Films to Watch This June

Film Editor James Richards

Spiderhead (2022)

‘The sentences somehow had got more life in them than normal sentences had’. They’re ‘over-full’: ‘compressed moments that burst when you read them’. That’s short story supremo George Saunders talking. Lover of ‘mathematically efficient’ prose. Author of 2010’s ‘Escape from Spiderhead’.

Now what if ‘Escape’ was a movie? What if it starred The World’s Most Famous And Rectangular Men? Was leavened by B-roll of Australia’s scenic Gold Coast? Rewritten with endless yap? Performed by said Most Famous And Rectangular Men? What if an underbaked cake got too much frosting? Saunders has his ‘compressed moments’; Spiderhead’s are grossly expanded. Saunders trims a ten-word thing to five; Spiderhead’s five-minute beats take ten. The film is an exercise in bloat. And it’s not even that long.So escape from Spiderhead with Saunders’ ‘Escape from Spiderhead’. Then read his Tenth of December. And then Pastoralia. And then read. And read. You will be vindicated.

Print & Features Editor Jess Parker

Catch Me If You Can (2002)

Stephen Spielberg’s Catch Me if You can is the perfect cinema romp as we head into the (somewhat) warmer months of 2024.  The film follows leading man Leonardo DiCaprio as he plays a fictionalised recreation of Frank Abagnale jr., a charasmatic conman with a habit for falsifying cheques and flying commercial. 

DiCaprio is supported by Tom Hanks, playing slightly-bumbling FBI agent Carl Hanratty. Hanratty is a fictionalised retelling of Joseph Shea, who spent years tracking Abagnale as he flaunted his success in plain sight. Although tense and existing on the edge of mild-perill, Catch Me if You Can is the perfect pre-holiday watch. 

TV Shows to Watch This June

Print & Features Editor Ellie Atkinson

Love Island: Season 11  (2024)

June 3rd marked the launch of Love Island season 11 and it started with a bang! 12 contestants battle it out for the chance to win the public’s approval and a £50,000 prize, all in the name of love, or so it seems. As a recently converted Love Island fan who vowed never to watch the show, like many, I found the FOMO was getting too much. Without fail, every season brings new surprises and this season’s premier was no different as Essex’s favourite and reality TV royalty Joey Essex entered the villa. Go on, join the rest of us every 9pm for your fix of drama in the Love Island villa.

Games to Play This June

Gaming Editor Louis Wright

Pokemon SoulSilver

Tee-hee – I’ve been naughty.

There’s a little secret that people don’t tell you about the DS Pokemon games. A secret ID in fact. See everyone knows their trainer ID, the game flat-out tells you, but the secret ID is something obfuscated – hidden. By making your trainer ID and secret ID very specific values you enable a quirk in the game’s code that influences the mechanics of the ‘Cute Charm’ ability. Rather than just allowing a Pokemon at the start of the party to increase the odds of a wild Pokemon of the opposite gender appearing, it also boosts the shiny chances to 25%, something that is otherwise a 1/8192 chance.

So, I’ve been naughty. By opening my game on March 29th 2000 at 11:56pm, 36 seconds into the minute and on the 39th frame of the second (yes it’s that specific), I was able to generate these specific IDs, and now I roll in my shiny Pokemon, trying to fill the empty void that leaving university will create.

Albums to Play This June

Music Editor Hannah Gadd

MIKA- Life In Cartoon Motion

As the weather gets warmer and we see the sun (slightly) more frequently, MIKA’s debut album Life In Cartoon Motion features more and more in my rotation. The fourteen-track record transports listeners into a colourful pop daydream with every listen and guarantees to be an earworm. From the euphoric highs of the chart-topping ‘Grace Kelly’ to the bittersweetness of piano ballad ‘Happy Ending’, MIKA covers all bases with this album, showcasing his diverse musicianship. Of course the record displays his vocal ability brilliantly, sounding commanding even in the midst of big synths and catchy hooks. 

Life In Cartoon Motion is a dazzlingly playful album and is exactly what a fun pop record should be. Almost 20 years after its release, the album has stood the test of time and will continue to be a summer staple for me.

Music Editor Isabelle Porter

Joni Mitchell – Court and Spark

In celebration of Joni Mitchell putting her music back on Spotify, give her 1974 sixth studio LP, Court and Spark, a listen. Lush with breezy tunes like ‘Free Man in Paris’ and ‘People’s Parties’, this record bottles up sun-drenched Southern California in its 11 songs. ‘Help Me’ is a timeless love song and Mitchell’s melodic creativity shines on ‘Raised on Robbery’; both are foregrounded by a rich, layered vocal line. Bernie Grundman’s recent remaster of the album, supervised by Mitchell, breathes new life into the work.

For more Editor’s Picks, check out this list from March 2024:

Editor’s Picks: What to Watch and Play March 2024