by Lottie Ennis When I watched Contagion during the first England lockdown, I was shocked at the similarities between the film and the real life ongoing pandemic. Contagion features a mystery illness which spreads around the world causing absolute chaos. The illness in Contagion is spread through respiratory droplets and fomites as is Covid- 19 and also brings the world to a halt. The virus … Continue reading Is 2020 The Worst Dystopian Film?
Words by Katie Waits, Pui Kuan Cheah, Georgia Glenn, Abi Edwards, Emma Williams and Alex Payne Image courtesy of 5Bam Management December Song – George Michael WeÔÇÖre all probably very familiar with Wham!ÔÇÖs iconic festive tune, Last Christmas. In fact, itÔÇÖs often difficult to escape it at this time of year. However, this isnÔÇÖt the only Christmas song that features George MichaelÔÇÖs famous voice. Last … Continue reading Rocking Around the Christmas Tree: The Best Alternative Christmas Songs
Digimon Adventure by Alex Daud Briggs For years Digimon has been accused of being a knock-off of Pok├®mon and yet the 1st Digimon Anime: Digimon Adventure far exceeds any of Pok├®monÔÇÖs animated attempts. The story is simple; seven kids in summer camp are transported to an alternate world inhabited by strange creatures called Digimon. Each child gets a partner Digimon and must fulfil a prophecy … Continue reading The Asian Silver Screen: Anime
Words by Suraya Kazzuz, Header Illustration by Shafia Motaleb Following the release of the fourth season of The Crown, there has been quite a lot of backlash directed at the royal family, specifically surrounding Charles, Prince of Wales, and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall. The show depicts the troubling drama of CharlesÔÇÖ relationship with his first wife, Diana, Princess of Wales. The show riled up feelings … Continue reading Netflix VS The Crown
By Nicole Rees-Williams Since the most recent instalment of NetflixÔÇÖs The Crown a new generation has been introduced to the peopleÔÇÖs princess. The Princess of Wales has a glowing reputation. She was (and still is) loved by the many for her kindness and humanitarian work. However, in a Vanity Fair article Eleri Lynn (curator of ÔÇÿDiana: Her Fashion StoryÔÇÖ) highlighted an all-important fact; ÔÇÿIt is … Continue reading Princess Diana: Best Fashion Moments
by Alex Daud Briggs Throughout our childhood there were a number of books that were pushed on us to read and appreciate, stories that have supposedly shaped society and revolutionised the culture we see today. Unfortunately, thereÔÇÖs often a chance that upon actually reading through these, they may seem just a bit dull. But why is that? These are some of the best works of … Continue reading Why Do We Find Classics So Boring?
By Suraya Kazzuz In light of the current political climate, it seems that Barack ObamaÔÇÖs newly published memoir, A Promised Land, couldnÔÇÖt have come at a better time. After a tumultuous four years following Obamas precedency, it is refreshing to reminisce or discover a time which was, if not necessarily better than the times we live in now, certainly more hopeful and less erratic. Barack ObamaÔÇÖs eloquent … Continue reading Review: A Promised Land by Barack Obama
Image by David Billings Lost in Translation Words by Charlotte Leung Whenever you travel to a whole new city that has a different culture to where you are from, it is always a bit of a challenge. It can be understood that you will feel loneliness, especially when you are travelling alone in an environment that you donÔÇÖt know and a place where you canÔÇÖt … Continue reading Must-see Travel Films
Word by Georgina HookwayImage courtesy of WWF With this yearÔÇÖs Spotify Wrapped recently being released, all the focus has been on streaming services. An app which can store and download all your music onto your phone, as well as give you statistics to share on your Instagram story at the end of the year may seem ideal, but streaming services may not be the ideal … Continue reading The Environmental Impact of Streaming
by Suraya Kazzuz The racist backlash in response to a SainsburyÔÇÖs advert that was recently released has become the topic of conversation around Britain for the past few weeks. The advert, which is the first of three parts, focuses on a Black family and their Christmas traditions ÔÇô displaying photos and home videos of the familyÔÇÖs Christmas dinner while a phone call plays over the scenes … Continue reading Retail Against Racism: The Racist Responses to the Sainsbury’s Christmas Advert
By Hanna Pluck As life gets more and more online, book lovers are getting creative to show their appreciation and build a community around their hobby. While plenty of book-specific fandoms have popped up, for those wishing to engage with book lovers as a whole there presents a pretty unusual challenge – how do you connect with people who love books when thereÔÇÖs such a … Continue reading Consumerism in the Book Community
Essex County by Jeff Lemire By Chahat Awasthi Sophisticated black-and-white graphic novelÔÇÖ set, the trilogy of Essex County is close to what is called a story prose. The intertwining collection of stories empathetically traces membersÔÇÖ life at various points in an isolated community. Set in a rural Canadian county, the novels have a striking characterization and will blow your mind in terms of clear-sightedness ÔÇô … Continue reading Graphic Novels to Read if YouÔÇÖve Never Read a Graphic Novel
By Shannon Bowes-Cavanagh 2020 has been a strange year for everyone with many people being put on furlough for most of it. This can make the prospect of graduating into the new world Covid-19 has created, very daunting. A study by the Institute of Fiscal Studies (IFS) suggests that graduates should expect to earn less because of the struggling economy based on data from past … Continue reading How has the Pandemic Impacted Gen ZÔÇÖs Employability?
Image by Lyndon Li Words by Ella Harper Summer holidays are pretty much the go to for the British public, but is the summer really the best time to travel? If I told you to imagine autumn, your mind probably goes straight to crisp, cold weather, leaves falling off the trees and warm, cosy clothes. But what if I told you that autumn is an … Continue reading Why Autumn is the Best Time to Travel
By Luke Hinton ÔÿàÔÿàÔÿà┬¢ Any adaptation of Charles DickensÔÇÖ A Christmas Carol needs to do something very different to get noticed. Aside from the original 1843 novel, countless retellings of the classic story have found incredible success, with The Muppet Christmas Carol and Robert ZemeckisÔÇÖ 2009 animation springing to mind, making it almost impossible to find a niche in telling a story thatÔÇÖs been done … Continue reading Review: A Christmas Carol (2020)
By Lewis Empson and Marcus Yeatman-Crouch Tech and gaming gifts aren’t always the easiest to buy; different platforms, compatibility and specs can cause confusion and result in a more messy than merry christmas. So here at Download weÔÇÖve hand picked some of our favourite suggestions to make the already stressful task of Christmas shopping a little easier by highlighting some good picks for the gamers … Continue reading Download’s Holiday Gift Guide
by Soyal Khedkar Martial arts is a combination of various sports all used as a form of self-defence or attack, and are often associated with East Asia. One might even think of Bruce Lee or Jackie Chan when they hear of martial arts. Kung Fu, Jujutsu, Judo, Karate, Muay Thai, Taekwondo, Jiu-Jitsu, and many more are all forms of martial arts. Its in-depth spiritual and … Continue reading The Asian Silver Screen: Martial Arts Edition
Image via Edge PublicityWords by Joshua Allen Emo pop-rocker Yungblud is back with his new album ÔÇÿWeird!ÔÇÖ. Having gone through delays due to the pandemic, the 13-track album finally released on December 4th, bringing some light to the end of 2020. ÔÇÿWeird!ÔÇÖ shows a clear progression from YungbludÔÇÖs last LP ÔÇÿ21st Century LiabilityÔÇÖ, shedding off some of the feisty angst and angriness from the last … Continue reading Album Review: ‘Weird!’ by Yungblud
For most of my college life and the start of my university years, my dad stopped talking to me. At first, it took me a while to comprehend what was happening. It was like a switch had been flicked in our family dynamic, and before I knew it, I had spent four years living in a house of silence. Initially I was really angry, but … Continue reading Invisible Illnesses V: Living With a Depressed Parent
Words by Emily Haf Often, celebrities wear clothes that are not budget-friendly, and honestly, we all wish we could dress the way they do but the second we check the price-tag itÔÇÖs game over. What if we could dress like our celebrity style-icons? Simply by narrowing down the outfit and finding budget friendly clothing shops, or even thrift stores, you can style yourself in a … Continue reading GET THE LOOK SERIES: From Harry Styles, Bella Hadid To Zendaya
