Venue 371

Ellie Robson Venue Editor

concrete.venue@uea.ac.uk Hello! Welcome to our last issue of the year, or in fact, the decade. I cant believe it’s almost December and, quite frankly, I’m not enjoying the miserable turn the weather has taken. Although I’m looking forward to going home and seeing the family at Christmas, I haven’t prepared myself for the cold Northern breezes which are far more brutal than Norwich. We’ve come a long way from our first issue in September, and I can’t believe that we’ve now done six! Whilst it’s satisfying to see every issue get better, as our writers improve and our editors gain more confidence, the really wonderful thing that has come along with Venue and Concrete this year is the friends I’ve made along the way. Cheesy, I know, but the Media Office has become a safe (and warm!) centre for me on campus to make the most of my last year alongside a very supportive team. We’re heading towards the most stressful weeks of the Autumn semester, so keep that lovely warm Christmas dinner in mind when you’re having daily breakdowns about your essays. Good luck to everyone, and we’ll see you next year!

Amelia Rentell Venue Deputy Editor

concrete.venuedeputy@uea.ac.uk Ho ho ho-w did we get here? It’s only basically Christmas! Where did September go? I don’t know, but I’m not mad. Bring on the mince pies I say. With only one month left to fulfill your resolutions, how do you feel about the end of year? Best year of your life? Mediocre? I think it’s been a crazy year with so much going on, it can be tempting to just want to get the rest of it over with but don’t forget to congratulate yourself for all your achievements this year. Honestly, who do I think I am? As the term comes to an end, I hope you’re not too stressed with deadlines to enjoy some festivities. Have you visited the light tunnel yet? That’s a good insta. But let’s not forget that Christmas isn’t great for everyone, and that’s okay. There’s a lot of hype about going home for the end of term but it’s not forever, and before you know it you’ll be back at UEA, buying your returners tickets, and getting freshers flu all over again. Good luck with the rest of term, don’t leave your work til last minute because the stress is awful. Be kind to yourself and enjoy the holiday spirit. We’ll see you on the other side, in a whole new decade.

Featured Articles:

Read Sam Hewitson’s write up of the new Sims 4 expansion and motivate yourself to finish your essays so you can do some guilt-free procrastination.

Have an opinion of what should be awarded the best album of the decade? Check out what our writers think on page 15.

SECTION EDITORS ARTS - Leia Butler

concrete.arts@uea.ac.uk

FASHION - Maya Coomarasamy concrete.fashion@uea.ac.uk

CREATIVE WRITING - Oliver Shrouder concrete.creativewriting@uea.ac.uk

02 Cover art: Jo Castle @reverseorangejuice

MUSIC - Lewis Oxley

concrete.music@uea.ac.uk

GAMING - Martha Griffiths concrete.gamingtech@uea.ac.uk

FILM & TV - Fin Aitken

concrete.film@uea.ac.uk

All things Christmas For as long as I can remember, my favourite festive literature has been JRR Tolkien’s Letters from Father Christmas. Every Christmas, children write to St. Nicholas about their wishes. This book tells us what he would say if he could write back to our letters. Some years, he would have illustrated multi-layered letters with a handmade stamp. In others,

he was busier, only passing the briefest snippets of the news.

Patrick Heron (1920-1999), one of the most innovative artists of the 21st century, produced this vibrant and bustling brush and pencil piece in 1951. Figures dance and candles flicker on the canvas, which depicts Heron’s Christmas Eve. Colours undulate into the foreground, emanating from the pianist in the left corner. Familiar scenes of Christmas resonate with the viewer; at the painting’s two compositional incidences are paralleled girls. The first, to the left,

holds a wreath cake with tall candles which illuminate her face. The second, to the right, gazes down at her doll, a likely wished-for present received on Christmas Day. Festive spirit pours off the canvas. The pianist’s music can be heard harmonising with the laughter of children. The painting is intimate, with the night seen drawing nearer through the windows in the background. We are welcome guests at the occasion; this is Christmas to me.

Filled with pages of his messy handwriting, the book expands on the traditional stories of Santa Claus and his cosy factory in the North Pole. It gives us a glimpse of his accident-prone Christmas “helper” the North Polar Bear, his

rambunctious goblins and his elves with their distinct alphabets. As a child, I was enamoured by the beautiful art that decorated its pages. Looking back at it now, I am entranced by the degree of social commentary on the times, from the Great Depression to the Second World War.

Monique Santoso

Bea Prutton

For me, The Nutcracker is a festive classic to read cosied up by the fire on Christmas Eve. It’s a tale of magic, warmth, hope and love, and we all used to think our toys came alive and went on crazy journeys when we weren’t there. I love this story because it never fails to bring the spirit of Christmas to any soul. It’s a whimsical fairy tale with mystique, adventures and far off lands. I think that’s exactly what makes it so

timeless. The Nutcracker truly captures a child’s wonder at this time of year and makes me remember what it felt like to be a child waiting for Christmas. It creates an aura of dreamlike joy and perfection, and you can picture the scenes with their vibrant colours in your head. It also can’t hurt that it inspired a breath-taking ballet that everyone should experience; really, it’s just amazing.

Nerisse Appleby

Images: Pixabay (above), Public Domain Pictures

Let It Snow or Let It Go? Is it only appropriate to read/look at arts themed around Christmas at this particular time of year? 55.5% yes

44.5 % no

A Christmas Carol battle For

What built a community of firesides, joyous pleasure, stories of goodwill and ghosts better than Charles Dickens’ 1843 novel A Christmas Carol? It is in every line a wonder, a classic. Written in prose more whimsical than a Bublé album, it embodies excitement from me whether read or spoken. It is put forward as the genesis of modern Christmas, the views of a working-class writer who reached business owners and royalty of how one day of the year needs to be magical for all. It is a ghost story, where spirits of time teach us to reflect, enjoy and look forward to a season we cycle through year after year. It is a redemption story of Dickensian style, how no human is purely evil, and we can come to change and accept. It is a hardcover spell sitting straight on my bookshelf, one of two copies, waiting for me to come back and open it to that bleak opening, “Marley was dead” and concluding hopefully with that call for happiness “God bless Us, Every One!”

Fin Little

04 Image: Pixabay

Against

A Christmas Carol is a classic, I understand that, but just because it is a classic, doesn’t mean it isn’t also incredibly boring. With long passages of description and a very unlikable main character, the story is an arduous read. The ghosts don’t add the Christmas spirit, they are just a belated spillage from Halloween, and I find it difficult to connect with a story so founded in fantasy. I can appreciate that the ending is wholesome, though quite unrealistic, but I just find it hard to connect with a story which has such negativity through the majority of the novel. Christmas is a time of joy and happiness, so I don’t want to read a story about a grumpy old man making everyone’s lives miserable. Though Dickens redeems Scrooge at the end, to give a somewhat happy ending, save yourself the trouble of reading something so gloomy and make some mince pies instead.

Leia Butler

Interview with Rachel Sargeant Rachel Sargeant, is quickly rising the ranks in psychological thriller novels, with her her novel ‘The Perfect Neighbours’, becoming a top ten Kindle bestseller. Now she talks to us ahead of the release of her upcoming novel, ‘The Roomates’.

els than you.’ However, she did have to rely on her children’s experience when it came to the social side, particularly ‘vodka pre-s, Snapchat, nightclubs, kebabs and Ubers at 5am.’ In fact when drafting her novel, she did visualise her daughter as the lead character, Imogen. However Sargeant says that ‘As soon as I got onto rewriting and expanding the plot, the character took on a life of her own, nothing like the real person. Only the blonde hair stayed the same. I don’t think I could base characters on real people. Apart from it being unethical, I wouldn’t be able to make real people do what I want them to do in the story. Some of my characters get up to grim or outrageous things.’

Sargeant’s new novel revolves around a university campus and explores the story of a stalker. Packed with darkness and grip, Sargeant sums the book up in 3 words. Secrets, trust, and danger. She found her inspiration when visiting her son and daughter at university. ‘I saw real potential in a psychological thriller that featured a university setting with lead characters who were freshers, away from home for the first time.’ After writing four novels, Sargeant has read a lot of readers reviews. She says: ‘What I’ve learned is that every reader has their own unique experience of reading a book. It’s been both enlightening and exciting to discover that no two people will read a scene in the same way. All I can do is write a story that I would like to read in the hope that my taste isn’t wildly different from that of most other psychological thriller readers.’ Producing a polished novel can be difficult, especially when trying to form a psychological thriller novel, but Sargeant has a method of making sure her work is on point. ‘I’m lucky to have three writing friends that I met as fellow students when we did our MA in Creative Writing. The course finished four years ago but we still show our first drafts to each other. I use their trusted advice to make my scenes clearer, hopefully. I also rely on my editor at HarperCollins to point out when I’ve gone off piste. He has a good idea what HarperCollins thriller readers are looking for.’ Image: The Sargeant Family

As the novel is set around a university setting I wondered if Sargeant molded the novel around her own experiences, or that of her children who have attended university. She says that ‘I think some university experiences are universal and don’t change over the years. The nervous excitement on moving-in day. All the other new arrivals looking as if they know what they’re doing and quickly forming groups, sharing jokes and laughing, while you clutch the jiffy bag containing your room keys, pretending it’s taking your full attention.’ Sargeant seems to recall her own university experiences when she continues: ‘Meanwhile your parents make a loud and running commentary on everything they see. Then you die cringing as they speak – speak – to other freshers, asking what courses they’re doing and whether they’ve travelled far. And later, when the course starts, you are the only one who can’t find the lecture theatre and have to walk in late on a sea of faces all staring at you. You’re convinced the lecturer hates you and everyone seems to have better A’ lev-

Reminiscing about her student days, Sargeant says, ‘We went to the pub for cider and a warmedup pasty, and possibly onto a ticketed party at the students’ union. We’d go out about 7pm and be home again soon after midnight. No one used taxis. We either walked or used the student union minibus. We made all plans in person as the only phone was a callbox on campus which always had a queue.’ I always wonder if authors write for a specific purpose, and hoping readers take a specific message away from their work. For Sargeant, she says: ‘Because each reader is unique, I’d like them to take away whatever they hoped for from the book. They could be entertained, moved, pleasantly surprised or maybe a little scared – but in a good way, not in a sleepless night kind of way. Although The Roommates deals with emotional themes and there are some tense scenes, I would like readers to enjoy the experience of reading it.’

Leia Butler

2010’s: a fashion retrosepctive The sartorial habits of our fashion forebears from decades past can often be visualised in the form of a handful or so defining garments. When one says 1920s, one thinks of flapper dresses worn to Charleston in and a penchant for bobbing one’s hair. When one says 1980s, one visualises luridly bright leg warmers, and impossibly hairsprayed hair a la Madonna in the music video for ‘Like a Prayer’. When one mentions the noughties, one obviously casts one’s mind back to Paris Hilton’s figure hugging, belly-button revealing baby tee, proudly emblazoned with ‘Stop Being Poor’ across the front. But when, in decades to come, fancy dress parties which pay homage to the 2010s are hosted, what sort of caricaturish outfits will attendees don? What are the defining looks that have shaped and will continue to shape fashion trends to come? The answer is less in a defining aesthetic, and more in a changing culture. The 2010s have not consisted of stand-out garments that have had enduring appeal, for we live in a culture of instantaneity wherein social media allows an item of clothing (see: cycling shorts) to blow up overnight. Gone is the age of iconicity wherein an item

stands the test of time, in a decade of ultra fast fashion retailers and content creators prancing about in an endless stream of new items across our phone screens, an item is only desirable for a transitory moment. Shoppers are

engaged in an endless acquisition of garments, according to what looks are currently being promulgated by influencers. Our favourite youtubers proudly proclaim their £200 hauls at brands that have paid them to show off that week’s trending looks, only to do yet another haul at a new retailer the following week.

The Kardashian clan, surely, have a lot to answer for. With business at brands like Pretty Little Thing and Nasty Gal booming, Orsola de Castro, of group ‘Fashion Revolution’, claims the day has come when Topshop looks like couture. Fast fashion retailers have allowed high street clothing to be considered quality in comparison to their own cheap and cheerful wares. Retailers watch eagle-eyed over the social media feeds of the Kardashians and co, until a post blows up. Fans loving Kylie Jenner’s pink dress as worn to her birthday party, but unattainable for the average joe, costing a cool $5k? They produce a replica, this time, costing no more than the price of a Deliveroo dinner. Throw in a 2-4 week turnaround, minimum wage (or less) for those creating the garments, and the acquisitive lifestyle of the Kardashians can be mimicked; new outfits are affordable, an ever-changing look achievable, only this time without a luxury price tag: these clothes are quite literally cheap as chips. Reality television beams images of extravagant lifestyles into our homes - exorbitant, lavish, acquisitive - the average viewer can only but dream

Image: Unsplash

2010’s: a fashion retrosepctive of recreating such outfits, owning such wardrobe space or having such funds to shop to their heart’s content. The BBC’s ‘Breaking Fashion’, a sixpart documentary behind the scenes at In the Style, featured one clip in which the brand’s owner claimed fast fashion brands weren’t all the same. He was eager tow point out that he tries to ‘challenge’ this notion of them as unsustainable, thoughtless and uncaring with regards to the environment and the wages and costs down the supply chain

which allow them to sell their items for such affordable prices. In one episode, a picture Kylie Jenner has posted on Instagram in a mesh swimsuit goes wild. In the Style wants to offer a cheap version. In the following scenes, a 14 day turnaround is demanded of the supplier, in which costs are kept low and unsociable hours are necessary for the task to be achieved. Though the 2010s have seen a vast change to the cultural landscape of fashion and shopping, it leads one to ask, for what? The swim-

suit will sell well, customers will be satisfied at being able to achieve a little bit of the Kylie Jenner lifestyle for themselves. Next week, next month, however, and the swimsuit will be forgotten, sent to landfill or left to collect dust along with other 15 minutes of fame garments in the bottom of a chest of drawers. Though the 2010s have been significant, they have not been iconic, and perhaps there is something to mourn about this loss of value placed on clothes, loving them for more than a minute.

The festive season has arrived! And with it comes the all-important Christmas themed parties you’re inevitably invited to year after year. It’s hard to look undeniably fabulous every time you endeavour to leave the house. Especially on a student budget. So, here is your guide of how to stay stylish this season without breaking the bank.

bold as sequins but guaranteed to add some sparkle. For the perfect high street sparkle, head to New Look or Primark. They have a range of sequined tops for as low as ten pounds. Velvet is also making a comeback. Yes, the stylish but controversial material is back for Christmas. Velvet is difficult to dress, and although it can look classy and Christmassy; it has the potential to look cheap. While bright colours make a statement, sticking to deep tones is always a great way to play it safe if you’re trying it out. To accessorize, keep it simple. The material is a great statement, so don’t add too much to it, delicate jewellery and a clutch is a great way to accentuate any velvet moment. Prettylittlething.com has all your velvet needs this Christmas, and with their 50 dresses for £5, how can you say no?

make you stand out. A lot of people have opted for satin dresses, I love this look, but another great way to wear it is Satin trousers. A high-waisted satin trousers with a blouse, cute cropped top or bralette is the perfect outfit for a Christmas meal. Missguided.co.uk have some great Satin looks…and 25% student discount through Student Beans, why not treat yourself this Christmas?

For as long as I can remember, Christmas has been synonymous with glitter, sparkles, and a bit of glitz and glamour. This year is no different. One way to dazzle is to find the perfect sequined outfit; whether it’s a sparkly top, dress, or shoes, you’re bound to shine this season. The great thing about sequins is how diverse they are. Anyone can wear them, and you can recycle this outfit throughout the Christmas season. From your university social to New Year’s eve, this trend is a must. If you’re not too keen on sequins, you could also opt for lurex. Not quite as Image: Unsplash

Glitz and Glam

Imogen Carter de Jong

Another trend this Christmas season is Satin. This trend is stylish, classy and bound to

Alethea Farline

Online Shopping: Are we obsessed? Do you hide your purchases so that no one sees them? Do you have trouble keeping track of your budget? Are you running out of room to store all your purchases? If you answered yes to the above questions, you might have an addiction to 21st century’s latest trend: online shopping. It is not surprising why online shopping is the preferred method of shopping for most people today. With search engines that can look for anything you want at any time, the lack of queues, and the ease of price comparison, it certainly beats going out to the store to get your necessities, especially in the cold winter. Nevertheless, growing research by psychotherapists at Hannover Medical School in Germany states that online shopping addiction is real and could correlate with higher levels of depression and anxiety. ‘Buying-shopping disorder,’ the term given to extreme preoccupations with and craving for shopping and identity-seeking urges to possess consumer goods, might have its own classification as a ‘mental health condition’ due to the numerous youths experiencing the addiction in recent years.

Aside from its psychological implications, the question of how green online shopping is, comes to mind. On the surface, shopping online may seem good for the environment: it eliminates the need for car trips and associated vehicular emissions. However, the fleets of delivery trucks that are required to transport your shopping from warehouses to homes contribute substantially to the burden of fine particulate matter, which is associated with significant adverse effects on human health. Moreover, to meet the needs of millions of online shoppers, big brands have succumbed to fast fashion to deliver clothing trends manufactured quickly – through synthetic fabrics – and inexpensively – from countries with terrible working conditions – to yield as much profit as fast as possible. With Black Friday just around the corner and internet sales projected to increase, it is important to ask ourselves whether it would be better instead to visit charity shops over simply “adding items to cart.”

Monique Santoso

Long live the Christmas jumper Christmas jumpers: Warm, cosy, and seasonally appropriate. What’s not to love? While there are some Christmas jumpers out there that do tend to deviate a little on the tacky side, most Christmas jumpers are like a warm hug. Even if they are tacky, that’s part of the magic, what fun is Christmas if it can’t be big, bold and beautiful. 1) Christmas jumpers keep you warm Soft and snuggly, jumpers are necessary for the icy winter months, and if you are going to wear a jumper, why not wear a Christmas one? Christmas only comes around once a year, so if you really think about it, they are an exclusive item. I’ve never seen a Christmas jumper that isn’t thick and snuggly and that is exactly how they should be. Combat cold with the Christmas spirit. 2) You can go as simple or wild as you like with the design

Image: Unsplash

One of the best things about a Christmas jumper is how many options there are. Whether

you want one with snowflakes, a reindeer, Santa or a little snowman, I can guarantee you will find one as plain or as dramatic as you desire. Christmas jumpers can be so unique, and they are a great way to show off your personality through festive fashion. 3) At least one person will always compliment you on wearing one. It’s not all about wthe compliments, but everyone knows that Christmas jumpers are the cutest. Whenever I see someone wearing a festive jumper, I can’t not tell them I love it. Seeing people celebrating the festivity gets me so excited for Christmas, and I love to see people having fun and getting in the spirit. Any excuse to talk and think about Christmas is a plus for me. Look cool, yet stay warm with a Christmas jumper. Don’t be a scrooge; enjoy the Christmas spirit with a smile!

Leia Butler

His Last Gift

She found his letters in a black chest in the attic, the morning after his funeral. Her eldest told her to be careful, but as soon as she found out her husband had left her something, no rickety stairs or cobwebs could deter her. She sat cross-legged in front of the chest and unlocked it. The old thing swung open with surprising ease. The sight of the content almost overwhelmed her – it was all the things she’d thought were lost. Here was his old football jersey. A faded pink tie. Postcards from their travels… She gasped when her hand found a copy of Wuthering Heights. Their favourite book. “Oh, Frank,” she whispered to the musty air, torn between delight at this newfound gift and the grief that still loomed like thunderstorm over her. This painful, ruthless grief. She remembered scolding him for collecting rubbish, but sitting here now, she was grateful for his stubbornness. She went through the knick-knacks, relishing each memory, until she found the leather-bound box with her and his initials embossed. This was it, his last words. Her hands trembled as she opened the box, emotions flooding the world out. There was only her, and there were these letters she held. The first piece was a ripped page from a university newspaper, dated 2 December 1958. The headline read ‘Campus Football Star Finally Proposes to High School Sweetheart’. She didn’t have to look at the picture to know that it showed a group of grinning boys from the university football team holding a huge banner with her name, marry me and a question mark with little hearts. In front of them, a young man on his knees was captured mid-action opening a ring box. The ring that still sat around her wrinkled finger, sixty-one years later. She smiled and unfolded the first letter. The first of sixty-one others, all written on the day of their anniversary, paragraphs upon paragraphs of his neat cursive. My Dearest Lenny, the letter opened. I hope you’re reading this many years later, which means we’ve both kept our promise of forever. This morning we made our vows, until death do us part. I don’t know which of us will be the first to leave, though if you’re reading this, I might have left. I’m sorry. That’s all I can say. I don’t want you to mourn, my love, I don’t want you to spend the rest of your life in misery. Honor me by moving on. Whenever you feel the urge to cry and shut the whole world out, remember us instead. Remember all the memories we’ll have made, the good life we’ll have built. If you’re young still, find someone else and fall in love again. Be happy. From this day, I will write you a letter every year, even until it takes me two hours to find a pen and two more to remember how to write. But I will remember that I’m writing this for you. Anyway, enough about death. It’s weird writing about dying when I’m barely 22… And the first letter went on. She choked back her tears, forcing a smile despite her pain. Classic Frank, leaving her surprises when she least expected it. She read the next one, and the next, and the next. The letters varied. Some were many pages long, others short and sweet, while the last few bore only her name, three simple words and a poorly drawn signature. She wanted nothing more than to stay up there and read all his letters, devour them like it would bring him back, bury herself among his words and presence. But that was exactly what he wanted least for her. So she forced herself to close the letters and took a deep breath. From the house, she heard footsteps and boyish laughter. That would be her child and their boys. She struggled to stand to her feet, knees shaking with effort, but she felt herself smile when she finally closed the chest. This time it wasn’t forced. Clutching the box of letters close to her heart, Lenny walked out of the attic.

Image: Unsplash, Liam Truong

Erica Fransisca

The Attic Head The ceramics teacher wanted to make mothers of us, ‘Make yourself in your image,’ and we all got to work, squeezing these wet slabs, pressing, thumbing, stretching lids over eyes, strands over scalps, building a mirror from the dust that layered every hand. Back from the kiln, the ward, its birthing heat, and I felt horror: this head, me (once), stared up from a Morrison’s bag, split lips like a wound over clay teeth, hair grafted over cold skin. A Darwinist likeness, smiling out, asking for a lick of paint to slip some human back. Crying, I yelped at Mum to stuff it up in the attic, amongst the empty webs, amongst the shell of an old wasp’s nest, shelved away like a forgotten book, lazily propping a stringless guitar. The mimic found itself dug up years later, embalmed in soot, ageing only where the creak of the house stole a hunk of ear, and in seeing this ghoul part of me thinks it contains more of me than scattered thumbprints and dented eyes, cut to completion but never complete, and years beyond recognition.

Oliver Shrouder

Images: Flickr, Adrian Cook (left), Alexfrlepr, Pixabay

Rodent You came alive in our half-awake dreams Etching your way into consciousness through a tunnel of ears Past the stairwell into other human passages. Your claws ate into the floorboard and teeth Itched away at the chemical lining It made the ceiling cry out Every movement brought voice Half-squeaks and higher tones, taking tension Saved for screams, muffled by asthmatic lungs Taking breaths. Etching warrens From asbestos walls that shed The same snow stowed away as food Fragrant of stale cotton and cold starch That scrapes as it is swallowed Collecting into tracks of your thin ventricle throat Choke. Let your eyes dilate and ooze, Pointed nostrils dry heave and tremor Feel a purer hunger, half-forgotten. In wanting something not plastic, nor filing A waft in the air that should only taste like you, Dead skin and dreaded fur, dirt and sweat thick as pellets.

Maddi Hastings

Granny’s in the Attic Mum and Dad say Granny is buried in a cemetery next to Grandpa and Aunty Susan. They say she died in her sleep on Sunday night, and was buried on Wednesday morning. They say she died of old age. They’re wrong. I don’t want to say they’re lying, but they’re wrong. Granny told me this on the Friday evening after she was buried, when I found her in the attic. Dad had been in the garden, on the phone to his boss. Mum was downstairs, fetching a torch. But I didn’t need a torch. The light from the upstairs corridor lit up her face. She was smiling. She put a finger to her lips and told me to shush. Mum called for me from below, asking for help finding a torch. When I looked back up, Granny was gone. Mum and Dad say Granny was very confused at the end. Apparently, she had dementia, and that meant she was always confused. But Granny didn’t seem confused when she taught me where to step, and where not to step, in the attic. She knew I had done well in my spelling test on Thursday, even though I hadn’t even told Mum and Dad. She wasn’t confused when she explained that, no, she wasn’t a ghost or a zombie or a vampire. She said she was hiding in the attic because there were bad people after her. I had to keep it a secret because Mum and Dad might be involved. So I didn’t tell anyone. Not even Sally at school, and I tell her everything. I’ve seen Granny three times now. I’ve brought her cookies, leftover supper, and some smelly brown drink from Dad’s secret cupboard in the kitchen. She liked that drink a lot. Sometimes she calls me Rachel (my Mum’s name). She tells me off for not doing the dishes or coming home late. When I tell her that I’m not Rachel, I’m her granddaughter, she smiles, and says she was joking. I don’t find it funny, but I don’t tell her that. Mum says it’s always better to laugh than to be mean. We talk about all the adventures we’ll go on when the bad people give up and leave her alone. I told her I want to go to London, to see the Queen in Buckingham Palace. She tells me she wants to visit Dorset, to see the house she grew up in. Maybe one day we’ll have time to do both, she says. I doubt it now, though. I haven’t seen Granny in a week. On my third visit, I stepped in the wrong spot in the attic. It made a loud creaking sound. I heard Mum and Dad running from their bedroom, to the attic ladder. They climbed up and they both said my name in their angry voice. I tried to hide Granny, but she wouldn’t move. So I told them everything: about Granny in the attic, the bad people, the brown drink (Dad looked very angry at that bit). When I finished, Mum made a sad face and Dad sighed. They told me Granny wasn’t in the attic, that she was no longer with us. They said sometimes people miss someone so much, and wish so hard to see them again, that they think they can see them, even if they’re not there. I asked them if they could see her. They said no, I was by myself in the attic. Me, some cookies, cold chips, and Dad’s drink. They took me for an ice cream the next day. I pretended I believed them. If they are with the bad people, I still have to pretend. But I know Granny is still up there, in the attic. One day, we’ll go to Buckingham Palace and Dorset. I just wish she stopped hiding.

Rahul Mehta

Image: Unsplash, Mika Baumeister

Coldplay: Everyday Life Review Made up from two halves, Sunrise and Sunset, ‘Everyday Life’ features sixteen outstanding songs. It’s Coldplay’s newest album released on 22 November. The album comes four years after ‘A Head Full of Dreams’, and features a mix of instrumentals, gospels and experimental music. This album exceeds expectations by encompassing everything from classic Coldplay vibes, to new sounds to create a unique and culturally diverse sounding collection.  My personal favourite on the album is ‘Church’, which immediately stuck out for me from the very first note. It has a lovely opening which reminds me a little of ‘Adventure of a Lifetime’ and has the same

powerful sound. The guitars are beautiful, and I love the lyrics and how they are blended into the music. The chorus and bridge are sung and produced so effectively and are standouts from the entire album.  Coldplay experiment on this album, particularly with an emphasis on political messages. ‘Guns’ is a powerful song which discusses gun violence in America. Lyrics such as ‘the judgment of this court is we need more guns’ echo modern-day political views, and the song is one of the most relevant and important ones from the album. ‘Trouble in Town’ explores racial inequality and though the lyrics are simple, the message comes

across clearly. The songs are such powerful food for thought. ‘Champion of the World’ is a touching tribute to the late Frightened Rabbit frontman Scott Hutchison. The song discusses the issues of depression.  These songs are the most important on the album, and I applaud Coldplay for raising these issues.  Coldplay has delivered a sensational album that celebrates and explores all parts of life. ‘Everyday Life’ is so important and will be one of the best things you’ve listened to all year. The album is a message from Coldplay about the world around us and inspires a reflective tone on the world and how we should be living and treating others.

Leia Butler

I Give You Music - The 4th Wise Gift at Christmas

Christmas is usually centred around three big things: food, company and presents, a scenario that will be familiar to families across the country. But if there is one huge thing in the atmosphere at this time of year, it is of course music. A typical Christmas morning for me, is to turn the nob on the radio and tune in to 6 Music for their 3 wise women show for an eclectic music mix to go and complement a day of festivities. It is easy to see that music has played a huge part in the shaping of the modern notion of Christmas, something that stems back from the centuries of gospel hymns, to the sharing of Silent Night during the Christmas truce of 1914 on the Western Front to the invention of the Christmas pop song and with the usual appearances Image: Flickr

from Band Aid, Slade, Wizard and Wham! keeping the spirit of Christmas alive through pop music in the 1970s and 1980s, the end of the year brings out some of the best (and worst) in musical variety (looking at you Mr Cowell). But with the decline of the charts dictating our musical habits, popular music has adapted to serve our needs in more inventive ways to get us in the Christmas spirit. Spotify playlists dedicated only to Christmas, for example, provide an instantaneous aspect to the festive season We usually get a very mixed bag each year of songs that are being force fed to us, but despite this appearing slightly naff year on year, it does show that Christmas couldn’t possibly do without it, it is just

part of what Christmas in the modern era is. Christmas has seemed to serve its purpose, its task now is to keep itself relevant in the decades ahead, a daunting task that should it succeed, would be miraculous, but then again, Christmas has a thing with that.

Lewis Oxley

Like, Share and Subscribe - Musicians on YouTube YouTube is the platform with something for everybody. Whether you’re into gaming and tech, fashion and make-up, or those weird ASMR videos that I don’t quite understand, the video-sharing site has content to offer. Music videos are among the most popular on the platform. 2017’s hit ‘Despacito’ is the most viewed YouTube video to date, with over 6.5 billion views. Some artists, who have made it big via traditional methods such as busking, slowly playing larger and larger venues, and having a track played on the radio, use YouTube as just another platform to reach their millions of fans. For other artists, YouTube can be used to kickstart their whole musical career. Earlier this year, YouTube was listed as having two billion individual users, meaning that there is almost unlimited scope for musicians to find those who enjoy their art, no matter how niche. Some artists who have sprung into the mainstream from the internet have done so from their musical talent alone. One example of this is Maisie Peters. The 19-year-old began posting original songs on her self-titled channel four years ago, which

14 Images: Wikimedia Commons

have gathered hundreds of thousands of views over time. It’s not quite clear how Maisie made the jump from YouTube to the radio, but she currently boasts over four million monthly Spotify listeners, two EPs, and a tour with Tom Walker. She recently found a new following after her track ‘Feels Like This’ was featured on the 2019 series of Love Island. Another way of improving the engagement on your musical YouTube channel is by posting other content, which increases the likelihood of viewers finding you relatable and becoming more invested in your music. One example of this is Lindsey Stirling, a dubstep violinist. Lindsey has been posting on YouTube since 2007, and despite taking a huge setback from the TV show America’s Got Talent, has made a home for herself on the web, becoming a huge sensation. She has over 12 million subscribers of her YouTube channel, and shares the process of being her own manager, choreographer, video director, and editor, all while creating consistently outstanding music. Despite her success and sell-out tours, YouTube continues to be the platform where she shares her announcements and new music. Perhaps the UK’s greatest example of YouTube musical success is ‘dodie’, originally known on the platform as doddleoddle. Dodie began posting on the platform as a teenager, separating her musical and personal content onto two individual channels. Her openness online has gained her an enormous base of loyal fans, and she has done valuable work in making a safe

space for the young LGBT+ community, and harbouring discussions on mental health. However, with Dodie, we can see what may go wrong when an internet artist breaks into the ‘mainstream’. Due to Dodie’s personal content, it has been difficult to identify the boundaries between herself and her fans when she does events such as tours. She has previously had to limit or avoid events such as meet and greets due to huge demand from fans. When you out so much of yourself online and then gain a large audience, many people feel that they have a personal connection to you which can become overwhelming. I think that in the present day the internet and the mainstream have become synonymous. Young people are increasingly using the web to seek out artists that click with them. I think that I now use my Spotify account more frequently for discovering new music, but still turn to YouTube for that personal touch of learning more about the industry and the process of the artists that I admire.

Ellie Robson

Venue’s Great Gig Guide Dec 19 - Jan 20’ The Chats – 2/12/19 NAC Hailing from the Land of Oz, The Chats are back with their fiery pub-punk sound with the release of two all-new singles, ‘Pub Feed’ and ‘Identity Theft’, after the success of their 2017 EP ‘Get This in Ya’. Make sure you don’t miss the mosh when they come to the Waterfront. Buzzcocks – 11/12/19 Waterfront Following the death of founding member Pete Shelley last year, Buzzcocks return to Norwich this December for the first show of their new national tour. Since their formation in 1976, Buzzcocks have pioneered the punk lifestyle, and are now considered to have been pivotal in the emergence of punk rock.

Happy Mondays – 12/12/19 LCR The Happy Mondays need little introduction. Shaun Ryder’s estimable slice of the Madchester pie will bring their notable blend of indie pop and funkadelic soul to the Nick Rayns LCR, here at UEA, on Thursday 12 December. Tickets for their ‘Greatest Hits Tour’ go on sale this Friday at 10am. The Baghdaddies NAC - 10/1/20 Bringing the Balkans, the Americas and brass altogether, experimental jazz quintet, The Baghdaddies serve up a smorgasbord of sounds from across the globe. An evening of adventurous music to make you get up and dance, it has a lot in prospect to serve up.

Lewis Oxley, Alex Caesari, James Ward, Madeleine

Hank – 25/1/20 Waterfront Studio Local 4-piece band, Hank combine ear-splitting alt rock with math-rock technicality and will put this on display at their debut headline set at Waterfront Studio. A myriad of local bands immersed in the alt-rock genres; at the forefront of this, Hank pack a heavy punch. With acclaim from Zane Lowe and 6 Music, they are a fine band of the fine city. Himalayas – 31/1/20 Waterfront Studio Cardiff indie outfit, Himalayas stop by in the new year at the Waterfront Studio. An authentic rock sound that draws on influences of Muse and the raucous sound of anthemic rock and roll, their sound will linger long into the night with their monster riffs sure to entertain.

Venue’s Albums of the Decade In a decade like no other, the past 10 years have provided us with some mind-bending, heart-rendering albums that have changed music for the better. Venue contributors tell us their favourite albums of the decade and why. James Ward: Currents by Tame Impala My Album of the Decade is Currents by the mighty Tame Impala. Kevin Parker is a man of many talents: making awesome neo-psychedelic disco music is one of them. Currents is a fantastic display of the synergy bass and synth can achieve, and its haunting, dreamy tone is perfect for any lonely winter night. Gabriella Williams: 21 by Adele One of the greatest albums of this decade is Adele’s 21. Hits such as ‘Someone Like You’, ‘Set Fire to the Rain’ and ‘Rolling in the Deep’ have been instrumental in creating her modern contemporary sound. I really enjoy lis

tening to this album and appreciating the talent that Adele clearly has.

Bryan Mfhaladi: Blonde by Frank Ocean After a 4-year exile, Frank Ocean returned out of the blue with a visual album, Endless, and an album of the decade contender, Blonde. Misspelt in the album cover as ‘Blond, it is a 17-song masterpiece, with songs such as Nights, with a mid-tempo switch, also filled with intimate feelings and ideas about love, philosophy and loss.

Jack Oxford: Faces by Mac Miller Mac Miller’s mixtape Faces is his greatest project, and by far his darkest and most introspective. From the depths of his drug addiction, Mac raps cheerfully about his cocaine and marijuana use over jazz instrumentation and movie samples. The features on this project all come through, particularly Vince Staples on Rain where he delivers a poetically blunt verse.  Lewis Oxley: The Epic by Kamasi Washington The album that played out the rebirth of Jazz, Kamasi Washington’s debut album is nothing short of epic (certainly living up to the title). Sonorous soundscapes and with the layers of gospel and Hammond organs and nearly lasting a full 3 hours in length, it is certainly what multi-instrument jazz should be: vast, long and a joy to listen to.

Image: Clker-Free-Vector-Images, Pixabay

What to Watch Out For As we come to the end of 2019, we’re taking a look at what new releases should be ones to watch out for. I am impatient to see how ‘The Last of Us 2’ matches up to its predecessor, trailers would have us believe its going to be a heart breaking, tense and revenge filled ride which will probably end with me in the foetal position, crying. I would also like to take this opportunity to say thank you to all our wonderful writers this semester who have taken the time to write some amazing content and make the gaming section truly special. And thank you to all our readers, there will be plenty more opportunities to be part of the team next year! Have a safe and happy holidays everyone! Martha Griffiths As a ‘Dragonball Z’ fan, after watching the trailer of ‘Kakarot’ which is set to come out in January 2020, I got chills seeing the way the game is becoming more realistic, with every chapter made to feel more like the episodes of the anime, and with the classic narrator being included as well. After the previous ‘Dragonball’ game, the bar has certainly been set high and ‘Kakarot’ looks to take the bar even higher. Bryan Theo Mfhaladi

I’m most looking forward to the release of ‘Cyberpunk 2020’. After showing what they can do with the ‘Witcher Series’, I’m hoping CD Projekt Red can hit the same standard with an intriguing sci-fi world and characters that stays true to the original tabletop game whilst remaining innovative, immersive, and fun. ‘The Witcher 3’ is one of my favourite RPGs, and from pre-release footage, I’m desperately hoping ‘Cyberpunk’ will be too.

‘Deadly Premonition’, the 2010 Twin Peaks-esque cult mystery, ended with Detective Francis York Morgan making reference to ‘a string of bizarre incidents near New Orleans’. Next year, it seems like that case may finally come to fruition in a sequel nobody could have expected. The same quirky director returns with a decade of experience under his belt since, in what is bound to be twice as hilariously unpredictable as last time. Jude Davies

‘Half life’ is Back! And like its predecessors, Alyx is ready to innovate and set new standards for the industry. The trailer showed some great graphics and interesting physics mechanics as well James Ward as a much darker atmosphere from the main series. The series has a history of incredible single-player campaigns and this time the horror elements in VR will for sure make for an immersive, if truly terrifying experience. Marco Rizzo

Image: Karen Arnold, Public Domain Pictures

Games on the Other Screen In the light of this month’s Netflix ‘Witcher’ series release, the debate of whether video games add to Hollywood’s creative monopoly has once again resurfaced. Over the last decade itself, movies like ‘Detective Pikachu’, ‘Resident Evil’ and ‘Assassin’s Creed’ have brought to life our favorite video game characters on our cinema screens. However, movie critics do not take to these adaptations fondly, all of the above movies scored less than 7 in the IMDB’s scale out of 10. With this in mind, we must ask ourselves whether video games should be made into movies at all. In one camp, gamers have argued that most movie producers lack personal connections to the game, adding a layer of difficulty in making them into successful movies. While on the other hand, movies play a part in what motivates some people to start gaming as they can reach a much larger audience. Although it may be the case that movies give video games the platform

Image: FreeStocks, Unsplash

to advertise, what good is a poorly represented game on the big screen to viewers? Gaming is about empathizing with the characters that we play as, actively controlling their actions, their choices, and allowing us to personally live their consequences. Movies remove this feeling of personal connection by their passivity. Although film-makers try to incorporate key elements of a game into their film adaptations, it is often seen as hollow by your average moviegoer due to the lack of background storyline. While fans of ‘Assassin’s Creed’ may understand why there was a recurring shot of a flying eagle, an important symbol in the game’s mythology, moviegoers might find it random. The most successful video game movie at the US box office was the first adaptation of ‘Lara Croft’, starring Angelina Jolie, which grossed £101 million. While the least successful was ‘Alone in the Dark’, Uwe Boll’s convoluted horror flick based on the same

game which brought only over £3 million. Most video game adaptations fail to break even in their home countries and need to be saved by their international movie markets. An example of this is 2016’s ‘World of Warcraft’ that did not captivate audiences in the UK, but ended up grossing more than £40 million because of its sales in China. An argument for why these adaptations are still being made is their lucrativeness, despite fierce criticism. Because of their tendency to stick slavishly to the meandering plots of actual games, movies fail in ways that they could thrive. For instance, film and TV would benefit by providing insight into the hidden inner lives of the game characters. When the movie manages to lean on the core mood of the source material without having to invest in fitting in all the resources and idiosyncrasies of the game, it can tackle what is most interesting about video games: how they intersect with real life.

Monique Santoso

Sims 4: Discover University, More Like Discover Procrastination ‘The Sims 4: Discover University’ was a mixed bag of good elements and bad parts. It is without a shadow of a doubt, the most anticipated expansion pack of the franchise, both for myself and the community, so it was evident that there was a lot of effort put into it, following previous packs which were lackluster at best. There is plenty of choice for your university experience, which is great to see, with 13 courses and two universities (including a Villainy degree, if that floats your boat), but the best part of the pack is that the gameplay is actually quite challenging. As we know, obtaining a degree is no easy feat, and the pack reflects that. I used to play ‘The Sims’ quite passively, while doing something else, but with this pack, that is not possible. The player has to actively force

their Sims to study, complete assignments and pass their exams, with a passing grade still not being guaranteed. The students that we all hate for getting a first without trying do not exist in this game, thankfully. There are however, some problems that I had with the game. Firstly, there are not enough student organisations to take part in. At the university my Sim graduated from, there is only the Art Society, Debate Guild and some sports thing, which is fine if you like those activities, but my Sim was not interested. Apart

from that, it was just hitting the books and making friends (which my Sim apparently was not interested in either), so more options on that front would have been welcomed. There are also no cooking appliances in dormitories, apart from a mini-fridge, if you buy one. Maybe this is just me being picky because of what we have here in the UK, but

this annoyed me. My Sim actually had to make an effort to get substantial food from elsewhere, or live off cereal and microwave meals like I do in real life, which was not ideal. Overall, it is a good pack, but like previous DLCs, it lacks a lot in areas, either because it has been rushed to meet demand or because I have unrealistic expectations. Either way, there is something to be enjoyed in this pack no matter your style of Sims gameplay.

Sam Hewitson

LA Noire: Revisited

Ahh, ‘The City Of Angels’… how I’ve missed you. The streets of 1947 Los Angeles sprawl before my eyes once more. I’ve already had a belly-full of it. Yes, that’s right. I fully completed the 2011 original back in the day. But this time it’s personal (and has upgraded graphics), so I’ll take my best shot. In L.A. Noire’s 2017 remaster, the superb narrative remains the same. You are Detective Cole Phelps: a veteran WWII US Marine, haunted by your past. You act as a shining beacon among Los Angeles’ dark and corrupted boulevards - seemingly the only honest sleuth in this whole, rotten city. Watch your step. Every sidewalk is stained with the blood of racketeers, chalky outlines of unfortunate victims, and tarnished bullet holes left by lawbreaking gangsters.

As you progress through the story, Phelps climbs the ranks of the L.A.P.D. From uncovering lucrative schemes like traffic rackets and arson fraudsters, to the ghastlier cases that plague the city’s underbelly, like serial homicides and sleazy vices. You get to experience it all, just like you’ve stepped into a noir movie (seriously though, you can turn on a black and white filter in the settings). However, there is one superlative element that undoubtedly makes ‘L.A. Noire’ worthy of this remaster; the interview mechanic. Each character in the game has been meticulously motion-captured, so you’ll have to examine each suspect’s realistic expression during the interrogation to determine whether they are lying, telling the truth, or downright obstructing your inquiries. It’s up to you how to deal with these delinquents: accuse them with evidence, believe them, or threaten them. Retorting with an incorrect response can hinder your case rating at the end however, so be shrewd! Although, bumbling through a case with no sense of vigilance is an hilarious option too.

James Penny

Images: Wikimedia Commons

Frozen 2: A Welcome Addition to the Franchise

Way back in 2013, my 13-yearold self was leaving the cinema completely enthralled by ‘Frozen’. I absolutely loved it! As the popularity of the film continued to grow, I found myself caring for the film less and less. I couldn’t leave the house for Elsa’s face staring at me. Because of this, I forgot I even enjoyed the film, I had completely distanced myself from it. This was until the teaser for the sequel was released back in February. The animation alone was enough to draw me in yet alone the incredible sequence of Elsa using her powers to walk on water. The film, as a whole, is fantastic. A step away from the original, this film delves into the mythology and history of Arendelle and feels far more of a fantasy film than the Broadway show that was its predecessor. We see the gang travel to an enchanted forest to save their kingdom from elemental spirits. There are moments in the second act that feel a tad out of place. The story loses some of its drive as there is a key focus to give the core

Image: Flickr, Elaine Smith

five characters an equal amount of screen time when the story should have stayed with Elsa throughout. Elsa’s arc within this film is beautiful and I found myself wiping away a few tears during her final number (if you have seen the film you know what I mean). This film changed yet another opinion of mine: Olaf isn’t necessary. In the first film, the inclusion of Olaf (the talking snowman), bothered me. I never found him funny and he was quite clearly placed in the film to sell toys. In this film however, he was actually funny. Having grown up, Olaf now lives life deep in philosophical thought, it is a genuinely funny plot that made me laugh out loud at some points. It should also be known that the animation in this film is gorgeous. Whilst the characters are generic Disney animation, the backgrounds and scenery in this film were so spectacular I genuinely questioned is some of the shots were live action! Even if you are not particularly a ‘Frozen’ fan, the backgrounds alone make the film worth a watch. Lastly, if you were looking forward to leaving

the cinema with a plethora of bangers to belt out to in the car, you might leave disappointed. Out of the eight new songs on the soundtrack, I would argue two are of the same level of the first film, three if you count the bizarre 80’s power ballad that can be found in the weak second act. The rest are mediocre and easily forgotten. aside from ‘Into the Unknown’, which is a real earworm that I have not stopped humming it since I left the screening. ‘Frozen 2’ is well worth the watch. It’s looks gorgeous, funny and ends the franchise (that has spanned two feature films and two shorts) beautifully. There are some aspects of the film that let it down in the second act, but overall it is a fantastic film that reignited my love of frozen and restored my faith in Disney, whose recent remake dependency has forced me to be cynical. Frozen 2 melted my cynicism away (see what I did there?) and I can’t wait to see what will come next from Disney.

Niamh Brook

The Shining: An Inverse Christmas Carol Here’s the premise: an old man, extra spiteful during a season meant for joy, taken through a series of short misadventures intended to change his wicked ways forever with the help of several ghosts. He’s a better person for it and all the viewers learn to follow his example. But what if you wanted to see it go the other way? What if the ghosts had decided to push the man into a serial rage and advise him on a killing spree? What if the man was a little younger so he could wield a fire axe firmly; isolating himself and his family at a supposedly magical holiday sight, a winter themed hotel… It’s a creepy way of watching Stanley Kubrick’s thriller masterpiece sure, but doesn’t it relate? The

Torrance family spends months alone accompanied by snow, fireplaces, kids’ toys and sweaters. The ghosts of the building are seen dressed to the best for a new year’s celebration. Don’t we ourselves get irate over how the holidays seem to start earlier and go on longer? Perhaps Scrooge had a point. Jack Torrance has had enough of merely mumbling humbug, and wants to go to the extreme in ending this holiday, and you get to watch it. You don’t want to be jolly this year; you are looking for some fear. You don’t want Tiny Tim, instead have Delirious Danny. The ghost of Christmas Yet-ToCome doesn’t sum to much when you look into the silent face of the Dogman. I remember commenting

on ‘The Shining’ a few years back as a “Dickensian dystopia”, maybe it’s far fetched but for people who are over the classic ‘Wallace and Gromit’ mornings, and ‘Home Alone’ afternoons (even including what I call the ‘Die Hard’ half-hour, where everyone comments over the television of how the Bruce Willis movie is in fact a Christmas classic even though everyone already agrees), it’s worth experimenting with something that defies the same code. So why not spice it up? Deck the halls with an elevator of blood this Christmas and think: was that article comparing a Stephen King story to Ebenezer Scrooge really that far-fetched?

Fin Little

My Film of the Year: ‘Avengers Endgame’ My film pick of the year? It definitively, goes to Marvel’s ‘Avengers Endgame’, the films wraps the 11 years, 22 films and 80 years of comic history. It became the highest-grossing film of all time, as well as the second highest-grossing film of all time in the United States and Canada. ‘Endgame’ follows on from ‘Infinity War’, where Thanos ‘snaps’ away 50% of all living creatures on earth. Throughout the film we see how each character comes to terms with the loss of others and tries to rectify it. ‘Endgame’ is filled with brilliant moments of fan service, for example when retrieving the stones back in time, we are taken back to previous films (‘Avengers Age of Ultron’, Image: Pixabay, Iván Jesus Rojas

‘Guardians of the Galaxy’, ‘Iron Man’, ‘Thor’ etc). I’m a big Marvel fan myself so this film was very monumental for me personally. It is an emotional rollercoaster for the MCU fans considering the death of Tony Stark but also Natasha Romanoff .and Captain America retiring and giving his shield and mantle on to Sam Wilson (the Falcon). It could be argued that the MCU will never be the same. Fans anticipate what is next for the remaining Avengers and who will take over from Iron

Man. This is a question which has been left for debate as with the release of ‘Spiderman Far From Home’. Are we to believe that Peter Parker (aka Spiderman) will take his place? Or is there the possibility that Marvel could set up his daughter Morgan to take her father’s place? The film is a top pick of the year for me personally, as it was the ending of a ‘generationspanning’ saga and, the film, as well as the rest of the saga, will be shown to the generations yet to come.

Caitlin Telford

My Search for the Decade’s Best Film I keep a running list of movies I consider so good that any flaws they have don’t matter. So, picking my favourite movie of the decade should be easy right. I just need to choose the ‘Best’ movie on the list. Trouble is that just the list starting at 2010 is 27 movies long. So, here’s what I learned when that proved impossible.

three either, everything from the third John Wick film, and their absurdly enjoyable world building, to the astonishing everything oozing out of Mood Indigo. And I’d be remiss not to mention how multiple people went out of their way to make a CGI movie recreating Lego stop motion twice. Oh and did you see Into the Spiderverse?

One: Anna Kendrick Is Always Killing It The most well represented actor on my list, appearing in five of my picks as consistently a really enjoyable presence. Twice she makes a great supporting role, coincidently playing the sisters of main characters in

Three: Charisma And Delivery Count For So Much. I’m a firm believe that quality is inherently subjective and I have no reason to be ashamed of what I like. That said, if I were the sort to worry about being taken seriously, I think

‘Scott Pilgrim’ and ‘Paranorman’. But that’s nothing compared to her three starring roles where she manages to play the romantic lead opposite Ryan Reynolds and Sam Rockwell in two entirely different but equally wonderful off the wall comedies. While at the opposite end of the spectrum, she’s an entire 50% of the cast in the last 5 years which takes the theme of Anna Kendrick dating terrible men in a radically different but equally powerful direction. Two: I Really Value Dedication to Style So that you’re adequately warned, I’m about to compare a Wes Anderson movie to the Raid series. Man, I love it so hard when people put such loving effort into how their movies look. ‘Moonrise Kingdom’ is a visual delight teeming with attention to detail and little flourishes, much like all the punching that happens in the Raid movies where the attention paid to choreography i s transcendent. And it’s not just those

Image: Pixabay

the three films on the list most likely to undermine people’s opinions of me would be ‘Detention’, ‘Hardcore Henery’ and ‘Turbo Kid’. These are films that I fully acknowledge are quite messy in terms of production and style and polarizing even for my tastes. But like so many of my other favourites, there’s something so infectious about the sense of pure joy and love that these films radiate. So many of what might be considered flaws by other people, manage to work well because they’re chaired by the performance of a cast willing to simultaneously have fun with the ridiculous material and respect it enough to take it seriously. Four: Standing out is a big plus A common theme among all films I love is that I think they try and do something different. Even among the

films that share a series or director I can’t think of any two that feel redundant orw replaceable. And so often that’s what keeps me coming back to them multiple times. I don’t know the next time I’ll get to see giant monster fights as a metaphor for alcoholism, or a love story about about how people change where one of the people involved is occasionally a genetic monstrosity stalking scenic italy. Not to mention how enjoyable discovering exactly where a story is going can be. I won’t soon forget the that subversive oddities like ‘Holy Motors’ or ‘Sorry to Bother You’ are actually about ensuing madness.

Five: Focus refines films Films that know exactly what they want to be and do it without distraction are a wonderful thing, and there’s so much to be said for minimalism. Why not make a film which is essentially two characters singing to each other about their relationship or one where a punk band spend essentially the entire run time trying not to be in Nazi room? Just as intricacy is beautiful so can purity be, Mad Max devotes almost its entire run time to a single chase and similarly Snowpiercer is so focused it’s functionally a tube, this single mindedness is so valuable because it allows a depth of exploration of the concept that couldn’t happen in a film that has to juggle so many different plots and set up an expansive universe.

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