Film Essays and Analysis
In Defense of the Happy Ending: Alice Wu and LGBTQ+ Movies - For so long, Hollywood has made it seem like only white, cisgender, non-disabled, heterosexual people fall in love. The films of Alice Wu offer condolence for those outside of that box. Essay by Tina Kakadelis. 
How ‘The Worst Person in the World’ Redefines Romantic Cinema - How Joachim Trier rewrites the rules of silver screen romance to create one of the best romantic dramas of recent years, 'The Worst Person in the World'. Essay by Rehana Nurmahi.
‘Wanderlust’ and Its ‘Bizarro Cut’ at 10: How David Wain Split His Sensibility in Two for the Studio System - 10 years on from the release of David Wain's cult comedy 'Wanderlust', starring Paul Rudd and Jennifer Aniston, its 'Bizarro Cut' remains transparent about the comedy process. Essay by Nicholas Armstrong.
Little Women Is the Ultimate Christmas Film, Actually - Greta Gerwig's 'Little Women' (2019) starring Saoirse Ronan, Emma Watson, Florence Pugh and more, is the ultimate Christmas film, even if it's arguably not even a Christmas film at all. Rehana Nurmahi explains.
There’s No Place like St. Louis at Christmas - If 'The Wizard of Oz' taught us that there’s no place like home, 'Meet Me in St. Louis' taught us that, actually, there’s no place like St. Louis. Essay by Margaret Roarty.
85-Year-Old ‘My Man Godfrey’ Is a Crash Course in Comic Perfection - Gregory La Cava comedy 'My Man Godfrey' (1936), starring William Powell and Carole Lombard, could teach modern Hollywood some lessons, even at 85 years old. Retrospective essay by Sloan De Forest.
Prone to Bouts of Mania, Narcissism and Power Failure: Watching High-Rise and Snowpiercer in 2021 - With hindsight and terrifying changes in the real world, Ben Wheatley's 'High-Rise' and Bong Joon-ho's 'Snowpiercer' have been given new power and relevance as socially conscious art. Essay by Sam Sewell-Peterson.
Conjuring Nonsense: Devils Didn’t Make Him Do It - The third 'Conjuring' film reinforces the dangerous myth that the supernatural is somehow responsible for the heinous crimes of humanity, and it's a problem as big as cinema itself. Essay from Jacob Davis.
The Duality of the Female Psyche in ‘Mouthpiece’ - How 'Mouthpiece', created by Amy Nostbakken and Norah Sadava, forges a moving insight into womanhood through its presentation of the duality of the female psyche. Essay by Gala Woolley.
How Did I Fall in Love with this Little Thing Called Cinema? - How an early life encounter with James Cameron's 'Aliens' (1986) shaped The Film Magazine writer Mark Carnochan's love for movies.
Thelma and Louise: The Most Powerful Final Image in Cinema - How the ending to Ridley Scott's 'Thelma & Louise' (1991) is one of the most iconic and powerful in all of cinema, and how it can be interpreted. Essay by Gala Woolley.
DC’s Lightest Movie, Shazam!, Also Contains Its Darkest Moment - In the light-hearted family movie Shazam!, that subverted the tone of the earlier DCEU, David F. Sandberg finds space for a heartbreaking character moment. Article by Rob Gifford. 
Netflix’s Business Model Doesn’t Allow for Long-Term Film Success - Netflix Original movies seem to disappear just as soon as they've appeared, and with a new film set to be released during every week of 2021, it's an issue filmmakers should take notice of. Essay by Luke Hinton.
Arrival and the Language of Cinema - In his 2016 science fiction film 'Arrival', director Denis Villeneuve expertly uses the power of cinematic language to take us on a mind bending journey of love, loss, and the inevitability of time. Essay by Margaret Roarty.
5 Reasons Why You Need to Watch Midnight Cowboy - John Schlesinger film 'Midnight Cowboy' (1969) starring Dustin Hoffman and Jon Voight is a classic of cinema, and here are 5 reasons why you must watch it. Article by Katie Doyle.
Sia’s Music Is Not “a Love Letter to the Autistic Community”: It’s Another Unrealistic Portrayal of ASD - Sia's Golden Globes nominated feature film debut, 'Music', a musical starring Maddie Ziegler and Kate Hudson, is another unrealistic portrayal of ASD. Essay by Shona Leigh Pope.
The Enduring Legacy of Stan and Ollie - Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy were beloved by legions of fans and described by legends of comedy as the very best around. What makes Stan and Ollie such an enduring act? Louis B Scheuer explores. 
You’ve Seen ‘Soul’. Now What? - What does Disney Pixar's 'Soul' tell us about ourselves? What lessons does 'Soul' aim to teach us? How can this Pete Docter film be read? Peter Charney explores.
The Subversion of the Motion Picture Production Code in Cat People - How Jacques Tourneur thriller 'Cat People' (1942) worked with and against the Hays Code to become a much discussed and highly influential film of its era. Essay by Jacob Davis.
The Greatest Film Trailer of All Time? Psycho (1960) - Analysing the iconic trailer to the iconic 1960 horror 'Psycho', starring a first person narration from director Alfred Hitchcock himself. Feature by Kieran Judge.
Shot-for-Shot: Stryker’s Dilemma in Sands of Iwo Jima - How tension is ramped up and a moral conundrum of war is addressed in one particularly well made scene in 'Sands of Iwo Jima', starring John Wayne. Analysis by Kieran Judge.
How ‘What We Do In the Shadows’ Reshapes the “Man Alone” with Vampire Cinema - Reassessing New Zealand cinema's "man alone" trope for Taika Waititi's much-loved vampire mockumentary 'What We Do In the Shadows'. Essay by Jacob Davis.
‘In the Cut’ and How Marriage Can Kill You, Actually - How Jane Campion erotic thriller 'In the Cut' (2003) starring Meg Ryan subverted the expectations of the erotic thriller genre and has gone underappreciated for close to two decades. Article by Margaret Roarty. 
Katie Doyle’s “Movies I had a Religious/Spiritual Experience With” Part 5: The Exorcist - "inspiration has come from the most unexpected of places - the 1973 horror film, The Exorcist. God really does work in mysterious ways." - Katie Doyle in Pt. 5 of her Religious/Spiritual Experience series.
Funny Games and the Victimisation of the Audience - How Michael Haneke makes us as much the victims of his world-renowned horror film 'Funny Games' as he does his central characters. A feature essay by Jacob Heayes. 