Sally McIlhone is a Law graduate from Warwick University. Realising part-way through the course that she hated law and 99.9% of law students, the only valuable thing she took from her degree was how to say ‘lawyers for the dark side of society’ in Japanese. Since graduating Sally wrote, directed, produced and financed her first play, Brain Drain - a 1950s B-movie for the stage, which premiered at Brighton Fringe Festival in 2008 and received a 4-star review in The Argus newspaper. She is passionate about independent cinema, vintage fashion, literature and Simon Pegg.

‘We’re never gonna survive, unless, we get a little crazy’

Life should be renamed McLife, a homogenised version of what we experience on a daily basis. Her ultimate goal is to seek ‘a way of life that was…smiles without brains, love without odour and sex without stains’.

Mama’s got a bag of her own

Harvey seems to think it’s anxiety that makes society (and women in particular) so obsessively desirous about what we wear, but I think he has missed the point. Despite the many fashion faux pas that litter our lives, put simply, clothes make us happy.

Obey the fist

Mel Raido makes a great Danny. Initially he is weak and pathetic; he gets beaten up by a thug in a pub in front of his children, and his life plunges into despair. Depicted actively self harming, Danny is ruled by his fear and depression until he learns how to use it to his advantage.

It’s hip to be square

At times, I had to stop myself from throwing the book at the wall and screaming expletives – but it’s because Dunthorne has hit the nail on the head. Perhaps I am being too cynical, but ultimately Oliver annoys me because he evokes memories of every teenage boy I had feelings for: selfish, clueless and incredibly infuriating.

Concrete schoolyard

You really feel for these boys; to live up to their dream they have to give up so much. Basketball is certainly not the answer for everything. These boys need life experience too. If they are not taught to lead a balanced life in their teens, how will they react when they start making serious money and they can afford to indulge in any temptation they want?

Yawn of the dead

Zombie Johnny looks amazing. Everything looks immaculate: from his maggot ridden fingers to his bony blackened face. My highest praise on this production goes to the make-up team. There is a fine line between gloriously gruesome gore and gratuitously garish garbage – but they get it just right.

Bittersweet symphony

He described the first half hour as ‘arduous’, something I didn’t feel at all, but he urged us to put up with it as we would find it ‘rewarding and worthwhile’. Well, he was half right. A film that could have severely overegged the pudding kept the characters believable and the story powerful.

Disposable teens

Kirino shows that the causes of Worm’s murderous outburst are identical to the key symptoms of hikikomori – or acute social withdrawal; a Japanese social phenomenon and a term popularised within the media since 1998.

Bark without bite

It can only be assumed that, much like the story, the dogs merely ran around chasing each other’s tails until they collapsed with a worn out thud.