#but i need to be brave. to discover new bangers

[chaotictomtom]

this world isn't big enough to keep me away from you. btw. if you even care.

[sage-nebula]

do you have any songs for Alain? i wanna listen to a playlist :3

I’m going to be honest with you: Whenever I discover a new song, the first thing I do is study it to figure out which character / ship I can associate it with so I have daydreams ready to go whenever I listen to it, haha. I don’t always succeed with every song, and some are such bangers I listen to them anyway, but that is generally what I do.

So needless to say, I do indeed have songs that I associate with Alan, Lizardon, and sometimes their loved ones. In no particular order:

1.) “Unforgettable” — Godsmack 

(Alan)

“With blind eyes open wide . . . (I’m seeing it.) A lifeless life never comes alive . . .  I feel the rise inside me, it’s untouchable. Like breathing fire in me — it’s unforgettable. I feel the rise inside me, it’s touchable. I’m feelin’ higher . . . it’s unforgettable.”

“again” — Adriana Figeuroa, YUI

(Alan)

“I wanna scream just to prove I’m alive — ‘Cause I’m ready to begin and I’m ready to try. No longer blind, I have finally opened my eyes. Listen to my cry! I won’t play it safe, I’m going, I won’t stay. To repay the ones I love one day. (I’m on the way.) I’ll fight ‘til the end — I will be the one to rise again!”

3.) “Fight Song” — Rachel Platten

(Alan)

“Losing friends, and I’m chasing sleep. Everybody’s worried about me. In too deep . . . say I’m in too deep. It’s been two years, I miss my home. But there’s a fire burning in my bones. I still believe . . . yeah, I still believe. And all those things I didn’t say, wrecking balls inside my brain. I will scream them loud tonight — can you hear my voice tonight?”

4.) “Where No One Goes” — Jonsi, John Powell

(Alan & Lizardon)

“Let the wind carry us to the clouds, hurry up, all right. We can travel as far as our eyes can see. We go where no one goes. We slow for no one — get out of our way.”

5.) “Stand By You” — Rachel Platten

(Lizardon @ Alan)

“And love, if your wings are broken, borrow mine so yours can open, too. ‘Cause I’m gonna stand by you. Even if we’re breaking down, we can find a way to break through. Even if we can’t find Heaven, I’ll walk through Hell with you. Love, you’re not alone, ‘cause I’m gonna stand by you.”

6.) “Boys (Lesson One)” — Jars of Clay

(Professor Sycamore @ Alan)

“In time, to wonder where the days have gone. In time, to be old enough to wish that you were young. When good things are unraveling, bad things come undone. You weather love and lose your innocence . . . And there will be liars, and thieves who take from you. Not to undermine the consequence, but you are not what you do. And when you need it most, I have a hundred reasons why I love you.”

7.) “Fade In / Fade Out” — Nothing More

(Alan & Professor Sycamore)

“Just the other day I looked at my father; it was the first time I saw he’d grown old. Canyons through his skin, and the rivers that made them carved the stories I was told. He said, ‘Son, I have watched you fade in. You will watch me fade out. I have watched you fade in, you will watch me fade out. When the grip leaves my hand, I know you won’t let me down. Go and find your way — leave me in your wake. Always push through the pain, and don’t run away from change. Never settle, make your mark, hold your head up, follow your heart.’”

8.) “Full Disclosure” — Zach Callison, Rebecca Sugar

(Alan @ Professor Sycamore & Manon)

“Life is precious on the planet Earth. And that means you, and I have to protect you. What if somehow you get hurt?  What do I do? I don’t want that for you. What am I going to tell you? You’re better off not knowing the trouble I’m in. I don’t want you to worry about what I’ve just seen, about where I’ve just been. You don’t have to be a part of this — I don’t think I want you to be. You don’t need this. You don’t need me.”

9.) “Bleeding Out” — Imagine Dragons

(Alan)

“You tell me to hold on, you tell me to hold on. But innocence is gone, and what was right is wrong. ‘Cause I’m bleeding out, and if the last thing that I do is to bring you down, I’ll bleed out for you. So I’ll bear my skin and I’ll count my sins and I close my eyes and I take it in— And I’m bleeding out, I’m bleeding out for you.”

10.) “Shooting Star” — Owl City

(Lizardon & Alan)

“Way up in the air you’re finally free. And you can stay up there, right next to me. All this gravity will try to pull you down, but not this time. Gaze into my eyes when the fire starts, and fan the flames so hot it melts our hearts. Oh, the pouring rain will try to put it out, but not this time. When the sun goes down and the lights burn out, then it’s time for you to shine. Brighter than a shooting star, so shine no matter where you are. Fill the darkest night with a brilliant light, ‘cause it’s time for you to shine.”

11.) “Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)” — Florence + The Machine

(Manon @ Alan)

“You made a deal, and now it seems you have to offer up. But will it ever be enough? (Raise it up, raise it up.) It’s not enough. (Raise it up, raise it up.) Here I am, a rabbit-hearted girl, frozen in the headlights. It seems I’ve made the final sacrifice. I look around, and I can’t find you. If only I could see your face.  I start rushing towards the skyline; I wish that I could just be brave.”

12.) “The Game is Over” — Evanescence

(Alan @ Lysandre)

“Had enough, I’ve really had enough, had enough of denial. I’m not all right, but I’m not gonna lie: I don’t know that I ever was. All alone I’ve waited, all alone, held it in as I played by your rules. I’ve been biting my lip, but I’m losing my grip, I’m coming down, down, down. Sweet words, they mean nothing, they’re not true, ‘cause the game is over. Your sweet words mean nothing, save your breath, the game is over.”

13.) “Monster” — Frozen Broadway Musical

(Alan, during Flare crisis)

“Was I monster from the start? How did I end up with this frozen heart? Bringing destruction to the stage, caught in a war that I never meant to wage. Do I kill the monster . . . ? Father, you know what’s best for me; if I die, will they be free? What if after I’m gone, the cold gets colder, and the storm rages on? No! I have to stay alive to fix what I’ve done. Save the world from myself, and bring back the sun! If I’m a monster, and it’s true, there’s only one thing that’s left for me to do. But before I fade to white, I’ll do all that I can to make things right. I cannot be a monster. I will not be a monster! Not tonight!”

14.) “Healing Now” — Sick Puppies

(Alan)

“I wrestle with my thoughts at night, anchored to the ropes I tied myself. I dream about war, I live without peace. A cell without bars, free air I can’t breathe. I choose to believe, in the face of my doubts, I am what I see — I am healing now. When a sky full of tears falls to the earth, I’ve gotta believe we’re healing now. Now before you give up, before it gets worse, I have to believe we’re healing now.”

15.) “Don’t Forget” — Toby Fox, Adriana Figueroa, FamilyJules

(Lizardon @ Alan)

“When the light is running low, and the shadows start to grow, and the places that you know seem like fantasy. There’s a light inside your soul that’s still shining in the cold, with the truth, the promise in our hearts. Don’t forget, I’m with you in the dark.”

[letterboxd]

Survival Mode.

In ten recent coming-of-age films, Ella Kemp finds the genre thriving—and looking very different than the 1980s might have predicted. Film directors and Letterboxd members weigh in on the specific satisfactions of the genre, especially in a pandemic.

There have been jokes, some more serious than others, about the art that will come out of this time. How many novels about a fast-spreading disease are you betting on? Will Covid-19 be better suited to documentary or fiction? But the art I’m most looking forward to, and revisiting now, is the art made about teenagers going through it.

Physical school attendance, so central to the John Hughes movies of the 1980s, is up in the air for so many. Sports practice, theater clubs, mall hang-outs; the familiar neighborhood beats of a teenager’s life are more confined than ever. All of us have had to tweak our reality to make the best of invasive changes forced upon us during the pandemic. In a sense, it feels like we are all coming of age.

Teenagehood, though, is a particularly tricky time of transition, and we don’t yet know the half of how the pandemic is going to impact today’s young adults—and, by association, tomorrow’s coming-of-age films. But in the last two years alone there have been enough brave new entries in the genre, about young people so enlivening, that there’s both plenty for young film lovers to lose themselves in, and plenty for us slightly older folks to watch and learn from.

So I sought out ten recent coming-of-age films (and several of the directors responsible) to see what these stories teach us about teenagers, and how we might empathize with them. The list—Jezebel, Beats, Zombi Child, Blinded by the Light, Selah and the Spades, The Half of It, Dating Amber, Babyteeth, House of Hummingbird and We Are Little Zombies—is by no means exhaustive. But it allows us to look at several things.

Firstly, that the genre is thriving, considering these titles barely scratch the surface. Secondly, these ten films look a whole lot different than their 1980s counterparts. Six are directed by women. Four tell queer stories or, at least, feature queer characters in a prominent subplot. Seven tell stories about Black people, Asian people, Pakistani people. Only three are from the US.

And: they’re really good. They understand teenagers as angry, energetic, passionate, confused, desperate and deeply intelligent beings, echoing the nuances that we know to be true in real life, but that can often get watered down on the screen.

Blinded by the Light (co-written and directed by Gurinder Chadha) We Are Little Zombies (written and directed by Makoto Nagahisa) Beats (co-written and directed by Brian Welsh)

The protagonists in these first three films use music to feel their way through panic, brought on by both internal and external circumstances. Screaming another’s lyrics, furiously composing their own anthems, dancing along and sweating out their fear to the beat, the ongoing beat, and nothing more. It’s salvation, it’s release—when you’re left with your own thoughts, the only way to fight through them is to drown them out.

Music acts as a source of enlightenment in Blinded by the Light, directed by Gurinder Chadha (who made 2002’s coming-of-age sports banger Bend it Like Beckham). In Thatcher’s Britain, Pakistani-English Muslim high schooler Javed discovers the music of Bruce Springsteen, and his world bursts wide open. The wisdom and fire of the Boss helps Javed to make sense of his own frustrations; that the film is based on a real journalist’s autobiography makes it all the more potent.

Meanwhile, in Beats, a real-life law enacted in Scotland in the 1990s temporarily banned raves: specifically, the gathering of people around music “wholly or predominantly characterized by the emission of a succession of repetitive beats”. As the UK struggles to contain a youthful, exuberant new counter-culture, the central characters face what it means to enter adulthood. The answer to both: a forbidden rave.

“I have to say, there’s probably no such thing as teenagers without complicated emotions,” We Are Little Zombies writer-director Makoto Nagahisa tells me. The Japanese filmmaker—who loves the genre, known as ‘Seishun eiga’ in Japan—wrestles with the frustration and hopelessness of the world by giving his film’s four orphaned teens the tools, and the permission, to find solace in something other than their everyday life. Following the deaths of their parents, the quartet create their own catchy, cathartic, truth-bomb music; it’s an instant hit with kids across Japan, but the adults miss the point, of course—that the cacophony of superstardom is filling the silence of their mourning.

Nagahisa-san’s film is named after a fictional 8-bit Nintendo Game Boy game that the main character is addicted to. “I used to get through my day relatively painlessly by pretending I was a video game character whenever bad shit happened to me,” he explains. Teenagers “are constantly feeling crushed by reality right now… I want them to know that this is a valid way to escape reality. That reality is just a ‘game’. I want them to know they don’t need to face tragedies, they can just survive. That’s the most important thing!” Who else needed to hear that right now?

Jezebel (written and directed by Numa Perrier) Zombi Child (written and directed by Bertrand Bonello) Selah and the Spades (written and directed by Tayarisha Poe) House of Hummingbird (written and directed by Kim Bo-ra)

Our next four films turn to technology, mythology, hierarchy and education to animate their protagonists’ lives with a greater purpose. In Jezebel, nineteen-year-old Tiffany finds her way through mourning with a new job, earning money as a cam girl and subsequently developing a bond with one of her clients. There’s a magnetic aura, one that harnesses grief and turns it into something more corrosive as this teen puts all her energy into it. Similarly there’s mysticism in the air in Zombi Child, in which Haitian voodoo gives a bored, heartbroken teenage girl a new purpose as she searches for a way to connect with the one she lost—and with herself.

Selah and the Spades and House of Hummingbird understand the third-party saviour as more of a structure, that of a school or an inspiring teacher. Selah finds herself by doing business selling recreational drugs to her classmates in a faction-led boarding school. Nothing mends a sense of aimlessness like power. This same framework lets Hummingbird’s Eun-hee, a schoolgirl in mid-90s South Korea whose abusive family invest their academic focus in her useless brother, search for love and find connection in her school books—and from the person who’s asking her to read them.

The films on this list are not perfect; some might be criticized for specifically following a formula, the tropes of the coming-of-age film, a little too well. Jezebel lets its protagonist rise and fall with familiarity, while Selah suffers the consequences of her extreme actions, and even Eun-hee reckons with a few recognizable pitfalls. But still, the fact that these films exist is “innately radical”, says Irish writer-director David Freyne, whose queer Irish comedy Dating Amber is covered below. The filmmaker describes the coming-of-age genre as mainstream, but in the best possible sense: “It’s a broadly appealing film,” he says.

This is why, to see these stories reframed with minority voices, with queer voices, is so quietly revolutionary. “The more you see them, the more broadly we see them being enjoyed—the more producers and financiers will realize these stories don’t have to be niche just because they happen to frame a minority voice. Everyone can enjoy it.”

Film journalist and Letterboxd member Iana Murray, a coming-of-age genre fan, echoes Freyne’s thoughts. “Representation is absolutely not the be-all end-all, but I’d love to see more coming-of-age films that reflect my experiences growing up as a woman of color,” she says, before introducing what I’d like to call the Rashomon Effect. “I see it as like one of those films that tell the same events from different perspectives, something like Rashomon or Right Now, Wrong Then,” she explains. “A story becomes even more vibrant when told through a different set of eyes, and that’s what happens when you allow women, people of color, and LGBT people to create coming-of-age narratives.”

Dating Amber (written and directed by David Freyne) The Half of It (written and directed by Alice Wu) Babyteeth (directed by Shannon Murphy, written by Rita Kalnejais)

Which brings us on nicely to our last three: wildly different titles, each with young protagonists at war with themselves, trying to make sense of their bodies and minds as best they can. In this context, companionship is everything. Finding a platonic soulmate in Dating Amber, a sexual awakening in The Half of It, a first love to make a short life worth living in Babyteeth. Each film is directed with a verve and passion that you know must be personal.

The story of a frustrated boy in the closet in Dating Amber aches with care from Freyne behind the camera, while Alice Wu directs Ellie Chu, the main character in The Half Of It, with patience and the kind of encouragement that quiet girls who live a life between two cultures are rarely given. And with Babyteeth, Shannon Murphy returns Australian cinema firmly to the center of the movie map, with a quintessentially Australian optimism and sense of humor, which Ben Mendelsohn called “delightfully bent”.

These perspectives are specific to each teen, but the intensity transcends genres and borders. It manifests musically, verbally, visually, aesthetically. These teens connect with their favorite music and means of entertainment, but also simply to their favorite clothes and accessories—blue bikinis and green wigs, red neck-scarves and floaty white dresses. These details give the characters ways to reinvent themselves while standing still, which certainly feels apt for a life lived, for now, at home.

‘Pretty in Pink’ (1986), written by John Hughes and directed by Howard Deutch.

Many argue that the coming-of-age genre peaked with John Hughes, who defined the framework in iconic 1980s films that have his stamp all over them, whether he wrote (Pretty in Pink, Some Kind of Wonderful) or also directed them (The Breakfast Club, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Sixteen Candles). Hughes’ world view was of a specifically suburban, white, American corner of the world, which he filled with misfits and ultra-hip soundtracks. “John Hughes was to the genre what The Beatles are to rock and roll,” confirms Letterboxd member Brad, maintainer of the essential coming-of-age movie list Teenage Wasteland.

After Hughes, the genre tumbled, Dazed and Confused, into the 1990s—notable voices include John Singleton with his seminal Boyz n the Hood, and Gus Van Sant’s My Own Private Idaho and Good Will Hunting. This was also the decade of Clueless, which informed the bright, female-forward fare of the 2000s, like Mean Girls, The Princess Diaries and the aforementioned Bend it Like Beckham. The last decade has seen new American storytellers step into Hughes’ shoes, including Greta Gerwig (Lady Bird and Little Women), Olivia Wilde and the writers of Booksmart, and the autobiographical voices of Jonah Hill (mid90s) and Shia LaBeouf (Honey Boy, directed by Alma Har’el).

It’s interesting to note—whether it’s the 1860s or the 1980s—that many coming-of-agers from the past decade take place in an earlier period setting. Social media has demanded the upheaval of entire lives, but it seems some filmmakers aren’t yet ready to grapple with its place on screen.

The audience, on the other hand, is far more adaptable. The way we’re watching coming-of-age films has shifted, and it’s more appropriate for the genre than we could have imagined. On the last day of shooting Dating Amber, Freyne recalls one of the young actors asking, “So, is this going to be on Netflix or something?” This is when cinemas were still open.

“That’s often how younger people are devouring content now,” Freyne reasons. His film, in the end, was snapped up by Amazon (a US release date is yet to be announced). “It’s creating a communal experience with the intersection of social media: live streams, fan art, daily messages… It’s made us feel incredibly connected, moreso than I think we would have got with a cinematic release.”

Streaming platforms also cater to one key habit of a younger film lover: the rewatch. The iconic teen films of the 80s embedded their reputations thanks to the eternal allure of the Friday night video store ritual, and constant television replays. These days, it’s only with a film finding a home on Netflix, on Amazon or on Hulu, that a younger person (or, in times of global crisis, any person) can both financially and logistically afford to devote themselves to watching, again and again, these people onscreen that they’ve immediately and irrevocably found a connection with.

It’s always felt hard to be satisfied with just one viewing of a perfect coming-of-age film—observe how many times Iana Murray has logged Call Me By Your Name. What is it about the slippery, universal allure of the genre? It’s possibly as simple as the feeling of being seen in the fog of intergenerational confusion. Says Nagahisa-san: “Grown-ups think of teenagers like zombies. Teenagers think of grown-ups like zombies. We’re never able to understand what others are feeling inside.”

“The reaction is always emotive rather than intellectual,” adds Freyne. “There’s something quite visceral and instinctive about coming-of-age films; it’s an emotional experience rather than an analytical one.” That emotional experience is tied up in the fact that we often experience coming-of-age movies just as we ourselves are coming of age, establishing an unbreakable connection between a film and a specific period in our lives. MovieMaestro Brad explains it best: “There is a bit of nostalgia in a lot of these films that take me back to my younger days, when life was simple.”

But that’s not to say only those coming of age can appreciate a coming-of-age film. On her favorite coming-of-age film, Mike Mills’ 20th Century Women, Murray explains, “It doesn’t see coming-of-age as exclusive to teenagers, because that process of growth is really about transition and change.” (In a similar vein, Kris Rey’s new comedy I Used to Go Here, in select theaters and on demand August 7, meets Kate Conklin, played by Gillian Jacobs, in a sort of quarter-life-crisis, needing to grow down a bit in order to grow up.)

Natalia Dyer in ‘Yes, God, Yes’ (2019), directed by Karen Maine.

There is endless praise, conflict and wonder to be found in the ten films mentioned above—and all the ones we haven’t even gone near (Karen Maine’s orgasmic religious comedy Yes, God, Yes, now available on demand in the US, deserves an honorary mention, as does Get Duked!, Ninian Doff’s upcoming stoner romp in the Scottish Highlands). The thing about this genre is it’s raw, it’s alive, and it’s always in transition. Just when you might think it’s gone out of fashion, it emerges in a new and fascinating form. And yet, there are still so many filmmakers who haven’t tackled the genre. I asked my interviewees who they’d like to see take on a story of teens in transition.

“I’d love to see Tarantino’s take on a coming-of-age tale,” says master of the genre himself, MovieMaestro/Brad. Murray gives her vote to Lulu Wang, saying, “I love the specificity she brought to The Farewell, I think it would transfer well to a genre that needs to escape clichés.” Freyne, meanwhile, wants to see if Ari Aster might have another story about young people in him. Maybe something a bit less lethal next time.

Ultimately, “you write from empathy, not from experience,” says Freyne. I think the same goes for watching, too. It won’t be tomorrow, and it might not be this year, but eventually, the world will emerge from Covid-19. What will we have learned from the films that we watched while we were waiting? From the sadness, the angst, the determination, the rage and the passion?

Nagahisa-san already knows, and his advice is everything we need right now: “You don’t need others’ approval of who you are, as long as you understand and approve of yourself. Do whatever pops up in your mind. Live your life without fear or despair. Just survive.”

Related content

See where most of the recent releases mentioned here are virtually screening, in our Art House Online list.

Shannon Murphy talks to us about Babyteeth, and shares a list of her favorite Australian films.

Makoto Nagahisa’s 25 favorite teen movies

David Freyne’s 25 favorite LGBTQIA+ films

Growing Pains: The Ultimate Coming of Age Movie Challenge

(Happy) Queer Coming of Age Movies

Coming of age—but make it diverse

[sparrowandthesong]

Top Ten Albums of the Decade

Keep in mind, these are all my opinions!!

—

10. Water Colours - Swimming With Dolphins (2011)

Very fun, upbeat album with lyrics that make you think

Top 3 songs: Diplomat, Holiday, I Was a Lover

9. BTR - Big Time Rush (2010)

Listen... every song on this album is still a banger don’t lie to yourself

Top 3 songs: Halfway There, Til I Forget About You, City Is Ours

8. Lips on Lips - Tiffany Young (2019)

Technically an EP but deserves a spot. Easily my favorite album of hers, the raw emotion in the lyrics really drew me in

Top 3 songs: Born Again, Lips On Lips, Not Barbie

7. Native - OneRepublic (2013)

Just an easy album to listen to, whether you’re jamming out in your car or distracting yourself from your own feelings

Top 3 songs: Feel Again, Something I Need, Au Revoir

6. Voyager 1 - Adam Young (2016)

Do you want to feel like you’re nyooming through space but in the 1970s? Well, my friend, you’ve come to the right place

Top 3 songs: Saturn, 1977, Interstellar Space

5. Cinematic - Owl City (2018)

Arguably this could have been ranked higher, but even so it’s an incredibly well put together album that tells wonderful stories and I highly recommend

Top 3 songs: Be Brave, House Wren, Firebird

(Honorable mention: Madeline Island 😉)

4. Project Excelsior - Adam Young (2016)

This is my go-to album when I need to relax or de-stress. It’s very soothing, I like to listen to it at night before I go to sleep or when I’m stressed out

Top 3 songs: The Pilot, The Jump, Helium Balloon

3. Ultraviolet - Owl City (2014)

Another EP, but another one of my favorite things he’s ever written. A mixture of abstract and literal lyrics and emotions, ties together beautifully

Top 3 songs: Up All Night, Beautiful Times, This Isn’t The End

2. Skin&Earth - Lights (2017)

I actually just found this album recently and I’m in love. I’m so glad to have re-discovered her

Top 3 songs: Almost Had Me, New Fears, Moonshine

1. All Things Bright and Beautiful - Owl City (2011)

Absolutely my favorite album of all time. Every song is incredible and unique, but they all fit together extremely well. Feels like home.

Top 3 songs: The Real World, Alligator Sky, Plant Life

[cajunroe]

♫ + one for Ron Speirs, Carwood Lipton, Brad Colbert, Nate Fick, what can I say, I'm greedy :))) as a bonus Ron+Carwood and Brad+Nate, if you feel generous *puppy eyes*

well damn i never back down from a challenge let’s do this

ron speirs:blood on my name - the brothers bright - how could i not do a total dark banger for sparky??? like this man enjoy the thrill of a fight and there’s something somewhat dark that lurks behind his eyes, insidious and not always present but willing to show its face when necessary; there something ruthless about the way he holds himself and it’s almost scary if you don’t trust him or know him; and i think a lot of ron’s personality and insecurities and fault are consumed and hidden away by this thirst for the fight; like i can imagine him in any war ancient or modern or anywhere in between because the way he handles himself is something that kind of transcends circumstance and i just really need to compile all my character studies on speirs into a paper or something; like i realize the way i’m describing him sounds almost non-human but there is something about his bravery that is a little deeper and darker than on the surface; the way this song progress and darkens and heightens from beginning to end just hit his character in the best way possible because there’s something about speirs that borders on a death wish and accepting one’s own mortality and that if you can’t outrun death forever, you might as well get your hands dirty in the process. 

carwood lipton:against the grain - city & colour - if anything stuck out to me about lip it’s his compassion and this song just...idk i can imagine him softly talking to one of the men having a hard time or even a stranger having a bad day, to follow their heart, and god this song just hits me everytime because it’s so beautiful and the lyrics are so real and so raw that i just break down; when you listen to it, just picture lip and you’ll see what i see; his compassion came from a genuine place not because he needed people to go on or do their jobs, the concern was real and his compassion was real and the communicates through his character; the songs reminds the listener that it’s okay to just live sometimes and not search for answers in everything, not everything has meaning and sometime shitty things happen, the worse things in life can happen without any answers and we have to go on without them; “you need not to reach for the stars when life becomes so dark and when the wind does blow against the grain, you must follow your heart.”; even if you have answers, they’re not always enough, trust yourself and your instincts more than anything; lip had an amazing sense of sympathy and empathy for everyone and took care of everyone around him before himself; selflessness and compassion are two traits that are invaluable and he had them both in spades; and the line, “you need not to find a cure for everything that makes you weak” just gives me so much hope during my dark times because it reminds me that i am allowed to have faults and that i can be weak and strong at the same time and that what i’m going through it okay so long as i trust myself to follow my instincts when it gets too be too much and that will always scream lipton to me

please, send me a ♫ + a character’s name or a ship and i will respond with a song that reminds me of them

this is a long post, so the rest are under the cut!

brad colbert:bad habits - fidlar - this song is a bit “showy” for brad but it’s such an absolute “i fucking do what i want and your opinion isn’t needed or wanted or should even be thought” type song; his issues are his own and brad is unapologetic about not opening up or sharing anything and it isn’t from a scared position or anything else, he has emotions and he’s not afraid of being vulnerable because he knows it’s not a weakness or a fault, he’s just genuinely so private that only those closest to him see the real him; he has his bad habits but they’re HIS, no one else’s and he doesn’t need help or anyone to chime in on them because he’s at least acknowledging the fact that they’re there; he knows that anyone who truly loves him will stick around and support him despite these bad habits and they do; anyone else who “can’t handle it” wouldn’t be someone he’d want in his life anyway; the line “i don't care if i'm damaged, honestly, i just think i'm bored” hit me because i always see brad as someone who feels like he should always be doing more and “reaching his full potential” for no other reason than the fact that he likes to keep busy and enjoys all that life has to offer; so bad habits are easy to pick up because he gets bored easy and “idle hands” and all that; not the song i think describes brad perfectly but one that makes me think of him...and ray, every damn time. 

nate fick:seein’ red - unwritten law - there’s something that always stuck with me in gen kill and it was leadership, like it was a main consistency running throughout the whole thing; and nate’s leadership especially was a big point for me because they’re adults but they’re also still relatively young and something about their leading just will always remain impressive to me; especially nate’s and this song is just a real anthem for him and never fails to make me think of the “don’t fuck with my men” scene and i get chills; but it also reminds me of nate always feeling like he had to play catch up or that he was failing even when it wasn’t his fault or when he wasn’t failing, which i think we can all relate to;  like “i confess, i don't know what to make from all this mess. don't have much time for sympathy, but it never happened to me. so follow the leader now.” there’s something about gen kill that forces you to see them as superficial and emotionless until they’re in the thick of it and the reality comes through and all nate wants is to get his men home alive because that’s what leaders do

speirton:life me up - mree - okay so...i like to think that there’s two speirs; pre-lip and post-lip and while he’s still the same, there are significant differences between the two because i really feel like ron “death wish” speirs unconsciously (or consciously) does have a real (small??) death wish before he meets lip and while his recklessness is just as much brave as it is illogical, there’s one person who isn’t scared or him or in awe of him and that’s lip; he jokes with ron and no one “jokes” with ron, he’s easy to talk to and understands the severity and harsh realities or war but unlike ron he doesn’t let them diminish the soft parts of his personality, if anything lip’s compassion and dedication thrives because it is a scarce but highly needed resource in the war and lip gives it freely and without question and ron is in deep before he knows it; lips softens him and you see a lot of ron’s hard line dissapate the more he’s around lip, he wouldn’t have given two shit is someone was sick or about promotions but lip had both and ron was happy for the promotion but worried about the pneumonia because anything could kill them out here and ron would die just to find lip and yell at him for dying from pneumonia; okay i digress but post-war when all is said and done, ron finds himself in a new world, he’d gotten so used to houses with singed wallpaper and missing roofs, that when they’re in a warm home, wrapped up in one another, with only the sound of a ceiling fan and the crickets outside that ron feels like he’s missed a step somewhere; lip came in and changed his entire world and ron didn’t even notice and tbh he can’t even be upset because he’s never felt so content and settled and happy in his life before; lip lifts him up and ron can only try to do the same for him for as long as they’re together

icefick: past lives by børns - something about icefick that always makes me think of them is not realizing you’re in love or being surprised to find that you’re in love and for these two that is on mf POINT.; like they’re so oblivious but in tune with one another that it isn’t until they’re deep in love with one another that they realize what’s going on and by then it’s way too late to do anything about it; they’ve lived so many lives between there and her where they are now and now that they think about it, it was only a matter of time but it’s still surprising and they find all these different moments where it couldn’t have been anymore obvious that they were supposed to be together but they missed it completely; i especially love the lines “past lives couldn't ever hold me down. lost love is sweeter when it's finally found. i've got the strangest feeling, this isn't our first time around.”; like they’ve been circling one another for so long that it’s almost comically it took them so long, but it’s so much sweeter that they discovered it so late because it gave them more time to know one another so intimately and intricately that it’s impossible to part

[enjoyblacksurf-blog]

About A Band

PART ONE - LET’S MAKE A BAND

Many moons ago in a valley called Ilkley in sunny Yorkshire... I (@aliepstone) met my brother to be, Phil (@SpankeeJones). With only the influence of Queen, R.E.M, Nirvana, Lemonheads & Green Day, Spankee Jones created me a mixtape (Spank Me Up, Mr. Ali Vol. 1 & 2) that would change my little mind forever. Everything from Bjork, Everclear, Sublime, Veruca Salt, Pixies, Weezer and Nada Surf to name a few.

This mix tape blew my mind wide open to the world of the 90’s alternative and beyond. A bond was made. The dream of creating our own band was brewing.

Spankee introduced me to the world of The Leeds Music Festival in 1998 and we’d go every single year to follow. In one weekend we saw James Brown in a small tent and Iggy Pop humping a Marshall stack in see-through pants. Minds were blown again in many more ways than one, and our own band, Wendall, was formed. Wendall (named after Arrested Development’s Mr. Wendall) was short lived. 3 songs and only two gigs later, high school fame reared its ugly head and the band imploded. We grew up, left school and lost touch.

I made a metal band called Mishkin with teenage friends, Mark, Ben and now the infamous ‘Ramoss’ on bass. We grafted, went through the mud a few times and saw the world together. In the best part of ten tears, we toured the country up and down, went to China twice, supported Enter Shikari, Sepultura, He'd P.E & Letlive to name a few.  Mishkin had been through 13 different members in order to keep that metal train in motion and it took it���s toll. We called it a day in 2012 but lifetime friendships were made and bands like Beyond All Reason, Pteroglyph, Delta Sleep & In Technicolour and were fully formed.

After giving my whole life to a band that dissolved in one band meeting... I was completely lost and and ready to shake off the best part of ten years of naughty water abuse. I needed to clean up and figure out what the hell my life was about.  I’d always known I was gonna sort myself out. Might as well be now? So I flew to Australia to start a new life with his wife and study Meditation with my acoustic guitar in hand. I’ll go Solo and be one of those miserable acoustic dudes, I thought.

Spankee Jones married too and had an awesome little baby boy. This new life had ignited a whole new surge of creativity and he sent me some demos for a potential fun new project.

These demos shifted something within both of us and brought back those childhood memories. Spankee, a bass player, with a multi-instrumental heart had somehow learned to play guitar and merged a perfect hybrid of the essence of Weezer’s early classic albums, with a twist of Flaming Lips. Immmm YES! I combined my love for Evan Dando, early Billie Joe Armstrong and Art Alexakis as a starting point to explore my new found voice. I knew I had one, I just never found the right channel. The two of us never fully explored our musical abilities until now. 

We dreamt up our version of a perfect band. Whatever ever styles we liked, we’d explore. This became, Black Surf. The only issue being that we were now 10,000 miles apart. Between FaceTime chats and dropbox files being sent, we wrote our first song ‘Army of Sheep’. This was enough to book a flight back to the UK, a rehearsal room and a gig at Leeds' Brudenell Social Club to kickstart this dream. 

It all became effortless and a true joy to experience. Spankee explored the guitar, I enjoyed discovering my voice, Ramoss was brought back into the fold. He kept the bass phat and himself incognito in the shadows where he likes it best. This all leaving Mark, the glue, to keep it all together.

We followed up with a classic, Black Surf banger, Light’s Out. It received rave reviews from The BBC, Total Guitar, Classic Rock, The 405 and a feature in Rocksound Magazine. A label showed interest and a support slot with Lonely the Brave gave the band confidence to keep riding that Black Surf Wave. This all happened within a really short time and the band hadn’t caught up ourselves or figured out who we were or what this thing was. We decided to go back into the studio to capture the moment, achieve a life-long goal and create a memory in the form of an album before it all went tits up.

The result, Let’s Pretend It’s Summer, a 14 track album recorded with Lee & Jaime at Greenmount Studios and bits and bobs at Penthouse Studios and Chairworks studios, captured the band working out what we were capable of. We discovered our love for all things pop, rock, punk, fuzz, acoustic, psychedelic and straight up rock n roll. This collection of songs remains widely unheard as we didn’t really push it out to the world. The album was more of a personal victory for us all. All we ever wanted was to record a record. We did it! Now what? The band, now with four kids, work and life commitments to add to the mix, made the reality of dreaming further than the limits of Yorkshire an impossible task. The future of the band didn’t look great and something had to change if it was to carry on. But, this wasn’t just a fun project or flash in the pan, there was something in this thing worth nurturing, exploring and diligently committing too. It was just too damn fun to let go. 

The band had a achieved an almighty goal against all odds. Mark went back to his main band, Spankee and Ramoss remained in Yorkshire to bring up their kids and run their respected business and I was back to square one. Again. Great.  It all came to a natural end with a great feeling of accomplishing an album to be really proud of. I mean, it’s a total banger of a record! 

Check it out - https://enjoyblacksurf.bandcamp.com/album/lets-pretend-its-summer-

PART TWO - LET’S TRY THIS AGAIN

So.. I moved in with my wife in London with the intention of keeping this dream alive with Spankee. Now only 200 miles apart between London and Leeds, we could still make records together.  I went back into the pub trade and met Tom Moore at The Duke's Head pub in Highgate, North London. We drank damn good beer and started a bromance rooted in music. An instant connection was made. 

Listen to Thoughts & Talks Podcast for a glimpse into the ramblings - https://www.blacksurf.co.uk/podcast

Tom played in his band and they were going through changes too. Having never heard Tom play, I asked him to join the Black Surf fold based on his stories of Download festival and tattoos alone. That’s all one ever really needs, right?

Spankee had another album’s worth of material up his sleeve. This was a new sound, full of life, synth and dare I say maturity. With the inspiration of Ballvenie, early R.E.M albums and a Pavement documentary... I wrote most of the lyrics and melodies in one big writing session. It literally all just poured out. The flat was tiny and I couldn’t be too loud, so the words came out quiet over the heavy tunes. This formed a new style I got to play with. The three of us went back to Greenmount Studios to give these songs a life. The Greenmount guys ripped the songs apart and created a whole new vibe and sound for the band. These songs needed to be heard this time. So, the band needed a new line up that was free to tour the world. Indefinitely. No biggy.

A collection of songs was recorded, mastered and ready for the world to hear. The only problem being, Black Surf, now based in London, didn’t have a line up. Tom & I set off to Leeds to play one last show with the boys and hooked up with long time buddy and multi-instrumentalist, Bryan Diggle. We went for a cheeky pre-gig steam and sauna. Tom and Bryan hit it off instantly. Bryan and I had couch surfed together years ago and had a brotherhood bond from the days he rocked it in Leed’s finest jam band, Ego Killer.

This all seemed too perfect and so a throwaway comment was made to sack off his whole life in Leeds and move to London and start the band from scratch, then tour the world and all live happily ever after. Diggle said yes and the new version of the band was created. Instantly.

We spent the whole of 2018 creating a new version of this band. A version that has actual foundations and is set for longevity. We ironed out all the creases and spent countless hours creating and preparing ourselves for a life on the road. Diggle had a personal... moment and quit the band just before started releasing the new music. This took us back to square one, again. So what, now we’re a chuffing two piece!?  Why oh why am I still pushing this thing!? In all honesty, from the moment we tried to make this thing a band that tours and creates output on top of our day jobs and living in London... it’s been completely bruuuutal and disheartening trying to keep this thing alive and together. Writing and recording is by faaaar the easiest and most enjoyable part of the process.

I didn’t realise that to keep this thing alive, just writing and creating music, simply wouldn’t be enough.  I learned how manage the band and still remain friends with my friends. This ain’t easy but it’s just about possible. Babysitting, mediating at times and calling the shots, booking the tours, keeping promoters sweet, designing  stuff, creating videos etc. It just goes on and on. I need a band that shared all this between us! I ain’t no solo project. But that just wasn’t an option.  It was completely gnarly and like pulling teeth at times. One last shot. so I called a meeting.

BAND MEETING

“What is this thing? Does anyone actually care and want to pursue it? What part of the band would everybody be happy doing?  I’m in this for the long game and I need to know what everybody else wants.” I know full well that I can get whatever I want if I help others get what they want. That’s my philosophy and I’m putting it into action.

Spankee - “I want to write and record. The rest of it is of no interest to me”. Ramoss - “I love the band but I can’t commit to all the shit”. Tom - “Yeah, let’s do this! Whatever it takes”. Diggle - “I wanna play and tour but don’t want to do all the band stuff” Myself - “I’m willing to steer the ship and do whatever it takes so I can keep making music”.

PART THREE - LET’S TRY THIS ONE LAST TIME

Finally, everybody was honest and real. We now know what everybody wants to do and doesn’t. 

Tom and I are dead set on touring our asses off, seeing the world and running the show. Whatever that entails at all costs. Spankee and Diggle are doing what they love too and are prepared to come along for the ride. And Ramoss...  Well, he’ll be back.

After a solid 4 years of pushing through the mud, watching other bands quit along the way or go on to bigger things. We’ve made friends with hell and accepted our cards. We’ve figured out who and what we are, we finally have something that we can call a band that we’re proud of it.  But most of all... we’re ready to set it free. Finally! This year is gonna be all kinds of hell yeah. 

See you soon,

www.blacksurf.co.uk

[hazeldines]

Target Weight for Christmas

Target for Christmas!

**does a little happy dance**

After 11 weeks I managed to achieve my target weight on 21st December and I’m feeling pretty bloody fantastic

I’ve eaten better than I probably ever have in my life, I haven’t made any sacrifices still enjoying my favourite treats and I have really enjoyed being in the kitchen and actually making my own food rather than waiting for the takeaway dude to turn up

One of the things that has really helped me along the way is working with Hazeldines and our Slimmers Wrap, granted it’s easy for me I work here. But there are lots more options for you now to make it nice and easy for you to enjoy a bit of Hazeldines magic in your life too

There is nationwide delivery available, if you order before 12pm you can receive it by 12pm the very next day! If you’re not in our courier will leave your order in a safe place or with a neighbour. Don’t worry the meat is snuggly packed up with plenty of ice packs to stay chilled

Or you can order online and just choose a collection date that suits you, then all you do is pop in your order will be ready and you can just grab and go – simple!

Now, I don’t know about you but I can get pretty bored of eating the same old stuff every week. The beautiful thing about our packs is they are packed with flavour so you are definitely not going to be bored. In fact the only disastrous thing I’ve made and couldn’t eat along my journey was a Vegetable Curry, (it was awful) proof indeed that meat makes everything better!

Saturday night always makes me feel like being naughty so Chinese Pork is my choice. Surprisingly my brain is pretty easy to fool and this can be just as delicious as a Chinese Takeaway

It’s not something I ate a lot of before (aside from the mandatory Bacon Sandwiches) but I do love a good Chinese and this marinade is one of my favourites.

I tend to make my own version of egg fried rice with spring onions thrown in there and lots of yummy veg on the side too. It’s just as nice with noodles or stir fried veg, in fact the possibilities are endless. And they are making me hungry!

Friday nights always used to be takeaway nights in my house, I deserve a treat, it’s been a long week etc etc. Takeaway Friday has been replaced with Steak Friday. It’s one of the highlights of my week to be perfectly honest

I make chips (from scratch) and although it takes a  bit longer it’s well worth it I much prefer them to normal chips now. In the last 10 minutes of cooking I add in garlic and peppers and onions, chilli flakes if I’m feeling brave. Just like Salt & Pepper chips – but better and healthier!

I pan fry the steak and serve it with one of our creamy Peppercorn Sauces (20 seconds in the microwave – it’s genius) and voila my perfect meal.

Thursday: Mince is one of my eternal favourite meats to cook with. It’s just so darn versatile, whether its lasagne, cottage pie, bolognese or chilli con carne. Minced Beef is one of the staples in my fridge and makes an appearance at least once a week in my meal plan

Our Slimmers Mince is less than 5% fat all the trim cut off and just pure lean meat goes through the mincer to make this super super lean and very yummy indeed.

You’ll notice the difference as soon as it goes in the pan, no nasty juices sloshing around

Wednesday

After weigh in my motivation is all renewed and I’m full powerhouse mode on Wednesdays. So I go all lean with one of the best protein sources around. The humble chicken breast.

These chicken breasts are marinated in Cajun flavouring (yummy) in the summer I had them on the Barbecue and they were incredible. So much so last week it was out to the fire pit and on the grill – it was pretty cold but there is something I just love about the outdoors and getting stuck in with delicious food

Tuesday is weigh in day so I need quick and easy which is normally where my Stir Fry night comes in, either with noodles or rice

Doesn’t come much quicker than our Lemon & Coriander Chicken Stir Fry

Comes in 490g tubs, marinated in the sauce with lots of fresh peppers and chopped onion in there too

It only needs a few minutes in the pan and I can sit down and enjoy so if you are busy or in a rush this is the perfect go to meal for you

Monday‘s are nobody’s favourite day lets be clear. So for me it has to be a meal that feels like a treat, which means Bangers & Mash! I’ve swapped my staple potato mash for celeriac, it’s not everybody’s cup of tea but I love it. Prepares in the same way as you would potatoes although it can be a bit of a brute to chop – my advice get a bigger knife always works for me

I’m a griller rather than a fryer of sausages, think it’s my Mum’s influence, the George Foreman grill blew her mind when it was released all those years ago “Just look at the fat run off Katrina! Who wants to eat that” and so it continues!

I’ve lost the grand total of 1 stone 10lbs in just 11 weeks. I’m pretty flabbergasted to be honest. Just over 2lb’s per week and in the spirit of full disclosure there were 2 bad weeks in the middle of there, one where I got away with a maintain and my first gain of 0.5lb which was enough to get my head back in the game and commit to what I had set out to achieve. It’s quite easy to be hiding over here as a keyboard warrior with my anonymity intact. In fact, truth be told, I’ve delayed writing the post, thinking it to be a bit smug and showing off which is not what I want to do at all. However I’ve been asked a few times from behind the safety of my computer screen and the one thing which has surprised me more than anything else is the love and support from fellow members.

That was the bit I dreaded the most about joining, the thought of going to group therapy. Having never done anything like this before, in my head it all runs like an Alcoholics Anonymous group and we’d all go round and I’d have to stand up and say “Hi, I’m Katrina and I eat too many biscuits”. It all sounded mortifying and not for me. But I couldn’t have been more wrong, every single person I have met through my group and through talking about my journey on this blog and our Facebook page has been nothing but lovely. If you are thinking of joining and, like me, the thought of group is putting you off, take my advice, it is the best part of it all. There is so much energy in our group and the ideas flow out of everyone, its so positive it’s like a great big hug every week. Nobody judges, nobody hates, there’s no jealousy if you’ve done well, people just want to learn and share thoughts. Truly one of the best things I’ve ever done and I got to share it along with my Mum, who despite joining a week after me, got to her target the week before me! So stepping out from behind the computer screen here I am. The top picture is “Before” taken on the 10th September, there is a horrendous bikini shot which I’m definitely not brave enough to share! The bottom photo is my “After” taken on 23rd December with my gorgeous boy Alfie. From these shots alone, the difference in my face is noticeable to see, my chins have vanished, I have cheekbones (who knew?!) and the bulging armpit flab is gone. For New Year we had a Hot Tub party and I was back in to a size 10 (from a 14 in September) for the first time in 6 years. Last time I had been there, it was not done in a healthy way and I am so pleased to be back, healthier, fitter and happier than ever.

We at Hazeldines are all wishing you the best of luck on your Slimming Journeys, if I can do it, you can do it too 🙂

If you too would like to try one of our Slimmers Wraps have a look here at all our recommended favourites for helping you discover the new you!

[letterboxd]

Pixar’s Picks: Family Films.

You’re stuck inside, saving the world. So we asked a group of award-winning Pixar filmmakers to help self-isolating families plan the very best movie nights (and days, and nights, and days…). And we talked to children’s film specialist Nicola Marshall about the beauty of movies made for kids, especially now.

Children deserve to watch great films, but kids are famously honest viewers. They’ll tell you instantly when they don’t like something. And when they do, it pays off: in Academy Awards (this year, for Hair Love and Toy Story 4), in stone-cold cash (as Box Office Mojo’s Top Box Office Grosses by G-rating confirms), and in precious family memories.

But where to turn when you need a quality watchlist of family films? When you want a guaranteed banger that the whole family will love, or when you want to move your child to next-level-cinephile status with a choice that will floor them? The answer, to us at least, is obvious: Pixar to the rescue!

We asked a group of the renowned studio’s directors and story artists—the people behind WALL·E, Finding Nemo, Inside Out, Bao, La Luna, The Good Dinosaur, Purl, Cars 3, Toy Story 4 and more—to show up in your hour of need, and show up they have, with personal recommendations that we’ve split into three Letterboxd lists: All Ages, 7 to 12 Years and 12 Years and Over.

From two-minute shorts to the entire Harry Potter collection, there’s something for every viewing window. From Charlie Chaplin to Greta Gerwig, the films cover a century of cinema; and from slapstick to horror, a multitude of genres.

Our filmmakers were remarkably restrained, nominating more Studio Ghibli films than Pixar movies, though they collectively agreed that Toy Story should most definitely be there. So we’ll say it for them: please explore all the films of our contributing filmmakers: Angus MacLane, Domee Shi, Kristen Lester, Daniel Chong, Peter Sohn, Valerie LaPointe, Brian Fee, Enrico Casarosa and Andrew Stanton. Thanks, you wonderful people.

Hayao Miyazaki’s ‘My Neighbor Totoro’ (1988).

Since many of us at Letterboxd HQ are grateful parents, this feels like a good moment to reflect on the enormous importance of ‘family’ films—so we pulled in our friend Nicola Marshall for a chat. She’s the founder of the Square Eyes film foundation, a curator of children’s film festival content, and a friend of the Henson family (not long ago, she created a live show with The Muppets and Flight of the Conchords’ Bret McKenzie).

Like most of us, Nicola is currently in self-isolation, after the hasty wrap-up of the 23rd annual New York International Children’s Film Festival (of which she is an advisory board member).

We’re living in an extraordinary time. How do movies help kids work out what’s going on in and around their lives? Nicola Marshall: Films are an essential way to unpack big feelings during big times. Like all of us, kids are expressing, and suppressing, all kinds of emotions right now, and are sponges for absorbing the emotions of the adults around them. Using a familiar medium to help unpack all we’re feeling, no matter how old we are, feels like a great plan to me. Art always supports processing and groundedness in uncertain times.

What’s your overall impression of the choices made by our Pixar friends for these lists? These are brilliant, eclectic selections—what superb curators these remarkable Pixar creators are, right? An excellent mix of films made for young audiences, and titles bound to appeal to them.

I’m thrilled to see, alongside some beautiful surprises and unknown gems, a lot of long-time personal favorites (Ernest & Celestine, Millions, Ponyo, The Muppet Movie, Fantastic Mr. Fox, The Red Balloon, My Neighbor Totoro, The Kid, Gerald McBoing-Boing, Wallace & Gromit, Modern Times, The Iron Giant, The Phantom Tollbooth, Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, Monsieur Hulot’s Holiday, Yellow Submarine, Bicycle Thieves, Megan Follows as Anne of Green Gables… they go on!).

While the lists lean heavily on a canon of western-produced films, there are some terrific international cinema choices in the mix here (The World of Us, Good Morning), and a bunch of lesser-known historic titles I’m super eager to check out (Preston Sturges marathon, here I come!).

Yasujirō Ozu’s ‘Good Morning’ (1959).

Some of the Pixar directors included horror films—Get Out, It—and some Hitchcock thrillers in their 12 Years and Over lists. These selections are for older teenagers, clearly. What are your thoughts on the role of scares in kids’ viewing experiences? I’ve always been interested in the psychology of frightening films. Personally I’m too much of a big scaredy-cat for horror to be a genre that generally works for me (self-censorship all the way!), but there are a whole bunch of people out there who really love a good freak-out; kiddos included.

As a kid I think you’re always testing and readjusting your limits on where your fear boundaries are. One of the highly anticipated and super popular NYICFF collections each year is 'Heebie Jeebies’—short films that go out of their way to freak and fright. Kids (and the adults who attend alongside them) adore this collection and the expectation of being spooked.

I think humans love experiencing extreme feelings in small doses, to feel alive, whether we have big sensation-seeking personalities or not—and seeing something terrifying on screen has a certain safety to it. I also think scary films in collectively tricky times offer catharsis and adrenal release, and give us permission to scream long and loud, when that’s all we really feel like doing!

The New York International Children’s Film Festival wrapped up suddenly as the coronavirus pandemic began its march into the United States, but you did manage to screen much of the program. Other film festivals weren’t so fortunate. Would you like to take a small moment to celebrate the main takeaways of this year’s fest? NYICFF was so lucky to share three of the planned four collective viewing weekends, just ahead of a swift city-wide shutdown. I’m a tad biased, but I really do feel you only have to look to NYICFF’s annual programming to get a genuine sense of the state of the world for young people globally; the issues they face and what themes are currently resonating.

Our programming director Maria-Christina Villaseñor consistently curates a remarkable selection of films that speak to the experience of young people, valuing their views and voices, always insightful, and never condescending.

This year saw a number of films—feature and short—that depicted stories of kids determined to make a difference and taking self-guided steps into activism and action. My faith in our future is pretty darn solid right now thanks to the optimism and commitment of these kids—and the filmmakers giving voice to young audiences and speaking to big themes and shared cross-cultural truths.

Nicola Marshall.

What can the rest of the movie industry learn from all-ages creators and studios? I wish that there was greater wider-industry acknowledgement of the massive contributions that content for family and kids audiences make in terms of moving the overall film industry forward, both artistically and societally. As well as showing us fresh, meaningful and authentic ways to tell stories, the genuine commitment to diversity and inclusion in this space is meaningful, often to the point where it feels completely natural, unforced and expected in content for this audience, rather than some kind of box-ticking effort.

What do you think this pandemic will offer the storytellers of the future? I think we will come out of this time ready to offer stories with even greater connectedness and empathy. I think our collective slowing will allow, if we let it, an incredible development incubator. How we make our way through this uncertain time as adults and work through our relationship with fear and the unknown will hugely resonate with the kids we’re sharing our lives with. I think we can use art and story and myth and expression and feeling to navigate us all through.

For all those hunkered down with small people, what better time to share your favorite screen stories, and discover new films together. What we chose to watch and to share and to rewatch; to talk about and unpack our feelings around and distract ourselves with through this weird, big time will make a real difference to the kids in our lives, and their innate imaginative-storyteller selves, now and future.

Finally, what are your favorite Pixar movies? Pixar has always excelled at making incredible films with grown-up sensibilities squarely aimed at young audiences—truly cross-generational cinema, my very favorite kind. I love WALL·E for its seamless mix of art and heart, Brave for its representation of girl-strength, and Inside Out for exploring the shared humanness of feeling things deeply, and for reassuring us how valid and essential sadness is.

Related content

Pixar’s short films ranked according to Letterboxd community ratings.

Our 2018 interview with ‘Paddington’ and ‘Paddington 2’ director Paul King.