Skip to main content

Month: December 2017

Unhealthy fixations and sleep deprivation

Written by Joe Whitfield on . Posted in Lifestyle.

A constant impact on your mental and physical wellbeing lies in your thought processes and general emotional state. Often, we find ourselves so wrapped up in our busy lives that we forget to take a step back and consider the unhealthy and negative thoughts and emotions in our minds and bodies.

This can lead to depressive states and inexplicable unhappiness, which is often much more common in students who aren’t adjusted to their new surroundings. Being a student involves a lot of time spent alone with your own thoughts, as I tend to find myself spending around 70 percent of my time either working alone or staring at a wall. Naturally, having a healthy thought process is extremely important for your mental wellbeing, as when alone, overthinking often occurs.

This overthinking often results in self-doubt, depressive thoughts and creates problems which do not really exist. An example of this is when speaking to someone you really fancy, and you over-analyse everything they do and say in an attempt to riddle out how they’re reciprocating their feelings.

This is the worst thing to do, and will simply result in a lack of confidence and worry. Thoughts similar to these are ‘unhealthy fixations’. Often we find ourselves only considering and scrutinising the worst parts of our lives.

I’ve found it is definitely beneficial, for your own happiness, to take a step back, and consider everything which is going well, everything that makes you happy and everything there is to look forward to! You can use these healthy fixations to drive you through the negative points and motivate you to keep attaining your maximum happiness!

Whilst this seems mundane advice, the number of times I’ve found myself feeling unhappy about ridiculously petty situations, where no problems really exist, is honestly astounding. I’ve managed to increase my positivity enormously by simply appreciating what I already have, and what I can have if I work hard and keep myself busy.

Similarly to anxious thoughts, depressive thoughts can be tackled by means of trivialisation. Often considering your issues and problems from an objective point of view can make them seem far less insurmountable, and considering your options to improve your scenario rationally will reduce stress.

Another helpful tip is to consider the gravity of your issue in comparison to your entire life — honestly, when you’re old and grey, will you still care about that essay you missed? This simple change of perspective can help shift your fixations from your immediate issues, making you calmer and happier.

Whilst I have stressed that keeping yourself busy is helpful, it is also extremely important to take time to simply take care of yourself, relax and not feel guilty about it! Being constantly stressed and fixated on work is not beneficial.

Whilst I’m sure many of you do not work 24/7, I often found that when trying to relax or just sit around, I have a constant nagging voice in the back of my head, saying ‘You should really be working… you don’t deserve this’. This was before I understood that taking healthy, long breaks from work is truly beneficial.

To avoid general negative thought processes, however, good sleep is absolutely necessary. The brain functions poorly when you are sleep deprived, with your concentration and memory being particularly affected. Going to university, and coming out having learnt nothing as you’ve forgotten the lecture, can be harrowing. Sorting out a proper sleep schedule with healthy hours is extremely important!

Finally, what many people forget, is that humans live for one purpose — at our basest — which is to be as happy as possible in life. We forget this due to the sheer velocity of life; there is so much social expectation and responsibility to succeed, that we often forget to take care of ourselves and focus too much on success. The clear underlying message is that success is unattainable without achieving personal happiness, so remember to focus on yourself every so often and stay positive!

Danish and Swiss representation in Russia good for football

Written by Dane Massey on . Posted in Sport.

The year 2018 promises to be yet another special year for football, the 21st edition of the FIFA World Cup is beckoning.

England have ensured they will be one of the 32 nations to compete for football’s biggest prize in Russia but the rest of the home nations will not be present. Of course, it’s always good to see the home nations qualify but for football in general, it’s not always the best outcome.

Euro 2016 saw four of the five home nations competing on the international stage for the first time ever as England, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland all took to France’s finest pitches.

Each of the other three teams, along with Gordon Strachan’s Scotland, also came close to qualifying for the 2018 World Cup but all four fell short.

Scotland only managed a 2-2 draw against Slovenia in Ljubljana in their final qualifying match while Wales were beaten 1-0 by the Republic of Ireland in Cardiff.

As a result, Ireland, along with neighbours Northern Ireland, progressed to the qualifying rounds but were beaten and quite frankly outclassed by Denmark and Switzerland respectively.

Despite spirited away performances from Martin and Michael O’Neill’s teams neither Ireland nor Northern Ireland could force the game on their opponents when playing at home.

Goalless draws in Copenhagen and Basel were hard fought, reminiscent of a typical gritty European away performance where they restricted oppositions strengths to a great degree.

In the home ties, though, both home nations let themselves down. When they had to throw caution to the wind, neither team could — unlike Denmark and Switzerland.

On a chilly autumnal Thursday night at Windsor Park, greeted by a cacophony of loud noise and welcomed by a sea of green and white flags, Switzerland stood up to the task in front of them. Controlling the game from minute one to minute 90 – having 66 percent of the ball.

A dubious penalty decision may have decided the game but few could have argued with the result on the night, Switzerland were worthy winners of both the game in Belfast and the tie overall.

The same can be said for Denmark against Ireland. After a game of very few highlights in Scandinavia, the Danes flew across the North Sea and once again took control of Dublin just as they did in the ninth century.

If anything, Denmark’s 5-1 win probably flattered Ireland. Despite going ahead five minutes in, Ireland were unable to firmly take control of the tie. When Denmark poked their noses in front on the half-hour mark, though, it was a different story.

A Christian Eriksen masterclass put Ireland to the sword, but in truth, the Danes were superior all over the pitch just as the Swiss were against Northern Ireland.

At the World Cup, similar scenarios beckon for teams. Some matches they may have to accept that they are in for a game of football chess, but if a team wants to progress rather than just make up the numbers they at some point must try to stamp their authority on the tournament.

This is certainly what the last two World Cup winners Spain and Germany have done. Of course, both Irish nations nor Denmark and Switzerland have the traits of Spain and Germany but the fact that the latter pair are present makes for a better tournament — certainly from a neutrals’ perspective.

In the World Cup, the fans want to see entertainment. Denmark and Switzerland will be sure to provide just that and after proving that they can play under big pressure in electric atmospheres, both sides will be prepared for the World Cup.

Unlike the men in green, the men in red can put their foot on the ball and assert their own style on a game against stubborn defences, something they will have to do at the World Cup.

With the likes of Iran, Saudi Arabia, Australia and Panama amongst the teams who will compete in Russia, it is likely that if these teams were to come up against a team who are comfortable in possession, a similar pattern of play to the games in Belfast and Dublin will be on show.

This will be no problem for Denmark or Switzerland, teams who play a positive brand of football.

The World Cup is also for characters and there were big characters on show from both sides in their tough away matches.

Borussia Monchengladbach midfield general Denis Zakaria bullied the Northern Ireland midfield at Windsor Park and, of course, Eriksen was different class against Ireland when crunch time in the tie came.

Players like this will relish the chance to shine on the big stage. After all, the World Cup is a chance to put your name up in lights.

From their impressive qualifying campaigns, Switzerland and Denmark’s players have a chance to do just this and if they want to impress, their teams certainly play the right way to do so.

Although defensive-minded teams have been successful in the game of late, Ireland and Northern Ireland’s playoff defeats were justice for football and the result of these ties will make for a better tournament. Just what the fans want to see.

 

Review: Good Time

Written by Tobias Soar on . Posted in Film.

Don’t let the title fool you, Good Time is anything but that. A very dark theme that goes down twisted paths leaves you in awe and disgust but with a morbid sense of fulfilment that really makes the film tick and linger in the viewer’s mind for a couple days. The film is currently – and only – showing at HOME on screen four once a day, every day. Friday’s 18:30 showing was decently crowded for a HOME release with a dozen spectators attending the evening show.

Ben and Josh Safdie throw you into a tense moment right from the opening scene, a meeting at a psychologist’s office where we’re introduced to Nick Nikas (Benny Safdie), a mentally ill young man whose brother Connie (Robert Pattinson) is brought on screen shortly after, interrupting the meeting. Following the title card, everything is shown to the sound of a wonderful original score, composed primarily of synths, which is at least the equal of any soundtrack from this year. A wonderfully written bank robbery follows and sets the story up, as Nick is imprisoned after the cops chase the criminal duo down. Having escaped, Connie does everything in his power to free his brother.

Connie is a disgusting, ‘bullshitter supreme’ with no redeeming features except for his sheer determination, the only sympathetic trait he has. The appearance of Jennifer Jason Leigh and Barkhad Abdi (the “look at me. I am the captain now” dude) are fantastic interjections that ground the cast as very talented people indeed.

The story then progresses in a chaotic downward spiral that is composed of multiple elements in an alchemic combination that somehow works. Good Time is well written with interesting dialogue that is shot in a very confusing style. It’s fair to say that 90 percent of the film’s shots are close-ups of the actor’s faces with a very shallow depth of field, a stylistic choice that highlights the human nature of the story and its participants.

It’s also a testament to the thought and skill that went into the making of this film, props to the directors on that aspect. Slap the eternally building synths and the primarily red, black and white colour palette with interjections of various neon colours on top of that, and you’re in for a trippy visual experience with a gripping story to boot.

A very intense feeling of nostalgia underlines the film. The gritty visuals, the grinding synths and the camerawork can be compared to Nicolas Winding Refn’s ‘magnum opus‘ Drive, a film that, quite like Good Time, is a slice of the 1980s that is stuck in our current timeline, contributing to a dreamy, or nightmarish, feeling that only further emboldens the surreal chaos of the motion picture.

I must note, however, that two negative aspects of Good Time stood out to me. One, the camerawork, as creative as it may be, can be too disorientating at times, leading to literal headaches. Two, there is a scene where Robert Pattinson starts making out with a character who is 16 years-old. This scene is extremely uncomfortable to watch and made the whole audience groan in disgust. Personally, I think that could have been cut from the film and it would not have detracted from the experience at all.

Overall, the tense feature with a faint taste of horror will linger in the back of your mind, making you wonder and speculate on what could have happened differently, or what’s in store for the characters of the story. The fact that the Safdie brothers don’t hold back on violence, drug use and cruel language make the film feel raw and troublingly real, presenting us with an escape from reality that only goes and drags us into an even darker world.

4/5

Interview: Greater Manchester Nightline

Written by Joel Ansbro on . Posted in Features.

As students, we’re all too familiar with how stressful university life can be. Between studying, part-time jobs, and graduate applications, things can become stressful, not to mention a little lonely. For those reasons, the Greater Manchester Nightline is available to listen to any student — whether they’re feeling down, venting frustration, or expressing joy over a good grade.

Nightline operates an anonymous call service open to take calls from any student, for any reason. The service operates completely anonymously, meaning that all volunteer and caller identities are confidential. This is to allow for a safe avenue for students to express themselves comfortably and have someone listen without bias or judgement.

I recently sat down with some volunteers for the Manchester Nightline to get a more in-depth understanding of what the organisation does, and how they work.

For instance, I thought that Nightline would be a full-time job. Not so, according to volunteers.

“There are a minimum of three shifts per semester, so it’s really not a massive commitment, not something that has to be done every week.” Which is great for university work, because “[shifts] can be worked around your schedule, so it’s flexible.”

I also wanted to know what training was like. “Training is split over six to seven weeks, taking place in the form of two sessions in a week for two hours each, around small groups.” These sessions involve experienced Nightline members, and also feature guest speakers. Nightline veterans teach expertise and techniques with lots of one to one support to ensure volunteers are up to scratch for such an important task.

“You are trained with the same group each week, so you get to know the group well. Everyone’s really nice.”

That leads me to another question I had. How sociable was the service for volunteers? “Social events take place particularly around training time for trainees.” These events “help with team building and re-enforcing positive relationships.” They also acted as a rite of passage for a trainee that has passed training.

The nature of the service also bound volunteers together tightly. “If you meet new people on shift that’s also really nice. Even if you don’t know the person, often through a particularly tough call, that other person is there to help you.”

“Tough calls” were obviously a reality of this kind of support work, and I wanted to know what kind of support was open to volunteers to ensure their own well-being. Nightline reassured me that internal support networks existed to care for all volunteers. “All volunteers care about one another and are all very nice people. There’s always someone else on shift to rely on.”

I also asked about the expectations Nightline had when it came to their volunteers. “Nightline policies must be adhered to at all times and volunteers must stick with what they’ve been trained to do.” Volunteers also have to remain professional throughout training and while on the phone. “Confidentiality is the big one.”

Of course, the anonymity of volunteers was an utmost priority, but what about callers themselves?

Any reader who may be thinking of calling Nightline should know that questions for their name or personal information are only ever asked for if the call involves an emergency situation, such as if an ambulance needs to be dispatched. Otherwise only what a caller is open to telling the volunteer is given over the phone.

Nothing about the call is then noted down except for the broad topic of conversation, for example, if the call relates to anxiety or gender dysphoria. This is recorded in order to let trainers know what to go over in training sessions to help volunteers better assist in their role.

With all that in mind, I wondered what the Nightline members I spoke to would say to a student considering volunteering.

“The largest commitment is the training. You’re only allowed to miss two sessions because you need a certain amount of knowledge to pass.” Once finished, you’re a volunteer. “It’s not as big a commitment because you’re only required to do three shifts per semester. Because the service is running from 8pm-8am, it’s not a massive time out of the university schedule.”

Volunteering is not open to students in their final year. All current sessions for the 2017 semester are taken up, but there are still sessions open for second semester.

For more information on Nightline, to volunteer or just to find out more, be sure to check their website out at http://manchester.nightline.ac.uk, but also check out the Humans of Manchester University Facebook page, where Nightline had a recent collaboration.

If you want to call Nightline, you just need to check the back of your student ID. Otherwise, if you email [email protected] from a student account, you will automatically receive an email with the phone number to call.

Multiple Fallowfield venues breach planning licenses

Written by Amy Wei on . Posted in News.

Several popular bars and takeaways have been found to be operating illegally in Fallowfield.

The Mancunion has found that both The Font and Revolution, on Wilmslow Road, have been violating their planning permissions by opening past their licensed operating hours.

Takeaway Venice Pizza, also on Wilmslow Road, is also currently opening after hours. It opens until 4 am every night, but is only licensed to operate until 1 am.

Bar and restaurant The Font opens until 1 am every night, but is only legally allowed to operate until 11:30 pm.

Likewise, Revolution Fallowfield is only licensed to open until 1am but operates until 2 am every night of the week.

Council documents obtained by The Mancunion clearly show that the Fallowfield bars have been breaching their planning and building licenses for years.

In 2011, The Font applied for planning permission to open until 1:30 am but were dismissed by Manchester City Council.

In 2008 and 2009, Revolution submitted multiple applications to operate until 2 am – which the Council also rejected.

In Revolution’s rejection, the Council wrote that opening to 2 am would have “an unacceptable impact” on neighbouring residents.

The Font was similarly banned from extending their opening hours because of “increased noise and activity at a time when residents would normally be sleeping.”

Venice Pizza’s application to extend its opening hours was rejected in 2007 because “its extended use would lead to an unacceptable level of noise to the detriment of the residential amenity of the area and in particular the occupiers of the living accommodation forming part of the building above the premises.”

By refusing to comply with the Council’s guidance, both bars and the takeaway violate policies DC10, DC26, H2.2 and RF1 in the Unitary Development Plan for the City of Manchester.

On Friday, the 3rd of November, eight venues in Fallowfield, including The Font, Revolution Fallowfield, and Fallow Café, were served notices by Manchester City Council for violating their legal opening hours.

Nonetheless, The Font and Revolution Fallowfield have not changed their opening times.

Fallow Café, which used to open until 3 am, immediately updated their closing hours to 1 am after receiving their notice.

Zara, manager of Fallow Café, told The Mancunion that they “set the closing time as 1 am just to adhere to protocol.

“We hope that if we show them that we listen and go by the rules then they’ll extend our Planning License to 3 am.”

Venues like Fallow Café operate under two licenses: a Premises License, and a Planning and Building License.

Managers at Fallow Café explained that their Premises License extends until 3 am, so they’d previously thought that they could operate legally up to this hour.

Zara claimed that they were never told before that their Planning and Building License limits their business activity to 1 am.

Allegedly, the Council investigated and put Fallowfield venues on notice in November because of a complaint made by a representative of the residents committee during Freshers’ Week — however, this has not been confirmed.

All venues were given 28 days to update their opening hours in accordance to the law, meaning The Font and Revolution Fallowfield have missed their deadline of the 1st of December.

Sex Education inadequate, say students

Written by Rosa Simonet on . Posted in News.

62 per cent of students say their Sex and Relationships Education (SRE) did not impact decisions they make about contraception and protection.

In an anonymous survey conducted by The Mancunion, many criticised their SRE, claiming it was “uninformative” and “damaging”, with some even claiming they had none at all.

Other respondents blamed their lack of sex education on their school’s religious teachings.

One student said they went to a “Catholic high school, [and] therefore [had] literally no education about STIs or contraception. I had to learn all that after school through the internet.”

Most of the feedback reflects how schools deliver sex education, treating it as a problem that needs to be managed. One respondent said they were “just shown horrific pictures of infected genitalia and told to use condoms/don’t have sex.”

SRE was also criticised as being too heteronormative, with students complaining they had been given little to no information about safe sex for lesbians or other members of the LGBTQ community. One student said: “from what I remember it was mainly condoms and feelings and I’m gay so it didn’t help much at all.”

Another claimed their school simply “didn’t teach anything about same-sex relationships.”

“Same-sex couplings and Transgender issues (never mind other genders and sexualities) were never mentioned when we were taught about healthy relationships, STDs or anything else,” said Bridie Forrester, Communications Secretary of the University of Manchester’s LGBTQ society.

She added: “as well as leaving LGBTQ or questioning pupils feeling alienated or othered, the effect of cisnormative, heteronormative teaching is actually dangerous; Many children leave school with little to no knowledge about life as a queer person. Inter-personal problems such as STDs, domestic abuse and drugs are far from exclusive to cisgender straight people and everyone would benefit from having a greater understanding of LGBT issues.”

Similar findings were revealed last year in a study conducted by Dr Pandora Pound of the school of social and community medicine at Bristol University. Pound told The Guardian “it is clear from our findings that SRE provision in schools frequently fails to meet the needs of young people”.

“Schools seem to have difficulty accepting [that] some people are sexually active, which leads to SRE that is out of touch with many young people’s lives.”

Results from The Mancunion’s survey revealed not enough was done to inform young people about sexual health services with 26 per cent stating they did not know where to get tested and 33 per cent stating they had not been tested in the last six months.

The “gradual rise in the number of diagnoses of common sexually transmitted infections to residents of Manchester over the last decade” is revealed in the Manchester Joint Strategic Needs Assessment 2015/2016. Whether this is a direct result of poor SRE is unclear, but proposals were made to “improve knowledge and understanding of sex and relationships among young people”, including working “with a range of partners including schools and colleges.”

In March 2017, the government announced that SRE was to be made compulsory in all schools in the UK.

Sexologist Goedele Liekens recently discussed the nature of SRE in a debate on This Morning titled “Should sex education be more graphic for schoolchildren?”

Liekens claimed sex education in the UK needs to be “re-looked at” and should include topics such as body positivity and masturbation.

She refers to the findings of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), who have found “explicit” sex education to actually reduce the amount of young people having sex from a very early age, reduce the numbers of sexual partners young people have, as well as preventing people from conducting or being victims of abuse.

UNESCO state: “The evidence is clear. Comprehensive Sexuality Education leads to improved sexual and reproductive health, resulting in the reduction of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), HIV, and unintended pregnancy.

“It not only promotes gender equality and equitable social norms but has a positive impact on safer sexual behaviours, delaying sexual debut and increasing condom use.”

 

Interview: The Moods

Written by Hannah Brierley on . Posted in Music.

The Moods are a band with many many talents, and seem to be soaring at an exponential rate. The band are coming to the end of their incredible 15 date UK tour and are heading home, in true Mancunian style for a massive end of tour party at the Bread Shed on the 2nd December.

The Moods have had a fantastic year; two UK tours, 10 cities, 12 venues,  played to over 20,000 people, selling out venues in Glasgow, London and Manchester. They’ve also released a critically acclaimed album Missing Peace, which sold out in HMV stores within hours. They are probably the hottest dance, Hip Hop, Reggae music band in the North West right now.  As a live act, they have received a massive response and wowed two sell-out nights at London’s ICL college as part of their freshers week, where they were noted as ‘Best Live Act’ by the student sound crew organisers.

Photo: Hannah Brierley

You have just finished your second UK tour — are there any gigs, venue or cities that have stood out for you?

The response in every city we visited was extraordinary, after playing party in the pines Scunthorpe. And being asked back to play Cafe Independent n this tour, it seemed like the word was out about. The buzz we have been creating, and everybody in town turned up. Also Zanzibar Liverpool, for us Mancunians to get such a welcome from a full house was mint, we just ended with Edinburgh and Glasgow. And our northern friends know how to party, and the hospitality is second to none

How did the album release go, can you share with us some of the highlights of that experience?

Releasing the album was a massive thing for us all, we spent over a year writing and recording it at our own studio, Boomshack, it was definitely a labour of love, with the help of our partners at A1M records and our Distributor The Republic of Music we were able to place the album into all these major record shops such as HMV, FOPP, Piccadilly Records, on vinyl and CD. We had a record signing in FOPP records Manchester. And we managed to fill the place! We played a small set, and to see young kids with their parents at the front singing our songs was something magical. The love and support we have seen from our fans, old and new have been tremendous, plus the various media outlets that have championed the moods music, it means a lot to us.

You’re heading home to Manchester at the Bread Shed, what can we expect from this end of tour gig?

Just check out the line up we have in support, excited does not even come close. Our next gig is always our best gig, over the two tours this year, we have really gelled as a unit. And to be back home with all our friends and new fans, we are going to find a new energy to bring to the night and we expect the crowd to give us the same back, its a brilliant new venue, great stage and sound, we expect a full house and a party from seven P.M. ’till three A.M.

What has been the highlights of 2017 for the moods?

Making the collective bigger has been a revelation this year, with the inclusion of Alice & Will, our live performance has reached new levels.  Meeting Paul Travis @A1M records and seeing his passion for the band was also a massive game changer. The Ritz gig, the bands we met on tour, and of course missing peace, With the two tours we have probably played to nearly 20,000 people in all, it’s been a wonderful experience.

Can you share with us any plans for 2018?

We are currently writing our next album as we write this. So we expect to keep working hard. Definitely, new videos new tour, with discussion happening for spring UK and possibly a European set of dates, Festival appearances, a new single and two of our tunes will feature in a Major UK film soundtrack…we love being in the moods so bring on 2018 we can’t wait. #iamamood

Tickets to their gig at The Bread Shed are available here.

Review: Suburbicon

Written by Jamie McEvoy on . Posted in Film.

In the film’s final act, Gardner Lodge (Matt Damon) stands covered in blood and laments to his sister-in-law: “It’s all falling part.” He could very well have been taking about Suburbicon.

With a prestigious cast bringing to life a story written by the Coen Brothers, it’s hard to understand how the film is such a mess. The film takes place in the eponymous Suburbicon, which is your typical idyllic 1950s US suburban neighbourhood. However, beneath this unblemished veneer lies bigotry and rancour, evident immediately when we see various residents horrified by the appearance of the Mayers family – African-American newcomers to the community.

Meanwhile, Clooney presents to us the Mayers’ neighbours: the Lodge family, consisting of Gardner, his wife Rose and her identical twin Margaret (both played by Julianne Moore), and the Lodge’s son, Nicky (Noah Jupe). At night, two men break into the family’s home, with unknown intentions. Tragedy strikes, and the remainder of the story focuses on how the Lodges cope with the aftermath of the home invasion, as dark secrets are unveiled.

The concept is fantastic, and those of you who have seen the trailers will doubtlessly have caught a whiff of a noir-caper scent which the Coen Brothers’ films often emanate. Yet it saddens me to say that Suburbicon falls devastatingly short of emulating the Coen’s directorial devilish charm. There are scenes where Clooney comes excruciatingly close to hitting gold – scrutiny from both Chief Hightower (Jack Conley) and insurance claims investigator Bud Cooper (Oscar Isaac) hark back to vintage Coen Brothers, as do the Laurel & Hardy duo of the two mobsters played by Alex Hassell and Glen Fleshler.

Frustratingly, these are but fleeting moments and cameos, which are criminally underused and dismissed. Isaac’s Bud Cooper – almost definitely inspired by Double Indemnity’s Barton Keyes (incidentally a film which Suburbicon is doubtlessly indebted to) – is by far the most interesting and slippery character in the film, yet he lasts a mere 10-15 minutes. Hassell and Fleshler stick around for slightly longer than Isaac, but are still injected sparingly into the plot.

Clooney’s decision to throw themes of post-war racial prejudice into the mix is interesting and definitely one I was intrigued to see woven into the fabric of the story. Unfortunately, the side plot which follows the Mayers merely co-exists with the main thread, and at times it’s as if the two sets of neighbours are playing tug-of-war for both screen-time and narrative importance. There is even the suspicion that Clooney has used these issues of race and equality to give the film a certain award-appeal, or perhaps he felt the film needed an extra ‘layer’ to avoid inevitable comparisons to the plot of Fargo (1996).

It is not solely this aspect which contributes to Suburbicon’s crisis of identity, however. The tone of the film sporadically darts from comedy to social drama and back, never truly settling in a specific genre. Audiences hoping for a noir-comedy will be disappointed by the lack of devilish humour which the trailer promised, whilst those expecting a powerful Civil-Rights drama will be offended by the juxtaposition between the serious moments of the Mayers’ narrative and the Coen-esque caper moments.

Earlier this month Murder on the Orient Express saw a terrific cast carry a very ordinary production. Julianne Moore does her best to follow suit, and 13 year-old Noah Jupe is scarily convincing as a child who begins to suspect foul play amid the older members of his family. Damon however seems weirdly uninterested and aside from the film’s opening act, his performance is highly forgettable.

Suburbicon is an odd concoction with splashes of Fargo and Double Indemnity accompanied by social themes which appear to be a satire of twenty-first century United States, rather than a historical portrait of the 1950s. It entertains but drastically fails to deliver on a scale expected from a Clooney-Coen collaboration. Serious contender for Disappointment of the Year.

2/5

Sunday roast at The Didsbury

Written by Anokhi Shah on . Posted in Food & Drink.

The Mancunion Food and Drink team are still searching for the best roast dinner in Manchester. This week it was my turn to see what I could find. My boyfriend and I ventured out on a cold rainy to Sunday in search of some home cooked comfort food. After a heavy Saturday night, we knew that the only way to nurse the hangover was a roast dinner bathing in gravy.

We took a brisk walk to the Didsbury and worked up a huge appetite. Upon entering the pub rich aromas of mulled wine filled the air and the Christmas lights adorning the pub gave a wonderfully festive atmosphere. The Didsbury is the perfect winter pub – it has retained many of its 18th Century period features such as wooden beams, low ceilings and roaring open fires. The ideal surroundings to enjoy a hearty Sunday dinner.

With 7 options of roast to choose from and a brain that couldn’t quite focus making a choice was extremely difficult.

Roast topside of beef with horseradish £10.99

Roast pork loin with crackling, roasted red apple and sage and onion stuffing £9.99

Roast turkey breast with sage and onion stuffing and a pig-in-blanket £9.99

Trio of roasts – beef, turkey and pork loin £11.99

Roast nut wellington £8.99

Slow-cooked rib of beef £13.99

Slow cooked lamb shoulder with roasted red onion and fresh mint £14.99

All roast dinners are served with buttered seasonal veg, homemade Yorkshire pudding, goose fat roast potatoes and UNLIMITED gravy. Additionally, they have a list of wine recommendations to accompany each choice! I think it’s fair to say the Didsbury take their roast dinner game very seriously!

I ordered the slow cooked rib of beef and my boyfriend ordered the trio of roasts. We probably waited around half an hour for our meals to arrive but it was undoubtedly worth the wait.

The huge plate more like a platter was full to the brim and the food presented beautifully with a Yorkie the size of my head placed neatly on top. As a Yorkshire girl, I know my Yorkshire puds and this one is certainly up there as one of the best. Perfectly crisp but soft in the middle, it was a Yorkshire pudding of dreams.

As for the meat, the rib of beef was succulent and tender and literally fell off the bone. I am known to drown all my food in gravy so the sheer quantity of gravy available had me over the moon. Even the veg was incredible. As you have probably gauged this was one of the best roast dinners I have ever had — sorry mum. I really cannot fault it in any way.

Must restrain myself from going every week.

10/10

Level design done right

Written by David Uncle on . Posted in Games.

Level design is one of the most important aspects of any game, regardless of genre. Here are a few instances of exemplary world design.

Destiny 2 – The Leviathan

The design of Destiny 2’s Leviathan raid is incredible in more ways than one. Visually, it is stunningly golden and bright, a regal contrast from the degraded, worn out visuals of the European Dead Zone and other areas of the game. Oh, and it’s also an enormous world-eating space ship, with a palace on it.

Furthermore, its design is smart and challenging. The dense jungle maze of the Pleasure Gardens and the Gauntlet require constant, clear team communication, and are great examples of not only graphically impressive design, but of encouraging (and indeed, requiring) teamwork.

Finally, the underbelly of the Leviathan is a labyrinth of loot and more puzzles, which literally requires a map to navigate.

Photo: Bungie. My fireteam looking upon the formidable fortress of the Leviathan.

SWAT 4 – Fairfax Residence

This is a weird, old one, at 12 years old. SWAT 4 is a tactical shooter where you’re encouraged to disarm and arrest suspects, rather than putting bullets in their skulls like in more modern games focused on the special forces, like Rainbow Six: Siege.

The Fairfax Residence is an example of simple yet clever level design. This level is set in an average suburban home, and is much less complex than many of SWAT 4’s missions. However, what makes this level special is the eeriness infused in such an ordinary setting.

This is partly down to the suspect in this mission being a serial killer/rapist/general weirdo, and his creepy murder tunnels hidden in the basement. As one of the game’s first scenarios, you really are on edge as you breach and clear the building room by room, looking for hostages and more importantly, the shotgun-wielding psycho.

Photo: Irrational Studios. The detained murderer, and his weird mannequin dungeon.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Blood and Wine DLC – Toussaint

The Witcher 3 ’s main area, Velen, is a bloody, war-torn battlefield. Toussaint couldn’t be any more different. Inspired by France, Toussaint is a gorgeous duchy, filled with vineyards, rolling fields and more bright colours than the rest of the world combined.

As with all things Witcher, behind the pretty face is a land full of banditry, monsters and vampires, although not even the murder and brutality get in the way of Toussaint’s beauty.

Toussaint’s Beauclair Palace is a standout feature, and is immediately more impressive than any landmark from the rest of the game, including Kaer Morhen, the Witcher fortress.

The design and beauty of Toussaint is part of why Blood and Wine is probably my favourite expansion for any game, period.

Photo: CD Projekt Red. Beauclair Palace in all its glory.

Fallout 3 – Washington D.C.

The D.C. Wasteland is beautifully depressing. While I prefer Fallout: New Vegas as a game (possibly my favourite game ever), Fallout 3 takes the cake in terms of level design and atmosphere.

Washington D.C. really does feel like it’s been hit hard by a nuclear war, which even Fallout 4 was a bit too bright to realistically portray. The sense of awe when emerging from Vault 101 for the first time is something that New Vegas and Fallout 4 failed to replicate. Washed out, grey colours have never looked so good.

The D.C. Metro is especially creepy; dark, decrepit and filled to the brim with raiders, feral ghouls and super mutants. Back in 2008, these areas genuinely scared me, and they still do a bit today. Exploring the post-nuclear remains of real life monuments, like the White House, Capitol Building and Lincoln Memorial, is a dark and fascinating experience.

Photo: Joseph Nicolla @ flickr.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild – Hyrule

I was suspicious of Nintendo’s decision to make Breath of the Wild a completely open-world game, but in the end the result is spectacular. One of my biggest gaming gripes is when developers create large open-worlds with little substance, but Hyrule rises above this. The world is littered with hundreds of activities, puzzles, and more memorable side quests than you’d find in Skyrim.

Just wandering around the forests, desert, snowy mountain tops or lava fields of Hyrule is an absolute pleasure, and few games have made me want to explore aimlessly as much as this one. There are hidden secrets, collectibles and even some easter eggs to previous The Legend of Zelda games that are a joy to discover.

Even though I played on a WiiU at a lower resolution and half the framerate of the Switch, this iteration of Hyrule shows Nintendo haven’t lost their touch.

Photo: BagoGames @ flickr.

Interview: Alex Tayler

Written by Kirstie O'Mahony on . Posted in Features.

Alex Tayler, General Secretary of the Students’ Union, has undoubtedly had a frantic couple of months — as demonstrated by the frantic pace at which he can be seen travelling at around the Union building.

There’s been a preferendum on exec officer roles, as well as the very blatant and, at times frustrating, building works that are still persisting in the union. Overall though, he seems calm when we sit down to chat about how he’s been the last couple of months.

He admitted that there have been “quite a few challenges” and that he’s been “very busy” but that he’s loved every minute of it. A particular highlight for him so far? “Probably doing the talks around living in Manchester with international students, I really enjoyed doing that with Riddi.”

I asked him if there were any policy points that were close to being achieved. He told me that “small manifesto points” such as weekly meetings with students had been successfully achieved. His new scheme, “Gen Sec on Tour”, has just started which will feature him and other “special guests” such as other members of the exec team or staff members speaking to students around campus.

He then explained why his bigger pledges were not yet finalised: “most of the things that I talked about [on the campaign trail]…. they’re not things that can be solved in a short space of time.”

An example of this was his pledge to create a combined bus pass that would allow students on both Stagecoach and First buses. He told me it would take “three years to implement” but the momentum for it has indeed begun. When I asked if he was frustrated, he told me, “everyone wants things to happen in a day, but sadly life’s not like that… I have started a consultation process, so there’s lots I can do to input into the process, if I rerun I’ll carry on with it, it takes a long time to develop but there is momentum there.”

He then added, somewhat cheekily, that current methods to solve the problems, such as the new Get Me There card, are, in his words, “a bit rubbish”, so he’s definitely keen to get his solution off the ground.

He did seem frustrated at how long things take to get done, but said it wasn’t something that was just limited to working with external companies – he said everything takes a huge amount of time before it can be implemented, but “especially with the University.”

Speaking of frustrations, I turned to talking with him about the recent preferendum on roles within the executive team. The Mancunion reported that there was 1.5 per cent turnout — equating to less than 500 people coming out to vote — which meant that their self-applied threshold of 4,000 wasn’t met, and the result wasn’t valid.

He said that the result was “a shame, but not that surprising”, as engagement in student politics is always hard to maintain. There was also a fair share of voter fatigue, given that the vote was being held at the same time as those for the Part-Time Officers and NUS Delegates.

For this reason, he said that the “process wasn’t ideal”, but when it goes to Senate and is “rubberstamped” by the trustee board, by that time there will have been ample feedback and they’ll know absolutely what it is that students want and need from their exec team.

One thing that you can’t really miss when you walk into the union these days is the extensive amount of refurbishment that is underway in the building. The expansion is due to conclude in the 2018/19 academic year and is, according to Alex, something that’s been necessary for a very long time. “People have been calling for more space since the 50s… we looked at minutes from meetings in the 60s saying that 400 students need more space so we’re coping quite well with 40,000.”

He thinks that the works will be invaluable to students when they’re done, but lamented the fact that, if he didn’t rerun in 2018, he would not be able to make the most of them. I feel very similar I must say!

He also added that “Council Chambers will have heating” and that it hopefully “won’t look like a 1950s mental asylum stroke prison on the top floor”… ouch!

Another hot topic at the moment is student landlords, and whether or not they may be fleecing their tenants. Alex said that Communities Officer Jack has been doing a lot of work on this subject and that they were planning a review of Manchester Student Homes.

It became much more of an issue when the infamous Fallowfield Students Group (FSG) created the Fallowfield Student Accommodation Group, which allowed students to ‘blacklist’ landlords that they had had bad experiences with. This has been suspended (for the time being) as it responds to legal threats from the landlords that were having complaints lodged against them.

I asked Alex what he thought about these types of Facebook groups. He told me that whilst he thought their engagement with students is fantastic and that they’re a good outlet for a whole plethora of student issues such as student safety, he thinks “they’ve created a perception of crime that’s far worse than the reality.”

He continued: “it is quite scary, you log in, and one person’s been stabbed here, another’s been burgled here, and these things are happening but the reality is these things have always happened… It’s a good forum for a lot of things but it can [take] things out of context.”

I finished by asking him what he’s most looking forward to in semester two.

“I’m really looking forward to celebrate week, as it’s an opportunity to celebrate all the amazing thing our students and societies do… and we get can slag off The Mancunion!”

I replied by saying we’d slag the exec team off right back.

I can’t wait!

Double-up feature: Jewish Film Festival 2017

Written by Mancunion on . Posted in Film.

Let Yourself Go!

The film lacks focus and objective, but it’s not here to lecture you or to sell you a feel-good, uncomplicated lifestyle. Each character is just as messed up as the others, and there is really no definite solution to cure us from all of our various issues. It’s just fun. And that’s probably the point.

You might chuckle at times — I know I did. It’s definitely bizarre, transitioning from a calm, ironical satire of the capital’s elite to slapstick comedy. By the time the film reaches its climax, involving a stuttering convict, a nest box and hypnosis, the mood has drastically changed. Much like Elia Venezia, our protagonist, it transitions from fairly likeable but vaguely bland to relaxed and enjoyable.

After the internationally acclaimed The Great Beauty, Toni Servillo once again plays a man who feels like he’s too clever to enjoy himself. Only this time he looks like Freud. The ambiguous relationship between this grumpy old psychiatrist a spunky Spanish twenty-something, portrayed by Verònica Echegui, has something of the male fantasy, but the film slyly makes it so that you can argue both ways.

And of course, Rome.  This film was clearly made for the The Eternal City. We get to see the hidden corners which are usually left out in mainstream films: the small stands selling crumbling art catalogues, the parks with bits and pieces of Renaissance sculptures left lying on the grass, the interior of a Baroque synagogue… But perhaps even more intriguing are the voyeuristic peeps into the beautiful homes of the Roman bourgeoisie: the bored, entitled intellectuals who ache to let themselves go.

3/5

 

A Quiet Heart

Set in an ultra-orthodox Jewish area of Tel-Aviv, A Quiet Heart follows the story of Naomi Sirad (Ania Bukstein) after having run away from her life as a concert pianist in Jerusalem. The film begins with Bukstein’s character in the midst of a crisis of confidence following multiple failed attempts in succeeding in classical music competitions as well as the sudden and unexplained abandonment of her by her boyfriend. As such, she seeks anonymity and isolated refuge in a run down, high-rise apartment block in the suburb of Kiryat Yovel.

However, instead of privacy, Naomi is met with further hardship as the result of her hard-line Jewish neighbours being suspect of her status as a secular, young, single female musician. It is only through her stumbling across a monastery and hearing an Italian monk (Giorgio Lupano) beautifully play the organ does Naomi begin to rediscover her love for music. It is through her learning to play a ‘Christian instrument’ that Naomi feels inspired to give a young and talented (but nonetheless unrefined) orphan from next door piano lessons.

Thus, the quiet and depressed journey that Naomi originally embarks on in moving to Tel-Aviv soon becomes one filled with more and more music and as such a revived sense of joie de vivre. Although the film has this sentimental notion at its heart, it is approached with an artistic seriousness as not to belittle the significance of the message that one can find great joy and unity where they least expect it.

4/5

Live review: The Lemon Twigs

Written by Rory Calland on . Posted in Music.

Friday 10th November, Manchester Ritz

The Lemon Twigs are two-faced. One charms with the bashful charisma of a children’s TV presenter, the other with the lurching jive of an orang-utan swallowing a fruit bat. Brothers Brian and Michael D’Addario are the preening, stomping heart of this group, and they brought their eclectic brand of 70s glam rock to the Ritz last Friday.

Brian, the more affable of the two, begins proceedings by cheerfully launching into hit single ‘I Wanna Prove To You’, a song which the audience has apparently paid the entrance fee to hear. They set the bar too high, however, as the elder brother struggles lamely through numbers, treading the line of pleasingly retro baroque tinged glam, and simplistic melodious ballads.

I find myself craning my neck to watch the younger Michael pouting behind the drum kit as the schtick drags. He seems to be attempting to propel himself through the air to the front through sheer force of will, almost pushing his brother off the stage in the process. Brian does achieve another peak with a well-rendered cover of Jonathan Richman’s wistful tune ‘You Can’t Talk To The Dude’. It’s a welcome change to a set that is occasionally wholesome good-natured 70’s glam pop fun, but frequently is the aural equivalent of Marc Bolan sat at home in cargo shorts and a brown t-shirt, playing around with Microsoft Excel.

The night changes inexorably halfway through the set when Michael takes to the microphone. It must be a full moon, as he raises the songs beyond the bands recorded efforts with a lycanthropic energy. There’s definitely something trying to get out of Michael D’Addario for the final half an hour as he flickers between mirthless repose and manic delirium.

It’s hard to tell whether he adores the now fatefully sagging Mick Jagger or utterly despises him, nevertheless, he begins strutting, singing and air kicking with a sneering anger that stays with him and reaches a cathartic zenith with the climactic ‘As Long As We’re Together’.

The Lemon Twigs lose a mark, however, for being 20 and 18 years old respectively, and having both a record deal and an IMDB page; get a f*cking grip boys.

7/10

Playlists: Money vs. Love

Written by Jack Greeney on . Posted in Music.

Since the fall of feudalism centuries ago, the value of money has been a hot topic for generations: not its monetary value but its real value, an ‘in the grand scheme of things’ perspective.

In modern times this has become a topic increasingly discussed in the mainstream media: books have been written, films have been made, all with viewpoints to share and a lesson to teach.

Perhaps the genre which has discussed money most of all however is music. Its only rival in the sheer quantity of songs written about it is the emotional, the evocative, the most base feelings of all: love. But which conversation works best in the musical sphere? Here are two playlists which make the cases for both — it’s up to you which one comes out the winner!

MONEY

  1. ABBA — Money Money Money
  2. Pink Floyd — Money
  3. Dire Straits — Money for Nothing
  4. Rihanna — Bitch Better Have My Money
  5. Ludacris — Money Maker
  6. Rick James — Money Talks
  7. The Beatles — You Never Give Me Your Money
  8. Dennis Brown — Money in My Pocket
  9. Jamie T — If You Got the Money
  10. Barrett Strong — Money (That’s What I Want)

 

LOVE

  1. The Beatles — Love is All You Need
  2. Meat Loaf — I’d Do Anything for Love
  3. Bob Marley — Could This Be Love
  4. The Cure — Friday I’m in Love
  5. The B-52s — Love Shack
  6. Sunshine of Your Love — Eric Clapton
  7. Stevie Wonder — I Just Called to Say I Love You
  8. The Darkness — I Believe in a Thing Called Love
  9. Huey Lewis and the News — The Power of Love
  10. The Doors — Love Her Madly

Interview: Gavin Koolmon of Disciples

Written by Megan Matthews on . Posted in Music.

Having hit the mainstream after being picked up by BBC legend Pete Tong in 2013, production team Disciples’ success has only skyrocketed from there.

Within two years their song ‘How Deep is Your Love’, a collaboration with Calvin Harris, reached over 500 million streams on Spotify and new tracks such as ‘On My Mind’ and ‘Jealousy’, both released early this year, show they are not slowing down anytime soon.

Having just finished a festival season and stint in Ibiza, we chatted with Gavin Koolmon, a member of the group, about Pete Tong, Calvin Harris, and what the next chapter had in store for a production group that seemed to always be on the rise.

You’ve had a busy year! What’s been your favourite gig so far?

Definitely the closing party at Amnesia in Ibiza. We had all our friends and family come and it was just a great experience. We played there several times over the summer during our time in Ibiza so to finish off like we did at Amnesia was emotional.

Where do you prefer to play for the summer season: festivals or in places like Ibiza?

That’s a difficult one to answer. We played at loads of festivals this year like V Fest, Leeds, Pacha (in Amsterdam) and we did some stuff with Danny Howard at the Following but that closing party at Amnesia does stand out.

So in terms of gigs this year, are you excited to bring in the New Year at Manchester’s very own WHP?

We were very very excited. We were very happy to confirm that gig and we’re planning on letting loose.

You’re all originally from London and I know in February you’ve got a very exciting gig planned at Koko. What does it feel like scoring a gig in such an iconic venue in your hometown?

Scary! Nah, it’s going to be amazing. We’re going to put a lot of time and effort in to put on the right show for that one. It’s our chance to showcase our album but also let people see a different side to us as we show them a different type of style. Our friends and family will be coming as well so it’s going to be great.

Your most well-known hit ‘How Deep is Your Love’ has 528,434,012 streams on Spotify… how did you guys try and top that with your newer stuff?

You have to get into the thought process where you learn to not try and top it. It’s not about the numbers. We have billions of view on YouTube and similar but you have to learn to detach yourself from that and just keep releasing good music you like and have worked hard on.

Speaking of ‘How Deep is Your Love’, what was it like working with legends such as Calvin Harris and Pete Tong?

You kind of have to pinch yourself. It’s just so amazing to have them on board even just for advice and direction. You couldn’t ask for more. Calvin Harris is the godfather of dance so to collaborate with him was incredible.

What would you say were your key influences in terms of your music style?

Ah, that’s such a difficult question! We were all brought up with sort of Motown, reggae influences so obviously that’s contributed to some extent. At the same time, you could say we take influence from a mix of people like Dr Dre, Michael Jackson and Stevie Wonder. A good mix!

Live review: Run The Jewels and Danny Brown

Written by Tobias Soar on . Posted in Music.

When someone asks who Run The Jewels are, I like to describe them as follows. They are a hardcore hip-hop duo with a style not to dissimilar to that of tag team wrestlers. They’re angry, they’re over the top, and they’re perfectly in sync.

Killer Mike is big, mean, and angry. Born and raised in Atlanta with an incredible ability to lay down the rhymes to the hard beats next to his partner in crime, El-P, who is also angry but ginger and from Brooklyn.

Their lyrics explore the hustle, the grind, and the fury to craft the perfect soundtrack to the urban lifestyle of the politically insane 21st century.

The show was opened by Danny Brown, a rapper with a very abrasive voice that may take some getting used to. However, if you ever doubted him before seeing him live, the experience will make you a fan for life. It sure made me one.

It was one of those rare occasions where the opener is as talented and popular as the main act. Danny swaggered on stage to Black Sabbath’s “Iron Man” while wearing a furry pimp jacket and a Gucci cap that matched the belt on his jeans. The crowd loved him, to say the least. He had us bumping and moshing in minutes. The 45-minute long opener definitely warmed up the crowd.

“We Are the Champions” was the anthem of choice for the duo’s entrance. Once the track ended, a roar erupted from the crowd before “Legend Has It” kicked the set off.

Allow me to interrupt one moment to commend the venue.

Victoria Warehouse is, firstly, very accessible by tram from the city centre and, most importantly, has incredible sound, lighting and staging. It’s honestly the best small venue I’ve ever been to hands down.

Back to the hustle.

RTJ ran through three of their hits with a giant, golden rendition of their iconic “pistol and fist” over their heads when all of a sudden, between tracks, Killer Mike made an announcement:

“There are three rules at an RTJ show and I see you doing some of these already.

“Number one: If someone wants to get out the crowd, you let ‘em out — I seen that happen a couple time already. Well done.

“Number two: If someone falls over in a mosh pit, we pick ‘em up. We all in it together.

“And number three: We DO NOT ***** put our hands on women, or men, without their consent.”

The crowd applauded and chanted “RTJ” at the top of their voices before being shushed by El-P.

“That’s right,” he said. “If we see you doing that shit, we will get in there and punch you in your motherfuckin’ face.” The quip prompted another roar from the fans. They then made an example when Mike pinched El-P’s bum jokingly, after which he explained that he’s cool with that because they’re friends and they trust each other to jest in this manner.

This is a beautiful sight to see in hip-hop. It’s not easy to take a stand for the right thing in industry plagued with sexism, misogyny, and sexual harassment but the self-named murderous pair always take a stand against all issues in favour of all righteous people.

The evening raged on with perfectly executed raps accompanied by skits during songs. For example, they’d pretend to perform body searches on each other or stand back to back like the bad asses they are. El-P blessed us with some spoken word poetry and Mike almost moved us all to tears with a touching speech in dedication of his mother who passed away last year. Run The Jewels were definitely ‘Live from the Warehouse”.

Overall, the incredible opener by Danny Brown set a high bar that was flawlessly smashed by the dangerous duo with their fast raps, lyrical prowess, bouncy beats, and charming interactions with the room. Dare I say it, this may be the most fun I have ever had at a live show to date.

Rating: 9/10