Nostalgic News

5 YEARS AGO 5 YEARS AGO

ME BEFORE YOU Morgan McMillan WRONG CROWD — TOM ODELL Georgie Holmes

Me Before You is a romantic drama adapted from the novel of the same name. It is an incredibly heart-breaking watch as we see a woman from a small town form an unlikely bond with a recently paralysed man she is taking care of. Sam Clafin stars as Will Traynor who was a successful banker and party animal before a motorcycle accident leaves him paralysed from the neck down. Starring opposite Clafin is Emilia Clarke playing Lou Clark, a woman with no prior experience in caring except for a cheery disposition that Traynor’s dad believes in. They are both from different worlds but despite their differences, they fall in love. It was released 5 years ago and despite there being all that time to process the film's heartbreaking ending, it still hurts every time after any rewatch. The film delves into disability and the impacts this has on mental health and is a powerful and beautiful story worthy of all the tears you will definitely shed. Wrong Crowd is Tom Odell's sophomore album, featuring the hits 'Wrong Crowd' and 'Magnetised' among numerous others. This album showed fans a different side to Odell. While his debut Long Way Down (2013) gave us the loving, soft songs singles 'Grow Old With Me' and 'Another Love'; Wrong Crowd offers a wider range. Opening with the album's title track, 'Wrong Crowd' is a rhythmic classic that is impossible to sit still to. Other notable mentions include 'Concrete', which features the most addictive melody line, and 'Daddy', where Odell's tougher and louder side is unveiled. Every track on Wrong Crowd showcases Odell's stark songwriting, evoking scenes of heartbreak and love. It reached number 2 in the UK charts and gave us even more lovable and addictive tracks to listen to.

10 YEARS AGO

TRANSFORMERS DARK OF THE MOON Jacob Hando

In the year that the world said goodbye to Harry Potter and hello to Game of Thrones, Transformers: Dark of the Moon crushed the box-office to become the fifth-biggest film ever at the time. But how does one get nostalgic for an admittedly bad film? Truthfully, one wouldn't. But for me, it is a nostalgic film. From the brilliant trailers to the intriguingly daft premise (Neil Armstrong found a Transformer?), this was an 11-year old's perfect film. I saw it enough times as a kid that I am impervious to the blatant flaws: the film is long and often slow, the human characters are poorly acted and even more poorly written, and it features excessive military porn. But a recent re-watch opened up new frontiers to appreciate it: the sound design is exquisite and the score is excellent. Furthermore, the actual Transformer aspect of the film is stunning: the opening is gorgeous, the action is high-octane and the tipping skyscraper set-piece is very well made. It did open the can for a sky-beam third act (and two horrendous sequels), but the Chicago battle, highway chase and eyepopping CGI are fond childhood memories that still make me smile. No hate!

NOSTALGIC NEWS

10 YEARS AGO 25 YEARS AGO

BON IVER. Georgie Holmes THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME Louise Chase

Bon Iver's self-titled album is the record that enabled them to find their fame. Consisting of 10 tracks, Bon Iver is a favourite of every fan of folk alternative music. While the soothing timbres of 'Holocene' will have you imagining you're starring in your own real-life movie, the album's opener 'Perth' is the perfect track to let out all of your pent-up emotions too. Justin Vernon demonstrates all that he has to offer in Bon Iver - and it works. Upon release, it was received well by critics, gaining 5-star reviews from The Guardian and The Independent, and 3 and a half from Rolling Stone. These aren't surprising when considering the soothing timbres, gorgeous vocals, and memorable melody lines. Bon Iver was positioned at number 21 on Rolling Stone's "Best Albums of 2011" list. So, if this album isn't one you've listened to before, here is your sign to do so. From start to finish Bon Iver offers up tracks filled with emotion that will make you feel all the feels. Right at the high point in the Disney Renaissance of the 1990s, came a little musical animated film inspired by one of Victor Hugo's 1831 novel The Hunchback of Notre Dame. And for Disney's reputation for being somewhat familyfriendly, Hunchback is perhaps one of the darkest of the bunch. From one minute snorting a laugh at the "Achilles, heel" joke to the tearjerker of Esmerelda's plea "God help the outcasts", the film has everything that makes a Disney film perfect, even playing with pacing at times similar to films released before and after. It just brings something unique and individual.After the fire at the titular cathedral in 2019, seeing Notre Dame in flames towards the climax of the film made it all the more haunting to watch. Add in an Academy Award-nominated soundtrack from Stephen Schwartz and Alan Menken, which makes full use of the orchestra to bring to life the city, and a Metacritic score higher than the original Mulan, Hunchback of Notre Dame is a beloved classic from start to finish.

35 YEARS AGO

FERRIS BUELLER'S DAY OFF Ryames Chan

From one lockdown to another, we have spent days and nights in our own rooms, as if alienated from the world outside. And without us noticing, spring has sneaked into our lives quietly once again, like a mischievous child playing hide-andseek. You look outside your window and you try recalling what spring, freedom, the gentle breezes caressing your face used to feel like, but those images just blur and flee your mind. Perhaps, all you need is a day off. It all started 35 years ago, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, an exuberant tribute to the impetuous, romantic, carefree teenage years. It’s a simple film which invites you a relaxing joyride, full of cheeky wittiness and humour which so many adults seem to have forgotten as Ferris Bueller (Matthew Broderick) hangs out with his girlfriend Sloane (Mia Sara) and over-anxious best friend Cameron (Alan Ruck) in the lively city on a day too good to be wasted in the classroom. Ferris Bueller is not only a classic teenage comedy but an innocent reminder asking you to seize the day. As the school-skipping genius says, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”