job and I think that 12 Years a Slave is actually a better film than Gravity, but Cuaron deserves credit for his artistic vision and skill. Conclusion: Alfonso Cuaron (Gravity)
Best Film As mentioned previously, I do think that 12 Years a Slave was actually a better film than Gravity and, though I do not rate him quite as highly as Alfonso Cuaron, Steve McQueen is still an excellent director. He creates the unapologetically grim world of a man thrown into despair and sorrow, but refuses to lose hope. Not only that, but it does justice to the true story behind it in creating a realistic atmosphere in which you believe in every word said and every emotion shown. On top of this, it includes a cast of actors who treat us to captivating performances including those from the likes of the extremely talented Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Fassbender, Benedict Cumberbatch and Paul Giamatti. While Gravity was an excellent film I found that the dialogue was more stilted and awkward than 12 Years a Slave and the performances, though good enough, do not match those in 12 Years a Slave. Gravity, as a whole, is reliant on the spectacle, which is no bad thing, except that 12 Years a Slave happens to have more going for it. Conclusion: 12 Years a Slave
Misogyny in pop music: it’s not a new problem Misogyny in pop music has recently become a much-discussed problem after Robin Thicke released the highly controversial single Blurred Lines. The title itself unsubtly suggests the borders between consent and rejection; and the narrator bemoans these blurred lines because, whether she says yes or no, he believes she “wants it”. With a highly provocative video, a catchy melody and the fury of a thousand feminists, it became the best-selling single of 2013. Many have since said that this is too much, that in short, sexism in pop music has gone too far. But this isn’t a new problem. In 1965, John Lennon wrote ‘Run For Your Life’, which was the final track of the Beatles’ number one hit album ‘Rubber Soul’. In the song, Lennon sings, “Well, I’d rather see you dead, little girl / than to be with another man” (a similar lyric to this appears in Elvis Presley’s “Baby, Let’s Play House”). This hasn’t stopped the Beatles’ commercial or critical recognition; yet the suggestion of the murder of a girlfriend seems just as bad, if not worse than Robin Thicke’s controversial lyrics. In addition, in bluesman Muddy Waters’ song ‘I Can’t Be Satisfied’, he sings “I feel like snapping / pistol in your face / I’m gonna let some graveyard / Lord be your resting place.” Misogyny has been in art for time immemorial - Shakespeare also has been accused of sexism, in his play ‘The Taming of the Shrew’, amongst others.
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