Alberta Hargreaves

Blue Velvet is a dark tale looking into sexual violence, voyeurism and the ideal self. The themes explored in this film all have a centre point though, looking at Western ideals and the American Dream. The American Dream is the ideological belief that the USA has a set of ideals, which allows any and all to prosper and become successful. In essence, if you come to the USA then you can gain, no matter who you are, the pastoral-Esque suburban home with a traditional family. This idea has been contested, however, Blue Velvet tackles these points using both light and dark motifs.

As Starship Troopers celebrates its 25th Anniversary, more critical attention has been placed upon it. Upon its release in 1997, it was not received well and faced a lot of criticism, with the general consensus being that it was a fun movie with wooden acting and too much gore. However, over the past few years, a cult audience has found a new appreciation for it. Calum Marsh, writing for Atlantic, regarded it as, “satire, a ruthlessly funny and keenly self-aware sendup of right-wing militarism,” A thought which continues to grow amongst fans of the film. But how far is this true? Is Starship troopers a pastiche
of right-wing militarism or is it just another patriotic colonial quest?

Fantastic Mr Fox has an ecocritical subtext as the relationship between animals and humans is explored thoroughly. However, relationships between different species are also explored, significantly between Mr Fox and the wolf, in a scene after the climax. The other and the privileged group act as a binary opposition to uncover the ecocritical message of the film: how humans have impacted the natural world and the transition from the other to the privileged group