OTwo Volume XXVI Issue 2 October 8th 2019
Photo Credit: SATY + PRATHA
Keir Gilchrist
Making the Atypical an Archetype
OTWO VOL. XXVI ISSUE 2 CONTRIBUTORS
CONTENTS
Agony Aunt Page 4 Staff Recommends
Editor Gavin Tracey Deputy Editor Aoife Mawn Art and Design Editor Alex Fagan Assistant Editor Nathan Young Design Assistant: Orla Keaveney OTwo Co-Editors: Jess Viola Heather Reynolds Arts and Literature Editor Conor Halion Games Editor Andy Prizeman-Nolan Film and TV Editor Cíara Dempsey Music Editor Sinéad Dunphy Food Editor Sophie Tevlin Online Editor Emma Kiely Chief of Photography Alex Fagan Deputy of Photography Sofia Dragacevac Contributors Hugh Carr Niall Hurson Katie McCormick Joyce Dignam A.E. Quinn Eoin Keogh Anne-Marie Lyons Odin O’Sullivan Moxie Lofton Mike Stebens Emma Nolan Killian Conyngham
Page 5
Arts & Literature Pages 6-9 Poetry Page 9 Games Pages 10-12
Hello, hello, hello!
Film & TV Pages 13-16
How are you all doing? We’ve all been a little under the weather here at Otwo, Lorenzo really brought his best to Ireland didn’t he? But we persevered, and boy do we have an amazing issue for you!
Keir Gilchrist Pages 17-20 Music Pages 21-24 Food & Drink Page 25 Travel Page 26 Fatal Fourway Page 27 Aperture Page 28
Starting at the very beginning (it’s a very good place to start), we have Arts and Lit, where Joyce Dignam examines whether overstimulation is good or bad for artists. On the topic of overstimulation, Eoin Keogh is answering whether Party Games are finally over as a genre in Games. In film, Andy Prizeman-Nolan reviews the genre exemplifying IT: Chapter 2, and Anne-Marie Lyons discusses cult classic Fight Club. Next up is our interview with Atypical star Keir Gilchrist, who spills some tea ahead of the new season. Speaking of media that is often misunderstood, Sinéad Dunphy examines the impact of depression and anxiety in the music industry. And if all this info makes you hungry for more, check out this killer autumnal crumble, penned by our own Sophie Tevlin, in the Food section. Keep warm, keep up with your assignments, and keep an eye on this space! Until next time,
Jessica & Heather
Mystic Mittens Libra
Get your mug ready Libra, because there’s going to be tea. Some hot gossip is coming your way, so get prepared to sip it all up!
Scorpio
You’ve been feeling like a Rihanna song lately, just constantly work, work, working. It’s about time you cut yourself some slack and Take A Bow, Scorpio.
Sagittarius
You will not do your required readings this semester, but that’s okay, Sagittarius. You’ve still got your looks to fall back on when all else fails.
Capricorn
It’s time to crack open your piggy bank and treat yourself to that item you’ve been pining over. Stop wearing those fake Balenciaga shoes and purchase yourself a real pair. Go shopping, buy your new favourite accessory and flex it all over campus.
Aquarius
A new job opportunity awaits you, Aquarius. This change of pace will be good for you because it will push your to your limits and will show you how much of a boss you really are.
Pisces
It’s time for you to make the first move, Pisces. Message that person on Tinder who you matched with last night. Your pickup line: “Did you come out of a vending machine? Because you’ve been looking like a snack.” You can thank me later.
Aries
You’ve been letting the opinion of others get to you lately, Aries. Now you need to focus on yourself. Make yourself a bubble bath, read a good book and listen to Lizzo on repeat.
Taurus
Feeling like a diamond in the rough lately? You need to dust yourself off, so you can keep on beaming and gleaming.
Gemini
Watch your back these days, Gemini, beware of fake friends and false promises. Remember snakes don’t slither anymore, they cancel plans last minute.
Cancer
A breakup is coming your way but, save yourself the embarrassment and don’t dramatically change your haircut. You will get through this, Cancer. Drink some wine, cry a little, and then remember you’re a bad bitch.
Leo
It’s about time you sign out of your Netflix account and start hitting the books. A huge amount of coursework is coming your way soon. Try getting on top of your assignments this semester instead of binge watching Queer Eye for the one hundredth time.
Virgo
Cupid is calling, so you better not leave him on voicemail! Someone very special is coming into your life soon, Virgo, so you better pick up.
Soapbox Why Spotify’s Discover Weekly Will Drive Me To An Early Grave By Hugh Carr I listen to a lot of music. I mean, a LOT of music. I’m almost 100 percent going to be deaf by the age of 30, but at least I would have listened to a lot of class tunes before I eventually need to learn sign language. I used to exclusively use iTunes and download music online, but seeing as Apple has an uncanny ability to make all of their software harder and harder to use with each iteration, I switched over to Spotify to get my music fix. One of the key selling points of Spotify is its ‘Discover Weekly’ feature. It puts together a playlist of songs that the Powers That Be think you’ll be in to. The problem with this is that because it’s a computer trying to tell you what to like, it gives you anything and everything and just generally hopes that you’ll like it. I was super bummed when Daniel Johnston passed away there a while ago, and not 7 days later did Spotify say “Hey, you know who you should check out? Daniel Johnston!” I know who he is, Spotify! I’ve been crying to “Story of an Artist” for the past three weeks! I keep getting recommended the same songs over and over and OVER. I’m sorry Spotify, but I didn’t really like FONTAINES D.C the first five times you recommended them to me, I don’t think listening to “Dublin City Sky” is gonna change my mind any time soon. And why does it always suddenly ignore genres for a while? I didn’t listen to hip-hop for one week and now four months later I haven’t been recommended anything, but I’ll still get recommended random bands I listened to three years ago? I’m going back to finding music on Youtube, I’m sure their recommended sections are far better… wait, is that an altright video in the top suggestions under a Kojaque video? Feck that. Spotify, you have me begrudgingly hooked.
OTwo WHAT’S HOT? Woolly Knits
With the cold season now in full swing, it’s time once again to crack out the knitwear. Hats and scarves and jumpers (oh my!) are wardrobe staples if you want to keep warm across this windy campus. There is not a building here without a draft, trust us. Investing in some good woollies is well worth it. Dear Jerry Mayo, It’s already October and I have not made any friends in college. I’m having a hard time socialising in UCD because there are just so many students here, it’s so overwhelming. It seems like all of the nice people already have established friendships. I want to meet like minded people such as myself but have no idea of where to meet cool people in UCD. Help! Sincerely, (Fri)endlessly Alone (Fri)endlessly Alone! I’m glad you’ve come to me with this problem, man. Look, when I first started in UCD, I found it hard to make friends too. Being from Monaghan and trying to have the chats with the rugby boi’s in Dublin wasn’t easy, let me tell ya. The first few days in UCD were lonely, but I discovered a place on campus that chilled me out completely and got me on the road to meeting my best friends. Where? The Clubhouse Bar, of course! Best known for their reasonably priced drink and cheap meals (I myself am a lasagna man) ((but it still doesn’t match up to mammy’s, obviously)), the experience there is pure priceless. Socialising in the Clubhouse is easy because who isn’t chatty when they’ve a pint in their hand, like? Next, you go up to a stranger who has received their fresh pour and start talking to them. Here are some topics that will get any person chatting to you: the shtate of the weather, the shtate of the GAA and, the best of all, what their go to karaoke song is. (It’s clearly Maniac 2000 by Mark McCabe, what an absolute legend. Maybe Country Roads if they have it.). Trust me lad, after this, you’ll have more friends than I have second cousins (Howaya Pat!). Another reason why the Clubhouse is a class place to meet people is because they host unreal karaoke nights. How can you not connect with someone after singing your heart out to a bit of Robbie Williams? Honestly, yous will be bonded for life, lad. All the best, and up Monaghan!
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Unionising
Ensuring your rights as a worker are more important than ever, so make sure that no matter who you’re working for, to know your union, get involved, and protect yourself and your coworkers from corporate greed. Labourers for years to come will thank you for it.
Hot Drinks
Between the seasonal specials coming into all of the coffee houses and the incoming chill, hot drinks are all the range. Ready your travel mugs and keep cups (no single use please!), because speciality teas and spiced coffees are your new best friend. Never underestimate the power of a hot drink on a cold morning.
WHAT’S NOT? Boris Johnson
Between being found to have illegally prorogued parliament, being accused of sexual harassment, and that incomprehensively idiotic border proposal, the man has proven himself to have never had a good, or even mediocre, idea in his life. #ResignAlready
Dark afternoons
We’ve lost that grand stretch in the evening, and with it a heap of productive energy. When it’s dark at 6pm it’s so much easier to give into that voice saying your essay can wait until tomorrow, even though you know it really can’t. It’s like the angle of the earth is conspiring against your GPA.
Adults hating on woke teens
Do we really have nothing better to do than hate on kids who want to make the world a better place? Seriously, who actually derives joy out of pretending that being young and idealistic is the same thing as being uninformed for some unearned Twitter clout? Yawn.
OTwo
TV SHOWS STAFF RECOMMENDS:
Sinéad Dunphy - Music Editor: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Gavin Tracey - Editor: Twin Peaks
This show never gets old. Even though its pop culture references are outdated and its special effects are laughable compared to what we’re used to now, the themes Buffy explores are timeless. Using the supernatural as metaphors for typical teen problems like love and sexuality, Buffy is both an escape and a catharsis.
Twin Peaks defies categorization. It is a whodunnit, a murder mustery, a cosmic horror, a comedy, police procedural, a supernatural fever dream through the rural town of Twin Peaks, where a girl, Laura Palmer, has been murdered. The unforgettable agent Cooper is sent to solve the case, and from there it just gets weird.
Aoife Mawn - Deputy Editor: Fleabag
Sophie Tevlin - Food Editor: Line of Duty
Andy Prizeman-Nolan - Games Editor: It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia
Cíara Dempsey- Film and TV Editor: Riverdale
You’ve definitely heard of it by now, but Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s Fleabag definitely hasn’t gained a fraction of the praise and attention that her spy thriller series, Killing Eve has. Fleabag is a two season masterpiece, following the escapades of a twenty-something woman, played by Waller-Bridge, as she grapples with the pain of the death of her best friend, a sex addiction and her hostile, patronising step mother, played by Olivia Colman.
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia is an absolute must-watch. To those unfamiliar, it’s based on a ‘gang’ of five self-centred friends who own a dive bar in Philadelphia, living through different issues commonplace in today’s world. Occasionally distasteful humour, 14 seasons worth of binge-ready episodes, and it stars Danny DeVito. What’s not to love?
This incredibly tense BBC police procedural bristles with devious cat-and-mouse plotting as it follows elite anti-corruption unit AC12 investigating a seemingly unending stream of corrupt police officers in the higher echelons of the Met. I’m looking forward to the inevitable next series where Steve, Kate and Ted uncover the systemic roots of police corruption and work to bring down the British state. ACAB-12, if you will.
Right, listen. I know what you’re thinking. Yes, it’s ridiculous- but isn’t it intentionally ridiculous? Consider Riverdale as a work of camp pastiche. The Twin Peaks references are undeniable, and I think Riverdale is worthy of re-examination as a deliberately over-the-top work of campy metatextuality. And if that doesn’t convince you, grab a can and drink every time Archie takes his shirt off.
Fair Play for Fair Work By Niall Hurson
In January 2019 pharmacy students took to the streets of Dublin to protest a ban on paid internship placements, required as part of the final two years of their degree. The group were successful with the ban being lifted but payment still remains optional. Previous to the ban pharmacy students could earn up to €22,000 for full-time work they undertook in their final year. The vast majority of courses offered by UCD include a professional work experience aspect as part of the degree structure. Students who chose industry placements tend to have less trouble securing a remuneration package with a reliable human resources department in place for most companies. Others who obtain placements with smaller businesses may receive a much lower form of compensation, and in many cases nothing at all. In 2018, the Union of Students Ireland highlighted the cost of becoming a teacher through a survey involving undergraduates. It found that more than 3,000 student
teachers had considered dropping out because of the financial pressures associated with completing their courses. Student teachers are required to spend a minimum of 100 hours working as a teacher in a school over the course of their four-year programmes. The cost of being a student is widely known. Expenses generated through food, rent and transport apply to every student in Ireland. Those who undertake a placement in Dublin are exposed to heightened expenses with rent on a constant climb within the city and the surrounding commuter towns. Compensation should be a guarantee in order to allow students to carry out their placement without generating debt. An honest day’s work for an honest day’s pay. A phrase we are all familiar with but an ethos some students have to overlook in order to obtain experience in their chosen fields or to meet a college placement requirement.
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OTwo - Arts & Literature
To Love A Literary Anarchist With anarchy and ‘chaotic neutrals’ as popular a trope as ever in literature, Katie McCormick investigates the appeal of anarchist antagonists and what motivates them. There are characters in literature who wish to wash away the sins of the world through a baptism of fire, and then there are the villains who want to watch the world burn, for the simple reason that they can. But what motivates the Joker to wreak havoc on Gotham City? It isn’t riches, or fame, or even the cat-andmouse chase with Batman, though I suspect this is part of it. Thinking of the Joker in literature, between petty crimes and murder, there seems to be no line he is unwilling to cross in his pursuit of anarchy. Not much else is different on the silver screen, whether it’s the now iconic Heath Ledger portrayal of the unhinged maniac complete with war paint, or Jared Leto’s questionable glam gangster. Ledger’s portrayal in particular, seems to draw heavily from the anarchistic origins of the Joker, as explored in, The Killing Joke. While John Milton’s Satan in Paradise Lost, may have created the idea of the anarchist rebelling against the regime, characters like the Joker, Tyler Durden, and V have perfected it. Chuck Palahniuk’s 1996 novel, Fight Club introduces us to the equally charismatic and unhinged, Tyler Durden, an anti-consumerist who seeks to reset the world through his master plan: Project Mayhem. But what does Tyler Durden hope to gain by demolishing empty buildings so spectacularly? What could drive a character to walk such a reckless path of destruction? Is it, like the Joker, the chaos which Tyler relishes? Well, yes and no. The anarchist seeks to completely destroy the world so a better one can be born from its ashes. Like the Joker, Tyler is okay with the world burning if it means consumerist America can die and his new world can take its rightful place.
“One could argue that the villain is purposely designed to be detestable in their actions, but it is the motives behind these actions which make them relatable characters.” 6
The anarchist in literature strives for freedom above all else, evidenced by their complete rejection of government and societal norms. In Orwell’s 1984, Big Brother reigns supreme over the citizens of a dystopian England. Bombarding them with propaganda, training citizen’s children to spy on them, and even outfitting each television set with a camera, through which they can guarantee twenty-fourhour surveillance. Big Brother has remade the world entirely in his own image, and anything that doesn’t conform with this image must be destroyed. Alan Moore’s 1982 comic book, V for Vendetta depicts an England similarly oppressed by an all-powerful party, Norsefire. However, unlike 1984, the England of V for Vendetta gives rise to the enigmatic ‘V’, a masked anarchist determined to bring down the regime. V is an interesting case in that, it is left up to the audience whether he is ultimately a hero fighting to bring down a corrupt government, or, like the Joker, simply a madman bent on causing havoc. Moore’s complex portrait of the anarchist in literature, through his creation of V, has sparked a revolution in and of itself. An antithesis to the Joker, V’s ends justify his means in creating a better world through blowing up parliament. In contrast to the traditional view of the anarchist as a society destroyer, V’s use of anarchy ironically makes him the saviour of society. But then we are brought back to the age-old question: What is it that makes these characters so appealing? One could argue that the villain is purposely designed to be detestable in their actions, but it is the motives behind these actions that make them relatable characters. Just as the audience must connect on some level with the protagonist, they must also feel some sort of resonance with the antagonist, in order for the narrative to succeed. Thus, the audience needs to connect with both hero and villain for the dynamic between the two to be complete. Villains bring a certain quality to the page that heroes just don’t possess. Maybe it’s the flair for the dramatic or the high stakes they bring to a story. A villain may want to watch the world burn, but you can bet that the reader, caught up in their dark charisma, will be watching alongside them just as enthusiastically.
OTwo - Arts & Literature
White Noise and its Effects on the Artist With many of us glued to our phones from morn- life, making it nearly impossible to use them in a way that ing until night, Joyce Dignam investigates what feels more grounded. kind of effect this can have upon the creativity of “Is it possible to interpret life the artist. around us artistically, if we are Sean O’Casey once remarked that, “you must never separate yourself from life if you one day hope to write a play.” For artists, their subject matter and muse, has always been life itself. The best way to research their muse was simply by living. However, for 21st century artists, it’s all too easy to switch out of reality for a while, to put headphones on and escape. For most of us, morning commutes are filled with Spotify, podcasts and scrolling, which do very little to get the creative juices flowing. But, for artists, their role is to comment on life, engage with what is happening from that experience and create their art. Is it possible to interpret life around us artistically, if we are constantly shutting that life out with white noise? If we don’t want to be completely lost in a social media fuelled world of white noise, we must harness the constant stimulation and make it somewhat productive. We all know that the internet can be a great resource for enriching the mind, so can we switch out the white noise for something that benefits our learning? What if, instead of scrolling on the bus to work, we listened to an interview with a writer or a podcast about current affairs? For those interested in art and design, the likes of Instagram can be a source of inspiration, but when our artistic inspiration is mixed in with Kardashians and memes, it’s very hard not to fall down a rabbit hole. Thus, it’s possible to use the internet to learn about the world around us and then use that information to fuel our creativity. However, in my opinion, that type of learning is false. We are, after all, receiving it second-hand through a screen, and as such, it’s not as real as the life that passes around us every waking moment. Often the information we receive online is biased in some fashion, viewed through someone else’s lens, which will inevitably affect how we think. As well as that, many forms of social media are designed as a form of escapism, providing a welcome distraction from the humdrum of everyday life. Streaming platforms like Spotify and YouTube also follow this trend, because they’re all there to serve as a method of distraction from everyday
constantly shutting that life out with white noise?”
According to author, Haruki Murakami: “If you
only read the books that everyone else is reading, you can only think what everyone else is thinking.” Therefore, it can be argued that, if we are all listening to relatively the same type of music and scrolling through the same social media as everyone else, we can’t form any unique or meaningful thoughts. Even if we try to harness our time on our phones so there’s less white noise and more productive stimulation, it’s hard to create an individual piece of art from it. So, even if you can limit the amount of stimulation you receive and swap it out for something more helpful, it’s not necessarily conducive to unique creative thinking. In response to this constant stimulation that has come about in the 21st century, mindfulness is being pushed as a way to reconnect with the world around you. Mindfulness is something that many people attempt to harness in order to feel present in life around them, by paying attention to the current moment, in a society that is full of so many stimulants which isolate us. When we look at the relevance of mindfulness, we can see that clearly there is a need for everyone to escape the constant stimulants of life, not just artists. So, is it possible to be creative in a society that pumps us with so many stimulants and distractions? It seems that, if you really want to be artistic, you need to make a conscious effort to be more present and escape constant stimulation, a task which does not seem easy in our current society. Next time you’re on the bus or walking to work, ditch the earphones and keep your phone in your pocket. Who knows what we might see.
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OTwo - Arts & Literature
Company Review: A Strong Start for MusicalSoc
Love á La Mode review: A Riotous Return for Dramsoc
With freshers week just over, A.E Quinn reviews MusicalSoc’s inaugural show, Company.
Dramsoc revives an eighteenth century delicacy for their inaugural show, Conor Halion reviews.
As September comes to a close, there is one thing year in and year out, that UCD Students can always look forward to: Inaugural Show season. This is a chance for freshers to see the creativity that flows from UCD’s Musical Society, and an opportunity for them to get involved. Following last year’s immensely successful production of Cabaret, expectations were high for this year’s line up. Now as a fan of Company, I will disclose that I had a level of bias walking into this performance. Yet, from the opening bar, the directorial genius of Cian Gallagher and his co-director, Collin Gilligan, is immediately obvious. Company utilises a flashy, yet temperamental, revolving stage with hit and miss lighting effects, in an attempt to grab the attention of the audience. However, the pure talent of Company’s leading man, Ruairí Nicholl outshone the minor technical issues of the opening night. Nicholl’s performance as Bobby certainly gave Neil Patrick Harris a run for his money, leaving musical fans in the audience in awe of his acting ability. However, it was the immensely comical rendition of ‘I’m Not Getting Married’ performed by Sarah Moran-Nolan and Jack Carey, that stole the show. Carey’s portrayal of Jamie’s anxiety shows a genuine understanding of the character, which we have come to expect from Gallagher’s high calibre productions. Yet the true star of the scene was Sarah Moran-Nolan, who’s vocal abilities and stage presence added an extra layer of comedy to a song that left the audience in stitches. She is definitely a performer to watch out for going forward. The choreography of Niamh McGovern, also deserves special credit, creating moments of lyrical beauty and dream sequences, which both captivated the audience and managed to overcome the needlessly flashy stage design. The technical demand of contemporary choreography is no easy feat, especially when the ground beneath you rocks, yet, to their credit, the cast made it look effortless. Overall, the cast and crew managed to outshine the technical issues of the first night’s performance, building a strong base for what promises to be successful year of shows.
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Have you ever read a piece of Shakespeare and just thought to yourself: “What the hell was that…?” In The Merchant of Venice for instance, three suitors compete for a lady’s hand by solving a riddle, but if they’re wrong, they have to remain celibate for life? Shakespeare’s lofty plots can often feel quite unrelatable, with characters often risking high stakes for relatively little reward. Love á la Mode after Charles Franklin, however, plays into this madness to great comedic effect. First performed in 1759 as an after piece to The Merchant of Venice, the plot bears great resemblance to its predecessor, but doesn’t take itself half as seriously. In the play, four suitors compete to win the hand of Lady Charlotte. The production blends its relatively dated subject matter with the modern seamlessly, beginning with the cast members surrounding the audience and chanting “Farce,” and ending with an ensemble rendition of “Hooked on A Feeling” by Blue Swede, which had everyone in the audience smiling from ear to ear. The audience’s enjoyment of Dramsoc’s inaugural production is entirely due to the efforts of its talented cast, who seem to have had great fun embracing the sheer lunacy of their roles. While the entire cast and crew do an excellent job of selling this comedy of errors, special mention must be given to Ryan Haran and Bronagh McMullan, who portray Mordecai and Lady Theodora respectively. Haran is entirely convincing as the foppish, dandy Mordecai, equal parts moody teenager and court jester. McMullan on the other hand, dominates the scenes that she features in, through the use of excellent body language and dry delivery, which never failed to leave the audience in fits of laughter.
OTwo - Poetry
The Choice By Jessica Viola
Between Midnight and Sunrise Anonymous
It said in the news that he used too, And I can’t help myself from thinking of you. Because you’re not the person I thought you would be, But believe me, I know what it’s like to feel lonely.
You exist in the same breath of life, In the same infinity of stars. You are an endless drifter, wrapped in thoughts, They are an endless wander, waiting for reality to become enough. The leaves whisper nightmares to them, And love poems to you.
So, you find a companion at the bottom of a bud, And you inhale the smoke and you call it love. Or you drink away the pain in the hopes it will go, Because when you’re sober you remember how it feels to be this low. So, you’ve got to stay high to forget you’ve been down, And with being so lost, it’s not easy to be found. You chose this life and now it consumes you, But that doesn’t mean that it has to. Choose to heal, to laugh, to cry. Choose for love to be there by your side. Choose to hurt, to sulk and feel sorrow. Choose to live now, so you can be there tomorrow.
You exist in the same stretch of possibilities, That surfaces in the moments between midnight and sunrise. You are an experience, And they are a moment. You pass each other by, Knuckles brushing, heads bowed Wind slicing through your skin. Something inside of you, With withered wings and a tired scream Begging. Please. Turn around.
Sonnet to a constant flame Author: HBR You hold my gaze at your command, befixed. Blissfully unaware of the power Your actions have on me, I’m caught betwixt Reason and instinct. Your fire catches o’er My brain, alight with thoughts of your sweet life Halts and stumbles across warring sides, torn Between what is wrong and is right. I am Afraid of each outcome, each leads to strife And I am so tired of these endings horn From suffering, so please tell me it will Work out alright, in the end, give me hope To get me through these endless dark nights until Your gentle voice breaks me down, makes me cope. Until I feel soft your touch again, still You hold soft my heart in yours, ever will
Odin O’Sullivan
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OTwo - Games “The act of having friends over to play ‘Zombies’ became a staple of childhood gaming.”
Party’s Over?
The State of Party Games With consoles often being sold without a second controller, and a huge push into online gaming, Eoin Keogh examines what place party games hold today. For many of us, gaming will always carry a sense of nostalgia in our hearts. Often people have a habit of looking back at past franchises and wishing they would have continued. Likewise, we reminisce about how woeful the graphics were, yet how fun it was to play them. It was a rite of passage to huddle around the TV and play ‘Mario Kart’, or stick on ‘Just Dance’ and absolutely butcher the on-screen moves. However, it’s rare to see the near disappearance of a whole gaming genre. Now, there’s definitely a noticeable push for gamers to play exclusively online instead of playing together in person. The sharp rise in cost for second controllers, and every new game seems to only focus on the online modes and single player story, begs the question; what place do party games still hold today? Is this the death of party games? It may not be a totally miserable time for party games. The genre still thrives somewhat, with Nintendo releasing major multiplayer titles that encourage the gathering aspect of gaming with the Switch. Nintendo are making a stronger attempt at infiltrating the online multiplayer target by improving their online offerings and service, but still remain intent on the in-person social aspect of gaming. Titles like ‘Mario Kart’, ‘Super Smash Bros’, ‘Mario Party’ are just some of the titles Nintendo have continued and will continue to release for the Switch. It is a system that boasts a usability of the same gamepad for both multiplayer and single player games. The recent release of the smaller sibling of the Switch, the Switch Lite, is a testament to the market that Nintendo are appealing to; the on-the-go gamers who still desire the social aspect of gaming in person, but also don’t want to forego the online functionality of a console. Using the example of ‘Just Dance,’ we can see that social gaming is still maintains an audience. The worldwide sales figures for the original ‘Just Dance’ were just over 4.3 millions copies in under a year of its release on the Wii. According to VideoGame Charts, the Switch version of this game has sold 750,000 copies worldwide. A definite drop in sales compared to the original, however when it was first released it was a wildly new concept for a revolutionary console.
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Still, 750,000 sales is not a figure to look down upon, and shows that although the market for party games like ‘Just Dance’ is becoming more niche, there is still a market for it. Also, the release of ‘Just Dance Unlimited’ is an attempt to appeal to the subscription loving service culture that we have and demonstrates how the franchise is modernising, retaining their ability to keep hands in customers’ pockets. The aim is to run like the Spotify subscription service, and in exchange for €24 a year, the user gets access to their limited-400 song catalogue, including hits like, ‘The Pacman Song’. A huge part of why party games might be in decline is not because companies aren’t releasing multiplayer-oriented titles, but because of the massive push for online gaming. Games like ‘Red Dead Redemption’ never had a multiplayer mode for split screen playing. These games never had the same intention as party games, and with their ever-growing popularity, the developers of ‘Red Dead’, may never develop such projects to be played socially, outside of the online mode. Games like ‘Call of Duty’ have their roots in being party games. The act of having friends over to play ‘Zombies’ became a staple of childhood gaming, but the push for social gaming to evolve and primarily be an exclusively online experience is what is, and what will continue to happen. Party games will never completely die, however because the online experience will never replace the feeling of playing in person with someone, or a group of friends for many players. Party gaming will always hold a place in the gaming world, and although the selection of party games might be limited, companies like Nintendo are still striving to preserve their future. Still, 750,000 sales is not a figure to look down upon, and shows that although the market for party games like ‘Just Dance’ is becoming more niche, there is still a market for it. Also, the release of ‘Just Dance Unlimited’ is an attempt to appeal to the subscription loving service culture that we have and demonstrates how the franchise is modernising, retaining their ability to keep hands in customers’ pockets. The aim is to run like the Spotify subscription service, and in exchange for €24 a year, the user gets access to their limited-400 song catalogue, including hits like, ‘The Pacman Song’. A huge part of why party games might be in decline is not because companies aren’t releasing multiplayer-oriented titles, but because of the massive push for online gaming. Games like ‘Red Dead Redemption’ never had a multiplayer mode for split screen playing. These games never had the same intention as party games, and with their ever-growing popularity, the developers of ‘Red Dead’, may never develop such projects to be played socially, outside of the online mode. Games like ‘Call of Duty’ have their roots in being party games. The act of having friends over to play ‘Zombies’ became a staple of childhood gaming, but the push for social gaming to evolve and primarily be an exclusively online experience is what is, and what will continue to happen. Party games will never completely die, however because the online experience will never replace the feeling of playing in person with someone, or a group of friends for many players. Party gaming will always hold a place in the gaming world, and although the selection of party games might be limited, companies like Nintendo are still striving to preserve their future.
OTwo - Games
Cinema Slips While the video game and film industries both dominate today’s world, Andy Prizeman Nolan critiques the previous attempts made to adapt video games into movies, and why it’s only going to become a more difficult process.
Being two of the highest grossing industries today, it’s a genuine wonder why there hasn’t been a plethora of successful films based on a video game property. When looking at narrative-driven video games particularly, there are a lot of striking similarities between the two mediums; both are exemplary of excellent forms of characterisation, and rely heavily on the visual aspect to encapsulate the story that is being given to the viewer. Despite this, few adaptations have come close to being considered critically acclaimed releases. When some of the source material available for such films are games that are sold by its narrative, sometimes containing upwards of 30 hours of content, it’s surprising to see ‘The Angry Birds Movie 2’ (2019) is sitting atop of the critics charts on Rotten Tomatoes, boasting a critics rating of currently 73%. With plenty of tools available to potential directors, and no shortage of properties available, with many more becoming available as time passes, why are so many promising film adaptations of successful video game properties failing? It’s not as if these films have failed to live up to lofty expectations; throughout the years there have been times where they have failed miserably on almost every conceivable level. Being one of the earliest film adaptations of a game in the West, ‘Super Mario Bros’ (1993) tried to produce a satisfying take on a beloved gaming franchise, and ended up completely missing the mark. With horrendous portrayals of characters, having them practically unrecognisable from the game, and basing it in an urban city, devoid of any of the charm fans of Super Mario had come to love, the movie flopped, grossing only $20.9 million domestically, less than half of its $48 million budget. When discussing terrible video game-based movies, it’s an impossibility to not bring up Uwe Boll. Throughout the early-to-mid 2000’s, Boll was notorious for claiming the film rights of a myriad of video game properties, and producing shoddy, low-budget adaptations, with the sole goal being to make as much of a profit from this practice as possible. Movies like ‘House of
the Dead’ (2003) and ‘Far Cry’ (2005), rely too heavily on the franchise’s name power and takes very little from the properties themselves in the films. ‘House of the Dead’ is just a standard zombie survival film, with the only aspects taken from the popular arcade game series being the title. Any plot from these games were omitted, and characters that were taken were used for the sake of a namesake; an established name for a fan to recognise. This was a recurring theme for many films based on games at the time. It wasn’t the case for every film, unfortunately though for every ‘Lara Croft: Tomb Raider’ showing some potential for what video game adaptations could be, there was a ‘Postal’ waiting to maintain the low expectation viewers had developed for movies of this genre. While the top four adaptations on Rotten Tomatoes have all come out in the last few years, it’s only going to become more difficult for directors to do such titles justice on the big screen. The gaming industry has been in a phase of immense growth, and games are becoming more advanced by the year. Games like ‘Red Dead Redemption 2’ and ‘God of War’ boast a ridiculous amount of hours-worth of content in their runtime, and the utilisation of downloadable content means that there is potential for constant expansion. What can a movie do in a two or threehour runtime that the game didn’t already do in forty? Expanding on this, games have now reached a stage where they’re practically interactive movies themselves. Games like ‘The Last of Us’ provides the player with an emotional, immersive story where they are the driving force of the narrative. Now, when a comparison is made between the two mediums, film is disadvantaged, having to remove the player’s control over the story that plays a pivotal role in making the game so impactful. While some pieces like ‘Black Mirror: Bandersnatch’ show that such interactivity is possible, the hurdle of the shorter runtime available, the disappointing track record, and the advancement gaming has made means that a team with the mission of providing a fulfilling film adaptation of a game faces an arduous task.
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Game Review: Idle Champions of the Forgotten Realms Heather Reynolds reviews one of the most interesting free games on the market.
As an undeniably broke student, gaming is probably my most expensive hobby, and playing new games is something I do infrequently. That being said, Idle Champions is hands down the best financial decision I’ve ever made in gaming, mainly because it’s free to play. Unlike most free games, it isn’t laden with a million microtransactions, remains interesting after 15 minutes of playing, and actually works. Since downloading it I’ve logged over 550 hours on this, and that’s without it eating into any socialising or work time. It’s the ultimate game to scratch that urge while not giving in to procrastination. This lies in the fact that it’s an idle game, which is designed to run in the background and continue on while you do other things. The mechanics are simple enough, especially if you’re used to strategy games, as it runs similarly to most point and click games. The premise of the game is essentially playing god over a party of adventurers. You decide their formation, you unlock and level them up using gold they earn through kills, and you decide which buffs to redeem through the gems they get for defeating bosses. If you leave them idle, they keep moving through stages until they reach one that overpowers them, and then move back to one that doesn’t. There’s a multitude of unique stories that unfold in each adventure, which is ideal if you like fantasy stories. Both the stories and mechanics themselves are regularly updated, with new aspects to play added every few weeks, alongside unique adventures that pop up a few times a year it allows you to unlock new gear and party members. The graphics and playthrough are pretty basic, but are honestly rather high tier for a free game. The game itself can be challenging, but not all encompassing. I’ve often left a level running for a few hours to gather gold while finishing an essay, before coming back to clear 25 stages in 5 minutes, something that would have taken hours if I’d stood vigil over it. All in all, it’s a well made game, and very friendly to the student lifestyle and budget.
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Genre Spotlight – RPG’s Whether it be a nuclear wasteland or a fantastic world of vampires and magic, Andy Prizeman Nolan discusses what makes roleplaying games just so enjoyable. In a roleplaying game, the player assumes the role of a certain character within the realms of the games’ narrative. They are given the responsibility of carrying out their role within the story, which means decision making that directly impacts the character’s development, or the development of the story overall. This significance that the player’s character tends to bear is part of what makes Roleplaying games so inviting. A great example of this is seen in ‘Fallout 3’, during the Megaton atom bomb quest, where the player is given a choice as to whether a nuclear bomb,which the town of Megaton is built around, should be detonated or not. If the player decides to detonate the bomb, it has a drastic effect on their karma, the in-game system determining whether the player is good or evil, and even during radio broadcasts, presenters will lambast the player for committing such a heinous act. Roleplaying games often boast a uniquely intricate customisation system for the character. This can range from the character’s appearance, or an implementation of a perk or skill system, directly affecting what weapons or armour the player utilises best. A system such as this does wonders for helping the player to integrate into the world in front of them, as well as the game’s replay-ability. Already binged the entire story twice? Do it again, but use axes and heavy armour this time. (Except for Skyrim; another stealthy archer playthrough, anyone?) The main goal of an RPG is to make the fictional world a reality to the person playing it. Games like, ‘The Witcher’ and the ‘Star Wars: Old Republic’ series have been lauded for their ability to provide a vibrant, breathing world, where the players care about the fate of said world and the characters in it. It is so easy to become immersed in role playing games because the player is rewarded or chastised so fervently for the implication of their actions and choices.
I’ve actually never seen
Fight Club
Anne-Marie Lyons admits to the greatest sin in film journalism - she’d never seen Fight Club Fight Club – a cult classic. A movie that features on most entertainment media’s ‘Greatest Films of All Time’ lists. A film that I admittedly have never seen before. Shamelessly, I must confess that Fight Club is a film I had somehow never even heard about until a year ago, with my first unlikely encounter occurring when it was referenced in the Netflix rom-com To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before. After countless friends and family members constant nagging to watch the classic film, I finally sat down to watch the David Fincher directed drama. As someone who is normally more drawn to the romantic light-hearted comedies as opposed to the intense thrilling dramas, my expectations were low. Despite Fight Club having a reputation for being a cinematic masterpiece, I was skeptical partly due to a personal distaste of any and all Edward Norton films, but also because it’s just not my type of film. However, Fight Club exceeded my low expectations and in fact, is a very enjoyable film. What I didn’t expect was to be so enthralled by the incredible di-
Review - IT: Chapter 2 Andy Prizeman-Nolan reviews the latest installment to the iconic horror franchise. Set 27 years after the first instalment, IT: Chapter 2 continues the story of the Losers Club, who have all since left Derry and found relative success, except for Mike Hanlon (Isaiah Mustafa). After discovering that Pennywise has returned, Mike calls the rest of the Losers Club to bring them back to Derry and face the otherworldly creature, as they had done in their childhood. They are each met with depictions of their own fears and demons, as they attempt to fight against Pennywise yet again. Each character had their own character traits in the first instalment of the film, and in terms of keeping consistent with established quirks, the casting choices for the second instalment were practically perfect. Bill Hader in particular has been praised for his role as Richie Hozier, providing an excellent continuation of the nervous, quippy personality previously portrayed by Finn Wolfhard. The scenes in which characters are simply interacting with one another are some of the best scenes in the movie’s runtime. Even when it seems that there isn’t really anything going in a scene at that point, the actors involved do a fantastic job at making it enjoya-
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rection, story and editing of the film. As the iconic quote says, “the first rule of Fight Club is you do not talk about Fight Club” – well I’m about to break that. Firstly, the story was captivating. Edward Norton’s depressed insomniac character, accompanied by Brad Pitt’s strange soap salesman persona makes for one of cinema’s greatest partnerships. Their development of their underground Fight Club and the troubles that unfold in the story were extremely intriguing and kept me glued to the screen. Similarity, the films exploration of themes such as violence, societal breakdown, chaos, isolation, consumerism, emasculation and the threats of death make for thrilling viewing, as well as allowing the audience to emotionally connect to the characters portrayed in the movie. Perhaps one of the things that surprised me the most about the film was how brilliantly it was made. Fincher’s exceptional directional eye is in full effect in this movie. The cinematography, the pacing, the inter-cuts and editing all accumulate to create a cinematic masterpiece. The twists and nuances of the movie are perfectly displayed. Fincher is simply sublime. Pitt and Norton, with special mention to Helena Bonham Carter are at their best and were the perfect fit to lead this movie. Fight Club is regarded as a cinematic masterpiece, because that’s exactly what it is. After finally succumbing to the pressure of watching this 90’s classic, I have to admit that I understand the hype. The film is magnificent and well worth the watch.
ble, and it’s clear that all involved went above and beyond in applying themselves to the role. Such scenes really show the heart that went into making the movie. Throughout scenes where the characters are separated, however, the charm that the Losers Club’s interactions brought is lost. The group are individually confronted by forms of their innermost fears and insecurities, and while it does an excellent job in conveying both the weaknesses of the group’s members, and the power that Pennywise still maintains over them in adulthood, this portion of the movie devolves into a simple jump-scare fest. This section is made up of sequences riddled with modern horror tropes; quiet, suspenseful build up capped off with a jump-scare, with no major development following it. This would usually be forgivable, given how well the remaining scenes are performed, but a large portion of time it takes is detrimental to the film over all. IT: Chapter Two, despite a great introduction and ending, unfortunately suffers due to poor pacing and reliance on cheap and easy jump-scares, lessening it in quality as the film progresses. The soul that was so evident at the outset dissipates as the movie reaches its middle-point. It is a satisfying entry in the IT franchise, but had the horror scenes been executed a bit more carefully, the result would have been a much more accomplished film.
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The Safdie Brothers: A Cinema of Anxiety Odin O’Sullivan considers the Safdie brothers cinematic oeuvre, ahead of the release of their newest film, Uncut Gems. With the release date for the Safdie brothers highly-anticipated film Uncut Gems set firmly in December, it’s worth going back to their previous cinematic work, and specifically their collaboration with cinematographer Sean Price Williams, and the creation of what has been termed “a cinema of anxiety.” Utilising shaky close-ups of distraught and panicked characters, often while the camera is positioned at a distance, giving the viewer a voyeuristic feeling, as well as a residual panic due to the long-lenses inability to remain stable. This coupled with the often harsh, rapid electronic music the Safdies deploy to enhance these emotions can create what feels like a cinematic panic attack. The Safdie Brothers began their careers in 2007 with the film The Pleasure of Being Robbed, followed by 2010’s Daddy Longlegs, both of which show the beginnings of this frantic, heart-attack inducing pace that they’ve become so well known for. These films focus more on developing their key thematic concerns, which pop up repeatedly throughout their work. They often focus on charismatic hustlers, people living on the fringes and surviving off petty crime, the fervently individual, and the relationships that these people develop with one another. What I would consider their key themes, and that which possibly creates this cinema of anxiety, is that of family, loyalty, destructive, toxic love and the lengths one would go to protect those you love.
“They often focus on charismatic hustlers, people living on the fringes and surviving off petty crime, the fervently individual, and the relationships that these people develop with one another” The beginning of their collaboration with cinematographer Sean Price Williams also designated the beginning of their more iconoclastic visual style. The first film they worked together on was Heaven Knows What (2014), which follows a young female heroin addict, Harley (Arielle Holms), and her turbulent relationship with her boyfriend Ilya (Caleb Landry-Jones) while living on and off the streets of New York. This film lends itself to the Safdies’ thematic preoccupation with people on the fringes, and also allows them to create a gruelling observation of the destructive power of addiction and homelessness, and toxic relationships. Williams use of lingering close-ups and unstable long-shots creates a voyeurism of general anxiety which is enhanced by composer Isao Tomita’s electronic versions of Debussy and the manic pace of the editing. This can be considered the beginning of what is quickly becoming the
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Safdie brothers’ authorial style, that of a manic, anxiety-inducing cinema. Often referred to as the heirs of the “filmmaking school of Scorsese, Friedkin, and Cassavetes,” the Safdie’s are quick to agree with this assessment; Josh, the older of the two brothers, speaks to how formative such filmmakers were on their style and content. Cassavetes’ work in particular is evident in their oeuvre as scenes play out at an emotional fever pitch. Arielle Holmes’ Harley in Heaven Knows What, is a role with a similar distressed, manic energy as Gena Rowlands’ portrayal of Mabel in A Woman Under the Influence. However, the Safdies are influenced by these filmmakers, but are never derivative and always push the boundaries within their own style. Their frantic films are collaborative works; although the recurring themes and consistent visual style can be attributed to the Safdies’ own vision, it has been refined and bolstered by their collaboration with cinematographers and actors. Perhaps most famous is their recent collaboration with Robert Pattinson on GoodTime, which takes that anxious mode of filmmaking and drives it up to ten. GoodTime follows Constantine Nikas (Pattinson), a street hustler, and Nick Nikas (Benny Sadfie), his mentally challenged brother. When Nick is arrested after a botched bank robbery Connie must trawl through New York’s underworld in order to either raise money for Nick’s bail, or to break him out. Pattinson lends to the film a sort of white-hot panic that is hard to achieve unless in legitimate crisis. Josh Safdie attributes Pattinsons frenzied performance to his ability to channel his own constant anxiety into the character. This anxiety extends from a complete lack of privacy he experiences due to his tenure in the Twilight franchise. Josh Safdie says of Pattinson, “it really did feel like he was a man on the run” and that he had apparently confided in him, after being surrounded by iPhone wielding fans, that he has a sort of trauma extending from this, which “whenever it comes and I’m face to face with it I get reminded of not having an identity and being robbed all the time.” This trauma, combined with the Safdie’s own high-anxiety filmmaking, and William’s whipcrack camera work allowed for the creation of a rapid and unique film style. Both Heaven Knows What and GoodTime flash past at lightning speed. They are unrelenting in their assault on our nerves, with both thundering through New York’s back streets at a feverish pace with very little respite. When the Safdie’s do deign to slow the pace, it is often for a truly difficult sequence, an emotional fulcrum. A reconciliation in Heaven Knows What, or in the case of GoodTime, a beautiful credits sequence. Uncut Gems looks to be a continuation and refinement on this cinema of anxiety, with first look reviews stating, “it’s a bruising, desperate anxiety attack of a film,” and another masterwork in the canon of panic attack inducing cinema.
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TV Show that should have quit while they were ahead:
Simpsons
The
As The Simpsons begins its 31st season, Gavin Tracey condemns the once-loved series drawn-out decline.
Everyone has an opinion on when a certain show should have packed it in and called it a day. Television is a business, those who run stations care little for quality writing; making a profit is the endgame. We have become so accustomed to this that on the rare occasion that a show ends in a natural way, on its own terms, it becomes almost famous for doing so. More often than not, a TV show will be dragged on well beyond the point where its quality dips. There is no more tragic example of this than The Simpsons. For the first ten seasons it was a shining example of all that is great about American comedy. First airing in December 1989, it went on to define the cultural landscape of the 90s. The early seasons have become iconic, stamping themselves on the collective memory of everyone under the age of 30. Through endless reruns on RTÉ and Sky, my generation came to foster the same love of early Simpsons that the generation before us had. But as writers began to leave around season 8 and 9, the quality began to dip. The descent was rapid, and now in its 31st season, everything that we used to love about The Simpsons has been buried underneath hackneyed and lazy writing, and an over reliance on guest stars. It staggers on, having retained none of its original charm, enjoyed by only the most gullible of rubes, lurching from one lazy plotline to another, propelled only by the desire
to milk as much money as is humanly possible from it. This isn’t beating a dead horse; this is tying a prize stallion to the back of an 18 wheel truck with a chain and driving across the country, ignoring the chunks of bone and skin that are being flung at the cars driving behind it. The show as it exists now serves as nothing but a reminder of what it once was. The Simpsons is repellant in much the same way zombies are repellant - a brainless shell of what used to be a living, breathing person, animed only by some unnamable, shifty evil, slouching towards everything that is still good in an effort to kill it. It is the entertainment business in microcosm, soulless tat that is fuelled by nothing but nostalgia of a bygone era, when it used to mean something to people.
The Book Wasn’t Better:
Why the TV series Good Omens is better than the book
While literature love to denounce the screen-adaptations of their favourite books, open in television history. Unlike the book, the television Eoin Keogh explores the occasions when the series also explores the world of the story in more detail, adaptation usurps the source material. such as giving an explanation as to what the angels are, I almost never find myself agreeing with anyone when they say that the film’s better than the book. In fact, I can’t remember the last time I did; until I watched Good Omens. Written by Neil Gaiman and the late Terry Pratchett, Good Omens is perhaps the only book I thoroughly enjoyed, while also agreeing that the one-season television series was so much better. The novel follows the angel Aziraphale and the demon Crowley in their attempt to find and stop the son of Satan from bringing about the apocalypse, and is masterfully put together, despite certain occasions when the difference between Gaiman and Pratchett’s writing is obvious. The book can also be slow-moving at times, particularly the mid-section, and the transition from character to character can seem a bit sudden, with some transitions seemingly taking place mid-sentence, or mid-realisation. The book, being written in the 90’s, is definitely a 90’s book, and for modern audiences reading Good Omens, it is so very evident. The television show was produced by Gaiman
himself, and updates the book slightly, while still remaining accurate to the text, with a few extra scenes added so it’s not just a carbon copy. The series adds a lot more in terms of scenes between Aziraphale (Michael Sheen) and Crowley (David Tennant), especially the 30 minute cold
which in this case are “a man, or at least a man-shaped being,” meaning that although the beings may appear to pass as a particular gender, they are in fact genderless. As a result, the television series allows for further world-building, thus developing on the source material. The series allows for the cast to explore gender and sexuality in more depth, by way of the added screentime between Tennant and Sheen. Sheen himself has stated that Aziraphale is in love with Crowley, and admits he has read fanfiction of the book to appear more like what readers imagined he would. When both characters are present in the scenes, the story moves quicker, the series becomes more interesting, and the love story between the pair is more obvious and blatant. Gaiman has stated that when Pratchett passed, he promised him one thing: to make something Pratchett would be proud of, and with the amazing reception from fans to Good Omens, it seems likely that Pratchett would indeed be proud.
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Considering the Actor as Auteur For the film scholars and avid readers of film theory among you, the mention of the film auteur is likely one of two things: either the marker of high-art film, of directors who are dedicated to their craft and likely, as the first filmic term you learned that made you feel like you knew what you were talking about. Or, its mere mention is painfully eye-roll inducing, the most oversaturated discussion point in film theory and the most basic line of film critique. Auteur theory, truly, has been talked about extensively, in every capacity. For those of you who have managed to avoid the discussion, theories of auteurship refer to the weight given to a particular director, who’s artistic and authorial vision is evident in his work, often maintaining a consistent or recurring style and whose work is therefore recognisable and distinct. An auteur’s name carries meaning, and prestige. Consider Scorsese, Paul Thomas Anderson, and perhaps most obvious in recent times, Quentin Tarantino; even cinema-goers who go more for the popcorn than the film will recognise his name. While the notion of a cinematic auteur typically refers to directors, in a move to update the theory, it is perhaps more interesting to consider actors whose names might carry a similar auterial weight. Consider actors who are known for their intense acting practices, for their meticulous choice of roles and for their intensely close working relationship with the directors with whom they chose to work. Actors which come to mind are the likes of Daniel Day-Lewis, particularly known for his working relationship with director Paul Thomas Anderson. Day-Lewis, before the release of his last film Phantom Thread, had repeatedly declared that he wished to retire from acting, yet made an exception for Phantom Thread. His auteur status, coupled with Paul Thomas Anderson’s own auteurism, lends itself to a perception of artistry and prestige. Before working on Phantom Thread, in which the central character is a dressmaker, Day-Lewis studying with the textiles department of the Victoria and Albert. He ordered his own shoes and had his own clothes tailored, even choosing the colour of the socks that his character, Reynolds Woodcock, would wear. Everything which came to define Reynolds on screen was under the influence of Day-Lewis’ own hand. He even went so far as to choose the breed of dogs which Reynolds own, and which style of notebooks Reynolds would use. Of course, Day-Lewis is widely known for his meticulousness and his method-acting; he learned to speak Czech for The Unbearable Lightness of Being and learned to make
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In an industry where image is carefully maintained, Cíara Dempsey examines how this impacts the nature of the actor as an artist. his own canoe for The Last of the Mohicans. With three Academy Awards for Best Actor under his belt, Day-Lewis’ reputation precedes him, and despite his currently retired status, were he ever to make a return to our screens, he would likely be treated with reverence and awe. In an era which is saturated with celebrity culture, perhaps it makes more sense that we give the artistic prestige to our well-known actors, rather than our directors. After all, it is their faces we see on screen; they are recognisable, and are our point of identification. However, it is hard to deny the fact that in the contemporary film industry, auteurism is as much a tool of marketing as it is a factor of artistic status. Large names attached to a film help to sell the film, and names which are associated with a particular artistic merit, as auteurs often are, help to cultivate an impression of a given film as artistic. It is therefore perhaps more interesting to consider actors who chose to work outside of the mainstream. Robert Pattinson recent role in Clare Denis’ High Life, for example, pushes the actor outside of the mainstream and is consistent with his work in recent years. Like Day-Lewis, Pattinson makes careful choices regarding the directors he works with. In recent years, Pattinson has worked with directors including Werner Herzog, the Safdie Brothers, and renowned horror director, David Cronenberg. As such, his deliberate cultivation of a career which consistently collaborates with highart, but non-mainstream directors, has essentially re-constructed Pattinson as an auteur-actor, and thus corrected the Twilight induced travesty that was his early career. An inverse of Pattinson is Brad Pitt; Pitt’s lengthy and widely known career has in recent years, moved him beyond acting and into producing. He is credited as a producer on more than fifty films, including Moonlight, Beautiful Boy, and If Beale Street Could Talk; all films which garnered reasonable amounts of award-season buzz. Of course, that is not to say that Pitt’s attachment to these films is responsible for their relative success, but to say that Pitt has used his name recognition in order to transverse his role in the film industry. Ultimately, the actor-as-auteur is really about name recognition. Whether we are to assert that auteurism is a genuine maker of artistry or simply name recognition, it is worth considering the ways in which this mode of investigating film still bears weight in the era of celebrity.
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Keir Gilchrist
Making the Atypical an Archetype
Photo Credit: SATY + PRATHA
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With all of the anticipation for the new season of Atypical, Keir Gilchrist talks to Jessica Viola about what to expect from season three, his own aspirations, and the influence that the show has had on others. The afternoon was shifting into a stormy evening in Dublin while, in sunny Los Angeles actor Keir Gilchrist was beginning his day with a phone call from overseas. Although, we were eight hours apart, and in different continents, it seemed that this phone interview was more of a friendly conversation than anything else. Keir Gilchrist is currently the lead of the Netflix original, Atypical a comedy-drama show based around the life of the Gardner family. It specifically focuses on the Gardner’s eighteen year old autistic son, Sam, along with the triumphs and struggles that the family face together. The forthcoming season of Atypical, is highly anticipated for Netflix streamers, and Keir Gilchrist spoke excitedly about the what’s in store for his character. “Sam starts college which is a big deal and he’s sort of furthering his independence that he was getting last season. In season three he is getting further away from the family, he’s starting to experience college life, make new friends.” The actor eagerly continues, “There are a few firsts that a lot of people encounter when they go to college experience that are coming this season.” While starting college is tough enough for anyone, Sam is specifically faced with more adversity because his autism causes him to struggle in social situations. Throughout the series, Sam is trying to navigate himself through these new life experiences, including girlfriends, family issues and change. However, he reassures me that, “Sam all of the sudden starts actually becoming pretty great at coping with a lot of the things that he couldn’t in season one and two.” Having been playing this character for almost three years now, I was eager to ask Gilchrist why he originally took on the role of Sam, “I think when I originally read the script, it wasn’t that I thought that autism hasn’t been portrayed before or hasn’t been done well but, it just seemed to me so much more real and relatable than a lot of the stuff I have seen.” We were chatting about the importance of representation in the
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media and the influence that it has on the audience members who are being recognised in both small screen and big screen productions. Keir revealed that “it would be cool to see more shows tackling the subject matter, I think that this is something that is very common place, and a lot of people have family members with autism, a lot of people have autism or are on the spectrum.”Our conversation was proceeding so naturally, and when asked if there was any specific feedback that Gilchrist has had from playing Sam he gushes and proudly tells me, “It has been kind of amazing to see how many people that I already knew through my life come forward and be like, ‘wow this show really meant so much to me and my family.’ Then on top of that as well, having people come up to me who maybe didn’t know much about it at all, or were somewhat unaware of what it’s like to be on the spectrum, say that all the sudden they have really opened their eyes and have become aware.”
“It would be cool to see more shows tackling the subject matter, I think that this is something that is very common place, and a lot of people have family members with autism, a lot of people have autism or are on the spectrum.” However, with all of the perks of the job, there are some setbacks for the actor as well. For instance, he reveals that Sam has been the most difficult character to portray because, “there’s just a lot of consideration that goes into playing him and doing it justice. You know, usually I’m playing somebody about my age, similar background, and you know someone that I can kind of flip into more easily at work but with Sam I really have to fake a lot.” The twenty-seven-yearold actor also spoke about how the age gap between himself and Sam, who is nearly ten years younger than Gilchrist in real life, is becoming an issue for him. “I think that it is a bit more challenging the older I get, and I’ve basically been playing high school roles since I was in high school. I think that the further you get away from it, it takes a little more effort to try and really get back into that headspace and remember what it was like. I haven’t stepped foot in a high school in almost ten years now, so it certainly has gotten more difficult.”
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Photo Courtesy of Netflix
Since Gilchrist has been playing teenage characters for the last decade, he discloses that Sam will be his final role as a high schooler, and confirms, “I basically decided for the most part that this will be my last role playing this young.” He passionately furthers this point by saying that young people should be granted the opportunity to play characters around the same age as them. “There is something beautiful about getting an actor who is much closer to that age. When I did It’s Kind of a Funny Story I was seventeen. The fact that they gave me a chance, I just want to see more people who are maybe are just out of high school or in high school playing those roles.”
“Exposing people to a different side of life is more than I guess I could’ve ever hoped for as being an actor.” This also explains why the actor has such a soft spot for It’s Kind of a Funny Story, as Gilchrist was the same age as his character that he was portraying and was able to relate to Craig more. This film adaptation is based off of the young adult novel by Ned Vizzini. It follows the story of a teenager who suffers from severe depression and signs himself into a psychiatric ward only to discover the high jinks that occur inside of the hospital. Gilchrist without hesitation opens up about why he loved playing the role of Craig
Gilner so much. “ I read the script and it spoke to me, it was insane. I was struggling with pretty serious depression myself at the time and kind of suicidal thoughts and I think just based on where I was when shooting it, that’s probably the closest to sort of just me being me. That has a very special place in my heart for that reason. I’m really proud of that one for sure.” Whether he is playing a clinically mentally ill teenager or an autistic young adult, Gilchrist does not shy away from playing challenging characters. Similar to Sam in Atypical, the character of Craig in It’s Kind of a Funny Story deals with a lot of coming of age issues too. Gilchrist reflects on his youth and says that filming this type of subject matter is really relatable because, “being a teenager is really hard, it’s just a really difficult time in your life.” The conversation transitions into chatting about Keir Gilchrist’s favourite genre to act on screen and his future aspirations of working behind the camera. “I’m not gonna lie, I guess I do like the horror stuff a little more, I like dark stuff. It’s also the stuff I prefer watching. It’s kind of a little more fun for me and, I love horror films. I love really dark, dark comedies and so, I think I tend to lean more towards that.” Contrasting from this genre, the actor says that his ideal role would be “to do a period piece, like a Western or even something that takes place in the ancient world. I have always been a huge history fan or ‘buff’ or whatever so that has kind of been my dream.” However, Gilchrist says that what he really looks
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OTwo - Centre
Photo Courtesy of Netflix
out for in a new project is the quality of writing. He makes it known that he is, “not super picky about genres, if it’s a great script I’m interested. Whatever comes my way, I’ll read it and take a look.” Furthermore, Gilchrist’s love for film goes beyond the camera lens. In addition to acting, he is also getting himself into new projects including producing and even aspires to become a director someday. “I’m working on breaking into producing right now, and I’ve got a couple things that I’m working on. Something that I’m interested in doing is bringing people together and getting other people’s visions made. Definitely one day it would be a dream to get to direct. I’ve spent so much time in front of the camera, the idea of going on set and not being on camera but, still being there and still being part of it is actually really exciting to me.
“Something that I’m interested in doing is bringing people together and getting other people’s visions made.”
As much as I love acting, I’ve been doing it for 16 almost 17 years so, a little of the magic wears off. I love the work but I really have a hard time with the hours and having to be ‘on’ all of the time is really exhausting.” The Atypical actor opens up about a specific instance that he faced as being the main character of the Netflix original. He confesses that being the lead of a show is difficult because you cannot take any time off during shooting. One day on set he had a “horrible sore throat and basically progressed throughout the course of the day to be one of the worst colds I’ve ever gotten in my life. We literally had to do like a fourteen hour day and there’s nothing you could do about it. It was pretty miserable I’m not gonna lie.”
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On the contrary, Keir Gilchrist says that he has had some of the best laughs on the set of Atypical, especially working alongside Nik Dodani, Sam’s right hand man, Zahid, on the show. In real life, Gilchrist and Dodani are old friends who met each other early in their careers and co-starred The Good Neighbor back in 2016 together. The banter that the two actors share on screen is so palpable, it is no wonder that they are actually friends when the cameras stop rolling. Funnily enough, Keir tells me that, “I had no idea he was even up for the role. Then shooting the pilot, in walks Nick and I was like ‘Wow dude you didn’t even hit me up at all, or like, call me to put in a good word in,’ and he was like ‘Nah I didn’t need to.’ I was like, ‘I guess you’re right.” Luckily for us viewers, we will be seeing more of Sam and Zahid this upcoming season as Gilchrist confirms that Sam will still be working at Techtropolis with his best friend. Coming towards the end of our discussion, Keir and I talk about the release date for the new season which will be available on Netflix on November 1st. It will be fascinating to see how Keir Gilchrist adds another dimension to Sam that we haven’t seen in the previous seasons, as well as with how his character copes with the new challenges that emerge in season three. For Gilchrist, Sam is more than just a character to him because he understands the huge influence that playing someone on the spectrum has had on viewers. He shares that, “exposing people to a different side of life is more than I guess I could’ve ever hoped for as being an actor.”
OTwo - Music
Album Reviews
Charli XCX - Charli Heather Reynolds
Charli XCX’s third studio album, Charli, is so incredibly well crafted that at least half the album should already be on your go to playlists. The first eleven tracks are quintessential Charli, synth heavy pop tracks that are equal parts hypnotic and reviving, pulling you deeper into the mood it creates. It’s an incredibly atmospheric album, brilliant for creating a specific vibe, however the consistency of the musicality within it can lend itself to being almost monotonous at times. The collaborations add a bit of spice to the tracks, particularly ‘Warm’, which features the ever popular girl band Haim, but by the time track eleven rolls around, it starts to feel almost tame. ‘White Mercedes’, ‘Silver Cross’ and ‘I Don’t Wanna Know’ roll into each other in a way that sits almost on the wrong side of cohesion. However that all changes when ‘Official’ begins. With it, the album takes a turn, and the last four tracks skid into new territory, rejuvenating the album just when it needs to be. It smashes through the atmosphere created in the best possible way, making the album well worth listening to even just for those four tracks alone. In a nutshell: Charli is a brilliant, atmospheric album with an incredible twist in the third act that’s well worth the listen.
Beneath the Eyrie by Pixies Moxie Lofton A problem often faced by influential media is the sameness it takes on in retrospect. Pixie’s new album, Beneath the Eyrie, demonstrates their awareness of this fact. From the aggressive drumbeat and hymnal undertones of the opening track, ‘In the Arms of Mrs Mark of Cain’, onto the growls of ‘St Nazaire’, the band makes an obvious effort to expand their musical range. However, the identifiable alt-rock sound and lyricism of Pixies still shines through in tracks like ‘Long Rider’. The totality of the album can best be described as gothic, which is carried out well in the instrumentation, but the lyrics seem to have been penned merely to reinforce this stylistic choice, fall flat. This can be seen most clearly in ‘Los Surfers Muertos’, which lacks any sense of purpose beyond fitting the theme. The dedication to style is the only common thread within the album, as the approach to the gothic nature of the soundscape varies wildly. The album’s sense of identity is significantly weakened by its inconsistency. The band can’t seem to decide whether this should be a harder revamping of their sound or a continuation of their classic writing style and whether they want to approach lyricism from a serious or playful standpoint. The album is worth picking up, but the eclectic nature of its direction makes it a hard sell to anyone outside their existing fan base. In a nutshell: Beneath the Eyrie is stylistically inconsistent, but every song can stand alone as a hit and contributes to the legacy of this legendary band.
Nine by Blink 182 Mike Stebens
The sound of Blink-182 has changed considerably since their beginnings in the 90’s when the peak of their career was appearing on the soundtrack for the American Pie movie. Flash forward to 2019, and they are not silly young guys making irreverent music anymore. Nine sounds a lot like its predecessor California, both of which are in the vein of the 2003 untitled album, which marked a break in the band’s history. It moved away from the playful, frenetic songs that had dominated their previous releases, instead it diverted to a more serious sound. It might be their darkest album up to date, which surely has to do with the fact that the only remaining founding member, Mark Hoppus, suffered from depression after finishing their last tour. The single ‘Blame It On My Youth’ sounds like it’s straight from California. Unfortunately, the track feels shallow and lacks the characteristic energy of the band. The overproduced sound is a far cry from their earlier releases. Many of the songs lack that spontaneous feel, they sound auto-tuned and unnatural. On the other side, ‘Happy Days’ sounds like it could have been on their untitled album. One song that sticks out from the rest is ‘Generational Divide’ as it almost sounds like hardcore punk at times. In a nutshell: Blink isn’t that upbeat lovable pop punk band anymore. It remains unclear for who the album was written for. The older generation of fans won’t be satisfied with this, while potential new fans won’t be impressed by the forgettable sound of Nine.
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OTwo - Music
When Did Pop Music Get So Depressing?
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Are all of our pop stars depressed? Sinéad Dunphy examines the troubling trend of mental illness in popular music.
“It’s worth considering that constantly listening to depressing music can put or keep you in that state of mind.”
Not long ago, the pop charts were dominated by songs about trivial topics like sex, drinking and having a good time. Of course, there’s still plenty of that kind of content to go around, but there’s been a significant trend as of late of radio hits talking less about the good times, and more about the bad. Nothing brings this topic into sharper focus than watching seventeen year old Billie Eilish command festival stages with her youthful exuberance while thousands of gleeful fans excitedly scream her lyrics back at her, “I WANNA END ME!”! Undeniably, mental illness is selling right now. In recent years, the charts have grown ever more populated with lyrics about depression, anxiety and abuse of prescription meds from artists like Eilish, XXXTentacion, Kanye West, Kid Cudi and Ariana Grande. This trend is often praised by fans and critics alike for helping to lessen the stigma surrounding mental health and opening up the door to some productive discourse on the topic. On the other hand, there can be unintended consequences to this surge of mental health focus, for instance, the glamorisation of mental illness and drug use. Is it possible for the issue to be overexposed? If so, it seems we’ve certainly reached that point. The past couple years have been some of the best for Ariana Grande’s career and some of the worst for her personal life with the bombing of her Manchester concert in 2017, the loss of her ex-boyfriend, Mac Miller, and the breakup of her engagement to Pete Davidson. Grande hasn’t been afraid to lay it all bare in her music with tracks on her last two albums, exploring her anxiety, depression and PTSD. Fans all over the world applauded the singer for her strength and clearly the music has been extremely cathartic for both Grande and her fans. Popular rap music has been full of similar content lately with the likes of XXXTentacion, Lil Peep, Juice Wrld, Kanye West and Kid Cudi. It seems troubled teens are turning to soundcloud rap for their moody music much more than the old staples of emo, pop punk and hardcore. From lyrics about suicidal thoughts and personality disorders, to downbeat instrumentals and whiny off key
vocals, rap music has gotten really depressing. Arguably, the music only serves a purpose for already depressed listeners, but it’s worth considering that constantly listening to depressing music can put or keep you in that state of mind. In January of this year, pop superstar, Selena Gomez teamed up with singer-songwriter, Julia Michaels for ‘Anxiety’, a track about, yep you guessed it, anxiety! The track details the difficulties of balancing debilitating anxiety with relationships and social life. Of course, where anxiety is mentioned, depression is not far behind as the lyrics proclaim, “I’m holding hands with my depression.” The song is honest and relatable but clearly, still palatable as it was a reasonable commercial success with little publicity. This image of ‘holding hands with your depression’ is a perfect reflection of what is so troubling about the current music trend. While opening up is a far better option that repressing your feelings, there seems to be a tendency in society to embrace our issues and over-identify with them. Billie Eilish’s entire brand revolves around mental illness. From her forlorn lyrics, to her interviews full of passing remarks about hating herself, to her moody aesthetic composed of glazed over, vacant looking eyes and dark, horror inspired imagery, Eilish’s image is a microcosm of our current culture where mental illness memes often take the place of actually going to therapy, prescription drugs are taking the place of party drugs and people aren’t deemed interesting unless they’ve suffered sufficiently. There’s no denying that it is an artist’s right to turn their pain into art. There’s also no denying that this can be a healthy, cathartic process for the artists and their fans who will find comfort in hearing their problems articulated by someone they admire. It’s nice not to feel alone. However, our society has gotten to the point that anyone who does open up about their mental health is immediately doubted by many because they are so fatigued by the amount of mental illness content in popular culture right now. Sometimes, it feels like everyone is depressed. Maybe they are. Regardless, the trend in music is symptomatic of some serious problems in society today and it could well be contributing to the problem in a vicious circle.
OTwo - Music
The Long Road Towards Gender Balance in the Music Industry
Sinéad Dunphy analyses the state of gender representation in the music industry and details the ongoing efforts to improve it. A report by the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, which examined the top 700 songs on Billboard’s year-end Hot 100 chart between 2012 and 2018, found some very discouraging figures for women in the music industry. According to the study, women make up 21.7 % of artists, 12.3% of songwriters and a dismal 2.1 % of producers. Similar trends were seen at this year’s Grammy Awards where a mere 10.4 % of nominees between 2013 and 2019 were women. Of course, if you narrow this down to women of colour or gender non-conforming people, the numbers are even worse. This is indicative of an industry that is deeply biased and inaccessible. However, there are some major movements happening around the world currently that aim to achieve inclusive representation in the music industry. From all female festival line-ups, to music camps for girls and even gear libraries, this is an issue that is getting more attention than ever right now, even here in Ireland. Earlier this year, the Keychange gender balance initiative was granted 1.4 million euro in funding by the EU Creative Europe programme. The programme was set into motion last month and is intended to achieve a number of things. Firstly, Keychange encourages festivals and music organisations to achieve a 50:50 gender balance by 2022. Additionally, a number of emerging artists and innovators from around the world will take part in international festivals, showcase events, collaborations, and a programme of creative labs, all catered towards representation and accessibility for all, regardless of gender. One of the leading movements in Ireland is Girls Rock Dublin. This initiative began in Portland, Oregon and has travelled its way around the world with a little help from some celebrity endorsements, from the likes of Beth Ditto and Chvrches. The primary function of Girls Rock is to run summer camps for teenage girls to teach them about music technology, songwriting and musicianship in an effort to make music more accessible to girls who may often feel intimidated by the boys’ club status the industry currently holds. The camp builds confidence and teaches girls how to go after what they want, just as a man would. Furthermore, the initiative recently opened up a gear library in Pearse Street Library where any teen with a public library card can rent music gear. These are exactly the right kind of steps towards achieving a better gender balance in the music industry.
Another Irish group working towards this goal are the Sounding the Feminists collective made up of various industry professionals and musicians who work to promote female, trans and non-binary musicians. The collective hosts a professional development workshop in IMRO’s headquarters on Pembroke Row, Dublin. The next workshop is taking place on the 18th of October and promises to be an engaging and informative crash course on how to create and promote music.
“The issue has never been that women don’t want to make music, the issue is that a lot of women don’t feel welcome.”
Words like gender, representation, inclusivity and equality may be tiresome to some but these things need to be talked about, even ad nauseam. For too long these issues have been ignored, so now we have a lot of catching up to do. The issue has never been that women don’t want to make music, the issue is that a lot of women don’t feel welcome. Typically, women are raised to doubt themselves, to apologise, to make themselves feel small. They are taught to care for others and not for themselves. Meanwhile, most men are taught to be go-getters, to work hard and expect reward. These kinds of sociological factors contribute to the higher number of men in technical roles like producers or engineers and why even from an early age boys are more likely to pick up a guitar and start a band with their friends. For a girl to do this is a bolder step laden with self-doubt and the potential to be judged, shunned, sexually harassed and dismissed by her male counterparts. These grassroots movements that target young women are the perfect way to tackle the issue, right from the stem. If young girls and non-binary people can learn to trust in their capability and understand how to assert themselves, the music industry could actually stand a chance of balancing out. This is the long game but with patience and perseverance it may well pay off. Of course, the men in the industry need to do just as much work on their end to accept and respect their female peers. Last year when the Recording Academy president Neil Portnow was questioned about the lack of female nominees at the Grammys, he responded that women needed to step up. In reality, it’s the entire music industry that needs to step up and become inclusive to all.
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OTwo - Music
GIG GUIDE by Joyce Dignam
Alice Phoebe Lou Whelans , October 11th, €15
South African singer-songwriter, Alice Phoebe Lou takes to Whelan’s this month on her Paper Castles album tour. Lou began to build up a following by bringing herself, her guitar and her dreamlike voice to the streets of Berlin where she would busk her latest songs. Nowadays, fans follow her social media intently, in the hopes of catching which street corner she will be performing next on. If you’re interested in a blend of folk and electronics, this gig is not to be missed. For fans of: First Aid Kit, Laura Marling, Saint Sister
Sinéad O’Connor Vicar Street, October 28th, €45
Sinéad O’Connor has had a colourful and controversial career and recently has announced her comeback tour. After just one week, O’Connor has sold out a Vicar Street show and has added an extra date due to popular demand. The nation watched her powerful and emotional rendition of ‘Nothing Compares 2U’ recently on The Late Late Show, where she proved she still has the ability to captivate us with her lyrics and voice. O’Connor is a national treasure and music lovers across the country will be flocking to see her live this month. For fans of: Kate Bush, The Cranberries, Dido
Squarehead The Workmans Club, October 12th, €12
After taking a break from the spotlight, Dublin indie-rock band Squarehead are back with their High Time album launch party this month. Squarehead have been making music for nearly ten years. Since they formed in 2010, the trio have produced a plethora of albums, EP’s and singles. In 2017, they appeared on Paper Trails compilation of singles, with the likes of Mac de Marco, in aid of the Abortion Support Network. With special guests, Soft on Crime, this night is looking like one of the best value indie-rock gigs this month. For fans of: Oh Boland, Mac De Marco, Silverbacks, Hot Cops
Fullee Love Collective BelloBar, October 9th, €22.50
Soup, founder of the 90’s hip-hop group Jurassic 5, is bringing his new project to BelloBar this month. This collective merges many genres focusing on soul, funk and disco but also with Soup’s hip-hop background running throughout it. For what promises to be a lively night of crowd participation and experimental music, be sure to get your tickets. For fans of: Jurassic 5, De la Soul, A Tribe Called Quest
New Music Playlist:
October Emma Nolan gives us a list of new releases you’ll definitely need to have on your playlists. ‘Low Flying Dandelion’ by King Nun
This ferocious indie track is laden with a crunchy bass and rousing vocals. King Nun are an up and coming band who seem to be finding their footing in the music world quite nicely. With memorable releases and enviable supporting slots for bands like, Pale Waves, Superfood and The Struts it’s clear that King Nun’s debut album well worth a listen.
‘Navy Blue’ by Charlotte Lawrence
Charlotte Lawrence makes pop music with heart. Her light, breathy vocals and earnest lyrics lend themselves nicely to both her acoustic and amped up tracks. ‘Navy Blue’ is definitely in the latter category with a building drumbeat and distorted bass supplementing an emotional vocal performance.
‘Into the Surf’ by Foals
You can always rely on Foals for quality rock records. ‘Into the Surf’ is a mellow, atmospheric lament of some sort. It tells a story of isolation, longing and melancholy. This is the latest single from the English band ahead of their forthcoming album, Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost – Part 2.
‘Slide’ by H.E.R.
Nobody is doing RnB better than H.E.R. right now. ‘Slide’ is seductively laid back and H.E.R’s vocals are hypnotising. The
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guest verse from YG is far from impressive but manages to mesh with the simple, melodic beat.
‘Divine’ by All Tvvins
Irish natives, All Tvvins have built a great reputation for themselves with their critically acclaimed music. ‘Divine’ is upbeat, full of bright synth, plucky guitar and a steady drum beat. You can definitely hear the remnants of Adams’ former band, The Cast of Cheers in this one.
‘Angel with Tattoos’ by Skylar Grey
Probably best known for her songwriting work with Eminem, Skylar Grey has a lot to offer as an artist in her own right. Her music traverses a broad spectrum of pop with electronic and hip hop influences in some cases, and folk and country in others. ‘Angel with Tattoos’ is a gorgeous, stripped down acoustic ballad that equally offers up love for Grey’s significant other and for herself.
‘Family and Loyalty’ by Gang Starr feat. J. Cole
This one is for the hip hop heads. An old school piano sample beat by DJ Premier makes for the perfect backdrop to this reflective rap song. This is the first new release from the group in sixteen years and J. Cole’s bars make a perfect, natural addition.
Autumn Walnut and Apple Crumble
OTwo - Food & Drink
Sophie Tevlin prescribes a bit of baking to banish the October blues. As the evenings start drawing in and getting chill, it’s nice to have something baking in the oven, warming the kitchen and wafting pleasant smells through the house. A baked good that’s nourishing and autumnal which sticks to the ribs, such as this apple and walnut crumble. A crumble is perhaps the one thing that everyone, no matter how ham-fisted or oven-shy, should have in their arsenal. Gusteau’s famous maxim, “Tout le Monde peut Cuisiner” holds true here – anyone can bake a crumble! A crumble requires no fancy equipment or expensive ingredients. The chilly hands of a pastry chef are not necessary here, and crumbles are remarkably forgiving of any little hiccups in the way of measurement or timing. What’s more, they’re infinitely customisable. This is a great way of using up fruit that’s in season, cheap– here I’ve used windfall apples from a friend’s garden. You can also use those blueberries that you kept meaning to turn into smoothie or those unripe plums from the Aldi Super 6. You will need: an oven dish, a big mixing bowl (a big pot will do fine, I won’t rat you out to Paul Hollywood), and something to measure the flour & sugar. If you don’t have the kitchen space for such fripperies as weighing scales, just use your common sense. If your recipe calls for 110g of sugar and your packet of sugar is 500g, you can’t go wrong chucking about a fifth of the packet in. I carefully measured everything when I first started baking, but now I’ve got a feel for it I just eyeball everything. This stops things from becoming too monotonously predictable. I have pinched the proportions given here from the ever-reliable Delia Smith. Fruit: whatever fruit you’re using, cored and sliced, enough to thickly cover the bottom of the oven dish, sugar and spices. For the crumble topping: 75g butter, cold, cut into small cubes. 175g self-raising flour, sifted. 110g Demerara sugar (or whatever ya got). Spices: cinnamon, ground cloves, cardamom, ground ginger, nutmeg – up to you. Chopped nuts: I used walnuts here, but almonds, hazelnuts and pecans are good too, and you can add oats for a bit of texture.
Food in Children’s Books: A Bit Tasteless? In which Sophie Tevlin completely ruins childhood classics by overthinking.
Pistachios and cardamom work very well with raspberries and rhubarb. Plums are lovely with ginger. So get experimenting! Preheat your oven to 200 degrees Celsius/180 for a fan oven. Layer your apples or whatever it is in your baking dish and sprinkle over a bit of sugar and some spice. Put the diced butter and flour into the bowl, and rub them together with your fingertips to combine. What you’re doing here is breaking the butter down into smaller and smaller flour-covered pieces until you have what looks like a pile of fine breadcrumbs. The finger movement is the same as when rolling cigarettes, a soothing, meditative process that can be done while watching Netflix. When that’s finished, mix in the chopped nuts, sugar and spice then pack the dry mixture down over the fruit to cover it, and smooth it over a bit. Shove dish in the oven for 35 to 40 minutes. That’s it! Eat it warm with ice-cream or custard, or cold with a dollop of natural yogurt for breakfast.
Depictions of food in classic children’s literature can be wonderfully rich and evocative, conjuring up an imaginative world. Revisiting these books as an adult, however, can bring to light certain concerns about that food’s production that might have flown over one’s eight year old head. Consider The Hobbit, for instance. How does the petit bourgeois Bilbo Baggins have enough seedy-cake and so forth stockpiled in his pantry to feed twelve hungry dwarves? He lives alone, and doesn’t have access to modern refrigerators or freezers. How much of that food would have been thrown away? Does he have a cook, or other servants? Where does his money come from, since he doesn’t appear to work for a living? Does hobbit society have banks? Is Bilbo a landlord? Why do the Famous Five subsist entirely on ginger pop and cow tongue? When are the Oompa-Loompas going to unionise? Why does everyone sneer at Hermione’s valiant efforts to free the house-elves from a life of indentured servitude? Why do so many children’s books depend on slavery to make their plots work? And what was really in that Turkish Delight?
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OTwo - Travel
How To Get The Most Out Of Your Weekend Break Killian Conyngham offers his advice on how to justify and enjoy Weekend Breaks. As summer becomes a distant memory, and the reality of the two long semesters ahead of us sinks in, the travel addicts amongst us can feel stuck, waiting until the holidays come around. However, there is a way out, a way to get your hit without missing a week of lectures, and that is the weekend break. “A weekend break?” you ask might ask, “that sounds almost too good to be true. Surely I can’t get all of the thrills of travel condensed into just one weekend?” And you’d be right, at least partly. Weekend breaks are a difficult, hard to pull off well, and in the words of my father, “completely financially irresponsible.” But if you play your cards right, keep your mind open and accept that the money is worth spending, weekend trips can be everything you ever dreamed. My advice for making this happen would fall into three categories: keeping it cheap, staying productive, and making it worthwhile.
Keeping It Cheap
For some people, holidays are all about letting loose and spending money on everything, but if you are a broke college student, and like me you’d like to travel as much as possible, saving money is very important. When it comes to saving money on weekends abroad, flexibility is key. The city of your dreams might just not be affordable on the weekend you have in mind, or you might have to shift those dates around to find the real bargains. This is especially true when it comes to flights, which in a weekend trip will often be your largest expense. Some of the arts students amongst us might have the liberty of a Friday or Monday off, allowing for cheaper flights, but for most of us, it’s Friday and Sunday evening flights, the most expensive. One option for saving some money is the ever tempting Monday morning flight and air coach straight into college, an option I can only partially recommend. For accommodation, hostels and Airbnbs tend to be quite affordable outside the summer months.
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Packing lunches, cooking your own meals, and being content to stroll around an unfamiliar city as your day activity are three other ways to save money, but whether you opt for these is, of course, up to personal preference.
Staying Productive
Whether you are missing work, neglecting to catch up on all your assignments or just missing laundry day, it’s likely that in order to take a weekend trip, you are missing out on the possibility of a more productive weekend. This can be a big barrier for some people, especially as the later weeks of the semester hit, and everyone suddenly remembers exams and essays exist. To combat this, I can only recommend you develop a habit of making your travels productive. Take the time you spend sitting around in airports, waiting for buses or trapped in aeroplanes and use it to your advantage. Get that essay started, catch up on those lectures you missed, or do that online MCQ due next week. Whatever it is, do something, so that you can come home feeling that you not only got a holiday in, but also had a reasonably productive weekend.
Make It Worthwhile
With all that being said and done, the most important thing is to enjoy yourself. Ignore the advice about saving money if you have an opportunity to do something you really want to and it happens to be expensive. Leave the work aside while you are on foreign soil. Above all else try to immerse yourself in the experience you have. If you love ticking off attractions then, by all means, make a packed itinerary, and try to see the whole city in the 48 hours you have. If you prefer taking things easy and soaking up the ambience, don’t feel pressured to see all the sights, there are plenty of other ways to enjoy a foreign city. Enjoy the experience however you know best, because, at the end of the day, the main reason I advise you to stay productive and save money, is so that you can justifiably do it all over again when the next free weekend rolls around.
OTwo - Fatal Fourway
Stupidest Way I’ve Injured Myself Conor Halion - Arts and Literature Editor
While the autumn/winter has well and truly settled in now, cast your mind back to this summer just gone, when the sun was absolutely splitting the skies. Having just found out that I passed all my summer exams, a few friends from work and I bought tickets for Sea Sessions, a class camping festival which takes place in Donegal, at the end of June. I had never been to a camping festival before, I was completely at a loss as to what to pack, however, I keenly remember my mam saying before I left: “Conor don’t forget to pack some sunscreen.” Sunscreen? Ireland? This isn’t Australia mam, I thought, chuckling to myself. Fast forward, it’s the second day of the festival. Our campsite is on top of the edge of a cliff and because of this, it’s extremely overcast and windy. Naturally, why would I need sunscreen on a cloudy day? Big mistake. Lying in my tent at 4 in the morning, absolutely bojangled, I start to feel this throbbing sensation in my legs. Walking around the campsite the next morning, people start giving me concerned looks. Queuing up for pizza, the server gives me a look up and down and says: “You should really get those looked at.” He said pointing at my legs. I look down, and they were radioactive red, like I had just walked out of Chernobyl. I had to leave a day early, missing Two Door Cinema Club on the Sunday. It took three weeks for my legs to fully heal. On the serious side, when the sun does finally reappears, please do remember to slap on some sunscreen, it ain’t no joke!
Heather Reynolds - OTwo Co-Editor
So, its 2014. I’d finished my Junior Cert exams about three days prior, the earliest to be done in my friend group. I’m raring to go, full of energy to spend on a multitude of activities, but unfortunately I was still the only one free, so I ended up walking my dog two to three times a day. I decided to go on the second walk of the third day rather spontaneously. While my mam is watching reruns of Little House on the Prairie, I’m out of my seat and out the door with my dog in about 30 seconds. I stop on my front steps to check the time, intending to see if any of my mates are done with their exams yet, and then wake up on the ground. So, as it turns out, I have intense blood pressure dips that are induced by standing up too fast. I also found out that falling down your front steps while wearing platforms hurts. A lot. I walk back up the steps, covered from the knee down in blood, and had apparently been out cold for at least three minutes. I ended up with a severely sprained right ankle and a lacerated left knee, both so severe I couldn’t put weight on either leg for almost three weeks. Not a great way to spend the height of the summer.
Alex Fagan - Art and Design Editor
Before getting into exactly what happened, I have to set the scene. It was last October. It was a dark and rainy Friday night and I had only eaten a small bowl of pasta all day. I was already feeling the exhaustion of the mid-semester slump and decided to take the evening off from the constant buzzing static that was final year and watch a film and have a drink. My film of choice was the 1985 smash hit Top Gun and in between shots of Tom Cruise flying a fighter jet I was pouring myself a gin and tonic that was well over a double measure. The combination of having eaten almost nothing and the sudden rush of alcohol had made me feel… well… pretty fantastic to be honest. So I decided the best course of action would be to get myself another G&T. I brought my fancy glass down to the shed in the back garden to get some ice. On my way back I slipped on some slimy moss and my instinct, instead of to save myself, was to save the glass so I clutched it to my chest as my face met the ground. I was lying in the rain with shards of glass peppered along my hand and one particularly nasty shard cutting into my t-shirt. I went back inside, my arm covered in blood and as my sister tried to help me clean my wounds I pulled a shard from the side of my finger and started a particularly spectacular river of blood down my arm and promptly passed out. As Kenny Loggins had sang on my tv not too long before this moment, I truly had experienced the Danger Zone.
Gavin Tracey - Editor
There’s very few non-stupid ways to injure yourself. Injuring yourself almost neccesitates doing something dumb to bring about said injury. However, this one, I can say with certainty, was not my fault. I was about ten years old, running around the house in my socks, as ten year olds are want to do. My brother, who is three years my junior, had been tasked with polishing the tabletops. This was a semi regular occurrence, he was relatively hyperactive and it was an easy way of channeling that energy into something productive. Unbeknownst to me, my brother had polished the wooden floor in the living room. In I slid, á la Tom Cruise in Risky Business, and found my legs flying out from under me. I landed on the floor, chin first, my tongue firmly lodged between my teeth. I doubt I need to tell you this, but biting your tongue in half is incredibly painful. And the blood. Good grief, the blood. I ruined approximately five of my mothers tea towels. I was rushed to hospital, and had six stitches put in. In hindsight, this is easily one of the funniest injuries I’ve ever received. The most enjoyment comes from telling other people and watching them squirm. It’s a very visceral, sphincter-tightening, story - I have yet to tell someone who didn’t immediately ask me to stop talking. Terrible, painful experience, but when life gives you lemons.
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APERTURE Stormy Weather
Shamira Bagnall Hare
Christopher O’Sullivan
Krishnaveer Roy
Gavin Tracey
Alex Fagan
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