Category Archives: Hedonism

When Shaparak Khorsandis teenage son recently discovered 90s music the Shamens Ebeneezer Good, Pulp and more he had questions for her. What did Jarvis Cocker mean when he sang I seem to have left an important part of my brain somewhere, somewhere in a field in Hampshire? Were they singing about ecstasy? Did she go raving, too?

Khorsandi was in her teens and 20s in the 1990s, and being swept along in ladette culture. Used by the lads mag FHM as early as 1994, ladette came to describe bolshie women who could out-party and out-gross any hardened lad. Sara Cox, Denise van Outen and Zoe Ball were the media favourites: often pictured binge-drinking and out on the town. Ladettes went hand-in-hand with 90s lad culture, where Britpop, banter and sport collided in a blizzard of hedonism. These new lads, posited one researcher, were retreating into a more simplistic masculinity in response to the Spice Girls concept of Girl Power; and middle-class boys were co-opting the dress and behaviours of working-class men.

Writing her latest show, It Was the 90s!, for the Edinburgh fringe last summer, Khorsandi reflected on the decade. Weve glossed over ladette culture a bit; its been fun to revisit it, she says. It was initially meant to be a feminist action. We thought we were taking power back by making ourselves very ill with booze and selling ourselves short when we went out. The men do it, so should we! But what we didnt have, which my sons generation has, was the notion of self-care.

It Was the 90s! delves into Khorsandis time as a ladette and how attitudes have changed. What do we dismiss under the guise of nostalgia? Was the pressure to go out every night, drink until you were sick, and separate sex from emotions really as good as she thought at the time? Khorsandi explores it all. The way I deal with bad times is to make them funny and this is the most fun show Ive done, she says. This is an honest conversation between 23-year-old me and 48-year-old me.

Khorsandi started out in comedy in the 90s. Standup then was the closest thing I had to punk. We just drank until some kind of career happened or you died. There were no other women that I worked with, and it was all about being as hard and as gross as you could.

Esther Manito has also been looking back on 90s ladette culture in her show #NotAllMen, which won the Leicester comedy festivals best show award in 2021. She comes on stage to Robin Thickes Blurred Lines and opens with: Do we have any violent misogynists in? Growing up, Manito would spend summer holidays in Beirut. Friends would ask: was it safe? In reality, her happy experiences in Lebanon stood in stark contrast to simply walking home from school in Essex, where she faced catcalls almost daily. The female empowerment she was fed through pop culture back then was incredibly lacking. We werent allowed feminism in the 90s, Manito jokes in her show. We had the Spice Girls.

During the pandemic, living with her Lebanese father, British husband and son, Manito began to explore masculinity and how its expectations can damage men. She spoke to old school friends about the way lockdown pushed many couples into stereotypical gender roles. One friend found a list Manito had written as a teenager, detailing the qualities of her dream boyfriend, including: Must not touch me with the light on.

That projection of what a womans body was through lads magazines meant I was really self-conscious, Manito says. She had grown up in a progressive, feminist household, so the pressure to conform felt doubly bad. I thought: Im not this hairless, skinny, big-titted, oiled-up figure, and I dont want to be.

She recalls a column where Zoo magazines agony uncle Danny Dyer suggested a man whod split with his girlfriend should cut your exs face so no one else would date her. (He later claimed he was misquoted.) Such flagrant misogyny, she thought, must affect how boys and men interacted with women. Looking at my husband and others, I think it took them a really long time to be able to have relationships with women that werent sexual, she says. While some of this was shocking to look back on, you find humour in the bizarre, she says.

Both Manito and Khorsandi recall being labelled shouty or fiery after voicing their opinions. Khorsandi cultivated a posh accent because she was made to feel like I couldnt be brown and working class. She shortened her name to Shappi because I was so ashamed every time anyone said Shaparak out loud because thered be titters of laughter. This is the first full tour shes performing as Shaparak. Khorsandi received an ADHD diagnosis earlier this year another prompt for reflection. Was it partly her undiagnosed ADHD that drew her into ladette behaviour? Looking back, the booze medicated my ADHD, she says. I think not understanding about self-care and neurodivergence played into the 90s binge-drinking culture.

Looking back has made them both appreciate where society is today. I definitely dont feel nostalgia for the 90s! Manito says.

I dont want to be stuck in my youth, says Khorsandi. Ive watched how things have changed my standup and values have changed. Comedy is part of culture it all moves forward.

Both women have noticed a refreshing acceptance among their childrens generation. Theres no othering, Manito says. Ive never heard my boy say: Girls cant do that, something I always heard growing up. I think my kids will face fewer hurdles when it comes to creating connections with people.

The tolerance they have for one another is astounding, Khorsandi agrees. It doesnt occur to my sons generation to be negative about someone who is transitioning or non-binary. I had to explain to my children that ginger people used to get teased at school. They looked at me like: Are you mad?! Things have really changed.

Shaparak Khorsandis It Was the 90s! tour resumes 21 January at Otley Courthouse; Esther Manito is at the Beck theatre, Hayes, Friday 7 January, and performs #NotAllMen at the Glee Club, Birmingham, 22 April

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We werent allowed feminism we had the Spice Girls: the two comics unpicking ladette culture - The Guardian

Tim Bergling the Swedish DJ and producer known as Avicii killed himself in Muscat, Oman, in April 2018 at the age of 28. The very worst happened when things were apparently looking up. The successful but troubled electronic dance music (EDM) star had retired from relentless touring in 2016 to focus on his wellbeing. He had weaned himself off opioids prescribed by doctors when bouts of alcohol-induced pancreatitis led to debilitating pain and, later, surgery. He was communicating regularly with a therapist, was often surrounded by childhood friends, donated to charities. He meditated.

Having crossed over from pure party music to making tracks alongside established stars such as Coldplay and Nile Rodgers, Bergling was working on new material he was excited about. A documentary about his meteoric rise and his stress levels Avicii: True Stories had been broadcast in 2017, seemingly with a happy ending.

When it appeared on Netflix, True Stories reverberated well beyond club culture, super-charging the existing public debate around the mental health of performers. Viewers were witness to a life unravelling, privy to alarming practices that were normalised.

Stardom has always come at a high price, but in EDM, capitalising on your hot streak seemed especially urgent. Quite aside from the usual hedonism, the hours an ambitious, in-demand EDM DJ had to keep were gruelling: multiple gigs in one night, sometimes in different countries or time zones, with constant travel (especially hard for the flight-phobic Bergling) and scant basic self-care. In 2019, an anonymous book by another industry insider, The Secret DJ, went even deeper into the lunacy of the lifestyle.

Tim: The Official Biography of Avicii retells Berglings story, adding considerable context and lashings of pain: parents Klas and Anki Bergling are major sources. Written by Swedish journalist Mns Mosesson and translated by a US academic Brad Harmon, the books slightly wide-eyed tone finds strait-laced grownups grappling with the extremes of youth, from World of Warcraft an obsession of the younger Bergling to the wild west of club culture, via the monomaniacal perfectionism of digital music-making.

The book succeeds in fleshing out Bergling, an elfin poster boy for hyper-commercial EDM who wanted to be taken seriously as an artist. Mosesson is very good on the path to fame and the wider ecosystem around Avicii. A shy, curious, stubborn youngster who feared he would get cancer, he suffered from serious acne and social anxiety, affecting his self-esteem. An interest in the esoteric led Bergling to name himself after a particularly punishing zone of Buddhist hell. He ended up in something like it.

Mosesson had access to Berglings rehab journal and almost everyone in his life ex-girlfriends, childhood pals, fellow superstar DJs, psychotherapists. The author was also privy to Berglings digital life texts, emails and messageboard posts; a level of intimate access biographers must surely have only dreamed of until now.

Berglings former manager, Arash Pournouri, declined to participate. After Berglings death, online opinion swirled around the relentless schedule over which Aviciis management had presided. But in a recent interview, Bergling senior was specific in exonerating Pournouri, with whom his son had reconciled, and keen to examine the bigger music industry picture, beating the drum for swifter mental health interventions.

There are no kneejerk conclusions here, just candour and context: pressure, both external and internal, absolutely played a role in Aviciis unravelling, as did the US prescription opioid scandal. As the book draws to its harrowing ending, Mosesson offers up a series of factors at play in 2018.

Although he had kicked virtually everything else, Bergling still smoked a lot of weed. The book discusses how insidiously or suddenly psychosis can affect THC users.

Bergling became involved with transcendental meditation, which he credited with reducing his anxiety. But he would meditate intensely for hours, impatient to achieve enlightenment at speed. In messages to his therapist, he confided that he had become confused by what felt like a torrent of insights. At the same time, Bergling texted his mother, full of love and excitement about a move from LA back to Stockholm.

In the aftermath of Berglings death, many of his closest associates sought help for their own issues and dependencies. The DJs father is especially keen that the word suicide be used in relation to his son; to speak plainly about what the mental health charity (Tim Bergling Foundation) set up in the DJs memory calls a global health emergency.

Tim: The Official Biography of Avicii by Mns Mosesson (translated by Brad Harmon) is published by Sphere (20). To support the Guardian and Observer order your copy at guardianbookshop.com. Delivery charges may apply

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Tim: The Official Biography of Avicii by Mns Mosesson review private struggles of the EDM poster boy - The Guardian

After the days of sheer decadent hedonism that we lovingly refer to as Christmas, January always invites us to question what we wish to decorate our clean new year slate with.

Generally the big headliners are shopping and food, and our resolutions are invariably linked to our diets. According to new polling for the New Statesman by Redfield & Witton Strategies, 34 per cent of people wish to consume less meat in 2022.

Consumption is at the forefront of our minds, especially after multiple Christmas dinners and seeing friends we havent seen in an age because of Covid. Some of us may have had smaller Christmases but with an even bigger sod it mentality on food and drink. Its no wonder we are now questioning what we should eat in the coming weeks and months.

In an ideal world we all want to eat well, feel better and allow treats from time to time. How do we navigate this in terms of priorities?

As a butcher, I can only really answer this question in terms of meat. Despite my job, I think cutting down on the amount of low quality meat you eat is a noble aim, both for yourself and for the planet. But its also important to think hard about what meat you do eat.

If you swap cheap supermarket meat for high welfare and locally sourced meat bought close to where you live, youre giving a lot back ethically and economically.

Locally sourced food cuts down on food miles drastically. Besides food moved by airfreight, which creates around 10 times more carbon emissions than road transport, if youre heading out of town to big supermarkets youll clock up around 135 extra driving miles a year. When you reinvest in your local economy, your money doesnt just go to butchers; it goes to farmers, feed suppliers, abattoirs, their workers and their drivers.

Its important to note that as well as farmers working every hour God sends to ensure the survival of the animal, they also have to work the land and ensure levels of management in terms of renting or owning the fields and hedges themselves.

So we should make sure none of their animals go to waste. Naturally, I am biased. I have an independent butchers shop in the North East of England. We are fortunate to have some of the best farms in the country on our doorstep, and I work closely with the abattoirs to ensure welfare and quality standards are high and pricing is fair.

You can actually feed between 1,000 and 2,000 people from one beef carcass thats from the prime cuts all the way down to offal and stock from bone broth that can be made. Independent butchers like to keep waste to an absolute minimum not least because they have to pay for it.

Buying meat from a butcher is better because you can also get the exact quantity you need rather than bulk buying, and you also get fresher meat. We get the full carcasses in, which means that we do not process anything so that it can sit on a supermarket shelf for a few days whether thats gas-flushing packaging or adding extra sugar, salt or preservatives.

The start of every new year is a chance to break some of our habits and I think balance is the best course of action. Of course, we should all consume less. This is Januarys annual confessionary sermon.

If you want to shop and eat ethically Id suggest supporting your local butcher, baker, milkman, coffee roasters and independent shops. Most operate a delivery service, or can work around your working hours, or give you advice on how to store their product so it keeps.

With the climate crisis looming ever larger, eating less meat but better meat is a simple change that makes a big difference. And not just in the world at large, but throughout your local community.

Your local butcher will get to know you and can help you establish this relationship with moderation we can mediate between the natural farming world and what youre cooking for dinner, ensuring you know more about your food.

Charlotte Mitchell is the owner of Charlottes Butchery

Excerpt from:

As a butcher, I hope more of us resolve to eat less but better meat in 2022 - iNews

Saturday January 8 2022

Image credit:Twitter/GhibliUSA

Still recovering from the unmitigated chaos that was 2021? Do you also find yourself submerged in not so ideal temperatures? Well then, nothing is more necessary now than a source of relief. We have each selected our personal favourite comfort watches for when times are not so pleasant. What better form of escapism is there, when you are looking for a temporary retreat, than a film? With a wide variety of modern movies, this list offers something for everyone. We hope it encourages you to watch one or two!

Of all the romcoms in the world, Pierre Salvadoris Beautiful Liesalone can always be relied on to bring you ultimate satisfaction. Set in the South of France, the film tells the story of a hair salon co-owner, milie (Audrey Tautou) who receives an anonymous love letter from the salons handyman Jean (Sami Bouajila). Rather than falling for the letter herself, milie passes it on to her depressed mother Maddy (Nathalie Baye), who is struggling to get over the failure of her marriage.

Audrey Tautou, best known for her role as Amlie in Le Fabuleux Destin dAmlie Poulain (2001), brings a youthful vibrancy to her character. Tautou effortlessly loses herself in all of milies good-hearted mischief, as she meddles with her mothers romantic relationships. A story of tangled mistruths, the film abounds with smiles and tears. Cringeworthy moments are served up in equal measure, with some characters dignity hardly left intact. Luckily for us however, milies lies lead to a lot of laughter, such that by the end of the film, we can only forgive her messy misinterpretations. The question is, can her mother or Jean find the heart to do the same?

Olivier Nakache and ric Toledano, the directors of Untouchable, have perhaps cracked the formula of the feel good film. Untouchable becoming Frances biggest box office hit only nine weeks after its release might just testify to this. If youre still not convinced, prior to Lucy (2014), it was the most viewed French film worldwide, selling 51.5 million tickets. Based on a true story, the film follows the unlikely friendship of two men, Philippe (Franois Cluzet) a wealthy quadriplegic, and Driss (Omar Sy) a Senegalese ex-convict living in the suburbs of Paris, who has no ambition to work. When Driss shows up to an interview, held by Philippe and his assistant Magalie (Audrey Fleurot) who are looking to hire a live-in carer, all he wants is a signature to prove he has been rejected for the position, so that he can receive his welfare benefit. Philippe instead has other ideas, and takes Driss on.

Both friendship and film alike can be described as endearing, rewarding, and ultimately life-changing

This film is a heartwarming take on the documentary film la vie, la mort (2002), detailing the lifelong bond developed between Philippe Pozzo di Borgo and French-Moroccan Abdel Sellou. Perfectly balancing humour and grit, with themes of crime and companionship, Untouchable pays beautiful homage to the story of these two men. It is a raw, yet an undeniably tender presentation of all that they each gain, having come to know each other. In three words, both this friendship and film alike can be described as endearing, rewarding, and ultimately life-changing.

Of all the Studio Ghibli films, Ponyo is the most heart-warming and essential viewing for a frosty January. In a loose adaptation of The Little Mermaid, the film follows Ssuke, a young boy who rescues a goldfish that he subsequently names Ponyo. Gradually, Ponyo transforms into an impossibly adorable human girl. Unfortunately, her metamorphosis causes jeopardy for the pairs budding friendship because it catalyses tidal waves that submerge Ssukes coastal home under water. The newfound friends embark on a search for Ssukes family while escaping Ponyos possessive creator.

Following the translations encourages one to never peel their eyes away from the screen, thus becoming absorbed in Ponyos whimsical visuals

Ponyo invites an allegorical reading about the climate crisis. However, Hayao Miyazaki infuses his creation with the optimum level of wonder so that this wider theme never becomes oppressive for the viewer. Id recommend watching the subbed rather than the dubbed version, as following the translations encourages one to never peel their eyes away from the screen, thus becoming absorbed in Ponyos whimsical visuals.

Hot Fuzz is the splendid concoction of Edgar Wrights quintessentially fast-paced editing, lovably flawed characters, and goofy humour. Follow PC Nicholas Angel (Simon Pegg) as he is relocated from Londons high-stakes crime scene to the seemingly tranquil village of Sandford. With the help of the enthusiastic, yet slightly incompetent, Danny Butterman (Nick Frost), the pair begin to uncover the darker underbelly of Sanfords idyllic exterior.

Wrights humour is always the appropriate level of absurd and rarely at the expense of others. On top of this, Hot Fuzz skilfully pays homage to a plethora of action films. As a result, the viewer becomes unexpectedly immersed in crimes revolving around florists, village fetes, geese and garden fences. When life is becoming too heavy, this light comedy is the ideal antidote.

Almost Famous is one of those rare films that is funny yet meaningful, touching without being clich or overemotional. In his semi-autobiographical masterpiece, Cameron Crowe presents the story of a sheltered 15-year-old who gets assigned by Rolling Stone magazine to cover a rising rock band on tour.

"Almost Famous transports you to a time of adventure, hedonism and rawness, leaving you feel wistful yet fulfilled.

The film is filled with first class performances, most notably Kate Hudsons warm and compelling interpretation of Penny Lane. It is the painfully realistic, achingly humorous and ultimately heart-warming portrayal of the characters and their relationships that elevate this film to its status as one of the best feel-good films around. Accompanied by one of the greatest soundtracks of all time, featuring artists such as Simon & Garfunkel and Led Zeppelin, Almost Famous transports you to a time of adventure, hedonism and rawness, leaving you feeling wistful yet fulfilled.

Kogonadas Columbus details the story of Jin, a renowned architecture scholar who falls suddenly ill during a speaking tour, leaving him stranded in Columbus, Indiana. Here, Jin strikes up a moving friendship with Casey, a young architecture aficionado. The film provides the perfect balance of serene cinematography and a sincerely emotional story, unlike many cinematographically successful films, which often lack narrative substance.

Similar to Before Sunrise (1995) and Lost in Translation (2003), Kogonada presents a dialogue-heavy, gentle, calming film about the passion between two strangers seemingly placed together by fate. A beautifully made, skilfully directed and simply charming film, Columbus hypnotises its viewer with its beauty and comforts them with its tenderness.

As we look towards a brighter, sunnier 2022, we hope that these films can tide you over until the end of January. And in doing so, that they ease just some of your blues with their wit, warmth and spirit.

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6 feel good films to rid you of the January blues - Varsity Online

January is understood as the time for self-improvement, and year after year many of us fall into the same trap. We proclaim that this is the year when we become better, healthier versions of ourselves for good before promptly letting our goals slip away.

Why are resolutions so notoriously easy to break? Is it because the goals we set are unrealistic and lofty? Or because being healthy is harder than being unhealthy? Maybe both. However, I believe that the true barrier to self-improvement is in the way we see ourselves and our health.

I was sitting in the Old Fourth Ward skate park on January 1 when I overheard a conversation between two men who were running on the BeltLine in which one said to the other, I see youre punishing yourself today. The conversation went on to detail the copious New Years Eve drinking they had done, and the punishment in question was the run they were now on.

This sentiment is the heart of the problem with resolutions and health culture in general. Food and movement feel good. It feels good to be energized after eating a filling meal. It feels good to eat something with nutritional value that doesnt upset your stomach or make you crash later in the day. It feels good to stretch, run, lift heavy things, play sports, bike, or do physical activity that is within ones ability. Typically, however, new years resolutions and diet culture dont focus on feeling good in ones body. They focus instead on losing weight, punishing bad behavior like eating junk food or lying in bed all day (both of which also feel good), or becoming a better person, the object of others admiration and envy.

DaShaun L. Harrison echoes this in their book Belly of the Beast(about which you can learn more on page 12): Of people who diet, 95 to 97 percent fail. Not because they arent committed, not because theyre following them incorrectly, but because dieting demands that you do whatever it takes to shed pounds even if what it takes requires you to harm yourself instead of encouraging one to do what makes them feel good.

Life is primarily a somatic experience; the foundation of our consciousness is feeling. We experience the world through our senses before interpreting it with our minds. The way we feel physically sick, energized, comfortable, tired, etc. impacts our mood, thinking patterns, ego, and sense of self. Our healthiest self, therefore, is the one that feels good. This doesnt necessarily mean we devolve into hedonism; aligning your behavior with your morals, being a good and loyal friend, giving back to your community, or getting good sleep can feel just as good as having sex, partying late into the night, doing drugs, staying in bed all day, or eating fast food does.

If you are one for resolutions, this year I implore you to step away from the ego the projected social self who isnt skinny, intelligent, healthy, or successful enough, whose identity is in relation to others and toward the inward somatic self, the primary filter through which being alive is experienced. Instead of seeking to improve yourself as defined by society, try to improve your quality of life as defined by you.

The best way to improve our personal experience of being alive is to first be mindful of how our habits make us really feel. Maybe you want to cut down on drinking, not because its bad to drink, but because your hangovers feel worse than being drunk feels good. Maybe you want to be more active, not because its better to be thinner, but because it makes you feel good, capable, and strong. This requires us to be present in our bodies, which can be difficult, but when our goals are oriented toward feeling as opposed to being, its easier to stick with them because feeling good, well, feels good!

This year, my resolution is to stop shaming myself for not being enough and to instead reconnect with what it feels like to be alive. I know my personal experience of life feels worse when I have low energy I engage more with passive activities like social media that can negatively impact my mental health, I am less socially confident, and I am more prone to feelings of depression. So, Im going to try to eat fewer processed foods (but not stopping entirely!) and regulate my sleep schedule so I have more energy throughout the day to invest in activities that make me feel good, like yoga, reading, writing, and engaging with my community.

For me, 2022 will be the year I design my life around my desires, needs, abilities, and feelings, because nobody gets to experience my life but me. If you havent yet, I hope you do the same. Happy New Year!

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Sticking to the Resolution of Feeling Good - Georgia Voice

We live in strange times. Consumer goods are flying off the shelves faster than ever, yet an entire generation of young people are stricken with anxiety and depression. While Elon Musk is the richest person in the history of the world, so many are struggling to just barely get by. And while the stock market hits all-time highs, small businesses are shutting down left and right.

In this period of simultaneous excess yet existential struggle, it is worth revisiting perhaps the greatest song ever written about the duality of the American experience and the human condition: Hotel California by The Eagles.

What was the original inspiration for Hotel California?

It all started with Glenn Frey wanting to do something strange, just to see if he and the band could. So they turned to a hazy and nightmarish novel written by John Fowles in 1965, called The Magus, where a depressive yet eager young wanderer with nothing finds himself charmed by a wealthy Greek recluse whose powers of splendor and decadence end up detaching the young man from reality as he knows it, resulting in tragedy and loss.

The same novel is said to have inspired David Finchers 1997 film starring Michael Douglas, The Game.

So what is the true meaning of Hotel California?

The same narrative arc found in The Magus, going from sincere idealism and earnest curiosity to a sense of darkness and despondence, runs parallel to so much. Like coming of age and the loss of innocence. Or the sparkling allure of golden age Californias dashing but dangerous lifestyle of cash and drugs. Or the energetically revolutionary but eventually fleeting spirit of the 1960s. And maybe even the entire American experience.

You start with nothing. It all looks so good! Then you get everything. And you get crushed under the weight of everythings excess. What was it all for to begin with?

So Hotel California is a sort of broad allegory for rising and falling? Maybe.

Here is what the band members themselves have said about the songs meaning:

The band members themselves have offered a variety of different explanations for the meaning of Hotel California. Theyve said its a socio-political statement. Theyve said its about darkness and light. And theyve said its about the self-destruction that comes from greed and hedonism.

But of course, all of those things are hard to put your finger right on. And maybe that is why the song has been interpreted in so many different ways over the years. When art so perfectly reflects the experience of life, it can be about everything and one specific thing at the same time, depending on the consumer of the art. Like a sort of lyrical Rorschach test.

The songs true meaning, like life itself, is elusive. And maybe that is exactly the point.

What does Hotel California have to say about modern times?

Even if the exact meaning of Hotel California is subject to some degree of individual interpretation, there are certain themes deeply imbued in the song. Chief among them is the danger of excess.

California. America. Rock and Roll. The 1960s. Even The Eagles themselves. All have suffered from excess in some way, whether it be drugs, wealth, success, and even a desire for change.

As it is today, we find ourselves locked in a time of extremes. No middle ground. No moderation.

If Hotel California has anything to tell us about modern times, maybe its that we need to take things down a notch. Dont get too high and dont get too low. Focus on the little things in life. The things that matter most.

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Revisiting the Meaning of the Eagles' Hotel California as We Head Into 2022 - American Songwriter

The Lorax (Jan. 6)

If you talk to a parent of young children, you will likely not hear much affection for Illumination Studios, the purveyors of some of the laziest, sloppiest and most obnoxious childrens entertainment around. (Sing 2, in theaters now! New Minions movie next summer!) The studios two best films are most likely its adaptations of Dr. Seuss books unsurprising, as his texts provide such fertile material for animators. This 2012 animated take on Seusss 1971 environmental fable gets a big boost from Danny DeVitos robust vocal performance as the title character; this is an actor whose voice was built for cartoons, and he makes his Lorax into a showstopping creation.

Stream it here.

Its not hard to make fun of the Twilight Saga (five films total, all leaving Netflix mid-month): Plenty of people have, from lazy film critics to hacky stand-up comics to smarmy YouTube hosts. And, to be clear, these are not great works of cinema; the plotting is silly, the tone is all over the place, and performances are uneven. But there are virtues as well: solid filmmaking (especially this first outing, from the Thirteen director, Catherine Hardwicke); a rare dramatization of budding female sexuality; and most of all, the power the series success gave its stars, Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson, to make whatever weird art movies they wanted afterward. Did you enjoy The Lighthouse, Personal Shopper, Spencer, or Good Time? Thank Twilight.

Stream it here.

This 2013 effort from Sofia Coppola effort plays like a culmination of all of her previous work: the celebrity satire of Lost in Translation, the hedonism of Marie Antoinette and the California alienation of Somewhere, stirred into a soup with the real-life story of four young Hollywood hangers-on who supplemented their party lifestyle by burglarizing the homes of famous people. A lesser filmmaker could have turned this story into a broad, dumb comedy or a stern lecture about the morals of todays fallen youth. Coppola goes in another direction, capturing the glitz and glamour of this sleek world and its shiny surfaces before exposing the emptiness underneath.Stream it here.

The writer David Mitchell has been a key collaborator of the Wachowski siblings in recent years, working with them on their Netflix series Sense8 and co-writing Lana Wachowskis recent The Matrix Resurrections. But they first worked together less directly, co-writing and co-directing (with the Run Lola Run filmmaker Tom Tykwer) this 2012 adaptation of Mitchells vast novel Cloud Atlas. Its an ambitious piece of work, combining multiple narratives across time and space and placing its main cast (including Tom Hanks, Halle Berry and Hugh Grant) in multiple roles. It doesnt all work, but its such a big swing that its hard not to fall under its spell.

Stream it here.

Clint Eastwood was in a rough spot as a filmmaker in the early 2000s after several years of turning forgotten best-sellers like True Crime and Blood Work into forgettable movies. But he struck gold in 2003 with his adaptation of Mystic River, a Boston crime novel by Dennis Lehane, which netted Oscars for Sean Penn and Tim Robbins. They star, along with Kevin Bacon, as friends since childhood who have dealt with a shared trauma in wildly different ways, and Mystic River expertly folds together its present-day and flashback timelines to reveal how the pain of the past is never far away.

Stream it here.

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Stream These 9 Titles Before They Leave Netflix in January - The New York Times

Hedonism has been in short supply in recent times, so it's little wonder that so many are yearning for the party palaces of Ibiza, Dubai or Hollywood. Here's hoping the 2022 is the year when people can really let their hair down once and for all.

For spotting celebs in the bar, getting that perfect poolside Insta snap, or simply dressing up to the nines and hitting the nearby nightclubs, few places can beat these four glamorous hangouts.

Best for: Rocknroll vibes

This cool, low-key hotel, just off Sunset Boulevard, is THE place to sight A-listers. Celebs have been known to hang out by the discreet rooftop pool, which has comfy loungers (perfect for posing), a buzzy bar and views over the whole of La La Land. Our room was enormous big enough for an after-party with a dramatic black living room area, rocknroll music posters and guitars on the walls, along with a bar trolley and giant gold hand-shaped chair. The highlight, though, is its location in Los Angeless most star-studded neighbourhood, a stones throw from the citys most iconic nightclubs, including The Viper Room (once part-owned by Johnny Depp) and Whisky-a-Go-Go, which has live music: glam-rock band LA Guns are playing on New Years Eve.

Stella loves: The staff full of local knowledge and recommendations, whether you want to know the coolest live music that evening or the best bagel store.

Out and about: Its a 10-minute stroll (or two-minute Uber no one walks here) to members club Soho House West Hollywood, which is the place (if youre a member, of course) to soak up the city: all slouchy sofas, excellent cocktails, beautiful people and a buzzy vibe (sohohouse.com). If you still havent spotted enough stars, join a Celebrity Bike Tour, a gently paced 10-mile ride (easier still if you upgrade to an electric bike) that takes you past Rodeo Drive, Paul Smiths Pink Wall, and homes of the rich and famous, led by a charismatic actor-guide (from 55 per person, bikesandhikesla.com). Stock up on reading material for the flight home at local indie bookshop, Book Soup, which has great recommendations from knowledgeable staff and regular live reading events (booksoup.com). And for more ideas for New Years Eve parties, see visithollywood.com

How to do it: Rooms from 215 a night; montrosewesthollywood.com. Read the full expert review here

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Four fabulous party hotels to put the sparkle into 2022 - Telegraph.co.uk

MONICA KAYOMBO, Lusaka

SINCE Covid-19 came to the fore in 2020, it has managed to change lives of many people across the globe; the pandemic has thus compelled many people to make adjustments in life. As we start 2022 in a few days, we expect to see more changes because of the pandemic whose duration on mother earth is unknown. Marian Salzman, a globally recognised trendsetter and communicator recently had a virtual meeting dubbed: What we thought we knew, where she predicted 22 trends for the year 2022. She highlighted some of the changes expected to take place in 2022 due to Covid-19 and shared some ideas on how best to cope with the fresh challenges. She said 2021 definitely made many people question lots of things they had taken for granted before Covid-19 stormed. The population has remained divided on economic and political lines while conspiracy theories have become the order of the day. Ms Salzman said in 2020, the pandemic sparked a great research in which the countries were headed and people started re-setting their priorities as they were presented to adjust with the new environment. Without listing all the 22 trends for 2022 as predicted by Ms Salzman, I will restrict myself to the following topics: mental health and wellness, the skills squad, the roaring 2020s post Covid-19 muted hedonism, change agents, meet cohesion cultivators and social inequalities. On mental health and wellness, she said as the world gets used to mental illness, time is ripe for widespread adoption of programmes, tools, technologies that tackle anxiety and depression. She said rates of substance abuse, alcohol dependency, and suicidal thoughts and behaviors now known as diseases of despair made headlines. Of course, the local and international media has reported on how the pandemic has brought about anxiety, un ease and un certainty among citizens of various countries across the world. Ms Salzman recommends that people need to accept the complexities and new norms. She said some multi-national companies such as Bristol Myers Squibb, Philip Morris International (PMI), and Whirlpool Corporation had put in place support systems for their workers, including employee resource groups (ERGs) that foster diverse and inclusive workplaces and create a closer feeling of community. This innovation by the above named companies reminded me of our Zambian scenario where most people lost their jobs and no companies put in place support systems such as ERGs. Hope some Zambian companies will soon consider some of these innovations. On the skills squad, Ms Salzman said people all over the world have been investing in formal education to get ahead. Of course, this is also the case with many Zambians that have decided to go back to school to advance their studies in various disciplines. The question Ms Salzman asked is: how many tertiary institutions equip students with up-to-the-minute skills they can apply right away at work, how many people are finding that the skills they do have are outdated or not in demand, how many are facing the prospect of being replaced by robots or artificial intelligence? The answer she gave is that virtually, all information is now available to anybody with an internet connection, knowledge about will become less valuable, while knowing how they will become more highly prized and priced. On hedonism, she simply stated that the last time the entire planet was hit by a deadly virus was a century ago when the 1918-1919 influenza pandemic killed an estimated 50 million people. The doom and gloom of that pandemic gave way to a period known as the Roaring 20s when exciting new technologies such as cars, radios, gramophones went mainstream and seeded a new economy and a new culture full of exuberant energy. Equally, the world is shaping up to emerge from the dreary lockdowns and restrictions of COVID-19. New technologies are going mainstream like zoom, augmented virtual reality, crypto currencies among others giving rise to new fortunes and cultures. On change agents, she said they will still have a role in the post-pandemic world. These people are no less valuable but another type of catalyst will also be in high demand. As organizations and employees experiment with infinite permutations of hybrid working, cohesion cultivators will bring the scattered parts together in new and fruitful ways either from within the organization or as external consultants, she said. On social inequalities, Ms Salzman said after decades of just accepting the way things are, the public is getting increasingly more sensitized to inequities and less willing to tolerate them. This is going to shape political, social, and even corporate developments. Her statement reminded me of the topical issue where African countries have started lobbying for patent to locally manufacture their own Covid-19 vaccines and other essential drugs. Ms Salzman has also estimated that the future of schools will be hybrid, online and offline. With global education and training expenditure forecast to reach at least $10 trillion by 2030, there are plenty of incentives to find winning approaches. In conclusion, she said Covid-19 has helped her to gain back the four hours; she has more time with her family and the development has enabled her acquire more knowledge and hands-on skills. I am operating in my timea COVID-born phenomenon that has enabled many of us to work to our natural biorhythms throughout 24-hour cycles, at intervals when we are at our most productive, creative, and receptive, she said. As we continue battling with Covid-19, let us learn one or two things from Ms Salzmans catalogue of trends to adapt to the new environment.

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Expected trends in 2022 amid COVID-19 Zambia Daily Mail - Zambia Daily Mail

Purity, sweetness and entrancing textures: the prized virtues of mature Scottish grain whiskies.

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They are the perfect whiskies to name...Hedonism.

Hedonism will always be lush, soft and creamy but each year we use different whiskies, in different combinations, to achieve this. To learn what exactly is in your bottle of Hedonism, click the RECIPE & FACTSHEET download link below and check the code on the back label.

The inspiration behind our whisky HEDONISM is just that pleasure, enjoyment, a celebration of that ideal marriage between distilled spirit and high quality oak maturation.

The aromas and flavours hint of vanilla, caramel, a delicate fruitiness, accented by flashes of coconut in the finish.

This is a whisky that will appeal to both the ardent whisky enthusiast and newcomers to whisky alike.

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Compass Box Whisky - Whiskies - Hedonism