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Valentine’s Day, alongside a reminder of your tragic love life, means rom-coms. The narrative surrounding the day, and this genre, can be extremely heteronormative, so here are some LGBTQ+ love stories I’d recommend!
Continue reading Love is Love (And Books)
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It’s that time of year again… That’s right, it’s February which means that Valentine’s day is just around the corner. Whether you love it or hate it, are single, taken or planning on snuggling up with the only two men you need in your life – Ben and Jerry – you can never (NEVER) go wrong with a day full of Rom-Coms, and this, after … Continue reading Top 10 Rom-Coms for Valentines Day
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Valentine’s Day can be perceived by many cynics as an Americanised, capitalist scam which profits off the romanticised ideology that you are incomplete without a (usually heterosexual) relationship. While it is about appreciating the loved ones in your life, and shouldn’t entirely be focused on romance, it does support the prevailing idea promoted in society that individually you need The One to make you whole, that your worth relies on the value that others give you. However, this is simply untrue: you are whole enough, and it is important to be equally in love with the idea of being single, as it is to desire a relationship. Continue reading Loving Your Own Company This Valentine’s Day
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Whether you find yourself bored of the traditional date ideas, or looking for something inventive to wow your partner this Valentine’s Day, this mixture of activities will surely give you some ideas. So put on your walking shoes, or get into your best lounge-wear and be ready for the big day. Indoor trampolining – Although this will require more effort than a romantic dinner, this date … Continue reading Rogue Date Ideas – In and around Exeter!
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Today, in large part due to Trump’s presidency, the topic of racial hatred seems as prevalent as ever. Films released recently like The Hate U Give or Spike Lee’s brilliant Blackkklansman have attempted to discuss this issue with a loud and angry voice. If Beale Street Could Talk continues this trend but in a more subtle, muted way, elevating intimacy over depictions of racial prejudice. Continue reading Frost on Film: If Beale Street Could Talk
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The average Brit will watch 22.3 hours of television a week, nearly one full day’s worth of TV. The average Brit will also watch 72 films a year which is, on average, more than one film a week. Between 2001 and 2016 just 18% of those television programmes were written by a woman, lessening to 14% for prime-time TV. In the film industry 79% of the films made had no women involved in the writing at all. It is no secret that screenwriting is a male-dominated industry, highlighted in recent times by speeches like that of Frances McDormand at the Oscars 2018, where she urged all women involved in the nominated films to stand up, raising awareness to the female talent in the room but also the lack of female representation. Why is this such a problem? Should it not just be the best TV made which gets to be aired? Yes, it should. But some of the best TV and films are being made by women and are not being given the chance to be seen. Continue reading Why are female screenwriters still not given the prime opportunities?
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Josie Rourke’s Mary Queen of Scots portrays the relationship between the emponyous figure (Saoirse Ronan) and Elizabeth I (Margot Robbie) as less of a rivalry and more of a strained camaraderie. Its focus is far less on placing the two figures in opposition to one another and more on representing them both as strong, independent leaders constrained by circumstances. In a (less historically accurate albeit more feminist) twist … Continue reading Review: Mary Queen of Scots
