Cheeky Magazine FW22

editorial

This issue — Volume Two, if you’ve been following along is dedicated to the ‘best of the year’, the year being 2022.

We first look at music, follow with television, and finish with film. There are mostly recaps and reviews, summarising the year’s popcultural output in just a few sentences.

Taylor Swift’s Midnights was a fan favourite, with The 1975’s Being Funny my personal pick.

House of the Dragon somehow surpassed unrealistic expectations, while Conversations with Friends fell far short of Normal People. And Euphoria season 2… you just had to be there.

2022 saw excellence in the film industry. Jordan Peele’s Nope and Top Gun: Maverick were the best of the summer blockbusters. Director Charlotte Wells’ debut, Aftersun, dazzled audiences. Timothée and Luca G teamed up again for Bones & All, this time with Taylor Russell. And that’s not even the half of it.

Here’s to you, 2022.

Listening to Dawn FM is, quite literally, a religious experience. With references to crucifixion (“Don’t Break My Heart”), other-worldly beings (“Every Angel is Terrifying”), and the afterlife (“Phantom Regret by Jim”), The Weeknd pirouettes through his self-made, musical, metaphorical purgatory He runs from his reckless youth of drugs and strip clubs and turns towards “the light,” acknowledging his emotional growth through a physical depiction of his older self cue the album’s cover art.

In the past two years, death has proven ubiquitous Rather than romanticizing this, The Weeknd uses the threat of mortality to create a remarkable album of reckoning. He is admittedly afraid of being alone, honestly asking “How Do I Make You Love Me?” and blatantly begging “Don’t Break My Heart.” Insecurity naturally follows from this fear and informs some tumultuous relationships, including one with a wedded woman (“I Heard You’re Married”), one where it’s too late for “I love you” (“Out of Time”), and one that could end in annihilation (“I can’t take another heartbreak / or I’ll end it all”) (“Don’t Break My Heart”). Quincy Jones serves as Abel Tesfaye’s spokesperson on the psyche, explaining that his “toxic love” is likely a result of childhood trauma.

Dawn FM follows The Weeknd’s signature sound, employing elements of R&B, 80s-style synth-pop, and funk to achieve what feels like a fever dream. He explicitly references R.E.M. (“Gasoline”) and Prince (“Phantom Regret”), quotes T Rex (“Phantom Regret”), and brings new life into Berlin’s “Take My Breath Away” (“Take My Breath”), while the album takes tones reminiscent of the Stranger Things theme mixed with Michael Jackson’s “Thriller.” Dawn FM gives “retro” a double meaning, as the album is both thematically retrospective and sonically vintage.

Jim Carrey serves as Dawn FM’s DJ, sending us seamlessly from song to song with inimitable etherealness. Appearing on both the opening and closing tracks, Carrey bookends the album by asking the listener about their life with an eerie intonation and everyday expressions. He implores us with a simple “scared?” before we embark into the “abyss” (“Dawn FM”) In “Phantom Regret,” he forces us to reflect on our relationships (“How many grudges did you take to your grave?”), our actions (“When you weren’t liked or followed, how did you behave?”), and our own consciousness with a question close to The Weeknd’s heart: “Were you high, or just stoned?”

© The Weeknd

”The Weeknd uses the threat of mortality to create a remarkable album of reckoning”

Harry’s House

Harry Styles

His third album since leaving One Direction, Harry Styles finally lets us inside on Harry’s House While he played it safe on HS and went full Fleetwood Mac on Fine Line, Harry’s House stands somewhere in the middle it’s Styles at his most vulnerable, playful, and true to himself. Inspired by folk, funk, and early 2000’s alternative, it lacks stand-out singles but instead results in a no-skips record

Midnights

Taylor Swift

Deemed an ‘instant classic’ by Rolling Stone, Midnights combines Taylor’s main character charisma (“Karma”) with selfreflection (“Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve”) only made possible by time. A more mature 1989 with a touch of Reputation’s ‘F you’ energy, Midnights is pure pop It’s a solid record from Ms Swift but far from her best work

“It’s Styles at his most vulnerable, playful, and true to himself”

emotional maturity, look elsewhere”

The Loneliest Time Carly Rae Jepsen SOS SZA

An ode perhaps to unrequited love, Carly Rae Jepsen returns to sad girl pop with The Loneliest Time Drawing musical inspiration largely from disco (“The Loneliest Time”, “Anxious”, “Keep Away”), The Loneliest Time is for dancing and/or crying in the club. Likely her most lovesick album yet, it deviates from previous work but we’re not complaining

SZA’s highly-anticipated return surpasses expectations with 23 solid tracks “Nobody Gets Me” is a stand-out song, along with “Kill Bill”, “Gone Girl”, “F2F” and “Special” which, when taken together, demonstrate an impressive thematic range. If you were in want of emotional maturity, look elsewhere SOS is for the “I Hate U” girlies.

“If you were in want of

Being Funny In A Foreign Language

The 1975

Two and a half years after Notes On A Conditional Form, The 1975 have announced their next tour, titled “At Their Very Best” Quite a grand claim, until you’ve heard Being Funny

Easily their most digestible and generally enjoyable album, Being Funny In A Foreign Language is the best of each 1975 era without the fluff. While their earlier work was sonically ‘retro’, more recent influences include rock, funk, and even R&B “Happiness”, Being Funny’s second single, is a natural transition from NOACF, while “Looking For Somebody (To Love)” is classic I like it when you sleep… and “I’m In Love With You” bears similarity to A Brief Inquiry. But there’s an overarching vibe some might call it cinematic as Track 1’s staccato piano immediately parallels Call My By Your Name’s (2017) opening credits

Being Funny simultaneously maintains lead singer Matty Healy’s cynicism while being the band’s most uplifting, least angst-y album yet. Perhaps a reflection of his personal journey, it’s a bit less doom-and-gloom and a bit more bittersweet Not much for subtlety, Healy hits you over the head with happiness (“Happiness”), love (“Looking For Somebody (To Love)”, “I’m In Love With You”), and togetherness (“Wintering”, “When We Are Together”). There’s a touch of melancholy on “Oh Caroline” and “About You”, giving listeners that “Somebody Else” sensation without leaning too far into self-pity

The 1975 are increasingly postmodern, connecting storylines between albums and addressing previous exaggerations and idiosyncrasies (“We’re fuckin’ in a car” famously becomes “I never fucked in a car, I was lying. I do it on my bed, lying down, not trying”) A continuation of “Robbers”, the sixth single from their self-titled debut, “About You” is a hazy, ethereal, hypothetical conversation between two ex-lovers..

Healy asks, “Do you think I have forgotten about you?” and a woman (Carly Holt) answers “I never know what to think about, I think about you” This back-and-forth gives fans a sense of closure on this particular chapter, eight years later.

The band’s also known to comment on socio-cultural phenomena (such as climate change on NOACF and QAnon on Being Funny) In “Human Too”, arguably the album’s most forgettable track, Healy expresses empathy to fellow “flawed” humans. While forgiveness is admirable, it begs the question: Should we be so casual with people who cause harm?

Healy’s songwriting abilities, while often coming into question (see “I’m In Love With You” and “TOOTIMETOOTIMETOOTIME”), are in fact intact, demonstrated most skillfully in “Part Of The Band” and “Wintering”. Both songs tell Healy’s stories about himself, his family, his “ego” and “ejaculations” and make for interesting departures from the rest of the album. While “Part Of The Band” reads almost like a journal entry (“Am I ironically woke? The butt of my joke? Or am I just some post-coke, average, skinny bloke”), “Wintering” is a lighthearted Christmas song about quirky characters reconvening “on the 23rd”. Though thematically at odds, both are feats of clever lyricism.

The album wraps at a respectable 43 minutes and 32 seconds with “When We Are Together” Addressing NOACF’s “Guys”, which sparked a will they/won’t they debate about the band breaking up, Healy asserts that Being Funny is only the “end of Season 5”. I’m not ready for the finale just yet, but were The 1975 to take an ‘indefinite hiatus’, they’d be doing so, well, at their very best

“Being funny simultaneously maintains lead singer Matty Healy’s cynicism while being the band’s most uplifting, least angst-y album yet”

“Being funny in a foreign language is the best of each 1975 era — without the fluff”

Even more turbulent and emotionally raw, Euphoria season 2 far surpasses season 1 in terms of acting ability required as well as overall viewership. Cassie (Sydney Sweeney), Nate (Jacob Elordi), and Maddy (Alexa Demie) form the most good-looking and certifiably insane love triangle on modern television and leave us with plenty of iconic, meme-able content. Yet despite its draws, major characters like Jules (Hunter Schafer) and Kat (Barbie Ferreira) are completely sidelined for more conventionally attractive bodies. On the production side, rumours circulated about director Sam Levinson altering scripts just minutes before shooting, including the final scene with Fez (Angus Cloud) and Ashtray (Javon Walton). And what the hell is that 5-minute-long song?

The final season of Derry Girls sees Erin, Orla, Clare, Michelle, and James and their parents celebrating major milestones: 18th birthdays, first kisses, high school reunions, and referendums. Full of ups, downs, quirks, and charisma, Derry Girls season 3 (the final series) delivers its sameold self, leaving viewers satisfied yet potentially underwhelmed. Narratives that could be expanded, such as the budding romance between Erin and James, a mysterious affair between Ma Mary and the plumber, and the mourning period post-Pa Devlin’s death, are instead left unexamined. While Derry Girls’ success comes largely from its spurts of comedic relief, the characters are emotionally limited, and the stories are at times shallow. Finally: a show that would benefit from four+ seasons?

© Euphoria / HBO

© Derry Girls / Channel

CONVERSATIONS WITH FRIENDS

Adapted from Sally Rooney’s first novel, Conversations with Friends follows four young people Frances (Alison Oliver), Bobbi (Sasha Lane), Nick (Joe Alwyn), and Melissa (Jemima Kirke) as they navigate and ultimately mishandle lust, love, and adultery. Rooney has a talent for writing emotionally charged stories which simultaneously remain objective and reject any moralisation. Well-acted by all four, but less compelling than Connell (Paul Mescal) and Marianne (Daisy Edgar Jones) in Normal People, Conversations makes us think twice about how we love and who we hurt.

After season 3’s aesthetic experiment, Stranger Things 4 returns to the show’s original tone gritty and muted, much like 1980s midwestern America. The Duffer Brothers go big this time, combining four separate storylines into a sole narrative, moving us from sunny SoCal to wintry Siberia to same-as-ever Indiana. The ensemble cast continues to expand with the addition of Eddie (Joseph Quinn), Argyle (Eduardo Franco), and at last 001 (Jamie Bower), with Matthew Modine and Paul Reiser returning as Dr. Brenner and Dr. Owens, respectively. ST4 does what the Duffers do best sci-fi in small-town USA with an overambitious plot that occasionally falls short. Previously major characters like Mike (Finn Wolfhard), Will (Noah Schnapp), and Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) feel under-developed; however, fans finally get the Jopper (Winona Ryder and David Harbour) moment we’ve been hoping for.

© Stranger Things / Netflix

A prequel to Game of Thrones set two centuries prior, House of the Dragon focuses on the Targaryen dynasty. It’s got everything Game of Thrones had gore, inbreeding, dragons, family drama but fails to match the original series in storytelling. The actors are generally well-cast, but time-jumps create some confusing age gaps; by the finale, an adult Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke) appears younger than all three of her children. Oh, and everyone’s name begins with Daem, Aem, Vaem, or Rhaen, which isn’t confusing at all.

Unlike Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon represents female power not as the opposite of victimisation or oppression but simply as a historical rarity. By showing multiple gruesome childbirths, Targaryen women seem almost unnaturally strong, yet simultaneously, these scenes indicate that a woman’s place is in the home, as a mother. The series grapples with opposing and at times overlapping definitions of feminism: Rhaenyra’s (Emma D’Arcy) I-do-what-I-want attitude; Alicent’s subtly strategic mind, which secures her regal position; Rhaenys’ (Eve Best) quiet intellect and commanding presence. The House of the Dragon would be nothing without its women, and the show spotlights this without forcing it.

Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts

This reunion special combines behind-the-scenes directorial decisions with on-set coming-of-age and offers tribute to cast members who’ve passed.

Fresh

This horror-movie-meets-rom-com portrayal of modernday dating gives a whole new meaning to ‘stranger danger’.

Top Gun: Maverick

Tom Cruise delivers an exceptional, stunt-filled performance in this Hollywood sequel; the stakes are higher, the pilots better, and the task deadlier, with a heavy dose of nostalgia from Cruise and Val Kilmer.

Aftersun

Frankie Corio shines in Charlotte Wells’ directorial debut, about childhood memories, unseen trauma, and filling the gaps in our parents’ private lives.

The Bob’s Burgers Movie

Rather than being a drastically different story a la Simpsons or Spongebob, The Bob’s Burgers Movie follows a familiar recipe and feels like one long episode.

Nope

It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s a… UFO? Jordan Peele, horror auteur, shows us the dangers in obsession with spectacle.

Bones & All

Horror, romance and coming-of-age don’t always go together, but Taylor (Maren) and Timothée (Lee) two ‘eaters’ on the run deliver in this tender yet sprawling love story.

Lady Chatterley's Lover

A sensual yet at times shallow depiction of marriage, forbidden desire and sexual liberation in 20th century England.

Don’t Worry Darling

Olivia Wilde’s sophomore feature is delicious yet derivative; what it lacks in plot, it makes up for in production quality.

Blonde

A fictionalised account of the late actress’s troubling life, Blonde victimises rather than memorialises Marilyn Monroe, often unnecessarily explicitly.

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery

New ensemble, new location, same Benoit Blanc. The sequel to Rian Johnson’s clever and comical Knives Out (2019), Glass Onion is Agatha Christie for the COVID age.

The Menu

An amusing yet overdone eat-the-rich horror film that leaves you feeling unsatiated.

My Policeman

Constantly jumping from past to present, My Policeman is ambitious yet lacking in emotional depth.

Wendell

& Wild

Struggling to follow Coraline (2009), Wendell & Wild combines first-class animation with a killer soundtrack but is hindered by a meandering, predictable plot.

The Good Nurse

With surprisingly lukewarm performances from two Academy Award-winners, The Good Nurse is the true crime thriller that never climaxes.

Do Revenge

This teen revenge dramedy is full of twists, turns, and counter attacks, with solid showings from Camila Mendes (Riverdale), Austin Abrams (Euphoria) and a type-cast Maya Hawke (Stranger Things).

ELVIS

Aaron Presley: the King of Rock and Roll at times a controversial figure, always a cultural icon His life and Baz Luhrmann’s bizarre but instantly-recognizable directorial style have much in common gaudy yet glamorous, absurd and electrifying. Luhrmann spins us through time, from Elvis’s poverty-stricken childhood to his flirtation with Beale Street and on through his insanely influential yet highly commercial career He tells this tale through the unreliable narration of Colonel Tom Parker (Tom Hanks), Elvis’s manipulative manager.

ELVIS, as a biopic should, has less documentation and more dramatisation. Dizzying shots through space establish a sense of mania but are slightly overused Similarly, multiple exposures and split screens are flashy, eye-catching, and arguably bold creative decisions for a feature film (which sometimes seems more like a music video a clever choice.) However, these montages at times feel frivolous; they look good for the sake of looking good rather than advancing the story Not to mention, they add to the film’s exorbitant 159minute run time (For a more effective example of storytelling through a split screen, see Marc Webb’s (500) Days of Summer.)

Elvis tries on a range of personas, from military man to movie star, throughout his artistic journey. Major tonal shifts, as shown mostly through pacing, colorisation, and score, effectively differentiate between the young, starry-eyed singer, the politically driven “Elvis the pelvis” and the bloated burn-out of his final days. From a purely visual perspective, each shot adds to the fairytale-esque frenzy that solidified Elvis as a superstar through carefully choreographed camerawork bolstered by meticulous post-production.

Speaking of superstars: Austin Butler is a fantastic and seemingly organic choice to capture the King. His Elvis impersonation earned him the role, but his transformation into the man himself is almost hyper-real. Butler’s gyrations and deep South drawl add credibility to his character and stuck with him even after the film wrapped (just watch his interviews) An Academy nomination for Best Actor wouldn’t feel gratuitous

Perhaps ELVIS’s strangest and least successful aspect is Tom Hanks’s performance as Tom Parker. Hank’s acting isn’t the problem but rather, his role itself begs the question: why is Parker driving the plot? Is the film about Elvis or something else entirely? Luhrmann loves a narrator, but unlike The Great

Gatsby’s Nick Carraway, Tom Parker makes himself both the hero and the villain of the film when he shouldn’t necessarily be a main character. While Nick’s idolisation of Gatsby is thematically relevant, Tom’s narration muddles the film’s true meaning

In Luhrmann’s defence, all biopics run the risk of simply recounting historical events rather than saying something more significant. ELVIS manages to do both, deliberately addressing the political climate of the mid-1900s United States while remaining biographical. We see Presley’s childhood in Tupelo, Mississippi, where he first encounters Black gospel music, which visibly determines his life’s course Then, we hear his record, “That’s All Right” (originally recorded by Arthur Crudup), and he’s mistaken for a Black artist. Colonel Parker’s face lights up when someone says, “he’s white”, realising the marketability of a white man who can bring Black music to the masses Elvis rose to fame when the American South was still operating under segregation laws; his relationships with several Black musicians, including B.B. King (Kelvin Harrison Jr.) and Little Richard (Alton Mason), are shown through frequent and conspicuous trips to Beale Street.

While portrayed as an ally of the civil rights movement, Elvis seemingly appropriated and capitalised on Black music, though some argue that by bringing it into the cultural foreground, Black artists could successfully follow suit. Elvis also dated Priscilla, his future wife, when she was 14 and he 24. He’s rumoured to have had several affairs during their marriage, with Priscilla even hinting that he’d sexually assaulted her Unfortunately though perhaps not surprisingly the film glazes over these less pleasant parts of his legacy.

In retrospect, ELVIS asks us: what caused the King’s downfall? Was it the fans, as Colonel Parker suggests in the film’s final minutes? Or was it the Colonel himself? We’re left to ponder these questions, indicating Luhrmann’s ability to provoke afterthought

Neither the movie nor the man was perfect, but there perhaps was no director better-suited (yet more critically divisive) than Baz to do Elvis justice. While the plot occasionally falls short and feels bloated, it’s a visually stunning product and a fever dream from start to finish We can debate whether Baz’s best work is behind him, but be sure that Butler, like young Elvis, is only getting started.

© ELVIS / Warner Bros.

The 95th academy awards

Though the Academy Awards have historically neglected certain genres, techniques, and types of filmmakers in favour of others, they hold a special place in my heart. The Best Picture Showcase, an annual event at my local cinema, introduced me to film as an art form in addition to a source of entertainment. Some of my favourite films including Call Me By Your Name, Spirited Away, and Back to the Future have been recognised for their excellence by the Academy Awards.

Spot this little guy on the previous pages? These five films are my would-be Best Picture nominees of the ones I’ve seen this year. These don’t reflect the films I believe will actually be nominated or the ones I haven’t seen. But since I brought it up…

predictions Potentials

Avatar: The Way of Water The Banshees of Inisherin Benediction

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Decision to Leave The Fabelmans The Good Nurse Tár

Top Gun: Maverick She Said

Aftersun

All the Beauty and the Bloodshed Armageddon Time Bones & All Elvis

Everything Everywhere All At Once Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery Nope RRR Women Talking