LSMedia or Liverpool student media at liverpoolstudentmedia.com is a brand new website launched by the University of Liverpool's students to promote and support talented Liverpool student's creative written, visual or radio content.

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I rarely (unless out voted within a group situation) will end up watching something I’ve seen before, whether this means scouring the internet or raiding a housemate’s collection for a new release, a cult classic I really should have seen already, something comforting and cheesy, or something I’ve never even heard of but seems like something I (as a self confessed movie snob) would appreciate.  It was then that I decided to put my nightly distractions to good use and compile a weekly round up of those most worthy of comment; whether that be for the right or wrong reasons.  I’ll be bringing you box office hits, little known indie works, cult classics and the outright bizarre.  This week I’m cheating a little, by instead mentioning the most noteworthy of recent months, but in future I’ll stick to the rules: honest!

          Gigantic (2008) ***

When in need of inspiration for a new watch, I will usually resort to the old trick of IMDBing a favourite actor/actress (we all have our crushes!) and then clicking on each of their projects until something jumps out at me.  This method led me to this little number: starring Zooey Deschanel, Paul Dano and John Goodman, it sounded like the perfect indie film to suit the occasion.  Paul Dano has received much critical acclaim for his roles in Little Miss Sunshine and There Will Be Blood but sadly in this he fell into the Zach Braff “I’ll be quiet and troubled and quirky” a-la Garden State trap.  And if you’ve seen any of Zooey’s films, I won’t need to tell you what her role consisted of.  Not even John Goodman managed to enhance this inoffensive paint-by-numbers indie rom-com.  Harmless, charming in places, but mostly not worth bothering yourself about.  Unless you fancy Dano or Deschanel.

          Jennifer’s Body (2009) ***

So, when the world first heard about Diablo Cody’s new project which somehow intended to incorporate a lesbian, vampire Megan Fox, expectations were high.  After the success of Juno, and with a cast (Fox, Amanda Seyfried and Adam Brody) which the entire teenage population who knew anything about pop culture were bound to drool over, all that Cody had to do was produce another script full of ultra-quirky , ultra-trendy abbreviations and awkward scenarios and she would have been laughing.  Admittedly, she probably still is given that people will still have paid good money to see this in the cinema, but her credibility (though some might argue she never had any) will certainly be reduced in the eyes of her fans.  Pleasing on the eye it might have been, gripping or entertaining it was not.

          Hunger (2008) *****

This gritty biopic drama follows the last 6 weeks of Irish Republican hunger striker, Bobby Sands.  This is the first full length work from Steve McQueen, a Goldsmiths film graduate and an absolute genius, in my humble opinion.  He was recognised as such at Cannes where it premiered, with McQueen receiving the Caméra d’Or award for first time film-makers and the film later won the Sydney Film Prize.  Hugely uncomfortable to watch at times, captivating at others, the film features the longest scene within one shot in mainstream film history; a 17 minute unbroken shot capturing a conversation between Sands and his visiting priest Father Moran in which the priest tries to talk Sands out of his Hunger protest.  Michael Fassbender who took on the role of Sands and Liam Cunningham who plays Moran ended up moving in together in the months leading up to filming to ensure the scene would be perfect.  And perfect it is.  I won’t even try to describe the impact the film made on me when I first saw it, all I can do is implore you to go away and watch it yourselves.  A cinematic masterpiece, if you ask me.

          Panic in Needle Park (1971)****

Before The Godfather or any of his later cinematic classics, Al Pacino’s first major role, and second ever appearance was within this portrayal of heroin addiction within New York.  The film follows a group of addicts who hang out in “Needle Park” (Sherman Square) and was the first film within the mainstream to show close up and graphic drug injection.  To add drama to the film, no music is used at any point, and the cinéma-vérité style is used to follow the two protagonists; lovers Bobby (Pacino) and Helen, played marvellously by Kitty Winn who received the Best Actress award for the role in the 1971 Cannes Film Festival.  Pacino is equally as laudable as the charismatic hero whose life is slowly torn apart within the grips of heroin.  Again, pretty uncomfortable to watch at times, and pretty damn out there considering the period this was made in.  Definitely worth a watch – as long as you’re not too squeamish!

          Star Trek (2009) ***1/2

It was with some scepticism that I downloaded this (should I be admitting to ‘aiding piracy’?  Nevermind, I’ll go and buy the DVD now) after reading rave reviews of this blockbuster left, right and centre.  I am not what you’d call a Sci-Fi fan (despite my slightly unnatural obsession with the X-Files) and nor have I ever watched anything else remotely Star Trek related, but this film really took me by surprise.  While the majority of the acting was what I can only describe as ‘not terrible’, the film was visually stunning, relevant enough to a non-Trekkie, gripping and most surprisingly it somehow made sense.  I found myself suddenly realising why my mother thinks it so very funny to say “beam me up Scotty” (I previously had no idea what she was talking about) and who the hell Spock and Captain Kirk were.  The film impressed me so much that a couple of days later, when browsing my TV Guide I decided to put on an episode of some sort of Star Trek series.  I lasted a whole minute before flicking over:  a new record for me.