TV Review: BLACK MIRROR - FIFTEEN MILLION MERITS

Every so often, you watch something that makes you reel back, enstranged, and forces you to really look at the world around you, to really see what is happening that has become so familiar. Black Mirror, a Charlie Brooker psychological-thriller series, looks at the impact technology has and could make on our future society. Each episode is self-contained and assesses a different technological development or invention that bends the possibilities of the future, stretches human capabilities and tests human morals. Every episode is startlingly creative, presenting the technological modern audience with everything and anything that could go wrong.

One episode in particular, "Fifteen Million Merits" (S1E2) hit me significantly hard. The narrative tells the story of a future universe where humans live in futuristic, black-boxed rooms, riding on stationary bicycles day-in-day-out to generate power. Each person must ride everyday to receive "merits", a kind of electronic currency that they need in order to purchase everything from toothpaste to new clothes for their online avatars. This universe is bleak, but simultaneously bright with the light from the screens implanted in every wall.

Film Review: MEN, WOMEN & CHILDREN

How is it that we now live in a world where we can make contact without ever touching? How it is that we can interact, torment, and embrace others without ever having to say a word? Jason Reitman's (Juno, Up In The Air) latest feature, Men, Women & Children explores what makes this possible by delving into the extremes and possibilities of the internet. No longer a purely functional service, the internet has become a removed yet entirely absorbing ecosystem that now coexists alongside reality. Reitman successfully considers this crux of the modern day: where displaying more and more of our identities online is leaving what is left in our bodies in a fragile position. How does the internet affect personal development and relationships when it becomes the ultimate mediator that filters into every facet of our lives?   

An array of shocking and unusual narratives converge as the film presents us with a selection of characters whose stories all intertwine, networked like the internet itself. Reitman's film takes place from a distanced perspective, beginning interestingly in outer space whilst a omnipresent narrator observes the human race's new and strange technological behaviour as David Attenborough would of a colonised species, where something very odd has interfered with the direction of our evolution. This allows the viewer to become removed as heavy issues such as infidelity, eating disorders, porn and privacy are addressed. But above all, the viewer begins to notice how the uncontrollable acceleration of the internet can harbour obsession.

Concert Review: ALT-J 'This Is All Yours' at the O2 Arena, London

For one evening only, British alternative rock band, alt-J performed at the O2 Arena in London, filling the entire space both literally and with their musical presence. The performance was stellar, connecting with me on a level far more complex and metaphysical than just a pair of ears enjoying a band in a concert hall for 20,000 people. alt-J's music had me longing for hours afterwards to return to the sanctuary of their sound as each note was played and each word was sung with a haunting and yet comforting edge. 

The show began with the first support act, Gengahr. Being the first supporting act of a successful and popular band is always difficult but Gengahr fell disastrously flat in the expanse of the arena. Their instrumentals were solid and yet the vocals were completely lost in ambiguity with the lyrics being discernible and the notes rarely hit. Perhaps they would have been more successful within a more intimate venue but their performance was poor and undoubtedly overshadowed by the second support: Wolf Alice. I listened up on a little bit of their music before arriving but was still pleasantly surprised by their performance. Their sound was thoroughly pleasing, comparable to The xx meets Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Overall, it was a successful opening for one of the most enchanting evenings I have ever experienced.

Top 10 Films Watched in 2014

I got through significantly more films this year than last as well as managing to go to the cinema a lot more often. I'm planning to write another post about watching films at home vs. the cinema, but I really liked that I made watching films more of a social activity this year and shared my favourites with my closest friends. So here is my countdown:

10. Her (2014)

I hadn't heard much about this film actually before going into the cinema to watch it apart from an offhanded synopsis of "it's about a man and Siri getting together". Of course, a man's relationship with an operating system is the basic plot outline of this film, but its real merit comes from the cinematography and set design. It was a stunning film, the visuals made up of a selection of bright block colours that go against the stereotypically grey colour scheme of futuristic films. I particularly found the opening and the idea of a corporation that write letters pretending to be from other people really fascinating. The narrative itself wasn't amazing, but the themes and emotional resonance you draw from the film is extremely thought-provoking and powerful.

Top 5 Books Read in 2014

2014 was a successful year for reading. I finally completed the 50 books challenge, total books read coming to 62. This was also the first year I started participating in readathons which really helped bump my book count up, so I plan to do some more of these next year. I also started my degree in English Literature where I can finally dedicate all of my time to appreciating the beauty of words. So for my list of the top 5 books that I read this year:

5. The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey

This is one of the first books I read this year and it absolutely blew me away. You can read my full review here. The concept was very well done; an alien invasion which develops into a complex and harrowing series of events. My main reason for having this book on my list is how well Yancey wrote the action. It was simultaneously exciting, fast-paced and nerve-racking. The only problem I had with it was one of the narrators' voices, which irritating at first, was quick to get used it. All in all, it was one of those books which you spend the entire day waiting for when you have another free moment to read it.

Film Review: THE BLING RING

The second and most recent of Sofia Coppola's films I've watched, The Bling Ring, presents the story of five Hollywood Hills teenagers who find thrill, excitement and belonging in stealing from the houses of big-name celebrities. These continuous burglaries brand the group with the film's title: The Bling Ring. Based off real events, Coppola reconstructs the tale with artistic flair, showing rather than telling.

Having no prior expectations or knowledge of this controversial event, I walked into The Bling Ring with intrigue and curiosity. However, after finishing the movie with an unease in my stomach and a bad taste in my mouth, I couldn't stop thinking of this film's subtle and impacting suggestions of gratuitous materialism and idolised infatuation. Instead of receiving a detailed documentary on the happenings of these Hollywood burglaries, Coppola instead presented a very ambiguous but nuanced depiction of this group of teenagers and the society they live in.

I found myself subsequently thinking about this film from a Modernist perspective and realising that despite the overt and at times suffocating 21st century edge to its direction, The Bling Ring highlights a mirroring of Early American modernity. From its fast-paced and almost Imagist portrayal to the darker moments of materialism and falsity, I felt like the film could be viewed as a social commentary on our growing technological fascination and the inevitable corruption that follows. A great example is the film's frequent inclusions of various red-carpet photos and videos of celebrities which flicker across the screen in quick succession. The small images are blown up to fit the big screen, pixelated and distorted as a result. Is this our lifestyle as "millenials"? An obsession with looking and watching other people through screens and lenses of other people's cameras? If so, it makes it possible for ordinary people to live vicariously through the lives of the rich and famous, in a candid and perverse way.

A Place To Visit : Hay-On-Wye

Recently, I went with a friend to visit the beautiful town of Hay-On-Wye, known colloquially as the "town of books". With over 25 secondhand bookshops as well as antique shops filled with all types of odd memoriabilia, there were no dull moments there. I was thoroughly delighted and used the holiday as an excuse to indulge in book-buying. 

The town itself is absolutely gorgeous. Old houses terraced next to one another, crowded with windows and doors and uneven ground. It was surreal seeing so many independent bookshops in one place, all of them surviving amongst one another with the ability of all being individual and specialised. The town did previously have over fifty bookshops, but economic troubles have led to a drop in numbers and yet it was still humbling to see the town pride itself in the traditional form of literature.

From the book-buyers perspective, the place was absolute heaven. The bookshops spanned from Children's Literature to Vintage books, to poetry and crime. Each bookshop tended to have it's own theme, making the shopping experience in every single one different. Inevitably, this meant that there was such a wide breadth of choice and it would have been hard not to be able to find a book you were looking for. However, I think Hay-On-Wye would be experienced best from aimless browsing and a willingness to explore and discover hidden gems. Not only were all the books beautifully quirky and lovingly read, but they were all at fantastic prices. Even brand new books were being sold at these independent bookshops at half the price. So not only are you buying cheap books, but you also feel like you're helping out a good cause. 

So here's the haul of books I bought, including many that were spur-of-the-moment choices which I find the most exciting:

- Primal Solutions (Poetry Anthology) : Norman Jope

I found this beautiful little poetry book in the first and largest bookshop that I went to. There was a small "ephemera" section with loads of small booklets that were one of a kind. This poetry book is not a reproduction but an original with pencil markings and corrections all over. I loved how unconventional this is and the poetry itself is beautiful.

- Breakfast of Champions : Kurt Vonnegut

I've always wanted to read a Vonnegut and heard that this one was supposed to be rather light-hearted and humourous. It was also the only new book I bought but was still a great price. I really like the Vintage Classics editions so I was really pleased to pick this up.

- Bits of Paradise : F. Scott & Zelda Fitzgerald

I'm really excited about this one. I adore Fitzgerald and when I learnt that a lot of his inspiration derived from his wife, I was intrigued to finally be able to read her credited work as well as both of theirs alongside one another. Moreover, I've been meaning to delve into more short stories as they usually have a more intense moral and storyline within the abridged length. This seemed perfect.

- 1984 : George Orwell
I read this so long ago and felt like this classic deserved a re-read with fresh eyes. This edition as well is so gorgeous and matches my copy of Animal Farm which was next to impossible to resist.

- Mrs Dalloway : Virginia Woolf
Having borrowed this book from a library a while ago, I needed to buy a copy after really liking it. I also needed to have a copy of this book for university, so I definitely managed to kill two birds with one stone.

- The Chrysalids : John Wyndham
I already own The Midwich Cuckoos which I am guiltily yet to read although I bought it ages ago. I've heard The Chrysalids tends to be more popular so it would be a good one to start off with. The premise sounded interesting and a little creepy which sounds right up my street. Psst, I also really wanted an orange Penguin Classic and couldn't leave Hay without one, so here it is.