Trailblazing US Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is known to many as the ‘Notorious RBG’. But the new film On the Basis of Sex is a muted portrayal of her.
In this video, Bruce Isaacs looks at Rome, Open City. Made in 1945, it was Roberto Rossellini’s neorealist response to the end of German occupation, and Italy’s history of Fascism under Benito Mussolini.
Emily Blunt as Mary Poppins in Mary Poppins Returns.
(c) 2018 Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Back to the Future is one of the most loved films from the 1980s, and galvanised audiences across every demographic. In this episode of Close-Up, Bruce Isaacs looks at the politics underpinning the film.
Some Harry Potter fans have taken to penning their own stories set in the world of Hogwarts.
Lucas Jackson/Reuters
The Harry Potter universe has become a popular setting for stories featuring autistic characters, written by young writers eager to tackle a complex topic.
Leah Ashwood, Jasper Lloyd, and Texas Watterston in The School (2018).
Bronte Pictures, Head Gear Films, Kreo Films FZ
The famine caused a million deaths and scarred the national psyche for generations. How do you even start to try and represent that in film literature, or art?
When it was released in 1999, The Matrix introduced a new type of image: bullet-time. Bruce Isaacs explains why it has become one of the most influential special effects in the history of cinema.
Lucas Hedges and Théodore Pellerin in Boy Erased. The film shows a boy who enters gay conversion therapy in the US.
IMDB
While queer movies don’t necessarily have to be made by queer filmmakers, Boy Erased is a safe film. It is finely made albeit heavy-handed in its melodrama.
While local content makes up a small proportion of the Australian Netflix catalogue, Netflix has also heavily promoted Australian shows overseas, such as Hannah Gadsby’s standup show Nanette.
IMDB
While the figures may seem alarming, we should remember that, unlike free-to-air TV, subscription video-on-demand services are not regulated for local content.
In a survey of 600 members of the screen industry, 74% of carers felt their caring responsibilities had a negative impact on their career. Of these, 86% were women.
Amy Adams played an inter-species linguist in the 2016 film Arrival but she was a rarity. Most Hollywood films depict scholars as heroic males.
IMDB
For decades, academics have been portrayed as brilliant, heroic men on our cinema screens. It’s time to tell the story of more heroic female scholars. Here are some suggestions.