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Lost Connections : A Collaborative Short Film Featuring the East Anglian Film Archive by Laura Patterson

“Can we always be connected?” are the opening and anchoring words to Lost Connections, a new archive-based short film set to be screened across cinemas and schools. It is also available and easy to stream on YouTube and the BFI Player online.

Led by the Yorkshire Film Archive, Lost Connections brings together various excerpts of footage from twelve film archives across the UK. The film was also a collaboration with Film Hub North on behalf of the BFI Film Audience Network, made possible through National Lottery funding. Andy Burns created and edited the project, with the help of artist Hussina Raja, who co-wrote and narrates the moving and poetic voiceover.

The contributions of over 200 visual and audio recordings from the past century reveals a timeline of feelings that have been familiar to all of us during the pandemic - of separation, isolation, uncertainty and emptiness - but also of community and togetherness, digitally and in person.

Beautifully intertwined together are scenes of bustling citylife in time-lapse alongside empty streets: families hugging and kissing each other shift to a bird stuck alone in its cage and solitary figures confined to their homes. The ineffable experience of loneliness transcends time and generations.

The shots of places that should be busy but were not, (offices, theatres, schools and playgrounds), stirred me emotionally – because we have all had something taken away from us for the past 18 months: community. Overall, this 13-minute short film questions our integral desire for human connections, how we feel when it is taken away from us, and if we will recover as we learn to reconnect.

The East Anglian Film Archive (EAFA), based in Norwich, was one of the 12 contributors to this nation-wide project. Angela Graham, the Archive Manager at the EAFA, said: “The East Anglian Film Archive is pleased to be part of this project which uses archive film to explore the themes of hope and humanity. It reflects on experiences during the pandemic but also looks forward.” The EAFA aims to preserve and celebrate the rich audio-visual heritage in our local county – this short film is just one example.

It’s poetic. It’s poignant. Lost Connections gives us hope for the future by returning to our past.

So, it’s officially autumn! That time of year when you can put on cosy coats and walk with a pumpkin spiced latte amongst the falling leaves, or when it’s a rainy day and you want a film to curl up to. I’ve got some suggestions for every genre over this season, from cult-classic Halloween films, to seasonal-rom-coms!

The first movie I’d recommend for the drama-lovers out there is 1998’s Step Mom. I only recently watched this movie when looking for autumn films, and I fell in love. This is a loving family drama set over the autumn months, and it stars Julia Roberts and Susan Sarandon. It focuses on the relationship between a terminally ill mother, Jackie, coming to terms with her divorced husband’s new fiancée, Isabel, and the prospect of her raising Jackie’s children after she dies. There are some tender and hilarious moments in this movie, but this is your warning to bring some tissues! 2017’s Get Out is what I’d class as perfect Halloween Horror, something that will properly scare you with both jump scares and its questions around race and equality, which is important over this Black History Month. It focuses on an interracial couple, Chris and Rose, played by Daniel Kaluuya and Allison Williams respectively, and a weekend where Chris meets Rose’s parents. Initially, Chris feels slightly uneasy about being the only black man there at a house party, aside from the black staff members, but what occurs over that weekend is nothing short of terrifying.

For those among you who aren’t a horror fan, I have the perfect movie to curl up with: When Harry Met Sally, starring Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal. This is the kind of film I’d want to put on when it’s a rainy Sunday afternoon and I’ve got a bowl of butternut squash soup in my hands. The classic 1989 romcom is a veritable love-letter to autumn and follows the story of two graduates who, after a short-lived friendship, find each other again five years later. The backdrop of a golden brown New York is enough to make you want to book a flight to New York in the autumn.

Another arguably important trait of an autumn movie is for it to take place over Halloween. And there’s only one I will be watching when the 31st October comes round: Hocus Pocus. Yes, this camp cult classic about three 17th Century witches, Winnifred, Mary and Sarah, played by Bette Middler, Kathy Majimy and Sarah Jessica Parker respectively, who are brought back to life after 400 years to present day 1993 Salem, will never manage to not make me smile. It’s jam-packed with classic lines, characters and I Put A Spell On You will be stuck in your head for days after. You can’t beat the classics, and that’s why it’s on this recommendation list!

So whether you want to be tricked or treated this season, grab some popcorn and cosy up to some, or all, of these great movies!

aUTUMN fiLMS TO cuRL UP TO THIS MONTH

by Hamilton Brown

“This is the kind of film I’d want to put on when it’s a rainy Sunday afternoon and I’ve got a bowl of butternut squash soup in my hands.”

Photo: Unsplash

My Go-To Halloween Film

by Sienna Norris

Halloween seems to be the only thing I like about autumn - part of the appeal behind this time of year, for my age group in particular, is watching Halloween films. Whether you’d prefer a horror like The Conjuring or something more nonchalant, it adds to the feel of Halloween.

I am a huge horror movie fan, but I generally watch them throughout the year. However, at Halloween, I tend to turn to the genius that is Tim Burton. My go-to Halloween film is Corpse Bride and has been for many years now. If you’re unaware of Corpse Bride, it’s a stop-motion animation that came out in 2005 - the film used 11-inch sized puppets to create Burton’s eerie visuals Set in the Victorian era, the story revolves around Victor, who’s about to enter an arranged marriage with Victoria, but accidentally ends up raising a corpse back from the dead and begins his journey back from the ‘Land of the Dead’ to the ‘Land of the Living’.

I was four when this film came out, and I remember watching it a few years later. It was my older cousins who introduced me to the mysterious world of Tim Burton and Johnny Depp for that matter - from that point, I was instantly mesmerised by his work. Whether he directed or produced them, Burton’s films are the perfect watch for the Halloween season - from Edward Scissorhands to Beetlejuice, Sweeney Todd, or even Charlie and

the Chocolate Factory - his distinct film style is what makes his work so spectacular. Burton was also behind the story for The Nightmare Before Christmas, another stop-motion animation - some might consider this a Christmas movie, others a Halloween. It was hugely successful and kickstarted a cult following around this iconic aesthetic and filmography.

The ghostlike appearances of the Corpse Bride characters, as well as the cinematography, sets and music, (composed by Danny Elfman, another frequent collaborator of Burton), is what draws so many viewers in Some people say that the animation in Burton’s films is what broadens the demographic - younger kids can enjoy his art as much as older audiences. However, during my obsession with Burton at a worryingly young age, I watched Mars Attacks! which absolutely traumatised me. But in fairness, I shouldn’t have been watching that film in the first place - it’s not really for kids.

I’m not sure whether it’s the nostalgia or the aesthetic that makes me watch this film every Halloween, but either way this Corpse Bride is a Halloween classic!

No Time To Die : Review

by Tshequa Williams

Photo: Tshequa Williams

After six years and a pandemic-induced delay, No Time to Die (the 25th James Bond film and Daniel Craig’s fifth and final run as Bond), was finally released. This has been heralded by many as the saviour of the British film industry. Craig’s exit marks the end of an era, but simultaneously paves the way for a new chapter of development - for both the “cold and ruthless” character (as described by Ian Fleming in the original book Casino Royale) and the franchise as a whole.

No Time to Die has all the elements of a classic 007 film – betrayal, dramatic fight scenes, deep-rooted villainy and nostalgic nods to satisfy the Bond fanatic. As well as Craig’s brilliant concluding performance as Bond, Léa Seydoux (returning as Dr. Madeleine Swann) and new-comers Lashana Lynch (Nomi) and Ana de Armas (Paloma) all bring a fresh perspective of the ‘Bond girl’, the role redefined from simply existing as the embodiment of Bond’s desires, to a more involved and independently powerful character, while still even exuding the glamour. Rami Malek masterfully depicts Lyutsifer Safin: the clichéd creepy antagonist we expect from a Bond villain.

Looking back over Craig’s Bond films, we see how the franchise has finally started to progress into the 21st century. Traditionally, the series has been riddled with misogyny, toxic masculinity and concerning racial/ cultural representation, stereotyping and fetishisation. Whilst Craig’s early films depict a Bond with attitudes firmly rooted in the past, the character has been allowed to develop from Skyfall onwards, being given a chance to explore emotional complexity. The the character has been allowed to develop from Skyfall onwards, being given a chance to explore emotional complexity. The coldhearted character begins to thaw and expose the depth that has been long iced over by the façade of an archetypal male hero who is afraid to let his guard down.

Having Nomi as the first Black female 007 is fairly revolutionary for the series, although I hope that if she remains in future films she will be allowed to develop in her own right, rather than taking on the ‘Bond’ role for the sake of casting a Black female Bond. Nomi brings an opportunity to create a female character with an equal calibre as Bond.

For a lot of fans, saying goodbye to Daniel Craig’s Bond makes No Time to Die a bittersweet but highly exhilarating watch, providing the balance of action-filled and sentimental grandeur that has become what defines the modern James Bond films.

The Cultural Phenomenon of Squid Game

By lily Boag

456 ruthless survival games. An unimaginable prize pot that could magnificently change their lives. Debt-ridden and desperate, there’s little opportunity for the players to make better lives for themselves on the streets of Seoul in South Korea until they’re given an invitation to the games. If the majority chooses to compete, their lives will be in their own hands. Playing traditional South Korean children’s games, following the masked guards’ rules, and facing the horrific consequences of being eliminated, anyone can win the games - if luck and chance work in their favour.

Becoming Netflix’s most successful series launch worldwide, in its first 28 days, the Korean dystopian survival-thriller Squid Game was streamed by 111 million users. An overnight sensation, it’s fought its way to the top, beating Netflix’s previous successes including British regency-drama Bridgerton.

Building up the hype and introducing the ‘Squid Game World’, a pop-up installation in Seoul’s Itaewon Subway Station to celebrate the show’s release in September was used to ramp up the show’s ratings – scarily highlighting the near-future possibility of a world where such inhumane games could exist.

An exceptional achievement for Korea’s entertainment industry, the show’s success proves that Netflix’s recent investments in Asian productions are paying off. It is ironic then, that while the show has become an instant success for the media conglomerate, its dystopian haze boldly criticises the household debt crisis and subsequent social failures caused by South Korean style capitalism, as well as the capitalisation and financial corruption of the global economy.

Another example of how Western attention is being drawn towards Korean culture after the Academy-Award winning success of Korean comedythriller Parasite (2020), and the increasing popularity of K-Pop music, riding the ‘Korean Wave’ the nine-episode series Squid Game is a triumphant breakthrough, allowing for increased opportunities for our screens to expand beyond the captive grip of Hollywood production to a future of televisual cultural diversification.

Channelling South Korea’s vibrant culture, from its enthusiasm for the arts to its fusion of the traditional and modern, Squid Game’s unique, quirky, and dramatic style makes the show an alluring watch. Through setting and costume, it makes artistic gambles by including creative elements such as a giant robot doll, a colourful labyrinth of doors and stairs, extravagant masks, and pink suited men. Taking the world by storm with its unexpected style influence, Squid Game-inspired makeup is trending on TikTok, tracksuits are back in the fashion game, and costume inspiration has been pinned just in time for Halloween.

Bold, brave, and daring, Squid Game valorously lays its cards on the table, unafraid to question whether ‘money makes the world go round’ and whether ‘fortune favours the brave’, unafraid to compete with American productions and sit in the dystopian hall of fame.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Russell T. Davies returns to Doctor Who!

By leo james henry

The man is back!

Doctor Who certainly owes a lot to Russell T Davies. Not only is he responsible for reviving the show which had gone off the air 16 years earlier, but Davies has been lauded for revitalising and rebranding the show for a modern audience. The older episodes certainly have their place in the hearts of fans, but the cheaper, tackier, and less cinematic Who was hardly going to appeal to 21st-century audiences. Davies took on the task of balancing the expectations of the Doctor Who community and making the show appealing to viewers (any Whovian who has tried to explain the premise of Doctor Who to an outsider can surely empathise) and emerged triumphantly. From 2005 to his departure, Davies oversaw the rebirth of a British cultural phenomenon, with a blend of excellent characters, wellplotted drama, and a genuinely fresh take on the sci-fi genre. His reign was not infallible, of course - who could forget the bonkers Valentine’s Day special Love and Monsters - but he left behind him one of the best British TV shows of the 2000s, and a devoted fanbase hungry for more.

To say that his return, announced by the BBC in the last week of September this year, was greeted warmly by a fanbase, amongst whom many feel that the lofty expectations set by Davies have not been matched by his successors, Steven Moffat and Chris Chibnall. Even this may be something of an understatement.

It would be unfair to present the reception to Davies’ initial run as full of unanimous praise – again, see Love and Monsters – but equally, it is true that the reception to Moffat and Chibnall has been decisively much more mixed. This shift has had truly little to do with the titular character: Matt Smith, Peter Capaldi, and Jodie Whittaker, who will be stepping down along with Chibnall, have all been fantastic Doctors, but the consensus seems to be that the material that they have had to work with is not up to scratch. Certainly, other factors must be accounted for – it is difficult to imagine Davies’ run pulling anywhere near the numbers it did if it had to compete with modern streaming services, and it is blatantly unfair to label Moffat and Chibnall as somehow ‘incompetent’. But since the show’s 50th Anniversary Special in 2013, it appears to have lost some of the whimsical charms and wonderful storytelling all but synonymous with Davies’ stint with the show.

Crossovers in Television Episodes

by lily Boag

After fans were left disappointed following the cancellation of Netflix’s magical Archie Comics teen-drama reboot The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, which was announced after the release of its fourth season, all hopes were lost for the Greendale and Riverdale crossover that was rumoured to be in the works for Season 5. But on October 7th, just in time for spooky season, our Instagram feeds were blessed.

With a cheeky photo and caption, and a suitable devil-face emoji, Keirnan Shipka declared her return to the role for a major crossover as she announced her next chilling adventure – a transition ‘from Greendale to Riverdale’. Promising to see us in Riverdale’s Season 6, we can’t imagine what sort of hellish plotlines Riverdale has in store for us next as Sabrina Spellman and Cheryl Blossom are rumoured to be teaming up in a special episode.

To celebrate this news, we thought we would reflect on five of our favourite crossovers to date, looking back on television’s attempts to tease us with the character run-ins and sneaky easter eggs that make ‘crossover episodes’ the rare magical unicorns of television that they are. 1. That’s So Suite Life of Hannah Montana (2006)

In this triple Disney Channel crossover combining fan favourite shows That’s So Raven (2003-2007), The Suite Life of Zack & Cody (2005-2008), and Hannah Montana (2006-2011), we think Disney unknowingly set the standards for all future crossovers, including Wizards on Deck with Hannah Montana (2009) which took place a few years later. 2. iParty with Victorious (2011)

Combining Dan Schnieder’s iCarly and Victorious, this Nickelodeon crossover-spectacular gave us everything from comical character collisions, heart-warming team ups, to a catchy musical number. Meanwhile, it foreshadows the spin off-crossover series of Sam & Cat (2013-2014). 3. New Girl and Brookyln Ninenine (2016)

Expanding beyond the world of childhood memory-lane, in this comedy-crossover the loveable and quirky Jess Day runs into the charming Jake Peralta during her New York vacation. 4. Scooby-Doo and Supernatural (2018)

Entering the animated world, the cast of Supernatural help Scooby’s gang solve some mysteries in this exciting and imaginative crossover! 5. The Simpsons and Family Guy (2014)

Including special appearances from the dads from Bob’s Burgers and The Flintstones, this is the ultimate familycomedy cartoon-crossover!

Political Bias on our TV NETWORKS

By Lauren Barrett

It’s hard these days to escape bias. Whether in news reports, television shows, anything you watch will be written by someone who has a stance on what they’re writing about and it’s hard to leave that outside. Often, it’s subtle and unnoticed by the audience but even when an opinion is obvious, it may not be seen as an issue. Generally, people engage with media they know shares a viewpoint. The problem comes when they are presented as fact.

If analysing, it’s not hard to look at a specific show or broadcast to try and pick out the politics of the producer. It’s a lot more difficult, however, when it comes to entire TV channels and news broadcasts. Most TV networks have been accused of political bias throughout their airtimes. ITV, BBC, and Channel 4 have all had their fair share of controversy in this area. But do they have a duty to stay objective?

The BBC is supposed to be impartial. The Broadcasting Code of the regulator, OFCOM, requires the BBC to achieve “due impartiality in all its output”. Mainly this is because they are funded by the taxpayer and so to present bias would be a source of controversy amongst those who pay, feeling uncatered towards. This does not mean they haven’t had their share of accusations against impartiality though.

Just in the past year, the BBC has had a record number of complaints because of the network’s “perceived bias”. It’s interesting to look at what the claims of bias are based on though, the general opinion seen is over 50’s think the BBC is becoming dominated by Liberals, whereas students and the younger generation think the entire BBC is a right-wing establishment. Since there are accusations on either side, more and more viewers are losing faith in the BBC. This goes hand in hand with a general rise in the distrust of establishments. If we compare the BBC and other British news networks to more American ones like Fox News and CNN there’s a whole world of difference. Their programmes are blatantly based on a particular political view but also unapologetically so. When confronted about a bias Fox News publicly denied it but they did say a lot of their ‘opinion programming’ is not intended to be neutral. The issue is the lines between their reporting and opinion programming are blurred making it hard to tell which is reliable. OFCOM also ruled that Fox News broke the UK impartiality rules in 2017, which could have resulted in a fine had Sky not taken it off the air shortly before. Factuality is often subjective and therefore difficult to measure. It used to be that big corporations like TV networks and newspapers were the only way people could access news and know what was going on, but with the rise of social media, this is no longer the case. Now there are a plethora of different independent news sources that can show other sides of the story. Included in these, Twitter and other platforms. These can be a vessel for people at an event or involved in a story to share what is happening live. This can be positive as it can shed light on anything the news is trying to play down or skew or even help start a movement, like the exposing of the police officers’ mistreatment of George Floyd in 2020. The negative side is not knowing the reliability of online sources. Often, people will read the title of an article or skimread it and think they have the whole picture, missing out on the intricacies of the story or even misunderstanding it entirely. They then share it and that is how ‘fake news’ spreads. In general, the best advice when it comes to relying on media and forming your own opinion is to just be conscious about what it is you’re consuming. Finding out where it’s from and how much validity it has, especially before sharing it, is key!

Photo: Unsplash