Katie Dhaliwal
The Silhouette
For all the fashion-forward students out there, there’s a new club in town. “Style at Mac”, is a website and student-run group that offers fashion lovers recognition on campus. Run by three McMaster students, Nancy Pham, Sherry Du, and Victor Cheng, SAM uses photography and fashion to share homegrown Hamilton styles with the student community. Du, a fourth-year Biology student, loves blogging, photography and making her own jewellery. Cheng, a third-year Multimedia and Communication Studies student, is an esteemed “iPhoneographer” and loves to design his own clothes in his spare time. The two sat down for an interview with LifeStyle to discuss their new initiatives and to give us the inside scoop on fall fashion trends.
First, it’s important to note that SAM isn’t just a fashion blog—according to Cheng and Du, it’s a venture that attempts to create an open forum for students interested in fashion to meet, discuss their passions and express themselves. Previously missing from campus, they felt that this club would try to fill that niche for fashion enthusiasts. This initial idea was what led to the creation of their new website and plans for an upcoming fashion show in March.
Their website displays some of these trends and focuses on students with outfits that SAM’s photographers have deemed eye-catching or original. They’re looking for “great patterns, a well put together outfit or even just a great choice of colour,” says Du. However, this isn’t to say that these outfits will be rated or dissected. Victor made it very clear that the aim of the website is to simply document and share new trends while creating a sense of pride in those that are photographed. Du added, “It’s important that we try to create an inclusive environment that showcases uniqueness on campus and the diversity of all students”.
Their plans for their first fashion show will also feature McMaster talent by showcasing the work of student designers as well as local, independent clothing boutiques to support our surrounding community.
Only one month into the semester and SAM has already picked out some fall trends emerging on campus. Cheng mentions vintage clothing and styles from the 80s and 90s have made a big come back, with combat boots being a major front-runner in must-haves for the season. And for those of us that struggle to find something to wear on days with early morning lectures, SAM has us covered, as it’s a question they often ask the stylish men and women they photograph. A good suggestion would be to take a few extra minutes to plan your outfit the day before, so that in the morning it’s quick and hassle free. Cheng also emphasized not to wear the same coloured shirt and pants unless it's all black. As for favourite accessories, Cheng can’t leave home without a watch to complete his outfit, and Du loves a silk or cotton scarf with a bold colour or pattern because “they’re an easy way to spruce up any outfit”.
You can check out SAM at www.styleatmac.tumblr.com. Their March fashion show is a few months away, but in the mean-time keep an eye out for their cameras and keep our campus stylish.
Truthfully, I have no taste.
I eavesdrop conspicuously on every ANDY meeting, sitting not-so-silently from my desk, trying to acquire some artistic and cultural knowledge by osmosis.
But so far, it has not been successful.
At the end of the day, I still like bad horror films.
Sure, well-produced, intelligent thrillers are great, don’t get me wrong: I love a good scary movie.
But I adore a bad one. The predictable plots, the clichéd camera trickery, and the truly atrocious acting. For years now, I have been on the hunt for the kitschiest horror film the internet can bring me, and my search has not been in vain. Here, for you, is a list of the best worst scary movies my mind has not repressed over time, scored arbitrarily because I can’t decide what I love most:
(For those of you that genuinely want to be scared, I recommend The Strangers or El Orfanato (The Orphanage), to be watched alone in an empty, darkened house with a cranky heating system.)
The Stepfather (2009) – 12% on Rotten Tomatoes – I’ve-watched-it-four-times
In a misguided attempt for originality, the movie begins by divulging the identity of the killer to the audience. The storyline is, as a result, fantastically predictable and the murders themselves, while varied, are uninventive.
When a Stranger Calls (2006) – 9% on Rotten Tomatoes – 4 out of 10 stairs
Do not run up the stairs. That is never a good idea. The killer can, and will, grab your ankles. Come on.
It (1990) –64% on Rotten Tomatoes – 1 out of 2 parts
One among many Stephen King novels brought to the screen, this was initially released as a mini-series, but I watched It as a two-sided DVD. The scariest part of the movie is an unfortunately memorable make-out scene.
Red Riding Hood (2011) – 11% on Rotten Tomatoes – 3 quarters of a waxing moon
Directed by Catherine Hardwicke, the director of Twilight. That is all.
A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010) – 15% on Rotten Tomatoes - 5 out of 5 rake-fingers
This remake earned an impressive 80 per cent lower than the original. I can’t decide whether this is because the acting is so bad or because – no. Never mind. I can decide. It’s the acting.
Jennifer’s Body (2009) – 43% on Rotten Tomatoes – 4 out of 5 points of the pentagram
This movie went out to be a film pandering to teenagers, and hit all the marks: a soundtrack of all pop-music, unimaginative humour and moderate necking. Not to mention the plot, which focused on the demonic possession of Megan Fox. Also her cleavage.
Prom Night (2008) – 8% on Rotten Tomatoes – 3 out of 4 wrist corsages
Yet another remake. But this time, not even the original was good. The characters are even less dimensional than actual prom-goers.
The Roommate (2011) – 4% on Rotten Tomatoes – 3 out of 5 stars
Rotten Tomatoes says “The Roommate isn’t even bad enough to be good,” but I wholeheartedly disagree. It is plenty bad enough. Only slightly less scary than an actual dorm experience, but at least it doesn’t last eight months.
Sleepaway Camp (1983) – 70% on Rotten Tomatoes – 6 sleeps out of 10
I don’t want to spoil anything, but this movie may or may not have the weirdest twist ending I have ever seen. To this day, I do not know whether this movie is a good horror movie, or a bad horror movie, based solely on this ending. I am so conflicted.
Birdemic: Shock and Terror (2009) – 20% on Rotten Tomatoes – 1 bird .gif out of 2
That’s right. Two bird .gifs. That is 100% of the movie’s special effects. I guess it makes sense though when you consider they apparently only had enough budget for one camera. And a tripod on rent.
Hannibal (2001) – 39% on Rotten Tomatoes – 4 out of 5 fava beans
A sequel to one of my all-time favourites – Silence of the Lambs – this movie does it no justice. There is a scene with someone eating their own brain though, so that’s fun.
Paranormal Activity (2007) – 80% on Rotten Tomatoes – 7 ghosts out of who knows how many
A bit of a controversial choice on a bad movies list, I know, but bear with me. The documentary style drags the movie to a crawl and the plot is non-existent. The only thing about this movie that scares me is that enough people felt it warranted three sequels.
Children of the Corn (2009) – no score on Rotten Tomatoes – 8 out of 10 kernels
A made-for-TV remake of a movie based on a Stephen King book: going in we know this is going to be good (and by good I of course mean awful). Though both fundamentalists and children are things that scare me, this movie did not. The creators inexplicably added a juvenile sex scene though, which was very unsettling.
