Thursday 17th July 2025
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Review: Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life

Tilly Nevin
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Review: Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life

Improbability invades the lives of the Gilmore Girls, the mother-daughter duo who captivate in the eponymous TV show. Their fairytale-like home town, Stars Hollow, is full of larger-than-life characters like Kirk, who writes short, awful horror movies involving a lot of dancing (and later owns a pet pig). In Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life, it’s no different: in one sequence Rory and her friends somehow manage to break into Stars Hollow’s Grocery Store, play golf on the roof and take over an entire hotel.

Yet improbability was always there, as some critics seem to have forgotten. Stars Hollow itself is a bubble where the outside world doesn’t seem to matter. Yet what makes me uncomfortable about Gilmore Girls: A Year in Life—especially now—is how it refuses to deal with the very real social issues that encroach upon Stars Hollow.

Whereas, in the original series, Rory and Lorelai struggled financially and were divided from the affluence of their family, in Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life, Rory is more privileged then I ever imagined she would be, and is utterly oblivious to how lucky she is. At points, her estrangement from her former world seems unrealistic. In Gilmore Girls, Rory, still at university, discussed the future of journalism as a lauded critic might do, yet in Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life, she can’t even answer the simple interview question ‘what would you like to write about?’. It’s not the über-prepared, Christiane Amanpour-wannabe sixteen year old we knew and loved.

Similarly, the way she treats those around her seems miles away from how she once acted. I was never very interested in Rory’s relationships. Instead, what compelled me was the ambitious, intelligent girl who worked hard and was grateful for the opportunities she had been given. Yet the things I didn’t like about her relationships in the original series—such as her refusal to see Logan’s faults—emerge in full force in Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life. In the original series, when Rory sleeps with her now-married ex, she regrets it hugely. However, in this series, Rory refuses to even acknowledge the existence of Logan’s fiancée. Even the relationship with her mother seems affected by this selfish streak.

Paradoxically, the key to the new episodes lies in the flaws of its heroine. In the original, Rory was too perfect. In Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life, the writers try to remedy this, aiming to show how loss can fracture even this seemingly-perfect world. This is handled well with the character of Lorelai, whose response to the death of her father is to ‘go wild’, a part of the narrative which I loved and completely believed. Yet in Rory’s case, as the real invades the unreal, we see only too clearly how Rory has changed. Rory has always had an idealistic existence and—maybe because of its time—this worked on Gilmore Girls the original. In Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life, Rory still leads a charmed life. But she doesn’t realise it—and this doesn’t work.

My theory (spoiler’s ahead)—and it’s only one of many—is that Rory, at the end of the episodes, is pregnant with Logan’s baby. Yet she has already said goodbye to Logan and to that part of her life. She will have to learn to live as a more responsible, mature adult, not the sixteen year old she seems stuck as. The Fall episode of Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life was for me so much more satisfying—and true to the original—than all the rest combined, though of course moments of nostalgic joy cropped up when seeing the indefatigable Paris Geller, Emily Gilmore and the relationship between Lorelai and Luke. My favourite scene in all the four episodes is when Rory sits down to write ‘Gilmore Girls’, a memoir about growing up with her mother, grandparents and best friend Lane in Stars Hollow. It seems as if something closer to the original is reached here, something purer, something nobler.

Live review: Frank Turner at Oxford’s New Theatre

Sandy Elliot
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Live review: Frank Turner at Oxford’s New Theatre

Writing about music is an inherently frustrating activity—writing about live music perhaps even more so. But Frank Turner certainly makes a go of it: as well as innumerable songs about contentment with life and perseverance in the face of adversity, several songs of his take on the form of meta-commentary on the music itself. That is, something as simple as rock ‘n’ roll trying to save us all.

Despite being peppered with references to Shakespeare, T. S. Eliot, W. H. Auden and enough other literary titans to keep an Oxford audience happy, Frank’s music has an underlying simplicity. The themes are earthy and familiar: falling in love, falling out of love, living, dying and blacking in and out in a strange flat in East London.

Like much of the music I know, I was introduced to Frank Turner by my elder siblings playing his songs during car journeys. The first song of his I remember hearing is ‘Four Simple Words’. Breaking the musical fourth wall, its first lines evoke the solitary experience of listening to his music on a portable stereo at the back of a bus, and then of singing along to the very same song in a concert hall. This is one wonder that all concerts have in common: fans of a musician are, in a sense, reunited, able to voice their appreciation in unison for rock and roll saving us all. This warm, toasty feeling is what all the greatest concerts surely embody. And it undeniably was there.

The first opening act, Esme Patterson, offered an interesting excerpt from a concept album of hers responding to famous songs addressed to women, while Felix and the Family turned up the volume for their half-hour and regularly raised the spectre of Frank to keep the audience interested. Nevertheless, this is hardly a fault. All things considered, the opening acts were solid—considering opening bands are often written off as only existing to showcase the relative strength of the main act. Needless to say, when Frank Turner & the Sleeping Souls appeared, they hardly put a foot wrong in their two hours’ traffic upon the stage.

Unfortunately, great concerts can be let down by their venues—it’s difficult to rock out surrounded by seats, though we gave it our best shot. The most interesting venue-related moment came when Frank insisted that two randomly picked members of the audience charge over the chairs to the mixer, kiss the lighting technician on the cheek and return to the stage on the other side while he performed ‘If Ever I Stray’. The security guards were clearly not particularly impressed, but much fun was had (despite the wrong team winning the race).

Several songs in, Frank noted that the vibe wasn’t quite what he was after. It was, he said, more like a “sixth form disco” than a rock concert. The crowd, admittedly, wasn’t the best – nor was it the worst of any concert I’ve attended (that award goes to the audience of a concert in London four years ago who almost turned into a drunken, angry mob by the final song). By the end, the “sixth form disco” had receded from view and most of us had woken up to our surroundings, making for a far more enjoyable and lively musical experience.

Almost obligatory was a mention from Frank of what a frankly appalling year 2016 has been—for humanity, for decency, for peace and security and for hopes of a prosperous future. Frank’s answer was not necessarily one of optimism; it was essentially one of narrower horizons, of smaller desires and ambitions, of contentment with what is in the moment, of moments of hedonism and aestheticism. Or, to put it for at least one evening into four simpler words: rock, roll and happiness.

Top 10 songs of 2016

Dom Saad
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Top 10 songs of 2016

2016 saw a wealth of excellent music spanning all genres. Distilling this down into ten tracks proved an exercise in tough decision-making – but here are my personal favourite songs released this year.

All the tracks have also been compiled into a playlist embedded below.

  1. ANOHNI- ‘Drone Bomb Me’

The expansive spread of frequencies in the song’s twinkling production becomes the war-torn, distraught setting inhabited by two characters: Anohni’s persona, a young girl who has lost everything, and (up in the clouds) the hovering drone that she begs to “blow my head off, explode my crystal guts”. As disturbing as this idea is, the real horror of ‘Drone Bomb Me’ materialises in the final lines. “Choose me,” Anohni pleads, “let me be the one that you choose.” For what the drone sees, down below in the waste, are meaningless, indiscriminate targets waiting to be randomly erased, as belies the perceived futility of civilian lives in modern war.

  1. David Bowie- ‘Lazarus’

Hindsight is a wonderful thing, but when we first heard ‘Lazarus’, nobody guessed it would be Bowie’s self-penned epitaph. It’s undoubtedly a dark song: the saxophones sigh with uncomfortable harmonies more than they sing, and Bowie’s lyrics are fearful (“Look up here, man, I’m in danger”). Although Bowie himself may have come to peace with his fate – “I’ll be free,” he sings, “just like that bluebird!” – it is still wounding to hear those two menacing guitar stabs that signal the track’s outro with terrible finality.

  1. Run the Jewels- ‘2100’

In the hours following the news that Donald Trump had been elected America’s next president, Run the Jewels weighed in with ‘2100’, stating that they hadn’t intended to release the track yet – but felt that they needed to for those that are “hurting or scared”. As a result, Killer Mike drops darkly prophetic lines (“it’s too clear nuclear’s too near”) over a charged and seething tick-tock six-eight production.

  1. Childish Gambino- ‘Redbone’

Off-beat bass pops and a glockenspiel-led riff introduce ‘Redbone’. Breathy whispers soon follow, veiling the track in dry ice and prepping a catwalk for the steady drum groove to strut up and down. When Donald Glover (a.k.a. Childish Gambino) makes his lyrical entry, it’s impossible to deny that ‘Redbone’ captures the spirit of Prince. This nostalgic sound is contrasted in Glover’s lyrics, however, which remain grounded in the present and urge the listener to “stay woke”, remaining vigilant in both the political and the personal.

  1. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds- ‘I Need You’

Skeleton Tree is an album now infamously defined by the tragic death of Cave’s son during production. In ‘I Need You’, Cave presents simple images of him and his partner: disembodied and confused, wandering supermarket aisles, isolated in their world of grief. The refrain “I need you” is a brave expression of encouragement, an urge to “stay with me” on “the night we wrecked like a train”. Although we can see Cave’s world through his depiction of mundane, suburban life, we hope never to relate.

  1. Father John Misty- ‘Real Love Baby’

Entrenched within so many layers of irony and cynicism he may essentially be a human meme, Josh Tillman (a.k.a. Father John Misty) earns his sarcastic wit through his marriage of intricate composition and varied instrumentation. Though Tillman never leaves the same three chords for the entirety of ‘Real Love Baby’, his clever deployment of masterful guitar noodling, balanced vocal harmonies, and a playful bassline establish this as one of summer ‘16’s best.

  1. James Blake (feat. Bon Iver)- ‘I Need a Forest Fire’

A murky vocal ostinato emerges, underpinned by a minimal beat. The understated production is a playground for Blake and Vernon to bounce harmonies off one another, and the track plays around with increasingly intermingling falsettos and chromatic touches. The hook is good enough to earn its repetition; “I request another dream,” Vernon coos, “I need a forest fire.” That second “I” hosts much of the track’s magic, with additional embellishments hooked on each cycle.

  1. ScHoolboy Q- ‘Groovy Tony/ Eddie Kane’

The aggressive beats and violent lyrics of the track’s first persona, ‘Groovy Tony’, back high-octane flows detailing the exploits of “the devil in all blue”. That abrasive tone carries into the latter half, dominated by ‘Eddie Kane’, but when the track breaks down to a scream, “Nights like this, I wish cocaine drops would fall!”, ‘Eddie Kane’ gives way to brooding synths and chromatic chords, and with this shift in production, builds to a surprisingly ethereal finale, with Q’s ‘Kane’ persona finally consumed: “Your soul is mine.”

  1. Bon Iver- ‘715 – CR∑∑KS’

As ‘715 – CR∑∑KS’ opens, we are confronted by the sound of the Messina, a combined rig of software and hardware that weaves so many Justin Vernon vocal harmonies and timbres together at once – some gurgling, some squeaking – that the acapella track actually feels richly instrumental. During its short run, ‘715 – CR∑∑KS’ cycles us through a series of stanzas, each progressively more harmonically and lyrically intense than the last. Finally, the listener is abruptly abandoned with Vernon’s imperative, “Goddamn turn around now, you’re my A-team!”

  1. Frank Ocean- ‘Nights’

My family can’t listen to ‘Nights’ any more: a holiday in the Forest of Dean, in which I confirmed that Ocean’s track passes the replay-value test with flying colours, made sure of that. Explaining where ‘Nights’ finds this quality, however, is a little more difficult. The production scales bar-to-bar within the first few chords of the song, alternatively fuelling and satiating our desire to hear all the component instruments come together again. Ocean’s intimate lyrics address a relationship with a very definite place in his life: back when he “didn’t have a address [and] didn’t own a mattress”. The song’s second half is carried by an exquisitely dynamic drum sample and clean, nostalgic synths, and culminates with the many distinct voices Ocean uses on Blonde singing in rounds, the lyrics shared with the track’s former half tying the two parts together. ‘Nights’ is a masterpiece of production, lyricism, and pacing; despite its personal subject matter, it allows Ocean’s memories to resonate.

Review: The Pillowman

Jeevan Ravindran
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Review: The Pillowman

Humour and heartache are brought to the fore in John Maier and Will Cowie’s interpretation of Martin McDonagh’s anguished tale of a writer whose only subject is child murder. When he and his brother are questioned about a series of killings, the play becomes slowly more sinister as real life begins to resemble fiction.

Lighting and music are used cleverly to create a disturbing atmosphere – the cheery soundtrack jars with the often harsh colours of red and blue, perhaps mirroring the juxtaposition of the protagonist Katurian’s happy childhood and the incessant torture faced by his brother Michal. The surfer music that plays over the opening scene, as Katurian waits blindfolded in police custody, informs us that this isn’t your usual dark drama.

Whilst the onstage action is captivating, it is the dramatisation of Katurian’s stories that really brings out the strengths in McDonagh’s script. Innovatively, the directors choose to tell two of the stories, ‘The Writer and the Writer’s Brother’ and ‘The Little Jesus’ using the medium of Eve Finnie’s incredibly detailed puppets, and a retro TV cartoon, respectively. Both stories are narrated in Lillian Bornstein’s smooth and indifferent tones, and provide the play with an additional, 1984-esque dimension which feels unique to this retelling.

Having previewed the play, and expecting a comedy, I was surprised to find drama and tension to be much more prevalent. Much of the comic relief comes from Christopher Page’s Michal and his failure to understand the seriousness of his situation. However, in the second half of the play, it would be difficult to isolate a single moment which could be found universally funny – perhaps a little tweaking in the actors’ delivery could have remedied this. The play is certainly not for the faint-hearted – most of the play’s humour comes from threats of torture or violence and making light of a bad situation.

It is clear that the actors fit their roles perfectly – Lillian Bornstein shines as Katurian, deftly conveying the nuances of his character, from his love for Michal to his possessiveness over his stories. At times the delivery may appear overenthusiastic, but this is balanced beautifully by the scene where Katurian kills Michal out of mercy. Despite not a single word being said, the emotions are crystal clear. Christopher Page is a complete scene-stealer as Michal, with most of the play’s comic highlights and the perfect mix of naivety and childish impudence. He does a fine job of making Michal seem guiltless despite the horrifying murders he has committed.

The duo of Ariel and Tupolski, played by Christian Amos and Joseph Stephenson respectively, seem to be our source of comedy from the outset. Tupolski uses sarcastic questioning, Ariel violence –  despite his insistence that he’s “the good cop” and Tupolski the bad one. Amos and Stephenson play off one another beautifully, but it is in the second half that they come into their own as individuals. Amos is captivating as Ariel, holding back tears as he is revealed to have been a victim of paternal rape, as is Stephenson, confronting the death of his character’s son. Perhaps most astonishing is that the actors’ chemistry with one another is so natural, regardless of which combination of them we see onstage.

Cowie and Maier follow the script’s twists and turns expertly in their direction, so that when a change of direction arrives, it arrives forcefully and without warning. The most obvious example is in one of the final scenes as Michal is revealed to have enacted the story of ‘The Little Green Pig’ on the third child instead of ‘The Little Jesus,’ which is too gruesome even to mention. Expecting a horrifying retelling of the child’s murder, we instead find a cheery little mute girl covered with green paint. The performance pushes this humour to the limit, bringing out the child and having her wave happily to the audience.

My only criticism would be in the handling of the final scene – when Katurian is shot. The immediate removal of his blindfold as he stands up again to deliver his own epilogue feels somewhat clumsy. Perhaps instead employing a lighting change and slowing the pace would have eased the transition. Michal’s response to Katurian’s words, his shadow visible on a white cloth which hangs behind the stage, however, is undeniably original, and provides the bittersweet finality which the audience craves, as well as epitomising the near-perfect fraternal relationship the two share.

All in all, this retelling of The Pillowman is a triumph on all fronts – with a fantastic cast, clear direction and a minimalist set, the intensity of The Pilch adds to the claustrophobic atmosphere. Although it seems to be neither tragedy nor comedy, the focus here is solely on the raw emotion – and you leave the studio with it having seeped deep into your bones.

 

Interview: Peter Hitchens

John Maier
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Interview: Peter Hitchens

“I actually don’t find much of this stuff terribly interesting”, Peter Hitchens interjects midway through a question I’m asking about the American election. This is the kind of social cue that even I can pick up on, and I try, jauntily, to steer the conversation into fresh waters. Thankfully, Hitchens isn’t frugal with his opinions, nor reluctant to dwell on the best ones, pronouncing them as unbroken stanzas of moral rhetoric, resounding with poetic flourish and provocation.

So what does Hitchens make of the political tumult of recent months: Brexit, and Trump’s shock-win? “Well they’re not the same” he sternly reminds me; “people love to find patterns, but they aren’t always there”. The rejection of Hillary Clinton was a “revulsion against the ‘bought’ nature of American politics, which is odd given that Donald Trump isn’t really breach from it.” Its hard to translate the antipathy felt for Mrs. Clinton, though. Imagine that “Cherie Blair was standing as leader of the labour party and about to become Prime Minister”, he suggests, and you might have a clue.

Regarding Brexit, it seems characteristic of Hitchens to appear wholly indifferent to, even dissatisfied with, the deliverance of an outcome he has spent “decades” advocating. “I never liked the idea of a referendum. The referendum was designed to save the Conservative Party, not to save the country…I didn’t vote in it, I didn’t campaign in it, and my only joy in it was seeing the discomfiture of my opponents, which is always quite fun.” Schadenfreude does seem a particular hobby of his. “Well I can’t pretend that gloating isn’t one of the great joys of life. It’s one of the few that I have!”.

I put it to him that both political movements have rewarded a striking, farcical level of insincerity – with a president who didn’t expect or want to win waiting to be installed into the White House, and in Britain, Brexiteers, and now a government, who didn’t actually want to leave the EU. “Sounds like some New York Review of Books headline: “a farcical level of insincerity””, he declaims derisively. “Yep, okay, maybe there is. But as it were, what of it?”

“I think the whole thing has been a complete shock to [Trump].” Hitchens agrees. “I wouldn’t be at all surprised if he just got bored with it…if he didn’t resign before his term was up, and become the first president voluntarily to do so. Mike Pence, after all, is a traditional politician – a lot of vice presidents turn out rather well”. Trump, after all, has already refused the presidential salary and entrained suggestions of living only part-time in the Whitehouse. “Bill Clinton, described [the Whitehouse] as the jewel in the crown of the United States’ penitentiary system.” Hitchens recalls. “That was, I think, because it constrained his private life a bit”, he adds, wickedly.

What of the statesmen on this side of the divide? Hitchens lambasted Cameron, or “Mr. Slippery”, as he pet-named him while in office, and it seems, hasn’t warmed much to him since. “He was an inconsequential person. I don’t think he really cared about what he was doing. I don’t think he believed in anything or had any particular purpose, and he ended up impaling himself on a promise he never intended to keep”. A graphic portrait. What of Theresa May? “Theresa May is an accident”, he pronounces cruelly from his armchair, like a Victorian patriarch casting his daughter from his will. “She arose out of a series of completely unpredictable and unfortunate events. I think she is politically a nullity. I don’t think she really has any opinions.” She’s proven herself quite calculating, though, I suggest. “She is calculating”, Hitchens continues undeterred, “that’s why she’s so successful at being a nullity, because she works out very quickly what the conventional wisdom of the time is and adopts it.” “I don’t have any particularly high regard for her”, he adds, somewhat unnecessarily.

While many today see British politics as approaching a crisis point, Hitchens has all but given up hope for the collapse of the “two zombie political parties” he once so vociferously craved. “I’ve always thought that there existed a viable coalition of socially conservative, patriotic people, from both the Labour and Conservative parties, who, if brought together, could create a parliamentary majority.” “A shadow, a phantom of the party was created during the referendum… the referendum proves that that body of voters exists.” It is the Conservative Party that feels the scorch of Hitchen’s blame here: the Tories are “the great obstacle” because they have long failed to properly represent socially conservative positions and “because most labour voters would rather tandoori their grandmother than vote Conservative.”

UKIP certainly aren’t the unifying force Hitchens seeks. To Hitchens it is nothing but a nasty, “Thatcherite, exile party with horrible libertarian bits and bobs on it, and full of people proving Kissinger’s law that the fights are bitterest when the stakes are smallest.” UKIP surely isn’t long for this world, I put it to him. “It continues on a life-support system”, he ripostes. “Every time you think it’s over, it gets another eight pint blood transfusion and rises in its bed. So don’t write it off yet. It performs, alas, a function” as “safety valve” and part-time “attack dog” for the Conservative party, by whom it has been “backward infiltrated”.

Despite a seemingly bottomless store of invective for the political establishment, Hitchens tells me his political activism died in 2010. “I have no further interest in directive politics,” he declares solemnly. “I write the obituary of the country.” I laugh at this. “I’m not joking!” he insists. Is he a pessimist? I ask flippantly. “Of course I am”, he gives a well rehearsed line: “any intelligent person is a pessimist. It’s what keeps them so cheerful.” Part of his dislike of government seems explained by the shoddy caliber of politicians working today: ephemeral detritus passing through a world becoming ever more vulgar and ever more trivial. “Denis Healey was Beach-master at Anzio, for goodness sake, and had seen people die at his left hand and his right hand… Now you get children, emerging from university like baby koalas, going straight into jobs where they actually attain power. It’s shocking.”

There must be one current political figure whom he admires, I press him – no one can hold such immoderately bleak views. “I don’t admire anybody, as a matter of principle.” I cackle at this – what I think of as another dosage of classic Hitchens misanthropy. “Its not a Christian thing to do to admire people,” he continues gravely. Who does he vote for, then? “I don’t vote. I haven’t voted for years”, he says, as someone reminiscing. I am surprised. When was the last time he voted? “Can’t remember.” If he has scorn for elected figures, what does think of people at large, of his readers at the Mail on Sunday? “I am of…”. He is, I think, about to say ”of the people”, but stops. “I mean I’ve got a plummy voice and all the rest of it”, he continues, but “those are the kind of people that I know, and how can one not like them. I do feel concern for them and the way that they are treated.”

One of the major concerns in Hitchens’s writing is his perception of the creeping erosion of liberty and unifying values in Britain. What does he make of the anti-liberalism that dominates student politics today? “Well of course it is because religion has died. In the absence of religion, political belief becomes a test, in the holder’s mind, of goodness. And it is a particular problem of the utopian left and people who have utopian leftist ideas – and I used to do this myself so that’s why I understand it.”

“At the end of this, if such people actually obtained absolute power, is, of course, death-camps and prisons for people who don’t agree with you. But in the meantime they can instead go around universities stopping people from saying things they don’t like. It’s a moral motivation: they believe they’re doing good, and there’s nothing more terrifying than somebody who thinks they’re doing good.”

The whole practice of identity politics is one he finds “quite funny”. “I think most of it is a series of elephant traps for silly conservatives to fall into. When it comes to the transgender issue there is nothing you can say, however hard you try, which cannot at some point be impugned as a transphobic remark. You couldn’t have a conversation about it without at some stage committing a thought crime. So the simplest thing to do is not talk about it at all”, he smiles.

I wonder what he makes of his public image, particularly his vilification by liberals as something of an antiquated puritan? “It is to be expected”. What about his rather bizarre co-option as a meme by certain student sub-cultures? “Oh, do tell me about this. People keep mentioning it. I don’t know anything about it.” I confess that I don’t really understand it either. “People tell me. I don’t know really what it means. But I suppose its better than being a gay icon,” he reflects. “So I don’t know, whatever makes them happy really…leave them to immoral acts.” He trails off.

What does he make of the quite unusual pitch of popularity his brother, Christopher, achieved, particularly amongst the young, in the years shortly before his death? “For them he was their liberator”, despite the fact that he advocated the Iraq War, for example. This “tells you quite a lot about the modern left”. Their “posing about dislike of foreign wars is a thing they feel they have to do, but what they really, really care about is personal liberation“ and the doctrine of “absolute sovereignty over one’s own body” that Christopher preached. Did he play up to this public role? “Did he play up to it!” Peter scoffs. “Yes, he played up to it… He enjoyed the last few years of his life a great deal. I don’t think he ever had so much fun in his life, or made so much money. And when the blow fell it was particularly terrible.”

He tells me of his high regard for Blood, Class, and Nostalgia, among other of Christopher’s earlier writings. Does he have a similar affection for the later, anti-relgious polemic, which gave him his bestseller in God is not Great? “No. I think most of it’s schlock, actually – the anti-god stuff. I thought it was poor, thin stuff and it wasn’t particularly new. Novelists often win the Booker Prize for their worst book, and he, as it were, won the big prizes of life for what wasn’t his best work.” It is clear that in stark contrast to his brother, Peter feels the absence of Christian morality in public life as a distinct loss: “We seek constantly to reform the world, when our principle duty is to reform ourselves.”

I think it is probably not very fashionable to like Peter Hitchens. At most you can view him as something of a curiosity, enjoy him, and his moralizing vigor. But I do find him distinctly likable, generous with his time and his thoughts, and so much better company than scores of his detractors. He hosts a deep motive of personal duty and independence of thought. “Telling the truth is a virtue in itself, outside time. Therefore, that’s what I concentrate on doing, simply for its own sake.” There’s nothing trivial, or pandering, or calculating about him. Politics doesn’t seem to delight him: “in the end, its temporal and unsatisfactory and ultimately…trivial verging on the blasphemous.” If it doesn’t make him happy, I ask him, what does? “Well It’s none of your business,” he replies.

 

Review: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

Izzy Smith
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Review: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

Spoilers for Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them follow:

As someone who grew up with Harry Potter, I went to the midnight showing of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them hugely excited, although with no small degree of trepidation and protectiveness over this huge part of my childhood. Fortunately, I was not disappointed.

One of Fantastic Beasts’ main strengths is that it evokes just the right amount of nostalgia without relying on it. It has a wonderful new soundtrack, which at times it becomes evocative of that of the Harry Potter films. We are rooted in Harry’s world through a protagonist who wrote his school textbook, and shown familiar creatures like nifflers, but taken back in time and offered the completely different world of 1920s New York.

We are given new heroes, but an old villain is revisited in Grindelwald, originally a minor character but one who links us back to Dumbledore and the familiar magical world. The ties to the familiar are grounding and fun, but the film avoids hanging off a selection of references, and is welcoming to new viewers.

In many ways, Fantastic Beasts seems to work better as a film than the Harry Potter series; the fact that this was its original medium is clear. Although in some ways the original adaptations do a wonderful job, and a visual medium is effective and exhilarating for spectacles like Quidditch, the process of compression and conversion to film can be frustrating, and often constitutes a real loss. Rowling’s excellently intricate plots and complex humanisation of a wide range of characters do not always come across well in brutally cropped films but, in Fantastic Beasts, the small number of central characters allows us to become truly invested in them, and the plot is tight enough for the time-frame of the film.

The visual medium is fully exploited, with stunning CGI made powerfully emotive in explaining the protagonist Newt Scamander’s passion for the conservation of magical creatures. The beautiful effects that create the beasts and their habitat never feel like a cheap firework display, but are an intrinsic and moving part of the story.

Easily the most compelling character is affable no-maj (muggle) Jacob Kowalsi, who gets involved in the action purely by chance, and in all honesty the subplot involving his desire for a bakery was the most absorbing thread of the story. Newt, although endearingly Hagrid-like in his love of magical creatures, may come across as too much of an English stereotype at times to be truly three-dimensional: awkward, shy and somewhat emotionally repressed. However, Jacob’s steady friendliness and unapologetic emotional investment in his culinary dreams are engaging and charming, while his mix of confusion and wonder at the magical world helps engage the audience in a funny and relatable way.

Perhaps most interestingly, Fantastic Beasts offers powerful commentary on the dangers of othering, persecution and division. This is certainly pertinent for us 21st century muggles, especially given the rise of racist hate crimes in the wake of Brexit and the election of Trump, as well as the ongoing struggles of the LGBT community. Fear of the ‘other’ on the side of the no-maj (muggles) has bred a viciousness that has driven the magical world underground, and we see a wizarding community who are isolated and live in fear of discovery. A sweet and light-hearted romance between a witch and a no-maj helps demonstrate the effect of this segregation and division, jarring against the atmosphere of mutual suspicion and fear. We also see how persecution breeds radicalisation: much like X-Men’s Magneto, Grindelwald is a villain we disagree with but can understand. His grievances are real, even though his solutions are brutal.

Simultaneously we see the majority of magical people living peacefully, and yet still facing prejudice—a potential comment on the irrationality of prejudices like Islamophobia. Perhaps most powerfully, Rowling uses magic to form a powerful analogy about the destructive impact of self-loathing and repression on a child who is vilified by a parent figure—a particularly common problem for LGBT youth. While the film can be read as an allegory for all forms of persecution and oppression, the tale of the Obscurus (the abused child) seems to apply particularly closely to LGBTQ+ issues, and could be read as an argument against parental rejection and attempts to change children, and specifically conversion therapy.

Fantastic Beasts is a fun, moving and beautiful film, accessible to newcomers and particularly exciting for old Harry Potter fans. It is visually stunning, with engaging characters, and raises pertinent issues of prejudice and othering—and if none of these things draw you in, then please go and watch it just for the bakery subplot.

Mansfield tops first ‘Veggie Norrington Table’

Jack Hunter
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Mansfield tops first ‘Veggie Norrington Table’

Mansfield College has won the award for the best Oxford college serving vegetarian and vegan food, beating off competition from Worcester and Kellogg.

The poll, launched at the beginning of Michaelmas term, asked members of the University to rank Oxford colleges according to their provision of vegetarian food.

The lowest-ranked colleges were Magdalen, followed by St John’s and Jesus.

Over 200 people voted in the so-called ‘Veggie Norrington Table’, which was organised by the Oxford University Animal Ethics Society. The ranking of the Colleges can be found here.

Society President Tobias Thornes said, “We all hope that this will encourage Oxford Colleges to improve their provision of vegetarian food. After all many colleges have fixed catering fees, which means students have to pay for the food whether they like it or not.”

All College Bursars were invited to state whether they provide vegetarian and vegan options, indicate whether they have chefs trained in vegetarian and vegan food, and supply a sample menu.

However, the table has come under fire from college bursars, who criticised the survey in a collective response of the Domestic Bursars’ Committee, saying “Many of us are very sceptical about the quality and quantity of responses your approach will bring.”

They took issue with the use of the name ‘Norrington’ as “misleading” and went on to say “some colleges have commented they don’t much care where they come in the proposed table.”

The Revd Professor Andrew Linzey, the Animal Welfare Society’s Senior Member, said he was “disappointed” with the responses from domestic bursars. The society only received responses to its questions from eight of the 44 colleges it contacted.

The Oxford University Animal Welfare Society was founded in 2007, with the aim to “provide a forum for the discussion of the moral status of animals.”

Mansfield student and vegetarian Cat Bean told Cherwell “I’m surprised but pleased Mansfield came top of the veggie Norrington table. Mansfield’s food has always been of a really high standard and there are always a number of decent vegetarian mains on offer in hall. The catering staff are clearly making a consistent effort to vary the food served to students.”

In an anonymous student response to the survey, one Magdalen undergraduate described the college’s vegetarian provision as “incredibly expensive, always dripping in cheese and cream and generally awful. The college is stuck in the Middle Ages, food wise.”

St John’s, whose vegetarian provisions had been described as “the worst” in one response, told Cherwell that it was working to carry out recommendations from a review into its catering services conducted earlier this year. Prof Andrew Parker, St John’s Principal Bursar, said “the review recommended that training and research opportunities should be provided for kitchen staff to specifically address improving the provision of vegetarian food in College.

“The College has made a commitment to implement the review recommendations. This will take some time but the process of modernising menus and working practices is already underway. We therefore expect that students can see improvements over the coming months.”

Cherwell has contacted Magdalen College for comment.

Mixed fortunes for Oxford in rugby varsity

Daniel Curtis
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Mixed fortunes for Oxford in rugby varsity

Oxford University Rugby Football Club’s Women’s team triumphed over Cambridge, while the men were defeated by the light blues.

The day at Twickenham Stadium, London, began with Oxford edging out Cambridge 3-0 in the 30th Women’s Varsity Match.

The result marks a turnaround from last year, when Cambridge resoundingly beat Oxford 52-0.

The only points on the board came at the fifteen-minute mark, with Blues captain and Wadham historian Catherine Wilcock notching three points from a penalty.

During the remainder of the first half, Oxford briefly went down to 13 players. The second half of the match saw Cambridge consistently unable to break down the Oxford defence despite seeing more of the ball.

Wadham Chemistry student Sophie Trott was named BBC’s player of the match in a win which totals Oxford Women’s nineteenth Varsity victory.

Nicole Lester, MSc student in Applied Statistics at Brasenose who was in attendance at Twickenham, commented, “The women’s match was great fun—pity that the support for them wasn’t as good as for the men’s side. Both teams were really good—I would say Cambridge were the better attacking side, but Oxford’s strong defence pulled through! The woman of the match was really well deserved, and congrats to her and the Oxford team!”

However, the men’s team were on the end of a 23-18 defeat to Cambridge in front of a crowd of 23,087 at the 135th Men’s Varsity Match.

After missing his first penalty of the day, Oxford fly-half Basil Strang opened the scoring by sending home his second, giving Oxford, the defending champions, the lead.

The dark blues dominated the game immediately following Strang’s penalty, but two minutes before the end of the first half, Cambridge scored and converted the first try of the match to lead 7-3 at half time.

Oxford’s Strang notched some more points from another penalty just after the break, followed up five minutes later by a Cambridge penalty to make it 10-6 to the light blues. Oxford then conceded a penalty by Fraser Gillies.

18 minutes before the end of the match, Henry Hughes won a try for Oxford. Cambridge reasserted their lead and Gillies at first misfired a penalty attempt, before later scoring to make it 16-13.

With eight minutes left to play, Oxford missed a kick for goal. Cambridge’s Rory Triniman turned home a try which Gillies skilfully converted to make it 23-13.

Oxford tried to fight back in the last moments of the match through Ed Davies’ try. The conversion was missed, leaving the score at 23-18 to Cambridge as the final whistle blew.

Second-year English student Ewan Davis described the late fightback as “heartbreaking”. He added, “Although close at points with a few strong performances, it was, ultimately, a disappointing game.”

Oscar Davies, an Earth Sciences student at St Anne’s, also in his second year, described Twickenham as having “an air of disappointment in the stadium, but a good game nonetheless.”

The result marks the women’s team’s first victory in this fixture since 2014, while the Cambridge men’s team celebrate breaking their drought of being without a win since 2010.

An open letter to Aung San Suu Kyi

Johnny Patterson
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An open letter to Aung San Suu Kyi

As a recent graduate of St Hugh’s College, I stand in your debt. You have been a pioneer of human rights, a symbol of equality and someone who represents all that St Hugh’s College stands for.

When you were nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991 we, at St Hugh’s, looked on with pride at the contribution of one of our most famous alumna. We celebrated with you at the news of your election victory in November 2015. Each one of us has passed your portrait, at the entrance to the college, and looked on with admiration. You represent the best of what it means to be a ‘Hughsie’: a woman of courage, who has battled oppression with strength and persistence.

For these reasons, you deserve your honorary fellowship. You have been a wonderful ambassador for our college and we are proud of your achievements. You inspire each new generation of students to live with integrity and to value equality, human rights and democracy.

As an ambassador of our college, your actions reflect upon all of us. It is with this in mind that I write this short letter to you. The situation in Rakhine State, Myanmar, is deeply concerning. The reports emerging from trustworthy news agencies, the United Nations, and human rights organisations of violations—including, but not limited to, the killing of hundreds, the destruction of homes, mass rape and the displacement of tens of thousands of people—are alarming and need to be addressed. We are aware that the political situation is volatile and that you have to tread carefully, but we ask that you take a stand and act.

In your interview on 2 December, you asked the international community to tone down its response and to stop focusing solely on the “negative side of the situation”. You emphasised inadequacies, in international commentary on events, by highlighting that there are two sides to this story and that the fears of Rakhine Buddhists about Muslim population growth are seldom heard. It is certainly true that international coverage often fails to recognise that division is fuelled by an atmosphere of intense fear in Rakhine State. Journalists need to contribute to the debate in a responsible way, which does not polarise opinion.

Yet, please forgive us if we continue to concentrate on the scale of human suffering involved. While UN officials are describing “ethnic cleansing” or “crimes against humanity” being committed against Muslims in Rakhine, we will continue to call on you to take a stand.

It may be that you have “managed to keep the situation under control and to calm it down” and that the many trusted human rights organisations and news agencies, which are reporting atrocities, are in error. If that is the case, please could you clarify why your government has banned international media from entering Rakhine State since October 9? If the situation is under control, why is there anything to hide? Please consider allowing an independent international inquiry into Rakhine State to establish the facts. Charges of genocide are too serious to sweep under the carpet: the situation should be brought into the light.

Perhaps more urgent than this, though, is the need for an end to blocks on international aid. There is no justification for the obstacle that your government, and your predecessors, have imposed on international aid agencies in Rakhine State. Thousands, in the region, are currently under pressure from the triple threat posed by a rampaging military, scarce food supplies, and a lack of health care. No political complexities are sufficient to warrant continuing aid blocks on vulnerable people in these circumstances.

You have long been a courageous advocate for freedom in the midst of deep oppression. Now is not the time to stop holding to these core values. You are a moral leader in Burma today—people rightly follow you—and you are one of the few influential figures who can help navigate the nation out of an increasingly desperate situation. You have been a woman of courage and a powerful advocate for human rights over the years. We hope that, in this political crisis, you will take further measures to safeguard your legacy as a champion of humanity.

Yours sincerely,

Johnny Patterson

Friends honour “brilliant” Oxford student who died on Varsity ski trip

Marianna Spring
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Friends honour “brilliant” Oxford student who died on Varsity ski trip

Friends and family have paid tribute to Oxford undergraduate Matt Smith who is believed to have died of a heart attack in Val Thorens on Sunday morning.

The third-year history student is understood to have suffered cardiac arrest after the first night of the Oxford and Cambridge universities’ ski trip to the Alps, which is attended by thousands of Oxbridge students.

Matt’s brother Harry Smith commented, “I don’t really know where to start when I begin to think about what kind of person Matt was. He was brilliant, charming and much more than a brother to me, he was a mentor and someone that I thrived to be like, whilst also being my best friend. Without him I wouldn’t be who I am today. He brought so much joy to my life and many others and the memories we all shared with him will stay with us forever.

“He really was such a promising talent with a very bright future ahead of him that was cut short way too soon. I’m glad that of all places, he passed in a place surrounded by what he loves the most with some of his closest friends around him, I just wish I could’ve been there with him. I loved him so much and I’m going to miss him more than words can describe.”

In a statement, Smith’s family said, “Matt was adventurous and imaginative in life, and kind, generous and loyal to his friends. Matt made friends everywhere, and seemed to capture the hearts of whomever he met. He intensely wished everyone to strive to achieve all they could; he felt anything was possible, and did not believe in regrets.

“Since his death, we have been astonished at the outpouring of love for Matt, and the many stories from friends who’ve told us how he influenced their lives for the better. It was amazing to hear about the sheer amount of joy he’d spread, even though we sometimes do not know whether to laugh or cry.

“Matt loved the mountains. He especially looked forward to the annual Varsity Trip. Even though he didn’t have the chance to start enjoying it this year, he would have wanted the party to carry on without him. He would have applauded the way his fellow snow-lovers took his snowboard for one last ride this week. The support from the Varsity Trip committee and the camaraderie among all the students has been wonderful to witness.

“We want to thank NUCO, the Varsity Trip operator, for all the help they gave Matt when he needed them, and their unfailing assistance for us once we arrived in resort. The local authorities here have been sensitive and helpful, for which we also thankful.”

Fellow students take Smith's snowboard "for one last ride" and leave it in the Alps.
Fellow students take Smith’s snowboard “for one last ride” and leave it in the Alps.

Smith’s friends from Bedford Modern School have also paid tribute to the talented student, who was secretary of Oxford University’s ski and snowboard club, as well as playing rugby for St John’s first XV and rowing in their first boat.

Eóin Barrett-Fulton, who knew Matt for 12 years, told Cherwell, “There is no way that I could possibly put into words how much Matt meant to me. Over the last 10 years he had helped me to become who I am today, always pushing me to be better than I was yesterday.

“He was our voice of reason when we needed it, and the exact opposite if we needed that as well, leading to some of the best memories anyone could hope to share with someone. There was never a dull moment with Matt, be it traveling the world, rowing the Thames, or just hanging out at his house and doing nothing, Matt was always there with a smile on his face and an idea of something fun to do to pass the time.

“He was the best of us, he was an ideal to strive towards, I will forever look up to him as one of the most intelligent and funny people I have ever met, and I will miss him more than he will ever know. I love you Matt. Rest in peace.”

James Rodgers, who attended the same school as Matt from the age of ten, said, “I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to write something good enough to rightfully honour Matt or reflect upon the momentous influence he had on my life. I am truly inconsolable. He was the best of friends and it saddens me more than I can ever say that no matter how many good memories I have of him to cherish, we will never have the chance to make more.

“I want him to be remembered as the statuesque individual he was. In life his person and his achievements towered above everyone else. He achieved so much in such a short life yet remained endlessly humble. His charisma, and effervescent intelligence won him friends in all aspects of his life, and his loyalty to his friends meant they remained always by his side

“I could go on and talk at length, such was the brilliance of Matt’s character, but it can’t go without being said that he was an extremely remarkable person and I am honoured to have called him one of my closest friends for so long. He will be sorely missed.”

Similarly, tributes have poured in from Oxford students who knew the third-year history student.

Charles Styles, who studies Philosophy and Theology at St John’s, wrote for Cherwell, “Matt, So many stories, none of them appropriate. You were my very first friend at Oxford and I was fortunate enough to live next to you for two years. I feel so lucky to have got to know you as well as I did. No one has ever made me laugh like you were able to.

“You were always so cool, so sharp, and utterly outrageous. You managed to be refined and a mess at the same time. You were charismatic, athletic, perceptive, and endlessly mischievous. Your future was so bright. I’m going to miss so much. I’m going to miss seeing you dress smarter and smarter, the closer it got to laundry day. I’m going to miss watching you break into your own room because you forgot your keys. I’m going to miss telling you how terrible your tattoos were. Your hero Oscar Wilde wrote that “to live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist – that is all”. And despite being cut so painfully short, you truly lived, Matt. 30% yours, Charles.”

Luke Markham, who lived on the same staircase as Smith in first year, commented, “Smithers [Matt] didn’t do half measures. He wouldn’t come over for a chat, or a cup of tea. But when the fun started escalating, when the pressure was on, or when you really needed him the most. Smithers was there. Smithers was all-in.”

Christina Scottie St Claire, who also attended St John’s with Smith, said, “Matt was one of my most valued and extraordinary friends. He never stopped chasing adventures and new experiences and always included me in the ride. He’d go away somewhere and come back with hilarious stories of mishaps and unusual events that always ended in wonderful, envious, inspiring tales. He was thoughtful and had an attitude towards life that was founded on the idea that nothing really matters so you might as well do what you want. As we remember Matt, we’ve Never Felt Closer. ”

The state prosecutor in Albertville, Jean-Pascal Violet, said the authorities suspected Smith died from “heart failure linked to a combination of consuming alcohol and medicines”, but that they had no certainty that this was true.

However, Smith’s brother Harry criticised reports that he had been out partying before his death.

He told The Guardian, “Matt had definitely not gone out drinking or partying upon arrival in the resort. He went straight to his girlfriend’s hotel room, and so we believe it must have been an underlying health condition. It’s been upsetting how most articles have been focusing on details which aren’t even true.”

A spokesperson for Oxford University said, “We would like to express our deep sadness at the tragic death and send our condolences to his family and friends.

“While we await the findings of the official investigation we are offering support to students who may have been affected. Members of the college were invited to gather on Sunday to remember him, and any member of the college who is particularly affected by this sad news has been encouraged to contact the chaplain or any member of the welfare team.”

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