Venue 321

Editorial

Issue #321 9 Feb

We’ve reached the week of the most anticipated holiday in February. Some people anticipate it in excitement, having made plans and preparations well in advance. You can often tell who these people are because they’re keen to share these plans with you (whether you asked for them or not), leading you to either rethink your own plans, or simply roll your eyes. This brings us to the other group of people: those who watch the holiday’s approach with dread. Whatever pure, sincere meanings the holiday’s origins once held are lost to the abyss, replaced with a gluttonous consumerism that could make any non-participant queasy. Yet whether you welcome the holiday with open arms or not, its impending approach has been felt by everyone, with various shops and restaurants trumpeting its arrival.

Venue Editors-in-Chief: concrete.venue@uea.ac.uk Ana Dukakis Joe Fitzsimmons Arts: concrete.arts@uea.ac.uk Niamh Jones Creative Writing: concretre.creativewriting@uea.ac.uk Jay Stonestreet Fashion: concrete.fashion@uea.ac.uk Lizz Gowens Leah Omonya Film: concrete.film@uea.ac.uk George Barker Melissa Haggar Gaming & Technology: concrete.gamingtech@uea.ac.uk Tom Bedford Music: concrete.music@uea.ac.uk Freya Gibson Daniel Jeakins Televison: concrete.television@uea.ac.uk Hannah Ford

Yes, whether you like it or not, Pancake Day is now upon us. As I said earlier, if you’re pro-Pancake Day, you’ve likely already made plans. Perhaps you’ve made your plans with a pancake-making partner in crime, working carefully to make sure your pancakes are a success: indulgent enough to make their heart flip (yes, pun intended), but not too sickeningly sweet (there is such a thing as too much maple syrup).

Alternatively, you may, somehow, have only just realised Pancake Day is here (though to be honest I can’t really fathom how; as far as I remember there aren’t any other up-coming holidays that could quite eclipse this one). If this is the case, you may be panicking, realising that others are expecting some beautiful batter creation that you simply haven’t prepared for. If so, don’t panic, it’s not yet too late. You can take some shortcuts, and as long as no one else finds out everything should be fine. That’s as long as your pancake-partner isn’t too fussy, of course – if it takes a little more to impress them, all I can say is good luck. You don’t want that pancake falling flat on your face.

Whatever your situation is, I hope you have a lovely Pancake Day.

It’s time everyone! As this weekend roles around, we come to my favourite celebration of the year: Valentine’s day. Yes, this muchloved and much-hated time of the year is to many: a wonderful opportunity to show that certain someone in your life just how much you care about them; a shameless cash grab from certain gift and service industries designed to force us to open our purses in the characteristically frugal month of February; or a horrible reminder of you single status. However, this most wonderful time of the year for Clintons, De Beers, and Ben and Jerry’s provides the most wonderful opportunity for some love-based mischief. I present here, for you enjoyment, some of the best ways to ruin other people’s valentines day...

- Crash a housemate’s Tinder date.

- Drop fake rings into random champagne glasses in restaurants.

- Gently remind friends out on a night of ‘single fun’ that perhaps their constant assertion that they love being ‘free’ and ‘independent’ might imply that they are not as confident in their situation as they are willing to admit.

- Play sad love songs through a friend’s door as they sit alone in the dark reading Nicolas Sparks novels.

Art and Design: concrete.artdesign@uea.ac.uk Dougie Dodds Cover Art : Ruth Knapp

- Act obliviously to the existence of the celebration for the entire day. Bonus fun can be had if you can dodge reminders from jaded loved ones.

Personally, I’ll be spending my Valentine’s evening with an as-yet unselected accomplice at the Arts Centre. Feel free to come and ruin it for me.

3

Music Natalie Cole

Album Review: Coasts (Self-Titled)

If you are not yet aware of Coasts, they are an upcoming five-piece from Bristol full of indie-pop, feel-good anthems. Their selftitled debut album was released through Warner Music and peaked at number twelve in the UK album charts.

Coasts are best known for their catchy singles ‘A Rush of Blood’, which was named Zane Lowe’s ‘Hottest Record’ way back in October 2014, and ‘Oceans’ which received media attention worldwide. Both of these singles are featured on the album, alongside last year’s single ‘Modern Love’ and seven other slick pop tunes.

Their most popular song to date, ‘Oceans’, is the perfect opener for the album. It immediately defines the band’s euphoric and expansive sound, in a love song about all of the dumb little things that make you crazy about someone. With an addictive chorus tailor-made for daytime radio, it sets very high expectations for the rest of the album.

The third track, ‘You’, is a pleasant and catchy song, with a huge build up to an incredibly memorable chorus. Vocalist Chris Caines describes the song as being about chasing your dreams while not forgetting about the things that matter the most, relating it to being away on tour

while remembering that family and friends are important. In parts the lyrics appear a bit bland and cliché, however this also makes them easily relatable for the festival going masses.

‘Modern Love’ is the fourth track on the album and it really shines through as a huge anthemic sounding song that is capable of carrying them up to much larger venues.

Caines has described the song as being about how falling in and out of love has changed over time, which was heavily inspired by Tinder and other social platforms affecting the way we interact and meet people. This song successfully flaunts Coasts largely varied set of musical influences, ranging

from electronic, dance, alternative rock, eighties to pop music.

After five years of working towards their debut album, a handful of relatively successful singles and lots of media coverage, there is a lot of pressure for the album to be successful . The previously released singles set high expectations for the rest of the album, which proves a struggle at first as many of the songs are difficult to distinguish between, sounding too polished and clean-cut. However, this is not the case when Coasts perform live rather than on the track, as their sound is a lot more passionate, energising and raw. For a debut album, this is definitely a pleasant listen, however it does not strike as a game changer.

Live Review: The Maine & Mayday Parade at the LCR

Gabriela Garcia-Huff

Originating from the pop-punk era we all know and loved so well, these two bands have had almost a solid 10 years on and off the road, entertaining emo kids and likely their parental chaperones all across the States and the UK. With both bands having their fair share of anthems and a consistently supportive and growing fan bases, it was easy to predict the live gig would be an enjoyable event. They were also supported by two very promising opening acts: Beautiful Bodies, with their likeable and animated female lead singer and the outspoken Have Mercy, with sounds reminiscent of 90s alternative.

It was an interesting mix that night in the

Daniel Jeakins

LCR, with the older generations of fans crammed right up front with a more youthful and keen crowd. The show being 14+, there was also a noticeable amount of adults, cheerfully accompanying their children to perhaps what was their first concert. And then there were the true die-hards, who knew every word to every song, and proudly wore the merch of past tours. In general, the crowd was excited yet mellow, making it a gig enjoyable for all ages.

With the start of The Maine’s set, though the LCR was dimly lit, it was clear to see who was there for a nostalgic blast from the past, singing along to the pop punk classics like

Everything I Ask For and Right Girl, and those who had been recently introduced to the bands new upbeat, alternative feel off their most recent album American Candy. The band’s unofficial hype man and lead singer, John O'Callaghan, maintained the crowd’s energy with quips in between songs and high enthusiasm throughout the entire set. Female fans were also particularly satisfied with his performance, as his every word was often accompanied by a shrill “I love you!” or other distant shouts of praise.

After an exciting warm up from The Maine, Mayday Parade took the stage, opening with a song off their new album Black Lines followed

by Jamie All Over, a more popular hit from their 2007 album A Lesson in Romantics. The rest of the set was a healthy mix of the old and the new, garnering approval from both sides of the fan base. They even travelled as far back as their first EP, with the longtime crowd favourite ballad, Three Cheers for Five Years earning them an emotional sing along from everyone in attendance.

The band finished it off with the upbeat and dance worthy, Black Cat and ever so relatable Miserable at Best, leaving the crowd energized and cheering for an encore. The final words of Jersey carried fans out; feeling either very nostalgic or just plain excited to see a band so expert in their genre.

Live Review: The Kooks at the LCR

With many of their contemporaries dropping life flies in recent years, The Kooks cashed-in on the indie gold-rush of the mid-noughties just about enough to remain a prominent fixture on the UK’s live circuit today. Their delayed gig at UEA’s LCR sold-out almost immediately, and the songs from their ten year-old debut Inside In/Inside Out remain firmly in the memory of many.

Upon taking to the stage, the feeling that The Kooks are now an almost entirely static band is inescapable. They’re celebrating the tenth anniversary of their debut LP tonight but there’s little enthusiasm to be found in their performance. They rattle through the likes of Sofa Song, You Don’t Love Me and She Moves In Her Own Way

with little fanfare - a fact made particularly disappointing considering, on the most part, these are the songs onlookers are most looking forward to hearing. The songs remain of decent quality, but it’s hard to imagine The Kooks finding success if their debut had arrived in any year other that 2006 and so the band’s sound feels a little dated in 2016.

The band are clearly more interested in showcasing their new material, and whilst it’s good that a band so firmly associated with a specific era are looking forward new record, Listen simply isn’t good enough for anyone to get excited over. Lead single ‘Down’ is almost comically bland and sounds even worse live than it does on record, and little of ‘Around Town’s’ off-

beat, funky energy comes across on the LCR stage. An emotional performance of ‘See Me Now’, which sees singer Luke Pritchard sit at a piano under the spotlight, is a somewhat poignant moment – sadly though it doesn’t really fit in with the rest of the proceedings.

‘Bad Habit’ is the surprising highlight in a lukewarm set - the song has a real sense of groove and appears to be the only song from the band’s new record that has resonated with the fans. Third album title track Junk Of The Heart also prompts an unexpected sing-a-long, whilst McFly mimicking single Always Where I Need To Be does at least bring a bit of intensity to the set.

With all said and done, though, there’s little that suggests The Kooks are still a creative force, and whilst they possess enough recognisable songs to fill venues it’s hard to imagine them releasing a new record that will introduce them to a new set of fans. By the time the inevitable closer ‘Naive’ rolls around there’s a sense that the band are now confined to having nostalgic appeal and so it’s hard to picture them sticking around much longer. It’s just a shame that so many of their superior contemporaries - including Klaxons, Black Kids ,and The Rumble Strips - have disbanded whilst The Kooks are still going - I don’t suppose there’s a swap available?

Photo Credit: By No machine-readable author provided. . Own work assumedwikimedia.org/w/ index.php?curid=1380953

4

Music Album Review: Mystery Jets - Curve of the Earth

Mary O’Driscoll

As I sit in Unio, hungover and without a coffee, fate has placed next to me a couple young and in love - who have no hesitations when it comes to café PDA. This is lovely (in a ‘good for them’ kind of way), but it’s also a little distracting when I’m trying to analyse an album. Fortunately, Mystery Jets newest creation, Curve of the Earth is here to remind me with its lyrics that there is more to life than this desperate search for love; which is the subject of most of the songs I hear.

‘Telomere’, the first track in the album, is passionate and empowering. It is immersed in ideas of identity and predestination. However, like poetry, its meaning can be interpreted in different ways. It could well be an aid to

Muse Giacalone

After touring America with Mumford and Sons in 2013, Mystery Jets spent six months turning an old button factory in London into

a recording studio. They then spent the next few years creating this album. Although it has a slower pace than the upbeat, more lighthearted sound that fans are used to hearing, this album has the potential to conquer indie hearts globally. Noteworthy tracks include ‘Bombay Blue’, ‘Bubblegum’ and the aforementioned ‘Telomere’ which are the first three tracks on the album. This provokes the question - did they peak too early?

friend, a break-up, or about death. The slight ambiguity in their lyrics is part of their charm, and allows them to express themselves without limiting the potential interpretations of the lyrics. However, some of the later tracks in the album have a numbness to them that could be considered a good or bad thing depending on your mood. Either they feel tranquil and meaningful, or detached and devoid of passion.

Mystery Jets endear themselves to listeners with their optimistic and refreshing attitudes towards separation in ‘Bubblegum.’ This song is particularly special because it is open to multiple meanings; it could be about estrangement from a family member or

This band deserves more recognition, as does the unpretentious album they have just produced. It feels as though they have been true to themselves as they have tackled difficult topics while maintaining a hopeful and sensitive sound.

Album Review: Savages - Adore Life

Savages are back at it with their newlyreleased album and beautifully-entitled Adore Life reaffirming themselves as a major rock and punk phenomena of our time. An increasingly popular female post-punk collective, founded in 2011 and based in London, Savages meshes punkrevival power with fresh, pretty, and melancholic lyrics to establish themselves as incredibly original and pure. Mainstream media has qualified their new songs like The Answer or Adore as ‘stonerpunk’ or ‘neo-grunge’ and this is understandable, all these element are most definitely present. The band emits an incandescence and deeply-rooted strength with rhythmic tribal sounds, incendiary guitars, a rounded, heavy bass, and a voice that carries an impending depression... a painted

Chris Grosset

people dealing with unavoidable illnesses.

In their ‘Behind the Scenes’ video, William Rees (guitar and vocals) describes a Telomere, as something that ‘contains your fate, future and also your history… a bottled version of everything that you’re going to be or go on to do.’ Using clay to show the human body transforming, the music video is a genuine piece of artwork. Blaine Harrison, the lead singer, is the central figure in the video which represents the personal nature of this song and album. He has Spina Bifida, a physical disability that causes weakness of the legs.

essence of what Savages are. Singer Jehnny Beth (originally named Camille Berthomier) illuminates the stage in her live performances with sleek, dark and sometimes very poetic lyrics lined with a slight French accent. She is the perfect female reincarnation of Ian Curtis and, in fact, the entire collective are a throwback to late 70s and early 80s underground punk and new wave music scenes. Finally, we are able to dream of what it must have felt like to experience the debut releases of Siouxsie and the Banshees, Public Image Ltd or Joy Division and in this, we feel an other-worldly, transgressional power take us over. Two tracks on Adore Life depict the split in Savages musical style: ‘The Answer’ and ‘Adore’. The first is a somber song, harsh and

loud as the headliner of the second album.

It promises an album changed and hardened by experience. The band, led by Jehnny Beth and her singular charisma opens herself out and discusses troubles, angers, anxieties and sentiments unsaid, but focuses mainly on the one theme that cannot be undertaken enough: love. In the music video for The Answer, simple and unravelling, the director Giorgio Testi films rebellion in its most natural state. It is difficult to not think of Smells Like Teen Spirit at the sight of these images: a crowded sweaty mosh-pit, head-banging to the shrieks and anthems of the band in black. The fourth track on the album, named in association with the title of the entire album Adore stages a

more demure, solemn but equally (if not more) powerful atmosphere. Beth asks in her song if it is ‘human to adore life?’ and intertwines fresh, simple metaphysical self-questioning with affirmed responses to heartbreak.

Adore Life was recorded at RAK studios in London with Richard Woodcraft on sound, Anders Trentemoller on mixing and Johnny Hostile for production. And although Savages are not for everyone as tastes are tastes, it cannot be denied that this band has proven itself in many ways as talented musicians and, strong vocalists who’ve crafted even more powerful lyrics to become headliners of an immense punkrock revival renaissance.

Album Review: Bloc Party - Hymns

Hymns, the latest offering from Bloc Party, arrives over a decade after their 2005; energetically unfettered, alternative rock classic, LP: Silent Alarm. An album defined by sharp guitar and experimental synths, the debut propelled the band to fame. With this new fifth album we see the exit of Gordon Moakes (bass) and Matt Tong (drums) for new members, Justin Harris and Louise Bartle. Has this new line up shaken Bloc Party for their new release?

The title track ‘The Love Within’, with its almost single note electronic modulated organ riff, offers a glimpse of the experimental Bloc Party that won them cult acclaim in the past. I found myself praying for more variety. Yet, this title track is saved in the chorus with its beautiful happy

illation, uncommon in Bloc Party songs.

With other tracks on the album the production takes a new turn towards contrast. Songs like ‘Living Lux’ and ‘Fortress’ are almost muted and ‘foggy’ to the point of monotony with abundant ‘loss’ symbolism. Yet there are breaks in these clouds of reverb soaked suppression with the awesome resolutions on standout songs like ‘The Good News’ and ‘So Real’ offering clear if not linear guitar work. This more riff driven section seems to fleetingly showcase a more ‘live’ energetic Bloc Party, missing for much of the album.

Hymns has a real biblical feel to it similar to the 2007 single ‘The Prayer’. In songs like ‘Different Drugs’ and ‘Only He Can Hear Me’ we can see. Lead singer Kele’s

distinctive, shifting, vocals more refined, and even restrained behind background, often overbearing, throbbing synths and chants. This conflict seems to be the band’s intention in order to pursue a supposedly larger, grander, and encompassing picture.

To this effect, it attempts to explore religion and death with its haze symbolising the confusion of life culminating in Different Drugs with its stressed, anxious vocals.

Then, stripped back songs like ‘Into the Earth’ progress linearly onto topic of human perception: its dark lyrics counter-balancing happy chords making a remorseful yet certain song (a narrative highlight for me).

This concludes in songs like ‘Exes’ which take a reflective view on the life portrayed in the album.

In conclusion, and to this album’s credit, what Bloc Party have done here reminds me thematically of Grace by Jeff Buckley. Its narrative is well planned yet a little blunt.

But will it please a Silent Alarm fan? For the most part, bar a couple of glimpses of viscera, no. Bloc Party seem now to be a different, less cutting, more backgroundbeast. The throbbing production on this album can detract to the point of boredom.

I feel that new members, unproved in this record, could have offered a lot more distinctiveness, even if it weren’t in the style of previous records. However, with time, maybe they will - Bloc Party have more to offer.

Photo Credit: By John - Bloc Party @ Warfield, San Francisco, 9/21/2005, https://commons. wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6735594

5

Music An Interview with Wolf Alice Erin Bashford You’re playing the LCR in March, just one of the dates on your second major headline tour in 6 months. How does this constant touring feel for you guys?

It’s great. It’s what we wanted. If you’re a musician, our kind of musician, this is the bread and butter of what you do. To be given the opportunity to go out, it’s amazing to go out and get to do it every day. It’s a dream come true.

What’s the best story you have from your 2015 travels?

I don’t know if I can really highlight one, the whole thing was just a complete blur. Our producer said to us last year after we’d just finished the record, “pack your bags, you’re not going to see your girlfriend for a year or so”, we were like “yeah yeah”, but then the shows just kept flooding in. We haven’t stopped touring, we’ve had a couple of weeks off in January, but it’s the first bit of time off we’ve had in a long time.

There are tonnes around the country, it’s a real shame because we look online and see another one’s closed, which is really sad. The Old Blue Last in London, we played a lot of our early shows there, that was a lot of fun. I always really liked the Cockpit in Leeds, Sugarmill in Stoke is a great one, Leadmill in Sheffield, Bodega in Nottingham. I mean there’s just tonnes, tonnes of great venues across the country. You look and you see places closing down, places we played a year ago, and you think ‘fucking hell, what happened in a year?’ There’s no excuse not to go out and listen to great live music.

You’ve got a Grammy nomination, a Brit nomination, a Mercury Prize nomination, to name a few—how does all this recognition feel so soon after the release of your debut?

Yeah; it’s great, I mean to be honest we don’t really take too much from awards, it’s very nice, it’s nice to get the accolade but we’d be doing this without the awards and things like that. The main thing for us is a matter of representation and being an indie band on an indie label, and getting invited to the Brits and Grammys which is major label centric, quite a nice nod from that side of the industry. People know Wolf Alice and people like it on all sides, which is the biggest victory as far as I’m concerned.

It probably doesn’t help bringing this up, but does this prestige put pressure on you for your next release?

No, I think our own sense of quality control is the only thing that will put pressure on us.

Have you got any plans to play new material on your spring tour?

I dunno…maybe, I mean we’re playing some new stuff at the moment. You’ll have to come and find out.

How have you noticed your gigs change since Blush and Creature Songs were released to now?

There’s lots of things, the rooms are a little bit bigger now, there’s a couple more people. It was a relief for us when we released the record. People finally had a copy of all the songs we were playing live, it was one thing to go to and see a band and know all the songs they were playing but before they release a record you’re going in on memory on some songs, so it’s nice to be able to play for people to know the words and people can jump around.

During your rise to fame, before the release of My Love is Cool, what are some of the most interesting gigs or venues you played?

By Paul Hudson - Wolf Alice - https://www.flickr.com/photos/ pahudson

6

Music Caitlin Doherty 2015 was a big year for Lucy Rose. After having been playing and writing her acoustic music for more than half a decade, recording albums and EPs as a soloist, as well as touring as a backing singer with Bombay Bicycle Club, her second studio album Work It Out held in the UK Top Ten for several weeks; propelling Lucy on to the mainstream radio and into our Spotify playlists.

Despite last year’s successes, Lucy doesn’t plan on slowing down just yet. When I asked her what she had planned for 2016, the acoustic singer was set on seeing the world: “2016, for me, is going to be a year of travelling and playing music wherever I go….the one thing about travelling [is that] you always do those touristy things, rather than the things that the people who live there actually do,…but I’ll be taking a guitar with me and if I’m in a town or a village nearby just let me know and I’ll come and play you a couple of songs…You get to a certain age where you need to start making these important decisions before it’s too late. I’m 26, I never had a gap year, I feel like I need to see a little bit more of the world before [life] gets too serious”.

Nonetheless, the music is never far from Lucy’s mind: “I think that [the travel] might help me have

Interview with Lucy Rose some perspective on what I want to write about, as well, for the next album”.

Music can’t be successful without a fan base, however, and, as well as this adventurous spirit, at the heart of Lucy’s desire to travel, seems to be a will to become better acquainted with her fans; those from all four corners of the planet.Happy fans and good music are something that Lucy seems to think correlate: “There are a lot of things that I want to do with the second record, [Work It Out], but a lot of people still haven’t heard these songs”.

This planned travel tour seems to be as much for the fan’s enjoyment as it is for Lucy’s, as she currently fears that her relative British success may have sacrificed a part of her international fan base.

“I get messages from people all the time saying ‘Oh, I wish you’d come here, but it’s

on the other side of the world so I know that it’s impossible. I feel like you can become very concentrated on becoming big on [sic] one place, thinking to yourself ‘Oh, I need to write this song or perform this show so that more people will hear of me’ and I think that you end up neglecting a large portion of your audience; those who like my music and are telling me that they like it! I want to make a conscious effort to go further afield” Lucy, like most people in the 21st Century public eye, is active on various forms of social media, particularly Twitter and Instagram. I questioned whether this massive international, and interactive, fan base is a result of her working and writing during the half decade when the internet exploded: “I’m not very good at thinking about the bigger picture, about the entirety of the music industry, but I think that it’s probably a good thing to start building relationships with people who live on

the other side of the world. You can almost have a pen pal style connection with these people and you become friends. It’s important to have those connections, especially when you’re song writing because you can feel very isolated, especially when you’re trying to put something ‘real’ into it. So, having anybody say ‘this song is now important to me’, is when I really connect to them and the song. It’s like a reassurance, like a little voice is saying ‘okay, I now feel good about what I’m doing’. We’re very fortunate to be able to have those sorts of connections”.

Despite being fond of her dedicated audience, Lucy was keen to spread a little bit of ‘music love’ and when questioned on who we should be listening to in 2016, could not have been more highly appraising of New Zealand singer-songwriter, Nadia Reed: “There are a lot of people in the music industry that I love and every time I listed to them I go ‘They’re amazing! They should be bigger!’ One of those is a girl my neighbour introduced me to…

Nadia Reed. She’s just put a record out and it’s a really good record. Absolutely great record. Listen to her record, that’s all an artist ever wants. They don’t necessarily want to be big. They just want people to listen to their music”.

A humble woman, whose happiness quite obviously resides in the six strings that she can hold in her lap.

Photo Credit: Manfred Werner - Tsui - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=23333572

7

Fashion The Blonde Salad A Look at One of the Most Successful Fashion Bloggers Elizabeth Wiggley Chiara Ferragni, or The Blonde Salad, is an Italian blogger, model and designer. With a current following of over 5.3m on Instagram and 416,379 subscribers on her blog, the 28 year old has taken the world by storm.

After beginning her blog The Blonde Salad in 2009, Ferragni has achieved numerous notable titles, including ‘Blogger of the Moment’ in Teen Vogue in 2011, ‘Blogger of the Year’ at the Bloglovin’ Awards in September 2015, and ‘Best Personal Style Blog’ for three consecutive years. She was also named as one of the most influential personalities of the international fashion world by Business of Fashion, an impressive achievement for someone her age.

If you’re a fashion blogger, it’s always a bonus to be blessed with good looks, as Ferrangi is. Modelling for Guess in November 2013 sparked another aspect of her involvement in fashion, and in March 2015 she was chosen

for the cover of the April Vogue España, which made her the first fashion blogger to appear on any Vogue cover internationally. You could say that this is evidence of the blogging world becoming ever more influential. Conveniently enough, her boyfriend of two years, Andrew Arthur, is also her photographer, which is a pretty ideal set up.

In 2010, Ferragni launched her fashion line The Chiara Ferragni Collection, featuring mainly footwear, as well as other accessories such as bags and hats. A famous aspect of her collection is the ‘Flirting’ style, created through playful designs such as winking eyes, kissing lips and colourful glitter. These sort of stylised elements feature on many of the shoes in the collection and have become recognisable characteristics of her products.

In January, Ferragni’s blog and shoe line even became a subject of study at Harvard Business School, proving its significance in the current fashion world. In December 2013, she

collaborated with Steve Madden to design a 9-shoe collection for Spring 2014; other fashion collaborations Ferragni has been involved in include her work with Christian Dior, Louis Vuitton, Max Mara, Chanel, Tommy Hilfiger, and J Brand. Evidently these are not B-List designers so we would love to know the secret of how she made it to the top in such a short amount of time.

What’s more, she’s an International Law student. Ferragni clearly knows her stuff when it comes to business, which is apparent when looking at her success in the corporate world.

With a team of 16 around her, everything she does is executed with drive and passion. She knows how to appeal to the public, yet appears to remain down to earth. She was listed in the Forbes 2015 ’30 Under 30’ selection, raising questions about what she will come up with next.

Claiming that she just started the blog

to share her photos, Ferragni ended up creating so much more. With her passion for photography stemming from her mum, Ferragni uses this as a way of conveying her own personal style. Her Instagram bio perfectly expresses this: ‘Love fiercely (and don’t forget to stop along the way to take photos)’. The young entrepreneur has built an empire worth $8m, all from a simple desire to create a place that people could draw inspiration from.

We are sure to see a huge amount more from the Italian blogger as she continues to travel the world, inspiring fashion enthusiasts wherever she goes. Sure, her shoe collection might be just slightly out of our price range but they are certainly pretty to look at! If you want to find out more check out her blog or Instagram at @chiaraferragni. If you do, there’s a chance of extreme jealousy but take it as motivation because remember, #theblondesaladneverstops.

Fitness Fashion How Fashion Can Help You Meet Your Fitness Goals This Year Lizz Gowens Everybody knows that come the New Year, the gyms are full and everyone starts drinking green smoothies and spending a bomb on a new pair of trainers, all so they can keep their annual resolution to get fit.

Now that we’re into February, the number of people hitting those early morning workouts is the only thing getting slimmer, as people have swiftly lose motivation and give in to the persistent sugar cravings and alcoholfuelled nights out.

multimillion dollar deal with West was the key to the company blowing Nike out of the water in recent sales and social media following. Whilst few of us will have the luxury of being able to afford to drop a few hundred or even above a grand on a pair of Yeezy’s (although some people buy and sell on to make profit), there are plenty of other collaborations and high street brands that we can afford, which can be used to motivate us to get back to the gym.

Whatever your goal is, be it to change your body composition, add muscle or increase your overall fitness levels, it’s no easy task during the dark and dreary months of the year. For those who are still sticking to their resolutions, however, or for those who want to get back on the bandwagon, I always find that scrolling through my favourite ‘Fitspo’ pages on Instagram and looking at the cool workout wear really helps.

If you’re really into working out and don’t mind spending a little more for the best quality, specialist brands like Lululemon and Sweaty Betty are great, and provide all fitness fanatics with the opportunity to make a fashion statement while getting their sweat on. Canadian founder of Lululemon, Chip Wilson, was inspired by the women with whom he used to do yoga classes, and claims that after ‘studying’ them, he realised all they wanted was something which was practical for the sport but also had a slightly more distinguished look to the average black yoga pants (a bit of leg shaping never goes amiss either).

Fashionable fitness wear is an industry which has grown exponentially over the past few years, particularly with the increasing number of celebrities that are getting on board with the most well-known brands; Kanye West and Rita Ora for Adidas and Nicki Minaj for Nike are just some of the most recent collaborations. Adidas’

Although he left the company in 2013 after a few controversial comments about women’s sizes, Wilson certainly founded

something destined to be great; as of May 2015 Lululemon was worth $9.2 bn. This comes as no surprise when you look into the fabrics that Lululemon work with such as ‘Nulu’, ‘Luxtreme’ and ‘Luon’, all of which have been created through intensive research into fabric technologies for different sport.

Lululemon are fitness innovators, but with the famous yoga pants retail price starting around £80, they’re certainly an investment piece, and perhaps reserved for those who have really committed to a fitness-focused lifestyle.

Although I’m desperate for a pair of Lulu’s, I, like most other students, cannot justify spending so much on sportswear unless I save for them. There are, however, plenty of great alternatives, particularly as the high street brands have picked up on this gap in the market and have taken full advantage of it. Online retailer Missguided have had their own fitness wear range for a few years now, and offer a perfect combination between style and practicality. Whilst in my experience of Missguided Active the fit hasn’t always been great (I’d recommend getting a size or two smaller in the sports bras), for a range retailed at £12 and above, the designs are great. The combination of the cut-outs, mesh inserts, and marble to floral patterns

are unique to the brand and the quality is pretty good too.

Ranging from £10 to £100, Reebok, who is part of the Adidas group, is another one of my go-to sportswear favourites; their CrossFit style offers a huge range to choose from when looking to buy a little pick-meup to keep you motivated in the gym. The brand also caters for guys who want to create a unique look for themselves, with many of their menswear pieces featuring cool prints and patterns as well as the more simple designs. Reebok are creating collections that both encourage you to take your fitness seriously, but at the same time also to have fun with it, and their clothing definitely mirrors their ethos.

Whether you can afford to splash the cash or you’re opting to stick to your student budget, there’s no way you can miss out on the fashion in fitness with so many brands out there, catering to all goals and accommodating all price restrictions. Keeping track of the trends in the industry and even buying into some of them is a great way to stay motivated and keep smashing your workouts. Besides, if our face and hairstyles are less than desirable whilst we’re in the gym, at least we can say our outfit is on point.

8

Fashion Staple Suede Emily Claridge

The Must Have Winter to Spring Transition Piece

Considering we’ve seen man buns, double denim, and leg warmers, it seems a miracle that the new must-have trend is the wonderfully tame but still classic suede. It’s a great way to pay homage to that 70s style without the crazy platforms or flares. I will admit to a certain level of journalistic bias, owing to my ever-growing collection of suede ankle boots, but I love the current accumulating appreciation for the material. It’s no ground-breaker, however, that the likes of Vogue’s suede choices, whilst beautiful, may be a little out of the student price range. Hopefully I can help in the attempt to find the student equivalent to those Chanel suede trousers.

people can all afford Chanel, so there’s hope for us suede lovers yet. At the moment Primark at the moment have a navy suede pencil skirt for £10 (just in case you’ve spilt something on your £580 Gucci one).

As I’m writing this article there are currently 711,116 tagged ‘suede’ Instagrams, (and thankfully only 74,346 #doubledenim).

Social media is hardly the most reliable place for sales figures and statistics on trends, but it seems unlikely these 700,000

‘What is suede without tassels’ seems to be the theme for Topshop’s latest designs, showcasing the classic cowgirl look.

They’ve always been a fan of the classic suede ankle boot but recently have brought in a variety of suede bags and coats often partnered with as many tassels anyone could dream of. If however you’re a bit more tentative with the look, maybe start out with the suede bag rather than going straight to the full suede trench coat, but Topshop have both for you when you can be persSUEDEd.

The main advantage of suede is that it’s more interesting than plain fabric, but without requiring the same level of bravery or coordination as leather or denim. There are many ways you can work suede into your wardrobe during the winter – spring transition, which can often be an awkward one. Forget the bar crawls; I’m about to take you on the suede trail of Norwich.

I wouldn’t be doing suede justice if I didn’t mention the perfect suede pencil skirt and skin-tight dress that both Kim Kardashian and Kylie Jenner have worn. It may come as a surprise that Kylie’s suede tan dress was only £59 from Mistress Rocks. As for Kim’s Ermanno Scervino beige suede pencil skirt, you can get pretty much the same look from either ASOS or River Island at the moment for under £40. Either paired with a cute crop top or jumper, suede can work with anything, so don’t be scared of the freezing walk to a lecture or the boiling LCR. Lauren Indvik, Flickr

smittenkittenorig, Flickr

Knee high boots have also made a huge comeback this past autumn and winter, with a vast amount of them being suede.

Shoes are often worth splashing out on, but when you’re purchasing your fourth pair of ankle boots, maybe it’s time to rein it in and look at River Island’s £30 long suede boots, or New Look’s £25 suede Chelsea boots. I’m still in love with the £99 Marks and Spencer over the knee suede black boots, but there are plenty of alternatives around and there’s no need to sacrifice style for money. Like bags, boots are a great alternative if you’re not ready to go full suede, and just want a subtle pop to go with your outfit.

Whether it’s a full top-to-toe suede party, or just a small ankle boot or bag, suede can really work with any outfit. It’s been seen on Chanel and Gucci’s runways but, as I hope I have shown, suede isn’t out of reach for students! There is hope for us yet.

Campus Catwalk

Lizz Gowens and Leah Omonya Name: Ellis Langdon Year: Foundation Studying: Environmental Science

Name: Lucy Andralojc Year: First Studying: Medicine

Name: Karishma Booluck Year: Third Studying: Society, Culture & Media

Editors’ favourite: Our favourite piece here is definitely the denim jacket. It gives a really nice contrast to the autumnal colours of the jumper and boots, and the fleece lining adds a fun twist.

Editors’ favourite: We love the whole look here, very ‘Rachel from Friends’: a classic 90s look which is very fashionable at the moment. Our favourite item is the simple white tee with role sleeves. This is a classic wardrobe staple that everyone needs!

Editors’ favourite: Again, our favourite here is the denim shirt, an obvious trend in this week’s Campus Catwalk!

The oversized jacket is also very 90s casual, and helps to create an artsy look combined with the buttonup shirt.

9

Arts Art and Mental Illness “Humankind Cannot Bear Very Much Reality” - T.S. Eliot Lucinda Swain The image of the tortured artist has been a recurring character throughout history. There’s an idea that all great art must come from experiencing pain or suffering; it’s very much ingrained in our perception of creativity. Art itself is a reflection of our own humanity, and when encouraged, we can channel our emotions through hardship to express it. Mental instability is often associated with the great artists, but why is this so, and does creativity rely on some inner torment, or help relieve such internal struggles?

Many a great artist has suffered from conditions ranging from depression, bipolar disorder to schizophrenia.

Well-known names include Woody Allen, Mark Rothko, Agatha Christie, Kurt Cobain, William Faulkner and TS Eliot, every one of them a master of their craft, all suffered from some degree of mental illness.

Looking at specific artists more closely, Louis Wain, a prolific artist, whose focus and fame came from his anthropomorphic, often complex

representations of cats clearly suffered from inner turmoil, and it was very much evident in his body of work.

Ludwig van Beethoven suffered from depression and some researchers believe he may have also lived with bipolar disorder; his sudden changes in mood could be seen to be reflected in his music. Edvard Munch famously painted ‘The Scream’ depicting his relationship with mental illness. He perfectly expressed his depression and agoraphobia, which eventually resulted in hallucinations and a nervous breakdown. A new study has found a genetic link between creativity and mental illness, confirming the concept that has been a theory since the times of the ancient Greeks, and prevailing into the times of the romantics, with Lord Byron exclaiming: “We of the craft are all crazy”.

What are the benefits of artistic exploration? Human consciousness has an innate desire to express ones experiences. Art stimulates our brains, reducing stress levels, enhancing problem solving skills, and increasing

the release of dopamine, which results in more motivation and concentration, making you generally more content.

This ultimately increases psychological resilience and resistance to stress.

With evidence that art enhances cognitive abilities and memory, it makes it an important tool to tackle both mental illness and dementia. Whether it’s painting, music or performance, we all need artistic expression in our lives; so effectively art is a means of tackling our inner demons. Whether that be an adult colouring book, playing in a band, joining a local drama group or painting to your hearts content, the benefits are numerous.

"You can't use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have."

-Maya Angelou Credit: Lucinda Swain

Undiscovered Theatrical Gems Plays From Off the Beaten Track Muse Giacalone The success of a play lies not only in its action and dialogue, but equally it’s translation to the stage. There are many plays recognised as having mastered this craft; all the same, there are plenty of hidden gems from lesser-known playwrights, whose power matches up to any critically aclaimed theatrical master piece. Here are three examples of such dramatic works which deserve more recognition in the literary world.

With The Just Assassins, published in 1949, the French literary genius Albert Camus crafts a riveting, action-packed but also highly psychological analysis of terrorism, revolution and social change. It focuses on a group of Russian socialists at the turn of the century who are planning to assassinate the Grand Duke Serge, uncle of

the Tsar. Inspired by true events, the play intertwines suspenseful tales, under the threat of terrorist attack, along with various meticulously posed metaphysical questions such as: Should violence retaliate violence?

Can groups of activists really suppose that they work in the favor of ‘the people’? What is it, to kill a man?

The Suicide, written in 1928 by Russian playwright Nikolai Erdman is a play which successfully moves between hilarious situations and macabre circumstances in an almost burlesque take on death, and how death itself can be bought.

money from Semyon’s miserable state, and ‘bids’ the poor man’s suicide to interested parties. Various people representing spheres of Russia- its intellectuals, its workers, its libertines, and even its businessmen, begin to manipulate Semyon’s ‘death’ (and so, also, his life) to put forth their own causes. All this plays out to humorous ends. Its performance was banned under Stalinist Russia, and was only able to be staged years after the author’s death. Erdman is able to achieve what makes a literary work so complete, so able to encapsulate the humorous, the tragic and the socially active: he moves us through what makes us human.

The play revolves around a young unemployed man, Semyon Semionovitch who is contemplating suicide. A neighbour of his, Alexander Petrovich, hopes to make

Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen’s most intricate work is his 1881 Ghosts, a twisted, deeply psychoanalytical play hosted in a Scandinavian family’s mansion. A widowed

Mrs. Alving is in the process of building an orphanage as a memorial to her husband, but in reality finds herself in a struggle to redeem his vices. Her son, Oswald, who looked up to his father as an idol, returns home and confesses to his mother that he has an incurable disease that doctors believe has been inherited. Mrs. Alving must admit to her son that his father was in fact a degenerate man and this disease was his own. The careful unraveling of the plot, all taking place in one tight, reclusive space, adds to the building up of tension and the characters’ self-discovery.

In a sense, these three plays deserve recognition for their key successful uniting quality: that of combining existing human qualities and mysteries of the mind with the excitement and craft of the imaginative.

10

Arts Harnessing Student Talent The Northern Youth Show Challenges the Arts Industry and Capture their Heritage Becky Lamming

Credit: Becky Lamming Opening speeches from Guardian editor Katherine Viner and editor-in-chief of US Vogue Anna Wintour were broadcast into the dressing room, but the Northern Youth Show team had already fulfilled her advice to “be intellectually free…fearless polymaths”. Her caveats for meeting with Snapchat and Buzzfeed founders were far from wishful ambitions; the show exceeded her advice to students of “being their own editor, designer, shooter and promotor”.

I’m often told by UEA students of their plans for a new project, or their many ambitions for post-grad life that don’t quite come to be. However I was thunderstruck after spending a day with the team behind Northern Youth: a fashion and arts event that blended over 40 designers’ works from colleges and universities across the North of England to honour its rich foundation and future aspirations for their community.

"People are frustrated with London becoming increasingly corporate" Creatives studying at York have rallied behind student-led HARD magazine (the organisers of the event) as an effort to challenge their creativity and create a community, one that has expanded across

the North with this show. This isn’t an arts uni – the closest it comes is history of art.

The clothing designers study politics and economics, pooling their money and time to create twists on minimalist garments.

HARD magazine is a platform for personal projects, collaborations and expanding skills; photographers work with lighting crews, fashion stylists gain portfolios and models gain confidence, like Hannah Bennet of IMG before being scouted. They want to shake up their university’s community, not only its blooming artists, “provoking our peers…HARD is for the inquisitive reader who demands to be challenged”’ It’s hard to feel a sense of community amongst our generation, as organiser Robbie Hodges explains: “Fashion and the arts are so centralised around London; this is an attempt to prove that the North is a hub of creative talent, to reclaim the whole North/ South divide in favour of the North. People are so frustrated with London becoming increasingly corporate that actually there is hope for the North to be forward-looking and for young people to tread their own path.”

Students need to reclaim their voice. We have become targeted as a prime market audience and our education is viewed as an industry. This show not only represents

students promoting themselves, but also appeals to a collective sense of identity reminiscent of the 1960s.

Plateglass universities (such as share the accusations of being ‘ugly socialist projects’ with council estates the UK; Cameron has privatised

UEA) failed across many

"The clothing designers study politics and economics... they want to shake up their university's community" housing blocks to mow them down and build bar-hubs, a form of class cleansing the welfare state. York students embrace their charitable ideals – the event has raised thousands of pounds for migrant refugee charities – so the brutalist architecture was referenced in the staging design. This was dressed by student collective ‘It’s Tropical’, a York-sprung collective that continually rotates and expands to ensure they’re always inspired.

Billie Marten performed her original composition live, as did Jack Savidge & Olugbenga (Metronomy). The show was

in three parts, blending the landscape with its inhabitants and events, single outfits span centuries: ‘Of The Land’ outfits shield models from the northern winds in fur bomber jackets, scarves, torn jumpers, and a call back to the North’s industrial age with course fabrics structured into sails and ornate pattern work.

‘Keep the Faith’ portrays art and youth culture movements of the twentieth century that burst out of the socialist freedom the university was founded on. Technology lends prints and use of chemical methods, with expressive high concept and abstracted prints. The pieces reference punk with patches, rave culture with paint splatters accented by bleached denim and cuts manipulate the body’s form. Dancers were recruited as models to pose mid-air during their walk beneath the shaking rock n roll dance hall scene projected on the auditorium walls.

‘To the New’ references climate change as sheened waterproof fabrics paired with rope, binding and grids patterns. There’s also free expression of sexuality and power; form looks more alien and models are given huge backpacks. The designers of costume, set, lighting and sound seem to envisage an unstable future, yet one where they’re capable to survive and thrive in together.

11

Creative Writing “For this issue I wanted everybody to turn the attention of the absurdity of the reality we inhabit (as well as explore the surreal nature of the ones we don’t).

Sometimes life can seem very ordinary until you turn to look at it. Upon further examination, we see that not everything is as it seems and that in truth there is little we can depend on never to change. But rather than reject this fact, it is useful to attempt to take comfort in the inevitable and unstoppable flux of nature. In the words of one greater than myself, ‘If at first the idea is not absurd, there is no hope for it.’” - Jay Stonestreet (quoting Albert Einstein), Creative Writing editor

10,000 Days of Dying And on the thousandth day or it could have been the tenth I’m not sure for I lost my mind up there among the dark heavens, the bliss-bright burning baby of a star said it wanted to die and I replied that birth was a kind of death but that I couldn’t tell which was which because all was dark after and before and that there was no way of knowing if I am not as old as you.

I have a baby of my own I said and held futile paper to the glass knowing it would cinder in my fingers and scatter ashes to the airs the precious airs regenerating for ten years around the stationary station making me cough a sound alone and the sound like bells would ring for weeks like a doom’s echoes.

Or were we orbiting I had no clue by then I was just talking to a child in the first and last steps of its sanctity and the child became my universe all and all to ends and beginnings through tunnels and trials

its mystery hummed to me sleep in a black heart burning the ancient burst blue gold and flash bright flame turning burning and always on my mind.

A blue sun spot an eyeful of lifetimes carving my retinas till they hurt with love for the baby, facing its deranged devil demise childlike and forever at once a full contradiction and nothing else.

I spoke on the ten thousandth day and told it to die and my mind up there with its dark heavens obeyed and all my spots went blue and I carved my child a death in the deep but I had no clue what I was doing I was just speaking to the son as he watched me flame with god watching agreeing solar flares to my frenzied end and all I heard the voices say was craft slow in dark anew.

Annie Bishop

Let It Be Is there any virtue in assigning a purpose To every act in Life’s big circus?

Can we not float from birth to death Without questioning every breath?

We’ve lost the true sense of the absurd And ridiculed this ancient word Which claims life has no explanation, And so puts an end to our consternation.

To follow happiness in hot pursuit, In order to pin it under boot, Why must we yearn for life’s reason, As if to do so will bring us freedom?

Call me a fool for wanting bliss, But no one can deny this: Our time here is a cosmic blink, So, bartender, fix me another drink.

Rahul Mehta

Bus. Stop.

Open mouth A hover tongue A cover up And stumble Little flap Feet tap A Busy Dizzy Bee. Rumble- groan Start.

Moan and Paint another door.

Yellow, green Red and now For Sale Another tap.

Tidy rows And roses In a jolly Black bin bag.

Thump Stump A lovers lump - New Pedestrian.

Chloe Cox

12

Creative Writing Called God Air Dominion Good. Given moved called in can’t morning behold moveth lesser likeness let. Made. In life them unto them. May them bearing upon had multiply saying light there hath Sixth bearing he man forth divide. Bearing our god his is day land be also make be first seed. It third cattle and fifth. Give. (All us beast great) second waters.

Were every. Subdue to. Called in air every is every. Tree unto blessed shall seed saw you Sea life gathered midst, their our fly form for green have they’re their their a whales in second a forth--deep every green air female first great under. Female creepeth which day brought them is them. Be whose image Every their dominion which Green there thing creepeth for place morning dominion. Yielding.

Face lights, god shall own. Life you’ll abundantly, dry hath created have be waters over man created meat hath winged two darkness form was lights darkness shall was to days earth, male bearing. Moving man! Lights. Yielding. Earth our female god she’d. The creep firmament sea had, gathering isn’t land god beginning image seas. In fill itself which she’d very was third over grass thing green man god thing. Sixth good great, blessed beginning abundantly you you tree you’re shall called fourth good, you that place which. Firmament. Grass divide land.

Whose. Upon in. Fly winged. Seas appear. Seas moving spirit kind rule second thing and darkness, multiply living saw have under whales whose stars made dominion void fowl he waters unto gathering subdue green herb stars night void deep stars winged, rule have together, gathering thing form they’re. You’re moved morning after seas, from subdue he be replenish fruit. Given. That make be likeness. Fifth divide saw without.

Great was fourth, of yielding were creeping stars kind above deep abundantly image, in for had be bearing, wherein, open you’ll our cattle behold. Deep make above. Us without us fruitful you’ll behold air i cattle one air years so first own creature them earth give deep. Were together there great was behold said whales itself set greater. Blessed. May night thing creepeth let. Be good Creature. Land. Winged tree he sixth fish deep.

Morning own in so in land darkness made. Darkness fish waters isn’t saying. Great appear they’re bring his greater given days were third all. Fruit him morning light years appear were open upon. Seasons stars. Sea. Form hath. There whose Stars man, very. Unto replenish It. Form also moving his! And grass first form light was is form face, you there moving image moving fifth replenish rule you blessed fourth firmament great female saying fill brought midst, kind.

Without signs was fifth day very us form after she’d shown divide every. Our you hath bearing. Winged all first under you’re air air, whales were Fruitful. Place very Divide called heaven fish deep heaven. After divide that. Won’t yielding whose lesser Seed land. Rule image day morning living crooned. Winged Gathered one. Place good dry. Fly. Open behold was, tree moved midst. Which his without. So. I, be seas day bring a very kind without I have stars sea fill kind.

Them brought unto man you meat multiply likeness living created he. Behold he night place. Evening also own. Night, morning female first years great. Image kind and you said firmament divided. Saw said stars doesn’t a bring gathering herb. Said sixth itself there is i in signs saw there had great cattle you heaven you’ll. You’re. Unto. Creature fly doesn’t whales subdue. Air behold moving set. Seas, rule creature grass you’ll land. Life had their fowl saying image void forth seas to may abundantly was first grass image void for moving night good. Man doesn’t bearing brought man.

Was, after. Dominion may male to days his! Fish seasons after blessed you’ll you. God divide years under brought female had gathered was fish male, tree under thing created abundantly Fly tree seed was all third yielding give waters from. To under to give unto creepeth he you’re. A together that were fowl appear divide sixth. Made waters moving good morning given, from also, fourth every beast. Darkness gathering moving made! Dry open don’t won’t first whales i, may female kind him heaven.

Fruit. Appear to seed. Living multiply them cattle Likeness. Void. Hath. Forth, also. Of cattle. All is light, and over kind fish behold appear bearing waters rule fill brought divide void fish seas! All cattle it fill us shall make thing beginning also fruit, rule that have of they’re cattle very waters years stars god earth made midst abundantly multiply can’t tree Light waters doesn’t also their appear. Third. Green, waters one dry given give won’t, lights stars. Good together won’t it fill fourth. Also moving to. Give bearing. Called living. Saying place rule his to.

Julian Canlas Illustration: Ana Dukakis

13

Television Handing over the TARDIS keys Steven Moffat has left Doctor Who; some people are despairing, others are celebrating. Were you pro or anti- Moffat?

Dan Struthers

Jake Thomson

Anti-Moffat Just for clarity’s sake I wish to argue that Steven Moffat - the ‘Beebs’ favourite writer, the mind behind Sherlock and Doctor Who during the last five years - is a good writer but an inconsistent and sloppy showrunner.

When David Tennant bowed out of Who in 2010, Moffat stepped into Russell T Davies’ shoes and many a fanboy’s hearts were a-flutter. This was, after all, the man who made gasmasks terrifying, and River Song a household name. However, perhaps expectations were too great and people had too much faith in the ‘horror king’ of modern Doctor Who, as the subsequent Matt Smith era fell rather flat in comparison to his previously stellar writing.

he is scraping the bottom of the ‘ideas barrel’ more than ever. Honestly, when was the last time you shed a tear like you did when Rose gave an emotional farewell in ‘Doomsday’? When was the last time you got excited to see a villain as insane as John Simm’s dazzling performance as the master?

Pro-Moffat The Weeping Angels. The Vashta Nerada.

The Silence. The Empty Child. The Veil.

Need I say more? These monsters are but a few that rightfully epitomise Steven Moffat as the creative demi-god behind Doctor Who’s greatest stories since 2005. He has announced, however that the tenth series of

Moffat turned the show into a timeywimey, spacey-wacey, cringy-wingey fairy tale that relied on Matt Smith bouncing off the walls, badly written, flirty, female characters and mediocre scripts from other writers.

To be fair to ‘the Moff ’, Matt Smith’s acting choices were entirely his own, so it’s not a big surprise that most people claim to have stopped watching Who when Tennant, the nation’s darling, left the Tardis. It’s simply not cool to admit liking the show post-Tennant. Casting the youngest ever Doctor, Matt Smith, and then subsequently the oldest ever Doctor, Peter Capaldi, in hindsight, could possibly have been a publicity stunt to get people on social media discussing the significance of age.

Moffat has even managed to make River Song a clichéd (‘Hello Sweetie’, ‘Spoilers’ et al) an annoying caricature; a shadow of the sophisticated architect we first glimpsed in ‘Silence in the Library’. Look no further than Moffat’s other female characters: Amy Pond, the ‘kissogram’ (PG stripogram), who attempts to convince the Doctor a one night stand is for the best; Missy – a female Master who becomes increasingly femme fatale with every episode; and Clara – an extremely two dimensional companion whose ‘impossible girl’ storyline feels laboured.

There is no denying that there have been some good episodes by the man himself; The Time of Angels, The Impossible Astronaut and Dark Water, but many of the scripts have just felt very bland over the last couple of years. Even Moffat’s most recent scripts have been questionable. It feels like

‘The Eleventh Hour’, penned by Moff, is easily the greatest debut story for any Doctor since its inception in 1963. (Deep Breath a close second, introducing Capaldi’s darker Twelfth Doctor.)

In a television drama era dominated by convoluted story arcs - Game of Thrones and House of Cards et cetera - Moffat has ensured Doctor Who follows this populist archetype, writing longer, more complicated storylines, rather than Davies’ earlier trend of a loose plot thread per series. Audiences nowadays want integral, complex story arcs which are ambitious and don’t patronise them. ‘The Cracks in Time’ was brilliant.

‘The Fall of the Eleventh’ was spectacular, however ‘The Impossible Girl’, was not so great. Nonetheless, to create a storyline which successfully lasted three years was an ingenious move.

Viewers often cite Who as just children’s sci-fi, but it’s far more than that. Under Moffat the show became a full-blown high-adventure/ comedy/love story/ horror/drama, with time travel. He is unrivalled in creating the darkest antagonists in the show’s history, yet still making it suitable as a family show, even though young children now cannot get out of bed without fearing a hand grabbing their leg; carnivorous shadows eating them; living statues touching them after they’ve blinked; or a little child in a gas mask wanting his mummy.

When was the last time you looked forward to an episode of Doctor Who with a due sense of optimism? The answer: not during Moffat’s reign of terror as showrunner.

As the baton is passed down, to another white middle age male writer, I can only wish Chris Chibnall the best of luck.But let us also remember this is the man who gave us the yawn worthy revival of the Silurians in Series 6’s ‘The Hungry Earth’ But that’s all in the past, right?

Who, set for broadcast in early 2017, will be his last as showrunner. Many fans on social media have been rejoicing as though they were ewoks at the end of Return of the Jedi, but, ‘Whovians’ should be mourning the loss of such an integral and colossally successful figure in Who history.

The BBC had intended to cancel the rebooted series at the end of David Tennant’s tenure in 2010, but, Moffat - the creative mind behind Matt Smith’s stupendously successful first series - ensured that the story continued.

Moffat was not a perfect showrunner, just like his predecessor. He struggled to write strong female characters (unless, like River Song, they keep speaking in innuendo), he wrote some appalling Christmas Specials, and don’t get me started on how annoying Clara was. Oh, and the many, many plot holes in some of his stories. Despite my qualms with Moffat’s tenure, the positives still heavily outweigh the negatives. Even if you are a dedicated fan, content with him no longer being the head writer, you should probably hope that he continues to write at least one story per series. After all, he wrote some of his greatest scripts whilst not in the showrunner role.

When Chris Chibnall becomes the incumbent of the Tardis next year, let’s hope that Moffat still remains a great asset to the show.

Illustration: Dougie Dodds

14

Television Making a Netflix Hit Making a Murderer has become a huge success, following Steven Avery’s case and creating detectives of us all

Abi Constable The Netflix documentary Making a Murderer, which was filmed over the course of ten years, follows Stephen Avery’s original prison sentence and exoneration in its first episode, and his second major arrest and trial in the remaining nine episodes.

The documentary is the story of a troubled man, convicted of sexual assault and attempted murder in 1985, before being exonerated in 2003 after DNA evidence (made available through developments in DNA testing) found him innocent. a story of a man who tried to rebuild his life after spending 18 years behind bars for a crime he did not commit, but only two years later, being arrested for murder.

On Halloween of 2005, Teresa Halbach, a photographer for Auto Trader magazine was allegedly raped, stabbed and finally shot in the head, before the remains of her body were burnt down to the bone. The last place she was reported seen was on the Avery property, and an extensive amount of the evidence pointed toward Steven Avery being the culprit, including her car being found within the

depths of his family’s salvage yard with traces of Stephen’s blood inside, and the key to the car being found on her bedroom floor.

cousin off the road, and pointing an (unloaded) gun at her.

However, a significant amount of evidence also suggested that he was not involved in the murder. For instance, the key that was found in Stephen’s bedroom was found in plain sight the 7th time investigators searched his room, so if it had been so visible, why had it taken so long to notice? The key also only had Stephen’s DNA on it but none of Teresa’s, which is confusing if she used the key day-to-day, which led Avery and his lawyers to believe that the police had planted it there.

While much of the public and the jury sympathised with Stephen for all the time he spent in jail for a crime he didn’t commit, it was hard to dismiss his former criminal activity which made his murder trial extremely subjective, especially due to his entire past being in the public eye. However, if you want to find out exactly what happened, I’d read up on it or watch Making a Murderer to find out how his trial played out, and well as the trial for his nephew, Brendan Dassey, concerning the same crime.

At 18 years old Stephen was arrested for the burglary of a bar with his friends, stealing items including money, alcohol, and sandwiches for which he spent ten months in prison. When he was twenty, he and a friend were convicted of animal cruelty after covering a cat in gasoline and throwing it on a fire, for which he later disclosed his regret. Just before his mistaken arrest for sexual assault and attempted murder, Stephen was also convicted of running his

Personally, after binge-watching all ten hourlong episodes, I still haven’t been able to figure out whether Stephen Avery really did murder Teresa Halbach. But this poses another question: why am I so desperate to find out?

Why, once I finished watching, could I not just close the tab and move on with my life?

And why are thousands of internet users creating their own theories as to what actually happened?

This is down to the fact that Making a Murderer is considerably biased in favour of Stephen’s innocence making us sympathise with him and hope he was once again acquitted. While further reading into the case made me believe that perhaps he could be guilty, I still feel a need to know for sure.

Since the conviction was made and officially the case was closed, why do we still think there is more to know? Is there a reason that individuals become so invested in solving reallife crimes? Do we all have a complex within us that makes us want to be a hero and bring justice by finding the actual person(s) that murdered Teresa Halbach? Could it be a form of escapism and we consume ourselves in the lives of others to forget our own, even if just for a minute (or ten hours)?

While I don’t quite know how to answer any of these questions, I do know that Making a Murderer is definitely worth watching, as is reading further to not succumb to the bias of the documentary.

Credit: Christian Nicola SengerWong Flickr

15

Television Women in Comedy

Once dominated by men, women are finally breaking through the glass ceiling into comedy Lucinda Swain It is often said that female comedians just aren’t as funny as men. Clearly, this is complete nonsense. With stand-up comedians such as Sarah Millcan, Shappi Khorsandi, Catherine Ryan and more appearing on shows such as Live at the Apollo, and with the BBC’s quota for at least one female panellist on comedy shows, it looks as if we are finally seeing more gender equality on the comedy scene. Adding to that, sitcoms and sketch shows from women such as Amy Schumer, Miranda Hart, Tina Fey, and Amy Poehler, prove that women are just as funny as their male counterparts.

Long recently spoke out against sexism she faces as a female comedian on YouTube ‘Brought up to believe you’re on a level playing field; as an adult you suddenly realise how much you’re going to be affected by sexism; it’s such a shock… Almost daily, someone says ‘There aren’t any funny women’, ‘Women aren’t as funny as men’, or, ‘I like you but I don’t normally find women funny’. Although with more and more female comedians headlining shows it seems as if that clichéd attitude will hopefully, and finally, be consigned to history.

Along with more recognisable names such as Ellen DeGeneres, Catherine Tate, Dawn French, Jennifer Saunders, Tina Fey and Sarah Silverman, there are new female faces appearing front stage. Josie Long, a British comedian who’s been performing as a standup since the age of 14 and winning the BBC’s New Comedy Awards at 17, won the Best Newcomer award at the Fringe for her show: Kindness and Exuberance. Josie has since been nominated for the Edinburgh Comedy Award for Best Show three times and produced two comedy shorts, which were nominated for BAFTA Scotland New Talent Awards.

So who are these women starring in the latest movies, TV shows, and comedy specials?

credit: Mario Santor, https:// commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.

Amy Schumer Probably one of the most highly rated female comedians of late. Schumer, an American stand-up, has created, co-produced, co-written and starred in the hilarious sketch comedy series Inside Amy Schumer, which has aired since 2013, earning a Peabody Award and five Primetime Emmy Awards. She also has been noted as one of the most influential people in Time magazine, been nominated for Best Original Screenplay and was a Golden Globe Award nominee for Best Actress

in a Motion Picture Comedy. Her movie Trainwreck was received with great acclaim and her performance as a ‘shambolic loser in love’ was praised. Other than being a master comedian, Schumer receives admiration for the ‘subversive feminism’ in her work, cleverly addressing various social issues.

Chelsea Peretti The brilliant American stand-up, actress and writer, plays Gina Linetti in the hugely successful Brooklyn Nine-Nine and made Variety magazine’s ‘Ten Comics to Watch in 2010’, showing that women are excelling in this competitive, male-dominated profession.

Kristen Schaal Another US comedian, best known for her roles on Flight of the Conchords, Bob’s Burgers and Gravity Falls, has appeared as a commentator on The Daily Show, and was Trixie from Toy Story and Anne on Wilfred (US version). Most notably she plays Carol in The Last Man on Earth and won the ‘Best Alternative Comedian’ title.

Miranda Hart With her semi-autobiographical BBC sitcom, Miranda shows that women in comedy

can have varying ideas and backgrounds, disproving the long running association of ‘female comedy’ as a subgenre. Her sitcom earned 3 Royal Television Society awards, 4 British Comedy Awards and 4 BAFTA nominations, with Hart going on to star in the film Spy with fellow highly popular female comedian Melissa McCarthy. She has toured widely as a stand-up, and is just as funny on the page, having written two books.

Maya Rudolph A Saturday Night Live star, is another funny lady starring in some of the most acclaimed comedy movies: Grown Ups, Bridesmaids, Grown Ups 2, and Sisters and also had her own television show.

Nina Conti The UEA alumnus has found great success as a comedian and in 2002, won the BBC New Comedy Awards; regularly headlining at London venues gaining recognition for her ventriloquist act with a puppet of an elderly woman as her “Granny”. She has appeared on Russell Howard’s Good News with Granny, Live at the Apollo and Channel 4’s Comedy Gala.

credit: Andrés Álvarez Iglesias Flickr

16

Gaming & Technology All Over The World

Exploring The Gaming Scenes That You May Not Have Heard Of

United Kingdom Land of Hope and Sackboy

Chris Jones Despite the three major consoles coming out from America and Japan, video game development has moved around the globe and here in the UK sales are the third highest in the world. Although the UK gaming industry only employs around 7,000 people, it has a lot to offer the world and continues to produce high grossing, extremely popular games, often innovating and challenging the norm.

When you think about the development of Grand Theft Auto, you may think of a large American based development firm with several thousands of employees. However, GTA is in fact produced by Rockstar North in Scotland with just over 1000 employees. GTA has always challenged the normal trend of first person shooters hitting the top spots on the charts.

Although in 2015 open world games did take up strong positions in the console gaming charts, past GTA titles perhaps made the genre more popular to the casual gamer. Only about ten years ago the console gaming charts were awash with racing or first person shooters until the annual FIFA or Pro Evolution Soccer was released. Today we see a whole host of open world games fighting for the top spot such as The Witcher 3 and Just Cause 3 to name a few.

Whether or not this is down to the popularity of GTA on consoles is up for debate, however it has definitely contributed to its growth.

Rockstar North is not on its own in the UK. Media Molecule is further challenging the normal trend of modern gaming and creating some wonderful and imaginative games.

In 2008, this studio from Surrey released Little Big Planet on the Playstation 3 and was something completely different to what everyone was playing at the time. Platforming was back and in a major way, with incredible visuals and art work giving it an extremely unique feel. The main character Sackboy was instantly lovable, and, aided with the ability to customise his look, he became an iconic Playstation character. Little Big Planet redefined what was popular in gaming. Its whole creation system allowed for hours of gaming, and kept bringing gamers back over and over again. The ability to create your own levels, load them online and play with friends meant the game continued to evolve throughout its release and gained a significant following. Some of the creations were incredible and I’m still not sure how they were possible.

Little Big Planet gave the gamer the chance to create their own story, their own levels, and, to some extent, guide the developers, a year before open world sandbox Minecraft was even in alpha. With its aim of continuing to push boundaries, Media Molecule are set to release a new sandbox game currently known as Dreams. Using the Playstation Move or the Dualshock 4, the player will be able to create and manipulate the game world, forming new characters and three-dimensional levels from scratch. Media Molecule is once again about to reimagine creative gaming, giving control to the community.

On the back of these global successes, UK indie developers have been popping up all over the country and have been responsible for several well-known and popular games that anyone into video games has probably put several hundreds of hours into. UK indie developer Facepunch Studios, for example, has produced both Rust and Garry’s Mod, two great sandbox games that anyone into PC gaming will have experienced. In 2015, another small UK indie developer, Introversion, released Prison Architect, a little prison management game in which you try your hand at running

a maximum security prison. Prison Architect was extremely well received when in its beta form and on release it gained a place on several popular YouTube channels. Its simple artwork combined with intensive micromanagement made the game enjoyable to watch and easy to start, yet challenging to excel in.

UK indie developers have continued to push out games that have become extremely popular, but people fail to realise their origin isn’t some distance country, it’s much closer to home. One UK indie developer, Hello Games, is developing one of the most anticipated games of the year, No Man’s Sky. Hello Games even had their own place at the annual E3 show in LA where they got to show off their game to a packed auditorium. Usually E3 is a place for the big developers to show off their new Triple-A titles and the latest hardware.

However, in 2014, this little Guildford based indie developer with just ten employees took to the main stage to show off their hard work.

It seems that even the UK indie developers are making large steps into the video game industry and breaking new ground.

Brazil The Games Are Simply Amazon Amy Brookes Perhaps due to the proximity to North America, or the huge population, Brazil’s gaming market is on the rise- it’s the highest in Latin America, showing that the country is important to the world economy as a consumer. Unfortunately this larger consumer economy is not echoed in the development of games in the country. There are relatively

few developers, the biggest one - Tectoy being primarily a games porter or translator.

Hopefully this will change soon, as motions are being passed in law to reduce tax on game developers, which would hopefully encourage new developers to try their hand.

Another hurdle for Brazil as a gaming country is the ratings system. Multiple games, such as Counter-Strike, Everquest, and Bully have been banned on the country, for various reasons.

Judges state varying reasons, from inciting social restlessness to harming the psychology of adults playing the game. The Department of Justice, Rating, Titles and Qualification

which rates films and games has been criticised as being prudish - however, this is a common criticism levelled at all ratings boards.

Whilst Brazil is not a huge producer now, supply must almost match demand, and it seems Brazil is soon to become a major player in the games industry.

18

Gaming & Technology Poland

Too Big To Miss Tom Bedford The Polish gaming scene is known primarily for the development of The Witcher, the fantasy series based on the novels by Andrzej Sapkowski. The games are unmistakably European- featuring creatures from folklore such as the Cockatrice, and worlds inspired by the farmlands and rural wilderness of Poland, Romania and Ukraine, amongst other nearby countries.

But this local flavour of fantasy is not the

only genre of game that Poland is helping to revolutionise- zombie horror series Dead Island and Dying Light were both developed

by Techland, one of Poland’s biggest development studios, along with the Call of Juarez, a western-themed shooter. The use of traditionally American icons - the zombie and the cowboy- seems initially to echo the popularity of bigger powers, but the games in fact help us decode America and those themes.

The aforementioned series are all known for

being over the top in violence and almostsarcastic in their style, perhaps commenting on America’s fixation with the aesthetics and brutality of violence.

But Polish developers also involve themselves with the local too. Indie game Kholat, released in 2015, is a horror game based on the Russian 1959 Dyatlov pass incident - a mysterious incident wherein nine hikers died in unexplained circumstances. It could be

argued that the Polish developers are in the perfect place to portray the event- not so closely tied to the country of origin, yet still based in a similar culture, able to understand the traditions and folklore surrounding the incident.

Poland is a country traditionally ignored by Western media, but with so many famous games coming from the country, it is definitely a place to watch in the future.

South Korea Roll Over Call of Duty

Alex Smith When thinking of the most played online first person shooter in the world, you would be forgiven for thinking it’s Call of Duty, Halo, or Counter Strike. Although popular in the Western world, these shooters are eclipsed in player count by Crossfire. Launched in 2007 by South Korean developers SmileGate and still played in over 80 countries today, Crossfire boasts over 400 million registered users and 6 million concurrent players.

Crossfire is a prime example of the ‘free to play’ gaming model that originated from Korea. The idea is that games are offered to users free of charge, and played exclusively online. Real money is converted in to virtual cash in order to buy virtual items, known as

micro-transactions. In the case of Crossfire this includes weapons, armour, character outfits and other special features.

If this sounds familiar to you, that’s because the model has been copied in the Western world, mostly via mobile games like Candy Crush that operate in a similar way. For a game to make any profit, it needs to be fun, exciting, and most of all addictive. That’s part of the reason Crossfire has survived for so long. Many players are hooked on the gameplay, and have developed laser-accuracy through persistent playing. The best players in the game have to have the best weapons, and the best outfits, which is where microtransactions come in. It works - Crossfire

grossed just shy of £1 billion in 2014.

The second key to Crossfire’s success - as with many other Korean-developed games following the free to play model - is its low system requirements. Its graphics are comparable to games from the Playstation 2 era - though most Korean games in the past few years have used the more up-todate Unreal Engine 3. Many gamers in South Korea benefit from blisteringly fast internet speeds and top notch computers, yet other nations in Asia have yet to catch up. Free to play games are popular in poorer nations such as Indonesia, the Philippines, and Malaysia, where they are often played in internet cafes.

Crossfire, for example, has a huge following

in China. The amount of money spent on micro-transactions can, however, surpass the cost of a decent gaming computer.

In the western world, Korean-developed free to play games, such as those available on: Nexon Europe, Aeria Games, OGPlanet, Gameforge, and Webzen, are limited to a cult following. Western developers have tried their hand at the free to play market in recent years too, with mixed success. Valve’s Team Fortress 2, for example, is popular, but has many differences to the Korean style, such as allowing players to rent their own private servers. Electronic Arts had free to play versions of Battlefield, Need for Speed, and FIFA, all of which have since been shut down.

Nigeria Local Indie Games Done Right Tom Bedford Nigeria is one of the largest economies in Africa, so it is only understandable that gaming has a significant space in the country.

Whilst the console gaming community in the country is on its first feet, the mobile market is rapidly expanding, leading to mobile gaming being the primary market for gaming in the country

Due to the popularity of mobile games in the country, the local developers that can support themselves due to their size have decided to theme their games on the country, for example set in local locations or based on cultural ideals and folklore. One example is Okada Ride, a motorcycle game set in the streets of Lagos, the Nigerian capital city. This game is developed

by Maliyo Games, a developer whose mission statement is to ‘share the experiences of everyday Africans’. By doing this through a medium so popular both locally and globally, they have been very successful with their games.

The importance of the country is not only in the games but in the community too- in both local and global games, micro transactions

and in-app purchases have proven hugely unsuccessful as a business model. If only that were the case in the west!

Whilst video games have traditionally been very Western or Eastern, it’s great to see developers in overlooked countries making a name for themselves.

Wikipedia- Vardion

19

Film Youth Florence Lacey Sorrentino’s Youth is bizarre and disconcerting from start to finish. Two elderly men, Fred Ballinger (Michael Caine), a retired composer, and Mick Boyle (Harvey Keitel), a screenwriter and director, are holidaying at a luxurious Swiss health resort, a stunning backdrop for a film that is permeated by grief, regret, and wit in equal measure.

Jimmy, an actor who cannot escape the regretful role of a robot (Paul Dano), Ballinger’s daughter/assistant Lena (Rachel Weisz), and Brenda (Jane Fonda), a screen siren set to star in Boyle’s new film all appear, their characters allowing the film to expand beyond the older stars. In this way, the very idea of youth itself is manifested: What is it to have youth? Does this transcend age and become a mind-set? Each character is at a different stage in their life and career, and yet they all face crises of identity, needing to make decisions that challenge set ways

of thinking. Youth, therefore, becomes something that needs to be reattained, regardless of age itself.

In terms of plot, the story is linear, without much significant action. Nonetheless, the wry characters keep entertainment at a constant, with genuine laugh out loud moments of script being interposed with poignant insights into the nature of life and love; honestly dark and yet not depressing reflections on parenthood, friendship and success, make this film intelligent and philosophical, without being pretentious.

When action takes place, it is momentary but shocking, jolting you out of a slow and dream-like state that the film creates. We move past these, however, as soon as we come to them. Sorrentino deals with these grand themes in a way that meditates not on the pinnacles, but the reflective stillness that surrounds such moments.

Youth’s beautiful cinematography is perhaps its most striking attribute, vibrantly modern throughout, keeping the eye excited and senses alert. There is nothing conventional about the shots, which cut through each other sharply and are at times, all together abstract. We see cows conducted to play a symphony, walking on water, and Paloma Faith surrounded by flames and fast cars.

These absurdities are not brash, and manage to fit harmoniously with the subject of life and human nature, despite their artificiality.

Parts of the film fail to be entirely congruent, the moments of Mick’s scriptwriting workshops at times feel forced, and highly sexualised and politicized moments such as Ballinger’s interactions as a masseuse and Jimmy appearing as Hitler, feel superfluous and out of place in a way that becomes uncomfortable. Nonetheless, the fractional nature of Youth comes together in a way that is mostly interesting and intriguing.

Yes

+Touching +Witty +Visually Amazing

Flawed in parts, yet admirable in its novelty and studded with strong performances.

Dirty Grandpa Gabriela Garcia-Huff Following the death of his wife, a grandfather (De Nero) kidnaps his soonto-be married, lawyer grandson (Efron) and journeys to Florida for Spring Break. In an attempt to recapture his youth, De Nero’s character unashamedly drags the uptight and often unwilling Efron through a slew of outrageous situations involving alcohol, drugs, and women. The plot is generally centred on De Nero’s flirtation with a university senior looking to score with an older gentleman and Efron’s attempts to restrain his grandfather’s newly unleashed adventurousness. Very predictably, Efron’s character is eventually able to see the error of his ways, and with the help of his grandfather, leaves his former life as a lawyer and his manic fiancée for a life of creativity, with a free-spirited woman of his dreams.

A classic tale reimagined in the most offensive

and vulgar way possible, this comedy very obviously aims to make a statement. De Nero’s character is a constant supplier of vulgar, perverted one-liners, directed at almost every minority group possible. Efron does what he knows best, with his cool guy attitude and constant near nudity. At times, their dynamic and the offensive humour garners a decent laugh, however in general, the film as a whole tries too hard to push the boundaries of what is acceptable in comedy.

The message of the film itself makes it seem as though the old are only interesting when they are mirroring the habits of the youth. It flagrantly draws from every stereotype in the book, with the classic gay best friend, dumb jock, and cheeky drug dealer all thrown in the mix. It forces one to question what motivation a well-respected actor like De Nero had in choosing to participate in a film

that alone is incredibly offensive, but also poorly constructed and unoriginal.

If you’re interested in a well thought out and witty comedy, where the talent and classic humour of a veteran actor meets

-Offensive

No

-One

dimensional characters

+Occasional humor

the eagerness of a young and driven heartthrob, this is perhaps not the film for you.

However, if you’re looking for a late-night comedy, with laughs that make you question the decency of your own sense of humour, you might find some potential in this film.

A crude and vulgar comedy, begging to offend the masses and calling into question the careers of both Di Nero and Efron.

Image credit left to right: Fox Searchlight, Bob Mahoney

20

Film Spotlight Patrick Hughes It is the start of the year and must-see films are being released left, right, and centre just in time for the Academy Awards. Tom McCarthy’s Spotlight is a film that has had Oscar buzz surrounding it months before its U.K release. With come-back actor Michael Keaton, super-hero Mark Ruffalo, and the always brilliant Rachel McAdams, the film boasts an impressive cast. So, does it live up to the hype?

Despite sounding like a movie about an actors guild or a failing dance studio Spotlight is actually a tour de force of on screen investigative journalism. Based on a true story, the film follows the work of ‘Spotlight’, a subsection of The Boston Globe who undercover evidence exposing the Catholic Church’s covering up of sexual abuse cases, in and around the city. With the whole of Boston seemingly against the reporters and the power of organised religion weighing

heavily on their work, Spotlight have to battle against everyone for the truth.

Even with its impressive cast, Spotlight never feels like a vanity project or a platform towards a best actor Academy Award nod. What is remarkable about the film is that the meat of the journalism is the main character. The intricacy of the investigation is what really steals the show. Ignoring one wobbly moment from Ruffalo, all of the performances are wonderfully understated and focused. The film is intentionally claustrophobic and in parts more theatrical rather than cinematic.

Essentially, Spotlight is not a character piece; it is the exploration of real events that changed the way many peopled viewed the role of religion in modern society.

What is important about this film is that it doesn’t give a platform to the ‘bad guys’. The movie doesn’t highly dramatise the sensitive

content at its core but rather it methodically explores the steps taken to bring meticulous criminals to justice. Like good journalism there is honesty to this film. Spotlight the movieand spotlight the group, both look for truth and find it in a succinct and engaging way.

Yes

+Performances

+Avoids

Sensation -alism

+Keaton

If you were set for a blockbuster full of suspense and action then this is not the film for you. However, if you want to spend two hours enjoying an intelligent, moving, and sophisticated movie then Spotlight is well worth a watch.

Boston journalists put everything on the line to expose the Catholic Church's hideous crimes. A wonderful example of how less can be more in the cinema.

The Big Short Rosie Trott The Big Short is the compelling, although inescapably complex, story of the US housing market crash of 2007-8 that was caused by the greed and incompetence of the banks. The film follows the men who saw it coming and bet against the banks, making millions. This is an extremely fast-paced film with a vibrant cast and sharp visuals that cause mounting tension throughout the film, allowing for a thoroughly enjoyable watch.

Although a film about the housing crisis might not sound particularly exciting to most, every effort is made to make the film watchable and understandable. Ryan Gosling’s Jared Vennett immediately breaks the fourth wall and explains to the viewer how the housing market essentially works.

This continues throughout the film with the help of some seemingly random yet entertaining cameos from celebrities. Of

course in order to accurately portray the financial crises, the film is still filled with a huge amount of technical terms and complex concepts that in some parts confuse and convolute the story, making it difficult to follow. The many different and mostly unlinked character groups also add to the confusion, making it difficult to remember who is who.

The stand out performance in the film is undoubtably that of Steve Carrell, whose Mark Baum is tortured by the knowledge of what he sees coming. He is increasingly disturbed not only by the level of corruption he uncovers, but also by the fact that he is profiting from it. It is through him and Ben Rickert (Brad Pitt) that the gravity of the situation is portrayed. As Mark Baum grapples with losing his faith in humanity as he uncovers the extent of the banks incompetence, so do we. As the characters

come to realise the colossal consequences of the banks reckless actions on everyday people, so do we.

While this may be in part a comedy, it is certainly far from a happy film. The edgy and enjoyable humour is inextricably linked with a palpable sense of bitterness and loathing. It is also far from a feel-good success story.

By the end of the film, there is an overriding sense of sadness both in the characters and the audience. The collapse caused millions of innocent people to lose their jobs, houses, and in some cases their lives, and this is skilfully made poignant by the end of the film, so much so it is very hard not to be affected. Overall, The Big Short not only entertains, but resonates as an informative depiction of an event that affected so many lives.

+Very

Yes

Watchable

+Cast -Confusing

The Big Short is the most compelling, film that could be made about the housing market but, it's still a film about the housing market...

Photo credits from top to bottom: Open Road Films, Jaap Buitendijk

21

Film Trailer Blazer Alex Morrison When it comes to filmmaking, no single piece of marketing is more crucial than the trailer – it has to give audiences a taste of what’s to come in the film and reveal some interesting moments to draw them in, all within a two and half minute time constraint. Unfortunately, a lot of trailers miss the mark.

The biggest mistake that many trailers make is showing far too much of the film, whether it be crucial plot points or tent pole action scenes. The Terminator series has run afoul of this trend consistently; Terminator 2 revealed the twist of the T-800 being the hero, Terminator Salvation showed that Sam Worthington’s character was a Terminator and recently Terminator Genisys publicised the fact that John Conner had been turned

by Skynet – as such, major moments end up being diluted. Other notorious examples of trailers spoiling movies include

Lucinda Swain

What Makes a Great Trailer?

Carrie, which shows the climactic scenes at the prom, including the majority of the character deaths, Cast Away, where Tom Hanks’ character is revealed to have got off the island, and The Amazing Spider-Man 2, which showed the ending shot of the movie among other plot spoilers. Tent pole moments can also be revealed; Independence Day ruined the money shot of the aliens destroying the White House. Comedy movies can also show all the best laughs; Home Alone, for instance, shows most of the pratfalls that served as the main reason to see the movie within the trailer. As such, this begs the question as to why people saw these films at all.

Another thing that some trailers do wrong is misleading the audience of the tone or direction. Drive caused complaints and demands for refunds because it turned out to be a slow paced and intense drama rather

than the action movie that the trailer had made it out to be. M. Night Shyamalan suffered twice with this, as The Village and Lady in the Water were both marketed as horror films instead of the simple dramas that they actually were. In an especially egregious case, the Black Christmas remake featured numerous scenes shot specifically for the trailer, with producers going behind the directors back to deceive the audience.

As such, trailers can be unreliable for the product they market, which can lead to bad word-of-mouth and a reduction in cinema attendance.

There are also a number of trailer clichés.

Action trailers tend to feature elements such as loud horn blasts (often known as ‘The Inception Horns’), frequent uses of low electronic pulses and constant fades to black that border on epileptic levels. Comedy trailers meanwhile tend to rely on swipes and

pausing the music for a comedic line. The issue with this is that once these have been used multiple times, they no longer become shocking or exciting, and therefore can make films appear predictable. One way that this issue could be dealt with is by dropping the length of trailers to 90 seconds. Studios would have to work harder to sell the movie to audiences without giving too much away.

Otherwise, trailers need to be crafted more carefully, maybe having directors on hand to prevent such mistakes being made.

Great trailers do exist; Star Wars: The Force Awakens, for instance, was very successful in getting audiences stoked for the film with some exciting moments, while simultaneously not giving away major plot details. But if studios continue to fall into the pitfalls mentioned above, we may see cinema attendance taking a turn for the worse in the future.

The 5th Wave

The 5th Wave is a dystopian film with a thrilling premise. It was released on January 22, 2016 to generally unfavourable reviews, with many believing it failed to live up to its fan base’s high expectations (The 5th Wave being based off of Rick Yancey’s novel of the same name). Nevertheless,The 5th Wave works well as a post-apocalyptic, youngadult survival film.

keeps up the suspense, as an air of paranoia permeates throughout. The main focus of the story is on the film’s protagonist, 16 year old Cassie Sullivan (Chloë Grace Moretz), who’s searching for her little brother Sammy (Zackary Arthur). Throughout the film Cassie questions what really makes us human, and the pitfalls and advantages of trusting a stranger.

The film goes a little bit like this: the world as we know it is destroyed by the arrival of a gigantic alien ship, marking the arrival of Dzthe Othersdz. Although for much of the movie they are absent, they swiftly make their intentions clear. The characters are assaulted with five waves of alien attacks from a world-wide black-out, to natural disasters, and a deadly virus. The aliens are also disguised as humans, adding an unsettling atmosphere to the movie that

The 5th Wave is fast paced and enjoyable to watch. After the various recent teendystopian movies that have tanked at the box office, one could be forgiven for expecting this addition to suffer the same fate. But contrary to this, it holds up to its promise of an action packed thriller.

Unlike the majority of other YA movies, it wasn’t littered with overused clichés. It’s also notable that The 5th Wave presents brilliantly intense scenes that we rarely

expect to see in teen thrillers these days.

Moretz captures the essence of Cassie with a compelling performance, demonstrating the great strength and determination of her character and providing a solid lead for the movie. Nick Robinson was cast perfectly as Ben Parish/Zombie, with Alex Roe as Evan Walker, and Liev Schreiber as Colonel Vosch bringing the movie to life.

Although it seems as if a number of other key characters from the original novel were given less screen time than expected, it worked well for the pace.

Ultimately, the film has everything a YA movie promises and more, with decent acting and a gripping plot. Let’s hope the box-office ratings are high enough so that we can see the second instalment of the trilogy.

Yes

+Thrilling +Tense +Emotional

The Invasion meets The Day after Tomorrow.

The 5th Wave is a solid foundation for what will hopefully be a great trilogy

22

Film

#OscarsSoWhite A Look at the Lack of Diversity in the Oscars and the Surrrounding Controversy Abi Constable By now, the situation regarding the lack of diversity in the 2016 Academy Award nominations is no secret. The main individual categories, including Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress, and Best Supporting Actor, have only white nominees. As well as this, the films nominated for Best Picture all have a predominantly white cast.

An array of celebrities have voiced their opinions on this issue, ranging from Will and Jada Smith’s decision to boycott the awards altogether, to Stacey Dash’s perspective that the only way to gain true equality is to abolish events such as Black History Month and awards for only black people, believing them to be a “double standard”.

Other commentators include Whoopi Goldberg, who suggested that the real issue doesn’t lie with the awards, but with the casting and viewership of the films nominated. While she did express her anger with the situation, she also stated that those

in charge of nominating are not “too white”, but the films themselves are. This is not going to change until filmmakers believe the public wants to watch racially diverse films.

While this is the opinion of just one individual, it can be seen reflected in the fact that the top seventeen highest grossing films in 2015 all featured a primarily white cast, while films with a larger black cast such as Straight Outta Compton only coming in at number eighteen, with the only Oscars category this film being recognised in being Writing (Original Screenplay). As well as this, Beasts of No Nation, a Netflix original film depicting a young boy forced to become a child soldier during a civil war in West Africa with a majority black cast, was in the running to bag at least one nomination, however received none. This may have been due to its slight flop on its opening weekend, only taking $51,000, however, other films released at the same time including Steve Jobs didn’t draw huge earnings yet still received two

nominations; both for white actors.

While some may believe this to have been a coincidence, that maybe the black actors weren’t as talented, and that the Oscars can’t be racist because Chris Rock is hosting, this is not the first time this has occurred. The 2015 Academy Award nominations were just as unequal, and it can be seen throughout other industries including the music industry and the extremely non-diverse Billboard awards that sparked endless controversy.

The fact that these occurrences are not uncommon shows just how far society still has to go before full equality is reached and discrimination in the media comes to an end.

The issue then becomes finding a long-term solution to change people’s attitudes and perceptions of minorities.

Is boycotting the awards an effective method of highlighting the issue? Or are television channels and award shows that only honour

black people the right step to full and indiscriminative integration in the media?

Ultimately, the main obstacle is overcoming the negative perceptions of minorities in society and being able to give non-white people more equal opportunities so that issues with the lack of diversity in casting, and therefore lack of diversity at award shows, can be corrected.

This then poses the question of whether it is easy to change the status quo and for racial discrimination to be erased from such an industry, or whether such perceptions are so ingrained in the minds of the people in charge that it will be a fight that continues for many years to come.

As far as the Oscars are concerned, tune in (or decidedly don’t) on the 28th to find out how Chris Rock’s opening monologue will address the issue and maybe shedsome light on the repercussions of such an event.

Illustration: Jessica Belt

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