#momentsforlife is an end of year feature in which PTL Editors look back on standout moments from the year and recall why they meant and continue to mean so much to us. The idea being to celebrate the highs of the past twelve months and to get all sappy and happy before we take a Christmas break.
Here lie our FILM, THEATRE & TV moments.
Hannah Oliver, Editor of FILM, THEATRE & TV
Call me late on the bandwagon, but I didn’t know anything about Les Misérables until I humoured my flatmate and tagged along to the cinema to see the film. I knew nothing of the plot, and wondered for a good twenty minutes when the first song would end. By the credits, however I was deeply, deeply in love; a week later, I knew every word to every song. It was a precious day in July when PTL’s very own Mel Christie and I ventured to the West End to watch the musical production at the Queen’s Theatre. Neither of us had seen it before, and it panned out as one of those days that cements itself in memory as absolutely perfect. We spent the afternoon shaking with excitement, wandering through the back alleys of Soho and annoying sales assistants in Liberty’s. It was swelteringly sunny, we ate dinner in my favourite restaurant just off Piccadilly, and scrambled, late, for a cash machine in Chinatown so we could buy Häagen-Dazs at the interval. Queen’s Theatre was tiny. We were sitting in the front row of the Upper Circle, a matter of metres from the crystalline chandelier, when the curtains opened and a wall of sound hit us full in the chest. Sublime. Can’t beat those kind of voices live, against an orchestra, as the stage is turning dramatically in a tale of Revolution. Afterwards, we ambled to my dad’s favourite pub, The White Horse, around the corner from King’s Road, and digested the spectacle in a bit of a cider-aided stupor.
Melanie Christie, Deputy Editor of FILM, THEATRE & TV
This year we were blessed with one of the best and easily one of the most hilarious Oscars ceremonies we’ve had in years. The mighty Bennedict Cumberbatch photobombed U2, Jennifer Lawrence tripped (again), Pharrell made Meryl Streep dance and 12 Years A Slave reigned supreme. Seriously – what a film. And, of course, in and amongst all the awards, we were gifted with that infamous Oscar selfie that broke the internet. Truly, it’s a year that will go down in history. Special thanks to the inimitable Ellen DeGeneres for helming the ship so beautifully. Oh and for buying enough pizza to feed a small army.
Sam Prance, Editor-in-Chief of PTL
Not too long after we started dating my boyfriend mentioned that he loved Xavier Dolan. That was the first time I’d heard of the director. Then just this October a classmate on my year abroad mentioned that I had to see his film: Les Amours Imaginaires. That night I found it online and was transfixed. The acting, the script, the styling, the soundtrack – everything came together so wonderfully. The basic plot line ‘two best friends fall for the same guy’ may sound like standard rom-com fodder but in Dolan’s hands it’s anything but – funny, touching, honest, it really marked me. The following week I went to see his latest film, Mommy, at the cinema and then at the beginning of November I watched his debut, I Killed My Mother, with the boyfriend on holiday. Now I too love Dolan. Perhaps it’s because of his inspired song choices – his use of Celine Dion’s On ne change pas in Mommy. Perhaps it’s because of his uncanny exploration of the mother/(bratty) son relationship – Hubert/Chantale in I Killed My Mother. Or perhaps it’s just because of his way with screen shots – the high heel in the leaves in Les Amours Imaginaires. Whatever it is – Dolan has me captivated and I can’t wait to see what the whizzkid/French voice of Ronald Weasley does next.
Hannah Beer, Editor of ART & FASHION
There was a lot of discussion around David Fincher’s Gone Girl in 2014. Was it anti-feminist? Was it a misogynistic portrayal of a woman scorned? Well, in a word, no. Not as far as I’m concerned, at least. I loved Gone Girl because Amy Dunne was a full blown, American Psycho scale nutcase, and whatever anyone says, that’s a first for Hollywood. She makes Glenn Close in Fatal Attraction look cordial. I hadn’t read the book before the film, so I was in no way prepared for the violence and scheming, and although they were both pretty horrifying to watch, it was so refreshing to see it coming from a woman. So twisted as it may be, Gone Girl was my favourite film event in 2014, because it actually managed to be a feminist film despite its ‘hell hath no fury’ theme. And on top of that, the soundtrack was excellent.
Figgy Guyver, Deputy Editor of ART & FASHION
I have a confession to make. Having spent far too long racking my brains for something cultured, cool, artsy, to present as my film and TV #momentsforlife, I’ve come to the sad realisation that this year my screen/theatre time can be summed up by the following image: me, curled up in bed, (sometimes with friends, often not) watching those really shitty documentaries that channel 4 produces. I’m talking ‘date my pornstar’ bad; I’m talking really mind-numbing TV. One of my new years resolutions will be to expand my film/ TV knowledge as I’ve decided to tackle my reputation for having never seen anything ever. I may even ask for one of those cineworld unlimited cards for Christmas – so watch this space.
Sonia Muhwezi, Editor of LITERATURE
In January, I watched American Hustle and The Wolf of Wall Street one after the other and just knew that it was going to be a spectacular year. There’ve been a plethora of great films this year (and some truly terrible ones, I’m looking at you Blended), but I was most excited and anxious about the film adaptations of two of my favourite books: The Fault In Our Stars and Gone Girl (hey Hannah). I’m not as prickly as I used to be when it comes to film adaptations, but these were two of the best books I’d read in awhile and if they’d screwed up, it would’ve ruined my year: thank goodness they didn’t. I sobbed incessantly after watching the first, and resolved to never, ever get married after the second: almost exactly the same reactions I had when I read the books. Job well done. *This message has been interrupted: all hail Shonda Rhimes, queen of TV (because TGIT is what I live for now)* Okay? Okay.
Eloise Hendy, Deputy Editor of LITERATURE
Quite a few times in an average month I thank all my stars, and all those guardian angel good luck charm guys, that I ended up studying and living in Edinburgh. But that number dramatically increases in the month of August, when the largest arts festival in the world descends on the city I get to call my home. Having theatre, comedy or dance (or something you can’t even begin to label) behind almost every door is the most exciting thing for a culture vulture. Whether contained in an incredibly realistic army bunker space for an intimate World War era recreation of Macbeth, or sat in an undressed room watching one man hurl himself through a poetic journey about masculinity, depression and the Icarus myth, I was always amazed by the range of vivid, inspired and moving performances at my fingertips. The Fringe wins.
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So Figgy is back – whoop – but Nols and B are still lost at (work/revision) sea. Tune in tomorrow to see who manages to contribute to our final #momentsoftheyear.
The PTL Team
The PTL Team are the collective of professional journalists (bumbling students) behind all that goes on on Prancing Through LIFE. We’re similar in many ways but different in others. To find out more about each of us specifically, head over to our TEAM page: here.
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