319 venue

Editorial

Issue #319 12 Jan

Happy 2016 everyone! That is, of course, assuming you are embracing the new year with open arms. Maybe it feels too early to be thinking about the new year - looking through this issue of Venue you’ll find we’ve taken some enjoyment in looking back, musing over the top albums and films of 2015, along with other highlights like the Downton Abbey Christmas special.

Editors: concrete.venue@uea.ac.uk Ana Dukakis Joe Fitzsimmons Arts: concrete.arts@uea.ac.uk Niamh Jones Creative Writing: concretre.creativewriting@uea.ac.uk Jay Stonestreet Fashion: concrete.fashion@uea.ac.uk Lizz Gowens Leah Omonya Film: concrete.film@uea.ac.uk George Barker Melissa Haggar Gaming & Technology: concrete.gamingtech@uea.ac.uk Tom Bedford

Conversely, maybe it’s too late to use that greeting. Whist it feels like we’ve barely dipped our toe into 2016, we have in fact reached 12th January. This is almost halfway through the first month, which, if you round up, is practically like the whole month is over. Okay, perhaps this is stretching things slightly.

Regardless, if you find this greeting a bit stale you can quickly turn the page and enjoy creative writing on the theme of The Time Machine, celebrations of Wikipedia and Runescape’s birthdays, and fashion resolutions for the new year.

If you’re still here, then let me talk a little more about new year’s resolutions in general. I find each year that I treat them like a buffet, piling them on top of each other precariously as I promise myself that yes, I really will read more books, travel to more places, learn a new language, and become a healthier person. It is probably not very surprising that completing them is another matter entirely.

The one consolation (if you can call it that) is that I don’t appear to be alone in this, as research from the University of Scranton suggests that only 8% of us actually achieve our new year’s resolutions. To say this is low would be a colossal understatement.

Reading this statistic, I wondered if perhaps I needed to lower my standards and make ticking the boxes more achievable. Yet while having a smorgasbord of resolutions was probably a little ridiculous, I realised removing any trace of challenge defeated the purpose. If you are choosing to set yourself a resolution (and not simply because it will make a handy conversation starter) then you may as well make it something worthwhile. So don’t worry if your goal is outlandish with luck you’ll make that elite 8% who complete them, but even if you don’t, at least you bothered trying in the first place. And if you can’t be ambitious at the start of the year, when are you going to be?

Music: concrete.music@uea.ac.uk Freya Gibson Daniel Jeakins Televison: concrete.television@uea.ac.uk Hannah Ford

Art and Design: concrete.artdesign@uea.ac.uk Dougie Dodds Cover Art : Dougie Dodds

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Music 2015 Top 35 Albums of the Year 2015. The year Benjamin Clementine scooped the Mercury Prize, we all became ‘Beliebers’ and, most importantly, the year in which the album format proved it won’t go the way of the Dodo as so many predicted at the start of the digital age. Adele smashed sales records, the vinyl revival goes from strength to strength and hugely anticipated releases from the likes of The Prodigy, Dr Dre and The Libertines.

We asked Venue writers to submit their top ten records of the year. After a bit of mathematics, we can now present – Venue’s Top 35 Albums of the Year: grab your headphones, bring Spotify up on your phone and lose yourself in this selection of brilliant LPs.

35) A$AP Rocky – At. Long. Last. A$AP

32) Radioactivity – Silent Kill

31) Alabama Shakes – Sound and Colour

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34) Chvrches – Every Eye Open

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via Wikipedia

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30) Marina and the Diamonds – FROOT

33) Ryan Adams – 1989

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29) Young Guns – Ones and Zeroes

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27) The Game – The Documentary 2.5

28) Dr Dre – Compton

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24) One Direction – Made in the A.M.

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23) Ned Samuel’s Album of the Year: Minneapolis Uranium Club - Human Exploration

Uranium Club

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26) Future – DS2

25)

Adele – 25

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A mix the dissonance and angular riffs of post-punk and the swagger of garage rock, and sometimes draw on hardcore’s speed and aggression. The record is bound together by tight and driving rhythms and excellent hooks. The lyrics are exceptional, calling to mind the humourous yet bleak observations of DEVO and The Fall. ‘Sun Belt’ veers between visions of Las Vegas both joyful and nightmarish, divided up by the unnervingly silly chorus of ‘Bright lights!

The strip! Cool pools! Hot chicks!’ This is a record that shows how out there punk can get, without sacrificing energy and rawness.

22) Public Service Broadcasting – The Race For Space

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Music 2015 Top 35 Albums of the Year 21) Fall Out Boy – American Beauty/ American Psycho

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17) Neck Deep – Life’s Not Out To Get You

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15) The Maccabees - Marks To Prove It

20) Peace – Happy People

19)

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16) Melissa Haggar’s Album of the Year: Lana Del Rey – Honeymoon

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14) Alice Mortimer’s Album of the Year: Circa Waves – Young Chasers

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12) Mac Demarco – Another One

Halsey – Badlands

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There is something classic and undeniably sultry about Lana’s voice, and this album is possibly the best at showcasing it in all its glory. From the subtle jazz melodies to the soaring percussion, the album possesses a certain timeless quality that is both catchy and strangely therapeutic. As Lana captivates with her unique vocal delivery you can’t help but feel that the lyrics mean more than you think they do, while

Young Chasers is the debut album from indie-rock band Circa Waves. A band whose music perfectly embodies adolescence, Young Chasers is all about youthful optimism, with a coming-of-age theme not requiring lyrical brilliance but simple honesty. The band’s better known track ‘T-Shirt Weather’ was my soundtrack to the summer; their fun, relatable and down-to-earth style is the perfect match for sunny days as they quickly continued into the grey Monday mornings of the start of autumn term. Young Chasers is simply a collection of great, upbeat indie tracks, guaranteed to make you feel nostalgic about older indie groups.

Men Too

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the singer entices you in to listen for longer. While I had a somewhat mixed reaction to Ultraviolence, Honeymoon is an album which highlights Del Rey as a true starlet and innovative force in contemporary music, and contains some of her best work to date. It’s a hazy and haunting album that is difficult to forget, and one that is certainly enjoyable to listen to, even if it does feel like you’re in a sort of hallucinogenic daydream.

13) Venue Writer Westley Barnes’ Album of the Year: Wolf Alice – My Love Is Cool

11) Slaves – Are You Satisfied My Love Is Cool – an album sexier than any British debut in recent memory, but a “realizing this is love” lust-drunk sexy - completed the blindside surprise technique Wolf Alice have effected me with tighter, hip-hop informed rhythm sections wind downs, Ellie Roswell’s intimateto-deafening declarations of love and

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18)Young Fathers – White Men Are Black

the icicle cool distorted sheen of a double guitar approach that seems to take it’s cues from after-party viewing of David Attenborough’s “Blue Earth” series. Even telling us “You’re A Germ” won’t shatter the attraction after hearing the fade-out of “Your Love’s Whore”. “I can never Love you more”- lucky, lucky us.

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Music 2015's Top 35 Albums

10) The Weeknd – Beauty Behind The Madness Daniel Jeakins

The arrival of hugely successful single ‘Can’t Feel My Face’ put Canadian singer The Weeknd firmly back on everyone’s radar, but it wasn’t until his second album Beauty Behind The Madness dropped that he justified the hype that’s been surrounding him since his arrival on the music scene in 2010. Containing a heavy R&B influence and grippingly honest lyrics, Beauty Behind The Madness is the work of a real talent who will surely continue to make waves in the music industry for years to come.

9) Foals – What Went Down Daniel Jeakins If Holy Fire was the record which suggested Foals could headline festivals, What Went Down is the record that established that without a shadow of a doubt.

Frontman Yannis promised it would contain tracks capable of decimating venues and on the title track he achieved just that. What followed was an inventive batch of melodic indie songs which bettered anything the Oxford five-piece have done before. 2015 was a huge year for Foals, but with Glastonbury, Reading and Leeds and, Isle of Wight Festival coming up this summer, 2016 is sure to be even bigger.

7) Justin Bieber – Purpose Daniel Jeakins You’ve almost definitely been told already and whether you’ve accepted it or not the fact remains - Justin Bieber’s new album is pretty great. The controversial pop-singer has committed a number of musical sins but makes up for them and more with Purpose - a smart, fun, inspired 21st century pop record that can be appreciated by all. The album spawned three UK number ones in ‘What Do You Mean?’, ‘Sorry’ and ‘Love Yourself ’ and has plenty more hook-laden cuts throughout its track-listing. So good it doesn’t even have to be a guilty pleasure.

7) Courtney Barnett - Sometimes I Sit And Think, And Sometimes I Just Sit Daniel Jeakins With a record brimming with wit, charm and glorious noise, Aussie singer-songwriter Courtney Barnett single-handedly re-vitalised guitar music in 2015. Sometimes I Sit And Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit is a slacker-rock gem for the ages. Lyrically it tackles mundane day-to-day topics and brings them to life with roaring guitars, with Barnett’s sense of humour coming across brilliantly. It’s as furious as it is funny - a wonderful guitar album well-deserving of its Grammy-nod.

6) Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds - Chasing Yesterday Emily Amelia’s Album of the Year Chasing Yesterday is a careful combination of psychedelic rock, reverberating guitar solos and much to popular disbelief, a little jazz. This is an album that hasn’t strived for obvious commercial success, but rather a profound statement of musicianship, baring nostalgia with the unearthing of ‘Lock All The Doors’ written in 1992, alongside the ever maturing writing of the former Oasis lead guitarist. Seemingly this album is the result of scraping together the finest trimmings in Gallagher’s lonely bank of songs over of the years, in a way reflecting early Oasis albums such as Definitely Maybe which still to this day identifies with a large group of young people. Even after 20 years in the industry Noel has again proved to be a lyrical genius in what could be his most melodically hypnotic whilst artistically challenging album yet. Also with production credits, Noel has taken old and new material to create an organic and very ethereal sounding record, whilst remaining artistically sensitive to changing landscapes in the industry. The ‘cherry on top’ to an already splintering album is the menacing yet melodious presence of Johnny Marr on ‘Ballad Of The Mighty I’ bringing the album to an almighty climax. Gallagher’s ability to grip the same hoard of fans present when he first graced the music scene is apparent, tipping Chasing Yesterday as one of the top albums of 2015.

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Music 2015 Top 35 Albums of the Year

5) Don Broco – Automatic Daniel Jeakins

In 2015 the Bedford four-piece have enjoyed a landmark year and the success of sophomore effort Automatic is a testament to their rise. Jam-packed with thrilling alt-rock, the band’s second LP cracked the UK top ten and enjoyed rave reviews, including a rare perfect score in Mosh.com. Don Broco have a huge student following and so it should be no surprise that Venue writers fell head over heels for this last year.

4) Father John Misty - I Love You, Honeybear Westley Barnes’ Album of the Year From the first time we hear them, some albums just sound right: like we were meant to hear them, that they were made for us, that in fact, they have always been a part of our lives from the first listen. The fact that I first heard I Love You, Honeybear - Josh Tillman’s baroque folk/wry confessional masterpiece - not long after it was released means one or two things personally for me. Either I’ve had a hell of a long year, or this album has just got to me to the point that I might as well of heard it five, ten years ago - I’m that familiar with it. From the apocalyptic declaration of romantic intent of the title track, to the most sincere-sounding mariachi marriage proposal this side of the ‘70s “Chateau Lobby #4. The aphex twin electro shake of “True Affection” (the most honest plea to counter online dating with real-life interaction you’re likely to hear) the regrettable affair admonishing of “The Night Josh Tillman Came To Our Apartment (which includes the most memorable opening two lines in years) the zealous egotism of “Nothing Good Ever Happens at The Goddamn Thirsty Cow” (the album’s other standout) to the call-to-arms to disregard all personal engagements with organized religion that is “Holy Shit”-the album plays like a musical summation of one of Norman Mailer’s or John Updike’s meditative novels on Male perspectives on modern relationships. Both are literary heroes of Tillman’s, and with I Love You, Honeybear he has given the world this attention-span lacking, emotionally vacant world-a piece of art as atmospherically textured and emotionally complex as any American novel of the last decade.

3) Jamie xx – In Colour Daniel Jeakins 2015 was the year the xx’s mysterious producer-figure Jamie xx stepped into the limelight following a string of remixes and collaborations - and Sam Paynehe produced. Sounding like a drunken stumble around a night club, In Colour was by far the stand-out dance LP of the year. From what an album the intense, club-ready collaboration with hip-hop’s rising star Young Thug ‘(I Know There’s Gonna Be Good Times)’ to the pop triumph ‘Loud Places’, In Colour surrounded huge pop moments with atmospheric instrumentals that evoked all the sensations of a night out on the town.

2) Tame Impala - Currents Westley Barnes Something happened last year in Kevin Parker’s Tame Impala camp -they found the soul in their speakers. Whereas 2012’s Lonerism found its uumph factor through its pedal abuse and dream-pop melodicism, Currents is all about the smoothness of funk, the way the bass drops right after the keyboard flutter. In short, where their last album was all about bringing a sense of the abstract to stadium rock, 2015 for Tame Impala meant the building of an album was as important as the immediate effect. When ‘Cause I’m A Man dropped as a single earlier this year there was talk that Parker was going for a radio hit, when in fact the song only introduced listeners to what his hugely ambitious album would sound like. And it sounds, (all rhythm sections bounce and shimmering moog hooks-and Parker’s voice-particularly on standout Past Lives) like the ghost of summer radio itself.

1) Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp A Butterfly Daniel Jeakins’ Album of the Year Few albums held the expectation of Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp A Butterfly. The success of his sophomore LP and major-label debut Good Kid, m.A.A.d City led to the Compton rapper being hailed a lyrical genius to ‘this era’s Bob Dylan’ – as Pharrell Williams described him 2013. To Pimp A Butterfly has a sense of ambition in its subject matter, instrumentation and scope. It soundtracks the 21st century civil rights movement over jazz, rap, soul, rock and funk effortlessly, from the empowering ‘Alright’ to the off-beat guitars of ‘i’ and the infections bass-line of ‘King Kunta’.

You get the feeling Lamar had visions of topping ‘Album of the Year’ polls upon making this divine, intelligent, explosive record – and To Pimp A Butterfly deserves all its plaudits and more. A modern classic.

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Fashion Fashion & Beauty Resolutions A Confident, Bolder, and Brighter Me in 2016

Leah Omonya Thou shalt develop and stick to a skincare routine: As someone who doesn’t wear makeup very often, I am very comfortable being barefaced, but there are always ways to get better and healthier looking skin, even on a budget. By the end of this year, beauty gods willing, I will be in the habit of hydrating my skin to perfection through water consumption and moisturising, protecting my skin via Sun Protection Factor (SPF) and, thus, walking around with an indisputable glow.

Thou shalt learn to fleek the brow and other make up things: Makeup can be a very powerful tool. It allows people to cover up their insecurities, extenuate their favourite features or, if they really want to, almost totally transform their appearance. This year I want to learn how to harness this skill. Armed with YouTube tutorials and step by step blog posts, I am going to give it all a go.

Thou shalt explore with colour and the lack thereof: I love to wear colour. I also love to wear black and this year I will wear both to the extremes and everything in between. I will be buying brighter makeup palettes, rocking electric blue lipstick and experimenting with dyed grey hair.

Thou shalt purchase items of quality over quantity: I love to shop and fast fashion really capitalises on this. I really love to go into a store and walk around and pick out the things that speak to me. Fast fashion is the process of churning out clothes season after season at the lowest cost for our consumptive needs. As a lover of shopping, however, I have experienced my fair share of beautiful garments that inevitably fade beyond recognition, warp three sizes too small or too big and come to fall apart. So the next time I fill up my shopping basket, it will be with

beautiful clothes that, though they may cost a bit more, will stand the test of time.

Thou shalt learn about the trends and disregard them: Twice a year we are flooded with trends that designers have featured which we are heavily encouraged to purchase and wear. While I find that it is great to learn and appreciate them for what they are, I am also aware that not all of them will suit me. Rather than forcing myself into a Victorian-inspired blouse or boho flared jeans, I will be wearing what makes me feel good this year, whatever that may be, even if it is from last year’s trends, because at the end of the day, feeling good in your own skin never goes out of style.

Thou shalt find a way to give back using fashion: The fashion and beauty industry has developed a bad reputation for being one that encourages a level of narcissism, vanity

and wastefulness, but fashion and beauty can also be used to do a world of good. From the plethora of ethical brands popping up, to large brands releasing charity editions, we have a lot to choose from in terms of giving back with what we wear. However, while these methods are making a difference, they are for the most part created for profit; there are ways that we in our day to day lives can help make a difference. Whether it’s donating our unwanted clothes to homeless shelters and charity shops, or holding our own clothing sales and donating the money to charity we, through what we choose to wear, can help make a change.

My overall goal this year regarding fashion and beauty is to be more comfortable wearing whatever it is that I want, while also being considerate to my bank balance and the wider world around me. It’s a tall order but I do have 366 days to get it. Let’s see how it goes.

Looking Good & Feeling Good A Conversation About Dressing For Success Emily Claridge Is putting on good workout clothes seriously going to make you exercise better? Probably. It is seems unlikely that the outfits we choose ourselves every morning and before every single event aren’t going to have an effect on our frame of mind. We get up every morning and pick something out for that day, (or in my case, pick out multiple things, throw most of them on the floor and eventually get dressed an hour later.) There are some days in which you just throw on whatever you can get your hands on – those worn out jeans and faded hoodie – but even when you’re not bothered to make an effort, it is because you know that the day ahead of you requires nothing more, or maybe you’re ‘treating’ yourself to extra time in bed by sacrificing time in getting ready. What we decide to wear each day reflects our moods and what we have planned, but how much does it then affect how we behave for the rest of the day?

We’ve all heard about the idea of dressing

for success but how much validity does that statement actually hold?

Maybe the idea that something often considered shallow for its foundations in mere aesthetic pleasure can really make us workout harder, perform better and feel more positive is not so ridiculous. We often spend time looking at ourselves in the mirror before heading out, because we are aware of how our appearances will convey certain messages and sentiments about our characters to the people we meet. Whilst being obsessed about image is certainly not healthy and not something to encourage, taking time to feel good about your appearance is something you will reap benefits from. Looking good and feeling good go hand in hand, and when you believe you look good in something and want to show it off, you’re going to be more outgoing; you’re going to want to go to that party or nail that job interview.

Each outfit you put on is almost part of a costume; you are dressing up to become the person you need to be that day, or want to be for a particular event. How many times have you not felt like going out (yes, even to the LCR), until you’ve got ready and realised you look awesome and have to go out. Likewise, sitting in pyjamas or sweats is not going to make you feel in the right mind frame for a job interview, or even go on that run. Clothes are vital to a person’s confidence and selfexpression; it’s undeniable that we are all able to ‘dress for success’. Often when I’m not sure whether I want to go out or not, I’ll just tell myself to start getting ready then see how I feel, and finding a great outfit pretty much always makes you more excited to go. What a waste of a good outfit to sit at home (although I do know of some people who dress up to take a selfie and get back into bed).

Developing confidence, I think, is often so reliant on fashion; an outfit you feel

confident in can completely change your mood for the day. The same goes for working out and job interviews. It’s hard to feel like the perfect employee when you stay in your pyjamas all day, even on a day off. Equally, a motivated and awesome workout isn’t going to be so easy in an outfit you don’t feel energetic and comfortable in. This is one of the reasons really why I love fashion. It can affect your frame of mind; you can become a different person with every different outfit.

I’m sure everyone is sick of ‘new year, new me’ discussions already, but what is a new 2016 issue of Venue without some new year inspiration. When clothes can have so much impact on your frame of mind, this year I think we should all dress for success. Dress as the person you need to be that day. Make sure you feel good, and I can guarantee you’re going to have a better day.

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Fashion Gender in Fashion

Louis Vuitton Pushing Gender Stereotypes Into Perspective

Wikimedia

Melissa Haggar When it comes to fashion, there has always been a divide of gender – womenswear and menswear sections in stores and online, promoting clothing that is suitably masculine or feminine, as well as pieces that are cut differently for their presumed consumers’ measurements. Skirts are available in womenswear, a plethora of baggy trousers, trendy jumpers and styled suits available in menswear (amongst other items). When items are created that deviate from the norm which usually dictates that tight clothing is in the womenswear section and baggy in the menswear – such as the ‘boyfriend’ jeans, they are given gendered names so as to indicate that they are not actually made for you – you are borrowing them from someone else. The emphasis here is that those who identify as women should wear something from their namesake section and those who identify as men should do the same. Of course, the fact that some pieces are available exclusively in certain sections (as well as a variety of different prints, fits and colours being usually reserved for different sections) only further conveys that certain pieces should not be worn by certain people.

So why talk about this topic now? Louis Vuitton has just revealed a fresh new face for its Spring 2016 Womenswear campaign: Jaden Smith. The son of popular celebrities Will Smith and Jada Pinkett-Smith, Jaden has always been pictured as preferring to wear skirts and other items that could be considered feminine in western culture. However, the choice to feature him as the face of the new womenswear campaign is a bold one, considering the social stigma surrounding wearing items designed with the opposite sex in mind. In the ad campaign, Jaden is pictured with three female models wearing a fringed vest, leather jacket, and a pleated skirt. He looks so comfortable and effortlessly cool that you’d think that this wasn’t such a major event, but it is. It’s important to acknowledge there is a stigma around this and that fashion is defined as being for predominantly two different categories, and then the types of clothes offered are stereotypical for the gender. Vuitton has been praised by some and rightly so for its decision, and this can’t help but open up questions as to the impact of such a move by a notable, powerful and influential designer. Will this help

in breaking down some of the barriers between people wearing different clothing not geared towards their sex?

Will this impact gender stereotypes in any way, or raise attention to gender issues?

If we really look at it, wearing gender stereotyped clothes that are designed for a sex other than your own is nothing new. How many of you have bought a jumper from the menswear section because you wanted a baggy fit or liked the design? How many have got a pair of jeans from the womenswear section because you wanted a tighter fit or are perhaps small statured? So why is it we don’t talk about it more? Why is it when people go into a different section of the store people assume you are buying for your boyfriend/girlfriend/mum/dad instead of just for yourself? If you want an item from a different section because you love the look, texture or sizing then surely you should be able to purchase it and wear it without any stigma? After all, in its simplest form, fashion is an expression of your personal style and yourself as well as being comfortable and practical, if you’re into that sort

of thing. So why should you and your style be limited? In a world where we can create almost anything, it seems silly to be bothered by the cut, texture or design of a fabric one person chooses to wear simply because it doesn’t adhere to our own personal tastes. After all, fashion can be many things, and surely the amount of creativity, time and effort that goes into making pieces should not be stifled by the selective audience who will be encouraged to receive them. If you were a designer, surely you would want everyone to wear your clothes, regardless of stereotypes, sex or gender binaries, as it is a sign that your vision speaks to a mass audience who want to wear it with pride, as a reflection of their own style.

It is unclear as to what impact Louis Vuitton’s ad campaign will have on the rest of the world in the future; (will we see more mainstream popular companies following the example?) It brings attention to the gender stereotypes and showcases a different style of gender fluidity that has existed in previous decades. Think of people such as David Bowie and Prince, but twist it for a contemporary audience.

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Arts

Hello, I’m Niamh, your new Arts editor!

I just wanted to introduce myself very briefly and also say that if you feel like you have something to contribute to the section, please don’t hesitate to email me at concrete.arts@uea.ac.uk. Pitch me an idea, or I can add you to the content call mailing list, so you’ll be the first to know about the pieces that are being put into the section, and you can choose any of these to write about. The most exciting thing I’m pitching to you is that I’m looking for writers to contribute to a few regular pieces. One of these pieces that I’m really chuffed to introduce is the UEA Artists section. If you are a budding sculptor, illustrator, finger painter, knitter, calligrapher, lighting designer, costume designer, puppet maker or anything in between, I want to hear from you! You’d get a large piece in Venue, where you or a friend would write about your art, how easy it is to be an artist at university, what your methods are and anything else you’d like to put in. I’d include your photographs, and it would be great to see some of the fantastic artistic talent we have hidden away here at our own UEA. So get in touch, I can’t wait to hear from you!

Hope you all had a fantastic holiday, and I hope you enjoy our Arts section this year!

Capoeira Ilona Brinton The distinctive twanging of a metal stringed long bow sounds over the din and bustle of everyday life and as if by magic, a circle begins to form. More and more people are drawn together by the strange-sounding instrument. A drum joins, and suddenly, two people are dancing in the middle of the circle - or are they fighting? Their movements are fluid, easy, and friendly - or so it seems.

In an instant, one of the players is on the ground, caught off guard, and exposed for a second to the sly, cunning, almost gentle attack of his opponent. But the moment is over before anyone can blink and the two bodies continue to flow, laughter in their eyes as they move and intertwine. Pulsing with the beating rhythms of the drum and the warm metallic twanging of the longbow.

This scene could have taken place anywhere; in a square in the centre of Tokyo, in the sports hall of a secondary school in Cape Town, or in our very own Norwich.

However, not long ago, this dance-cumfight-game was still confined to the cities, towns and countryside of Brazil where it is said to have begun. In fact the history of Capoeira is one of secrecy and confinement.

A Unifying Dance

Born in the oppression of the colonial period in Brazil amongst enslaved Africans, the art developed as a way of practising fighting whilst appearing to be merely dancing or ‘playing’: the calm and graceful actions disguising powerful moves of attack and defence. Escaped slaves are reported to have been using a ‘strangely moving fighting technique’ that was nevertheless very effective and thus also feared - perhaps partly due to its ‘strangeness’ and unpredictability.

The bustling international port towns of ninteenth century Brazil also formed another key scene in the evolving art of Capoeira.

In the midst of the turmoil of social life where aristocrats, merchants, slaves, and tradesmen all crossed paths. There emerged the cunning, streetwise character archetype, closely associated with the practice of Capoeira. The Malandro, as it is referred to in Portuguese – the sly, charming scoundrel, with his ability to effortlessly navigate the dangerous streets and alleys of the city - is still a symbol in the philosophy of Capoeira today. This has made the practice less about strength and more about the ability to watch and read one’s opponent, emphasising skill

and playfulness rather than open attack and competition.

Whilst this art of dancing and fighting is a ritual that goes back many hundreds of years, Capoeira is becoming increasingly popular throughout the world today, due to its unique philosophy and approach to combat, and with this the inclusion of music as a central part. In schools, it has been included as a practice that helps build team spirit and enables children to ‘fight’ or ‘play’ in a non-aggressive, non-competitive way, whilst in Syria it is being taught in refugee camps with a similar purpose in mind.

Whether in Tokyo, Syria, or Norwich, Capoeira exists as a positive force, with its spontaneity, unpredictability, and its ability to reconcile what are often seen as opposing elements; dancing with fighting, playfulness with wisdom, and war with peace.

If you fancy giving Capoeira a go this new year, you can join up for a year’s worth of classes on the SU website for £5. The classes run in the sports park two times a week, so why not give it a go?

Illustration: Dougie Dodds

Knitting

You Don’t Have To Be An Old Lady!

Denise Koblenz Knitting: boring, old-fashioned, lonely.

Those and many other connotations are often associated with this craft. In reality knitting is anything but. Knitting is not as old-fashioned as you might think. Quite the contrary, knitting seems to be coming back into fashion as more young people get involved. It’s difficult to find a university that doesn’t offer some sort of knitting society (but of course, UEA’s KnitSoc is the best of them all). You can shape your knitting experience in whatever way you want: embrace your inner granny and do some knitting whilst watching Downtown Abbey with a cup of tea on the side or you can have a little knitting session with friends in a pub, which is exactly what KnitSoc’s weekly meetings look like. With a social

every week where they knit their own little designs as well as working on bigger projects such as last year’s yarn bomb and an ever growing KnitSoc blanket.

Knitting is not a lonely activity. On the contrary, it gets you off your phone for once.

Instead of checking social media for the billionth time that day, put that smartphone away and have a bit of a knit and natter with your friends. Knitting not only makes you sociable but it also gives you that satisfying feeling of doing something productive, creating something with your own hands.

Be it a scarf, a hat or maybe even a nice jumper. This brings me to my next point of why knitting is a great activity for students: money. Instead of buying overpriced

clothing, made under horrendous working conditions, from the high street, you can simply knit your own clothing. If you don’t want to keep it yourself, why not sell it at one of UEA’s pop-up markets? Or, alternatively, save some money on Christmas or birthday presents by knitting them yourself; the money-saving possibilities are endless.

Apart from helping your budget, knitting also gives you a great opportunity to help others. Knit for charity and do some good with a bit of yarn and a pair of needles!

UEA’s KnitSoc is often in contact with Norfolk Knitters, supporting charities such as the International Aid Trust, the Red Cross or the Samaritans in either raising money with knitted goods or knitting stuffed

animals, clothing and blankets for refugees, orphanages and hospitals around the world.

There are many things you can do with some yarn and a pair of needles and it’s anything but boring, old-fashioned, or lonely. Just see for yourself and come along to a KnitSoc meeting Sundays 12:00-14:00, and Tuesdays 13:00-15:00 in the Red Bar, and join their Facebook group (UEA Knitting Society) for updates. Don’t worry if you’ve never knitted before in your life, they’re always happy to help and teach others how to knit and crochet. So there’s really no reason not to try it and do some knitting as especially in these cold winter months a knitted hat or scarf might come in handy.

10

Arts UEA Artists Presents: Cosplay An Insight Into Becoming Our Favourite Characters

Eleanor Morton-Smith I’m Eleanor and at weekends I dress up as fictional characters and prance around comic conventions. Well, not exactly, but that’s what most people assume when they hear the word ‘cosplay’. We dress up as our favourite fantasy characters and all get together at big meetups and conventions for costume parades, photoshoots, and competitions.

Cosplay used to be a tiny community, but now it’s far more popular, with growing exposure and acceptance. It’s a community where like-minded geeks can come together and share our passions.

Often people cosplay from comics, film, television, gaming, manga or anime, but there’s so much freedom with it; people even design their own characters to dress as. Although cosplay literally means ‘costume play’, most cosplayers dress and pose for photos or videos in character, but otherwise don’t actively roleplay. When you attend a convention in your cosplay, you’ll meet other dedicated people, take pictures with your friends, meet famous guests and, of course, venture into the dealers hall for some geeky shopping.

A friend and I plucked up the courage to do our first cosplays in 2013. We went as characters from an anime, Black Rock Shooter, and we turned up to the con thinking no one would care about four girls with crappy polystyrene and papiermâché props. However, we got an amazing reception, constantly being asked for photos, with people enthusiastically approaching us and raving about the anime. From there, we got more and more involved in the community, honing our cosplay skills.

Cosplay can be a bit on the expensive side. However, it is possible to save a lot of money and create something awesome.

Many people just want to look and feel like the character they’re cosplaying, or would like to focus on wig work and makeup, so they buy the costume from Ebay or online shops. I personally make most of my cosplays; I’ve learnt many skills and techniques to make the costume, such as using power tools, thermoplastics, sewing, patterning and so much more.

Whilst big armour builds can be costly (around £160) and some of my friends have even spent over £1000 on a single cosplay, One example was only about £30

(almost all of that going into a crazy wig).

The costume crafting is an art in itself, and I find with each new character I want to create a more impressive, accurate costume with finer detail.

Cosplay is also a international community. The most well-known cosplay conventions are the San Diego ComicCon and New York ComicCon. These are mammoth events for comic and movie fans, with celebrity panels, fan signings and meet-andgreets. This drives the genre of the cosplay; you’ll see plenty of impressive Batman, Spiderman, and Jon Snow costumes!

Other conventions focus on cosplays from Japanese anime.

For instance, there are amazing conventions in Europe and Asia, such as Japan Expo in France and Comiket in Japan. Costumes will be very niche, detailed, and nuanced character representations.

Cosplay also has a thriving social community. We meet new friends and hang out with old ones at conventions, all coming together for one big gathering of awesome nerdery. Social media plays an equally big part. There are many community groups for con goers, and specific fan groups where you can interact with people who cosplay from a particular show, comic or film. A lot of frequent cosplayers also have their own Facebook pages and Instagram accounts, where they share the costumes they’re making, and pictures from photoshoots.

The cosplay community is super friendly and positive, and it’s easy to interact with talented people from around the world and share your cosplays.

All in all, cosplay is a wonderful hobby.

You can be as creative as you want with your costumes, and the conventions and meetups are non-stop fun. It’s a chance to escape reality and embody your favourite characters from comics, TV, film, manga and anime. It’s also a great way to make new positive, creative friends.

If you’re curious about cosplay, why not head to the Coscraft Soc? The sessions are usually on Wednesdays and Sundays.

Check out the UEA Coscraft Facebook group for details!

Credit: RS Photography

11

Creative Writing Happy New Year to all!

As a quick side note, I would like to say a great big thank you to all who helped make this section the best it could be last semester - you’ve all been brilliant with submissions and it’s been an enlightening experience as editor so far. Please keep submitting in 2016 and I’ll promise to keep Creative Writing as interesting and diverse as I can!

Onto the topic of the new year, such a time is always a heavy reminder for all about the unstoppable passage of time, and in particular how we as a society measure it. Thus, for the first issue of the year, I wanted to get people thinking about the conceptual side of time travel - something seldom understood in detail but nevertheless widely portrayed in film, television and literature. As ever, the response was excellent, and our writers chose to focus on the grand and infinite possibilities that such a concept allows us to imagine.

- Jay Stonestreet, Creative Writing editor

I.T.F. I

II

in the future i put my fingers to the terrestriel to touch its worldly wholeness i feel its very sphericicity mounding below me look up & behold rounding the sky circumference oh the rings the earth’s new rings i witness this biome surrounded enclosed even protected some would think every each fungus mould growing on the city’s buildings held secure by our geocentric debris defence this cosmic body is nought now but life living breething teething our tiny teeming globe out here in the midst of a lightless nothing we the beings & our seeding worldwide green comprise the only livings left. i put my feelers to the floor & touch the terrestriel it bulges as it sighs & with it i too sigh the collective long lungful our silent unity finding relief in the coming endless sleep.

in the future i put my fingers within the wrinkles crumpling the terrestriel skin my limbs & eyes feel themselves striking circles every which direction the sunlight the clime the simple din tripping blue skies up & under huge & immense circle rings wire-fixed here this terrestriel system within debris circling its circum quickening like my instinct blink, inspire, blink, expire in the future i put my eyes & limbs under terrestriel skin & feel, sense, excite, impress, imbibe the life within.

Richard McCloy

What Will Become?

What will become?

We will rouse what I fear to name?

Will a vulgar contrivance Arrive in coolest chrome, A sugared pill, Or a vapours fold?

To salvage hours wasted, And confine to commerce Corruption with corrections And pleasures of the reckless Business parties in decadent Saturnalias And flights to revolts As the pendulum sighs.

Will its potency shift at a corridor’s whisper?

Is consequence too far for care?

Fools will stumble from our dreams Unbound from the wheel of

their days, Ils seront les Dieux des machines, They will harness the pen that everbleeds In their vainest hand, They will rewrite the epic stripped of myth And preconception, And ears will smart to the coming curse With the stones weightier On backs of mindless Sisyphi.

The original sins are haunting from a new-born tree; Its blossoms we are tasting without eating; Admiring without seeing Until the fuses of timelines glow to their last.

Charles Pritchard

Rain Bird carry words like bags you keep under your eyes weight is lightair feathering itself in rain, pressed to mist upon your face, knowledge is colorless if not your own, a chiasmus longer than scope, the swallow of the horizon is the dip of the universe

behind your eye oh petrichor cosmos stumble, choke, carry forth mind from earth. sound scent the rain, upon each leaf cascade unwrap infinite, this gift like the promise bearing breath from the ellipsis of dream as I still the song of the rain bird to let it live Carlo Saio

12

Creative Writing The Time Machine Cold air stung pale faces while wellies plunged into mud. Old friends chatted to one another, clutching cups of coffee between hands still icy cold despite gloves. The family walked contentedly along the path. To their right was a small woman being walked by her dog. A bearded man stood still, looking suspiciously into his packet of Kettle-chips. Behind the group trailed a girl gazing at her iPhone.

Up ahead one of the party shouted, “Miranda! We were talking about Jeremy Corbyn. What do you…” A tartan scarf blew over his mouth. Thank God, thought Miranda; she had had enough listening to them talk about politics. And their childhood memories. These topics only interested old prunes and their dull drone was a language solely understood by their own kind. Maybe their boring voices had evolved to warn children to escape quickly before an ancient relation – who seemed always to be drinking tea – could begin “when I was at school”.

Miranda kicked at leaves. Six months ago she learned she would spend New Year’s Eve at the family cottage in Northumberland.

Under the influence of gulps of sneaky cocktails on the more congenial holiday, she had reckoned the isolated cottage with old relations would be fun. It wasn’t, she thought as she approached the cottage’s door.

At dinner the table was only just big enough for Miranda, her mum, Hannah, the decrepit cousins, Arnold and Janet Smith, and an old man called Henry who was brought along by the Smiths as a token, like a Christmas pudding or bottle of wine.

“He’s very funny when you least expect it”, Janet announced – a description appropriate for a Furbee’s packaging. Janet gestured to Miranda, who had sat down engrossed by her phone. “The archetype of today’s teenager. A slave to the phone. And these internet apps”, Janet said. “Oh those Internet apps!” Arnold said shaking his head. “Love and friendship expressed by social media like Whats it-Faceface. Not at all real”. “It’s Facebook”, Miranda said. Arnold looked embarrassed. “I used to write letters to Janet.

Still remember them?” Everyone around the table laughed.

Well it’s not my fault that I live now and you lived then, Miranda only just stopped herself from saying out loud. “Well what did you do for fun then?”

“Sport for me”, Henry said. Henry must have been 70 years old, with a stoop and grey hair. “I rowed at Cambridge. Took me to lots of parties.” Miranda tried to imagine Henry partying but couldn’t. “I have a brilliant story from one”, he said.

“Go on then”, said Miranda.

“I left one of these parties around four and on my way back I heard a noise in the courtyard. As I approached I saw a chap trying to get back into his college through a window. He was having trouble so I gave him a puddy up. Afterwards I realised it

was Prince Charles!”

“No!” said Janet.

“Reaaaallllyy”, said Hannah.

There was a pause. “Well I didn’t go to University”, Janet said. “When you were meeting Charles I was backpacking across the Sahara”.

“The Sahara?!” said Miranda. Soon Miranda was listening to tales of African tribes. The iPhone lay forgotten on the table. Stories flowed from everyone. They are not so boring, Miranda thought. Laughter lit up their faces. Tired bodies came to life. The lines on their faces weren’t wrinkles but wisdom lines, like the rings on a tree that multiply with age. Miranda asked question after question: “So how many people had cars? So who was your boyfriend Janet?” They were delighted to answer.

Each inquiry led a welcome visit to the past.

Miranda’s curiosity encouraged them to travel back in time. But she couldn’t travel back with them and soon became bored.

The radio buzzed. “Six o’clock news. Investigation of two men thought to be ISIS members is ongoing…” A car screeched outside. A blue message icon appeared on the iPhone and Miranda itched to reach for it. Janet rubbed her eyes like she was waking up from a dream. The old people exuded last breaths of stories with a tired “ah yes” or “that’s right”. Their wisdom-lines became wrinkles as the strings of memory connecting them to their youth broke. Their faces no longer radiated the experiences of another era but instead a tiredness of being not quite right for this one.

Miranda asked Arnold to pass the water and his arm reached like a wooden stick being controlled by a drunken puppeteer. “It’s fine, I’ve got it”, Miranda said, and caught the jug before it fell. She poured herself a glass of water and left for bed. Soon after, the Smiths left with Henry and kisses on cheeks. Hannah waved them goodbye with a grin that drooped as she thought of the washing-up.

In the back of the Smiths’ car Henry closed his eyes. Nostalgic images of Prince Charles still buzzed in his brain, and he ruminated on them with pleasure as if enjoying an after dinner mint to a meal. His head lolled against the back-seat. He fell asleep in the past. When the car stopped he woke up in the present. He felt sad but got on with opening the front door and putting on his slippers. Henry would travel back in time again. This time it would be a photograph or a walk in the park that would lead him back into a world he once lived in. For just a minute or two, that was enough. It had been tonight.

In the Northumberland cottage, Miranda pressed a wet-wipe to her face in bed. “What would my friends be doing at home?” She dropped the wipe on the ground and turned the light off. Today she had been a time-machine, but she didn’t know it. Tomorrow was a new day. She would have many more. And on one of them, when she was older, she would see a photo of the cottage. And she would be glad to travel back.

Marion Weaver

13

Television Farewell to Downton The Final Ever Downton Abbey Aired Over Christmas, Giving Everyone a Happy Ending - For Once

Melissa Haggar Suffice to say that Downton Abbey has had its fair share of disastrous endings, climactic Christmas specials, and suspicious servants. However, it all drew to a rather more pleasant conclusion on Christmas Day, with everyone seemingly getting their deserved happy ending.

occur, people die and characters become devastated. Ultimately, it’s a bit of a u-turn for the series, but a welcome one, as unsatisfactory endings to well-known programmes are remembered for many years to come. After all, no one wants to do a Dexter.

The everlasting estate and breeding ground for scandal has managed to take centre stage in the hearts of many viewers, who adore its period charm, grand aristocracy, and penchant for shocking and dramatic plot lines. The characters who traverse the halls of the great country house are beloved for their beguiling nature, unexpected actions and sassy attitudes (we’re looking at you, Dowager). It is perhaps a culmination of these elements that make Downton Abbey one of the most successful period dramas of recent years.

However, this may not be the conclusive end of Downton Abbey, with rumours arising and subtle gestures alluding to a cinematic venture in the form of a full-length film. All of this stems from executive producer Gareth Neame’s comments about being “very interested” in the prospect of a film, which then

The Christmas special (and ultimate finale) made sure to pay particular attention to those characters who have suffered the greatest misfortune over the six series, most notably Edith Crawley, the naive and somewhat depressing daughter of the Countess and Earl of Grantham. Edith was the subject of a few scandals and altercations across the series, particularly with her sister Mary, but this was all rectified in the finale as Edith finally got a title, a husband and someone who (albeit begrudgingly at first) accepted her illegitimate daughter, Marigold. She was also able to make peace with her sister after the death of Sybil, arguably the only person who could keep them in check. The decision to finally give Edith her happily-ever-after was long overdue, and it would have been utterly depressing to see another happy moment dash away from her life. Not exactly what you want to watch on Christmas Day. It wasn’t just Edith who got what she wanted: it was a happy occasion for all, with Anna delivering the child she had always wanted, Isobel rescuing Lord Merton from his bizarrely cruel relatives, and Thomas finally getting the coveted job as head butler, replacing Carson. For a series to give everyone such pleasant endings is rare, especially at Christmas time, as this is usually when car accidents

spiralled into a perfectly plausible possibility. Whether any of this ever comes to fruition is another matter, but Downton Abbey will be difficult to translate to the big screen, although it is certainly dramatic enough to pull it off. TV is a very different medium to film, and this could cause problems in making a singular feature that needs to fit coherently as one product, and not simply one elongated part of several others (take note, The Hobbit), which can feel disjointed and dull. Also, there is the inevitable question of what the basis of this movie will be? Will it be a oneoff special, or the first part of a trilogy;

a continuation of the current series or set many years in the future? These are some of the issues that will no doubt be on viewer’s minds, especially considering the potential for exploration into the series and the historical events that could simultaneously be covered in typically Downton fashion.

Whether Downton Abbey will ever make the leap to the silver screen remains to be seen, but it has certainly provided eager viewers with six series of tragedy, tension, temptation and truly stunning costumes and architecture, all of which should be commended.

Illustration: Dougie Dodds

14

Television And Then There Were Adaptations Celebrating Agatha Christie, the BBC Cooked Up Yet Another Adaptation of Her Most Popular Novel

Charlotte Gaines The BBC can always be relied upon to produce the best quality drama, as proven by their most recent effort; a bold adaptation of the bestselling crime novel of all time, Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None. Celebrating the 125th anniversary of the author’s birth, writer Sarah Phelps, who also wrote the BBC adaptation of J. K. Rowling’s The Casual Vacancy, triumphantly brings the 1939 novel to a new generation.

Shown over three consecutive nights, the drama featured a stellar ensemble cast, including Charles Dance, Miranda Richardson, and Sam Neill as ten strangers invited to the secluded Soldier Island by the mysterious Mr U. N. Owen. The tension and paranoia built up as each guest was accused of murder, and justice was served as one-by-one they were killed off until none remained.

This latest adaptation of Christie’s novel was an enjoyably dark drama with a chilling atmosphere, fantastic acting and the perfect amount of tension and intrigue to keep over-

indulged or hungover viewers gripped.

Yet, Twitter seemed preoccupied with another aspect of the drama entirely, that of the towel-clad wanderings of Philip Lombard, played by heartthrob Aidan Turner, famous for his topless scything scene in the BBC’s recent revamp of Poldark. Twitter users praised the invention of live pause and side-lined the murder mystery to flood the site with their passionate appreciation of the Irish actor, with some tweets equating his performance to a James Bond audition.

However, despite impressive Boxing Day viewing figures of 6m, the production had its fair share of critics who found entirely different talking points.

Tabloid Scrooges and Agatha Christie anoraks have condemned the adaptation’s use of ‘inappropriate themes,’ with the Daily Mail deploring the show’s portrayal of ‘drug abuse, gruesome violence and swearing.’ Dr John Curran, a Christie aficionado, expressed alarm at the inclusion of such ‘unnecessary’ and ‘appalling’ behaviour in the miniseries, stating Christie’s enduring appeal is due to her lack of ‘graphic death scenes,’ ‘violence’ and ‘bad language.’ Controversial elements of the series included the use of cocaine by hedonistic playboy Anthony Marston, a drunken revel by the guests and the portrayal of a sexual relationship between Lombard and Vera Claythorne, brilliantly played by

Australian actress Maeve Dermody.

The fact that none of these elements are explicitly featured in the novel seems to be the reason why this latest adaptation has ruffled the feathers of Christie purists, although they took no issue with other brutal, yet bookfaithful, elements of the series. These include the writer’s audacious decision to retain tragic character backstories of teenage pregnancy and child murder and the original bleak ending, rather than succumb to the sanitised story of previous adaptations.

The makers of the show challenged critics by arguing that the changes revealed elements of Christie’s most psychologically complex novel, teasing out a subtext already present within the book to appeal to a younger twenty-first century audience. Executive producer Karen Thrussell comments “I think it’s a very faithful adaptation but we take things a little further in some respects as it is 2015,” whilst director Craig Viveiros says the adaptation is “about turning the idea of a Christie on its head and pushing it forward to a new generation.” The vast majority of viewers expressed their approval of the mystery and high tension created by the production, and early whinging and condemnation seems to have been misplaced. Many viewers were more than happy to see the latest success of the BBC in updating and expanding upon a beloved literary classic.

Ultimately, And Then There Were None was a triumphant success for the BBC this Christmas. It smartly silenced critics whilst simultaneously updating the original novel with a gripping, disturbing and unflinching exploration of morality and brutality. This expansion on Christie’s novel is more befitting of twenty-first century television, viewers of which have by now seen an awful lot worse than some cocaine snorting and a single F-bomb.

Illustration: Dougie Dodds

15

Television Conan Doyle meets Inception Sherlock Takes a Trip Down Mind Palace Lane

Lucinda Swain Sherlock fans from around the world waited in anticipation for the special New Year’s Day episode ‘The Abominable Bride’. Sherlock’s first new adventure since 2014’s series three finale ‘His Last Vow.’ We were teased for months with images of meerschaum pipes, Inverness capes, and of course the iconic deerstalker, but much of the storyline was kept under wraps.

This new tradition of a festive edition had been predicted to draw in ratings of over 13m, with it being released in both cinemas and the US. However, there has been very much a mixed response to this year’s episode. Like any other show with a hardcore fanbase, the analysis of the show was unforgiving, with debates on social media as to whether this ‘TV event’ actually added anything to the storyline. Some voiced their dislike of the over use of Moriarty; others complained of the ‘it was all a dream’ scapegoat twist. There was also criticism of its portrayal of the feminist movement, with the writers being accused of ‘mansplaining’. Of course, some of this negative response is due to the dedicated fans high expectations, yet some claimed that the writers’ self-referential inclinations were condescending to the viewers. The flashbacks (and forwards), Inception-esque dream elements, unreliable narratives, and extreme plot twists, seemed to lose even the most attentive fans.

On the other hand, the performances lived up to the show’s usual high standards with Benedict Cumberbatch, Martin Freeman, Una Stubbs, Louise Brealey and Andrew Scott’s superb acting. The Victorian sets were exceptional and a perfect one-off festive indulgence. The actors all seemed to have enjoyed making the episode with plenty of in-jokes, such as the opening scene, a nod toward where it all began, with a live-action Sherlock recreation that saw an alternative meeting of Sherlock and Watson. The case, that of a bride returning from the dead to wreak havoc on those who had wronged her, was gripping. There were subtle clues hidden

throughout the episode as to the reason behind her rampage. The witty banter was a high point and there was a rather astute acknowledgment as to the lack of credit given to women, such as how women were rarely mentioned in Watson’s accounts.

Whether the most highly-anticipated TV show of the last two years garnered great reviews, disappointed others, or left you unsure of what happened and whether or not you even liked it, there’s little doubt that most can take away something from the episode, either from the acting, or brilliant costuming and scenery.

After all, isn’t most festive TV a little ‘overdone’ anyway?

And it remains that we’re all just as excited for 2017’s new series, now that after this ninty minute episode Sherlock has come all the way… off the plane.

One thing’s for sure: it has proved that the character of Sherlock will live on, either in Conan Doyle’s original Victorian London, a modern-day London, or somewhere in between.

Maybe the only reason this episode was judged so harshly is because we love the show, and expect so much. After all, it is a very long wait between episodes!

Illustration: Lucinda Swain

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11/1 - nominations open get your voice heard 12/1 - give it a go day do different, now!

13/1 - sports wednesday kick start your new year 14/1 - societies fayre laugh, enjoy, grow 15/1 - housing day welcome home all week: a-list, damn good & more full programme coming soon

Gaming & Technology Happy Birthday Wikipedia Looking at the Past, Present and Future of Wikipedia on the Run-Up to its Birthday Stephanie Wilderspin We are the in-between generation.

We remember using cassettes as well as downloading iTunes for the first time. We remember taking disposable film cameras on school trips along with taking hundreds of photos on our iPhones. We also remember using the family atlas that still showed Germany as two countries to research a project, as well as printing out a Wikipedia page and hoping the teacher wouldn’t notice the hyperlinks we forgot to take out.

15th January marks the 15th anniversary of Wikipedia; the site that has become the trusted result in every Google search and the heavily distrusted source for every essay marker. It has not just aided many school projects, but also gives us useful information in our everyday lives such as what film do

we know that actor from or is that guy from that show still alive. Its interactive format, being created and edited by its users, means that there are articles on things that other encyclopaedias ignore, such as the Norwich Puppet Man or the historic Ed Balls Day. This has also lead to the display of beautiful writing and art, such as replacing Ukip’s page with a Labour poster on election day, or Leonardo DaVinci being credited for his work in the fields of art and science, as well as being the first black quarterback to win the Super Bowl and the inventor of Facebook.

With a site that is completely orientated around user writing and editing, the continued success and trust we hold in Wikipedia is surprising. With websites still being a very new yet plentiful invention, it

doesn’t take much for heavily popular sites, such as MySpace and Bebo, to fall into the abyss. For a website to make it to the age of 15 is in itself a huge achievement, but for a website that is mainly maintained by experts in the field, along with 13-year-olds trying to sabotage the bios of characters they don’t like, it is a true feat. With such an unusual website, in both format and content, you would have expected the concept to have crashed and burned after a few years. Yet it seems, despite the constant requests for donations, that Wikipedia is growing stronger and will continue to be around for a long time yet.

Wikipedia is the friend that gives you a lot of useless facts that you want to be true, but have to double check just in case. It’s a site we take for granted and don’t realise how much

we trust, for a website maintained mostly by the American general public. Wikipedia is a website whose future will either be a beautiful one to observe, or interesting to watch crash and burn within the next fifteen years. In the meantime, happy birthday, Wikipedia.

Thanks for doing all my year nine homework.

Fun FactWikipedia has over five million entries in English, as well as over 110,00 entries in 'Simple English' for those who are not adept at the language (or trying to complete their science homework).

The Best and Worst Star Wars Games A Glimpse Into the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly Chris Jones The Force Unleashed has been out for over a month now and you can bet the gaming industry will soon be flooded with new Star Wars games. Looking back at previous games from a galaxy far, far away it’s safe to say there are some real gems out there, but sometimes you have to pull through the garbage first. There are so many out there, but here are just a few of the best and the worst Star Wars games.

Starting with the bad side of things, we have The Force Unleashed One and Two. This bridges the gap between Episodes III and IV, following an unknown Jedi being trained by Darth Vader and tasked with helping him take down the Emperor to take control of the Empire. It wasn’t the worst game in the world but it certainly wasn’t

great. Lacking in real depth, the story just seemed to run out of steam when it had the most potential and it came to an abrupt end. However, the Force Unleashed Two really brought the series down. The story was pretty much the same, reviving the original protagonist as a clone who immediately becomes extremely strong with the force and turns to the light. At one point he takes down a Star Destroyer using the force, which seems impressive, but is clearly placed in the game as a large set piece designed to impress you. The story is even shorter than the first and the whole game is rushed. It definitely goes down as one of the bad ones.

looking for a good strategy game then look no further than Empire at War. The ground battles aren’t always the best but this RTS (Real Time Strategy) had great space battles.

The conquest mode is a lot of fun, especially when you can wield the power of the Death Star and just hop around the universe until every Rebel planet was destroyed.

However, all is not lost. There are many great Star Wars games out there. If you are

Of course you can’t talk about good Star Wars games without mentioning the

Looking a back a bit further in time there’s Star Wars Starfighter. This is a great little flight sim in which you take on the role of a pilot defending Naboo from the Federation.

It is really one of the better earlier flight sim Star Wars games and it even looked pretty good for its time.

original Battlefront. This is arguably one of the best Star Wars games in recent times and can even be considered as a huge influencer in modern first person shooters.

Battlefront was perfectly balanced as a first person shooter, the campaign was engaging and spanned across all six films. The class system, which has been adopted in later shooters, allowed for a variety of play styles and also kept that game interesting.

Even when the story was completed and before online gaming was big on consoles, Battlefront continued to be entertaining.

There are many other great and terrible Star Wars games, but there’s not enough time to mention them all, and with the new trilogy well on its way, it’s likely that we will be seeing more soon.

Illustration: Dougie Dodds

18

Gaming & Technology The Legacy of Runescape A Celebration of the Classic Online Role Playing Game Tom Bedford If you’re around the same age as me, then you likely grew up at the right time to enjoy certain things in their prime. To name just a few, there are the Harry Potter books, beyblades, and the TV show Raven.

Another name on that list, now celebrating its 15th birthday on 4th January, is the online game we all played when growing up: Runescape.

only creating the one game (unless you include Runescape’s different iterations), and has no blessing of Sony or Microsoft to protect them if they veer into dire straits.

Yet rather than crash and burn, Jagex has become one of the most successful indie developers ever - most employ 4 or 5 people, not 500, and, on top of that, Jagex takes in a yearly profit of nearly £20 m.

from the ‘free-to-play, pay-to-play-more’ method of payment that Runescape helped bring about. While it would take the credit from other free games to put this all down to Runescape, it is definitely the case that our playing of free Runescape when young has made us open-minded when looking at other free games when older.

Runescape has come a long way in those 15 years since its creation in 2001. It has over 200 m accounts created, and the daily player count can regularly exceed 90,000 players. The team working on it has grown from two brothers in their parents’ house, to a team of nearly 500 people in Cambridge. It’s now recognised by Guinness World Records not only as the biggest free-to-play MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game), but also as the most frequently updated, with new content releases almost every week. Given this, it would be more than fair to say that, alongside the likes of Total War, the Lego games, Grand Theft Auto, and Arkham Asylum games, Runescape is one of the seminal works of British gaming. Sadly, for some reason, however, most people don’t.

This success story hasn’t gone unnoticed by the industry. Whilst the MMO (Massively Multiplayer Online) genre was initially created as a high-expenses way of gaming, with the large cost of internet added to a cost-per-hour to play, Runescape was one of the first MMOs to be available to non-paying players. This completly revolutionised the genre, increasing the accessibility to those who couldn’t afford the cost of other games, or those who wanted to try the game before making an investment in it.

Fun FactRunescape was initially written to be a text-only game, until the Gower brothers decided to include graphics, and from there the game slowly began to take form.

When listing the most influential games made in Britain, people would list the aforementioned games, alongside Tomb Raider and the XCOM games, nearly all rather big-budget games published by corporations with the financial force and security to protect their games.

Runescape’s developer, Jagex, has none of those things. It’s self-published, primarily

Fun FactWhen censoring offensive words, chat filters originally substituted them with the word 'cabbage', as this was a vegetable the creators hated with a passion.

Skip forward to 2016, and free-toplay gaming like this is not just more popular, it is the trend. Games like Rift, Elder Scrolls Online and Tera all benefit

Before 2000, the British indie development community was nearly non-existent.

However, when Jagex, Firefly Studios, Introversion Software and other indie developers began producing games, the ball started rolling, and now many great games come from our islands - Plague Inc., Prison Architect and No Man’s Sky to name a few. This first wave of indie developers undoubtedly brought life into the British games scene, inspiring new developers and leaving a market ready for them. Runescape in particular is one of the biggest indie games, and has played a big part in revolutionising our idea of what an ‘indie’ game is, and making us question whether they necessarily have to be maller than triple-A games.

It’s a far cry to say that Runescape changed the world, but if you look at the roots of modern and British indie games, it’s a fair assessment to say that Runescape is an important part of the landscape of our games today. With any luck, the next 15 years of Runescape will be just as inspirational.

A brief break-down of Runescape’s history: 1998: The predecessor to Runescape, DeviousMUD, was created by brothers Andrew, Paul, and Ian Gower.

January 2001: Andrew and Paul Gower release the beta for Runescape.

December 2001: The Gower brothers and Constant Tedder form Jagex.

February 2002: The option for monthly membership is introduced to the game, allowing players who subscribed to gain access to new areas, quests an items.

March 2004: Runescape 2 was released, later becoming known simply as Runescape, with the original version being reneamed as Runescape Classic.

January 2006: Jagex banned 5000 Runescape Classic accounts for cheating.

August 2006: Runescape Classic was closed to new accounts.

July 2013: Runescape 3 was released

Credit: Jagex Wikia

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Film

Agatha A. Nitecka.

Coralie Bastiaens This poignant biopic of the transgender artist Lili Elbe, who was one of the first people to undergo sex reassignment surgery, and wife Gerda Wegener, is certainly one of the best movies to come out in the last year.

The film starts in a colourful early 20th century Copenhagen, where the couple lives a happy, affectionate, sensual marriage. Lili is still Einar Wegener, a successful painter especially renowned for his Nordic landscapes, while Gerda is struggling as a portraitist. One day, her ballerina friend is late for a portrait sitting and Gerda asks her husband to act as substitute. He obliges and playfully glides into her stocking and ballerina shoes, but his reaction makes it clear that this experience awakes long forgotten feelings. Later, he comments enthusiastically on Gerda’s new nightgown: “I might let you wear it,” Gerda teases, “I might enjoy it,” Einar replies.

Together, they enter this sort of erotic game and create the persona of Lili, a mysterious femme fatale. Gerda paints her and even convinces Einar to accompany her to a ball dressed as Lili. But after the portraitist finds her husband/Lili kissing another man, the couple gradually realizes that this is more than just a game and that Lili has changed their lives forever.

One of the most interesting aspects of this

The Danish Girl film is that both characters are given equal weight in their evolution, which is presented in parallel throughout the film. Even the title is ambiguous as to whom the story is truly about. Obviously Eddie Redmayne’s performance implies a greater transformation, which he succeeds beautifully, although his delicate hand movements and head tilting become exaggerated and slightly annoying as the film goes on. Alicia Vikander’s performance on the other hand is incredible.

Where Redmayne focuses on physicality, she concentrates on Gerda’s emotional journey and the strength of her performance lies in her subtlety. She masters the tragic portrayal of an independent woman who, by creating a muse, is losing the man she loves and her brave acknowledgement of the inevitability of this happening as well as her constant support for her partner.

In fact, women are represented in a very satisfying way. In a scene where a man sitting for Gerda explains his discomfort at being observed, she explains knowingly that “it is hard for a man to be looked at. Women are used to it. It’s hard for a man to submit to a woman’s gaze. It’s unsettling. All though there is some pleasure to be had from it. Once you yield”. Women are looked at not as objects of desire but as fascinating creatures that one cannot help but admire. And as Einar

strives to become Lili, we are reminded of the delights of womanhood which is an agreeable variation to their usual representation in dramatic films.

This film expresses a deep love for art, as every shot of a landscape, every reflection in the water looks as if they had been painted - or more particularly they remind us of Einar’s paintings. It is as if through his art he was recreating the world and making it his own.

There is a scene in a crowded Paris salon, where Gerda is exhibiting her series of Lili’s nude portraits, and the guests are astounded by her beauty with one of them asking Gerda if the enigmatic model has come to the party.

“I’m afraid she’s not here,” she replies, looking at her husband standing just a few feet away from her, smiling awkwardly. He looks around and sees his true inner self in his wife’s art and it is heart-breaking to watch as no one else realizes that it is him, or rather her, they are complimenting. Art becomes an effective tool of revelation for him and for the audience, and stands in high contrast with the brutal reality of his male physicality.

The director, Tom Hooper’s emphasis on aesthetics makes the film not only a delight to watch but also more relatable. It is more than just the story about gender but a reflection on appearances and representation in general,

making Lili’s inner turmoil understandable to the audience. It is impossible not to be moved by this story and these characters and will certainly open the minds of many when it comes to transgender issues.

+Poignant

Yes

+Beautiful aesthetic

+Alicia

Vikander

Delightful and daring, The Danish Girl brings attention to transgender issues in a heartfelt way, through excellent performances and direction.

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Film In the Heart of the Sea Gabriela Garcia-Huff Directed by Ron Howard, In the Heart of the Sea sets out to establish itself as an epic and visually striking adventure, based on the real life story that inspired Herman Melville’s Moby-Dick. The story is retold from the perspective of the last remaining survivor (Brendan Gleeson) of a whaling ship called the Essex and its encounter with a monstrous and vengeful whale in the Pacific.

Led by weathered seaman Owen Chase (Chris Hemsworth) and his moral counterpart and superior Captain George Pollard (Benjamin Walker), the crew of the Essex endures severe weather, starvation and animosity between their leaders, all in rigorous pursuit of this legendary beast. Eventually the fight for survival and unsettling questions of morality determine the fate of both the crew and whale.

While the film makes a valiant effort in its

Andreas Hadjivassiliou Watching the first quarter of Joy is like vicariously drowning. Her early life flashes before your eyes, moving forward and backward in time through childhood, work, family, romance. The tempo and style are strange.

Joy’s grandmother narrates, and she’s barely a secondary character never mind a primary one.

There are bizarre dream sequences involving a soap opera. Joy’s family are eccentric, singletrait obstacles. Yet it actually sort of works.

In fact, for the first half/three quarters of an hour, Joy is a lot like what would happen if Wes Anderson directed a biopic. It’s a showcase of familial quirks and odd social situations, all played deliberately sincerely. It has a dry humour to it, and is a little bit weird.

Then it settles down a bit, and in a way that’s to its detriment. The beginning may be unusually executed, but it has a certain consistency of tone that the rest of David O’Russell’s films lacks. Based on the true story of Joy Mangano, inventor of the miracle mop, the film never quite decides how tethered to reality it wants to be. It flits between daft and solemn too lightly to appreciate either.

The biggest problem emerges in the more emotive scenes. O’Russell’s script, while brilliant in places, doesn’t quite seem to know when to stop. There’s hammering a point home, there’s drilling it directly into someone’s

attempt at retelling this classic and beloved tale, the screenplay is its one irredeemable downfall. Based off the non-fiction works of Nathaniel Philbrick’s “In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex”, the film had a lot of information and story to work with. However, it found itself lacking in any real character development, as the majority of characters remained unlikeable and static archetypes throughout its entirety. Their actions and exchanges don’t veer far from the surface, with most of the attention being dominated by the historical construction and extravagant visuals.

Chris Hemsworth’s performance and physical transformation for the film is notable, but not much can be said for his attempted New Englander accent. Young newcomer Tom Holland, who is set to play the new

Spiderman in the upcoming Captain America films, delivers perhaps the most memorable performance, playing the cabin boy, Thomas Nickerson, aboard the tragic voyage. He represents the sense of innocence and morality amongst the crew and in this way becomes arguably the only true likeable character.

Its conclusion is predictable yet satisfying, leaving the audience not entirely regretting their decision to brave this spectacle of a film.

While characteristic of Howard in its technical and visual expertise, In the Heart of the Sea is unable to evoke any real or strong emotions within the audience. Its lack of complex or relatable characters completely undermines any visual marvel Howard constructs. Though its comprising set of actors is impressive, the film becomes more of a historical action flick than a serious and well-constructed drama.

+Visually striking

No

-Poor

screenplay

-Under-

developed characters Despite visceral appeal, the only depth to be found is in the ocean they sail.

Capital Pictures/ Jonathan Prime.

Joy face, and then there’s this. Occasionally characters (and sometimes the voice-over) just come right out and state the purpose of the scene you’re watching. Joy’s a creative child.

Life happens and her creativity lies dormant.

We see her read a book to her daughter about cicadas who hide underground for seventeen years. This fact bothers her. So you reckon she feels some kinship. Then comes a dream in which someone points out that Joy has hidden part of herself for 17 years. The connection had already been made. The overused mantra of screen-writing is ‘show don’t tell’. Joy sometimes falls into the odd trap of doing both simultaneously.

It’s worth admitting at this point that Joy is good. Sometimes really good. But it leaves you in a very odd place. It’s enjoyable, well-acted and places Robert De Niro in something not terrible, which is nice.

The QVC scenes and the interactions between Jennifer Lawrence’s Joy and Bradley Cooper’s Neil Walker showcase great chemistry between the leads.

Yet when you really try and think of specifics, most are bad. The voice-over is completely unnecessary and manages to add a misplaced supernatural edge to the narrative. The entire film seems to straddle

the line between quirky family comedy and melodrama, and some of said family seem to have been included solely to make Joy’s struggle seem a little bit harder. Despite this it still manages to be good. Perhaps that’s to the credit of O’Russell’s unusual style. It’s messy but never boring.

+Directorial

Yes

style

+Dream

team cast

-Uneven tone

Despite the fact that O'Russell's script doesn't seem to know when to stop, Joy is an inspiring story of creative woman.

Twentieth Century Fox.

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Film Crack, Cannabis and the Cinematic Experience A Look at Drugs in Film Dan Struthers Show excessive use of hard core drugs in films and you’ll be accused of glorifying them. Show fairly frequent use of milder drugs in films and you’ll be accused of suggesting that drug use is common place.

Can directors possibly portray drug usage in film while equally showing the negative consequences? The answer appears to be yes.

Take for example the drug and sex heavy Wolf of Wall Street, pretty much three hours of Leo consuming every narcotic under the sun, enjoying an orgy on a plane, and just having a smashing time, right? Critics fell over themselves to label Martin Scorsese’s 2013 film: a glorification of the drug fuelled lives of stockbrokers. However, while we witness the highs (quite literally) of DiCaprio’s Jordan Belfort, we are also shown equally how his lifestyle leads to a dramatic fall from grace, divorce – twice – as well as the subsequent jail sentence he has to serve.

Critics love to point to the impressionable youth of today who may be influenced

by Hollywood A-Listers like Leonardo DiCaprio devouring various drugs throughout the film. However, Scorsese’s

satirising of the outrageous behaviour stockbrokers indulged in must be put into context with scenes of Jordan Belfort endangering his children and alienating his friends and family as he is ultimately left with nothing, give or take a few million dollars.

Another black comedy revolving around drugs, which couldn’t be more different, is Trainspotting. An extremely optimistic film considering it’s about Scottish heroin users. The film’s message couldn’t be any clearer than Ewan McGregor’s motivational monologue which opens and closes the narrative; “Choose life. Choose a job.

Choose a career. Choose a family”. Okay, McGregor in question does state later “who needs reasons when you’ve got heroin” but watching his desperate struggle to overcome the Class A drug clearly highlights the dangers of heroin. Without spoiling this gem of a film for those who need to watch it, it handles issues of overdosing, addiction, and withdrawal beautifully with an uplifting end that does explicitly show drugs as an obstacle needing to be tackled.

Fingers crossed the sequel, which begins shooting this year, will be half as good in its handling of such difficult subject matters.

The film which is perhaps less tactful in its approach towards illegal drugs, to the extent where it might as well be called ‘drugs are bad, don’t do ‘em kids’, is Requiem for a Dream. While the film may be an extremely depressing watch, it clearly shows the negative deterioration that heroin has on the individual; both physically, psychologically, and in regards to quality of life. Grisly though it may be, Requiem stands head and shoulders above your average ‘drug film’ due to its thoughtprovoking parallel it draws between the lives of heroin users and a woman who overdoses on prescribed weight loss pills.

The woman, who is then required to endure electroconvulsive therapy, and her story question the dangers of such drugs given to us by doctors and how different they really are to Class A drugs.

Wolf of Wall Street, Trainspotting and Requiem for a Dream are typical, often at times bleak, films which explore the damaging effects of illegal drugs to differing extents.

Another genre which examines drugs, in a fascinatingly different tone, are your ‘stoner movies’. In the universe of stoner comedies the main character is usually your average

Joe who partakes in smoking a bit of weed occasionally and then finds themselves in a spot of bother, typically verging on the absurd or fantastical, over the course of the film. For example; take a look at the majority of Seth Rogen’s films where he is often typecast as the loveable loser who also happens to be a stoner at the weekends (Pineapple Express et al).

Perhaps the most famous stoner movie of them all is The Big Lebowski, a tale of a well-meaning yet extremely lazy marijuana user known as ‘the Dude’ who, typical of the stoner comedy genre, is swept up in a tale of kidnapping, mistaken identity and ludicrous characters. After all, he was just looking for his rug – which really did tie the room together. Lighter comedies, like the more recent Harold and Kumar films, provide a break from some of the preachier films about illegal drugs, but are potentially problematic in their acceptance of marijuana as a norm or suggesting it’s a way to escape everyday humdrum life. Considering this, there’s the age old argument: more people die from alcohol than weed. Perhaps in the future we could consider, to some extent, re-evaluating the use of other drugs like alcohol and tobacco in films.

Arnie, Inebriated

The Best Films to Watch While Drunk Charlie Levenson So you’ve got drunk, stumbled back into your home at four in the morning with a half-finished kebab in hand, and you’re feeling exhausted. But every time you shut your eyes you feel as if your head is spinning like crazy. Because of this, sleep is out of the question for a bit. With the kebab still in hand and lying comfortably on your bed or sofa, the only logical next step is to put on a film. This is where the important question comes up: what exactly can you watch and enjoy when you’re drunk?

The first thing to do is to rule out the films you’re all thinking of: comedies.Think about it, when you’re truly off-your-head drunk, do you actually understand anything anyone is saying? No, you do not. So there’s no way you’re going to be able to catch a joke or the quick quips that comedy movies are riddled with (although if it’s an Adam Sandler comedy, it’s proabably alright, as they likely

lack either of these). So forget anything that relies on a keen sense of hearing or any slither of comprehension, because it just isn’t going to happen.

So as you’ve probably guessed by now, it is indeed action movies you should be watching when drunk. But not just any old action movie. I’m talking about the crèmede-la-crème of action movies, the top of the top, the finest Hollywood has to offer – that is , of course, any action movie featuring Arnold ‘Arnie’ Schwarzenegger.

Now don’t get me wrong, Arnie films are fun even when you’re sober, but when you’re intoxicated they’re a whole other level.

When you’re drunk you just want to have fun, go wild - your endorphins are up and you need to satisfy this craving (unless of course, you’re drowning your sorrows in alcohol instead). So what better way to go

vicariously wild and immerse yourself in fun, than to watch Arnold Schwarzenegger absolutely kick-ass and shoot big guns and cause huge explosions? Try as you may to come up with a rebuttal, ultimately you just can’t argue with it. Think about it, you’re watching a film that is easy on the plot, requiring minimal to no thinking, whilst serving you a feast of glorious nonstop action. By none other than the greatest action star of all-time.

be relinquished - it works like a charm.

Furthermore, you’ll find your drunk-self more immersed in an Arnie action film than when sober you watched Inception. Your drunk-self will clap more at every instance Arnie saves the day than when your soberself clapped at the title shot of The Force Awakens. Your drunk-self will even cry more when Arnie saves all the kids in Kindergarten Cop than when your sober-self cried at the scene where Jack dies in Titanic.

Whether you’re watching him shoot bad guys in True Lies, or shooting bad guys in Predator, or even stab bad guys in Conan the Barbarian, you’re going to have a great time.

It will also serve to release any aggression you have, which comes with the intoxication.

Every time you see the muscle-ripped Arnie totally destroying a guy with one punch, all you have to do is imagine that it’s you doing the punching, and all aggression will

Arnie films are undisputedly the best films to watch when drunk. But seriously, it covers all the bases of things you experience when drunk: heighten emotions, wild-side being unleashed, aggression, etc.. So grab yourself a drink or two or five (and some tequila) and come get drunk with us at the Church of Arnold Schwarzenegger and sit back and be prepared to have some of the best drunk times you’ll ever have.

22

Film Editors' Pick: 2015 We Choose our Favourite Films of the Year Melissa Haggar

George Barker

1) Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation

Let’s face it, most of us weren’t expecting Tom Cruise to deliver another Mission Impossible film worthy of watching, but that’s exactly what he did with Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation. Perhaps one of the most exciting things about the film was that it had all the classical elements of an action film – lavish locations, thrilling chase sequences and plenty of charm – but didn’t solely rely on these to see it through. Rogue Nation always kept

me guessing, and had plenty of intriguing characters who were multi-dimensional and didn’t rely on old tropes, like Isla Faust, played perfectly by Rebecca Ferguson, as well as Benji (Simon Pegg) and of course, Ethan Hunt (Cruise). Ultimately, Rogue Nation had all the elements of the sublime action film, elements that I was expecting to find in Spectre, but surprisingly didn’t. Game, set, and match to Ethan Hunt.

2) Star Wars: The Force Awakens OK, let’s just get one thing straight – I hadn’t seen any of the Star Wars films until about a week before this came out. In a state of madness, I watched the original trilogy and prepared to thoroughly be indifferent to the new release (but of course, I’d go and see it anyway – it seems foolish not to). While the originals were just OK in my books (hold your pitchforks), The Force Awakens awakened the inner fan girl in me and I went absolutely crazy over this film. I was astounded by the epic space battles, intergalactic adventures

and the amount of diversity and terrific acting in the film – not to mention the fact that there was actually a female lead who was quirky, talented and smart. It had pretty much all the ingredients you (or at least, I) could ever want from a film and above all, it was thoroughly entertaining to watch – genuinely so – so much so, that I have seen it multiple times (something which I just don’t do). Suppose I should start writing my letter of thanks to Disney now.

Paramount pictures

to a truck clearly demonstrated. Furiosa (Charlize Theron) was one of the most badass characters I have ever seen on screen, and between her amazing shooting skills, killer robotic-arm and dedication to those around her, it’s difficult to pick what I love most about her. And if anyone wants to argue with me on that, they can meet me on the Fury Road.

Honestly, if you haven’t seen this delightfully dark comedy, stop what you’re doing, go home, and watch it now. If Birdman is anything to go by, perhaps Alexander Innaritu’s new film The Revenant will finally net Leonardo Di Caprio an Oscar.

A simple story to frame perfectly executed action set pieces; Mad Max Fury Road might just be the best action film to grace screens in the last fifteen years. The mad thrills of this film cannot be understated, as George Miller perfectly blends live action stunts with CGI magic for a truly ‘shiny and chrome’ experience.

The on face value of the plot may be simple, but the stories told by the world created in Mad Max speak volumes. Miller is

clearly a master of the art of ‘Show, don’t tell’. Hopefully the sequels will build on this insane world of Bullet Town and Gas Town, of marsh walkers and tribes of bad ass biker grannies. The score, created by Dutch composer Junkie XL, is an adrenaline fueled drum beat paired with the Doof Warrior’s mad flaming guitar riffs, and underlines the action with heady glee. All of these factors combined makes Mad Max: Fury Road a must watch film.

Fox Serachlight Pictures

This slick action comedy remained impressive even while displayed on a tiny screen with tinny sound as an in flight movie. The church sequence might even be my favourite action sequence of the year.

Both Kingman and Mad Max are prime examples of what modern action films have the potential to be, displaying vibrance and humour – they are not simply another grey

scale Bourne clone.

While it was nice to see some strong female characters, Kingman sadly undermined this slightly with a dose of ‘Classic Bond’ misogyny. Even so, Kingsman gave me perhaps my favourite Colin Firth performance. It seems he was born for the role of the chipper gentleman spy.

4) Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Inside Out benefits from a gorgeous colour palette, characters that have real substances and the personification of emotions with realworld applicability, that make the film difficult to ignore. Seriously, this must be like a child psychologist’s wonder dream. You go, Pixar.

5) Crimson Peak Having a bit of a penchant for gothic horror, Crimson Peak was definitely on my watch list, and I can say that it certainly didn’t disappoint. While I’m sure some will disagree with me on this, I found it to be an exceptionally beautiful and timeless film

no supprise that Birdman cleaned up at the oscars taking home Best Picture and three more of its six nominations.

3) Kingsman: The Secret Service

4) Inside Out I seem to make it a habit to go in films completely unaware of what is actually going to happen, but Inside Out was another one of these cases, and yet, the sheer imagination used to construct such beguiling and creative lands in a little girl’s head is thoroughly impressive.

Though it released late 2014 in the US, Birdman opened on the 2nd of January in the UK, sneaking it to the top of my list for both 2014 and 2015. I knew almost nothing about this film going in, but I was blown away. The trance like soundtrack and editing to create the appearance of a single shot for most of the film makes Birdman an enthralling and unique cinematic experience.

All the performances are excellent and it’s

2) Mad Max: Fury Road

3) Mad Max: Fury Road The top three choices for my list were tricky to arrange in order, and sufficed to say, Mad Max: Fury Road is one of the best films of 2015 (very close to the previous two). I had gone into it completely blind as to what would happen, and I was blown away by all of the vehicle pursuit sequences. I also found how it didn’t take itself too seriously refreshing, as a guirar playing man strapped

1) Birdman

I had hoped this might be the best film of 2015, but unfortunately an over reliance on audience nostalgia held the film back from greatness. In all honesty, we really didn’t need a Deathstar version three.

Nevertheless, The Force Awakens has given us a cast of brilliant new characters, and is a promising start to a new trilogy. Let’s hope that the trilogy is a bit more adventourous in the sequels, and expands the universe in new and exciting ways.

5) Trainwreck

that encapsulates everything Guillermo del Toro excels at. Blood, gore, and ghostly apparitions abounds, Crimson Peak is a like a vivid nightmare, but in the best possible way – it is full of horror, unnervingly exciting, and eerily memorable.

Walt Disney

Seeing this film was the most I’ve laughed in the cinema all year, and perhaps the best RomCom I’ve seen for a while. Amy Schumer’s writing and performance are hilarious, though the ending perhaps goes against the message of female empowerment

given by the rest of the film. Still while the ending was a bit ‘to get the man change yourself and dance for him as a cheerleader’, Amy Schumer and Bill Hader’s characters are so likeable, you just want them to get together.

Warner Bros

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