Culture Trip Week Eight: It’s Nearly Over

As the last week of term draws to a close, so do deadlines for all the work that has been put off thus far. Balancing late night library sessions with end of term celebrations, it’s time to look back on the weeks we’ve gotten through, before we look toward the Easter break ahead. It’s time to start planning your holiday work schedule and when to catch up with old friends – ultimately prioritising the latter in the end.

It’s time for endless questions from relatives as you hopelessly try to filter out your Cambridge jargon. Switching out words like ‘englings’ and ‘mathmos’ to referring to them by their actual subject names; ‘DOS’ and ‘supos’ to teaching; and ‘swaps’ and ‘bops’ to ‘strange events where you can’t fully remember what happened’. For a break full of reunions (and obviously chocolate), here’s your last recommendations of the term. 

Film – American Psycho

Starting off with a movie to sum up the main feeling from this term is American Psycho. An immediate gore and graphic warning is in order for some of the manic scenes that are dotted throughout the screenplay. However, though this may be what the movie is known for, this is far from what makes it a masterpiece.

It’s truly a commentary on capitalism and the material obsession with the best suits, business cards and top restaurant reservations. The fact that the self-aware unfeeling Patrick Bateman (played methodically by Christian Bale), can fit into a high-end crowd of white-collar narcissists is meant to reflect the psychopathic nature of society. Perfect for contemplating these societal ideas in the last few days of being in Cambridge, the ever-so-quotable lines and scenes in this film are brilliant.

“I need to return some videotapes.” (image credits: author’s own screenshot of Christian Bale in American Psycho)

My go-to movie for each time I was put into isolation again last year, the shaky shifts between reality and surrealism will make you question what’s really happening in this film, much like how I am currently questioning my own reality. 

TV Show – New Girl

A shift towards preparing for what to binge over Easter holidays, New Girl is a comfort show that you can keep watching. Following Jessica Day (Zooey Deschanel) as she moves in after a breakup to live with 3 guys – Nick, Schmidt and Winston – off Craigslist, the show documents the various consequences from their insane actions. Exploring changing careers and relationships, the amount of things I quote from this show is unhealthy. Other than just saying how incredibly hilarious, down-to-earth and relatable this show is, the only way I can think to further recommend this show is by putting my favourite Nick Miller quotes below:

“Can I get an alcohol?” (image credits: author’s own screenshot of New Girl)

1. “Do I regret it? Yes. Would I do it again? Probably.”
2. “I am not a successful adult. I don’t eat vegetables and/or take care of myself.”
3. “I’m not convinced I know how to read; I’ve just memorised a lot of words.”
4. “Stop being so mean to me or I swear to God I’m gonna fall in love with you.”
5. “Where are you? This place is fancy, and I don’t know which fork to kill myself with.”
6. “You treat an outside wound with rubbing alcohol. You treat an inside wound with drinking alcohol. It’s science.”

Music – Joshua Bassett’s Entire Discography

Comfort and crying (image credits: author’s own screenshot)

First discovered on ‘High School Musical: the Musical: the Series’ (a mouthful but a great show), Joshua Bassett has soared from being a Disney star to becoming an incredible singer-songwriter pop icon. Unfortunately most known for the back-and-forth drama with Olivia Rodrigo, his music has so much to offer beyond internet drama. 

With a range of music for both comfort and crying, the sincerity and emotion in his lyrics and performances are captivating, especially in his music videos. If listened to in release order, his music follows the story of falling in love, to heartbreak, and finally moving on. Starting with ‘Common Sense’ and ‘Anyone Else’, these loved-up songs are for when you’re on that high in the sunshine on King’s Parade, feeling like it’s nearly summer again. Following this is his self-titled EP, that ranges from hard hitting, ‘Lie, Lie, Lie’ and ‘Telling Myself’, with a incredible acoustic guitar base rhythm to the soft piano, to the totally underrated ‘Only a Matter of Time’.

Only ever basing his music on two background instruments, his vocal range soars with incredible melodies, especially in his 3 released singles that tell the story of letting go. Heartbreaking and honest, these songs are the pinnacle of ‘overwhelmed with work and its only Monday’ crying phase, when everything is too much and the Rumboogie and Lolas tickets have sold out weeks ago… The call for help in ‘Crisis’ and release in ‘Set Me Free’ is like watching your college children grow up all over again. 

Finally, his newly released single ‘Doppelgänger’, apparently written within an hour after running into an ex at a coffee shop, is powerful, and the music video itself undeniably tear-jerking (tried and tested on friends). His songwriting strength lies as always in the bridge as the song builds up to a release – exactly how I am hoping this week will end. His music crosses genres, and his talent will once again shine in the upcoming season 3 of ‘HSMTMTS’.

Feature image credits: Flickr and the Creative Commons License 

Articles recommended by this author:

• How to occupy your parents in Cambridge
• The Tab meets the students behind One Young World Cambridge
• Week 7 Poem of the Week: “When the world fell apart, I folded clothes together” by Priya Bharadia