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IOL News
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- IOL News
‘My Oxford Year' starts like a clichéd romcom … then breaks your heart
Corey Mylchreest as Jamie and Sofia Carson as Anna in 'My Oxford Year'. Image: Chris Baker/Netflix © 2024. It's hard to resist the allure of a romantic drama. It helps that the leads are often distractingly attractive, and their chemistry is off the charts. Of course, the script plays a crucial role as well. Common romantic tropes include friends becoming lovers, enemies developing feelings, rekindled past relationships, fake relationships turning real, immediate strong attractions and slow-burn romances. I've enjoyed everything from historical and modern-day to fantasy and paranormal romances. However, the ones that tugged at my heart the most were the ones that didn't fit into the happily ever after mould. I'm talking about 'Dying Young', 'Autumn in New York', 'Me Before You', 'The Fault in Our Stars' and 'A Walk to Remember'. Video Player is loading. 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Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ This brings me to Netflix's 'My Oxford Year', which is inspired by Julia Whelan's novel of the same name. Directed by Iain Morris and written by Allison Burnett and Melissa Osborne, the film is anchored by Sofia Carson and Corey Mylchreest. The actress and singer, who recently fronted "My Life List", has a charming and endearing quality. My curiosity, spurred on by the social media hype, saw me checking out the film. At first, it came across as one of them clichéd offerings that are cute, superficial and lack emotional depth. Anna De La Vega (Carson) is excited to study Victorian poetry at the University of Oxford. She arrives with a glint in her eye and a book of checklists. This has been a dream of hers. And once she is done, the Queens, New York, resident already has a job lined up. Her parents are super proud of her and her unwavering sense of discipline. But her plans are thrown a curveball when she crosses paths with Jamie Davenport (Mylchreest) while en route to grab her first fish and chips. His negligent driving leaves her drenched on the sidewalk. She pays him back by ratting him out to an angry ex that he tries to hide from at the shop. At this point, I tapped out a bit as it seemed like the two were destined to cross paths again and, of course, fall in love or lust, as he ends up being her new lecturer. She is set on disliking him, particularly because of his reputation as a player, but we know how this story goes. Corey Mylchreest as Jamie in 'My Oxford Year'. Image: Chris Baker/Netflix ©2024 Unable to fight their attraction, especially after bonding over the best shawarma spot for a late-night meal and exploring the hidden campus library, the two agree to a no-strings-attached arrangement. However, their casual relationship takes a serious turn when she discovers his genetic cancer diagnosis, the same illness that claimed his brother Eddie's life. This is where the story truly captured my interest. On the one hand, Anna and Jamie live in the moment - not wanting to waste the time they have together. On the other hand, his father, William (Dougray Scott), can't deal with losing another son and wants to keep fighting, while his free-spirited mother, Antonia (Catherine McCormack), is more supportive of Jamie's decision to live out his time on his terms. Amid the overarching story, there's also Anna's quirky friends, who add a comforting dose of humour to relieve the intense drama. The film delves into themes of family bonds, friendships, romance, and the importance of forgiveness, gratitude, and life's valuable lessons. Also, the location shots are cinematically mesmerising. I'm not going to lie, the movie caught me off guard and left me bawling my eyes out. It's not as indelible as other movies I've seen, but it does strike a chord. Rating: *** solid and enjoyable, though not groundbreaking. Below are romances that will leave you fighting back the tears: 'Me Before You' This romantic drama, with Thea Sharrock making her directorial debut, is an adaptation of Jojo Moyes' novel of the same name. It centres on Louisa Clark, who accepts the job of being a caretaker of Will Traynor, a once successful banker and active sportsman, now tetraplegic after being hit by a motorcycle. His cynical attitude clashes is offset by her bubbly personality. Their bond deepens into love, but his health struggles loom over their relationship. This tearjerker is helmed by Emilia Clarke and Sam Claflin. 'Dying Young' This 1991 release is a classic. Directed by Joel Schumacher and based on Marti Leimbach's novel of the same name, it centres on Hilary O'Neil, a young woman looking to start over after a breakup. As such, she becomes the caregiver of Victor Geddes, an affluent young man with leukaemia. Over time, their bond deepens into something more despite his fatal illness. The film stars Julia Roberts, Campbell Scott, Ellen Burstyn and Vincent D'Onofrio.
Daily Mirror
07-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Netflix fans demand 'trigger warning' for new romcom after dark twist
The trending film has caught some viewers off-guard *Warning: Contains major spoilers for My Oxford Year* A new romantic comedy on Netflix has left viewers calling for a trigger warning over a dark twist in the storyline. My Oxford Year released on the platform on August 1 and it has already shot to the top of the streamer's most-watched films list. The film follows American student Anna (Sofia Carson) who takes on a year-long poetry course at Oxford University. While she comes to the prestigious institution with a fixed plan, it is quickly derailed by teaching assistant Jamie (Corey Mylchreest) who changes the course of her life forever. Despite being billed as a tear-jerker on Netflix, as well as bearing a warning for an "illness theme", some viewers have been caught off-guard by how the story unravels. It emerges during the film that Jamie, who has tried to avoid becoming seriously committed to Anna, is behaving that way because he has terminal cancer. He has also refused to carry on with treatment despite the objections of his family. Eventually the pair realise they can't hide from their undeniable connection and they carry on their relationship. In a heart-wrenching finale, after being struck with a severe case of pneumonia, Anna sits with Jamie and they talk about the future during his final moments. A montage plays out that shows the pair travelling the world together, but it is then revealed that this is just Anna's fantasy and she is experiencing Amsterdam, Greece, Paris and Venice entirely alone. Meanwhile Jamie has passed away beside her in the bed. The devastating scene has prompted complaints from viewers who had no idea about the cancer element of the story. "This was so sad. If I had known I wouldn't have watched it," shared one upset viewer, as a second said: "Just finished watching this and didn't quite realise what the plot was. Enjoyable film - but have tissues at the ready!" An emotional post from a third viewer read: "Netflix, this is a lovely film but I was a bit ambushed by it. I've got cancer and was looking for a nice bit of escapism only to find the complete opposite with this film. This happened only the other week with another of your films with similar content. "I appreciate why it wasn't in the synopsis for the film but do you think you could look into trigger filters." My Oxford Year was based on a novel of the same name by Julia Whelan, with the film written by Allison Burnett (Autumn in New York) and Melissa Osborne. Meanwhile The Inbetweeners writer Iain Morris was on board as director. Leading lady Carson, who also executive produced the film, explained why Morris' comedic brain was so important for the story. She told Netflix's Tudum: "Iain Morris created one of the most iconic pieces of British television, The Inbetweeners. "You simply cannot have a British romance without iconic British humor. Iain's vision of this film brought to life a sweeping, heartbreaking romance that is simultaneously grounded in laughter. In one scene, you can fall in love, have your heart broken, cry, and laugh — all in the same breath."
New York Times
02-04-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
5 Minutes That Will Make You Love Billie Holiday
Billie Holiday is one of the foremost vocalists in jazz, whose emotional depth and unique phrasing inspired generations of singers to experiment with form and pitch fluctuation. Nicknamed 'Lady Day' by the saxophonist Lester Young, her star brightened in the 1930s behind a string of hit songs and notable live performances in Harlem. In what was the hottest jazz scene in the country, Holiday stood out, and in 1937 she joined the famed Count Basie Orchestra; a year later, the clarinetist Artie Shaw asked her to join his orchestra, making Holiday the first Black woman to work with a white big band. Holiday's legend grew in the late '30s during her residency at the Café Society in Manhattan. She was introduced to 'Strange Fruit,' a song by Abel Meeropol about lynching in the American South based on a poem he had written. Barney Josephson, the proprietor of Café Society, heard the song and brought it to Holiday, who first performed it there in 1939. It was a watershed moment for the singer: It's not only the most famous song in her repertoire, it's considered one of the most important in history, the track's vivid imagery a strong indictment of racism in the country. Holiday was officially a star after the recording of 'Strange Fruit,' and followed it with an impressive run of tracks in the early '40s that cemented her fame. While there's been a notion to only associate Holiday with pain and struggle, these accounts have dimmed her light as a firebrand artist whose creative bravery encouraged others to take similar risks. We asked 10 musicians and writers to share their favorite Holiday songs: Enjoy listening to their choices, check out the playlists and be sure to leave your own selections in the comments. 'Autumn in New York' Within the first two seconds of this song it's impossible not to be drawn into the spell of Billie Holiday's voice. Sailing confidently over lush chords by the pianist Oscar Peterson, Holiday pulls back the curtain on the beating heart of everyone who has loved, lost, loved again and (finally) lost themselves in that great city. A superb storyteller, Holiday explores every nuance of Vernon Duke's paean to autumnal introspection in the city that never sleeps. Through her knowing delivery, every detail becomes vivid, cinematic: couples holding hands in Central Park, clouds reflecting off endless steel buildings, sundown in Greenwich Village, the wry smile of the maître d'hôtel at the Ritz, a lipstick-stained empty cocktail glass left behind at the bar. Billie was queen of it all, one of the highest-paid Black entertainers of her time, who left no stone unturned on her journey toward the self. This is beyond jazz singing; this is mastery in its highest form. With this song, Billie takes her place among the greatest of all balladeer improvisers in the jazz canon, creating the definitive version of an American classic. ▶ Listen on Spotify, Apple Music or YouTube 'Porgy' 'Porgy' — particularly her 1948 recording on Decca Records — is one of the best demonstrations of all that Billie Holiday is capable of. It highlights her vocal range (often criticized as 'limited') along with her renowned ability to convey complex emotions. The song is a heartfelt plea from one lover to another, asking for protection from an abusive ex, and you can feel how deeply the lyrics resonate with her — they fit her like a glove. Here, her voice effortlessly floats between deep dread and a tenderness reserved for the most intimate lovers. As ever, the vulnerability in her delivery adds a raw, personal layer to the performance. Holiday's ability to project seemingly opposing emotions simultaneously is remarkable, moving between languor and a regal stillness with effortless grace. This performance encapsulates the essence of her artistry, revealing the depths of her emotional landscape and solidifying her legacy as a true vocal powerhouse. ▶ Listen on Spotify, Apple Music or YouTube 'Sophisticated Lady' Talk about a woman who lived. I remember first hearing her voice as a girl on vinyl at the library, and how it sparked curiosity about the pain I detected in her voice though I couldn't yet name it. Somewhere along my journey as a woman I found my way back to this song, this time knowing love, loss and the ravages of life more intimately. I nod slowly in recognition as I listen to the stories in Billie's tone, alone. The lyrics are the cherry. I could nerd out about how special her phrasing is, too, but this one for me is all about her longing, like she's singing into a mirror. Duke Ellington composed this before lyrics were written, and it's been recorded so, so many times. His version is bright and charming and impressive (like he was). Billie's version is no less masterful in its depth in my opinion. Hers gets me right in the guts. Sonically, it's a teary-eyed smile thinly veiling an ache at the back of the heart. It's a quiet, wistful ride after a fancy night out to find yourself alone. But for all its melancholy, there's a wink in there. Maybe even a shrug. ▶ Listen on Spotify, Apple Music or YouTube 'Good Morning Heartache' This song is a perfect example of Billie Holiday's mastery of nonchalant, effective and ultimately human storytelling. Before she sings a single note the instrumentation sets up a somber tone, from the low winds to the aching strings to the taunting piano lines. Her tone and delivery immediately embody all that the intro has alluded to. She works in tandem with everything; she never oversings or overshadows the elements around her, but shares the space with the orchestration creating the melancholy atmosphere. She delivers the lyrics without flashy performance. It's a straightforward conversation, which is exactly how you might imagine someone deeply heartbroken would speak to you. The bridge presents a bit more urgency, and with the slightest of vocal variations from Billie, a plea is delivered — a little more volume and a slightly more nasal placement to fill out the sound is all it takes. Her impact is certainly still felt today; vocalists who employ a deeply personal, soul-baring approach can trace this style directly back to Billie Holiday and the blues singers of the early 20th century. ▶ Listen on Spotify, Apple Music or YouTube 'God Bless the Child' It's a coldblooded line. Deriving from an argument with her mother over money, one or the other of the women (it's unclear which) said 'God bless the child that's got his own' when it became clear that the parent could not — or would not — provide. The line might have referred to a Bible verse, but the offer of Scripture instead of material assistance had to have felt like bitter bread. It became the silvery narrative thread for the song co-written by Holiday and the composer Arthur Herzog Jr. in 1939 that's since become a standard of the American songbook. Holiday's versions, with sly lyric tweaks and varied pacing, show her brilliance as an interpreter, in this case of the hard-knock gospel of self-sufficiency. There's her arch nod to the stinginess of some forms of charity — 'Rich relations give, crust of bread and such / you can help yourself, but don't take too much' — that always makes me wonder if she's touting the virtue of meekness or offering a grifter's advice: Don't draw attention to a con you might run again. In the chorus, that mama and papa 'may have' is treated as inconsequential: That's not our business. But there's a sweetness, a knowing salute, to the self-sufficient child in the way Holiday stresses and stretches the word — CHI-iiild, ch-EYE-ld — that centers our concern. The repetition that ends the phrase ('that's got his own, that's got his own') lands like a pat on the head to underscore the lesson. Holiday could stroll the ballad or turn it bluesy, lagging a step behind the beat or dialing up her vibrato like a trumpeter. But I always thought of it as a melancholic lullaby (as in this 1950 rendition with the Count Basie Orchestra): She gathers us chirren for a message. The earlier you learn it, the better. ▶ Listen on Spotify, Apple Music or YouTube Find the full playlist on Spotify and Apple Music: 'Strange Fruit (Live)' Billie Holiday died July 17, 1959. This version of 'Strange Fruit' was recorded just prior. She first recorded the song in 1939. The words come from a poem by Abel Meeropol, a Jewish American who was moved to write it after seeing images of a lynching in a newspaper. All the pain of the world and Billie's beleaguered life under rampant racism can be heard in this 1959 rendition. 'Strange Fruit' was and is a protest song nonpareil, unfortunately still relevant and resonant today. Billie's world-wounded voice compels us from beyond the grave. As America fractures and frays, I turn to the artists and ancestors who remained truth tellers despite oppression, abuse and violence. Billie was hounded by government agencies who tried to silence her — specifically they did not want her singing 'Strange Fruit.' For 20 years she resisted and closed every set with it. You cannot listen to this recording and remain unmoved. A lament and a freedom song for the ages from one of the greatest artists and freedom singers America has ever produced. ▶ Listen on YouTube 'Fine and Mellow' This staging of Billie Holiday singing her own tune 'Fine and Mellow' is a performance I like to think of as Billie's blues essence mode. It's taken from an immortal document in the annals of televised jazz, the 1957 CBS production 'The Sound of Jazz.' In this performance, Lady Day, who appears easeful and in splendid spirits, is surrounded by a cast of fellow hall of famers, including Roy Eldridge and Doc Cheatham on trumpets, Coleman Hawkins, Ben Webster and Lester Young on tenor saxophones, Gerry Mulligan on baritone sax, Vic Dickenson on trombone, Milt Hinton on bass, Osie Johnson on drums, and Billie's then-current pianist Mal Waldron. Billie is in good voice, exhibiting a true sweetness in her expressions, the cameras capturing her priceless facial nuances as she luxuriates in several solos during the performance. It's all here: the expertly crafted mellow blues, Billie's loving, quite telling facial expressions (particularly telling as her dear friend Lester, whom she nicknamed 'Pres,' solos and a cameraman captures her love throughout his break), and her supremely relaxed vocal and aesthetic command of the blues. She positively inhabits 'Fine and Mellow.' This is Billie truly as 'one of the cats,' thoroughly immersed in the music, demonstrating perhaps her purest jazz performance on tape. ▶ Listen on YouTube 'Solitude' Billie Holiday sings masterfully about sadness and longing for what's gone in 'Solitude.' The songwriting is special in its vagueness, allowing the question of 'who' or 'what' to arise within us. The sparseness of the music and her pauses let the ideas linger in such a beautiful way. The haunting melody and her tone evoke a deep questioning — what of longing, loneliness and grief? Her voice is like a deep well, not just filled with pain but also genuine curiosity. There's a self-awareness that makes her delivery so special. For some reason when I listen to this, I don't worry so much, for her or for me. I sense the possibility of new beginnings in her voice. Her words are steeped in despair, yet she still feels solid, confident and somewhat protected from the pain she sings about, carrying a secret strength that resonates with me. I love this doubleness that occurs when Billie sings. Vulnerability and strength become one and the same. ▶ Listen on Spotify, Apple Music or YouTube 'Detour Ahead' 'Detour Ahead' was the first Billie Holiday song that really hit me between the eyes. I'm not completely sure why; I had heard other, better-known tracks of hers before this one. I think it's something about the opening words of the lyric — 'Smooth road, clear day' — and the way her voice slides up the syllables and back down the other side. To use the song's road-trip metaphor, it's like cresting a little hill and being able to see the whole horizon spread out. 'Detour Ahead' is the inverse of a tune like 'Lush Life,' where Johnny Hartman radiates warmth even though he's telling a bleak story; Holiday here sounds like she sees black clouds following her on sunny days. But the narrator has hope that maybe this time it won't all end in a wreck — the lyric changes to 'no detour ahead' — and you want that for her. ▶ Listen on Spotify, Apple Music or YouTube 'I'll Be Seeing You' I have a soft spot for songs that fool you in their delivery, attaching themselves to whatever association you most need. I tend toward the melancholy and relish nostalgia — Billie Holiday's 'I'll Be Seeing You' lies in the crux of that emotional breadth. You could be slow dancing with your first love for the last time, or riding a bike with your dad in the sun on a Saturday, or grieving a best friend in your later life, or sitting by the window on a spring day with incense going and a good novel in your lap. The same song can lie perfectly underneath a variety of beautifully nostalgic scenes of our lives. This song has accompanied me, personally, through a long list of bittersweet goodbyes. Packing up my first flat, hugging my first deep adult relationship goodbye, sharing a eulogy at my grandfather's funeral … for me, this song gently holds grief, cloaked in sweetness. Billie's delivery is so relaxed, so tender, and the gentle arrangement could only be described as joyful — but to me, it's a confession of being haunted by the thing you wish most to have, that can no longer be yours. ▶ Listen on Spotify, Apple Music or YouTube
