Films to Watch

Carry-On (2024)

Film Editor Rani Jadf

Every holiday season a film comes around and brings up the universal question: is it a Christmas movie if it’s only set at Christmas? The debate’s main contributor is Die Hard: a film set at a Christmas work party, but the events that follow have no links to St Nick’s holiday whatsoever. The 1988 film encourages flares in the debate every year (in December no less), ruining close relationships for one and all at the happiest time of the year.

I had arrived at my local shopping centre a couple of weekends before Christmas when a sign caught my eye. Carry-On: Now This is a Christmas Movie. So, naturally, I instantly returned home, switched on Netflix, and watched a brilliant Taron Egerton, a terrifying Jason Bateman and a fierce Sofia Carson in the fast-paced thriller. But the same debate presents itself: a movie set in an airport on Christmas Eve full of dizzying heights of anticipation but… no Christmas plotline. No Grinch. No presents. No child foolishly left alone. So I pass the debate to you: does this make Carry-On a Christmas movie? Because if not, I dare you to watch it again in February and not feel sad that it’s not Christmas anymore. And if you haven’t seen the film, you will just have to wait for December to come around again to watch it. 

HyperNormalisation (2016)

Film Editor Toby Jarvis

The recurring obsession of Adam Curtis, a truly singular documentarian who Auntie Beeb is apparently happy to let rummage through her archives for all eternity, is power. In HyperNormalisation, nothing is off limits in distorting our perception of this surreal, non-linear world. We only seem to know that those above us know more. Curtis flits through time and space in an elaborate, all-encompassing series of montages that are at once sweeping and precise. In a way this level of personal authorship recalls the cuddly TV didacts of the 1970s—Kenneth Clarke, Dr Bronowski—but where they were frank and direct, Curtis is happy to let his grand narrative unfold also on a biting emotional scale, particularly through some excellent music choices. Even when some of Curtis’s arguments could do with a bit more elaboration, his left-field links between so many facets of power is nothing short of hypnotic; what do Jane Fonda, Brian Eno and the Ceaușescus have in common? It would be nice to think Adam Curtis has all the answers. But this is a fantasy.

Theater Camp (2023)

Film Editor Joel Bishton

I recently watched Saturday Live (not my pick, obviously) and its invocation of a bunch of people trying to make something together reminded me of Theater Camp. It is a mockumentary ostensibly about children who get together at an American summer camp to put on a musical, but is really about their group of teachers (Ben Platt, Molly Gordon, Ayo Edibiri) who row, bicker and eventually reunite to make something special. This is a true depiction of how it feels to try and make something with people you love, as well as being a very good and very funny film.

Games to Play

Grow Up (2016)

Gaming Editor Tristan Peissel

A sequel to Grow Home, we control our friendly plant repopulator robot BUD in a mission to find and repair parts of MOM, our mothership. Use your climbing skills, jetpack and local bouncy fauna to climb to new heights in this charming pixelated 3D platformer, completing challenges and collecting crystals for new upgrades along the way. It’s like Super Mario Galaxy 2 and Outer Wilds had a baby that grew up to be a chill, low stakes romp through gorgeous low poly scenery with a simple story line, buckets of charm and enough collectables to keep you busy for a happy three to four hours.

Shows to Watch

Shameless US (2011)

TV Editor Jasmine Davies

Surprisingly, Shameless is a comfort show of mine. I imagine it is for many others who didn’t have the most conventional childhoods. Watching the chaos and drama of the Gallagher family unfold is a refreshing alternative to the polished, predictable lives of stereotypical suburban TV families. This show got me through my A-Levels, and now it’s getting me through university. Who needs Rory Gilmore for academic inspiration when you have Lip Gallagher?

What sets Shameless apart is its unapologetic realism. It doesn’t sugarcoat or downplay the gritty sides of life – abuse, addiction, teen pregnancy, poverty, mental illness – the list goes on. Instead, it delivers them through dark humor, making them feel raw but never exploitative.

Whenever I mention this show, I feel like I’m betraying all my friends who swear by the original UK Shameless (I promise I’ll watch it one day). But this is one of the rare American remakes that gets it right – don’t let the US version of The Inbetweeners scare you off.

The Road Trip (2024)

Editor-in-Chief Ash Sutton

Adapted from Beth O’Leary’s best selling rom-com novel, The Road Trip hit Paramount+ last Boxing Day. It was a refreshing change of pace from the wintery months, throwing us into the idyllic, beautiful setting of mainland Spain. The Road Trip follows a story of two parts, throwing the audience from modern day to two years prior, following former primary school teacher Addie and her summer love, now ex-boyfriend Dylan, as they are thrown into a mini van together for a 9 hour journey to a mutual friend’s wedding. I’ll be honest some of the acting is questionable in moments but overall the show is an enjoyable representation of the novel, and is definitely a better adaptation than O’Leary’s first attempt with The Flatshare.

Yellowjackets (2021)

TV Editor Freya Calcluth

Yellowjackets had been screamed to me by friends for months before I finally watched it, and I really regret not becoming obsessed with it sooner. This series has a perfect combination of compelling characters with their own baggage landing (or crashing) into an impossible scenario that pushes them to the limits of humanity. Although a slow burn, the horror elements are successfully gory and disturbing, and the emotive storytelling shares immense empathy for the complicated characters, following them through their teenage and adult selves. I can’t wait for season 3 to start streaming on February 14th—what a perfect way to spend Valentine’s Day!

Albums to Play

Kehlani – CRASH (2024)

Music Editor Hope Sikolia

My pick this month is inspired by seeing Kehlani live in Manchester for their CRASH WORLD TOUR. Her energetic performance showcased the music from their latest Grammy-nominated album, CRASH. The album’s ‘Best Progressive R&B Album’ nomination perfectly encapsulates the generic experimentation – pushing the boundaries of pop, R&B, and, unexpectedly, rock – present in the album. This genre-bending creates a fresh, innovative sound and an energetically balanced album. CRASH steers away from the reflectiveness dominant in its predecessor, blue water road. The album’s energetic first half reflects the intense, lustful, and sometimes toxic, nature of the relationship narrated lyrically, while the slower latter half, fittingly, reflects the resulting crash. Electric guitar and drums are the album’s dominant instruments, creating a sound and energy that fits the album title and emphasises its rock influences. There is truly something for everyone in this project. Trap beats lay the sonic foundation of tracks like ‘What I Want’ and ‘Deep’; the country sound of ‘Better Not’ highlights the convergences between the country and rock genres; and the ‘Move Ya Body’ sample in ‘After Hours’ and the house music sound of ‘Tears’ creating tracks perfect for dancing that transport us to the club. The album ends with the ballad ‘Chapel’, reminiscent of Kehlani’s staple meditative style, and the percussion and acoustic-forward track, ‘Lose My Wife’.

English Teacher – This Could Be Texas (2024)

Music Editor Alfie Warner

I wasn’t big on English Teacher when I first heard them; I thought they were fine, but not quite as revolutionary as others seemed to think. When I revisited their album This Could Be Texas, I was pleasantly surprised by how much my opinion had changed. The album is championed by Lily Fontaine’s hearty, rich vocals, and it was a pleasure relistening to the album with fresh ears. Strong tracks were ‘Not Everybody Gets to Go to Space’ and ‘R&B’; it’s the perfect album to listen to if you’re on the move.

Wolf Alice – Visions of a Life (2017)

Deputy Editor Hannah Gadd

At the moment I keep gravitating towards Visions of a Life, the second studio album by London-based indie act Wolf Alice. The record provides a perfect soundtrack for this time of the year offering both bright pop synths for crisp sunny mornings and haunting melodies for dreary, grey evenings. On this album the band solidifies their status as a versatile, musical powerhouse with tracks that guarantee to leave a lasting impression on their listener. 

Visions of a Life is home to the band’s immensely popular single ‘Don’t Delete The Kisses’, where we hear an effortless fusion of synth-pop and indie-rock. We get a sense that every track has its own character as Wolf Alice paints us a vivid image of the record using hypnotic vocals, grungey guitars and poetic lyricism. From the furious, punk-inspired track ‘Yuk Foo’ to the delightful pop melodies of ‘Beautifully Unconventional’, Visions of a Life is a perfectly eccentric album which I am really enjoying right now!

For more Editors’ Picks, check out the lists from 2024:

Editors’ Picks: What to Watch and Play November 2024

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