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Showing posts from September, 2021

British Cinema Exam Question

In the second to last scene from Trainspotting; Renton, Spud, Sick Boy and Begbie are in a bar; celebrating their successful drug deal and the money they acquired from it. Due to his anger issues that are consistently shown throughout the film, after bumping into a man and spilling some beer,  Begbie begins to argue with, and eventually starts to attack him, bloodying him and severely injuring him in the process. During this, Sick Boy and Spud try to intervene, but he continues to act the same way towards them, questioning their friendship, as up to this point, we have only seen Begbie use intimidation to get what he wants from them. Throughout this, we get intimate close-ups of Renton looking at the bag, with the other three being nothing but silhouettes in the background, and their arguments sound like they are much further in the distance than they are. This suggests not only that Renton has an opportunity and take the money for himself, but also his emotional distance from the othe

Shaun of the Dead Narrative Resolution

 In the opening scene of Shaun of the Dead, it is revealed that Liz has not met Shaun's mother, to the shock of David. Dianne asks Shaun if he doesn't get along with his mother, to which Shaun avoids her question. This leads the audience to speculate that Shaun does have a poor relationshíp with his mum, which is furthered by the scene in which he is approached by his stepfather, Philip, while he is at work, who reminds Shaun that he forgot to buy he flowers on mother's day. However, after we meet Barbara (Shaun's mum), it is made apparent that she and Shaun has a strong relationship with Barbara, but not with Philip, and their disagreements about Philip sometimes get in the way of their relationship. For example, Shaun refuses to refer to Philip as his Dad, despite him playing a paternal role in his life since he was 12. When Shaun and Ed worry about Barbara being bitten, it comes as a relief to both of them that it is only Philip, seeming completely unsympathetic towa

Shaun of the Dead Opening Scene

 In the opening shot of Shaun of the Dead, Shaun stares blankly at the camera, deep in thought. We are not told or shown what he is thinking about, however, it is assumable that he is thinking about his relationships, mainly with Liz and Ed, and whether or not he wants these to change. The way in which he stares at the camera resembles the famous "Kubrick stare", which is used in Kubrick's films to show derangement; in this case, as it is a satirical comedy, the meaning behind this stare is less severe, and hints more towards Shaun being tired, overwhelmed and fed up. The fact that he is simultaneously reinforces this. When he is called by Liz, he has to look in a different direction, reinforcing the fact that he was not paying attention to her, despite the fact they are having an important discussion which could determine the future of their relationship. Liz believes that Ed, Shaun's best friend that he lives with, is getting in the way of Shaun and Liz's relati