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Month: October 2022

Hope Mill Theatre is throwing a ball

“The smart and beautiful young Ella lives in the care of her wicked, self-absorbed stepmother Madame and her two stepsisters Charlotte and Gabrielle. In another part of the kingdom, Prince Topher is trying to find himself and learn his place in the world. When his scheming advisor Sebastian suggests throwing a ball so the Prince can meet potential brides, Ella and Topher’s different worlds come together. Expect the unexpected in this clever retelling of the beloved fairy tale.”

Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella has gone on quite the journey. It is, of course, based upon the fairy tale Cinderella –  but particularly the French version Cendrillon, ou la petite pantoufle de verre (“Cinderella, or The Little Glass Slipper”). The only Rodgers and Hammerstein musical written for television, it began its life as a television movie, starring Dame Julie Andrews DBE.

The musical was first performed on stage at the London Coliseum in 1958 in a holiday pantomime adaptation that also used songs from Me & Juliet. Stage versions began to appear in US theatres by 1961, and there have been many since.

The stage musical success lead to another film version, this time starring Lesley Ann Warren, followed by another television movie in 1997 – the one that most people today are most familiar with. Produced by Whitney Houston, it featured a racially diverse cast, lead by Brandy Norwood (Cinderella), with Houston herself playing the fairy godmother, Broadway queen Bernadette Peters playing the stepmother, and EGOT-winner Whoopi Goldberg playing the Queen.

Believe it or not, it actually was not until 2013 that the television musical was adapted into a Broadway musical – even after all the success there had been with smaller stage adaptations. With a book by Douglas Carter Beane, the cast was lead by the controversial, unvaccinated Laura Osnes.

Following the 2022 Australian tour, the musical has now made it to the continent where the fairy tale originated. Indeed, this is not only the UK premiere of Cinderella but, rather, the European premiere!

The UK cast is lead by the incredible Grace Mouat, who first received recognition as an original cast member of Six, in which she was the swing and had to cover every single role! When I went to see the musical at The Lowry, as part of its first UK tour, Maiya Quansah-Breed was off, so she covered the (my favourite) role of Catherine Parr (whilst Alexia McIntosh, who had injured her back, played Anne of Cleeves sat on a chair). I had the pleasure of meeting her afterwards; she’s a darling.

I next caught her in the world premiere of & Juliet at Manchester Opera House, where she was, once again, a swing.

Now, at last, Mouat is receiving the recognition that she deserves.

The male lead, Prince Topher, is played by Jacob Fowler, who first found fame as a member of Since September, who won Little Mix The Search. The band also featured, Patrick Ralphson, a former University of Manchester student (and friend of mine) who I had the pleasure of interviewing as part of my A Tough Act to Follow series.

Fowler then went on to play the male lead (and antagonist), Jason “J.D.” Dean, in Heathers in the West End, and now he’s gracing Manchester with his princely presence. I recently had the chance to interview Fowler – stay tuned for the interview!

This adaptation is directed by Artistic Director and Co-founder of Hope Mill Theatre Joseph Houston, and co-directed and choreographed by Executive Director and Co-founder William Whelton – two fairy godmothers who are here to make our dreams come true!

 

Cinderella runs at Hope Mill Theatre from November 1 until December 11.

The Lion King: Preview event

Ahead of Disney’s The Lion King’s four-and-a-half-month residency at Manchester’s Palace Theatre, I attended an intimate preview event with a few members of the cast. This follows a launch event before the pandemic and then another one a few months back.

Sonata Piano & Cabaret Lounge provided the perfect space for this small casual preview. With complimentary drinks and nibbles, Matthew Forbes hosted the event, bringing the cast to the stage one by one for a chat and performances of certain songs. 

The cast showcased their incredible vocals and indulged in some of their impressive previous credits with several of them being The Lion King veterans.

Forbes, a puppetry and movement extraordinaire, is playing Zazu in the tour, with impressive previous credits including Associate Puppetry Director for War Horse and the Puppetry Consultant for The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time

Nokwanda Khuzwayo, the actress playing Nala, sang her solo ‘Shadowlands’ first. She has played the role in a few different languages including Portuguese, German, and now English, in Brazil, Shanghai, and Germany. 

We then met Jean-Luc Guizonne who plays Mufasa and has been a part of The Lion King family for 11 years. He has also played the role of Mufasa in several languages and countries. Guizonne began with French in Paris and has since played the role in German in Hamburg, and English in Singapore and now the UK.

Guizonne was then joined by Stephenson Ardern-Sodje, the actor taking on the iconic role of Simba. The two performed a mash-up of ‘They Live in You’ and ‘He Lives in Me’, the songs for their respective characters. Stephenson then sang ‘Endless Night’ which was written for the musical and has been named Simba’s signature song.

Stephenson had quite an unusual start to his career. After studying English Literature at university, he attended an open-call audition for Hamilton and got down to the finals. He initially didn’t get the role but was then brought in to cover and made his professional West End debut as Alexander Hamilton.

The cast then sang a beautiful rendition of ‘Can You Feel the Love Tonight’ which was followed by a few questions from the audience. 

The cast discussed the other roles they would love to play. Stephenson would eventually love to play Mufasa, and Thandazile Soni, who plays Rafiki, said she’d want to experience Nala as the powerful lioness she is. 

The Lion King began its run at the Palace Theatre on October 27 2022. It has just been announced that its run has been extended once again; it is now playing until March 11 2023. After this huge run, the UK tour visits Sunderland Empire from March 16 to May 6 and Birmingham Hippodrome from July 6 to September 16 – with more venues to be announced.

Ig Nobel prizes 2022: Noble or ignorable?

Every autumn, the world’s most prominent scientists are celebrated with the Nobel Prize. They reward groundbreaking scientific research which has significantly improved people’s lives. For example, the physics prize this year was awarded to Alain Aspect, John Clause, and Anton Zeilinger jointly for their work in studying a quantum mechanical phenomenon, called “entanglement.” This has important applications for technology, such as new quantum computers and methods of encryption.

However, not all scientific research is as intense and serious; contrary to popular belief, some scientists do actually have a sense of humour. To recognise this, there exists satirical scientific prizes handed out alongside the serious – the not-so-prestigious Ig Nobel prizes.

What are the Ig Nobels?

The Ig Nobel prizes delve into the weird and wonderful research that is taking place across the scientific spectrum. It attracts attention to research that may be sometimes silly, but always interesting, which could have potentially escaped scientific headlines.

Their desire is to award scientists “for achievements that first make people laugh then make them think,” and much of the supposedly silly science they honour has surprisingly important applications.

Originating in 1991, they have celebrated such topics as: how water content affects the compaction of cereal (Physics 1995), the discovery that beer froth follows exponential decay (Physics 2002), or showing that herrings communicate by farting (Biology 2004). This year the roster of awards, handed out in a ceremony on September 15, did not disappoint.

Ice cream transforms cancer care

Notably, the prize for medicine was awarded to a team at the Medical University of Warsaw. The team researched how ice cream could be used as cryotherapy during high-dose chemotherapy, to reduce oral mucositis occurrence.

Oral mucositis is a painful condition where intense chemotherapy causes inflammation of the mucous membrane lining the inside of the mouth. The theory behind cryotherapy is that it causes vasoconstriction, reducing the inflammation of the oral cavity mucosa and reducing exposure of these areas to chemotherapy drugs.

Cryotherapy has previously used ice chips, however this can be unpleasant for patients and many stop using them. The Warsaw research team therefore wondered if a more pleasant alternative, such as ice cream, could be used.

The study showed a trend between the occurrence of oral mucositis in a group of 74 people undergoing chemotherapy and the amount of ice cream consumed as a method of cryotherapy. An increased amount of ice cream consumed coincided with a decreased occurrence of oral mucositis.

This provides a potentially cost-effective, accessible, and pleasant preventative treatment for those suffering from the painful side effect of chemotherapy.

Two hearts in love beat as one

Another highlight from this year’s award listing is the prize for applied cardiology for a team at Leiden University, who researched how physiological synchrony is associated with attraction on a blind date.

In the study, subjects were hooked up to monitors and wore eye-tracking glasses, then went on several blind dates. The research found that physiological signals such as smiling, mimicry, or eye gazes were not related to attraction, despite previous misconceptions. However, the synchrony of heart rate and skin conductance was a good predictor of attraction between partners on a blind date. So sparks really do fly when you’re in love!

Although not perhaps as useful as ice cream cryotherapy, this provides an interesting insight into the mysterious area of human behaviour which is consciousness and attraction.

So, next time you are on a Tinder date and aren’t sure whether your feelings are reciprocated, maybe hook you and your potential partner up to a heart rate monitor and see whether your heart rates are synchronised. That will clear things up, though you may find the heart rates slowly moving out of sync as you attach the wires…

“Peace was never an option” for WARGASM at Academy 2

One of the longest queues I’ve ever seen for a gig in academy 2 (which was of course a good sign for the WARGASM gig ahead!) meant I missed the start of first support Knife Bride’s set. I wasn’t a massive fan of what I did hear, but the front of the crowd got involved, enthusiastically answering their calls for a mosh pit to their last song.

To be honest, the sound wasn’t great from where I stood which may have played into how much I enjoyed their set. As a very new band with only three tracks to their name, it’s understandable that they wouldn’t be massively polished at this point. I’d definitely give Knife Bride another chance in the future.

Photo: Knife Bride – Maddy Oxley @ The Mancunion

Photo: Scene Queen – Maddy Oxley @ The Mancunion

Main support, Scene Queen, was an absolute joy to watch. Coining the term “bimbocore” to describe her sound, and appearing on stage to Aqua’s ‘Barbie Girl’ I knew I was in for a fun half an hour. I’d heard some snippets of Scene Queen’s music on TikTok a while ago but never listened properly.

I actually really wish I had though, so I could’ve joined in more with her set. She clearly had a fair few fans already in the audience, with crowd surfers making an appearance during her first song, which is quite rare for a support act.

Highlights included the massively catchy ‘Pink Panther’ and a cover of Katy Perry’s ‘I Kissed A Girl’ which was a great way to involve members of the audience who weren’t familiar with Scene Queen’s own tracks. She even enlisted a fan from the audience to help her scream during one track, as she was beginning to lose her voice, which was a lovely gesture.

As well as entertaining with her music, Scene Queen proved that she also had the stage presence in between tracks. The highlight for me was when she exclaimed that she wasn’t bothered about starting circle pits, but instead wanted a “twerk-le pit”, and that anyone who felt compelled to “pop their pussy” to her music should go to the middle. Scene Queen proves that you don’t need to look or act a certain way to fit in in the metal scene, and owns her hyper femininity in such a way that it’s hard not to love what she’s doing.

Photo: WARGASM – Maddy Oxley @ The Mancunion

This same energy continued in the break between scene queen and headliner WARGASM. With a pre-show playlist ranging from Slipknot and Pierce The Veil, to Nelly Furtado’s ‘Maneater’, the audience were loving it.

WARGASM needed no introduction and arrived on stage launching into ‘Super Fiend’ from their most recent release EXPLICIT: The MiXXXtape. The band covered every corner of their discography on this tour, first playing every track from the mixtape in order, then playing a few of their first ever releases, before finishing with a selection of their other hits, and an encore of ‘Spit’.

The show was chaotic in the best possible way, even featuring a circle pit completely unprompted by the band, which was a first for me. WARGASM are an incredibly polished duo to watch.

A lot of the vocals on their tracks are performed in a call and response fashion between both band members standing on opposite sides of the stage, which is really effective in a live setting. Vocalist and bassist Milkie Way, tended to stay back on the right side of the audience, but vocalist and guitarist Sam Matlock, frequently came closer to the front of the stage during his parts, and even crowd surfed during final song ‘Spit’.

One of the touring band members also moved to the front of the stage to feature on vocals a couple of times, incorporating nu-metal classics like Limp Bizkit’s ‘Break Stuff’ into WARGASM’s songs. I was a little confused at first, and it was undoubtedly an unnecessary addition, but fun nonetheless.

Highlights for me included ‘Lapdance’, (originally by N.E.R.D) which is a perfect cover in my eyes. As well as ‘Backyard Bastards’ during which it was quite ironic to feel so comfortable in a room full of people screaming “wanna kill, wanna kill somebody” so enthusiastically. The gig was raucous from start to finish, and as the lyrics in ‘God of War’ say, “nu metal is definitely coming back” if WARGASM have anything to do with it.

Photo: WARGASM – Maddy Oxley @ The Mancunion

The Booooks section’s favourite spooky tales

Scary books can be notoriously hard to be actually scary. Unlike films, plays, or even music, they rely pretty heavily on the reader’s imagination. But not every scary book has to be a Stephen King or H.P. Lovecraft tome. In fact, there is a whole world of other terrifying tales out there, just waiting to be explored. With that in mind, here are the Mancunion books sections’ recommendations of scary stories to read this Halloween.

Shirley Jackson: We Have Always Lived in the Castle

Shirley Jackson’s We Have Always Lived in the Castle has everything any fan of gothic literature craves. Although Jackson is better known for The Haunting of Hill House, which was turned into a hit Netflix series, her last novel is much more suspenseful and tightly crafted.

Set in the slowly decaying Blackwood family home, it follows the protagonist Merricat and the only two remaining members of her family after a tragic incident six years prior to the novel’s opening. In a similar style to Charles Dickens’ character Lady Havisham in Great Expectations, the Blackwood’s world of withering wealth shrouds the deaths of Merricat’s family in mystery.

Pick up this book to immerse yourself in the unravelling that ensues as the claustrophobic Blackwood home is disturbed by Cousin Charles and his questions.

Ira Levin: Rosemary’s Baby

If you are lucky enough to have never read Rosemary’s Baby then don’t do any more research – the Hollywood poster alone gives away massive spoilers! Ira Levin’s novel follows wannabe actor Guy Woodhouse and his beautiful wife Rosemary as they try to start their life together. They find the perfect New York City apartment and decide it is the right time to have a child.

Although the basic plot does not provide an inkling into the twisted and perverse heart of this story, trust me when I say it is far more disturbing than any contemporary text. This novel examines the deep-rooted fear that your most intimate relationships are not what they seem.

Levin plays with the heteronormative nuclear family and presents to the reader a sinister world where sexism meets witchcraft and culminates in the most spinetingling end of a novel I have ever read.

Daphne du Maurier: Rebecca

Rebecca is a gothic classic that will transport you to a world of mystery and haunting figures. It follows a young woman as she meets and quickly marries the wealthy Maxime De Winter. Now Mrs De Winter, she is transported to the ominous estate of Manderley. De Winter soon realises that her seemingly idyllic relationship has a dark past. While she struggles with the legacy of the beautiful Rebecca, Maxime’s dead wife, and the sinister housekeeper Mrs Danvers, she soon finds herself very alone.

Mrs De Winter as the endearing narrator recounts the story and her surroundings with intricate detail. It creates a hauntingly atmospheric novel, that although written in the 1930s, is an easily accessible read. With elements from other works like Jane Eyre, Rebecca is an important novel that has become essential within the gothic genre.

Ken Kesey: One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest

Looking for a sinister, psychological thriller to grip you during Halloween? Ken Kesey’s One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest could be your match!

Set in the labyrinth of a mental asylum, Kesey tracks the trials and tribulations of the inmates against the all-powerful Nurse Ratched. Themes of power, class, insanity and leadership are all present in the novel, proving it as a thrilling, immersive read.

Kesey also comments on how unjust persecution can lead to division and hostility within society. The ‘cracked pots of society’ (page 204) typically should not rebel and remain subservient to Ratched.

But, our protagonist McMurphy tantalises the reader with his powerful tricks and deception of Nurse Ratched, empowering his fellow inmates up until the last pages of the novel. Reminiscent of Margret Atwood’s Handmaid’s Tale, the portrayal of escape from the walls of the institution leads to a thrilling, empowering account of perseverance. So, will you pick up this dystopian stroke of genius?

Angela Carter: The Bloody Chamber

In this collection of ten short stories, Angela Carter takes traditional fairy tales and infuses them with horror. Think a murderous Little Red Riding Hood, a raunchy Puss-in-Boots, a vampiric Sleeping Beauty. Carter explores themes of gender, power, and violence through her dark retellings of childhood bedtime favourites.

Not only is it enjoyable on the surface, but it’s also a staple piece of feminist literature. The enchanting language, gothic imagery and rich symbolism make it perfect for anyone wanting to read classics without having to slog through a dull read. With each tale as twisted as the last, this is the perfect book to both enthral and disturb you over Halloween.

Franz Kafka: The Trial

Whilst not a typical horror, Franz Kafka’s The Trial will certainly leave you horrified. A twisting and turning narrative that will forever leave you guessing, the terror of this novel is in just how disconcerting it is.

The book follows Josef K, a man arrested for a completely unknown crime by a vague and mysterious government. He attempts to make his way through a circular justice system, descending deeper and deeper into ridiculousness and confusion.

Josef K’s powerlessness in the face of an authority that he has no idea about, accused of a crime he has no idea about leaves us as readers feeling completely at a loss. If you looking for a classic novel with a disconcerting air, look no further.

Is the Green Goddess Salad worth your thyme?

In late 2021 Melissa Ben-Ishay, founder of Baked by Melissa, posted her recipe of the green goddess salad on TikTok. This vegan dish reached viral status, with even celebrities like Lizzo jumping on the trend.

But is this concoction of vegetables really worth the time, money and effort? Or will it join other TikTok food fads, like cloud bread, and fall into oblivion? It was time for me to finally put this trend to the test…

The salad itself is easy and affordable, consisting of diced cabbage, cucumber, spring onions and if you’re feeling fancy, extra chives. These ingredients complement each other well, providing volume, freshness, and a crunchy texture. I like how the cabbage maintains its hold, allowing the salad to last for days. There is nothing more repulsive than leftover wilted leaves waiting for you in the fridge.

But what truly makes this salad is the dressing: lemon juice, olive oil, nuts, garlic, shallot, rice vinegar, spinach, basil, chives, salt, and nutritional yeast. That sounds like a lot, but I was surprised to find I already had half the ingredients hiding in my cupboard! 

The dressing turned out rich, creamy, and full of flavour. The lemons’ acidity combines with the herbs and vegetables to produce a tangy and intense aromatic flavour that is undeniably delicious.

Packed with healthy fats, vitamins and antioxidants, this dish is also extremely nourishing. Plus, it caters to a variety of dietary requirements so most people can give it a try. It’s both vegan and gluten-free, and, if you removed the cashews, it would be nut-free too.

Its versatility allows you to adapt the recipe to your liking. I must admit, I was sceptical as to whether this would be anywhere near filling. With no carbs or protein, it seems like a ‘recipe for disaster’ if you wanted something to sustain you throughout the day.

The salad, however, was surprisingly satisfying and I even had enough energy to last me during my tennis session. That said, my housemate admitted that she scoffed a sandwich straight afterwards because “it was just cabbage.” 

To make this salad more appetising and nutritionally dense, I’d recommend adding protein, such as chicken, tofu, or edamame beans. Carbs are also a missing essential, so adding croutons, or using the salad as a dip for tortilla chips, would take this salad to the next level. If you want to spice things up further (literally) jalapeños would be a great touch.

Overall, I rate this salad a 7.5/10. It would have been SO MUCH higher if it hadn’t been for one thing: the onions. After eating this salad, you will genuinely have to avoid people for 3-5 working days. The raw onion and garlic gave me a monstrous breath. I tried everything: mints, gum, mouthwash – nothing could save me. If this becomes a staple menu item, NEVER choose it on a date. It would be fatal. 

So, either remove the garlic and onion or, preferably, just cook them before adding them to the blender. Also, dice the cabbage up finely. Not only will this make it easier to use as a dip, but it will also save you from looking like Bruce Bogtrotter while you devour it.

I’d say this recipe lives up to the hype and is definitely worth a try. Saying that, it could be improved with alterations, so adapt it to your liking. I’d choose pasta or pizza over salad any day – but who wouldn’t? This salad (minus the onions) will certainly be making a return to my kitchen. 

Horrible Histories: The History Behind Halloween Costumes

As we wave Halloween goodbye for another year, we take a look back in time at costumes of the past. Why do people dress up? And when did it become normal to go from witches to celebrities? Get ready to be inspired with a blast from the ancient past, and see how generations before you would’ve spookily ornated themselves.

Where does the tradition behind Halloween costumes come from?

Interestingly enough, the origins of Halloween costumes are much older than anticipated. It originates from the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain in Tlachtga, more commonly known now as the Hill of Ward in County Meath.

Originally, Halloween was a pagan festival, but by the ninth century, the influence of Christianity had grown massively. In 1000 A.D., the church founded All Souls’ Day on November 2nd and in similarity to Samhain Festival, people lit bonfires and paraded around dressed as saints, angels and devils.

What is the purpose of a costume?

Believe it or not, the Samhain festival, where people would dress up and celebrate the dead, had little to do with the concept of Halloween that we know now. Dressing up as ghouls and goblins to trick people for treats is a thing of the future. Instead, the Samhain festival marked the Celtic New Year, where Summer would finish along with a years worth of harvest. However, more importantly, it marked the beginning of winter – a season greatly associated with death. Therefore, in order to ward off any ghosts that may have slipped through the cracks, people lit bonfires and wore scary costumes. People would leave their homes after dark and put on their masks, in the hope that the ghosts would think they were fellow spirits and not bother them. These masks and costumes often consisted of animal heads and skins – a bit scarier than a Spiderman costume you can buy at your local Sainsbury’s.

1870s – 1890’s

During the Victorian era, witch and ghost costumes started to come into action, but were not yet commercialised. Costumes were often made by hand. Post-Civil War America had begun developed a new fascination for the far East, with depictions of princesses from Egypt or anything considered ‘exotic’ for the time soon becoming popular in the late 19th century. Of course, you would not get away with costumes like these nowadays and is instead cultural appropriation.

1900s – 1920s

The early 20th century marked the beginning of the Halloween market, especially with advertisements being aimed at young children. You could now buy mass-produced paper costumes and buckram masks. As they were made of crêpe paper, they could also be thrown away. Not the most environmentally friendly, but much less labour intensive than the handmade costumes made before, signifying the changing industrial economy in the West.

Photo: Mari Gabriella @ Wikicomms

1930s-1940s

Paper costumes were quickly replaced with boxed character costumes. These boxes would typically include a plastic mask with a bit of string to wrap around your head and a rayon costume (derived from wood pulp!). Following the economic boom in America, Halloween costumes were influenced by pop culture. People could dress up as their favourite characters from books, films and the radio. Costumes began to move away from the scare factor and more towards cultural references.

1950s

Around this time Disney had taken the world by storm. More and more households began buying TVs, further pushing pop culture into the home. Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Peter Pan, Tinker Bell, and Snow White were all favourable characters to depict through Halloween costumes. This tapped into the child market further as children wanted to dress up as their favourite Disney characters.

1960s- 1980s

From the Beatles to Barbie, pop culture continued to influence fashion choices for Halloween costumes. Costumes shifted more towards the adult market again, featuring gimmicky and sexual outfits.

One of the most defining pop-culture moments during the 1980s that dominated Halloween fashion was E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. Still considered one of the highest-grossing movies of all time, masks depicting the friendly alien was all anyone wanted to be for Halloween.

Photo: Aimee Dars Ellis @ Flickr

1990s

Oddly enough, brand names such as McDonald’s had their own boom in the Halloween industry. The brand released various Halloween Happy Meals shaped like pumpkins with spooky toys. You could grab a plastic McPumpkin, McBoo or McGoblin trick-or-treat style meal carrier.

Just about anything and everything could be a costume, which is perhaps more suggestive of politics and economic growth, but let us focus on the fashion for now. By this time, rarely anyone made their own outfits, with stores providing cheap costumes.

Modern-day

Today is more of an amalgamation of what was seen throughout the 20th century. With many technological advancements, costumes are more complex and expensive to make. Realistic cosplays are highly sought after, and the pornography industry has turned even the most innocent of costumes into sexy dupes. Social issues have arisen about cultural appropriation and costumes insensitive to different cultures. The common thread throughout all of this, however, is popular culture.

TikTok and Instagram alike have also seen the rise of complex and mind-boggling makeup trends. Creators are more resourceful than ever, spending hours to look exactly like a celebrity, or morph into something else completely. Today, a strong makeup look is just important as the costume itself, with cosmetic retails jumping aboard to provide the best goods.

Culturally significant and agonisingly existential: Blade Runner at 40

The Arctic Monkeys lyric “what do you mean you’ve never seen Blade Runner?” is an acceptable response to someone that hasn’t seen this masterpiece. Blade Runner (1982) needs no introduction. As the film celebrates its 40th anniversary this year, why not revisit one of the most culturally significant films of all time?

Based on Philip K. Dick’s dystopian novel, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, Blade Runner tells a story of humanity’s bleak future. Set on a futuristic Earth in 2019 after the departure of the wealthy and upper classes, we follow Rick Deckard, played by Harrison Ford, a former blade runner forced back into work hunting a gang of escaped human-like robots called replicants. Rick’s task is to “retire” them.

Blade Runner was directed by Ridley Scott and consists of an incredible cast. Not only do we get both Harrison Ford and Rutger Hauer, but we also get a great performance from Sean Young and even an early performance from Daryl Hannah.

Although on the surface, the film seems like a two-dimensional sci-fi movie with wild predictions of flying cars and robots, Blade Runner tells a deep story with many existential and philosophical topics. It asks the question of what it really means to be human. You transition from rooting for the blade runners to feeling sympathetic for the oppressed replicants. With Roy Batty’s (Rutger Hauer) famous monologue at the film’s climax, you feel the pain and fear of the replicants – sentient androids built to serve, but with short shelf lives.

The film ends on a solemn note, leaving the existential questions to linger in your mind. What does it mean to be human? Is it just to be born, as Blade Runner initially suggests, or is it to think and feel and love and experience? The line in the final speech “I’ve seen things you people wouldn’t believe” shows the fear that these memories will be “lost in time, like tears in rain”.

The impact and inspiration from this film can still be seen on the screen today, with a lot of sci-fi films being loose copies of it. It’s no surprise that it’s considered to be one of the greatest films ever made. If you are yet to watch Blade Runner, watch it.

Album review: Carving Canyons by Lissie

Lissie’s music is often categorised as “pop”. Variations thereof: indie pop, folk pop, etc. appear to lend nuance, but if so, it’s redundant. She doesn’t seem to mind – after all, she co-owns a popcorn brand called Otts’ Pops Indie Pop, which might as well be an edible eyeroll.

Such attempts at genre-defining are often pointless other than for marketing purposes, but in this case, the danger of such tropes is that they threaten to disguise that Lissie is, in fact, a bona fide telecaster-toting, tequila-swigging rockstar.

Sure, she might occasionally crack out an acoustic guitar, perform shows in bare feet, and sing about protecting the environment. But Lissie continues to prove she can tear it up with the best of them. She can’t escape being compared to Sheryl Crow and Stevie Nicks, but she can sure give them a run for their money.

Granted, her debut album Catching Tigers was eclectic, and certainly weaved influences of folk with country in an attempt to showcase her varied songwriting. It even contained a piano ballad (de rigueur in 2010). Then, having proven herself, her second album Back to Forever was heavier and Lissie, having always seemed to carry an innate and unbreakable confidence, appeared more comfortable and carefree than ever, singing “I don’t know what this game is / Cause I’m not even playing it / You don’t know what my name is / So what, so what?”

Photo: Lissie – Carving Canyons Official Album Artwork

It’s been a while since we last heard from her in the form of an original full-length album. A selection of stripped back reworkings of old material was released in 2019 – The Piano Retrospective – but as her songwriting matures, her new album promises something more challenging.

Although all 12 new songs effortlessly rest on a familiar shelf of sunny California rock, this is a breakup album, and as such is admittedly more melancholic – indeed a little more indie – than we have come to expect from Lissie, who turns 40 later this year. Carving Canyons is deeply personal and has been described as “a sonic comfort as it simultaneously charts the ripples caused by heartbreak and loneliness as well as what happens when the soul perseveres amidst pain”.

Lissie says that the breakup, bookended by the pandemic, spurred on the creative outburst that led to this album. She runs a farm in Iowa and lead single ‘Flowers’ links the cyclical character of grief with the nature that surrounds her. Lissie said of the song, “I wanted to claim my right to feel my feelings. As I grieved – not only for a relationship, but for the world in the midst of a pandemic – I felt like my anger made people uncomfortable, but I came out the other side empowered and ready to step back into my light. I can grow my own flowers and make my own joy.”

Nashville-based songwriter and performer Bre Kennedy is one of several guest vocalists to appear on the album, contributing to its stirring harmonies which can be enjoyed on the gorgeously self-pitying ‘Lonesome Wine’, the catchy and empowering ‘Yellow Roses’, and the spitefully honest ‘Sad’. The title track is another celebration of nature’s ability to heal as well as an acceptance of the inevitability of heartbreak.

With further help on backing vocals from Sarah Buxton and Kate York, at times the album takes on an eerie, ethereal quality. All the songs on this album were written by Lissie, but it has been endowed with a strong collective co-writing effort which included Madi Diaz, Morgan Nagler, and Natalie Hemby.

Photo: Lissie @ Street Factory Media

Lissie has always written for the live stage, motivated by her desire for her touring band to do her albums justice without requiring access to digital or synthesised sounds. Having worked for many years with producer Curt Schneider – who also has credits with Patty Griffin, Jeff Beck, and Alanis Morissette among others – Lissie knew she could trust him to help her deliver this vision again.

It is an emotionally raw and open album which provides a glimpse into the psyche of someone who – along with most of the rest of the globe – was forced to visit a temporary world of isolation and desolation that many would now prefer to forget. For some, the experience was exacerbated by additional losses: those of homes, jobs, and people. The album’s sentiments are a reminder of the power of healthily embracing our most challenging emotions. As Lissie says, “I’m allowed to hurt – because you can’t go around it, you can’t skip it, you’ve gotta feel the feelings.”

4/5.

 

Carving Canyons is out now, and you can stream it below:

Overwatch 2 is overrated

Microtransactions, horrendous progression systems, and locking characters behind a battle pass. These are the hallmarks of the newly released Overwatch 2, a sequel to the game I loved spending hours on back in 2016 due to its amalgamation of fun gameplay, unique characters, well-designed maps, and rich lore.

I would love to comment that remnants of the original game have continued into Overwatch 2 to show my disappointment with the new release, but that would be a lie as it is literally the same game six years on. Some may say the core features of Overwatch don’t need to be changed since the concept is inherently great, but as Blizzard have taken the decision to stare into the abyss that is free-to-play games, the abyss has stared back and wreaked havoc on Overwatch 2.

To get the positives out of the way, the gameplay is still fun. It was always going to be fun since it’s still the same game, the main objectives are the same, and not many characters have changed. Blizzard have limited the number of players on each team to five instead of six, making the game less hectic although me and my friends haven’t found it to be an issue.

There is always action happening (apart from the dreaded walk back from spawn which can feel like forever), and when the whole team clicks, there is still that huge buzz and rush of adrenaline that people felt back with the original game. The new maps are well-designed, and the art style and graphics remain exceptional.

Now for the negatives. This is where my rating for Overwatch 2 completely drops into a pit since Blizzard has fallen into the pitfalls of free-to-play games. It makes sense because by making the game free to play, they need to make money in other ways, so they put in microtransactions and have pushed for people to spend real money to buy cosmetics. However, they’ve pushed too hard.

Originally, Overwatch rewarded players with loot boxes for playing the game which gave players a chance to get flashy new skins for characters. After scrapping this for Overwatch 2, the only way to get new skins is by paying real money or spending irregular amounts of time unlocking credits. With the new weekly challenge system, players can get virtual credits to stockpile until they have enough to buy their chosen skin, but with the way Blizzard have designed it, it would take someone eight months of continuous playtime every week to get just one skin of the highest rarity.

This renders Overwatch 2’s entire progression system kaput. You can unlock cosmetics through the game’s battle pass, which offers a free and paid version, but there are so many instances where you get nothing for progressing. It is nightmarishly bare boned. Even worse, Blizzard decided to lock new heroes in the battle pass, meaning you can only play them after reaching a certain level.

Fortunately, I played the original game so I got the new character Kiriko for free, but new players and eventually long-time fans like myself will have to grind it out after the next one is released. As expected, the trend continues, with players who want to unlock all of Kiriko’s cosmetics having to spend five years accumulating enough credits.

The launch was a buggy mess too, with people having to wait hours in a queue to even get into the game. In-game, it was as if Blizzard hadn’t play-tested all characters as many abilities were broken, and exploits gave one team an unfair advantage over the other.

My friend fared the worst, since there was a bug where if you got an achievement for doing a certain objective, your game immediately crashed, and you couldn’t re-join any matches. You get penalized for leaving games, with incremental bans ranging from five minutes to 24 hours. Eventually my friend was booted off from so many games that he was given a ban for the whole season, which is expected to last a few months. How is that fair in any way?

With Overwatch 2 essentially being a large patch to the original game rather than a true sequel, it is understandable that many players have been utterly disappointed. The current microtransactions are more than predatory, there is no incentive for players to level up because you get minimal items in return, and the option of paying £5, £10, or even £20 for cosmetics dangerously looms in the menus.

All in all, Overwatch 2 is highly overrated – and probably best to be avoided.

‘Ghost gathering’ in Platt Fields Park fails to break Guinness World Record

A charity event aiming to break the Guinness World Record for the “largest gathering of people dressed as ghosts” in one place has failed. The group were unable to achieve the numbers needed to set a new record.

Only about 100 people turned up to the event, which was organised by Manchester City Council, in conjunction with Paranormal Rescue, and took place in Platt Fields Park on October 29.

560 people had to be in attendance to break the world record. According to organisers of the event, 200 people had signed up on line to attend. However, only about 100 people showed up.

The event’s organiser, Dr Brian Sterling-Veet, believed it was the weather that put people off.

One attendee, who provided an alias of “Ghosty McGhostface” when asked why they had decided to attend the event, told The Mancunion they were “questioning that themselves” because of the small turn out. They were attending the event with their weekly running group based in the Fallowfield area.

It was an integral part of a string of Halloween events throughout the Manchester, intended to engage families and young people during the festive season. Events had been put on throughout the October half-term.

Despite this fact the gathering was populated by very few families and children; instead the crowd was mainly adults.

The ‘ghost gathering’ was intended to raise money for Greyhound Gap, a charity based in Kidsgrove, Stoke-on-Trent, which aims to “rescue, rehabilitate and rehome greyhounds and lurchers”.

The Guinness World Record for the “largest gathering of people dressed as ghosts” was set in March 2017 by the Mercy School Mounthawk in Tralee, Ireland. 

An action-packed joy ride with the Guardians of the Galaxy

Back in October 2021, Square Enix finally released their video game interpretation of the band of misfits known as the Guardians of the Galaxy. As a movie and superhero geek, the game was at the top of my list to play… but was it a successful game aside from its connection to Marvel lore?

The game reimagines the iconic characters of Star-Lord, Gamora, Rocket, Drax, and Groot as unique standalone figures extinguishable from the canon MCU storylines, giving the characters a fresh look whilst continuing the necessary features such as Peter Quill’s leather jacket and love of rock. Whilst their different appearances are initially a little jarring, a few hours into gameplay the characters become unique “variants” with slight backstory deviations to their MCU counter-parts, creating complex multi-dimensions of the marvel universe.

Each character has their own style of humour and a deep storyline which you can explore further through interactions and collecting items of sentimental value for each member. This is an interesting feature for a superhero game which usually presumes you already know the characters backstory, unleashing you into a small, level-based, open world setting with uniquely skilled characters (although some puzzles and skills feel a little simplistic at times).

Square Enix is known for its poignant choice-based stories in the Life is Strange series and the epic worlds of Final Fantasy, so, it is no surprise that the storyline is breathtaking. Following the crew who accidentally release an all-powerful, destructive force back into the universe and must discover how to defeat the mind controlling tyrant from taking over the galaxy. Expect a rollercoaster of emotions, from an amazing soundtrack including classic rock ballads featured on ship and in epic fight scenes, to the emotional repercussions of these false visions on each team-member.

Their reimagining of the format of combat, adventure/superhero narratives diverges from the linear and lack of choice in many predeceasing superhero games, instead utilising a choice system that causes deviations in storylines and changes relationships with characters. Each decision has a repercussion on trust-levels or on the path you take as the rebellious gang of heroes. The graphics and animation style were outstanding, combining realistic facial movements and structures with a comic-like animation style to create a unique set of characters and other-worldly environments.

The controls pose an essential part of the gameplay, with many traversal puzzles involving the use of other characters under Peter’s instructions. Each character has their own battle attacks, special moves, skill trees, traversal abilities (i.e. Gamora can climb the walls) and more.

Battles feel satisfying as star-lord co-ordinates his team’s attacks against different enemy types. Peter’s abilities at first seem less impressive than that of his heavy hitting counterparts or the explosion loving Rocket, but after a few upgrades and his development in the story, he ends up with special elemental abilities for his blasters as well as melee attacks.

The newest features added to the game was the use of a visor system that can locate, identify, or change interactive creatures, as well as an in-battle ability known as “the huddle”. When “the huddle” is activated and the team is successfully inspired, gamers are treated to supercharged abilities and one of the soundtracks killer tunes to accompany the beatdown. This was a cute little mini puzzle with rewarding music; I only wish that they had added more of these scenes for a wider variety of these scenes to prevent as much repetition which occasionally broke immersion in combat.

The main downside to the game was the fact that many of the choices only lead you down the same path with no difference to the ultimate outcome of the story, only small deviations in the plot that made choice-based systems feel inconsequential. Although, the fake out endings and credit rolls are rather entertaining twists that comedically reflect on the post-credit scenes of Marvel movies in their own unique way.

With major plot twists, a gorgeous design, and engaging gameplay, Guardians of the Galaxy is a superhero game no Marvel or RPG fan should miss. Whilst the experience has a different feel to the high-flying Spider-Man games, it is a one-of-a-kind journey which heavily focuses on narrative, combat, and world/character building that fully immerses you into the world of the Guardians.

3/5.

‘Going to the Match’ will continue to be in the public domain

The L.S Lowry painting ‘Going to The Match’ will remain available to the public after it was purchased by The Lowry Arts Centre for £6.6 million.

The painting was put up for auction on October 19 and was purchased with the help of The Law Family Charitable Foundation. This will mean the artwork will remain in Salford and open to the public.

The piece, depicting crowds flocking to Burden Parker, the former home of Bolton Wanderers, was put up for auction at Modern British & Irish Art Sale at Christie’s in London. The Professional Footballers Association bought the painting back in 1999 for just under £2 million.

The PFA provides financial, educational, and wellbeing support to previous and current professional footballers. The painting has been on loan to The Lowry since it opened in 2000. However, following the decision to sell the painting, there was no guarantee that it would stay open to the public and free to access.

Paul Dennett, Mayor of Salford City, fought to keep the painting in the public eye. He said, “I am delighted our campaign to save this critical and important painting has successfully resulted in The Lowry securing it tonight, for the city of Salford in perpetuity for generations to come, for residents and visitors to our great City.”

Painted in 1953, this iconic work has been enjoyed by art and football enthusiasts alike. Lowry is known for his depiction of Northern industrial scenes and sporting events, in particular football.

Julia Fawcett, of The Lowry stated: “We firmly believe that this iconic artwork must remain on public view so it can continue to be seen by the broadest possible audiences for free.”

Black Horror on-screen: The evolution of race within horror films

Words by Rhea Assomull

In light of it being Black History Month and the approach of Halloween, it is important to reflect on how race representations within horror films have progressed.

Black roles have historically been portrayed unfavourably within the film industry, if at all. However, horror films in particular lead this misrepresentation, enabling portrayals of blackness as evil, damaged, or ‘the Other’.

Initially, black roles depicted evils through the likes of zombies, vampires, ghouls – practically anything to contrast the white ‘standard.’ Consider films such as Blacula (1972), which mimicked the original Dracula but instead- you guessed it – he’s black. Blacula was a product of the blaxploitation era, and an attempt to reclaim blackness through representation. Today, however, this film is questionable as it still falls into the black villain trope.

Additionally, the 1968 classic Night of the Living Dead depicts one of the first few black heroic roles within a horror film. Ben (Duane Jones) is the protagonist of the film but – spoiler alert –  ends up getting shot at the end as the mob mistakes him for a threat . The scene is set during a threatening zombie uprising but Hollywood reveals their racist backbone the moment audiences are gaining some hope for positive diversity.

 

Later decades evidence a growth in racial diversity, yet unfortunately for horror films, these representations were arguably more destructive than empowering. Kubrick’s The Shining (1980) is a prime example of this destructive representation, perpetuating the ‘magical negro’ character that helps the white lead, yet ultimately gets killed off in the movie.

A similar example can be found in Scream 2 (1997). Not only does this film endorse tokenism, showing only two black characters within a whitewashed cast, but both these characters are killed off before the audience can even grab their popcorn.

In addition to this, we must not forget the timeless Scary Movie (2000-2013) franchise, which shamelessly mocked these stereotypes by feeding into them, drawing on black tokenism with the majority of the cast being white actors. Scary Movie employs stereotypes like the ‘comedy relief’ character Shorty Meeks and the ‘black best friend’ role (Brenda Meeks). This crafts an otherness towards black identities whilst amplifying the white protagonist’s growth, because God forbid a black character has any depth in a horror film.

Within our current social climate, viewers don’t often turn a blind eye to the standard token character like they once had. Rather, these cinema-savvy audiences have led us into enter an era of transition within the film industry, where black people in horror films have paved the way for a new, niche genre to emerge: ‘Black Horror’.

The recent remake of Candyman (2021) effectively echoes this transition. Through exposing the societal racism that led Daniel Robitaille to his brutal death, and consequently becoming the “monster” that is Candyman, we, the audience, thus embrace racial politics as a catalyst for change. Nia DaCosta flawlessly unveils the humanity behind Candyman’s horror, by utilizing racism and white supremacy to educate viewers, potentially leaving them sympathetic to the black villain.

Another remarkable director who has become a game-changer for contemporary horror films is, of course, Jordan Peele. While you may be tired of hearing Peele’s name and his infamous psychological thriller/ horror debut Get Out (2017), regardless, his works have heavily contributed to the origin of ‘Black Horror’.

Peele’s Get Out, depicts an African American man meeting his white girlfriend’s family who appear rather peculiar and, progressively we find out the reason why: they’re racist. Ironically, as Peele embraces colonial racism through the family’s ideology of white superiority, the film gradually transforms into satire rather than horror. Here, we begin to decipher white supremacy as the true evil, while the black lead escapes from his girlfriend’s racially motivated, murderous family… it’s safe to say he got out of that relationship.

There is no denying that the relationship between race and horror films will always have a foundation in historical conflict. The historical implications of film in the past presented black roles as evil, through a binary construction of two races: black and white, rather than simply the human race. Later depictions adapted to this divide, leaving us with little to no black characters in horror films and, when occasionally represented, would submit to stereotypical black roles.

However, contemporary ‘Black Horror’ such as Get Out and Candyman have shifted this film category away from its racist roots and towards black stories that educate and empower. With that said, I doubt this shift would have occurred without the presence of black creatives such as DaCosta and Peele. Therefore, if the face of race is to continue evolving within horror films today, then representation behind the camera is crucial,

Scares for years: Scary movies over the decades

In preparation for the conclusion of the iconic Halloween film series this month with Halloween Ends, The Mancunion film team have handpicked their favourite scary flicks from the archives (warning: sofa to hide behind not included).

1960s – Isabel Billington

Psycho (1960), directed by Alfred Hitchcock, is iconic, constantly referenced, and fully embedded in our cultural consciousness.

I can’t help but think what it must’ve been like for the audiences who went to see Psycho in 1960 without ever hearing the name Norman Bates.

The film is so expert in misdirecting its audience that at first, you may have assumed you had walked into the wrong screening. You would not be blamed for believing that the sweet face of Anthony Perkins could never be a sight of terror, even as the stuffed birds of prey leer over his shoulder.

You, an audience member in 1960, could not be blamed for the horror you might’ve felt at the reveal of Norman in his wig and his mother’s nightgown. Had you ever seen anything of the like before? The horror of someone transgressing such a norm, of becoming something other than the self. And that something has a knife.

Now, I know that Norman is not trans. The film intends to make that clear. But the implication is enough. His ‘split personality disorder’ leaves him on the borders of what is acceptable gendered behaviour and in his final terrifying speech, when he smiles that knowing smile and proclaims he would “never hurt a fly,” we feel we are being lied to. It is his own delusion of self that scares us. He has accepted the other fully, entirely, and he stares us in the eyes, and he lies to us.

It is no longer 1960 and yet in 2022 often we still see the traversing of gender binaries portrayed as an act of delusion and lies, of horror and danger, be it in films, books, or on the news. Psycho was not the first to present this fear to us and it was not the last.

So next time you sit down to watch this ‘granddaddy of horror’, or any of its grandchildren, think about what horror it is you are feeling, who is shown holding the knife, and who is holding the camera.

 

1970s/ 80s – Emilio Nelson

As a big fan of 80s horror, I can say that Poltergeist (1982) definitely has a place in the genre’s hall of fame. With a plot that slowly builds into a highly rewarding finale, some of the best horror practical effects of its time, and a surprisingly heart-warming narrative, Poltergeist is a solid watch and an iconic entry in the 80s horror canon. 

Although directed by Tobe Hooper, (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, 1974), there is much more of writer and producer Stephen Spielberg’s DNA in this film. Spielberg was initially meant to direct and has been rumoured to have had heavy creative control. Poltergeist feels almost like a horror parallel to E.T, which would come out exactly one week later in the U.S., and initially prevented Spielberg from directing Poltergeist.

Spielberg’s influences fill the movie with a focus on childhood and family seen in his many hits. The brutal violence of some of Hooper’s previous movies doesn’t have a place here. It makes for a pretty unique tone in comparison to other horror films of the decade.

Many horror films may be too greedy with opportunities to spook a viewer. I love films like Alien (1979) and Poltergeist because they know how to build up to their scary moments and engage a wider audience with an accessible film without compromising on the fear factor.

As much as I would love to recommend something like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre to absolutely everybody, I have to face the fact that they might need to watch something more approachable first, which is why Poltergeist and quality horror like it, give me hope.  

1990s – Majeda Bano-Few

Made memorable by scenes of gore, farcical jokes, and most importantly the cleverly explicit cross-references – Scream has rightfully achieved its status of an exemplary meta-horror movie. Of its sequels, the original film remains a firm favourite for many, as perhaps the most iconic of the Scream franchise.

The film begins with the reputable opening scene: Drew Barrymore as Casey Becker receives a mysterious call obliging her to answer a series of questions about horror movies, and in turn, is condemned to a grisly murder through the chilling line “wrong answer”. Then, the central plot develops its self-referential satire; as the Ghostface killer torments the ‘final girl’- Sidney Prescott, portrayed by Neve Campbell, and continues the slasher spree.

Intentionally playing on tropes and clichés, Scream sets out a fairly predictable storyline with fairly guessable killers – however – it is made individually in its profuse references to others within the genre, such as the renowned slasher franchise Friday the 13th or Halloween. One highlight of the film is the anti-curfew house party, where the rules to survive a scary movie (within a scary movie) are set out while characters simultaneously break said rules, and therefore meet their macabre ends.

Although it might at times feel like an inside joke for horror movie fanatics, Scream is equally self-satirical as well as nostalgic for anyone who appreciates the charm of a 90s cult classic. It is essentially a very clever film. The more times you watch it, the more hidden references you’ll spot. It certainly has memorable scenes and iconic quotes that make it a great film and a Halloween favourite.

 

2000s – Evie Knight

A zombie film like no other, Danny Boyle’s 28 Days Later (2002) forces audiences to ask questions about themselves they may find too unsettling to answer.

Exactly 28 days after a group of animal rights activists unleash a mass of chimpanzees infected with “rage”, Jim (Cillian Murphy) wakes from a coma, only to find the streets of London empty. The use of a digital camera (which many viewers have found grainy and infuriating), alongside the seemingly shut down London streets – filmed in the early hours of the morning – creates an eerily defamiliarised first scene.

Of course, the red-eyed zombies are terrifying. The film utilises them for several jump scares, particularly in the tunnel scene, where a visceral mass of rats warn the survivors before the hauntingly fast-moving infected can be seen.

However, it is the humans who are the most terrifying.

This film seeks to answer the question: who is the real monster and what happens to us when survival instinct kicks in? Writer Alex Garland (Ex-Machina, 2014) uses the zombies to create a scenario where we can see what true human nature is when put under severe stress.

This analysis of human nature begins early in the film, where Selena (Naomie Harris) doesn’t even flinch when it comes to killing her soon-to-be-infected partner on the road. However, the most terrifying of all is the military men, thought to be the survivors’ last hope, turned sour. Their lustrous desire to carry on the human heritage takes a sinister tone, where their power over Selena and Hannah (Megan Burns) becomes all too chilling.

Nevertheless, the monster changes once more, where Jim, in his intent on saving them, is turned savage, shirtless, leaping around like an animal, silently causing the death of each soldier. His final killing, most disturbing of all, involves the grotesque gouging of eyes – something that I will never be able to forget.

I believe 28 Days Later is under-appreciated, particularly as a complex form of horror, that leaves us to question our innate human nature.

 

2010s – Josef Weidner

The first half of the 2010s proved a troubling era for fans of the horror genre; lousy jump-scares had slowly become a synonym for ‘scary’, while the occasionally adequate yet generally mediocre flicks of James Wan came to dominate our screens. However, long before A24 began their undisputed reign over the genre, it was Jennifer Kent who reminded us how to be terrified with her 2014 directorial-debut The Babadook.

The film follows single mother Amelia (played by Essie Davis), as she juggles the burdens of motherhood with her traumatic past, all the while the arrival of a mysterious book begins to haunt the minds of her and her son. Despite a rather uninspiring premise, The Babadook has asserted itself as one of the most intricately crafted examples of nightmare fuel that the past decade has to offer.

Essie Davis’s stellar performance shines through as she portrays a woman overwhelmed with anxiety and depression, blurring the lines between sanity and insanity while we’re forced into a relentless state of unease. The characters are real, they’re relatable, and they share our insecurities, so their terror feels more authentic. Jennifer Kent flips the Blumhouse formula on its head by replacing the cheap jump scare with a constant sense of dread; the film’s villain hides in the cracks of everyday life making its presence and absence equally terrifying.

The Babadook taught audiences what it really feels like to be shaken to the core, undoubtedly inspiring what was to come from the genre with films like Robert Eggers’ The Witch (2016) and Ari Aster’s Hereditary (2018) sharing its unique tone. It might never get the credit it deserves, but in a world without The Babadook we would probably be waiting for Insidious: Chapter 5 by now.

Alone, in public: Finding solace in the city

Moving (or returning) to a new city can invoke feelings of loneliness and isolation. This applies to those who have a vibrant social life, but also to those who prefer to keep to themselves. Many artists use their work to communicate emotions that are difficult to articulate with words. This article explores how Edward Hopper, an artist who was recently featured in the Students’ Union’s poster sale, does just that.

It is half one on a Wednesday afternoon at the Students’ Union building. I am queuing up amidst my fellow students to buy a £5 print of Edward Hopper’s most lauded painting, ‘Nighthawks’.

Created in 1942, the painting depicts a nighttime scene of a mostly-empty diner. Four figures (three customers and an employee) smoke and sip at their drinks, seemingly indifferent to each other’s existence.

Photo: ‘Nighthawks’ by Edward Hopper @ WikiComms

When interviewed about the painting, Hopper commented, “unconsciously, probably, I was painting the loneliness of a large city.” The stock image of the painting, unceremoniously pasted on a display wall, is hidden by the crowd of students. I shove my earbuds in and wait for my turn to pay.

Hopper’s paintings gained a reputation for their depictions of modern city life. ‘Automat’ (1927) features a lone woman nursing a cup of coffee, the stark overhead lights unceremoniously thrusting her into the viewer’s attention.

Photo: “Automat” by Edward Hopper @ WikiComms

While many of us may feel familiar with the painting’s sentiment of urban isolation, we can’t help but also be complicit in its observing, isolating gaze. As city residents, we may feel pushed out by the uncaring mass of others. We may also participate in this rejection, simply by existing as yet another member of the faceless crowd.

This brand of isolationism is typical in a great deal of Hopper’s works. I suspect the same may also be true of myself last week, alone at a bus stop hastily eating a McDonald’s sandwich. Whenever anyone walking past averted their gaze, I was unsure if I was being singled out as weird, or if I was just yet another person on the street, simply not worth the effort of acknowledgement.

Being from Newcastle, I originally believed that Manchester wasn’t too dissimilar from home. Yet, three weeks after moving, I can’t help feeling lost in the liveliness of the city; the clubs, cafes, apartments, supermarkets, and endless amounts of people.

Travelling on the packed Magic Bus; pushing my way through the crowd at University Place; the infinite eyes of the skyscrapers watching me as I scurry to and from my daily tasks. It has been an experience I did not fully ready myself for.

Hopper is far from the only artist to depict the loneliness one might feel within a city. Since industrialisation, writers have obsessed over the impurity of the urban landscape, and the falseness of its façade.

Award-winning British author Olivia Laing captures it perfectly in her book The Lonely City: Adventures in the Art of Being Alone:

“You can be lonely anywhere, but there is a particular flavour to the loneliness that comes from living in a city, surrounded by millions of people. One might think this state was antithetical to urban living, to the massed presence of other human beings, and yet mere physical proximity is not enough to dispel a sense of internal isolation.”

Notably, Hopper’s ‘Nighthawks’ famously influenced the look and feel of Ridley Scott’s 1982 film Blade Runner — and its sequel Blade Runner 2049 — both of which focus heavily on urban isolationism. Blade Runner also borrows heavily from noir fiction, a genre focused on rain-soaked cities, corrupt officials, and a lone-wolf protagonist.

Photo: Blade Runner 2049 – Official Trailer, Warner Bros. Pictures, Youtube

Award-winning poet Sylvia Plath also contributed to this genre, expressing her hatred for the falseness of New York in The Bell Jar. In addition, poets Seamus Heaney and Ted Hughes gained popularity through their collective rejection of the city in favour of natural landscapes.

For a long time, cities have been the punching bag of the arts. However, consumers of art will always have the privilege of subjective interpretation. Staring up at my crumpled print of ‘Nighthawks, lovingly white-tacked to the wall of my bedroom, I feel somewhat comforted by its familiarity.

I can’t imagine that someone painting concrete blocks and linoleum floors with such care had a distaste for city life. Instead, Hopper’s work inspires the thought that there is beauty in everything, you just have to discover it. The same can be said for Manchester.

Summer’s star-studded blockbusters: A rundown of summer’s hottest hits

In case you were hibernating all summer, Imogen Mingos is here to give you a rundown of summer’s biggest blockbusters.

Elvis 

Baz Luhrmann is back with another outrageously glamourous and eye-catching film starring Austin Butler as Presley himself and Tom Hanks as his manager, Colonel Tom Parker.

The biopic-musical-drama explores how the ‘King of Rock and Roll’ shot to fame in his late teens after teaming up with Colonel Parker until his death at just 42 years old. Luhrmann delves into the controversy behind Presley’s early career in the music industry as well as the tense relationship between Presley and Parker that has been found to include financial exploitation and abuse of the former by the latter.

Butler’s performance as Elvis was spectacular; at moments it was hard to tell whether you were watching Butler act or seeing footage of Elvis performing. Hanks also gave a tremendous performance, particaly because the film was told from his point of view, so lent itself perfectly to depicting a morally grey character.

It was well received by the Presley family with Priscilla herself saying Luhrmann depicted her late husband’s life “brilliantly and creatively”, and Elvis’s daughter Lisa Marie thanking Luhrmann for “FINALLY… accurately and respectfully… setting the record straight”. With an obviously spectacular soundtrack, beautiful cinematography, and captivating acting from Butler, Hanks, and Olivia DeJonge (Priscilla Presley), this film was a sure-fire summer hit.

4/5.

 

Elvis is out now on DVD and is streaming on Amazon Prime and Sky Cinema.

 

Top Gun: Maverick 

80s classic film fans unite as Tom Cruise returns after 36 years for Top Gun’s sequel starring Miles Teller, Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm, and Monica Barbaro.

Top Gun: Maverick follows Captain Pete “Maverick” Mitchell once again as he returns to Top Gun as an instructor to 12 pilots who are the best of the best, one of whom is none other than Lieutenant Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw – son of Maverick’s former wing man and best friend “Goose” who died on a mission in the original film. Val Kilmer also makes a reappearance as Admiral Tom “Iceman” Kazansky (Maverick’s ex-rival but now close friend).

Don’t be put off by it being a sequel though – the film is still an action-packed, emotional rollercoaster, regardless of whether you’re a die-hard Top Gun fan or a complete newbie. Top Gun: Maverick has been a box office hit earning nearly $1.5 billion putting it almost in the top 10 highest-grossing films of all time.

Fans of Cruise and his stunts will be more than pleased with the action sequences which required a three-month boot camp, designed by Cruise himself to prepare the actors for the aerobatics and high G-forces that come with flying fighter planes.

All of this, topped with perfectly executed humour, and a soundtrack mixing Hans Zimmer’s original score with songs by Lady Gaga and OneRepublic, render Top Gun: Maverivk the ultimate summer feel-good movie.

5/5.

 

Top Gun: Maverick will be released on DVD November 1 and is streaming now on Amazon Prime.

 

Bullet Train

Adopted from Kotaro Isaka’s bestselling novel, Bullet Train is a fast-paced, whacky action thriller starring Brad Pitt, Joey King, and Hiroyuki Sanada. The film follows five highly skilled, but somewhat unusual, assassins stuck on a bullet train travelling from Tokyo.

Filled with plot twists and exciting turns, I was hooked from the very beginning. With plenty of laugh-out-loud moments and gags featuring everything from Thomas the Tank Engine to water bottles, there’s no doubt that you wouldn’t chuckle at least once in this film.

Bullet Train was unique and modern in ways that actions films generally aren’t. This originality may have partially been down to there being fewer A-list actors which meshed well with the overall concept of the movie. Action fans will love the blood-soaked and creative deaths, but they weren’t so gratuitous as to ruin the movie. As a big lover of action films myself, Bullet Train was a brilliant movie that gave me everything I could ask for: plot, intrigue, and originality.

4/5.

 

Bullet Train was released on DVD October 24 and is streaming now on Amazon Prime

Amsterdam review: A-listers Assemble!

With its star-studded cast and fast-paced plot, Amsterdam has all the elements to be successful. It has, however, bombed at box office, being beaten by Shawn Mendes’ singing reptilian flick, Lyle Lyle Crocodile.

This comedy-thriller directed by David O. Russell does not sit well alongside his other critically acclaimed films like American Hustle (2013) and Silver Linings Playbook (2012), but falls rather short with its overly abundant plot and detached dialogue.

Amsterdam is marketed as a “partially true story” loosely based on the Business Plot of 1933. It centres around a trio of outcasts who find themselves entangled in a political mystery much bigger than them. Christian Bale plays Burt, an eccentric veteran doctor who, with his fellow veteran lawyer Harold (John David Washington), and artist Valerie (Margot Robbie), sets out to clear their names after being accused of murder. This ensemble film features many familiar faces, with Anya Taylor Joy, Rami Malek, Robert De Niro, and even Taylor Swift making appearances. Despite the impressive collection of stars, Amsterdam lacked substance.

The film’s style is reminiscent of Wes Anderson’s with quirky characters and dreamlike shots but lacks the quality that Anderson’s films provide. It was difficult to connect with the characters because of their detached dialogue and questionable acting in some cases (although Taylor Swift, in her brief appearance, gave a convincing performance as Liz Meekins).

The chemistry between characters is also questionable, especially when Valerie and Harold are meant to be the great love story of the film but fail to make a convincing couple. With the fast-paced style of the film, their relationship is undeveloped and surface-level. Although they have a few romantic scenes together, they always feel forced and stilted, making it hard for the audience to root for them.

Amsterdam is an ambitious film with its convoluted plot being set in multiple locations bouncing between New York, Amsterdam, and Belgium. Although Amsterdam was meant to be quirky, it needed more structure to make it work and stay interesting throughout. The swift nature of the film is initially captivating but eventually becomes tiring.

Not to mention the ending that was meant to be a dramatic showdown falling flat due to the abundance of characters and the ever-building plot becoming too confusing. However, the film doesn’t take itself too seriously and remains light-hearted through most of it.

David O. Russell is shrouded in controversy which may suggest why, despite its stellar cast, Amsterdam has somewhat fallen under the radar. Russell has had several allegations made against him, including claims that he is aggressive and creates a hostile work environment. This has led to people questioning why so many A-list celebrities have chosen to work with him and begs the question: was this film a mere cash grab?

Amsterdam is an enjoyable film whose quirkiness borders on chaos; but, it is a reminder that it takes more than bombarding audiences with famous actors to make a great film.

3/5.

 

Amsterdam was released on October 7 and is currently playing in UK cinemas.

Live review: Aitch at Victoria Warehouse

Aitch is undoubtedly on the rise to stardom. With two Brit Award nominations to his name, 10 UK top 40 singles, and multiple festival headlines, a show-stopping performance was to be expected. Closing his Close To Home tour with two dates in Manchester, his home-turf, there was a wired and restless atmosphere filling the venue.

Aitch jumped through the neon lights with boundless energy, starting with smash hit ‘Taste (Make it Shake)’ – an immediate crowd pleaser. He was met with a never-ending wave of phones as his fans tried to get a snapshot of the northern lad doing what he does best.

Born and bred in Moston, North Manchester, Aitch seemed relieved to be back in his home city. Throughout the show, he commented on how much he loves “Manny”, and to the crowd’s delight, Mancunian girls. It was an impressive start, with the young rapper sending the crowd into a frenzy with quick verses that he delivers with passion and intent.

Photo: Aitch – Lucy Turner @ The Mancunion

The lighting was fiery and intense, well matched to each song without distracting from the music. Slower and more emotional songs were complemented with calmer colours, adding variety to a hyped-up setlist. In the more stripped-back songs, Aitch appeared to be singing in an elevated, lit-up cage, adding dimension to the stage. This kept the audience engaged visually as well as audibly.

Mid-way through the set, Aitch gets the crowd going again with his recent single ‘1989’, a fitting contribution to the album about his humble upbringing in Moston. Madchester legends, The Stone Roses‘ ‘Fool’s Gold’ (released in the eponymous year) is sampled on this track, possibly representing the idea that the pride of being a Mancunian musician is still extremely relevant today. It’s a classy rendition and one that the crowd love, immediately dancing and filming Aitch’s every word.

‘Sunshine’ is another tribute to Aitch’s Moston roots, with the lyrics “Never left Manny, I was trapped in the beehive / Grew up on fish, chips, sandwich and meat pies.” It’s heartwarming to see how important Aitch’s working-class roots are to him, despite his status.

Aitch interacted with the crowd throughout the show. He was able to tell stories about growing up in Manchester that people could personally relate to, and his signature cheeky sense of humour shone. This humble part of Aitch’s personality paved the way for tracks such as ‘My G’, a tribute to his younger sister who has down syndrome.

Ed Sheeran‘s feature within the track instantly pleased fans as they sang along. It was given a well thought-through placement within the setlist, amongst the booming baselines and R-rated lyrics to follow.

Photo: Aitch – Lucy Turner @ The Mancunion

During ‘Close To Home’, Aitch brought out the Kids Choir – around 20 children filling the stage and singing in-between Aitch’s quick verses. This was a down-to-earth offering performed with zeal, really touching the hearts of the audience. Aitch really pulled the audience together with this song, encouraging everyone to join in with the choir.  It also showed the 22-year-old’s musical maturity, and his vulnerable side.

Drawing the gig to a close with hit singles ‘Rain’ and ‘Baby’ (featuring Ashanti), Aitch had the audience wrapped around his finger. As soon as the iconic keys of  ‘Rain’ belted through the speakers the crowd went wild. Everyone seemed to know all the words and was rapping along as he enticed the fans onstage.

Aitch asked the crowd to bring back the summer vibes as he finalised the show with ‘Baby’ which charted at number two in the UK Charts. It was a clear highlight and ended the night on a high with everyone singing “Oh Baby, I’m Satisfied.”

Aitch performed with charisma and musical skill which was really impressive. It was genuinely a night of laughs and creative genius.

 

You can read the latest news and tour updates from Aitch on his official website. Listen to Close To Home below:

Live review: Witch Fever charm the crowd at YES

On Tuesday night (October 25), Manchester punks Witch Fever descended upon YES Basement, armed with a brand new collection of songs from their debut album Congregation. While the slightly more laidback Westerman and Laura Misch played the Pink Room upstairs, the Basement became a den of debauchery: a dark, hidden underworld revealing itself beneath the venue.

Fellow Manchester band SLAP RASH kicked off the night in style, tearing up the stage with their razor-sharp sound. For just two people, they really know how to fill the room with noise. Vocalist and drummer Amelia Lloyd did not miss a single beat, throwing herself into every song with intense fervour and focus.

Meanwhile her brother, bassist Huw, delivered deliciously dirty riffs as he staggered around the stage. Towards the end of their set, SLAP RASH expressed their gratitude for being given the opportunity to support such an exciting band. “We love Witch Fever!”, they exclaimed, during a breakdown in their final song.

Witch Fever arrived onstage to loud cheers and began their set with ‘Blessed Be Thy’, the raucous opening track from Congregation. Cloaked in ghoulish red and green lighting, the band were bursting with confidence and charisma from the get-go.

Flanked by her effortlessly cool bandmates Alex Thompson and Alisha Yarwood, and backed up by Annabelle Joyce‘s powerhouse drumming, lead singer Amy Walpole appeared completely at home onstage – and in a way, she was. After a year of touring the UK and writing an album, the band finally had the chance to play to their new material to a home crowd.

“Sherry? Where’s lovely Sherry? I’ve forgotten my water!”, Amy called out to their tour manager at the end of the first song. Her mild-mannered, down to earth demeanour seemed almost at odds with her otherwise intimidating punk persona, but it was refreshing to see an artist not take themselves too seriously. When her thirst was quenched, each band member seamlessly resumed their ferocious stance and continued the set with more tracks from the LP. ‘I Saw You Dancing’ particularly ignited the crowd – fans yelled the lyrics back to the band, and a lively mosh pit soon formed in the gloom.

In the middle of their set, Witch Fever stopped playing and took a minute to address important ongoing issues within both the music industry and the wider world. “Society is fucking shit,” Amy declared, with an air of tired frustration in her voice. “Sexism, racism, homophobia, transphobia, classism, ableism… We think that music is the one place where that should not exist!”

She then told an anecdote from the previous night’s show in Leeds, where a male audience member had acted inappropriately towards her at the merch stand at the end of the gig. “Your body is your own!” she shouted passionately, and the band launched into their next song with a renewed fury.

The set continued to gain momentum, rising to a crescendo when Amy came down into the audience during ‘Reincarnate’, the title track off the band’s 2021 EP. Like Moses parting the Red Sea, she strolled effortlessly through the thick cluster of enchanted fans, who quickly stepped back to let her through. She found her way to the bar and climbed atop it to sing the song’s rousing refrain “After all that I’ve been through / After all that I’ve seen / You won’t break me”, before returning to the stage.

The night ended on ’12’, Congregation‘s powerful closing track, and the band left the stage to rowdy applause. Witch Fever didn’t do an encore, but they didn’t need to; they had held the crowd in the palm of their hand for the entirety of the performance.

 

Congregation was released on October 21, and you can stream it below: