Collections are a scary thought for all, especially after a few weeks of comfort eating and television watching. So why not combine the two? Cherwell has you covered on exactly how to revise via the medium of Hollywood this Hilary.
For any Arch & Anth students out there, try Raiders of the Lost Ark. Harrison Ford’s first appearance as everyone’s favourite archaeologist, Indiana Jones should definitely count as revision; it even discusses deep questions, such as the necessity of museums and why the preservation of history is important.
If you study Biology or Biochemistry, there’s always 28 Days Later. The plot is based on a virus attacking and turning everyone into the living dead. Use the opportunity to your advantage to discuss the logistics of a virus on this scale and how it could be prevented. Then try and work out how to survive a zombie apocalypse.
For Chemistry, try Trainspotting. You’ll join Renton and the gang on their heroine-fuelled adventures in Edinburgh, and can have deep scientific discussions about the drugs and chemically induced dreams.
If you’re a classicist, then Troy is a definite winner. Lots of beautiful people having sex and fighting with the Trojan War in the background. To turn it into revision, just drink every time the film deviates from Homer’s Iliad.
For Earth Sciences, try 127 Hours. The premise is that James Franco falls into a ravine and traps his arm under fallen debris, which is definitely revision—Earth Science is rocks, right?
E&M students can’t go wrong with The Big Short. Nominated for an Oscar, this based-on-a-true-life story makes the 2008 banking crisis not only understandable, but enjoyable too. It also includes Margot Robbie explaining banking lingo whilst drinking champagne in a bath, which is probably the best way to revise.
Engineers should try Mad Max: Fury Road, a 2015 action film set in a post-apocalyptic Australian wilderness. The fuel-guzzling machines featured in this movie are truly a sight to behold, and in order to revise please use everything you have learnt during Michaelmas to make me a Mad Max-style car.
If you study English, an absolute winner is The Importance of Being Earnest. Colin Firth stars in this almost word perfect adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s play; hilariously funny, and played with just the right amount of confidence, it is one of the best adaptions you will see. To revise just allow the words to fill your mind rather than laboriously learning quotations.
Any budding lawyers: Hot Fuzz is for you—a cop comedy from the makers of Shaun of the Dead. Stationed in a small countryside village, two police officers have work on their hands as some unexpected violence starts to go down. In order to revise, simply list every crime committed in the film, no matter how small.
For Medicine the perfect choice is Vital Signs. If one film had to sum up the tackiness of 90’s cinema, then Vital Signs is it. It is based on a few friends in medical school, who must put their personal lives aside before they decide what to specialise in. To turn this into revision, discuss which is worse, the poor acting or the simplification of medical procedures.
Any linguists should go for Une Femme est une Femme. Look out for the Cherwell’s film list about the best foreign films to stream this year. Unfortunately, not every language could be included here, so the wonderful French film Une Femme est une Femme about the 1960’s idea of a modern women, takes the centre stage. To revise just submerge yourself in the beauty of French and shout along “Non! Je suis une femme!”
For PPE there is always The Iron Lady. Thatcherites Assemble: Meryl Streep plays the former English Prime Minister in the 2011 biopic. To revise, please explain, in your own words, the conservative government of the 1980’s.
And finally, for theologists, my recommendation is The Life of Brian. Monty Python offer you Brian, a normal guy who keeps being mistaking for the messiah, and while it might not be strictly theological, you never need an excuse to watch Monty Python. Ever. Even if there are exams.
