Venue 359

GUS EDGAR-CHAN Venue Editor

JOSEPHINE DOWSWELL Venue Deputy Editor

Here in the media collective offices, we have a little saying: ‘Venue year, Venue me’. Sure, it makes no

What? 2019? What? Huh? Where am I? Who are you people? What year is it? etc. Every year, as if on the

sense, but it’s decent enough wordplay and ‘new year, new me’ was so 2018. Now we find ourselves celebrating Jesus’ 2019 birthday, it’s time to set aside our past woes and look ahead to a bright, prosperous future. Or is it? On page 14, Toby Marquis argues why this year is gonna suck, while Juliette Rey fights the optimist’s fight. Will the argument have a resolution? A...New Year’s resolution? Find out on page 7, where Sam Hewitson deconstructs the idea of a resolution in the first place. Personally, there’s absolutely no harm in a New Year’s resolution, even if it’s inevitably going to crash and burn. As the idiom goes, ‘resolutions are meant to be broken’. And I think that rules.

In the meantime, our easier-than-usual sudoku will set your year on the right path, our pages are looking more pristine than ever, and each section has a tidy lil’ preview of all the good stuff coming up in 2019. Just imagine the previews next year! They’ll be perfect! Because it’ll be 2020. Because everyone will have 2020 vision... oh, forget it.

Johanne Elster Hanson

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Shelby Cooke

Jordan Hunnisett

Gabriela Williams

dot, we get to December 31st and it never passes into December 32nd. It never quite gets there, as hard as it may try, and instead the year changes and we’re stuck in January once again. It’s almost... cyclical. Sisyphean.

Hear me out here. We have to do another January!

We’ve already had 2018 of them! I for one find this disgraceful. Maybe if the millennials cared less about, uh, social media and veganism than arbitrary dating systems, then our proud Great Britain wouldn’t be in this mess. Sausage rolls made out of REAL meat, that’s MY Great Britain. That’s MY happy new year. MY happy new year also happens to involve wonderful content about all the upcoming television, films, and other lovely things the year has to offer. What’s that? I can find that in this edition of Venue? Perfect!

The first meme of 2019 was Piers Morgan pretending to vomit on live television. Good morning, Britain... Have a wonderful new year.

Nick Mason

Icons courtesy of Vecteezy

Rabbit by Fay Austen

Jodie Bailey

Rebecca McDonnell

What’s happening in 2019?

The Testaments by Margaret Atwood

Exhibition of EcoVisionaries

In September 2019, we’re finally returning to the world of Gilead. Set fifteen years after its predecessor, The Handmaid’s Tale, The Testaments is not going to pick up where Offred’s story left off. In fact, we cannot even be sure that Offred will be a character in the sequel to Atwood’s dystopian novel, as all we know is that the sequel will have three female narrators and that it will not be connected to the Hulu series, which has extended Offred’s

From 4 November 2019 to 23 February 2020, the Royal Academy’s new Gabrielle Jungels-Winkler Galleries will host Eco-Visionaries. The exhibition aims to call into question humans’ ecological consequences on the Earth in such manifestations as climate change, food shortage and resource depletion.

Synonymously, EcoVisionaries illuminates the growing interconnectedness of humans and non-humans, and the radical

As the National Gallery in Oslo closes down for renovation, their recent exhibition of the works of Norwegian symbolist Harald Sohlberg (1869-1935) comes to the Dulwich Picture Gallery in London. Harald Sohlberg: Painting Norway is the first exhibition of his works outside his home country, and the major retrospective coincides with the 150th anniversary of Sohlberg’s

Jodie Bailey

Bea Prutton

Johanne Elster Hanson

Play based on Max Porter’s book

The Wall by John Lanchester

Machines Like Me

by Ian McEwan

original story. No plot summary has been released, nor has the book’s cover art been revealed, and yet this is likely to be one of the most anticipated reads of 2019. A sequel has been a long time coming for Atwood’s 1985 novel, and whilst I am eager to learn more of Offred’s world (all of which has been inspired by atrocities in our own), I just hope that The Testaments lives up to the hype surrounding it.

redefinition of the role of technology in the current socio-political landscape.

Amassing art practitioners including Superflex, Unknown Fields, Andres Jaque / Office for Political Innovation, HeHe and Malka Architecture, the exhibition presents a critical rumination on today’s most urgent environmental issues, and methods by which they may be addressed and resolved.

Harald Sohlberg exhibition at the Dulwich Picture Gallery

birth. As an artist he was influenced

by Norwegian folklore and the country’s rural landscape. However, Sohlberg also took inspiration from his own psyche and his intense encounters with nature, evident in his most famous painting, the luminous Vinternatt i Rondane (Winter Night in the Mountains).

This new year will see a lot of Max Porter, the author of Grief is the Thing with Feathers. I am extremely excited to see this experimental piece of writing adapted by Enda Walsh and staged at the Barbican Theatre in March, through to April. What’s more?

The anthropomorphic Crow who represents grief in the play will be played by Cillian Murphy from Peaky Blinders. Adding to the anticipation is the fact that Porter will be in conversation with Philip Langeskov here at UEA the following day!

Hyped up by one of my favourite authors, Keith Ridgway, The Wall

by John Lanchester is my most anticipated piece of fiction this year. Described as a ‘Kafkaesque nightmare’, it tells the story of a wall patroller at the end of his tether, where boredom seeps in and political undercurrents emerge. The synopsis reads like a vague YA-novel, but this looks like it possesses none of the genre’s standard pitfalls.

Ian McEwan, the award-winning graduate of UEA’s Creative Writing MA, is set to publish a new book on 19 April 2019. One of the most consistent names on the Man Booker Shortlist, McEwan’s new work is a firm step into the genres of alternate history and sci-fi. Machines Like Me takes place in an alternate London where Britain has lost the Falklands War and Alan Turing made a breakthrough in artificial intelligence. While details are still scant, McEwan has promised that the work will address the fundamental question of what it means to be human under this unique setting.

Melina Spanoudi

Gus Edgar-Chan

Harry Routley

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Six works by Munch missing Norwegian newspaper Dagbladet recently revealed that six works by artist Edvard Munch (1963-1944), are currently unaccounted for. The missing works by Munch include “Omega cries”, “Marat’s death”, “Crying young woman by the bed”, “Tiergarten-Berlin”, “Portrait of Mrs. R.” and the portrait “Åge Christian Gierløff.” The Munch Museum in Oslo, who initially thought they were in possession of the six missing works, holds 1100 paintings, 18 200 graphic works, 6800 drawings, 13 sculptures and a great number of photographs taken by Munch.

Edvard Munch is by far Norway’s most famous artist, and his rough, expressionistic and symbolist style representing his shifting emotional and psychological state is recognised all over the world. Munch paintings have previously been

In 1936, a collection of over 900 works, among these the six Munch pictures, were gifted to the city of Aker (now Oslo) by businessman and art collector Rolf E. Stenersen. As there was no official Munch Museum at the time, many of the works were put up unsecured in student houses in and around Oslo.

Elisabeth Munch-Ellingsen, the great-grandchild of Munch’s brother, calls the case “scandalous”; While the unsecured paintings were all removed form the student villages after the large Munch painting “The Story” was cut from its frame and stolen in 1973, Munch-Ellingsen believes that the other missing works may turn up if former residents of the student houses are contacted.

Johanne Elster Hanson

sold for record sums at auctions, and even smaller prints are considered to be extremely valuable.

Concrete Book Review

Pachinko by Min Jin Lee ‘History has failed us, but no matter.’ Min Jin Lee’s opening line epitomises the essence of Pachinko (2017), a novel that brings awareness to an untold past with a poignant yet optimistic tone. Pachinko tells the story of a Korean family living in Japan throughout the 20th century. Themes of personal identity, place and culture are intertwined with the historical backdrop of the racial hostility and discrimination that Koreans faced from the Japanese.

Enlightening us on a history of hardship means there is the potential for a relentless narrative of suffering with an author bombarding their reader with details and judgments. Lee, however, avoids this; Pachinko is by no means an overbearing novel, yet its emotional purpose still flourishes. Poignancy and emotional impact lie largely in Lee’s construction of characters. The human needs and desires of these characters, for example Sunja’s motherly love, Yoseb’s want to provide for his family, or Mozasu’s light-hearted friendliness, aren’t stifled by historical portrayal or judgment. Lee’s choice of a focal family and the relations around them allows her to focus on building vivid characters, and our readerly love, admiration and respect for those portrayed means that our emotional engagement goes beyond simply viewing them as historical victims.

There is more to Pachinko than just a focus on history.

Pondering about his job in a pachinko parlour, Mozasu asserts that life is just like the game, ‘the player could adjust the dials yet also expect the uncertainty of factors he couldn’t control.’ It is a philosophy for life that Lee channels throughout Pachinko, which is based on her own Presbyterian faith where free will and predestination exist side by side. In the face of hostility, Lee’s characters maintain a quiet perseverance while reflective of the fact they feel they can influence their lives.

Ultimately Pachinko relays important historical knowledge, but Lee achieves this through the medium of a beautifully accomplished novel. This is evident from the characters and themes, but also from the graceful writing style. Those aware of Lee’s debut novel Free Food For Millionaires will be familiar with her style, which has been developed and enhanced to an even greater execution with Pachinko.

It is a graceful narrative of a marginalized history and a thoroughly worthwhile read.

Laura Hollinghurst

Images: Wikimedia Commons & Public Domain Pictures

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Rewriting Art History with Michelle Hartney Contextualising the works of chauvinistic artists Picasso and Gaugin, amongst others, Michelle Hartney’s project Separate the Art From the Artist uses the activist writings of Hannah Gadsby and Roxanne Gay to highlight the artists’ misogyny.

Hartney contextualises seminal works of Gaugin, Picasso and Balthus, and repositions them in the contexts of the abuse, misogyny and sexism in which they were produced by rewriting their museum labels.

Hartney describes her work as a ‘call to action’; there is a potent and direct sense of progression towards a particular goal - to strip away the layer of protection and concealment that artistic (and other types of) success provides to those who abuse their position.

Paul Gaugin is celebrated as a pioneer of modern art, but knowledge of the context of his artworks often makes them difficult to admire. Following his work alongside Van Gogh in the late 1880s, Gaugin lived in Tahiti and Hiva Oa, where he married a 13-year-old girl, as well as two other 14-year-olds, and infected innumerable other underaged girls with syphilis.

Gaugin claimed to have emigrated from Paris in order to pursue a ‘purer’ life away from Parisian decadence, living in a hut he referred to as ‘The House of Orgasm.’ The original museum description references these relationships, describing Gaugin’s admiration for the ‘Tahitian Eve’s naivety’ and capability of ‘walking around naked without shame.’

While Gaugin receives highly deserved criticism in today’s media, he remains a household name in the art community, a fact that Roxanne Gay attributes to a kind of critical ‘immunity,’ which Hartney desires to expel. The new label by Gay reads, ‘I think of those who gave up their dreams because some “genius” decided indulging his thirst for power and control mattered more than her ambition and dignity […]

When I do that, it’s quite easy for me to think nothing of the supposedly great art of bad men.’

Hannah Gadsby’s comedy special Nanette featured substantial criticism of Picasso, whom she describes as ‘rotten in the face cavity.’ Hartney utilises Gasdby’s transcribed words to juxtapose the museum’s lack of engagement with the so-called ‘sixmillion-euro question’: Was Picasso a misogynist?

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Image: Pixabay

Gadsby, however, handles the issue with directness and aggression. ‘Picasso fucked an underage girl.

And that’s it for me […] Marie-Therese Walter was 17 when they met. Underage. Legally underage. Picasso was 42, married, at the height of his career. Does it matter? Yeah.’

In perhaps the most astounding disregard of contextual detail in any of Hartney’s chosen museum labels, the original description of Balthus’ Girl With Cat reads simply, ‘1937. Oil on board.’

Hartney’s modified label is entitled, ‘Correcting Art History: How Many Crotch Shots of a Little Girl Does

it Take to Make a Painting?’ In the preliminary stages of the painting, Balthus took almost 2,000 Polaroids of 8-year-old Anna Wahli over eight years. The Polaroids captured her laid in sexualised positions, often wearing only her underwear. In 2013, 155 of Balthus’ Polaroids were sold for $20,000-$240,000 each.

Her work, in light of the ever-increasing prominence of feminism in the arts and in wider society (underscored by anti-abuse hashtags such as MeToo and #TimesUp) is imperative for the dismantling of the ‘immunity’ provided by success for concealing the behaviour of certain high-profile individuals.

Hartney’s own hashtag #correctarthistory concludes many of her revised museum labels. Her use of the hashtag serves as a reminder that her work seeks to inspire the continuation of her project into the social spheres of her viewers. Following the artworks’ reconsidered descriptions on her website, Hartney instructs us, her audience,

‘You can download and print out these wall labels for your own use. I cannot tell you what to do with them, and I certainly will not suggest you put them up in a museum or gallery, but if you make your own personal decision to do so, use a light adhesive so you do not cause any damage’ and calls into question the roles and responsibilities of the art institution, which she believes are to ‘turn the presentation of an artist’s work into a teaching moment.’

Bea Prutton

A GUIDE TO NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS ‘My New Year’s resolution, is to stick to my resolutions’, a promise that I have made to myself on multiple occasions.

Resolutions polarise public opinion. Some adore them, some despise them. There is something to be said for setting resolutions: they inspire change, self-improvement and achievement, which can pave the way for a brilliant year. However, as most will know, this is not always the reality. Resolutions are forgotten about, ditched or just outright failed. But why do we continue to set them, when failure is a possibility? Why do we not succeed at seeing them through, and most importantly, how can we complete them?

Resolutions are the manifestation of a desire for change. They look at the previous year’s shortcomings with the intention to rectify them. Resolutions highlight improvements to be made, and due to this, the intention cannot be faulted. Humans innately strive for perfection, and a goal can usually inspire us to pursue this. Although, the reason these do not succeed is down to how we make these goals, not what the goals are. The structure of them increases the burden, focusing on the giant leaps that need to be made instead of the small steps that have to be taken to get there. Overambition and generalisations ruin us, and make the burden noticeably bigger. Through my many years of setting, and ultimately failing, resolutions, I have come to realise why I am not succeeding, and this is what I have learned. This piece is no rulebook, no algorithm for success, and I am definitely no expert, but hopefully I can impart some words of wisdom.

One fault of mine in the past is setting too many resolutions, all of a large magnitude. I have many things in my life that I want to change or be better at, and focusing on all of them has often been my downfall. Sure, having one goal for the year may not seem like enough, but having too many will make the struggle to balance them that much harder. Pick a few that grab your attention the most, and find ways to achieve those. This will fuel motivation, as the list will not

seem like an insurmountable mountain that never ends.

Not only will the sense of achievement still be satisfied, but the burden will be reduced. It is better to achieve everything on a short list, than a few on a long list, I have found.

My other major mistake in recent years is being too vague.

An overarching goal or idea is, of course, great, but the path to achieving this needs to be planned and outlined.

Statements like ‘I want to get fitter’, ‘I want to save more money’ and ‘I want to get better at X’ plague our goals lists and offer nothing of any significant value. My question to you, is, how do you want to get fitter? How do you want to save more money? How do you want to get better at X? Think of New Year’s resolutions as a checklist, not a sweeping, general mindset for the year. Be more rigid with it, aim to go to the gym a certain number of times a week, or state the specific amount of money you want to save to be able to buy whatever it is you want, and have a specific plan of action for how you want to get better at something.

For example, I want to read more books in 2019, but instead of saying ‘I want to read more’, I have set myself the challenge of reading 52 books, one a week, on average. It is much more easily trackable because I have quantified the goal. This means I have either succeeded, or not, and that will be blatantly clear and not up for debate. The presence of a number holds one accountable to their goal, boosting motivation and keeping that resolution fresh in their mind.

So, in 2019, try it this way. And if it’s not successful, then you can at least say you tried, right?

Remember though, resolutions are not, and never should be, the be all and end all. If all else fails, just naively tell everyone that 2020 will be your year, because you won’t be the only one playing that card two weeks in. And who’s to say resolutions are just for the New Year? As I have stressed, they are about change and improvement, and this can be done at any time of the year, whenever you want.

Sam Hewitson

Images: Vecteezy

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Time, illness and Melancholia Time. It’s our human instinct to fear it, to be cautious of it, to fight it. Our entire existences are dominated by time and influenced by change, so it’s not surprising that these themes show up repeatedly in cinema. Lars Von Tier’s Melancholia follows Justine (Kirsten Dunst), as she attempts to cope with her severe depression.

From her wedding night to the end of the world, Justine is plagued by her illness, preventing her from living fully.

But when the newly discovered planet Melancholia (a metaphor for the intrusive oppression of depression on one’s life) starts to plummet towards Earth, the uncertainty of time and change dominates the characters’ lives. Von Tier explores human mentality and stability through his characters, using them as allegories for the human desire to control time, despite it being inescapable.

Melancholia explores humans relationship with time by looking towards the future. In Melancholia, the future, which is symbolised through the looming death caused

by Melancholia, dictates the three characters — Justine’s, John’s (Kiefer Sutherland), and Claire’s (Charlotte Gainsbourg) — relationships and reaction with time and change. Due to her mental illness and inescapable depression, Justine, unlike the other

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Image: Nordisk Film

characters in the film, knows that the future is uncontrollable and can’t be known. Like Melancholia, she herself is an uncontrollable force.

Despite everyone trying to dictate her behaviour and forcing her to conform to social norms, she breaks free and follows her own path. Melancholia, also ungoverned by habits, can’t be tamed or known. Justine is able to understand and accept the fate of her impending death by Melancholia because she knows that it can’t be stopped or controlled.

the uncontrollable: at the wedding, Claire is insistent that Justine follows the established social codes that are expected of her; at breakfast, she breaks down because they can’t have a ‘normal’ breakfast. But what separates Claire from John is her willingness to accept the future, even though she fears it. Claire learns from Justine that one can’t control the uncontrollable, and, instead of killing herself like John, she allows the future to come, despite her desperate desire to stop it.

John, as the antithesis to Justine, is unable to accept the unpredictability of change and the unknowingness of the future. His obsession with technology and the ‘scientific explanation’ of Melancholia’s trajectory illustrates his lack of acceptance for change or the possibility of an unknown future. He desperately tries to control the future and to force it to follow the social order he has been programmed to follow. Yet, his inability to control the uncontrollable eventually results in his suicide. Whereas Justine is able to come to terms with the uncontrollable future, John is not, which results in him taking his own life before Melancholia can.

John and Claire’s acceptance of the future comes in the form of fear: John’s means of accepting the inevitability of destruction is to kill himself and Claire, although accepting of the eventual future, is horrified by her eventual death from Melancholia.

Yet, Justine, who is understanding of the uncontrollability of the future, truly accepts the fate of Melancholia.

Rather than allowing the future to terrify her, she embraces it without fear and builds a magic cave to produce a new world in this deteriorating one. In the end, Melancholia killed them all; John and Claire died with fear and anxiety, but Justine is able to die with a sense of euphoria and acceptance.

Claire, on the other hand, projects a similar desire as John to control

Shelby Cooke

Identity: on screen Identity, a gripping psychological thriller in its own right, offers an unusual insight into one of the most misconstrued mental illnesses explored on film.

psyche from having to face the past ordeal. In the film, Malcolm’s childhood neglect by his mother, a sex worker, and his eventual abandonment in a motel is exposed as the triggering event.

This movie indirectly highlights the importance of childhood experience in relation to mental development by depicting the extreme

The film follows two seemingly unconnected plots – the trial of a serial killer and the mass killing of a group of ten people stranded at a

motel. However, with a plot twist arguably as shocking as Fight Club, but largely more underrated, it is revealed that the motel is the metaphoric representation of the serial killer’s mind: the people isolated there are ten different personalities that cohabitate inside him. [Here’s my belated spoiler alert…you may as well keep reading now].

This revelation is exposed rather late in the film as Edward Dakota (John Cusack), the dark misunderstood ex-cop, now-limousine driver [a very accurate description – no embellishment], is informed he is one of the personalities of the serial killer, Malcolm Rivers (Pruitt Vince).

In this confrontation Doctor Mallick (Alfred Molina), Malcolm’s therapist, explains to Ed that through therapy he has instigated the confrontation between the ten personalities at the motel. As he had expected this to result in violence, it did not take much research to recognise it as an unethical treatment, making Doctor Mallick a runner up to Zimbardo (of the Stamford experiment) for the poster boy for malpractice.

In order not to spoil this film past the point of no return, I will omit what Ed does with this knowledge when

he returns to the motel. However, regarding the films portrayal of dissociative identity disorder (DID), there’s still some analysis to be done.

As a psychological thriller there are dramatised elements, but this depiction of DID still harbours some authenticity. The split personalities developed by someone with this disorder can vary hugely regarding their sex, race and intelligence. This is explicitly portrayed in Identity with the range of characters in the motel, varying from Timmy the mute child (Bret Loehr) to the convict Rhodes (Ray Liotta).

Furthermore, Identity arguably depicts how each of these personalities believe they have a fully-fledged life separate from their host personality: in the first two thirds of the film the personalities believe they are separate identities. Thus, the film’s title is a dead giveaway of the plot twist, so I am still not sorry for spoiling.

The origin of Malcolm’s disorder is also truthful of real cases: DID usually develops as a result of childhood trauma whereby the split personalities emerge as a defence mechanism to protect a person’s

consequences of neglect and abuse.

However, this film contributes to the stigmatisation of mental disorders on screen. Fictional portrayals of mental illness are frequently gendered producing negative stereotypes: female mental illness is largely depicted in a hypersexualised light whereas men suffering from mental disorders are demonised as violent monsters. Identity, like many other films exploring DID, follows the trope of mentally ill males being psycho killers. Whilst this provides interesting material for a thriller, it further stigmatises an already villainised disorder.

Malcolm arguably comes across as a victim despite the chilling reveal of the personality who orchestrated the motel murders and despite his actual killing spree in the real world. Mental health has only recently been analysed with the same empathy attributed to people with physical disabilities, so it is surprising to note this undertone in a 2003 thriller. In my opinion, Identity is a film for a whodunnit-lover, slasherfanatic, thriller-seeker but for a comprehensive and a more sensitive depiction of DID - look elsewhere.

Rosey Battle Image Columbia Pictures

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Venue writers pick their top films for 2019!

Escape Room (In Cinemas 4 January) One of the reasons why I’m most interested for this film is because of its release date. The film is set to premiere on the first week of the new year, which is a slot that has an infamy for not being well-received, particularly in the US. I am curious to check out the film, to see if it can break the mould and deliver a solid, tense, contained, if maybe a little formulaic, thriller. Given the film’s premise of a deadly escape room, it is likely. If the plot does flop, it may make good material for a case study of films released in January in the U.S.

Us (In Cinemas 15 March)

Balazs Kokenyesy

Following the undeniable suspense-horror hit of 2017, Get Out, Jordan Peele has returned to the director’s chair with Us, slated to be released on 15 March. Just as with his debut, Peele appears to be focusing on the psychological aspects of the horror genre with the first trailer giving tantalising peeks at what appears to be a regular family being confronted by their warped doppelgangers. The headline cast could easily double as a who’s-who of Hollywood’s fastest rising talent with Black Panther stars Lupita Nyong’o and Winston Duke; as well as Elisabeth Moss (The Handmaid’s Tale) and Tim Heidecker (Tim & Eric). While more details are unlikely between now and release, everything revealed so far makes Us seem to be a fascinating step in Peele’s promising career.

Harry Routley

Rafiki (In US Cinemas 19 April) Kena and Ziki are supposed to be good girls and then become good wives, but instead they fall for each other. This Kenyan lesbian film is inspired by Monica Arac de Nyeko’s prize-winning short story Jambula Tree, and explores the Kenyan law around homosexuality through a gentle love between two girls. Despite its initial ban in Kenya, the film has been incredibly successful, and after making the rounds at various international film festivals, it will finally be reaching local cinemas in 2019. Being based on such a wonderful short story, and accompanied by such high praise, it is definitely something to look forward to this year.

Yaiza Canopoli

Dragged Across Concrete (In Cinemas 19 April) Dragged Across Concrete is the third film by novelist / screenwriter / director S. Craig Zahler who made the barnstorming horror-Western hybrid Bone Tomahawk, followed by the note-perfect Brawl In Cell Block 99. This new film reunites Zahler with most of his Brawl cast including Vince Vaughn, who alongside Mel Gibson, play two violent policemen, who are suspended due to their rough tactics. They then enact revenge by descending on the criminal underworld. If his first two films are anything to go by, Dragged Across Concrete looks to be a winner, with similar influences of merciless Asian ultraviolence and a Tarantino-esque script that takes its time to develop its characters and surroundings. Although it’s taken a while to get a UK release date, Dragged Across Concrete will premiere in the middle of April. This is a film not to be missed!

Oscar Huckle

Little Women (In Cinemas 25 December) I will admit, I’m not much of fan of 19th century costume dramas (but I am the Queen of 20th century costume dramas - I love me a good war drama). Yet when you are given the gift of a film directed by Greta Gerwig (Lady Bird) and starring Meryl Streep, Saoirse Ronan, Florence Pugh, Laura Dern, Emma Watson (my forever favourite person), Timothee Chalamet, James Norton and Bob Odenkirk, you don’t pass it up. Sure to be slated for the 2020 award season, Little Women is bound to be glorious retelling of Louisa May Alcott’s classic story. It’s has all the makings of a wonderfully articulate feminist film, and I will be very sad if it doesn’t live up to the hype.

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Shelby Cooke

The changing face of the high street The battle between high-street shops, and shopping online is one that has become more competitive over recent years. I’m sure every one of us has had the crisis where we’ve got a night out but nothing to wear. Do you pop into town to pick up something new, or do you go online and have a browse? It is clear that most students do the latter, logging into ASOS, Pretty Little Thing or boohoo, there so many more options available than your local highstreet, and it’s delivered straight to your door.

Although you often have to pay extra

for postage when shopping online, this amount is usually the same as the cost of buying a bus ticket to town. Online shopping means you don’t have to search the rack for your size; you can see what is available nationwide at the scroll of your mouse. Online shopping makes the process of finding an outfit quicker. You are able to filter your search to narrow down the number of options – black midi dresses only?

Well instead of having to hunt around the shop, you only have to filter your search. The ease of shopping online compared to the hassle of hunting around in shops highlights why high-

street shops profits are declining, and even in some extreme cases are closing down.

Alongside the end of HMV, House of Fraser has declared that it is closing 31 of its 59 stores, its Norwich store being one of them. It is important to note that House of Fraser sells a range of products from household items and furniture to clothing and accessories.

In theory, a store that sells a variety of products should not be suffering.

However, large stores like House of Fraser rely on shoppers entering the store and browsing everything they

have to sell. Wandering around the store usually leads to us placing extra items into our baskets. This process is hindered when shopping online, it is harder to sway from what we set out to buy when you can search for exactly what you need. The rise of efficient and quicker shopping is clearly taking over from time consuming wandering around the shop floor.

Yes, it is clear that online shopping has made the shopping experience more efficient, both in taking up less of your time but also meaning you spend less money. However, one of the downsides

is the cost of delivery. Unless the website has a special discount code, the cost of delivery can vary from £3-5 for each website. A trip into town might cost around the same amount, but you can visit any amount of shops you like. Each checkout you make online means an extra delivery charge.

Recently, the issue of delivery has been made better now many online retailers offer deals on delivery, usually with seasonal promotions but also selling a year of next day delivery for around £10. This is proving widely popular and encourages shoppers to return to their website the next time they are in need to an outfit because they have already bought their delivery.

Unfortunately, it seems the days of spending an afternoon shopping are behind us, and instead our products will continue to be delivered straight to our door. Online shopping has become cost effective and time saving, and we students can’t pass that up.

Jess Barrett

Images: Flickr (La Citta Vitta)

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The best BB and CC creams It’s a new year and you want a fresh and radiant glow to add to your everyday routine. Then you will be looking for a BB or CC cream. Time to know your acronyms; a BB cream is a beauty blemish cream and a CC cream is a colour correcting cream and depending on whether you want your base coat to achieve a cover up of spots or to reduce redness, you will be recommended one of these by a cosmetics assistant with a good knowledge of skincare.

Clinique has a brand image which suggests scientific knowledge of ingredients which work well on different skin types. They are dermatological and often have a great selection of full coverage foundations. Their BB creams are just as coverage-focused without the thickness. For an-

yone who is spot conscious the Anti Blemish BB Cream, which has SPF40, is a mattifying cream which is perfect for those with oily skin.

On the other hand, those looking for a CC cream might try the IT Cosmetics ‘Your Skin But Better CC+ with SPF5’.

This CC cream is described as a ‘Sunscreen’ and is perfect for those with dry skin and prone to pigmentation. If you are wincing at the price tags of these high-end designer brands, then do not fear because L’Oréal’s Nude Magique Anti-Redness CC Cream does a great job for more than half the price. As with all things skincare be aware of allergies and for more serious skincare always consult a dermatologist.

Gabriela Williams

Fad diets: harmful or harmless fun?

So, as I’m writing this, the new year is fast approaching, and everyone is walking around in a bleary eyed, cheese filled daze as we all try and work out where on earth 2018 has gone and what on earth we’ve all achieved in the past 364 days or so. One of the easiest points of comparison between this year and last is our appearance. People and places (fortunately, or unfortunately) come and go, but the mirror propped up against the wall remains a constant for us to assess ourselves in.

This brings me on to the topic of the famous new year diet. Everyone will know someone, or maybe you are the someone, who’s made the resolution to take up the diet that will change their life. Whether it’s the low-carb Atkins, the gruelling juice cleanse, or the old-school Palaeolithic, we’re all used to the buzz that surrounds the newest fad of the new year. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not about to make this 350 words of shaming, but I won’t be shy about the fact that I’m forever sceptical that they are just harmless fun.

This time last year I gave the 5:2 diet a go, and I have to say, I did lose a fair amount of weight which has left me feeling pretty good about myself this past year. I also spent two days of every week basically not talking to anyone because hungry = grumpy and I didn’t want to unfairly bite anyone’s head off. I lost some weight but also lost some of my likeability in the process, not sure if the pros outweighed the cons to be honest.

I’ll repeat: there is not necessarily anything harmful with giving a diet a go in the new year, but just think carefully

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Image: Flickr (TipsTimesAdmin)

about it. Are you spending stupid amounts of money on products that are promising you the world and more? Are you willing to commit to a potential change in lifestyle to compliment it? And most importantly, are you keeping your mind healthy in the process? If you’re happy with the answer to these questions, then fine, it’s harmless fun – but are you really happy with the answer to all of these questions?

Becca Allen

The best and worst of 2018 The new hues of 2018:

Sometimes it’s hard to keep up with the numerous products released by various cosmetics companies and collaborations; in 2018 alone, Jeffree Star released three full palettes and announced a fourth at the beginning of December. The release of the formidable James Charles x Morphe palette saw a huge range of colours become available in high-end formulas, adding to the growing trend of breaking free from the tired nudes and earthy tones of yesteryear. Break out the blues and greens, 2019 is the time for a new hue!

Ditch the plastic

Plastic as a material has fallen out of favour, as people look for more sustainable options. One person desperate to cling to using plastic for as long as possible, however, is the social media giant Kim K. Sporting clear plastic heels, she has raised a few eyebrows on Instagram with the questionable Cinderella rip-offs. Many were quick to boot the heels, and rightly so. The unsightly fogginess of clear PVC in hot weather and squished-in toes at the ends of the shoes failed to sell Kim’s followers, making them a short-lived trend to definitely leave behind.

Larger-than-life garments:

Gone are the days of the skinniest of skinny jeans on the street. Ditch your spray-ons for a straighter, looser cut; enter the ‘mum jeans’. A more comfortable, casual style of denim has taken over, the option of comfort chic having become increasingly more appetising after a long period of the tightest items money can buy. This growing trend of oversizing applies to other items too – brands from H&M to Gucci are seizing the opportunity to market larger sweatshirts and jumpers for a more chilled out vibe, something that is sure to continue well into 2019 and beyond, thanks to the influence of the likes of Ariana Grande, a strong advocate for oversized clothing and comfort on the go.

‘Dad trainers’ – come on.

The clunky, chunky, and downright audacious shoes of your Dad’s choice in the ‘90s made a surprising comeback in 2018, popularised by their frequent inclusion on the runways in the past spring. Helped along by the Hadid sisters and Kardashians, Dad trainers saw a huge increase in sales over the summer. But as we enter the new year, the trend of ‘reengineering’ 1990’s fashion has become tired, and people are looking for newer, more original trends for their wardrobe – and feet. 2019 is the time to step up your footwear game, and you can do your shoes a favour by leaving Dad trainers in the previous century.

Year of the jungle?

We’ve entered a sort of animal print renaissance. There, I said it. I was surprised at the amount of animal-inspired patterns on the 2018 runways, but it looks like the age of stripes and cheques has come to a sorry end. Like it or not, snakeskin, leopard print and zebra stripes are the new street chic to be seen in. Dominating fashion month on streets and in high-fashion studios, embrace the wild. Bring out that leopard print top hiding at the back of the wardrobe! You’ll thank yourself for it this year.

Oliver Hancock

Image: Flickr (jannemichels) Image: Flickr

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Why we shouldn’t look forward to 2019...

Remember the panic of the 2012 Mayan Apocalypse prediction? For a few years we were apocalypse-crazy, shovelling down disaster movies, zombie flicks, and dystopian fiction as quickly as we could. If this ‘end-of-the-world’ craze can teach us anything, it’s that the grass was apparently not greener on the other side. Now that global extinction is staring us all in the face, we all seem to have gone off the idea, as the things we can’t control get all the more ridiculous with time.

The political sphere gets more and more absurd, as the leader of the free world communicates via homemade Game of Thrones twitter memes; the threat of climate change has escalated from oneor-two inch ocean rises to swallowed cities and global resource war, and the ruthless industrial world behind it continues to lurch forward, belching smoke, with no-one in any particular hurry to find the brakes. We are, in existential terms, in a bit of a pickle.

We’re more wiredin, distracted, and politically unenthused than ever: the news gets worse as we become more and

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more desensitised, so that even stories about our long-awaited extinction are out of rotation in three or four days. It’s hard to shake the feeling that this is one of our last years before everything turns into Brave New World (or failing that, Mad Max). And yet despite all of this apparent doom, a new year often has a sneaky way of lulling us into a false sense of hope and security. Resolutions, fresh starts, ‘New Year, New You’: It’s important to stay wary of insidious optimism like this. If we barely survived our bout with 2018, we’d do well to keep our guard up before we’re battered by the next one.

Saying something well-meaning (if slightly vacuous) like ‘Next year will be better!’ is unfair to yourself; without sounding too miserable, it probably won’t.

You are saddling yourself with a year-long promise that through no fault of your own, you might not be able to keep. Haven’t you seen the news? It’s time to prepare for the worst, so stock up on tinned food, dust off the Geiger counter, lope off into the woods and become feral: set your expectations for the year so apocalyptically low that they won’t ever be disappointed. Worst case scenario, you’ll reserve yourself a spot at the top of the nuclear corpse heap once the 21st century inevitably blows up in our faces. Pessimism isn’t quite defeatism, after all.

Why not get in for the apocalypse early?

If you do insist on taking on the year with a cheerful attitude and a spring in your step, please be kind and keep it to yourself: it’s difficult enough to maintain a smug sense of tactical misery without dealing with that sort of thing.

Image: Wikimedia Commons, HBO, Warner Bros., Columbia Pictures

Toby Marquis

...and why we should.

2018 was a difficult year for most, but 2019 seems to be a year we can look forward to. Last year, the world of entertainment saw positive representation of minority communities in cinema, with films such as Love, Simon and Black Panther. 2019 promises more of the same. With new seasons from The Good Place, Stranger Things, The Crown and Orange is the New Black, binge watching is a guarantee. We can also expect more reboots such as The Lion King, Dumbo, and Little Women, that boasts a stellar cast including Emma Watson, Soairse Ronan and Timothee Chalamet. If the world of film and TV hadn’t blessed us enough, David Attenborough is coming to Netflix this year, with his new documentary, Our Planet, which will bring more awareness about climate change and other threats our natural world is facing.

Another release to look forward to in September, is Margaret Atwood’s new book, The Testaments, a sequel to the very popular The Handmaid’s Tale.

Atwood herself said that ‘Everything you’ve ever asked me about Gilead and its inner workings is the inspiration for this book…The other inspiration is the world we’ve been living in’, which sounds like a very promising and interesting read. Sports fans are also in for another big year.

The Women’s FIFA World Cup will take place this summer in France. Away from football, rugby fans can also rejoice, with the Rugby World Cup taking place this September.

release this year.

Ariana Grande is also expected to put out a new breakup album, after the success of her album Sweetener and her new single Thank U, Next in 2018, this new album is also one to watch. Excitingly, ABBA are also going to release music this year, with their first two singles in 35 years, which will be performed at their virtual comeback tour by ‘Abbatars’ in 2019 and 2020.

Several unique astronomical events are planned this year. On 21 January, we will be able to witness a total lunar eclipse which will also coincide with a blood-red supermoon, one of three in 2019. And in December we will also be able to see an impressive Geminid meteor shower.

So, 2018 might have been a tough year, but 2019 is definitely looking up!

Juliette Rey

Big music releases are also expected. Billie Eilish was a big name in 2018 and is yet to release her debut album, which is due for

Image: Wikimedia Commons, RKO Radio Pictures, Wikipedia

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Most anticipated albums of 2019 The Dangerous Summer - TBA

but confirm that. And thank God; Currents is one of my favourite albums of all time and the wait has been agonizing. Now it’s here, we just have to Let it Happen.

At the beginning of 2017, I resigned myself to the fact that one of my favourite bands of all time, The Dangerous Summer, were never coming back. Then they did. Last year saw them drop their self-titled fourth album, go on two world tours and record another album. Excited?

An understatement, I’m absolutely buzzing.

Sigur Ros - TBA

The latest ‘will they, won’t they’ of the musical world is Sigur Ros and their new album. Having released a significant amount of material through side projects last year, fans are understandably growing impatient for the band’s next effort.

Hoope came on New Years Day, with the band announcing their new record label. If the Icelandic duo finally get around to their next album, expect it to be one of 2019’s finest.

American Football American Football (LP3)

American Football fans are an odd lot. Having reformed after over a decade and a half of inactivity, the band return to find they had become icons of an entire genre. Releasing their second self-titled album, the band received mixed reviews for either being too similar or different from their first album. Their answer?

Abandon putting houses on album covers and embrace fully what they sound like now that they aren’t in their early twenties. Atmospheric twinkles, a Hayley Williams feature and a huge fanbase, things certainly have changed from the band that couldn’t fill local basements when they originally formed.

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Gus Edgar-Chan Sleaford Mods - Eton Alive The 1975 - Notes on a Conditional Form

Overleaf you can read about my love of the latest The 1975 album, so it’s quite a treat that May will see the follow up effort from the band: Notes on a Conditional Form.

Following so closely on from A Brief Inquiry…, expectations are high.

Recorded over the same sessions, expect either the second half of one of the greatest double albums of modern times or a solid set of B-Sides. Here’s hoping it’s the former.

The revolutionary Nottingham punk duo (down from my neck of the woods) announced their fifth LP: Eton Alive, set for release in February. Brace yourselves for even more highly-

charged working-class rants and the fire in your belly that you sorely need.

I have a feeling this will be sound.

Happy days.

Lewis Oxley

Nick Mason

King Princess - TBA

Tame Impala - TBA

With Coachella announcing Tame Impala as a headline act, it’s inevitable that a new album is in 2019’s synth-rock pipeline. Band maestro Kevin Parker’s hints at ‘new sounds’ on social media all

King Princess is by far the biggest musical revelation I experienced in 2018. Her debut album comes off the back of last summer’s impeccable self-produced Make My Bed EP, the first release from Mark Ronson’s Zelig Records imprint. The perfect middle ground between experimental soundscapes and euphoric pop songwriting, expect guitar driven tales of love, loss and adolescence all unabashedly queer.

Shannon McDonagh

Record collections: to mourn or not to mourn Progress in sound With easy access and an abundance of songs, it is no wonder streaming is becoming one of the most popular ways to listen to music.

Legally streaming opens up a world of possibilities in which you can test compatibility with all different genres. Streaming becomes an online record store with unlimited browsing.

Once you’ve tried the tunes and realised you can’t live without them, you then have to option to make

a permanent purchase to add to your collection. This is especially effective for those on a budget who love music but can’t afford to buy music without testing it first. Streaming music can lead to potential customers being able to make a more confident and informed purchase. Whilst most streaming apps do cost money to access their full features, they allow you to listen to an endless library of music and open doors that may otherwise have been closed to you.

If anything, the technology itself is responsible for a lack of physical sales in today’s society, not streaming. Music on the go, through portable devices, makes CDs and records redundant. Blaming the use of streaming only unjustly discredits its positive merits of being economically friendly and effective in further encouraging a love of music.

Leia Butler Death of a record salesman The way we access music today has totally revolutionised what our concept of music is and our value of it. For the second time in the past six years, the ‘go-to’ music retailer, HMV, has fallen into administration; it is no surprise why. According to the BPI, in the whole of 2018, just 32,000,000 CDs were sold, a huge drop from ten years ago back when CDs were the closest and most authentic way to access new

music. Despite a recent revival in vinyl sales, thanks largely to endless remastering of the ‘essential’ vinyl albums (The Velvet Underground debut and Joy Division’s Unknown Pleasures come to mind). Is this the death of the record-collector?

This will seem hypocritical; I use streaming services and I do appreciate the ease with which they allow access to music. This, I fear, does have its repercussions. There is no sense of personal achievement and effort in listening to a song or album via streaming compared to the tactility of physical copies.

Album sleeves always had the aura of mystery about them, each part a puzzle; a piece of history. In streaming we lose this, it is almost like we’re told that touch doesn’t matter, why hold when you can swipe? Streaming may be in its halcyon days, but with passion and care, I sincerely hope the record shop can still live to fight another day in this Age of Stream.

The 1975: A Brief Inquiry...

The first of two instalments in The 1975’s Music for Cars double album has been lauded for weeks now, but that won’t stop us from adding our praise to the chorus.

The band’s third full-length starts off in the same vein as their others, treating us with a third variant on their opening track, The 1975. But from then on, it’s all out difference.

Slick pop production with a heavy electronic focus sees the band blast through a catalogue of songs that ranges from gentle ballads (Be My Mistake) to the outright bizarre (The Man Who Married a Robot/ Love Theme).

It would be easy to write off Matt Healy and co’s latest effort as pseudo-intellectual fluff, but there’s truth and honesty in A Brief Inquiry… which cannot be denied.

Even as Siri dictates the story of a porn-addicted man who lives through the internet, there is a beauty and fascination to it. As well as its thematic consistency, there is a musical consistency the band have not previously harnessed.

Every song has its place on the album, the more traditional anthems helping to hold together the band’s exploration of the odd.

Lewis Oxley

Conceptually focusing on technology and the terrifying thing that is modern day living, the album may not age well, but, at the time of writing, tackles its themes with a maturity and wit which makes it essential listening.

Writing for a grand scale is difficult and I’d be lying if I said that I didn’t think the band would fail to live up to their goals. It gives me great pleasure to say I was incredibly, unforgivably wrong.

Nick Mason

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Norfolk’s finest: bands to watch The Yacht Club Norwich by-way-of London twinkleemos The Yacht Club prepare to drop their debut album, The Last Words You Said to Me Have Kept Me Here and Safe, later this month. I’ve heard it and have the 5-star review saved on my computer ready to go. Intricate instrumentation and soulful vocals lie at the heart of a band who look set to be the talk of the town this year.

Marigolds We love Marigolds here at Concrete and next year seems set to be a banger for the UEA-based quintet.

With a new keyboardist, new material and an ever-growing fanbase, this indie mob are set up for a year to remember in 2019.

Gladboy Psychedelia-infused indie crew Gladboy rounded off their 2018

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Image: Prey Drive, Charlie Wallis

with a headline show at Waterfront Studio and seem set to grow. Already acclaimed for their live presence, their recorded output shows a band capable of producing original and inspiring music. If you haven’t listened to them yet, get on it now.

Prey Drive Following last year’s acclaimed debut, Once More with Feeling, Prey Drive have already got a busy live calendar falling into place. Arenasized songs underpin a band with

infectious stage presence and are a must listen to anyone who ever followed Circa Survive or Taking Back Sunday.

Blood Like Honey Riffs, more riffs and some extra riffs.

That’s what you get with Blood Like Honey. That and stonkingly good choruses and a charm unrivalled by anyone else on the local scene.

With a new EP tracked and ready to go, yet more new music is on the horizon. Catch them in March with Telling Truths at the Waterfront Studio to see for yourself what the hype is about.

I Said Goodbye Pop-punk powerhouses I Said Goodbye had a busy live calendar last year and the proof is in the pudding. The Norwich quartet have boundless energy and feel-good power, making any fans of late00s pop-punk feel right at home in their world. Their debut album, Fairweather, is a blaze of killer choruses, guitar riffs and a powerful rhythm section guaranteed to make you mosh alone in your bedroom.

Keep your ear to the ground for live dates, you don’t want to miss them.

Nick Mason

Refreshing Ninetendo for 2019: New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe So long 2018, a year full of many things, of course most notably a number of Wii U ports to the Nintendo Switch. With the likes of Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker and Hyrule Warriors making an appearance on the console, there was no shortage on returning titles. While some would complain that Nintendo should focus on making new games entirely and leave the Wii U behind, I don’t see an issue in it; the Wii U didn’t perform

particularly well sales wise so to give these fantastic games a second chance on a console with a much, much higher player base is a more than welcome idea — now if Nintendo could just port The Wonderful 101 it can finally get the respect it so desperately deserves. The Switch’s 2019 line-up will thankfully not go without its ports, and the first of these being New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe.

This is — as the name would suggest — a port of the 2012 Wii U launch game New Super Mario Bros. U, with Deluxe thrown on the end to not just make the title even more of a mouthful, but to convey Nintendo’s attitude to these ports; they don’t just want to copy the game wholecloth, they want to make it a bigger and better experience that can truly take advantage of the Switch’s hardware. Naturally this means, on the technical side of things, it will have a higher resolution with a native 1080p in docked mode— and native 720p in handheld mode— contrasting the dynamic 1080p and 720p of the Wii U and its gamepad.

Additionally, as is common in ‘Deluxe’ editions of games, DLC is included

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in the package. The DLC in question here is New Super Luigi U, a separate campaign where the player takes control of the younger and greener of the Mario Bros. to have his own adventure without Mario taking up all the limelight. It was originally released in 2013 as part of Nintendo’s Year of Luigi marketing scheme, celebrating 30 years since Luigi’s debut in the original arcade game Mario Bros. (Also, 2020 will mark the 20th anniversary of Waluigi’s debut in Mario Tennis, so fingers-crossed we’ll see this tactic repeated then).

The game itself is your stereotypical side-scrolling Mario platformer, with an uninspired and frankly ugly 2.5D coat of paint as is expected of the New Super Mario Bros. sub-series started on the Nintendo DS — there’s a reason no one made Mario Maker stages with that theme, it’s not exactly easy on the eyes. However, what it lacks for in the art department it more than makes up with in gameplay, with the 4-player coop taking center stage. It’s hardly an original statement to say that Mario has incredible gameplay, but New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe mixes it up with different levels of accessibility across the five playable characters.

Mario, Luigi and Toad all play the same way, your traditional Mario experience will be found here.

Nabbit returns from New Super Luigi U — this time playable in the base game as well as the DLC — this small purple rabbit bandit is perfect for the less-skilled player as he features unique elements; more specifically, Nabbit cannot be damaged by

Image: Sergey Galyonkin, Wikimedia Commons

enemies. Now this isn’t to say there’s no challenge in playing Nabbit, he can still die from falling into hazards, and the only power-up he is able to use is a Star, but not having to worry about troublesome enemies makes him the perfect character to hand off to a younger sibling. Hitting in between the two ends of the difficulty scale is the final playable character — new to the Deluxe version of the game — Toadette. Toadette can still be damaged like the other three playable characters, however she features a unique power-up; the Super Crown.

Consuming this items turns Toadette into Peachette, a character highly resemblant of Princess Peach, giving her to ability to perform a floaty double jump first used by Peach in Super Mario Bros 2. This power-up is also notable outside of the game as, after it was shown off during a September Nintendo Direct, artists across the internet stumbled into Bowsette — a new character created when Mario’s nemesis Bowser consumed the Super Crown. ‘Bowsette’ even went so far as to be logged on certain websites as one of 2018’s most searched terms.

Even with the uninspired art, this is a perfect game to pick up and play with friends or family in the new year, especially if you missed its original release on the Wii U. New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe will be released worldwide on 11 January, at a RRP of £49.99.

Charley Wilkin

Venue’s top three most anticipated video games of 2019 The Last of Us: Part II When The Last of Us was released six years ago, it struck the world with storm, remaining upon the lips of gamers and the public alike. Now, in 2019, its popularity has arguably risen over most other zombie-apocalypse tales, such as The Walking Dead - especially with the upcoming release of The Last of Us: Part II. Naughty Dog will be taking us into the bloody and ferocious lives of Ellie and Joel some time this year - here at Venue, we can hardly contain our excitement.

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice Many gamers may not have heard of this title during 2018, but Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is definitely one to watch out for this year. Releasing in March, and created by FromSoftware the developers of Dark Souls and Bloodborne - this game is perfect for any obsessed with action-adventure and stories of revenge. Set in stunning sixteenth-century Japan, there’s high hopes for its beauty, too.

Life is Strange 2 Episodes 2 to 5 A few issues back we reviewed the first episode of Dontnod Entertainment’s Life is Strange 2 and since have been longing for the next episode to be released. This month, it finally will be: on 24 January gamers will be able to continue the story of Sean and Daniel’s paranormal troubles in the bleakness of American suburbia and wildlife.

Image: Vecteezy; BagoGames, Flickr; steamXO, Flickr; Xander, Flickr

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RECENTLY PLAYED: Darksiders III While being a fairly unacknowledged series in the gaming industry, Darksiders has been adored by fans of the comics and video games alike since the start of this decade. If Darksiders III - the newest title in the series - is anything to go by, it entirely makes sense why the franchise is becoming a cult classic.

When I say ‘entirely’, I mean it with absolute sincerity. From the view of a guy who’s been interested in gaming narrative since my early teens, Darksiders III recently struck me as one of the most thought-provoking yet entertaining games of last year.

Set in a twisted, dark fantasy postapocalyptic world, players take on the role of Fury, the third of the infamous Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, as she fights her way through demons and angels to achieve her goal: to defeat and capture the Seven Deadly Sins for the Charred Council. The two previous titles in series follow the stories of her brothers - War and Death - during the end the world, and while both of these characters have been very well-developed by the designers of Vigil Games and Gunfire Games in Darksiders and

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Image: steamXO, Flickr

Darksiders II, Fury appears as one of the most intriguing and powerful playable characters I have ever seen especially considering what she goes through and the changes she makes during the events of Darksiders III. Armed with her deadly whip, and filled with relentless anger, Fury may be tough but soons learns through the enemies she faces the extent of her flaws and how toxic they have made her. Wrath, Pride and Lust prove to be particularly worthy foes for her as she battles them; not only physically, but mentally too. Greed, Sloth, Gluttony and Envy are just as bad, if not worse.

Coming to Earth hating humanity and, moreover, hope, the Deadly Sins sicken Fury to the point where she progresses into a being that uses her anger for goodness, losing the nihilistic and somewhat evil approach to life that she once had. Considering the times we’re in now, with global issues such as political chaos and environmental havoc, the growth of her character is astoundingly poignant.

Enough of my ramblings about storytelling - because the gameplay itself is just as fantastic. One of the

main features of this action-adventure game is Fury’s ability to transform into four different elemental forms: Flame, Force, Storm and Statis. These enhance her combat capabilities while also gifting her a range of brutal attacks, weapons and abilities.

Darksiders III also takes place in a continuous open world environment, so exploration is a large role for the player. There’s puzzles to solve and platforming to overcome, many of which make use of Fury’s powers.

The game also features a levelling and crafting system, where collecting souls from enemies and objects in the environment form of currency.

Perhaps the coolest feature of the game is Fury’s Havoc Form, which transforms her into an indestructible, gigantic, demonic beast that destroys her enemies in minutes.

Pick. Up. This. Game. It’s worth it, and might teach you a lesson or two while you play. But do be warned: at times, it’s as manically difficult as Dark Souls. Darksiders III is definitely not for the faint-hearted.

Jordan Hunnisett

The ones to watch in 2019 2019 looks set to be a big year for some of our favourite returning shows and for some fresh, new ones for us to indulge in.

Perhaps the big one this year is the final season of Game of Thrones; season eight is scheduled to have a smaller episode count (only six) but some of them will be running into feature length time. The show will finally be back on our screens in April, but it’s unlikely that this is the last we’ll see of Westeros, seeing as HBO

is working with the writers on spinoff series set before this particular fight for the Iron Throne. How it will all end is a mystery since George R.R. Martin has not actually got around to finishing the book series, but I daresay the bookies will be placing bets as to who will finally end up sitting on that most uncomfortable throne.

In the vein of medieval fantasy, we can look forward to the return of Netflix and Matt Groening’s animation Disenchantment and the release of Netflix’s new original adaptation of The Witcher series. The former ended with Princess Bean reunited with her mother, Elfo dead, and Bean’s whole kingdom turned into stone. With mixed reviews for the show’s first season (our

own writer Hattie Griffiths was not overly impressed), it’ll be interesting to see whether Disenchantment will improve in its second outing. As for The Witcher, this hotly-anticipated series starring Henry Cavill will take its inspiration and storylines from Andrzej Sapkowski’s book series and not the popular video game adaptation. Netflix may well be hoping to capitalise on the Game of Thrones-shaped void in our lives by bringing out its own rival fantasy series; whether comparisons between the two are fair is up for debate, but hopefully this Netflix original won’t disappoint for video game and book fans alike.

So what else does 2019 hold in store for TV viewers? Long-time fans of Jed Mercurio’s Line of Duty series will be eagerly awaiting its fifth season, and surely the show will have plenty of new viewers following on from 2019’s big hit Bodyguard (also a Mercurio script starring Richard Madden). If you’re not up to speed with the police procedural that catches corrupt cops, you can catch up with the previous four series on Netflix before the latest instalment airs.

Other returning shows include The

Crown, with an overhaul in casting to reflect the passage of time from the first two series, Olivia Coleman and Tobiaz Menzies will be taking over from Claire Foy and Matt Smith.

Fingers crossed they’ll be able to pull it off! Our favourite gang of misfits will be coming back to Netflix with Stranger Things set for a summer return, so get ready to head to the upside down again.

In addition to this we can gear up to watch the next seasons of Big Little Lies and True Detective. Both HBO shows have a big following, rightly so with Big Little Lies’ excellent script and True Detective’s great track record for atmosphere, set design, and stellar casts. As for new shows, HBO and the BBC have finally gotten together to create their own adaptation of Philip Pullman’s book series His Dark Materials. The 2006 film adaptation got lukewarm reviews at best, but hopefully for fans of the series the longer format of TV will lend itself well to Pullman’s complex epic trilogy.

Jodie Bailey

Image: HBO

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YOU Review ‘It’s cool how you get in the monster’s POV, you understand why he does stuff, almost like its… justified.’ While some of the analogies employed by Netflix’s new thriller ‘You’ can seem more than a little heavy-handed, they can help the viewer to understand how it easy it is to root for the villain when you see the story from their perspective.

Adapted from Caroline Kepnes’ entirely second-person novel, You tells the deranged ‘romance’ of poet Guinevere Beck (Elizabeth Lail) and obsessed bookstore clerk Joe Goldberg (Penn Badgley). Perhaps the show’s greatest strength is how this romance can have the audience wishing for something positive to

somehow blossom between the two of them - right before Joe’s stalker behaviour and lack of awareness for his own obsession makes it clear that this is too far removed from anything approaching a healthy relationship to ever be viable.

However, You also proves itself surprisingly adept at social commentary, questioning how we approach social media and how much of our lives we put online. After all, Joe is able to find Beck’s address, family history and poetry all by searching her Instagram and Facebook feeds after a five-minute conversation where all he learned about her was her name. While Joe is a fairly ruthless and ultimately terrifying character, he

is no master sleuth, the show makes it clear that without the invasive role of social media, Beck may have been able to avoid this intense obsession.

Ultimately, the show’s many flaws, including flat dialogue and lifeless side characters, aren’t enough to prevent You from being a solid binge watch. The social commentary is thought-provoking without being overbearing and our leads are truly complex characters who, although the audience may desperately hope can resolve their problems, continually spiral into darkness throughout the show.

Harry Routley

Saudi Arabia censors Netflix’s Patriot Act Netflix has come under fire for pulling an episode of the stand up show Patriot Act from its streaming service in Saudi Arabia. The episode in question features American comedian Hasan Minhaj joking about the Saudi regime’s account of the murder of Jamal Khashoggi.

Khashoggi was a well-known journalist and Saudi dissident, who was last seen entering the kingdom’s consulate in Istanbul on 2 October last year. Turkish officials have since concluded that Khashoggi was tortured, strangled, and dismembered before his body was carried out of

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the consulate in boxes. Four of the men involved in the murder are said to have ties to the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

In his stand up routine, Minhaj mocks the Saudi Crown Prince and the regime’s poor explanations for what happened on 2 October: ‘They went through so many explanations. The only thing they didn’t say was that Khashoggi died in a free solo rockclimbing accident.’ He went on to discuss Saudi Arabia’s widespread bombing of civilian targets in Yemen, something that has had the kingdom condemned for by the UN.

Images: Alfons Morales, Unsplash

According to The Guardian, Netflix pulled this episode from its Saudi Arabian streaming service after the kingdom’s communications and information technology commission came forward with what the streaming service calls a ‘valid legal request.’

Saudi Arabia continues to be one of the most oppressive regimes in the world. Reporters Without Borders recently ranked the kingdom 169th out of 180 countries for press freedom, expecting them to fall even lower on the 2019 index.

Johanne Elster Hanson

You Choose - Bandersnatch Review

Is this 80s period piece a step into the future for Netflix?

Charlie Brooker’s latest feature-length episode from the anthology series Black Mirror places power and sanity in the hands of the viewer. Within the first couple of minutes you’re asked to make decisions on what you have for breakfast and the music you listen to, but don’t worry, your choices become more important and less mundane quite quickly.

Our protagonist, Stefan (played by Fionn Whitehead), is a computer programmer still living at home. You’re able to take the episode in the expected dark, twisted direction that Brooker is now famous for. The only other character I wish to make you aware of before you watch is Colin Ritman (Will Poulter) who portrays a very philosophical character that serves as a metanarrative exposition machine. Of course, Brooker’s writing makes this feel natural, adding to the sense of insanity that you’ve come to expect.

The multitude of paths leads to contrasting conclusions.

However, I encourage you to then choose to ‘go back’ and take other routes to different endings. Many only watch through once, which at best plays out as an average episode, but by exploring other decisions the story gets far darker. Small details become far more glaring and, in some respects, creepy. To truly experience Netflix’s interactive show, you need to keep selecting ‘choices’ until it will no longer let you - then it plays the full credits and you’ll truly be unnerved.

With the success and attention that Bandersnatch has

achieved, we could see more ‘interactive’ Netflix features, perhaps even a series. It is, however, surprising that Netflix approached Brooker on such a project considering a company that had been working alongside Netflix, Telltale Games, went bankrupt in November 2018.

Telltale produced games that functioned in a nearidentical fashion to Bandersnatch with players/viewers choosing what the character does in between animated videos. The contract that was on the table at the end of last year was for a Stranger Things interactive game; other properties that Telltale have produced for include The Walking Dead, Game of Thrones and even Law & Order. With Netflix having shown previous interest in usercontrolled television, it’s highly likely that they’ll be giving us more of this whether we want it or not. Only time will tell if this is a gimmick or a genuine development in how we experience visual entertainment.

The rhetoric over more interactive television does fall through when you watch Bandersnatch, in which the plot quickly becomes enveloped in the concept of choice and predetermination. The interlocking of the ‘gimmick’ with the plot suggests it was something that Brooker dreamt up especially. Without the clever writing it would be rather unoriginal to essentially place a game on Netflix, however, Black Mirror seeks to question the frightening capabilities of technology, and Bandersnatch certainly does that.

Joseph Saul Image: Netflix

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The Goddess of Spring I first saw Cordelia the summer after someone tore out my heart on New Year’s Eve. Too much fog for specifics, but her glow cut through it all. Ivory skin and a wreath of gold leaf for hair. She’d not seen me before but said she’d have to try harder to. Her cyan eye left me feeling like I was leaning back too far looking into open sky, only she was even better at getting me on my back. The first time we were entwined and exhausted she said words, since branded into me, like the weight and warmth of her body.

“This sacrosanct act,

let it be remembered back.

And our beating hearts,

be the drums to dredge up,

that primordial pilgrim.

From seabed to ours.”

I’d not understood, it took time for Cordelia’s tales of the Goddess of Spring to coalesce. Of a mother, entirely unlike her own, whispering encouragement at every step in a language with only four letters.

“Okay, occasionally five.”

She told me about a shrine, rundown out of town. Where she’d go if she could muster the courage and strength to get out unnoticed. There, almost alone, she’d pray and ask why she’s stuck in a body so uncooperative

“But of course, I had it wrong all along. The flesh isn’t a test, it’s a gift, as is getting to give it again.”

I remember breakfast on the beach. Wind and sand shredded our skin, and ruined our eggs. Because Cordelia told me she was nostalgic for the sea.

“They’re the same waves, darling. As always. Don’t look so incredulous about conservation of energy. Quiet, and you can hear the Cambrian explosion echo. There’s something I should ask. How would you feel sharing my body with another? At least for a few months.”

Cordelia had to be the happiest I’d ever seen someone who was constantly throwing up. I insisted she see a specialist to settle my nerves. Big mistake. Being told this was totally normal for someone with her history, and that this early on in a pregnancy, was comforting the first time. Less the second. By the third, fuck!Doctor said that it was still all fixable, that Cordelia would be okay but she’d need every ounce of strength just to get better. I asked about our child, fine apparently, which I thought was more important than the doctor did. Cordelia was doing everything not to cry.

“I can get better and we can give it another go. Now we know I’ll have to work a little harder, we can prepare properly, not just rush in. Can you keep yourself entertained for now, darling?”

The doctor finally cut her off before she could say anything else at a hundred miles an hour.

“Okay, okay, okay I get it! We don’t do that then! But I can get better?”

Cordelia had stopped trying not to cry.

The temple wasn’t hard to find on my own.

“Just remember which way you came when my hometown hides behind the trees. You know, no one expected life inside the caves? Then they opened it up and found thriving species who hadn’t seen daylight in longer than hominids have even existed. Most of it tiny, until they found her. Not sure whose shrine it was built to be, but it’s hers now.”

At night, confident I couldn’t be followed or found, I trod soft ground and came across a visage, storeys high, carved into cliffs. Its mouth and eyes ever open while other features were worn away. My pack felt heavier as I approached. I entered through an eye, instinctually avoiding the mouth.Out of the moonlight it grew darker. That’s what fire was for, to send the shadows reeling back to reveal just how much less claustrophobic the caverns were than our apartment. I hoped it was my torch colouring the walls. The soft song of the outside become more distorted and scratchy, the same way gramophone music rots. A casual glance back caught me when I couldn’t recognise the caverns I’d come from.

There was wind, the warm kind. As I continued I heard the sounds of countless mouths, each breath out of sync with the rest. I entered the main chamber with my fading flame for company. All I saw at first was the amorphous mass of uncountably many moving parts. Soon I’d have run out of space to step through to get any closer. I swung at the lump with my torch to get its attention. It reared up and thrust itself into my light and I recoiled without getting a good look.

“Behold the Goddess of Spring.

Apex atop apex.

The warden keeping us in food chains.

That every predator preys too.

The basis set of flesh and bone.”

In my brief glimpse I saw tentacles tipped with paw and claw, maw with antlers for mandibles and every kind of eye.

“I heard a joke, no one knows if the scariest thing about her is all her cloacas having teeth or all her teeth having cloacas.”

One neck, not sure if serpentine or plesiosaur, was poised to wrap around me before another skull burst out from under the surface of its skin and snapped it severed. The creature didn’t so much move as rot and regrow pieces in new positions. The corner of my eye caught the writing of endless genitals making up for their incompatibility with enthusiasm. I managed to scramble back, my torch held out to create space. I reached into my pack and found the damp cloth wrapped package. I held it out for countless snouts to sniff at and be excited by the scent of fresh blood. I said the words I’d been revising since setting out.

“It’s a heart, one that failed you. She chose to live as the last of her line instead of doing her duty. Don’t doubt my devotion, I’m ready to hear what it’s all for.”

“Persistence Perpetuates.”

Avouleance Aaq

Image: Vecteezy

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Consequences Joseph Peters Met Mrs Fisher Down by the pier.

Joseph said, “I don’t quite know what I’m doing.”

Mrs Fisher said “I just want to get away. You know?”

They went to a cafe nearby.

Joseph bounced between water and diet coke, Mrs Fisher swirled her spoon into the milky foam of her coffee as she waited.

Lorna Turner Met Sally Henderson At the abortion clinic.

Lorna said, “I know I’m doing the right thing.”

Sally said, “One day everything will be different.”

They walked through the double doors Leaving lighter.

Joseph Peters Met Sally Henderson On the teacups.

Joseph said, “I don’t quite know what I’m doing.”

Sally said, “One day everything will be different.”

They spun around and around until the world became a blur of red and white.

Joseph continued to spin as he decided whether he should get off, whilst Sally’s heavy shoulders slunk off into the night.

Leia Butler

Overthinking You’ve been thinking that it had been a painfully long time since you’d put pen to paper, finger to keys, thoughts to words.

You’ve been thinking it on and off for a few months actually, not that it had prompted any action so far.

You’ve been thinking that what you have written recently has all been very similar – poems, fairly depressing poems.

You’ve been thinking that you should really try and stretch yourself, push yourself, develop yourself.

You’ve been thinking that you probably have a lot more to say than you’ve been saying, but you’re not sure how to say everything in the right way.

You’ve been thinking you need something to be the kindling for your match.

You’ve been thinking the new year might be it.

You’ve been thinking you ought to stop hoarding beautiful notebooks out of fear that you could never fill them with anything as beautiful.

You’ve been thinking of starting by collecting everything you’ve written so far.

You’ve been thinking it’s not such a steep slope once you start climbing.

You’ve been putting pen to paper, finger to keys, thoughts to words.

Becca Allen

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Image: Flickr (Marcus Trienke)

Haikus on a Winter Morning Children with eyes wide, Exhale their warm breath slowly To watch the air dance.

Misty clouds of air Evaporate around me, And trouble my mind.

The frost-bitten grass, waits timelessly, in the cold, hopeful for the sun.

Katherine Childs

Synesthetist Ringing red lips, resounding around the room.

Aniseed accent, lingering for me to lick off long after.

Trembling taste.

And you smell blindingly bright.

While your pheromones take lightest flight on softest feathers.

And in a million more ways than I can convey.

You impress yourself upon me.

But I can’t say.

Because the words are wrong.

Not at all applicable.

No one knows what it means for eyes to chime.

Or how a song can spin.

I worry when the iceberg looks down and sees only the surface of the sea.

What it must think.

Wondering why it doesn’t sink.

And all I want to tell you is You’re more.

Avouleance Aaq

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Editors’ 2018 Picks JOHANNE: In 2018, it was ten years since the Nobel Prize winning playwright Harold Pinter passed away. To commemorate the man who has been called the greatest British playwright of the 20th century, the London theatre bearing his name has teamed up with the Jamie Lloyd Company to present all of Pinter’s twenty one-act plays over the course of one star-studded season. I have been fortunate to see all the plays so far, and remain mightily impressed by how Pinter’s writing is both menacing and hilarious – often at the same time.

JORDAN: 2018 brought us some terrific games... along with Fortnite, unfortunately. As much as I’ve loved (and despised) all the titles, my favourite game of the year has to be Shadow of the Tomb Raider. As the third and final instalment of its trilogy, the game brings an astounding end to the journey of this decade’s Lara Croft. Most strikingly for me, it presents the flaws of our stealthy heroine in a profound way. Plus, the plot, the action, the scenery, the puzzles, the brutality, are to die for: something you’ll be doing a lot as you race to stop the Mayan apocalypse that Lara unleashes.

GABRIELA: In 2018 there were some cringe-worthy trends, but one of the bests has been the two-piece suit. First seen on New York Fashion Week in September, they have been sprouting everywhere and blooming with floral prints and workwear chic checkered pairings. As someone who likes to mix and match this trend was great because you can pair a floral blazer with a simple outfit and give it some glam instantly. Always dress for the job you want, rather than the job you have.

SHELBY: Been So Long is not the overly romantic and sensationalised musical that La La Land was. Instead, it’s a vibrant, diverse, charming and, frankly, hilarious musical for the real London. Set in Camden Town, it finds the musical,cultural vibrancy of modern London. What brings so much life and soul to Been So Long are its complex and genuinely likeable characters. There are no stereotypes, no token sidekicks, no racially charged narratives. There are just people: people of different colours, flaws, backgrounds and circumstances, who live and love in the same manically beautiful city.

NICK: ‘I can be a romantic’, Conor Murphy croons as Nearer My God starts. Foxing’s early emo revival roots now long in the past, their third album was a testament to the power of needing something. ‘I want it all’ opens the title track and perhaps summarises the album. The band, long flying under the radar of critics and decried as wannabe art-rockers by many in their scene, came out with a 12-track masterpiece. Experimental but never inaccessible, honest but never too open, Nearer My God dominated 2018 musically, lyrically and thematically. Sorry, The 1975.

REBECCA: My favourite book of 2018 has to be The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle. I read this within a week and was instantly pulled in by the murder mystery, terrifying characters, and fascinating story arc. I would recommend this to everyone and if you ask me to describe it to you I would struggle, as would anyone else who has read it. It is an amalgamation of Agatha Christie meets The Matrix meets Cluedo and so much more. It is an ambitious and mind-boggling read that I wouldn’t recommend reading whilst alone.

JODIE: The standout show of 2018 has to be Bodyguard.

Whilst I’ll admit that it faltered towards the end, it always kept me hooked and waiting for the next episode with bated breath. Mercurio’s script was strong and always tense and exciting, but the best thing about the show was its ability to enthrall the nation. It became a national event that dominated social media and TV screens, and was the most watched show of the year, with the biggest audience of any BBC programme since Doctor Who’s 2008 Christmas special.

It was more than a show; it was an amazing event that kept its audience on the edge of its seat.

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Images: Pixabay, Image Splash, Flickr, Waterstones, Polygon.com. HMV.

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