Wednesday 23rd July 2025
Blog Page 771

A divine display from the Saints as Anne’s dominate the Hassan’s Cup

Jack Allsopp and Cal Flintoff
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A divine display from the Saints as Anne’s dominate the Hassan’s Cup

After agony and ecstasy in equal measure in the knockout rounds, the inaugural Hassan’s Cup came to its conclusion last Friday.

In the women’s competition, the Saints (Anne’s and John’s) faced off against Jesus, whilst the men’s tie saw St. Anne’s take on St. John’s. In the women’s game, despite the ball itself being in terrible condition, both sides set out to play freeflowing football, which made for an entertaining first half: Saints went into the interval a goal to the good.

Yet soon after the restart, the game was level, as Blues centre-half Lucy Harper scored a screamer. Picking the ball up 35 yards from goal, she lifted the ball over the Saints keeper, breaking the back of the net in the process, and squared things up.

Indeed, Harper grew into the game and began bossing things for her side. The head-to-head battle between her and Blues team-mate Claudia Hill looked to define the game.

The winner came deep into the second half, as a tangle of legs in the box led to a Saints forward hitting the deck. Step forward Rebecca North, whose confident penalty beat Emily Barker low to her left-hand side.

This only served to open up an already frenetic, high-energy encounter, with both teams transitioning rapidly from end-to-end. Jesus looked just as likely to get the all-important fourth goal as their opponents, as both sides bombed forwards.

The best chance in the latter stages of the game fell to North, who was released by a excellent ball over the top from Claudia Hill, which almost resulted in an own goal as the ball ricocheted off several Jesus defenders in the box.

Despite missing this chance, North was the match winner. Her goal ultimately proved decisive, and sealed a big win for the Saints.

Earlier, in the men’s competition, St Anne’s produced a gallant performance and a lesson in rear-guard to triumph in the battle of the Saints to seal their first-ever college football trophy.

The Mint Green Army flew out of the traps and were the hungrier side in the early stages, preventing St John’s from settling into their possession-based football. They harried the loose ball with fervour as they looked to press high and counter with pace.

Their endeavour soon paid off as Matt Fanning bagged a crucial goal. A mix-up in the John’s engine room allowed Paugam into acres of open space, cutting in from the left and darting across the outstretched leg of Phil Thumfart.

The ball fizzed away as Paugam went down, and the referee awarded a free-kick 20 yards from goal. Fanning stepped up and belted the ball into the top-right corner emphatically: it was a moment of magic that carried his side to glory.

Anne’s receded into their own half and relinquished possession almost entirely as St John’s began to grow into the game, with captain Ben Briggs igniting the response from the back, and Alex Wilson setting the tone in the midfield.

The restart brought more of the same, and much more of the ball for John’s danger man Kanyinsola Akinwuntan. But still John’s could not break the deadlock, lacking killer incision in the final third, and finding Anne’s bodies all too willingly on the line for attempts from further.

As the final minutes began to die, John’s set-piece whirred into motion for the first time, but somehow two golden opportunities stayed out; the second – a header from just yards out – would be the final kick of the game.

Lady Bird paints a perfect picture of female adolescence

Anna Myrmus
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Lady Bird paints a perfect picture of female adolescence

As the lights came down in the cinema, I suddenly became aware of the spectacular burden I had placed on Lady Bird. To say I was excited to see this film would be a colossal understatement. A female coming-of-age drama, written and directed by Greta Gerwig, who previously helped bring the exquisite Frances Ha to life, Lady Bird has a lot to live up to.

And yet, Lady Bird somehow managed to surpass all of my expectations.

The film follows Christine ‘Lady Bird’ McPherson (Saoirse Ronan) in her senior year of high school. Gerwig weaves individual moments into an all-encompassing tapestry of impeccably written, yet seemingly effortless storytelling. Her ability to capture human emotions is shockingly profound. It is so acutely moving that I’ve been reeling for days, unable to think of enough superlatives to fill this review.

Female coming-of-age dramas are as rare on the page as they are on the screen, and depictions of girls growing up are often romantic comedies, focused on their evolution in the context of teenage boys.

Gerwig, however, makes it clear that the boy Lady Bird loses her virginity to is nothing compared to her best friend, or her parents, for whom her love is everlasting. These are the relationships that define you, not the guy you used to think was cool.

It’s glaringly obvious that Lady Bird is written by a woman, because the women in it are real people, vivid and complex, with their own hopes and aspirations, not reduced to martyrs for male pain.

Lady Bird paints a picture of female adolescence which girls can recognise themselves in. Ambitious yet insecure, considerate yet selfish, Lady Bird embodies the teenage girl’s every contradiction.

But it is not only in its characterisation of the protagonist that Lady Bird flourishes. Every frame drips with compassion; each character it touches reveals some extraordinary or agonizing piece of themselves – the pretentious rich boy whose dad has cancer, or the drama teacher whose son died. Each morsel makes them sparkle, until the whole screen is positively glowing with empathy.

Most importantly, Lady Bird is a love letter to mothers from their daughters, offering an unparalleled, agonizing view of a beautifully complex relationship. Laurie Metcalf’s turn as Lady Bird’s stubborn, devoted mother is masterful. There are moments of dialogue within the film which echo, word-for-word, conversations I have had with my own mother. The friction between them, which can only come from a place of love, is captured so immaculately that it becomes completely mesmerising.

In one of the most touching scenes of the film, Lady Bird is dropped at the airport by her parents as she leaves for college. Her mother, blinded by pride, refuses to get out of the car to say goodbye. As she drives off, she suddenly realises it’s her last chance to tell her daughter how she really feels before Lady Bird is halfway across the country. At that moment, crying uncontrollably, I turned to my mother sitting next to me, whose eyes were also brimming with tears.

The mother-daughter relationship has long been cast aside in film, but Gerwig proves that there is a world of stories waiting to be told, and that female relationships are just as engaging as male ones.

Lady Bird’s final year of school is all about realisation. She finally understands the immense sacrifice her parents have made for her. She sees who truly cares about her in beautiful clarity. Though she spends most of the film bemoaning her hometown’s dullness, it seems just as Christine understands how beautiful Sacramento, really is, she has to leave.

I want to say that Lady Bird’s status as a modern masterpiece is unassailable. Its wide critical acclaim would support such a bold statement. But I wonder if perhaps I am just so overwhelmed by finally seeing my own life experiences and family on screen, in all their brilliance, that I cannot help but fall in love with Lady Bird.

All the class without the cash

Julia Alsop
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All the class without the cash

Student dining is so unpredictable. Hall is reliably a cheap option, but the timing isn’t always convenient (why are you always shut when I’m at my hungriest?), and sometimes you just will not want whatever the option is (seriously, why is there only the veggie option left?). Dining out all the time is too expensive for your small student budget, even if it is always the most enticing option (save it for when nothing will assuage your cravings but that big, juicy Byron burger). Cooking may be limited – albeit never an impossibility if you can be creative enough with your resources – if you don’t have a kitchen, or time-consuming and not necessarily what you want to be doing when you’re starving and have an imminent essay deadline (carbs, please).

Now, dinner parties may sound like something totally at odds with student life. Perhaps it’s something you associate more with a smiling bunch of 30-somethings (at youngest), each guest bringing a bottle-of-something, sitting around a candlelit family dining table, tasting the distinguished host’s homemade bruschetta – they got the recipe from a darling restaurant in rural Tuscany. Your student kitchen, shared between far too many people, may not be, ostensibly, the most attractive location for a dinner party. But trust me, it’s not just possible, but it’s actually a really fun and delicious way to unwind with your friends. Depending on how you run it, it may even be less work and significantly less stressful than that time you decided to cook a Christmas dinner in 8th week Michaelmas.

Before even considering food, the drinks and decoration to create the right vibe is important. Décor can be super simple – buying a cheap and plain tablecloth, a small vase of flowers, and some candles (fake, of course, unless you live out – you don’t want to risk destroying your college). Voila – it already looks far more put together (just make sure you don’t destroy your, admittedly low effort, work by leaving out filthy, week-old plates). Drinks can be equally easy. It may be particularly nice to prepare an a drink first.

Aperitif is basically French for preing, right? This can be as simple as serving a shot of gin over ice, and mixing it with lemonade and a dash of flavoured syrup or cordial. If you have the options, serve them in pretty glasses, but realistically you’re probably just going to be using whatever is clean. Beyond this, get everyone to chip in to buy a few bottles of wine to go with your dinner. Feel free to pretend that you understand wine pairings, but obviously just go with the second cheapest bottle of wine you can find (obviously so much classier than getting the cheapest, I know you’ve done this too).

When it comes to the actual meal you have a few options, depending on how much you trust your friends’ cooking abilities. If you’re a control freak in the kitchen (definitely me), and your friends are the type who love food but also seem to eat a disproportionate amount of frozen food, then by all means go all out and make the meal yourself. Although, student budgets being what they are, you may want to have it such that everyone pitches in a bit of cash first and then you buy ingredients based on the budget. There are plenty of things you can make deliciously and cheaply – from a homemade bruschetta or soup starter, to a simple one-tray oven meal from the main, all the way to a dessert that is literally just crushed Maltesers with vanilla ice cream (Jamie Oliver recipe no less, and actually delicious).

Another option, if you have a group of friends happy to pitch in, is a potluck. Make a Facebook thread, and get everyone to add a dish they plan to bring along and have a little buffet – make sure that you have a good mix of sweet and savory options. This is a really easy way to try all your friends’ best dish, and fun way to get an indulgent and varied meal (you’re hardly about to prepare ten different meal constituents yourself are you?).

When you’re in the middle of a bitterly cold Hilary Term, spending some quality time with your friends, getting well-fed and well-boozed, whilst spending an evening forgetting about essay deadlines, may be just what you need.

Oxford overpower Leicester in table tennis semi-final

Alison Cheung and Kritica Dwivedi
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Oxford overpower Leicester in table tennis semi-final

The Oxford women’s table tennis team booked their place in the final of this year’s Bucs Midlands Conference Cup by seeing off determined opposition in Leicester last Wednesday.

Having received a bye to the quarter-finals by finishing second in their Bucs league, only to be awarded a walkover win against Anglia Ruskin, Oxford went into the semi-finals still waiting for their first taste of table tennis in the tournament.

Despite not having home advantage, the team expected to make a good account of themselves, sending their strongest squad in the form of captain Alison Cheung and second seed Katrin Harter.

Complicated travel arrangements meant that the squad arrived in Leicester an hour earlier than expected, but any suggestion that this would affect them psychologically was quickly put to bed by their early performances.

They started the day with great flair, as Harter dominated her first singles match with a killer forehand smash that proved too strong for her opponent to defend. Harter convincingly won three straight games to hand Oxford a comprehensive 3-0 victory in the match, giving away only seven points in the process.

The first game of Cheung’s first singles match was a more tightly fought affair, although she managed to maintain the edge over her opponent to secure a 12-10 victory.

Her opponent’s topspin serve had initially proved challenging, but Cheung was able to assert her superiority once she came to grips with the move, winning the next two games relatively easily by a margin of 11-8.

This meant that both members of the Oxford squad had won their best-of-three matches in the minimum number of games.

The players then swapped opponents for the next round of singles matches, but this did not impede Oxford’s momentum. Cheung used a backspin serve to get the better of her new opponent in the first game, which was decisively won 11-2.

In the second game, her opponent was well-served by a backhand block against Cheung’s aggressive forehand, making for a much tighter competition.

Ultimately, however, Cheung’s stamina outlasted that of her opponent, and her constant pressure eventually took its toll on her opponent’s defence, leading to another match victory for Oxford.

With three wins from their first three matches, Oxford were already sure of a place in the cup final by the time Harter and her opponent faced off in the final singles match of the day.

Her opponent’s signature topspin serve was too strong for Harter at first, resulting in a rare game loss for Oxford by ten points to twelve. However, coached by her captain, Harter regained her rhythm and made a confident return in the second game, utilising her signature forehand smash to win 11-5.

With one win apiece, the rest of the match was played with a tension that belied its status as a dead rubber, and Harter besieged her opponent’s consistently resolute defence before
eventually winning the match with two further victories to make it 3-1.

This gave Oxford a clean sweep of singles matches, but they were forced to concede their doubles match for fear of missing their train home.

Despite this somewhat anticlimactic ending, the day had produced some exciting and tenacious table tennis, and Oxford had done what they had to do in terms of getting to the final.

The team will be hoping that the momentum carried over from their semi-final, as well as home advantage, will help to deliver them to victory against Derby when the final is played on 7th March.

Not About Heroes review – ‘It is rare to find a student production of such maturity’

Chloe Taylor
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Not About Heroes review – ‘It is rare to find a student production of such maturity’

Stephen MacDonald’s heart-wrenching play Not About Heroes requires respect, humility and above all, sensitivity. In no uncertain terms, director Olivia Bradley paid tribute not only to the harrowing play itself but to all soldiers who fall – and who are willing to fall – in the fight for their country and their freedom. Of course, the play itself never glamourizes war nor any form of jingoistic patriotism; rather, the play focuses on the plight of the individual who treads a wholly personal path through a mass slaughter.

Nicole Jashapara’s sparse set only served to prove that simplicity can be incredibly powerful as the audience’s attention was only ever fixed on the actors who interacted incredibly well with just a few, very well-considered props. Most effective of all was the scattering of the letters which permeated throughout the entire play and certainly made me feel as though both Wilfred Owen (Tom Ames) and Siegfried Sassoon (Cameron Spain) were shedding their façade, making themselves vulnerable and laying their tracks for the world to see.

Ames’ quiet, unassuming and uptight Wilfred Owen was the perfect counterbalance to Spain’s much more jovial, sharp, self-assured and witty Siegfried Sassoon and it was clear that the two actors were working in unison as a well-oiled machine. Indeed, both actors responded to each other thoughtfully, carefully and attentively. It must, however, be acknowledged Ames’s portrayal of Wilfred Owen was outstanding and deeply moving; from his very first entrance, he commanded the stage in the most measured, quiet and humble way. For me, the stand-out moment was his delivery of Owen’s “Anthem for Doomed Youth” and I very much doubt that any audience member could have remained unmoved during this stunning portrayal of grief, horror and shame.

One of the greatest difficulties Bradley must have faced as Director, was how to make best use of the BT Studio’s enclosed and intimate space without the performance of her leads becoming static. While I did, at times, find that repetitive movements and blocking slowed the pace of the play during its first half, Bradley made much better use of the ¾ in-the-round space in the second half. For instance, the blocking of Owen’s stroll with the wheelchair-bound Sassoon engaged the audience and drew them closer in to the action, more as voyeurs unintentionally overhearing their discussion than audience members.

Chapman’s innovative use of lighting must also be commended along with White’s incorporation of gunfire and the dropping of shells on the frontlines. Once again, a heavy-handed touch would have overwhelmed the subtlety of the play, but both designers were evidently careful to use their crafts to enhance the play and bring out its delicate emotions in the most sensitive and affecting way possible.

To conclude, this is a poignant play deserving of praise. It is rare to find a student production of such maturity – a maturity which I found particularly impressive and refreshing.

Italy heads to the polls, and towards political despair

Francesco Galvanetto
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Italy heads to the polls, and towards political despair

It’ll be just before twenty to seven when the sun’s rays start climbing over the Pantheon in Rome on Monday. Early risers will be putting their moka pots on the fire and waiting for the coffee to brew as they tune in to Rai 1, eagerly waiting to find out who has won and who has lost the general election.

According to recent polls, the country is heading towards a hung parliament. The obscure electoral law (only brought in just before these elections) and significant party fragmentation across the spectrum contribute towards a general feeling of inevitability of what is to come: months of long, harmful uncertainty.

Former PM Matteo Renzi has not managed to recover from a tough political blow received following the constitutional referendum at the end of 2016. His Blairite attitude towards traditional party values has forced a split, with left-wing hardliners now supporting a separate party led by the former President of the Senate, Pietro Grasso, who is somewhat similar – in his style and his views – to Jeremy Corbyn.

If the polls are to be believed, a red coalition has absolutely no chance of reaching government. A combination of pretentiousness and undelivered promises in the past five years has taken its toll on the the left, which appears to be slowly and steadily sinking into the swamp of opposition.

Current polling seems to favour the right-wing parties. But these are in just as complicated a state as their left-of-centre counterparts.

It seems unbelievable that the key figure in the campaign has yet again been the infamous, 81-year-old Silvio Berlusconi. Health scares and court rulings have not been able to stop the four-time prime minister from reappearing out of darkness and vigorously propelling his party to an incredible 20 per cent in the polls. The party slogan written on the electoral ballot papers still reads “Berlusconi for PM”, despite a law on tax evasion expressly prohibiting the Cavaliere from actually standing as head of government again.

The party, in what can only really be described as a parody of modern politics, has yet to reveal who the official candidate for the top job is.

Further right, Salvini has succeeded in transforming his ‘Lega’. An openly anti-immigration stance, similar to that of Germany’s AfD, and a set of rather distinctive jumpers have helped him gain popularity, particularly amongst working-class, traditionally left-wing voters. It is indeed a realistic possibility that the country of Michelangelo and Rafael may be run by a man who has said he would not hesitate to “unload migrants on African shores with a packet of peanuts and some ice cream”.

Even further right, Giorgia Meloni leads ‘Brothers of Italy’, a small party whose name should suffice to describe its ideology.

There is, for those who have not yet seen enough, a third concerning and curious alternative: the Five Star Movement. Started by comedian Beppe Grillo, the movement has grown rapidly and may well be Italy’s largest party, although unlikely to be in government due to its anti-alliance attitude.

I have yet to understand what this party stands for. It is a consensus-seeking machine fuelled by frustration towards the traditional political establishment. It has no consistent stance on Europe and no coherent attitude towards immigration. Its candidate for PM, Luigi di Maio, tried to study engineering at university before switching to jurisprudence, and eventually graduating in neither.

After a spell as a steward at SSC Napoli’s stadium, he was elected to Parliament thanks to the movement’s scheme of online voting in primaries with only 189 votes. I have no doubt that this ‘experienced statesman’ is indeed the man that holds the secret to the future prosperity of the nation.

Clearly, troubled times lie ahead for Italy. Regardless of Monday morning’s results, the nation’s chequered political history is set to continue.

Hard-fought loss in Varsity volleyball showdown

Andrea V. Gonzalez-Negron
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Hard-fought loss in Varsity volleyball showdown

This year’s Volleyball Varsity took place on Saturday 24th February. The Women’s Blues were confident going into the fixture, having previously faced Cambridge twice this year and won, beating them 3-1 and 3-0.

Yet at Varsity, Cambridge upped the ante, and the Dark Blues fell to a 3-2 defeat. Oxford’s women struggled to exert the dominance they had over Cambridge in the earlier BUCS league games.

The Dark Blues started strongly, keeping five points clear of Cambridge until the end of the set, when Cambridge closed the gap. After a few solid hits from both teams, Oxford came out on top 25-23. The second set was close, each team fighting for single points, with Cambridge eventually pulling away for a 3-point difference at the end, winning 25-22.

The loss in the second set threw the Dark Blues off, and with a loud Cambridge crowd, a string of good serves and strong blocks from Cambridge, they pulled clear and won by a large margin (11-25).

However, the Dark Blues reset mentally after the third set and came back into the fourth fighting. Libero Alba Piacenti’s digs, energy and fighting spirit reignited the team drive. Setter Macy Cottrell played quick balls in the middle court, which middle blocker Debbie Malden scored.

A string of float serves by opposite Colleen Stebbens bought the team space to fully utilise their attack. Ladan Sadri’s powerful hits and high block, together with the middle blockers Pinar Kolancali and Nicola Trendel, turned Cambridge onto the back foot. Outside Hannah Berwian’s backcourt defence and precision hits managed to overcome the Light Blue block, all enabling Oxford to secure a solid win of 25-19.

The decisive fifth was fought tooth and nail. As this was the deciding set —played to only 15 points— every player from both sides had to give their all.

Oxford’s tenacity paid off and by the time the teams switched courts at the halfway marker, the Dark Blues led 8-6. Eleanor James went in to support the defence in the back court and delivered with a powerful serve.  They continued to pull away and soon led by 12-7.

Cambridge grafted back with a series of strong serves and suddenly the Dark Blues found themselves trailing 12-14. Power hitter Victoria Pelletier was substituted in and pounded home point 13 for Oxford. However, fortune did not favour the Dark Blues, and one error cost them the final point, resulting in a final score of 13-15 to Cambridge, their first Women’s Varsity Volleyball win since 2014.

Predicting the most unpredictable Oscars ceremony in years

Jonnie Barrow
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Predicting the most unpredictable Oscars ceremony in years

It’s my favourite time of the year: Oscars season! This year’s awards season has been fascinating. In a post-Weinstein environment of #MeToo and people begging Oprah to run for president, the Oscars themselves have been quietly revolutionary. The fifth ever woman, African American and Hispanic directors (Greta Gerwig, Jordan Peele and Guillermo Del Toro, respectively) have been nominated for Best Director; the first woman EVER has been nominated for Best Cinematography (Rachel Morrison, for her stellar work on Mudbound); and the Academy have rarely nominated so many genre films (e.g. Get Out, The Shape of Water, Dunkirk) for Best Picture.

As I write this sentence, voting is still underway to decide who this year’s winners will be, so hold onto your crystal balls as we wildly speculate exactly how the Oscars will (probably) get it right or wrong this year.

Best Picture
Should win: Get Out
Will win: Lady Bird

While every other category has a first-past-the-post voting system, Best Picture has a long and complicated preferential system which favours films everybody likes rather than films that a few people really love. Get Out has taken more creative risks and captured the zeitgeist better than perhaps any other film from last year, creating iconic images that have changed the way films can talk about race in a post-Obama America (never mind The Sunken Place, the image of Rose eating Fruit Loops and milk separately has stuck with me since February last year). Lady Bird is a film that nobody really dislikes, and could very well be a surprise winner, but this is certainly not a category anyone can call with any certainty due to the collective strength of most of the nominees.

Best Director
Should win: Paul Thomas Anderson for Phantom Thread
Will win: Literally anyone else

I’m still hurting that Denis Villeneuve wasn’t nominated for Blade Runner 2049, but P.T. Anderson’s direction in Phantom Thread is nothing short of masterful. It’s also far too subtle to get much notice in a hotly contested category full of incredibly deserving nominees – from the incredible technical skill of Christopher Nolan in putting together Dunkirk, to the heartfelt honesty of the direction of Greta Gerwig for Lady Bird or Guillermo Del Toro (many people’s favourite to win) for The Shape of Water.

Best Actor
Should win: Timothée Chalamet for Call Me By Your Name/ Daniel Kaluuya for Get Out/Daniel Day-Lewis for Phantom Thread
Will win: Gary Oldman for Darkest Hour

The Academy love to give Oscars which act as “Lifetime Achievement Awards”, and it’s certainly Gary Oldman’s turn for one after his shouty, transformational turn as Winston Churchill – but it’s also the safest “Oscar-bait” performance in a truly exceptional field this year. Daniel Day-Lewis is, as usual, delightfully brilliant in Phantom Thread, but Daniel Kaluuya and Timothée Chalamet are two young actors who delivered exceptionally brave and affecting performances which deserve as much recognition as possible.

Best Actress
Should win: Sally Hawkins for The Shape of Water
Will win: Frances McDormand for Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Sally Hawkins’ mute performance in The Shape of Water is extraordinary, but Frances McDormand’s searing turn in Three Billboards is a little more showy and a lot more fun. This year’s category is filled with strong female characters that all, in their own way, speak truth to power, so any of the nominees would be at least a politically correct choice to win – I’d even argue there’s an outside chance that Margot Robbie could sneak in to take the trophy for her raw, affecting lead role in I, Tonya.

Best Supporting Actor
Should win: Sam Rockwell for Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Will win: Sam Rockwell

This ought to be one of the closest categories this year, as every single nominee has showcased tremendous work – from Christopher Plummer stepping in to replace Kevin Spacey at the last minute and instantly acting as if the role of J. Paul Getty had only ever been his from the start, to Richard Jenkins’ funny, heartwarming and desperately sad turn in The Shape of Water. But Sam Rockwell’s performance in Three Billboards is spellbindingly brilliant – it’s the easiest win of the year.

Best Supporting Actress
Should win: Laurie Metcalf for Lady Bird
Will win: Alison Janney for I, Tonya

Do you remember when J.K. Simmons won his Oscar for being a volcano of rage in Whiplash? Yeah, Alison Janney has this one in the bag. It’s a terrible shame for Laurie Metcalf, whose subtle, brilliant work as Lady Bird’s mother grounds the film perfectly.

Best Original Screenplay
Should win: The Big Sick
Will win: Lady Bird/Get Out

The Big Sick is only nominated in this category and absolutely deserves the win, crafting one of the most beautifully-written rom-coms in years (not to mention perhaps the only 9/11 joke that made me cry with laughter). But the voters love to reward new talent, and Get Out and Lady Bird are astonishingly confident screenplays from two of the most exciting younger writers working in Hollywood today.

Best Adapted Screenplay
Should win: Call Me By Your Name
Will win: Call Me By Your Name

It was one of the best films of last year, with easily the best screenplay that’s received a nomination. It would be historic if Logan or even Mudbound won, but if Call Me By Your Name doesn’t win, I will riot.

More than any other year in recent memory, it feels like the Academy has truly nominated the best of the best in every category. Sure, there are snubs in a few categories – Jennifer Lawrence’s performance in mother! easily deserves a nomination, and Holly Hunter’s role in The Big Sick probably deserved more awards attention. But this is one of the strongest collections of nominees for years; unless the Academy give every award to Darkest Hour, this will no doubt be one of the more memorable and relevant Oscars ceremonies ever.

Oriel take headships in truncated Torpids

Matthew Roller
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Oriel take headships in truncated Torpids

Oriel claimed the headship in both the men’s and the women’s division of Torpids this afternoon.

After Thursday and Friday’s racing was called off due to extreme weather conditions, last year’s heads – Pembroke M1 and Oriel W1 – went into the second and final day of the competition in the lead.

And after the women’s boat successfully sealed their headship by rowing over, Oriel’s men’s boat bumped Pembroke in front of the Pembroke boathouse to seal a double victory.

Oxford University Rowing Clubs (OURCs) and its senior umpires made a unanimous decision to call off Thursday’s racing due to freezing temperatures and unsafe conditions.

Senior umpire David Locke told college captains: “We are concerned that… any incidents that occur may be made too severe too quickly for our mitigation measures to be effective enough. The towpath is likely to be very difficult to keep safe tomorrow.

“We cannot remember conditions as bad as this for Torpids.”

After a similarly cold and snowy day on Thursday, the decision was then made to call off Friday’s racing as well.

Conditions were brutal for Wednesday’s racing. Photo: © Greg Blatchford/yewneek.com

However, after hundreds of rowers lent OURCs a hand yesterday afternoon by clearing snow and ice from the towpath, Locke announced that Saturday’s racing would go ahead.

“Saturday of Torpids will run, but with half divisions (so top half of Div 3 upwards) and with some other important restrictions. Most notably this includes a ban on umpire/coach cycling as per Saturday of Eights and X/S [status] coxes only,” he said.

It meant that for rowers in divisions four and below, there would be no chance to build on or make amends for results on Wednesday.

Before the all-important final races of the day, several crews managed to bump for the second time in the competition.

These included Merton W1, St Hilda’s W1, Catz W1, Hugh’s M1 and Queen’s M1 in division three, while Brasenose W1, Wolfson W2, LMH W1, St. Anne’s W1, Corpus Christi M1, and Exeter M1 did the same in division two.

In the top divisions, Green Templeton W1, New College W1, Magdalen W1, Wolfson W1, Keble W1, Pembroke W1, Teddy Hall M1, Jesus M1, Wolfson M1, and Christ Church M1 also completed the same feat.

Exeter’s men were the most successful crew across the two days of racing, as they climbed five places.

But it was Oriel’s winning bump that stole the show.

The result extended the college’s huge lead in the rankings for most headships. Oriel now have 36 Torpids headships between the two boats, while Brasenose, in second place, have just 22.

As is tradition, a boat will be burned in the college’s first quad after the Boat Club’s dinner this evening.

In May last year, Keble College’s JCR voted against burning boats in the event of a victory in Summer Eights. However, the vote ended up being irrelevant, as Christ Church men and Wadham women took the headships.

Balliol introduces Oxford’s first homelessness representative

Jack Hunter
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Balliol introduces Oxford’s first homelessness representative

Balliol has voted to elect an Oxford JCR’s first homelessness officer to “empower homeless people” in the city.

The new officer will be mandated to collect food, sanitary items, and other donations for a local volunteer group, Turl Street Homeless Action, and publicise volunteering opportunities.

It follows the City Council’s decision to extend the severe weather emergency protocal (SWEP) for rough sleepers because of sub-zero temperatures.

Proposers of the idea, backed by the Oxford SU campaign On Your Doorstep, said the new position would also “create uninterrupted pressure on college governing bodies” to improve their support for the homeless.

The motion, proposed by third-year Simran Uppal, read: “This JCR believes that it has a duty towards its local community, especially when it is in crisis (and) we should do as much as we can to empower and help homeless people.”

Following Balliol’s decision, students at Wadham also passed a motion at its first reading to create a homelessness officer, though their responsibilities may be added to the mandates of existing officers.

Ray Williams, who seconded the Wadham motion, said: “At the last Oxford SU elections there was disagreement over whether homelessness and the inequality in our city was a “student issue”. Motions like this are going around JCRs across Oxford because it 100 per cent is.”

Although many colleges have charities or communities officers, this is the first time an Oxford college will have a position solely dedicated homelessness.

On Your Doorstep is hoping to expand the scheme to other JCRs. Alex Kumar, an On Your Doorstep activist, said: “This country is in the midst of a crisis of homelessness and rough sleeping, and Oxford’s most vulnerable are suffering deeply.

“As members of the University and Colleges that dominate this city, we have a responsibility to those who make their beds on our streets and even on our very doorsteps.

“I hope that JCRs and MCRs across Oxford will take inspiration from this.

“We can only fight this crisis if enough of us are prepared to take a stand.”

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