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Author: James Witherspoon

Freelancer, UCL Law Student, and movie geek living the life in London! Can be found in the corner of some obscure coffee shop, muttering about how Christopher Nolan is overrated...
In Depth
In DepthThe Panoptic TeamJanuary 9, 2018January 9, 2018

A Year In Depth

It’s been a great year for our In Depth section, with a diversity of topics bringing global issues to the fore. Have a dip into our varied articles, and find out our most read articles of 2017!

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Alternative Christmas
Arts Editor's Picks FilmJames WitherspoonDecember 24, 2017

It’s A Not-So-Wonderful Life

Here, I present to you a list of 10 of the finest alternative Christmas movies to furnish your festive viewing. And, no, none of them are fucking Die Hard.

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1%
Arts Festivals Film London Film Festival 2017James WitherspoonOctober 19, 2017

1%

1% marks the latest chapter in the subgenre commonly known as ‘ultra-violent Australian crime movie’.

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Loveless
Arts Festivals Film London Film Festival 2017James WitherspoonOctober 11, 2017December 6, 2017

Loveless

Andrei Zvyagintsev recently told The Guardian that ‘living in Russia is like being in a minefield’. If his latest film is any reflection of reality, then it’s safe to say that he was putting it mildly.

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Let the Corpses Tan
Arts Film London Film Festival 2017James WitherspoonOctober 11, 2017October 12, 2017

Let the Corpses Tan

Helene Cattet and Bruno Forzani are arguably the most controversial duo in horror. Famed for their mysterious, enigmatic forays into giallo – Amer and The Strange Colour of Your Body’s Tears – they’re the masters of sellable obscurity. Many have interpreted these pieces as hollow imitations of far more genuine works, or otherwise as meaningless…

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Foxtrot
Arts Film London Film Festival 2017James WitherspoonOctober 10, 2017October 12, 2017

Foxtrot

What is Foxtrot? Structurally, this thing is a marvel: Foxtrot does the foxtrot, as main character Joseph explains to his captive audience. 3 steps, and you return to the same place – or, rather, 3 very different acts bookended by the same scene. A lot of the surprises and finesse of the movie come from…

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Arts Editor's Picks Festivals Film London Film Festival 2017James WitherspoonOctober 4, 2017

Thoroughbreds

A misanthropic trip into the dark heart of suburbia, Corey Finley’s glossy Thoroughbreds hits all the right notes to craft an esoteric, seductively sinister symphony that shocks and pleases in equal measure.

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I Still Hide to Smoke
25th Raindance Arts Festivals FilmJames WitherspoonOctober 1, 2017

At My Age, I Still Hide to Smoke

At My Age, I Still Hide to Smoke is a remarkable piece of work: a stunning, bruising critique of oppressive patriarchal society and conservative Islam that’s powerfully incensing and authentically human at the same time.

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A Trip to the Moon
25th Raindance Arts Festivals FilmJames WitherspoonSeptember 29, 2017

A Trip to the Moon

Naming your movie after one of the most influential films of all time is a bold move to be sure, and Joaquin Cambre does just that with his bizarre, occasionally brilliant coming-of-age tale set in Argentina. Before beginning, I think it’s important to note that there were considerable issues with the subtitling during the screening…

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Scaffolding
25th Raindance Arts Festivals FilmJames WitherspoonSeptember 27, 2017

Scaffolding

Scaffolding is a well-made, thought-out piece of work, but it lacks the gravitas needed to turn a true-life story into a gripping piece of cinema.

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