In Defence Of...

In Defence of… A Round Up | A New WAR Series

In this new Wales Arts Review series, In Defence of… we ask writers to offer up a defence of some much-maligned book, movie, play, album or any other artistic creation that usually attracts cries of derision and mockery. The possibilities of what is discussed are endless, ranging from literary or Hollywood creations to one of the most common festive activities, hanging up Christmas lights.


The Great Gatsby: In Defence of Baz Luhrmann

We begin this new series with an analysis of Baz Luhrmann‘s The Great Gatsby which has drawn much criticism. Here Dylan Moore mounts a defence for the movie adaption of the Fitzgerald novel.

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is available now.

The latest movie adaptation of the novel is also available now.

In Defence of... the maligned Dune 1984 Movie Adaptation
Dune | The 1984 Movie Adaptation

In Defence of Vampires: Neil Jordan’s Byzantium

Here Gary Raymond offers a defence for the 2012 Neil Jordan vampire-flick movie, Byzantium which has seen its fair share of heavy criticism.

Neil Jordan‘s Byzantium is available now.

Lighting Up for Christmas: In Defence of House Lights

Lighting up for Christmas is a regular activity for most households during the festive period, though some argue that the activity should be avoided. The architect, Richard Porch offers a defence for the popular festive activity.

In Defence of Adaptations

Carolyn Percy explores the relationship between the Hollywood blockbuster and source material in this essay on literary adaptions.

In Defence of... the maligned Byzantium | Neil Jordan Movie
Byzantium | Neil Jordan Movie

Self Delusion? In Defence of the Novel

After yet another recent claim that the death of the novel is nigh from high profile author Will Self, Mark Blayney breaks down the argument and finds a surprising truth. Mark Blayney is an author himself, with a number of his novels having been published.

In Defence of… Howard the Duck

Another contribution to this discussion is Gary Raymond‘s essay offers an impassioned point of view on the 1980s LucasFilm/Marvel movie Howard the Duck.

The LucasFilm/Marvel movie, Howard the Duck, is available now.

In Defence of… the ‘lowbrow sensation’ Love Island

Award-winning novelist Manon Steffan-Ros steps into the dock in the latest of our series of articles defending modern culture’s maligned gems, with a heartfelt character reference for “lowbrow sensation” Love Island.

In Defence of… Cassette Tapes

Hayley Long offers a sincere defence of cassette tapes in the latest in our series on some of the modern culture’s most maligned items.

In Defence of… The Driller Killer

S. Mark Gubb tells the story of how Abel Ferrara’s infamous 1979 Video Nasty, The Driller Killer, changed his life in another contribution to the Wales Arts Review’s new series.

Abel Ferrara‘s The Driller Killer is available now.

In Defence of… Return of the Jedi

As the Star Wars saga reaches its conclusion with the release of The Rise of Skywalker this month, Nick Davies speaks out in defence of an oft-maligned episode in the movie franchise: Return of the Jedi champions its Welsh director and argues that in spite of the derided Ewoks – in fact, because of the Ewoks – it’s one of the most satisfying blockbusters in decades.

Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker, the most recent addition to the Star Wars series, is available now.

In Defence of... The maligned Bat out of Hell | Meat Loaf
Bat out of Hell | Meat Loaf

In Defence of… David Lynch’s Dune

Another contribution to our series of essays defending the indefensible, novelist David Llewellyn pens a love letter to David Lynch’s much-maligned movie adaptation of Frank Herbert’s iconic fantasy novel, Dune.

The 1984 adaptation of Frank Herbert‘s novel, Dune, is available here.

The most recent adaptation of the Frank Herbert novel is available now.

In Defence of… Bat Out of Hell

In the latest in our series where we ask our writers to offer a case in the defence of the much-maligned, Max Ashworth offers an impassioned essay on Bat Out of Hell, the megalithic Meat Loaf album from the 1970s.

The Meat Loaf album, Bat out of Hell is available now.