The underrated Netflix series most of our friends don’t want to watch

An ode to the re-watchables

By Harry King

There are certain films that you can watch over and over again. Some, simply because they seem to get better and better as you relate to them more with time. Some, because the plot and characters are so multidimensional that you may see or feel something different with every viewing, and others, purely because of the experience you know you’ll receive no matter how many times you have watched it already. The fact that you can enjoy a film despite knowing what’s going to happen is one of the many magical aspects of cinema. When people think about their favorite films to re-watch there are a variety of brilliant choices. When asked about their fondest memories of cinema, many people will think of Tom Hanks’ iconic voice as woody in Toy Story, or Dustin Hoffman’s chemistry with Tom Cruise in Rain Man and more recently, people will think of the journey on the Hogwarts Express in JK Rowling’s magical wizard world. Each of these movies transport us to a different place and even if their power diminishes over time, it’s the memory of what it was like the first time that gives us so much joy. None of these films should ever be under appreciated; their impact is unmeasurable. They give us a place to escape whenever we ask for it. The love and attachment we feel towards the characters are fictional, but it certainly doesn’t feel like it. A character can often empower and allow someone to be who they want to be. The iconic character of Hermione has inspired the masses to study and value friendship and bravery simultaneously. For many people, she is not just a character, but a friend.

One of my favorite films to re-watch is the John Hughes 1986 classic Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. Like Harry Potter, Toy Story and Rain Man, it’s not so much about what happens - but the journey it takes you on. It’s a coming of age tale following the adventures of three students when they skip school and head into Chicago city for the day. You feel like you’re in the movie and you experience the range of emotions along with the characters. Ferris Bueller also has a feelgood factor to it in the messages of the film. During it, you want to laugh and to cry and the first thought you have afterwards is sadness at the fact that it’s over. Many of these films may seem light on the surface but there is deep meaning in them that can be derived differently by everyone.

Whilst nothing can come close to watching a great movie for the first time, there is also something powerful about returning to a film again and again. You can take it with you. It can comfort you in hard times and help you enjoy the good times even more. Movies mean as much or as little as you let them mean. Finally, it is important to try new genres and different styles of movies, but I implore you never to under value the brilliance of the re-watchables.

Clockwise from above: Rain Man (1988), Toy Story (1995), Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986).

I’ve got my i on you

By Sarah Gill

People don’t meet like they used to; catching eyes across a crowded room, being asked to dance and potentially even ‘go steady’ with someone. Nowadays, we extraordinarily happen to just bump into each other after positively scouring Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter and Facebook. BOOM! According to SnapMaps, she was in the pub three minutes ago listening to music and … let me just check Spotify … she’s listening to Dua Lipa. Haha, I’m not a stalker I just have all the tools and equipment to locate and assume a person’s entire existence at my fingertips. As I said, I’ve got my i on you. iPhone, iPad, iPod, iPotentiallyHaveDevelopedAnAddictionToSocialMedia.

Let’s not pretend we’re not all guilty of it. Flicking through Instagram stories and stopping to try to find out where they possibly went to source such a beautifully presented brunch (usually avocado, smoked salmon and a poached egg). And if you don’t aspire just a little bit to someday be as cute as your bitmoji then you’re lying to yourself and making me feel a tad embarrassed.

There’s no such thing as ‘stranger danger’ anymore. If a girl in France continually likes all your Instagram photos, she is just so nice and there is positively not a chance that she could be a balding middle-aged catfish. Try explaining your social media consumption to one of your grandparents and you’ll soon realise how weird our generation really are. We all double tap those pictures saying how ridiculous young people are that they’re always on their god-damn phones, but the irony is almost palpable. You’re probably reading this on your god-damn phone. There’s also a good chance that after you finish reading this (excellent) article, you’ll swiftly move to Facebook or Twitter to resume scrolling. We’re a very self-aware generation; we know what we’re doing, but once we step out of that blue/grey light a laptop or phone ting, watching TV and… sleeping. But when your phone dies, you start, in the words of Kylie Jenner, realising stuff.

And don’t even bother pretending you’ve never been in the position where you accidentally know everything about someone’s holiday. Hope you had fun in Mallorca, I loved your #OOTD on day two of your get-away. Hope your aunt Carol is feeling better and I absolutely love your dog more than I love life itself.

Don’t even bother pretending you’ve never been in the position where you accidentally know everything about someone’s holiday. Hope you had fun in Mallorca, I loved your #OOTD on day two of your get-away. Hope your aunt Carol is feeling better and I absolutely love your dog more than I love life itself.

screen casts upon us, we’re out of our depth, we become bored. The horror!

Once you pluck up the courage to take out your earphones and try to engage with the people around you, you realise how homogenised people have become. I’m going to go out on a limb here and say we’re using our trusty phones as a crutch to socialising. Groundbreaking stuff, I know. I realise we’re able to exist without our phones and we do so at work, when we’re reading a book, chatBut it’s not all bad. A lot of the time, while we’re looked on as “scrolling”, we’re actually reading worthwhile articles and educating ourselves. Twitter and Facebook especially are filled with honest and enlightening features which help to broaden our minds. Instagram is filled with empowering, motivating and talented people to inspire us. It’s not just mindless scrolling. And memes were handed down to us by God himself, so they’re a definite plus.

The underrated Netflix series most of our friends don’t want to watch

By Anastasia Burton

We all have our favorite Netflix series and we all like to share our love for said series with our friends. Although we all seem to love the “basic” favourites, it is very hard to find someone with an interest to some of the more “indie” Netflix gems. For example, Extraordinary Homes, Stay Here, Tiding Up with Marie Kondo. Most of these shows are guilty pleasure shows, which is completely fine, but it’s practically impossible to find someone who also watches these shows. Here’s a little more on these programmes:

Extraordinary Homes A show dedicated to exploring the world’s most bizarre and unique homes on the planet. The two hosts travel across the globe to stay and judge these amazing homes. They speak to the architects behind the job as well as the homeowners, and get a glimpse at the inspiration behind the properties but also cost and materials needed for such designs. It’s a truly fascinating show which is best watched at the weekend with a glass of wine and snacks, it really brings out everyone’s inner housewife/househusband.

Stay Here This is an Australian-based show dedicated to finding the best instant hotel between four to five different establishments. This is incredibly entertaining, with drama-filled competition and beautiful homes, while the travel destinations near the instant hotels add to the enjoyment of the show. In each episode, the contestants visit each other’s instant hotels (sort of like B&Bs), stay a night and enjoy some fun activities in the area the home is located in. At the end, the contestants find out their scores for each instant hotel and the winner hotel gets a title of best instant hotel. The owners also receive great prizes!

Tidying up with Marie Kodo If you’re a fan of feel-good, decluttering series that make you feel at ease, then this show is for you. Its recently had its popularity spike and most know of the show but have never seen it. I, myself, happened to be one of the people who kept putting off watching this series and recently got sucked into it. The series follows Mrs. Kodo and her translator/ co-star travelling around the states helping families organise their homes. This show is not just a reality tv show where they clean homes and leave the family forever. No, this show helps the family talk about their problems and discover how they got to a stage where they can no longer control the clutter in their home. Mrs. Kodo teaches the family the value of things and the importance of thanking an item when you are getting rid of it. One very important lesson which I personally found helpful from the show was letting go of things that no longer spark joy. For example, if you are going through your wardrobe and are discovering that you have a lot of items that you like but won’t ever wear again, why keep it? Kodo’s approach is very minimalistic and traditionally Japanese, in that it is very organised. In the show, many of the families whom she helps are on the verge of separating due to the stress caused by the clutter, and it’s heartwarming to see that by the end of the episode, the family are working through their issues.

These shows are worth a watch if you are into shows like Place in the Sun and Four in a Bed. They’re long enough to keep you entertained but not too long to bore you to tears. Beware, the content is very addicting.