In Defence of Films

Ready or Not Maddie Lock

From the opening “He-e-ey / he-e-ey / ooooh”, Bridget Mendler’s ‘Ready or Not’ will instantly transport you back to 2012, landing you in the prime of Disney Channel popstars. Annoying, despite being a cheesy generic 2010s pop song, it’s hard not to fall in love with ‘Ready or Not’, and even harder to get it out of your head once Mendler starts singing. The lyrics are truly awful, with painfully 2010s lines like “I’m kinda shy but, you’re super fly, yeah” and an even worse chorus, “ready or not, here I come / I like your face, do you like my song? / Just sing it la la la la la la la and I’ll find you”. However, all of this aside, I can’t help but belt my heart out along with Mendler and dance each time the song plays. If there was a definitive guilty pleasure song definition, ‘Ready or Not’ would be it.

This may be controversial to say, but sometimes, the cover really DOES beat the original. Here’s a few of our favourite covers that just might have stolen the spotlight from their predecessors.

If Today Was Your Last Day Louise Chase

I pride myself in having a somewhat secured music taste made up of soundtracks and a few favourite artists; I rarely deviate from those. That being said, I grew up around a dozen or more albums in my dad’s car, being played on repeat. Nickelback’s records are perhaps the ones that stick out the most to me... purely because I still might listen to them sometimes. It might be a bit embarrassing, but if I hear ‘If Today Was Your Last Day’ and have a proper jam session to it, then my day is made. There seems to be a dislike towards the band from somewhere, but I never really understood it. Some of their hit singles aren’t that bad! ‘Burn it to the Ground’ is a great heavy sing along, and ‘Gotta be Somebody’ from their album Dark Horse just perfectly encapsulates the alt-rock sound that defined the late-noughties. As shameful as it might seem to say, I genuinely enjoy their music. In fact, the whole of Dark Horse is full of great tunes. And now they’ve done a sea shanty version of ‘Rockstar’?! I might be tempted to give them a second look

In Defence of Films

Brassed Off (1996) Theo Smith

Nestled within the catalogue of 90s British classics like Four Weddings and Funeral and Trainspotting, Mark Herman’s Brassed Off is a name that probably won’t leap out when mentioned. At face value, it’s a sentimental comedy-drama about the colliery brass band of Grimley as they attempt to reach the National Final at the Royal Albert Hall. But underpinning this tale is a brutal reminder of Thatcherist Britain as Grimley’s struggle to keep their pit open reflects a difficult moment in British history where jobs were lost, and entire workingclass communities were wiped out overnight. There are notable subplots including a budding romance between Ewan McGregor and Tara Fitzgerald but at the very centre is an outstanding turn by Pete Postlethwaite as the band’s conductor Danny. It’s a performance that wears its heart on its sleeve and watching him nobly conduct the band to Joaquín Rodrigo’s ‘Concerto de Aranjuez’ as they’re on the verge of losing their jobs always leaves me in tears. In recent years, it’s gained a cult following within the brass band community but nonetheless, it’s still one of the most overlooked British films of the 90s that deserves more love and respect.

Crossroads (2002) Reece Buckett

Crossroads on release received countless negative reviews across the critic spectrum, however I beg to argue that it isn’t as bad as it seems. To begin with, it stars Britney Spears and features her covering ‘I Love Rock & Roll’ by the Arrows, which is arguably one of the best covers of all time and never would have existed without Crossroads. As for the film itself, it’s about the power of friendship as three former friends, who drifted apart during high school, reunite to open up their ‘wish box’ and follow the dreams they had made when they were only six years old. In hindsight may seem bad to others actually tackles issues like sexual assault, growing up and finding your own place in the wider world. It has cringy elements that are expected from a 2002 teen flick but is still fantastic nonetheless especially since it used Britney Spears’s stardom as a huge platform to discuss important issues like sexual assault. It may be a little cringy to some, but it’s still a very under-appreciated movie that got more hate than it deserved.