Study Guide to The Matrix Director: Larry & Andy Wachowski Screenplay: Larry & Andy Wachowski Starring: Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carry-Anne Moss, Joe Pantoliano, Hugo Weaving Distributor: Warner Bros. Certificate: 15 Key Concepts Mind, freedom, love, reality, truth, humanity, control Summary Thomas A. Anderson is a full-time programme designer, and part-time computer hacker who is [...]
Comments Off » Read the rest
Study Guide to The Celestine Prophecy: An Adventure By James Redfield (Bantam 1994) Key Concepts New Age; Spirituality; Summary The Celestine Prophecy purports to be about the discovery of an ancient Peruvian manuscript. This manuscript contains nine insights for spiritual living which, if followed, will enable humanity to move towards a completely spiritual culture on [...]
Comments Off » Read the rest
Study Guide to Saving Private Ryan Director: Stephen Spielberg Screenplay: Robert Rodat Starring: Tom Hanks, Matt Damon Distributor: Paramount/Dreamworks SKG/Amblin Entertainment Score: John Williams Release Date: October 1998 Certificate: 15 Key Concepts Value of life, death, war, rescue, sacrifice, hope, relationships Summary During the D-Day invasion American troops struggle to take a section of Omaha [...]
Comments Off » Read the rest
Study Guide to Big Brother (Channel 4) Producer: Bazal Productions Broadcaster: Channel 4 Transmission: July – September 2000 Key Concepts Privacy, human nature, community, isolation, fame, voyeurism, reality TV Summary IT’S ONLY A GAME SHOW, reads the print on one of the official Big Brother T-shirts. Certainly it is a game show with a difference: [...]
Comments Off » Read the rest
Study Guide to The Truman Show Director: Peter Weir Screenplay: Andrew Niccol Starring: Jim Carrey, Laura Linney, Noah Emmerich, Natasha McElhone Key Concepts Freedom, identity, meaning, love, media, truth Summary Truman Burbank lives in the apparently perfect town of Seahaven – unaware that this is a massive stage set complete with a false sky, that [...]
Comments Off » Read the rest
Study Guide to Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus By John Gray (Thorsons (HarperCollins), 1993 Key Concepts Relationships, communication, self-help, gender rancour, men, women Summary John Gray uses the metaphor of men and women coming from different planets to illustrate the commonly occurring conflicts between men and women. When they first met they [...]
Comments Off » Read the rest
Study Guide to Bridget Jones’s Diary By Helen Fielding (Picador, 1996) Key concepts Identity, purpose, love, commitment, image, relationships Summary This is the fictional diary of a year in the life of Bridget Jones, a 30-something single woman working in the media – and on an apparently doomed quest for self-improvement. She is desperate to [...]
Comments Off » Read the rest
Study Guide to High Fidelity By Nick Hornby (Indigo 1996) Key Concepts Purpose; loneliness; relationships; commitment; love; adulthood Summary High Fidelity is written from the perspective of Rob Fleming who runs a record shop and whose girlfriend, Laura, has recently left him. The first part of the book consists of Rob’s analysis of why his [...]
Comments Off » Read the rest
Study Guide to Gattaca Director: Andrew Niccol Screenplay: Andrew Niccol Starring: Ethan Hawke, Jude Law, Uma Thurman, Gore Vidal Distributor: Columbia Tristar Release date: 20 March 1998 Certificate: 15 Running time: 106 minutes Key Concepts Genetics, genetic engineering, determinism, freedom, identity, discrimination Summary As soon as Vincent (Ethan Hawke for the adult version) is born, [...]
Comments Off » Read the rest
Study Guide to Popcorn By Ben Elton (Simon and Schuster 1996) Key Concepts Ethics, moral responsibility, society; film violence Summary Bruce Delamitri is a film director who makes very violent but stylish movies. ‘Bruce’s movies are hip. Post-modern cinematic milestones, dripping with ironic juxtaposition. His killers are style icons. They walk cool, they talk cool. [...]
Comments Off » Read the rest