Leeloo making her escape Noni Ford reflects on her recent first watch of Luc Besson’s beloved cult sensation and its depiction of humanity amidst its familiar story of good versus evil. Is this a comedy? Is this a grand space romance? Is this an epic about the fight for the survival of the human race?… Read more »
Rey and Luke in The Last Jedi Critically acclaimed yet divisive amongst fans, Rian Johnson’s Star Wars sequel has had a lasting effect on the franchise, as explained by Ben van Welzen, one of our newest regular contributors. “Let the past die. Kill it if you have to.” These words, spoken by antagonist Kylo Ren… Read more »
Samantha Morton and Tom Cruise in Minority Report Jesse Pasternack considers the brilliance and importance of Steven Spielberg’s direction in his 2002 sci-fi masterwork. A body of work like Steven Spielberg’s is practically built to contain hidden gems. He has directed more than his fair share of indisputable classics, but you can’t make over 30… Read more »
A lurker in the river makes itself known in Gareth Edwards’s Monsters Chris Forrester praises the underrated early work of blockbuster filmmaker Gareth Edwards. Before he became the face of the “almost good!” blockbuster with Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016) and The Creator (2023), Gareth Edwards made a name for himself with a… Read more »
Every month, Establishing Shot brings you a selection of films from our group of regular bloggers. Even though these films aren’t currently being screened at the IU Cinema, this series reflects the varied programming that can be found at the Cinema and demonstrates the eclectic tastes of the bloggers. Each contributor has picked one film that they… Read more »
Still from Brazil Ben van Welzen explains how genre tropes, the tension between banality and absurdity, overwhelming production design, and more make Terry Gilliam’s 1985 masterwork so effective. It’s sure that the world is heading towards dystopia, the only question is when. George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four presumed it would be, well, in 1984. However, as… Read more »