Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln, with Daniel Day-Lewis in the lead role and expected to sweep the Oscars, concentrates on elite political maneuvering around the 13th Amendment to the US constitution, which sealed the demise of slavery in January of 1865—less than three months before the end of America’s bloody Civil War.

Based on the incredible book by Victor Hugo, Les Miserables is a masterpiece that will blow everyone away. A story about love, kindness, heartache, devastation, poverty, obsession and one man’s quest for redemption and best of all it is set in Revolutionary France. In October 1985, this brave, new production hit London’s West End and was almost brought to an abrupt halt after critics viciously condemned it.

Tonight (august 29th) at 10pm TV3 will air “Irelands Bogus Beggars: Paul Connolly Investigates”. This is a program they showed last year and it fits in well with their attempt to be the Daily Mail of Irish television.

We have seen other poorly made “journalistic documentaries” from TV3 or 3e recently on Travellers and also Muslims. Coupled with the Joe Duffyesque show Midday they always manage to fall into the cheap, trivialisation, crap of Irish television.

The BBC recently aired two documentaries with last year's London riots as subject. Part one gave the perspective of the rioters themselves and Part two gave the Police’s side of the riots. The BBC used actors to represent both sides so the interviews were not ‘live’ or actual footage of the 'real' participants.

For many, popular uprisings go wrong the moment those fighting back pick up a gun. Any sign of “militarisation” marks a turning point where a brilliant rebellion turns into a tragic civil war.

More in sorrow than in anger, it will be argued that the revolt lost its way—and now the only priority is to stop the bloodshed. If only the rebels had stayed peaceful and “non-violent”.

But this view is not borne out by history. Revolts very rarely take up arms as a result of a conscious strategic decision. Instead, they are forced into it by circumstance.

The Alien series, first of which was called “Alien” and released in 1979, deals comprehensively with gender and the politics of sex. It introduced Sigourney Weaver as Ellen Ripley a character now famous among feminist film critics as the well developed female action hero archetype. While it could be said director Ridley Scott was looking for cheap screams, he successfully subverts classic horror and sci-fi tropes to talk about the place of women in these genres and the role they play. Resulting in this, the male fear of feminisation & penetration are core themes of the films.

Occupy is a series of short interviews, statements and commentaries that portrays a glimpse of the breadth of the movement across America. It looks at the debates within Occupy and the short and long term demands of the movement.

As The Hunger Games makes the move from print to screen, school student Rosa Kincaid explains the appeal of the books and reviews the new film

In the not too distant future what remains of North America is now the country of Panem. It is split into 12 different districts, each poorer than the last, ruled over by the wealthy Capitol.

After a failed revolution, each district has to sacrifice one girl and one boy every year. They have to fight to the death in the Hunger Games for the Capitol’s enjoyment.

Solidarity messages from Ireland to Egypt… First one from Eamonn McCann, a leading Irish journalist, socialist and one of the legendary figures in the country’s civil rights movement…

Working Class Struggle in the North- 1907

The North of Ireland has a rich history of working class struggle often dismissed or ignored in mainstream commentary. In the run up to the major strikes in November, Matt Collins begins a three part series on workers struggle in the North, looking first at the events of 1907.