene for the one who nearly killed bright side, it must have made rolling thanks to repeated maulings from by blowing water down his throat on the ground and looking terrified cheetahs. And to add insult to serious, instead of air. really easy to act out). hospitalizing injury, the film made a The constant threat of drowning and And I’m pretty sure none of them got $15 million loss. decompression sickness caused several an Oscar either. So it’s not that bad, Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome, breakdowns from the actors. Cameron Leo. NW

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Batfleck Begins

Photo: Warner Bros. has been interpreted by a The melodramatic outcry over his really was the type of guy to dress up multitude of different bequiffed actors casting will surely pass into legend. as a bat and attack people; Bale’s Dark in many different bequiffed ways. Comic book fans wailed ‘The guy Knight tapped into the city’s phones Tom Welling and Dean Cain from Daredevil? Why him?!’ while to take on the Joker; and let’s not even portrayed him in action-packed soaps equally baffled film buffs cried ‘The talk about Clooney. But this new Smallville and Lois and Clark, Brandon guy from Argo? Why would he do is truly a product of . Routh divided critics in the relatively that?!’ quiet Superman Returns and Henry It’s an undeniably unusual career Cavill smashed a lot of things in Man move for Affleck. By stepping back of Steel. We’ve even had a (quite frankly into writing and flexing his muscles terrifying) Turkish Superman in as a director, he regained tight control Süpermen Dönüyor which you’ve all over the direction and outcome of his definitely seen. projects. So after recovering from a But chances are, when you ask decade spent wandering through the Hardened and world-weary, fearful someone who the greatest Superman Hollywood wilderness, donning a and distrustful of incoming ‘aliens', is, they’ll tell you it’s Christopher cape and tights and joining the DC and savagely attacking people that Reeve. The beloved actor so machine might seem counterintuitive. don’t fall into line; we are far from the embodied the humble and benevolent (Only Ben Affleck knows why Ben Adam West years. alien, it’s been difficult to see anyone Affleck chose to do Batman. In Conceptually, this is a great way to else don those adorably oversized fairness, he’s put the time in, he’s pit him against Supes and tap into a specs. worked hard and he’s been through a tense political climate. As adults, we Batman, however, is a different difficult and very public divorce. And can see echoes of the troubles story. Much like Doctor Who or James for whatever reason, he now wants to dominating the headlines– Trump, Bond, everyone could be said to have sit back and be Batman. To be honest, terrorism, Silicon Valley kingpins– ‘their’ Batman. Batman aficionados given the chance, wouldn’t we all?) and in a sense Gotham and may debate the merits of different In the end, on the film’s release the Metropolis stand in for dual sides of actors that took up the cowl, but controversy has turned out not to be our own complicated world. So it is generally speaking ’your’ Batman is over Affleck, but over the that we have a complicated hero, and probably the Batman you grew up characterisation of the caped crusader as viewers we need to remember to be with. As a general rule, superheroes himself. critical. don’t stay dead for long; so it is that Batman wasn’t intended to be a role Let’s just hope that doesn’t fly over ’our’ Batman was Christian Bale, and model. Keaton’s portrayal was the heads of the kids lining up for the for today’s kids, it’s Ben Affleck. unhinged enough to convince you he 12A box office smash. SA

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Photo: Walt Disney Pictures, Cartoon Saloon

t has only been heard in hushed voices so far. about. Then in 2011 Cars 2 was released, and the ground People have begun to whisper across the world. beneath the king’s feet began to crumble. Brave, These whispers get louder every year, but Monsters University, Inside Out and The Good Dinosaur I nobody wants to admit it. Nobody wants it to be have followed since, slowly chipping away at the true, but… goodwill built up over the previous fifteen years. Brave Pixar has lost its originality. and The Good Dinosaur were little more than average,

Okay, I understand people will feel that this is an whilst Monsters University was unnecessary in the incredulous statement to make, but looking at the extreme. Although Inside Out was admittedly the best output of recent years it is nothing short of true. This is film since Toy Story 3, it relied heavily on tropes from not to imply Pixar movies are not good, or at times previous greats, coming across as more of an imitation great, but for the first time in two decades, Pixar has than a stone-cold classic. It has also been five years since become sloppy. Not dreadful, certainly not, but sloppy. Toy Story 3, a long time to wait for a fantastic Pixar movie. They have begun to rely on sequels, and even released The upcoming slate of films lack originality too, with their first ever prequel. Pixar is supposedly the king of four of the five announced projects being sequels. Who and the cornerstone of imagination in is honestly clamouring for another Cars movie, or for modern-day Hollywood. Whilst the other big studios that matter another Toy Story? It appears the greed of rely on churning out sequel after sequel, Pixar has Hollywood may have finally seeped into the seemingly supposedly been crafting classics. It was true for the incorruptible. The first Cars movie grossed $10 billion in most part during the noughties, but in the last half a merchandise alone, so maybe money does have an decade we have seen mediocrity strike time and time impact after all. again. In 2006 there was the hiccup that was Cars. A There’s no denying that Pixar will continue to churn relatively poor film surrounded by other greats: Up , out great movies, but where do audiences turn to when Wall-E and The Incredibles. There was nothing to worry looking for that spark of originality which Pixar appears

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spectacular. It is, quite simply, not your usual run of the mill animation film. Influenced by the legendary story of the Book of Kells the film follows the young boy Brendan as he attempts to help the elderly Aidan create a masterpiece. Set against the backdrop of a forthcoming invasion by the Vikings, it beautifully blends great humour and real heart, with a sense of adventure, and at times an unsettling feeling of dread. It is illustrated by hand, which you would think may lead to a simplistic product, but instead, it leads to one of the most intricate, gorgeously crafted movies of the last few years. The beauty of Cartoon Saloon is its willingness to embrace its rich heritage, and it utilises superbly Celtic Top: Song of the Sea. Bottom: Secret of Kells. mythology, from Crom Cruach to Aislings. It never strays into cliché either, thanks to a wonderful script to have been lacking recently? Dreamworks are often which subverts the animated children’s movie expertly. touted as Pixar’s biggest competitors, but their output is Song of the Sea is, if anything, even more impressive. inconsistent to say the least, and they have relied on Visually it is exquisite as every image is so layered, so cashing in on sequels for much longer than Pixar has at complex; they are truly works of art. As an audience we this point. Disney have been coming back in a real way are spoiled; it’s as if we are invading on a passion recently, defying the stereotypes of the genre that they project, because the commitment and dedication of the themselves created, most notably in mega-hit Frozen. animators really bleeds onto the screen. It is magical and atmospheric, and completely adorable. At times it reminds one of the Snowman with its wonderful grace and charm. Ultimately though, it is a movie which will o enjoy truly magical, enjoyable animation hit you where it hurts. It’s heartbreakingly beautiful. today though, fans should perhaps look Both movies transport the viewer in a way that very few slightly further afield. Studio Ghibli has animated films of the decade have been able to achieve Tbeen making films since 1986 and arguably has been so far. It is an extremely promising start. more consistent throughout their thirty year tenure than Their next movie, coming 2017, is called The any other animation studio in history. They have a truly Breadwinner, and has attracted the attention of Angelina Jolie, original style which has never been imitated. It is the who will executive produce it. It appears Cartoon Saloon perfect alternative for a Western audience disillusioned is only just getting started. If their output is anything with Hollywood’s big name players. However great close to what we have seen thus far, it’s time to jump Ghibli may be though, there is a small talent closer to onboard. Whilst Pixar are certainly not under any threat home, which may very well be the future of animation. due to the small stature of Cartoon Saloon at this

Cartoon Saloon is a small Irish animation studio. It has moment, the continued growth of such an exquisite team released two movies thus far, and is fantastic news for fans of originality in animation. We Song of the Sea, both which have received rave critical reviews, have a group of experts who clearly care a great deal and Academy Award Nominations for Best Animated about crafting memorable and stunning works of art. As Feature Film. The Secret of Kells is nothing short of an audience, all we have to do is sit back and enjoy. MS

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NUMBER-CRUNCHING TARANTINO EDITION

We plough through the numbers to bring you the best pointless trivia. This issue we mine Quentin Tarantino’s back catalogue.

1. Tarantino’s debut Reservoir Dogs used the 6. Over 450 gallons of fake blood was used word f*ck 272 times. That’s 2.7 a minute on average. over the course of the Kill Bill movies.

2. Of the $8 million budget for Pulp Fiction, $5 7. Ennio Morricone has 527 listed soundtrack million was spent on actor salaries. credits on IMDB. His score for The Hateful Eight finally won him his first Best Original Score 3. Being at a career low, 16 years on from Academy Award. And you think Leo was overdue. Grease, was paid less than $150,000 for Pulp Fiction. The role restarted his career and 8. Tarantino has stated he’d like to end his earned him a Best Actor Oscar nomination. career with his tenth film. Hateful Eight is, ironically, his eighth. 4. Only 42% of the dialogue in Inglorious Basterds is in English. The rest is a mix of German, 9. The ‘priceless’ antique guitar Kurt Russell French and Italian. smashed on the set of The Hateful Eight was estimated by MarketWatch to be worth $40,000. 5. Christoph Waltz’s performance in Django Unchained, at 1 hour 6 minutes and 17 seconds, is 10. The majority of Tarantino’s total death the longest ever to be nominated for Best Supporting count tally comes from Inglorious Basterds (that’ll be Actor at the Oscars. the explosion in the theatre). The total sits somewhere around 570. (See Fig. 1)

FIG. 1 Tarantino death count by percentage 16

Exposure is not sponsored by . We promise.

ago, you might have been able to argue that the film had started to become irrelevant to modern millennials. Sadly Dr Strangelove now illustrates, in a world where Trump and Putin 2.0 dominate the media, how history may repeat itself.

Before you go and see Room at your friendly neighbour- hood student cinema, why not watch the film that set Brie Larson on the path to Academy Award-winning greatness? In Short Term 12 Larson is Grace, supervisor of a care facility for troubled teens. The film is an earnest look at how different people tackle the difficult transition to adulthood, and boasts an impressive cast of unknowns In The Clouds of Sils Maria esteemed actress Maria alongside its star. Enders (Juliette Binoche) is fed up with superhero movies and green screen. So when the opportunity comes up to star in the play that made her famous (this

Photos: Verve Pictures, Fox Searchlight, Columbia Pictures, CG Cinéma , Stage 6 Films Stage , 6 Cinéma CG Pictures, Columbia Searchlight, Fox VervePictures, Photos: time in the older role, opposite Chloë Grace Moretz’s troubled starlet), she begrudgingly takes it. Funny and thoughtful, Sils Maria encourages the viewer to think for themselves and come to their own conclusions. Kristen Stewart more than holds her own against Binoche as the star’s frazzled assistant, Twilight doubters be warned.

New to Netflix, Wes Anderson’s comedy caper The Grand Budapest Hotel is perfect for both first time watchers and tenth time superfans. The massive ensemble, fronted by Ralph Fiennes, Saiorse Ronan and newcomer Tony Revolori, is reason enough to tune in, but Anderson’s witty script and trademark visuals make it a delight.

Robot and Frank is a beautiful film with an unusual premise that it would be a mistake to overlook. When old bachelor Frank (the always brilliant Frank Langella)

begins losing his memory, his absent son decides to buy

him a house robot to keep him company. Aiming to improve Frank’s health, the robot suggests they undertake a ‘project’ together, perhaps get the garden back into shape. Frank, a former cat burglar, has other Kubrick. Peter Sellers. Vera Lynn. We are of course plans. SA talking about the inimitable Dr Strangelove. Ten years 17

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Thursday Week 1.

Quietly beautiful and subtly joy for life and a love that transcends but rather explores the simple reality moving, Carol has been hailed by the social taboos. Director Todd Haynes of two women who find themselves British Film Institute as the Top LGBT refuses to give into clichés in this in each other. Cate Blanchett and Film of All Time- and rightly so. refreshingly hopeful and unapologet- Rooney Mara give decidedly Carol tells the story of the love affair ic exploration of forbidden love. understated but enchanting between Therese and Carol, two Unlike so many other LGBT films, performances; words are left women from very different social this story does not centre on unspoken, and there is a thrill under backgrounds who discover through melodramatic suffering and the surface that manifests itself in the the course of their relationship a new psychological struggles with identity, stolen glances and hidden smiles that litter the deliciously slow plot. The real cherry on the cake, however, is the exquisite cinematography of Edward Lachman, who shot the film on Super 16 mm film, and the gorgeous early fifties aesthetic. This film is nothing less than a work of art, a photograph full of colour and light that will delight and break your heart all at once. HH Photo: Studiocanal

Friday Week 1.

The Hateful Eight has had a long and unpredictable journey to the screen. The script was leaked, a priceless guitar was smashed, and the film was pulled from cinema chains. But fear ye not, Tarantino’s latest has made it to YSC in full health. Samuel L. Jackson stars as a bounty hunter seeking shelter from a snow storm in 19th-century Wyoming. After encountering fellow bounty Photo: Double Feature Films hunter John Ruth (Kurt Russell) and surprises await. was fun when he scaled everything criminal Daisy Domergue (Jennifer This slow-burn character study up in Django Unchained and Kill Bill, Jason Leigh), he soon finds himself wrapped around an Agatha Christie- but no-one can match his resourceful- shacked up with a whole host of style mystery harks back to Reservoir ness with four walls and a quality Tarantino regulars and newcomers in Dogs, the director’s incredible debut. ensemble. the form of dodgy crooks and Beyond the superficial plot similari- This is one violent puzzlebox supposed lawmen. Things are never ties, it reminds you of the magic Western you shouldn’t miss. Not that SA as they seem, and gruesome Tarantino can work with dialogue. It there are many around. 19

Monday Week 2.

You may have heard about Room. Yes, it’s that story about a kidnapped woman raising her child in captivity. Yes, sometimes it oscillates between sad and terrifying. And yes, the lead actress, Brie Larson, deservedly won an Oscar for it. But you’d be wrong to think Room is a film to ’endure’. It’s not one of those gritty, high-end dramas you feel obliged to see out of a sense of guilt or masochism. It’s a surprisingly Photo: Element Pictures optimistic tale of childhood, themes with a light touch, as well as a weight of the situation is seen through motherhood and getting past trauma. sense of empathy and respect for his interactions with Ma (Larson), his Room is Irish director Lenny subjects, he’s a perfect choice. only companion. He’s never known Abrahamson’s follow up to 2014’s Stunningly talented child actor Jacob anything else so to Jack, Room is the quirky Frank, a comedy touching on Tremblay, as Jack, is our eyes and whole world. But when the possibility relationships between creativity, ears. As he is our guide and narrator, of escape comes up, it becomes clear eccentricity and mental illness. Given we are often shielded from the worst he’s not the only one with problems his success at tackling these difficult realities of his imprisonment. The true adjusting. SA

Friday Week 2.

Adam McKay gives us the gift of realise that this is no normal the terminology will leave you Michael Lewis’ novel The Big Short: gathering of well-dressed gentlemen scratching your head (A, double A, Inside The Doomsday Machine as an (and a socially awkward genius in the triple A, so many A’s!) but the serious Oscar Best Picture nominated form of Christian Bale) but rather a is almost always balanced with the phenomenon. We are taken inside the group of “outsiders and weirdos” comedy. This movie is probably the four walls of the banking system from the chaotic world of finance who first in cinematic history that has been where we meet a group of suits who decide to ‘short’ the housing market. able to make an audience understand see beyond the Xs and Ys of the Yeah, I didn’t understand what that credit default swaps and American economy. Viewers soon meant the first time either. Most of collateralised debt obligations, and make them laugh whilst doing so. It goes beyond your usual ‘Wall Street drama to Hollywood blockbuster’ regime in order to break the fourth wall and bring an engaging and attractive insight to that chaotic universe that revolves around nothing but the numbers. If that doesn’t convince you, we have an orange Ryan Gosling in a suit – what Photo: Paramount more could you want! KD 20

Tuesday and Friday Week 3.

After seven years of rewrites, budget cuts and fights over its rating, it’s honestly somewhat amazing the Deadpool movie was actually made. The fact that it’s pretty much a perfect adaptation of the comic is really the icing on the cake. Its plot is this: mercenary Wade Wilson has just settled down with his true love, Vanessa, when cancer Photo: 20th Century Fox strikes. A shady organization offers for humour, the film fires jokes at you Warhead. And Ryan Reynolds is a him a cure, but when the resulting again and again until it finds one that perfect fit for the title part. mutations ruin his face and his hits, taking jabs at every major player The end result is one of the freshest relationship, Wade sets out for in comic-book movies along the way. and most entertaining superhero revenge, armed with superpowers The action sequences are top-notch, movies in a while – well worth and a lot of guns. and they even manage to include a watching. Oh, and it also features the The film skirts the line between couple of X-Men – the titan with a first instance of pegging in a irreverent comedy and serious heart of gold, Colossus, and the sullen superhero movie. We can but hope moments deftly, and even makes yet explosive Negasonic Teenage Civil War follows suit. NW room for a cute romantic subplot. As

Thursday Week 8.

tons of fun to be had - a pair of showstoppers are brilliantly staged, with Scarlett Johansson clearly having fun in a water ballet sequence and Channing Tatum lending the film its best scene with a hilariously homoerotic sailor-themed dance number “No Dames”. Photo: Universal Ralph Fiennes also does great work A quasi sequel to Barton Fink called ‘Hail, Caesar!’). as a director struggling to teach a (1991), with Hail, Caesar! the Coen On paper this is trademark Coens, cowboy actor to perform refined have fashioned a flawed yet however it’s hard to shake the feeling dialogue, while the Coen’s amusing ode to the golden age of that things are just a tad off, with demonstrate their knack for great Hollywood. More of a comedy than Mannix being a strangely earnest casting, with Tilda Swinton delighting its delightfully dark predecessor, protagonist, traipsing through mostly as twin gossip columnists. Caesar! follows the troubles of studio fixer disconnected set pieces. Perhaps the So while there is plenty to be () as he film would have benefitted from a amused by, this is more Ladykillers attempts to resolve the kidnapping of more ruthless edit, or a second pass at than Lebowski – not vintage Coen’s, Baird Whitlock (), star the script. but still definitely worth a watch. of the film-within-a-film (also That’s not to say that there isn’t TS 21

Friday Week 6.

“The greatest gladiator match in the history of the world. God versus man. Day versus night. Son of Krypton versus Bat of Gotham.” Forget Iron Man vs Hulk, this is the battle that comic-book fans the world over have been waiting to see on the big screen. Finally, thanks to visionary director Photo: Warner Bros. (Watchmen, Man of Steel), audiences get is truly spectacular. In completing comic-book fans by a comic-book fan. to witness the two most recognisable the famous Trinity of DC comic-book Batman V Superman is the catalyst for superheroes of all time clash in an lore, she steals the show from her the new DC Extended Universe, the epic fight. That’s not all though, as fellow Justice League members. Ben company’s big-screen attempt at Jesse Eisenberg’s psychotic, manic Affleck is the best on-screen Batman challenging the Marvel phenomenon. Lex Luthor lurks in the background, and Bruce Wayne we have seen thus As it’s destroying worldwide box- with a plan that’s bound to have far, and Snyder provides fans with office records, it’s probably time to severe consequences for the World’s many hints at what lies ahead for the get on-board. MS Finest. Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman Dark Knight and co. over the next proves her Amazonian strength, and few movies. This is truly a movie for

Thursday Week 7.

J.G Ballard’s classic novel is not , Luke Evans, and a thrilling and disturbing direction. It’s exactly the easiest to adapt for the quite brilliant turn from Jeremy stylish in a very seventies way, down big screen, with its passive protago- Irons. Hiddleston is excellent as Dr to the very prison-like concrete block nist and lack of dialogue. Thankfully, Robert Laing, who moves into a they inhabit, and it embraces sex, Ben Wheatley, the truly original luxury tower block in a dystopian madness and rampant chaos. mind behind cult favourites Sight- London. He encounters the difficul- Accentuated by an alluring score seers and Kill List, has taken on the task, ties and the extremes of living in from the always terrific Clint with the not unsubstantial help of the such a situation, and without giving Mansell, High Rise becomes a incomparable Tom Hiddleston, too much away, the film moves in a whirlwind which the audience must just let sweep them away. The tale with its social class commentary, despite being written in a pre- Thatcher Britain, is still eerily relevant today. It’s one of the most unusual, yet fascinating movies of the year. Under-appreciated at the box office, this gem warrants repeat viewings, reinforces Hiddleston’s star quality, and pins Wheatley as a director to watch. MS 22 Photo: Recorded Picture Company

CHAIR Freyja McCreery

SECRETARY JJ Danks Smith

TREASURER Polly Lang

PROJECTIONISTS JJ Danks Smith, Jack Rizzo and Andy Tiberia

HOUSE MANAGERS George Hadley and Emma Wright

REFRESHMENTS MANAGERS Katie Coward and Polly Lang

PRESS AND PUBLICITY OFFICERS Miranda Lowther, Junice Tong and Rob Dewey

EXPOSURE EDITOR Krupa Dodhia

DEPUTY EXPOSURE EDITORS Holly Huxter and Ellie Schenk

WEBMASTER Scott Brown

SOCIETY LIASON Sarah Krajewski

SOCIAL SECRETARIES George Hadley and Sarah Krajewski

HEALTH AND SAFETY OFFICER Miranda Lowther

ELDER PROJECTIONISTS Sarah Armstrong, Peter Collins and

Oliver Thomas

Our cinema has full wheelchair access and is fitted with infrared hearing systems for anyone with a hearing impairment. Please speak to our house managers for more information.

Special thanks to Chris Troy, the University porters, YUSU and YuFund.

This issue is dedicated to our departing members. Good luck in the real world!

At the time of going to press, all of the films on our schedule were confirmed by our booking agents. Unfortunately, there may be unforeseen circumstances which force us to reschedule, replace, or even cancel a film. These rare situ- ations are beyond our control, and in such cases we will make every effort to publicise the changes in our schedule and to show the film in question at a later date, if possible.

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Keep anKeep eyeon YSC social media forany updates changes or to the schedule.

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