What I've been watching #9

I feel like this post has been boyband-centered (like we have a bit of a Beatles theme and then a One Direction movie), as well as a documentary on sugar - we're very versatile here on my blog.

THAT'LL BE THE DAY (1973)
★★★
This film is set in the late 50s and centres around the character Jim, who's a bit bored with his mundane life so he decides to leave home and work a few low-level jobs at a seaside amusement park, but in this job he discovers a world of cheap sex and minor crime. When this world comes to an end, he returns home but then the local music scene starts to explode, and Jim has to decide whether he wants to pursue this exciting world of rock 'n' roll or take on a world of adult responsibility.

This was my Mum's movie choice and she said she thought the sequel was better, this film is somewhat of an introduction to the sequel. I thought it was enjoyable, I do think the 50s was a pretty rad time for music (y'know being a Beatles fan and they were heavily inspired by a lot of 50s music at least in the beginning of their career) so I quite liked that being somewhat of a backdrop. I have to admit, the main reason I enjoyed this film was being Ringo Starr was in it, I think had he not been in it I probably wouldn't have enjoyed it quite so much but I found myself squealing a bit every time Ringo was on screen. Basically, this film's okay but I don't feel like a great deal happened? It definitely feels like the set up of a film, so I might wait until I watch the sequel to decide whether this is worth watching, but if you're a fan of Ringo Starr like me, you might enjoy him in this - he has a quiff and a rather snazzy outfit in it.

ONE DIRECTION: THIS IS US (2013)
★★★★
This film is a behind-the-scenes sort of documentary sort-of-dealio about One Direction and their 'Take Me Home' tour, and it basically documents their life on the road.

Okay, spare me the judgement here. Yes, I'm lowkey 1D af and I'm a little bit in love with Zayn and I really wanted to watch this for a while. My friend who's a big directioner brought it to a sleepover and forcibly got us to watch it, forcibly I tell you . . . Anyway, I really enjoyed this film. I think the 1D boys are quite funny and it was quite interesting to see how they were living on the road, plus you had their songs in it which are pretty catchy. Although, I have to be honest, if you don't at all like One Direction (even if it's only ironically like me . . . okay, maybe it's not ironic but . . .) you won't enjoy this at all. I think this film makes the boys seem a lot more down to earth and it's definitely meant to try and make you like them but I do think this film has a very specific target audience and if you don't fit it, you probably won't like it. I must say though, Zayn is one of the most beautiful men I've ever seen so even if you don't like One Direction, you get to stare at Zayn for an hour and a half - you can't go too wrong with that, can you?

BIRTH OF THE BEATLES (1979)
★★★★
This film is a biopic about the beginnings of The Beatles which goes back to when The Beatles went to Hamburg and it ends when they go on the Ed Sullivan Show for the first time. It's the only Beatles biopic to be made about The Beatles when John Lennon was still alive.

I feel like any biopic about The Beatles is going to get a good rating from me purely because I'm so interested in The Beatles (y'know if you couldn't tell already) so this may be a little biased. I really liked this film, I liked the period of time it covered because I feel like all the other Beatles biopics I've watched (I've not watched all of them, mind you) cover life after The Beatles got famous, or how The Beatles got started before they went to Hamburg, but this one heavily covered their life in Hamburg. It also covered Pete Best's period in the band, which I liked because you never really see it however (and I wonder if there's a slight bias because Pete Best worked on the film) I feel like it made Pete Best's departure overly dramatic and they made Pete Best to be a drummer with godlike talent, I don't know if that's just me but I just feel it was a little OTT. That being said, I think this was made to cater to an American audience which may explain why it was a little dramatic. I also liked how this film focused on Stuart Sutcliffe's time in the band because I feel he's often overlooked as well because he left and then died before the band became famous, but being the Beatlemaniac I am I want to know about everything to do with The Beatles even prior to the fame. The only thing that bugged me about the film is that I didn't actually think the people playing The Beatles beared much physical likeness to the real thing, this is only a minor deal and I think they nailed the accent, but I'm just being picky. Basically, this is a pretty good biopic and one I think any Beatles fan would enjoy. I also think it's interesting just because it was filmed before John died, so it doesn't portray him as some sort of saint like a lot of biopics do.

AN INSPECTOR CALLS (2015)
★★★★
This film is focused on the rich Birling family and how their night is disrupted when an Inspector comes to visit and starts to question them in regards to a young girl's suicide, and this leads them to question their responsibility in other people's lives.

I love the play An Inspector Calls, I did it for English GCSE and I've watched a couple of film adaptations, and my younger brother is actually studying it for his GCSEs now (but he couldn't be bothered to watch the film with me and my parents so we recorded it for him) so it was pretty cool to revisit it once more. I loved the cast for this, just because they were literally how I imagined the characters to be when I read the play (and that's something that's bugged me in the other adaptations I watched) and I thought David Thewlis played Inspector Goole really well. This film was a lot more dramatic than the other adaptations I've watched and even in the play I didn't think it was that dramatic, and there was a lot that was added on because in the play you are really meant to use your imagination, however I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing. By itself, this was a great film. I think if you hadn't read the play, you would definitely enjoy this film. I think the themes in the film are really great like it's essentially about responsibility, duty, and helping each other out - coincidentally (or rather not so coincidentally) the play was written around the time the welfare state was created in the UK. I think the film was a pretty close adaptation of the play, however I would say if you're studying this play for your exam don't base your essays on this adaptation, there are a lot of lines and scenes that have been added in and dramatized that aren't in the actual play. If you can find it, I would watch the 1982 version because this one was pretty much word for word the play - I actually watched this before the exam rather than re-reading the play (whoops, sorry I'm hardly a role model) and I came out with an A. However, this film as a standalone piece is really good, it's basically pro left-wing so if you're already a leftie, you won't learn anything new but if you are right wing, this film may change your mind.

THAT SUGAR FILM (2014)
★★★★
This documentary follows Damon Gameau's quest to find out the effects of a high sugar diet on a healthy body, by consuming foods and drinks that are generally thought of as healthy such as juice or certain cereals.

This documentary is basically Supersize Me but with sugar. My half-sister sat us down to watch this because she's doing Nutrition in University and she's quite interested in food, but she also said this documentary has changed her and she hasn't had refined sugar in 2 months. I felt like the information in this documentary wasn't really anything new, it was basically saying that it's the quality of the food you eat rather than calories that affect your health and your weight and it also shows how much sugar is actually in the food we eat, that was a bit shocking - the average person has about 40 teaspoons of refined sugar a day, that's shocking right? I have to be honest, I don't really eat a hell of a lot of refined sugar anymore since going vegan so I feel like this was a bit lost on me but it has made me want to steer away from refined sugar, but not from my orange juice, I've got a special place for my OJ no matter how much sugar is in it. Basically, this was interesting and a well made, funny documentary but I didn't feel like there were many shocking revelations in this documentary.

What films have you watched recently?

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New album releases, the final meetups, and #JezWeDidIt

one.
It was my friend's 19th birthday so we all met up for some drinks and some bantz, it was really nice to see some people from my sixth form who I hadn't really met up with this summer (and obviously we'll all be separating very soon) - it was my first time playing Kings, if you haven't played it, you really should, it's a heck of a lot of fun.

two.
My friend Isabella was the first to go off to University so she threw a little leavers afternoon tea kinda dealy at her house before she left which was really cute, still hasn't quite sunk in that everyone's leaving and moving on!!

three.
Ben Folds' new album was put online and I think it's so so good, the album is split into two parts so you have like ordinary songs and then the second half is all instrumental with an orchestra. It makes me wonder why more musicians don't use orchestras. Ben Folds is one of my favourite musicians ever so I do pretty much love everything he does anyway, but I'm generally just a big fan of a lot of instrumentation in music so this album is a winner for me.

four.
Troye's new album's come out as well and I like it so much, it's got that same Troye music aesthetic chilled vibe kinda thing he had going on in the last album but it's all new songs so it's not like he's doing the same thing again . . . if that makes sense. Basically, he's done some really catchy shiz, and I love Troye's music - I like that his music is good in its own right and not just popular because he's a big YouTuber, and I'm not trying to throw shade at any body but I think it's good when a person's work can to an extent be separated from the celebrity around them.

five.
I met up with a few friends for a sleepover which was really cute, I'm really enjoying meeting up with groups of people before we all split off because you don't know when it's going to be possible again. We watched the One Direction This is Us film which was surprisingly pretty good (okay, lowkey I'm 1D af but let's pretend I had to be forced into this one), 10 Things I Hate About You (which is a classic) and lots of episodes of Friends - I'm pretty certain the only reason anyone hangs out with me is because I have a Friends DVD box set.

six.
I've finally gathered the motivation to start filming videos again, I'm not sure if anyone noticed but I haven't uploaded in a month because I just haven't been in the right mindset, but I filmed a few in a day and I'm starting to feel it again which is good.

seven.
It was my friend's 19th birthday so we went out for a meal at a pub which was fun - it was nice to hang out with a bunch of people who I might not see again at least for a while.

eight.
Okay, vegan discovery - vegetable and houmous sandwiches are the bomb diggity. I haven't tried any vegan butter alternatives so I don't really have sandwiches anymore, but my Mum picked me up one while we were out and yes, they were very good, 11/10 would recommend.

nine.
I'm overjoyed at the fact that Jeremy Corbyn won the leadership election, and with nearly 60% of the vote! This is the most optimistic I've been about politics since before the general election - bring on 2020!

ten.
Laci Green uploaded this video to the MTV Braless YouTube channel about celebrities being problematic and it got me thinking about how problematic everyone was, I knew before that no one was perfect but I think it's important to remember this when criticising others and it's probably something that I needed reminding of.



How have the past couple of weeks been for you?

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The August mix-tape

This month has definitely been more upbeat, dancy songs (sans the Lana Del Rey song) ranging from One Direction to The Cure, so y'know there's something there for everybody.

1. Drag Me Down - One Direction
I've been through quite the journey with One Direction in the past year - I've gone from disliking them intensely, to liking them ironically, to liking them ... not ironically.. and I have to be honest, I didn't think One Direction would be so good without Zayn Malik, but I think this song is really catchy and quite a bit of fun, and in all honesty, I've been listening to it a heck of a lot this month.

2. The Sun And The Rain - Madness
I've been listening to this song non-stop since hearing it on the credits on an episode of White Teeth. I already liked Madness quite a lot but I'm not sure if I had heard this song, but since hearing it I've been obsessed - so much so, that I tried to find the sheet music to play it on the piano (and I failed) and then I worked it out myself because I love it so much. I think the actual music is just so well arranged and it's such a fun one to sing along to.

3. Where's Me Jumper? - Sultans of Ping F.C
I first heard about this song because I was listening to Lily Allen's desert island discs episode on podcasts and I gave it a listen, and it's just the most random song. It's about anarchy and general political ideologies, but then it's literally about someone who's lost their jumper. It's such a fun song and it's been stuck in my head all month.

4. High By the Beach - Lana Del Rey
I'm so excited for Lana's new album - Lana has a special place in my heart, she's one of those artists who I can listen to any song and love it, so I've been loving the little snippets from her new albums that have been coming out. High By the Beach may not be the most interesting track lyrically but it's quite chilled and the video's pretty badass, I just think Lana has such as unique voice - almost hypnotic, so any song by her is a yes from me.

5. Why Can't I Be You? - The Cure
I feel like such a fake Morrissey fan when I listen to The Cure because of Robert Smith's and Morrissey's feud but I do love The Cure. I actually hadn't heard this song but I think I saw someone talk about it in a blog post and I decided to give it a listen, I love the instrumentation (as I think I've mentioned in other places, I looooooove a brass instrument and this has just that) and it's just really upbeat and fun. I personally think the upbeat songs by The Cure are their best ones, y'know like Boys Don't Cry, Friday I'm in Love, Just Like Heaven, Inbetween Days etc. and this is right up there with them - been listening to it a heck of a lot.

What music have you been listening to this month?

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Why it's okay for people to be sad about Zayn Malik

I did film a video of me talking about this but I decided not to edit and upload it, partially because the lighting wasn't great and also because I wanted to ensure that my opinion wasn't just all over the place. As you will have definitely heard, as it's been all over Twitter and the major news channels, Zayn Malik has decided to leave One Direction. This isn't at all uncommon in pop bands, I mean you could trace this right back to The Beatles (all four members left at different points until deciding to split), Justin Timberlake left 'N Sync, Beyonce left Destiny's Child, Robbie Williams left Take That.. y'know it's not anything new. I just feel that some of the responses to Zayn Malik leaving is completely unreasonable.

Obviously, fans of One Direction are pretty upset but the majority of them do want the best for Zayn, and if that means him leaving the group, that's something they've accepted. I need to really emphasize that it's only a tiny tiny minority who are self-harming and committing suicide over Zayn leaving, obviously that's terrible and it shouldn't come to that, but I don't like how so many people are condemning an entire fandom made up of millions of people based on a few extremist fans. 

Furthermore, I've heard far too many people comparing Zayn leaving to 150 people dying in a plane crash. Obviously it's terrible that people died in a plane crash, but is it fair to criticise fans of a pop group, most of whom are probably under the age of 18, for not solely talking about the plane crash? Don't get me wrong here, but people generally have the capacity to think about more than one thing at once so it's not like these kids have so much of a one track mind to the point where they can no longer care about 150 people dying. Y'know unless they're sadists and they enjoy hearing that people have died and are suffering, but funnily enough I don't think many sadists are into What Makes You Beautiful or Live While We're Young - but hey, I won't judge an entire population of sadists based on a small minority. Y'know why I won't do that? Because that's exactly what a bunch of the people criticising directioners are doing, and I know I'm better than that. 

Continuing on from that point, maybe you don't feel any sort of connection to celebrities like musicians, writers, YouTubers and the sort, but these fans evidently do so that's why it's absolutely fine for them to be upset about a member leaving. These 150 people on the plane didn't have a connection to the fans of One Direction prior to the crash so whilst they'll obviously be sad about 150 deaths, they're probably going to have more to say on the issue of someone who they felt a genuine connection to. These mostly under-18 fans aren't going to have much to say on the issue of a plane crash besides from 'that's terrible, I hope their family are okay' whereas if you've grown up with a band and grown attached to the members and you know a lot about them, you're obviously going to have a lot more to say because to a certain degree, you know them.

On top of this, I think the reaction by many on Twitter stating that 'this isn't a big deal' and 'the fans are being irrational' is unfair and is evident of a complete lack of empathy. It may not be a big deal to you but just because something doesn't affect you doesn't in any way, shape or form give you the right to invalidate someone else's feelings. It doesn't take a lot to put yourself in someone else's shoes and imagine how you might feel if someone from your favourite band, who was possibly even your favourite member, has left and you may not see any new content from them again. If you can't empathise with them even a little bit, that makes you the worse person. Also, is it completely irrational? Zayn's clearly having some sort of mental issues at the moment, I don't want to assume what they might be, but he's clearly having a tough time and is it at all surprising? Since the formation of One Direction, Zayn has faced constant Islamaphobia and has been accused of plotting jihad, as well as being accused of being a bad Muslim and basically being criticised for not being like the other members of the group. This bullying is enough to make anyone ill, and the fact that he put up with it for so long shows a lot of courage, as well as the fact that he's now deciding to step down which is courageous because it's hard to tell yourself you need help and you need to stop allowing yourself to be treated that way.

In addition, as my lovely friend Antoinette said on Instagram, attacks on One Direction based on the fanbase being young girls is an attack on women and you're not giving them any sort of basic respect just because they don't listen to bands like the The Beatles, and whilst we're on that subject, The Beatles are my favourite band and I've done a hell of a lot of research on them, but you know what doesn't take a lot of research to figure out? The fact that The Beatles' fandom were young girls. I won't deny there were a lot of males listening to them, but come on you have no right to be so pretentious on the matter when the fandoms are actually very similar, they're just from different eras. In fact, I would say Beatlemaniacs were even crazier than Directioners - let's not forget that there was one Beatlemaniac who physically tried to mail herself to The Beatles. So whilst you're being pretentious and criticising a young girl for not listening to the same music you do, do a little bit of research so you can come to the realisation that their fandoms aren't so different.

One final point (I promise), I don't really agree with the idolisation of celebrities in general because they are people and I don't think that degree of obsession is healthy for the celebrity or the obsessor. I mean Zayn has said he's left the group to try and be a normal 22 year old, which is practically impossible when you're being idolised into perfection so you feel you can't make mistakes or do what other 22 year olds do. At the end of the day, you don't have to like One Direction, but you have to accept that there are people who do like them and they have a right to be sad about this - don't invalidate their feelings just because you lack the ability to empathise.

How are you feeling about Zayn leaving One Direction?

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