Posts by Lydia
Chris, the funky French goddess
Born as Héloïse, but known as Chris has a theatre background, studying at Ecole normale superieure de Lyon. Theatre plays a big aspect in Chris’ work, specifically the aesthetics and choreography. Dance is a big part of how Chris tells a story through her music. There is a purity to Chris that I think about…
Read MoreOphelia, 2018. The Shakespearean Heroine
This reimagining of Shakespeare’s Hamlet is taken from the novel by Lisa M.Klein and adapted to screen by Semi Chellas. It takes the so-called ‘mad’ lover of Prince Hamlet; Ophelia, played by Daisy Ridley and transforms her into a full character with a backstory. The story begins with the small motherless child who is…
Read MoreDorian Electra. The Opulent Flamboyance of it all!
Dorian Electra is an American musician and performance artist. They identify as gender fluid, meaning they do not conform to a specific gender in the assumed social spectrum. Electra first gained notoriety for their music video, ‘”I’m in Love with Friedrich Hayek”‘ back in 2010. (Hayek was an Austrian economist for those who, like…
Read MoreThis is England. The Truth, The Grit, The Gore.
Shane Meadows achingly beautiful presentation of pure cinema in This is England, 2006 is one of my favourite films to revisit annually. It follows 12-year old Shaun who lives with his widowed mother after his father passed away whilst in the Falkland’s war 0f 1982, between Argentina and the United Kingdom. Set a year after…
Read MoreDream Nails – Hexxing inequality through Punk Rock.
It was 2017, I was living in Canterbury in my final year at the University of Kent in the U.K. The night life isn’t considered one of the best around, but it was kind of alright for me at that stage of my life, ( if it were any crazier I perhaps wouldn’t have graduated).…
Read MoreFactory Girl, 2006. The muse, the victim, the star
Factory Girl is a dramatized biopic on the life and times of Edie Sedgwick, an underground film actress and socialite in the 1960’s. I think it’s important to introduce Edie in her own right, rather than ‘Andy Warhol’s muse’ or ‘ a dear friend of Andy Warhol’, both of which she was. However, Edie…
Read MorePussy Riot, Punk Prayers for Freedom
Pussy Riot is a feminist protest punk rock performance art group that opposes the rule of Vladimir Putin, advocates for Feminist and LGBTQ+ rights, and fights for human rights including freedom of speech and freedom to perform. The infamous Russian rebels have made herstory with their guerilla protest punk. The story of the…
Read MoreLeon the Professional, 1994. The Poetry of Death
Leon tells the story of a young girl orphaned in the first quarter of the film at the hands of a power hungry DEA agent. She seeks refuge with Leon, the hitman down the corridor, you know…we’ve all got one of those, right? Well, Leon begrudgingly lets Mathilda in but after a bowl of cereal…
Read MoreThe Distillers, Veterans of 21st century Punk.
The Distillers are probably one of the most underrated contributors of Punk in music history. Hailing originally from Melbourne, Australia – Frontwoman Brody Dalle formed the band in Los Angeles, California in 1998. The band went on to infiltrate the music scene of the early 2000s. The Punk scene at the time was largely of…
Read MoreThe Witches, 2020 Another Unecessary Remake
In 1967, an orphaned boy only referred to as Hero Boy (Jazhir Bruno) moves into his grandmother’s cosy home in Alabama. Played by Octavia Spencer, Grandma confides in Hero Boy about an occurrence in her youth, when her friend was turned into a chicken by a witch that preyed on children. She warns hero boy…
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