January Film & Music Favourites

Hello, hello!

Isn't January such a weird month, readjusting after Christmas and the blues that come along with it. For once though, I have actually had a pretty good month! But I am also glad to see the back of it, I feel like my year is only properly coming together now. However, I have managed to come across some amazing music and film discoveries this month (especially with all the time off I've been having), so I thought with it being the end of the month I would do a roundup of my favourites. I know that my film and music posts aren't as popular, so keeping them together in one post makes it more accessible for those who want to read, and easy for those who want to skip past it. So, let's start with music.

MUSIC

To start with if you look on my sidebar to the right,  you will see I have linked my Spotify playlist for this month, so while reading this post (or after) you can have a listen if you're interested, all of the songs I talk about (and the rest of my favourites from the month) are all in that playlist.

There seems to be a heavy focus on soulful moody female focals with songs such as Eliza -Wasn't Looking,  ZURI - Beg For It, and Courage & RAY BLK - 2 AM. These songs are stand outs which I have loved.

But there is also a focus on chilled more stripped back dance /electronic tracks, these sort of tracks always seem to clear my mind and help me relax, which is exactly what everyone needs to cure the January Blues. My top discoveries this month would be Crooked Colours - Flow, The Kite String Tangle - Selfish and Sense & Eleven - All Mine. 

Finally I can not forget the most exciting music release of of this month (well for me anyway), is the return of The Vaccines! There are one of my favourite current bands so I was super pumped about their return, and I can happily say that I am not disappointed. The two tracks released Nightclub & I can't Quit are instant hits.

FILMS

Films wise, this is where it gets more niche (hence why I put music first), with having a film degree I have certain tastes and certain themes / genres which I gravitate towards - especially independent cinema.This may not be to everyones cup of tea, but I want to discuss them anyway as they are incredible films which seem pretty underrated and deserve some more lovin'.

Davyveon (2017), Dir. Amman Abbasi 

70% on Rotten Tomatoes

Independent Social Eealist coming of age film following the life of a poor disadvantaged black youth after his brother was shot dead. Beautifully shot with discreet unnoticeable camera work, i.e. body shots, hand held and lush smooth tracking. I loved how the film did not glorify gang culture, and kept it gritty. It isn't a remarkable film, it isn't full of big blockbuster moments or anything really shocking, but that adds to the beauty of it. It just demonstrates the mundane reality of what his (and the other kids) life is like, and how little the opportunities they get offered are. It isn't Moonlight, but it is a beautiful film none the less. Oh, it's also available to stream on Netflix. Click here to watch the trailer.

Blame, (2018), Dir. Quinn Shepard

80% on Rotten Tomatoes

Written, Directed, Produced and starring Quinn Shepard this teenage coming of age drama follows the contrasting lives of Abigail and Melissa who are both struggling with something in their lives that they cannot control, but in very different ways. The film deals with basic high school issues such as bullying, sexuality and consent, but it also dives deeper into discussing mental illness,  abuse and teacher/student relationships. I think this is important in keeping coming of age dramas realistic, and is more relatable for teenagers going through similar situations. To me this is what makes the best of this genre, and these films are super important to me as I think there is a need to there to be more teenage films openly discussing mental illness and psychical abuse in the mainstream. I thoroughly enjoyed this film, there is a lot of depth to it and is a film you can watch the second time and notice so much more than you did the first. This would be my highest recommendation of the month. Click here to watch the trailer. 

Call Me By Your Name (2018), Dir. Luca Guadagnino

96% (Certified Fresh) on Rotten Tomatoes

This is the most stunning critically acclaimed romantic gay drama I have yet to watch. It is a beauty to behold, an absolute masterpiece. Depicting the blooming summer romance between Elio and Oliver, the development and attention to detail between these two characters is stunning. There is unbreakable chemistry between these two, and it speaks a million through their body language on film. If you are into your LGBTQ movies then this is for you, it's also for you if you like an epic love tale. I can't rave enough about this film, it has really stolen my heart. I feel this one is going to win a lot of awards this year, and is most definitely going to be a worldwide success. Click here to watch the trailer.

So those were my music and film favourites for January, these all kept me positive and happy within the longest / most dark month of the year!. Let me know in the comments what your favourites were! I'd love to know! 

XOXO, EMMA 

Handsome Devil (2017), and the break down of Masculine Stereotypes within sports.

Handsome Devil (2017), is an Art House drama Directed by John Butler. The film is a coming of age teen LGBTQ feature, which you will come to realize is one of my all time favourite genres.

It is a comedic tale of two teenagers who are both outcasts but in completely different ways,  and their budding friendship demonstrates that you should never judge a book by its cover.

I'm holding it in the realms of films such as Perks of Being a Wallflower (which is one of my all time favourite books / film adaptations),  and I bloody loved it. I found the characters charming and relateable, and as I go on to discuss I especially love the focus on 'masculinity' and what it means to be a man. So here stands my SPOILER WARNING.

The film does an amazing job of highlighting masculinity in crisis and the problem within male sports. I think the most important aspect of this film is how it highlights homophobia within the very masculine sport, rugby. Masculine’ as to be defined as showing masses of aggression against / towards other males. The school is one consumed by the love for rugby, they practically worship it. The teammates mock and tease Ned because he isn’t interested in the sport (or more plainly not interested in proving his masculinity), by calling him gay which is a demonstration of the masculine/feminine stereotype. That if he is male and not interested in ‘masculine’ ideals, then it must make him gay.

Conor is a character that breaks this down to its core and demolishes it. He is an assertive male, very masculine in appearance. He is strong, muscular and is heavily into sports and is the teams star player. He is the complete opposite of Ned, who is petite and interested in music and literature. If you are to play by the standard rules of stereotyping and stigmata’s then you would assume that Ned was gay, and Conor was straight (spoiler alert) – wrong. The way the film flips this on its head and shows the effects of homosexuality within sports is super important, and isn't one which we see often. At the end of the film when the team choose to stick with him anyway and put aside all their negative and homophobic feelings  is such a powerful moment. The fact that they are all rejecting the normality, and accepting that just because he is gay it doesn’t make him any less of a good player.

 Another aspect to the film that I love is how Ned and Connors relationship never builds into anything romantic. I won’t lie I was really hoping that there would be a kiss at the end, but I am definitely glad that there wasn’t. It made it seem even more important? The fact that Ned never says he isn't gay, and never says he is is something important. It doesn't matter if he is gay or not, because that isn't the issue the film is highlighting. I honestly really admire that they kept it about friendship, as I suppose the romantic route would've been the most obvious. But I think it makes their relationship even more authentic and memorable.

Overall I thoroughly enjoyed this film and would give it 4.5 /5. This was definitely the way I wanted my viewing habits to start this year, more like this please! I think if you are someone who likes a film with a retro feel, that focuses on character development and the struggles of coming of age for teenage boys then this film is for you - and I would 100% recommend it.

XOXO, EMMA.

This is Me.

So with this being a fresh start to my blog (as I am transitioning over from Wordpress), I thought what better of my posts to start of with then an introduction to me?  So with it being a new year and all that jazz here goes my personal statement (UCAS eat your heart out). Also as a side note you should never be embarrassed or uncertain about bigging yourself up - never sell yourself short (you are amazing). I remember when I was applying for University and writing my personal statement I really struggled and felt really weird writing so highly of myself, but I've learnt that self love is the way to success. In the words of the Queen Ru Paul:

If you can't love yourself, how in the hell are you going to love somebody else?

Let's start with the basics - I am a 21 year old Film & Media Studies graduate. I live in the middle of nowhere -a random village right on the borderline between South Yorkshire & North Lincolnshire. It's a very quaint little village, with only one shop, two pubs and a post office - oh, and I stick out like a saw thumb. I am a family orientated gal, I spend the most time (when not at work) with my family. I love them to pieces and I would not be who I am without them.  I am a playful soul, I am always laughing and joking never taking life too seriously and allowing myself to be completely free.

Something you'll know about me if you know me in person is that I am very adventurous with my style. I am heavily into colours, textures and prints. Anything that's fun, quirky retro and / or colourful is my thing. My motto (as my blog title suggests) is to try and bring brightness and happiness to peoples day, and my fun colourful ensembles are a huge part of that. I feel most myself when I am able to fully express how I feel through the style, it brings me joy and the most confidence in my day when I feel most myself.  As you can image, I am a giant kid at heart. I am obsessed with anything nostalgic that reminds me of my childhood, i.e. I am currently obsessed with the original My Little Pony from the 1980's & The Carebears. (I have an older sister, and all I would watch when I was little was her old VHS tapes, and I loved them to absolute death). Along with this I am mad obsessed with cartoons / adult animations, my favourites: Adventure Time, Bob's Burgers, Rick & Morty, Archer & Bojack Horseman (big mouth is also great.) In regards to films I am forever enthralled by art house / indie teenage come of age drama's, especially those central to LGBTQ characters, mental illness, disadvantaged youths (minorities - race, class, disabled etc.) & masculinity in crisis. That is my jam as my focal point for my dissertation was the representation of boys who have been sexually abused within feature length drama's.

Music wise my tastes vary as much as humanly possible, I will listen to pretty much anything if I think it's good / well produced (as such meaning I do not listen to much pop / chart music). As with my tastes with everything else I love old and new music, but my number one band is The Beatles and my favourite artist is Florence & The Machine. But coming in very (very) close are Alt-J, Radiohead, The Smiths, Otis Redding, Joy Divison, The Vaccines (I could go on for so so long). But I'm sure if you stick around you'll find out more about my listening habits as I like to do monthly roundups of my favourite jams. 

 OUTFIT DETAILS: 

Jumper. H&M £24.99 link: http://www2.hm.com/en_gb/productpage.0598409001.html

Trousers, also H&M £19.99 link: http://www2.hm.com/en_gb/productpage.0524825004.html

Bag is from Skinny Dip - they no longer stock it but they have similar ones on their website. 

Trainers are Reeboks which I bought from UO two years ago now, these are the most similar: 

 http://www.reebok.co.uk/classic-leather-nude-nubuck/CN1504.html

Without rambling on any further I think I have summarized myself pretty darn well, so if you like what you read and/or we have stuff in common the stick around. I would love you too! Most of the content I will go on to produce will more than likely stay central to most of these things anyway. So that's me being an unapologetic me, and so we all should be! Self love forever and always. Thanks for reading and sticking around, hope to see more of you! 

xoxo, EMMA.