The Event - Issue 177

Event the

Issue: 126

4th May 2005

Kapow!

The Caped Crusader Returns Arthur Smith

Billy Bragg

Norfolk & Norwich Festival

A trip back in time with the UEA graduate turned grumpy old man

The Bard of Barking shows The Event around his home town

A preview of the annual arts, theatre, music and comedy festival

Contents 03

Contents Billy Bragg: We catch up with the irrepressible Bard of Barking and ask what he thinks about the role of music in politics.................................................................4 TV Qualifications: How much do TV experts really know about the subjects they pontificate on?...........................................................................................5 Arthur Smith: The ex-UEA graduate, comedian and professional grumpy old man talks about his time as a student protester..............................................................6 Batman Begins: The black-clad hero leads a bundle of new comic book adaptations, including X-Men 3 and Frank Miller’s Sin City....................................................7 King Nicholas: Self-styled royal King Nicholas I lives in a caravan and is infatuated with Zara Philips. The Event sets off to meet him.......................................................8 Jean-Luc Godard: Celebrating the work of the visionary director behind A bout de souffle and Le Week-End...........................................................................9 Norfolk and Norwich Festival: The annual arts festival offers an evening out for every taste, whether it’s a puppet show or a night at the opera..........................10-11 Albums: New Order’s comeback album Waiting for the Siren’s Call......................12 Singles: Releases from Mylo, The Tears and Gorillaz.......................................13 Cinema: The long-awaited film version of Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.............14 DVDs: Movies to rent including Sideways and I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead...................15 Arts: Productions of Crazy and Siddharta, and the Jazz Cafe’s Poetry Slam.................16 TV/Digital: Soap previews and Love Me Love My Kids reviewed..........................17 Creative Writing: A delectable selection of original poetry and prose...............18 Listings and Competitions: What’s on in the city, plus goodies to be won.........19

Editorial

O

ur cover story this week is the return of a very famous superhero.Yes, blockbuster season is almost upon us and the man in black is back. For a look at Hollywood’s upcoming comic book adaptations, including Batman Begins and Sin City, turn to page 7. If left-field is more your scene, try the retrospective on French film maestro JeanLuc Godard, which can be found on page 9.

The annual Norfolk and Norwich Festival starts next week, so prepare the picnic rugs and cucumber sandwiches, and turn to the Centre Spread for an in-depth guide to what’s on during the two-week arts event. While you’re out exploring the best theatre, dance and music the county has to offer, there’s a chance you’ll run into the somewhat eccentric figure of King Nicholas. Who is he? Find out on page 8.

It would be impossible to get through the issue without mentioning next week’s general election, but The Event has decided to leave the politics to Billy Bragg. A tireless anti-racism campaigner and one of the few songwriters who still believes in the protest power of music, Bragg reveals his plans to get more people interested in democracy.

Elsewhere there’s an interview with Arthur Smith, a humorous take on the world of TV punditry, reviews, competitions and lots more besides. Happy reading!

The Editor

IS: concrete.editor@uea.ac.uk Editor-in Chief: Philip Sainty concrete.event@uea.ac.uk Editor: Tim Barker concrete.eventeditorial@uea.ac.uk Editor: Sarah Edwardes concrete.arts@uea.ac.uk Editor: Luke Roberts Assistant Editors: Niki Brown & Roanna Bond Writers: Gabrielle Barnes,Roanna Bond, Daisy Bowie-Sell, Amy Lowe, Dan Richards, Mark Dishman, Simon Griffiths concrete.film@uea.ac.uk Editor: Dean Bowman Assistant Editor: Sebatian Manley Writers: David McNaught, Laura Mell, Steven Sharrock, Anthony Jackson, Mollye Miller, Mark Simpson, concrete.music@uea.ac.uk Editors: James Banks & Ben Patashnik Assistant Editors: Charles Rumsey & Suzanne Rickenback Writers: Miranda Bryant, Suzanne Rickenback, James Banks, Mathew Elliot, Charles Rumsey, Mark Crawley, Chris Hyde, Simon Griffiths, Hayley Chappell, Nick Brookes, Tom Souter concrete.tv/digital@uea.ac.uk Editor: Kate Bryant Writers: Martha Hammond, Kim Howe, Stephen Sharrock, Chris Hyde, Jassim Happa Creative Writing Editor: Merinne Whitton Writers: Paul Labond, Andrea Tallarita, Richard Britton, Karen Parker, Iman Sid, Jules Sebastian Arabia Design Consultant Nathan ‘Design Consultant’ Hamilton

The Event is published fortnightly by Concrete: Post: PO Box 410, Norwich, NR4 7TB Tel: 01603 250558 Fax: 01603 50682 E-mail: concrete.event@uea.ac.uk Printed by: Archant

Event the

04.05.05

04 Feature

Is there Power in a Union?

Ben Patashnik meets Billy Bragg for a frank discussion of life, love and the Lib Dems...

B

illy Bragg slaps the wheel of his spaceship-with-wheels 4WD car (“I wanted one of them electric cars but the bottom of my road back in Dorset always floods so y’know, what would I do?”) and laughs broadly. The Event has just told him that he was mentioned on the previous night’s Have I Got News For You? and he’s still chuckling away.

“The only time they've ever invited me on the show was in the middle of the last election, and that was the one night I’d organised the one Vote Dorset meeting! Obviously I couldn’t not do the meeting, because I’d done all the leaflets and it was what we’d been working for, so instead of being on TV and getting my cred up, I held a meeting in Tolpuddle Village Hall with one man and his dog!” Such activity is hardly rare, however, since the impending election means that “every weekend I’m off in some school hall. Obviously during an election campaign there’s a lot more opportunities so I get a lot more active during one. I've always been doing a lot of anti-racism stuff anyway.”

This sums up William Stephen Bragg, since he’s so infectiously passionate about the causes he believes in but never feels as if his work is finished.

Today The Event is accompanying Bragg around the area he grew up, Barking in Essex, as he goes door-todoor leafletting for the anti-fascist magazine Searchlight and plays a small awareness-raising gig in a local school to drum up support for the anti-fascist movement. “Every gig I play, I always finish the same way, saying ‘My name’s

Event 04.05.05 the

Billy Bragg, and I’m from Barking, Essex.’ It’s quite important to me that my home town doesn’t become the Burnley of the south. The BNP has already won a council seat here and I don’t want them to take hold, to win. They won’t win in the election but they've got their eyes on the ‘06 council elections, trying to build up support. Now seems to be a good time to stamp on them and get them out.”

Billy set up the Vote Dorset scheme (www.votedorset.net) in order to oust the Conservatives in his new home.

Perhaps influenced by the state of Barking, which he says has “had the heart ripped out of it when the car factories closed down... it’s like a mining town with a closed pit”, and seeing disturbing gains for the BNP, Bragg decided to act. It’s designed to swap votes between Labour and Liberal Democrat supporters in order to ensure that the Tories lose their status as the official opposition. “We can’t be rewarding Michael Howard for running an antiimmigration, xenophobic campaign.

Wherever I’ve been I’ve always voted anti-Tory. I also like to think that the Lib Dems could make a breakthrough, that

“We can’t be rewarding Michael Howard for running a xenophobic campaign.”

New Labour could be forced to the left.

I’d like to see the policies that are happening in Scotland [due to the coalition government] happen a bit more over here.”

Today, Billy plays alone for almost an hour, ensnaring the audience with his wit and rousing them with the strength

of such incendiary anthems as A New England, Power In A Union, and No Power Without Accountability. He plays the same version of Waiting For The Great Leap Forward that he aired at The Barbican last March. The passion with which he plays these songs in a draughty school hall to twenty-odd leftwingers is startling - if it’s good enough for The Barbican, it’s good enough for Barking - and only reaffirms Billy’s status as, above all, a fantastic performer with a clear message. Political activism and rhetoric is his forte, but he never comes close to the empty sloganeering that many ‘pop stars’ align themselves with to gain a few more column inches.

T

he Thatcher government that so tainted his home town pushed him into being categorised as a ‘One Man Clash’ of sorts, but the truth is that his music has always been intensely personal at the same time. Bragg says that “there are songs where the personal and the political overlap, like Valentines Day Is Over” and that he “really detests being written off as a political songwriter”, and it’s tough to know where to draw the line. Billy’s main appeal to many is that his political and his personal songs all paint his own portrait, the picture of a man growing up under a repressive Conservative government and struggling to find a coherent voice for him and his fellow man.

The purity and sincerity of songs like Between The Wars sit comfortably next to The Milkman of Human Kindness and The Saturday Boy in terms of honesty and relevance in growing up.

“When you look at my back catalogue it is predominantly love songs but there is also an overlap - we’re talking about compassion, about love, about caring, about emotions. Believing in politics is all about emotions and causes - what greater cause is there than trying to win someone else’s love? That’s the greatest cause anyone can be involved in, and when you come together for things like this it's all amplified.”

Watching Billy stand around with the gig-goers and chatting about the football, or sitting with him as he drives The Event to Barking station to catch a train, it’s easy to forget how well-known he is. He’s toured the globe, played Glastonbury the most times out of any performer, been personally invited by Woody Guthrie’s daughter Nora to put music to Woody’s old lyrics, recorded

with Less Than Jake, been nominated for a couple of Grammys and influenced everyone from Rancid to Razorlight - all without feeling the need to resort to cheap publicity stunts like meeting the Pope. Yet he feels his work is by no means done: “All music that challenges people’s perceptions has a role to play in bringing about change. Music that highlights how pretty people are, or how much bling they have doesn’t interest me. Music that challenges that, that gets in your face and annoys people is always good and I hope that music like that, whether it’s called punk or not, will be around.”

While a younger audience might be more aware of him through his collaborations with Less Than Jake or his namechecking from Rancid (“Little Sammy was a punk rocker / His mother never understood him / Went into his room and smashed his Billy Bragg record / Didn’t want him to hear that Communist lecture” from The Wars End on ...And Out Come The Wolves), Billy’s more than happy about this. “Those guys, they're trying to do what I’m doing, but in a harder political atmosphere where they perhaps don’t have as many freedoms as we do over here,” he says.“We're all part of a tradition - we’re all inspired by the Clash, and the Clash were inspired by Woody Guthrie, so it’s all part of the same chain, trying to make music that makes a difference. I’m glad that there are still bands out there trying to do this. It’s because when you’re doing gigs for a cause you often meet the same musicians. Like when we were doing Red Wedge there was a lot of us on platforms together. We didn’t want to just be pop stars again, so we formed Red Wedge to try and keep the Tories out of the next election. It must sound strange nowadays to hear of pop stars trying to help the Labour Party, but at the time it was very different. Britain was a different country, and there was a huge ideological difference between the two parties.”

What is there left to learn from Billy Bragg? Everything. Anyone who has ever had any human feelings whatsoever should check out Back To Basics as a starting point, and then go from there. In an age when homogenised pop idiots and their ethical haircuts are colonising the nation’s youth, a bloke from Barking might just be on the right track in terms of wanting to eradicate sexism, homophobia, racism and everything that the BNP and Tory party stand for.

Revolution’s just a t-shirt away.

Feature 05

You are what you aren’t Feeling the pressure of all the demands for self improvement your telly is throwing at you? Stephen Sharrock is...

T

elevision, as we all know, will always offer an abundance of extremely annoying things. Everyone has a viewpoint about the likes of reality TV, the battle of the soaps and the latest Dr Who or Countdown. One common dislike is the Free Plug Circuit inhabited by the likes of Mr Madeley and Mrs Finnigan, Jonathan Ross and - he who grows old disgracefully on ITV Parkinson. What isn’t commonly criticised is when TV critiques us and starts talking back.

This occurs more frequently than you might think. As a test, a recent day’s TV schedule was chosen at random: Tuesday 19th April – Quads, Supernanny, and Hell’s Kitchen was TV’s rant at us in the evening.

Earlier in the day was the ominous sounding Mum’s on Strike (Anglia, 2.45pm) and on Channel Four at 4pm, just after Countdown, was a show called Room For Improvement. Infinitely preferable to all of these was a show on BBC1 at 11.45am, intriguingly called Mind Your Own Business with no information given.

Perhaps it’s just a sore point (only a few years ago, reality TV was trying to instruct and educate as well), but why are people on TV now telling us what to do, and how to live our life?

Remember the wholesome goodness of Airport? Or how about Driving School?

Or the very first Big Brother? Of course, in all these shows, we got to laugh at the participants –at Rose, as she attempted to cross lanes on a motorway without realising a car was ‘up her backside’- but there was never any pretence about having to learn anything, nor did there need to be. It was a bit of cruel fun at someone else’s expense, with an edited version of them appearing in front of us. There was no moral to learn from the likes of Rose a n d Je re m y : t h e y were pure,

untarnished and innocent celebrities, famous simply by dint of being chosen to appear on television, and good luck to them.

What then happened that made TV so mad at us? Did we forget to hug it goodnight like The Simpsons’? The shift, if it can be pinpointed, seemed to occur sometime after Noel’s House Party had been consigned to the scrapheap, but well before PJ and Duncan were known for more than simply messing about with paintball guns down on the

Children’s emotional future and chances of success seem to depend on learning the wisdom of an expert: otherwise they are doomed.

educated. Even then, though, this is a bit of a con –what we are really learning is not any profound life lessons, but what lies behind their doorstep with some common sense thrown in instead.

In short, we’re still playing the nosy parker of reality TV, only this time with dressing round the edges; a bit of a moral lesson thrown in to ease our consciences.

Why do it? We can only guess it’s a response to the criticisms frequently voiced at reality TV –that of ‘dumbing down’. But, like reality TV, it is in danger of becoming another trend, all of itself, in which like is pitted against like - and the more outrageous, the better. The experts themselves are already becom-

more still due.You can also join her fanclub –members get a ‘1-2-1 consultation with Team Dr. Gillian researchers’ and a daily ‘Dr. Gillian recipe’. Jamie has about 3 books, 3 DVDs and over twenty kitchen appliances to his name.

This type of multiple market creates a ‘cross fertilisation’ aimed at having McKeith or Oliver devotees: we buy their stuff, eat it and watch it. If these new type of celebrities are going to go public promoting their wisdom as best, and expect us to become such devotees, then what would be interesting is a proper investigation into their lives.

After all, it’s a form of public service television they are offering –lifestyle improvement- and we don’t normally

ing celebrities and items of controversy. The best and most memorable of these has been Jamie Oliver.

Admittedly, his ‘Feed Me Better’ campaign for school foods and his ‘Fifteen’ restaurant project have highlighted problems and made some real changes –better food for pupils and employment for a few youngsters. His latest campaign did seem a bit patronising though: Jamie’s mockney taskforce parachuting in to help save another deprived school, doing what the government won’t or can’t, then leaving again.You can see why some were sympathetic to parents who pushed hamburgers to their children through fences. And no one is claiming Jamie taught the kids anything good about speaking the English language properly.

These shows can also seem like a good excuse to sell a book and create ‘multiple markets’. Dr Gil has, at the latest glance, 8 books and 2 DVDs, with

have public service television without a few debates in parliament.

Okay, so we can vote with our fingers and turn the damn things off. Or vote with a DVD player and put ‘The Best of Driving School’ on. Or we can suggest they take advantage of another recent programming trend - how about having a celebrity wrestling special on ITV: Rose versus Dr Gil? Jeremy from Airport versus Supernanny? Or even better, we could take the fight to their homes, in a true display of TV Viewer Power. Just imagine it: TV fights back, in true licence-fee style - all the people who ever write in to shows like Bite Back and Points of View could combine, go visit Dr Gil and see what she eats.

We could even bring Roger Cook back to do the obligatory knock at the door.

It’s unfair to speculate, but it’s a fair bet she’ll be helping herself to a bag of chips and a microwave meal just at the moment when Rog and the unruly letter-writers barge down her door…

‘Grove. It was about the time that Pat Sharp (and Mullet) had been ditched and Keith Chegwin was consigned to either going naked or going on radio and cable. TV ditched these wise, elder statesmen and turned instead to the likes of Carol Smilie. Smilie, in perhaps the most watched episode of Changing Rooms, was there to comfort a participant as she begun to cry –and so she should: a once bright and airy living room had been transformed into a gothic vamp harem, complete with gaudy jossticks and monstrous fireplace. It was at exactly this point that reality TV got serious, and started biting back.

N

ow, with programmes like Supernanny, You Are What You Eat, Property Ladder, Wifeswap and even Jamie’s Kitchen, the stakes are higher for everyone involved. You are not famous: you are tortured. Your life may depend on it. Everything is up for grabs. Children’s emotional future and chances of success seem to depend on learning the wisdom of an expert: otherwise they are doomed. It doesn’t even matter that some of them are not even experts –Dr Gillian McKeith, it was revealed,received her honorary doctorate from a brilliant work of fiction called the American Holistic College of Nutrition (UEA it ain’t) and her Masters degree was in another subject –Politics and International Relations (‘You Are What You Elect?’).

To be fair to some of the experts on these shows, they do, like Supernanny, seem competent or at least able to present themselves well in front of a camera. She, in particular, does a good job of talking individually to members of the families and resolving underlying arguments and motivations (‘He was a pain to give birth to!’) with the result that we often do come away feeling profound, embittered and better

Event the

04.05.05

06 Feature

In the UEA Way...

Arthur Smith

Sam Webber speaks to comedian and former UEA student Arthur Smith about honing his writing skills and living in a tent.

A

ny list of eminent UEA graduates would be inaccurate if the name Arthur Smith were not placed right at the top. If you don’t recognise the face, or even the name, you will almost certainly recognise his voice, which one critic has described as “a self deprecating, acidic tone which is pitch perfect and meets with raucous laughter from any audience”. It was a great privilege to be able to meet with him recently in London and talk to him about his university days and subsequent career.

Smith has been a road sweeper, dustman and an English teacher, although he is now mainly to be seen and heard on television and radio, whilst still finding time for writing, which he greatly enjoys.

He has relatively humble roots in South London where he was born in 1954. His father, whom he speaks of with great affection, was a Prisoner of War at Colditz Castle during the 2nd World War. Smith adds however in a light hearted tone: “He was only a batman, he used to give tea to the posh boys.” Following Grammar School in London where he was elected head boy, he came to UEA in September 1973 to study Comparative Literature, sharing a room in Norfolk Terrace during his first year.

Apparently the university was then “so left wing that the most right wing organisation was the Communist Party”.

He remembers the founding of the Women’s Liberations Society as well as the International Marxist Group and Socialist Workers Party being particularly active on campus.

Learning of the current Union ban on Nestle products, it became clear that UEA students were boycotting an altogether different business in the mid 70s.

“In my day it was Barclays Bank,” says Smith. “Nobody banked with Barclays because they had money in South Africa during Apartheid.”

Event the

04.05.05

The radical streak which runs through Arthur Smith’s career was clearly present in those early days and he certainly appears to have got involved with a few protests – including occupying the Chaplaincy with a large group of students and getting involved with a Unionbacked squat in response to the then accommodation shortage on campus.

The latter unfortunately meant squatting for the night in a dis-used pub.

“The only people who went in were me and this one other bloke who broke

The lack of accommodation was apparently so bad that Arthur had to resort to spending the first term of his second year under canvas in Bluebell Wood. into this place and then spent the night in this awful, damp and deserted pub. We came back the next day and the police had barred it all up. That was the end of the Union backed squat!”

The lack of accommodation was apparently so bad that Arthur had to resort to spending the first term of his second year under canvas: “I was living at that time in a tent in Bluebell Wood.”

However, he goes on to say how this somewhat extreme measure did occasionally work to his advantage. “It was a useful way of persuading female students to let me go home with them and share their beds.” When asked how successful this chat up line was, he explains coyly that “it probably worked once for every eight times I tried it”.

There was, however, a good deal more to his student career than protests and camping in Bluebell Wood. He was Chairman of the Poetry Society, which once involved him standing in the pond in Union Square reciting poetry to

drunken students. He also wrote sketches for the revue and wrote the Cross Country reports for Concrete. One summery afternoon he decided it would be a brilliant idea to jump across the very same pond in the square on a children’s bicycle. Over thirty years later he confesses,“I was a bit of a twat in a way” and admits that “I liked showing off”.

C

learly, showing off and above all making people laugh was to become Arthur Smith’s stock in trade. The path to a successful career as a stand up comic was not the easiest one to follow once he left university. Although he humbly admits that he was not that academic as a student, he achieved a 2:1 in his finals and set off to the Edinburgh Festival with a group of other performers from UEA in the summer of 1977. “We lost all of our money of course, but we went back to the Edinburgh Festival three or four years in a row and we gradually got better and got good audiences.”

Success was not immediately round the corner however, and Smith headed back to London where he moved to Wimbledon and became a road sweeper, taught English in a Language school and started singing in a band. Eventually persistence paid off and he was offered a series with BBC radio on The Review. The early 1980s saw a massive explosion of alternative comedy as the Thatcher era began. Smith admits, “I was in on that fairly early”.

The founding of the Comedy Store in London’s West End in 1980 was clearly a landmark event. It has been the launch pad for many of today’s great comics, such as Ben Elton, Jo Brand and Paul Merton. Arthur Smith was at the centre of this comedy revolution and admits that the Store was “a very influential place. It gave a platform to a lot of people”.

The rise of the alternative comedy scene was very much connected with the rise of Margaret Thatcher, who cut funding for the Arts once she became Prime Minister. Smith explains this change in

comedy with reference to the Comedy store: “There were a substantial number of people who obviously despised Thatcher and this was a place for them to say that, so it had a political edge to it in the early days.”

Quite simply Arthur Smith has a lot of fingers in a lot of pies. As well as having written several successful plays, he has until recently presented the BBC Radio 4 travel programme Excess Baggage, as well as being the voice over for the AA car insurance adverts and for the BBC 1 show Life of Grime: New York. Many would also recognise him from the recent TV success Grumpy Old Men. “That really struck a chord,” he says.

He is keen to state that there are these two strings to his career, both writing and performing. “Most performers aren’t that good at writing and nearly all writers are useless at performing. I’m lucky that I can do both and I have a good voice for radio.”

His most recent success is the play Arthur Smith in Dante’s Inferno, which details his own struggle to give up the booze that has always been part of his business: “I don’t think stand up comedy would exist if it wasn’t for drinking”.

Following a medical scare, completely giving up alcohol was his only option.

Being resourceful as ever he used the difficult experience as a basis for a fantastic script. He sums up the play by saying “it’s about the hell of drinking and the hell of not drinking”. Not wanting to come across as a complete alcoholic, he quickly explains further: “I wasn’t a vodka on the cornflakes man. I never had a drink before midday, but then again I never got up before midday!”

Clearly a one off, he describes his intriguing fashion sense as “care in the community chic” and refers to veteran Broadcaster Sir David Frost an “oily kiss arse”. Arthur Smith continues to epitomise the UEA “free spirit” best represented by the mass of students sitting on the steps in Union Square enjoying the sun and afternoon pint. He was once among us, on the same steps in the 1970s and in many ways he has never left.

Feature 07

Cinefile

Comic Book Capers

Batman

no. 56

Anthony Jackson explores Hollywood’s latest obsession, the comic book adaptation.

T

here is a certain stereotype surrounding comic books and their readers.

American TV and film generally presents them as alternative or, to put it more bluntly, ‘geeks’ (think Comic Book Guy in The Simpsons). Thanks to the medium of film, however, comic books have recently found a wider fan base. The superhero blockbuster is now becoming a recurring event in the movie calendar and this summer we can expect more Lycra, operatic trailer sequences and themed hamburgers. Since the success of X-Men in 2000 the number of comic book movies has steadily increased attracting a large audience worldwide.

The film combined explosive action with an impressive cast; a mix between the veterans of Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen and the exciting newcomers of Hugh Jackman and Halle Berry. This was enough to interest the mass audience while fans of the comic were equally eager to see their favourite mutants transferred onto the screen.

This formula has been followed and adapted with varying levels of success throughout the last five years.

Hollywood has turned to comic books as a source of inspiration in the past. In the 90s there were the steadily declining Batman films and in the 70s Spiderman and the Hulk featured in several made for TV films. Since the success of X-Men and, more importantly,

could utilize the popularity of the major superheroes to make money on the lesser ones.

In 2004 comic adaptations were no longer saved for the summer blockbuster market. More cult comic heroes were seen as Hellboy and The Punisher hit the screens in April. Possibly as a way to avoid competition with the big two summer blockbusters Catwoman and Spiderman 2. These four releases made it clear to the industry that comic book adaptations were not a guaranteed success. Both Catwoman, starring the popular actresses Halle Berry and Sharon Stone opposite each other, and The Punisher bombed at the box office.

The Punisher did not appeal to the average audience with no super powers and only John Travolta as a recognizable face, and Catwoman received one of the worst set of reviews of the year to scare away fans. Yet Hellboy provided a solid box office return and Spiderman 2 almost equalled its predecessor’s success, indicating the comic book genre could be popular if done right.

The superhero movies also made way for films like American Splendor (2003) and Comic Book: The Movie (2004), which parodied the genre.

American Splendor was produced in a unique way with half of it shot like a documentary looking at Harvey Pekar, the founder of the American Splendor comic, and the other half shot like a comic giving snapshots of his life.

Harvey Pekar made himself a comic hero looking at the banality of life and

Director Robert Rodriguez wanted to stay as true to the comic as possible, highlighting the growing influence of the actual comics in the production of films. the popularity of CGI in films like Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring and Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (both in 2001), the film industry has awoken to the commercial potential of superhero films and started to churn them out. Initially, they adapted the most popular comics. In the summer of 2002 Spiderman was released and received great critical acclaim and massive commercial success, grossing $821,708,551 worldwide. The spectacular visual effects placed in the context of modern New York stunned audiences and prompted Hollywood to make more superhero films. In the summer of 2003 the X-Men sequel X2 was released and was once again a hit, although it was slightly overshadowed by the major marketing of the Hulk adaptation starring Eric Bana and Jennifer Connolly.

Despite good reviews and extravagant effects neither achieved the same popularity as Spiderman. Fans of the comic criticised the CGI version of the green monster, indicating the films were beginning to rely too heavily on computer graphics. The release of Daredevil also marked the beginning of a new trend of cult comics being adapted into films. Whereas Spiderman, The Hulk and X-men were all relatively well known, Daredevil was almost niche. The studio executives were obviously hoping they

providing an alternative to the super powers and radioactive freaks that appealed to fans. Yet on the most part it is these freaks that are more popular in movies and the next two years will see an even wider range of superheroes.

S

o far this year we have seen two comic book heroes. The first was Elektra with Jennifer Garner reprising her role as the dagger-wielding temptress from Daredevil. Then came Constantine starring Keanu Reeves as a man who tries to avoid incarceration in Hell by exorcising and banishing Demons from Earth. While neither has attracted massive praise they were merely the entrée to what promises to be a very exciting summer dish of action and tight costumes. The dark, film noir-esque Sin City is released in June with possibly one the most impressive casts of all time. Bruce Willis, Mickey Rourke, Clive Owen, Elijah Wood, and Benecio Del Toro, to name but a few, are characters in a film that seeks to emulate the style of author, Frank Miller, by shooting in black and white with colour effects. Director Robert Rodriguez wanted to stay as true to the comic as possible, highlighting the growing influence of the actual comics in the produc-

tion of films, and even managed to get Quentin Tarantino to direct one sequence.

Later in July a more conventional array of superheroes and villains will be seen as the Fantastic Four is released. The eclectic mix of Mr Fantastic, The Human Torch, The Thing and The Invisible Woman will battle the super villain Dr. Doom in what on first glance appears to be a slightly uneven fight. However The Event has been assured from a trusty geek that it will take all four to overcome this Doctor of, well, Doom. The trailer indicates there will be a lot of special effects - The Thing however, possibly learning from the Hulk criticisms, will be costume and not CGI. Finally comes the film movie-lovers and comic fans are equally excited over: Batman Begins, scheduled for a UK release on the 22nd June. A kind of unofficial prequel to the other Batman movies it is set to show us just how Bruce Wayne became the Bat. Batman Begins has a distinctly British feel to it with Christian Bale cast as Batman, Gary Oldman as Commissioner Gordon and Michael Caine as Alfred the Butler. This is in addition to the English director Christopher Nolan, whose previous work includes Insomnia (2002) and the mind boggling Memento (2000). Batman Beings will have the inevitable merchandise tie-ins, although judging from the pictures, trailers and rumours, it is set to out-bleak the previous Burton, and certainly the Schumacher, takes on the caped crusader.

Then just as we have all recovered from this summer’s collection of comic book stars we will be hit with yet more in the next two years. Possibly just as exciting as the new Batman is the new Superman film, Superman Returns, set for a June 2006 release. The movie will pick up where the previous films finished, beginning with Superman returning from the planet Krypton. Just imagine the Superman BBC series with Dean Cain but more flash, with Kevin Spacey as Lex Luthor and Kate Bosworth as Lois Lane.

2006 will also see the release of X-Men 3, Iron Man, and The Watchmen and 2007 promises the final Spiderman film.

According to the moviespoiler.net it will feature three villains, namely Wolf-man, The Lizard and Sandman. It certainly appears as though comic book adaptations will continue to excite or bore, depending on your tastes, for the foreseeable future - and with remakes of Flash Gordon and Captain America in the pipeline, God help us.

Is this film based on the ultra-camp TV series or on the darker comic books?

Batman is based on both the original noirish comics of the 1940s and on Frank Miller’s critically acclaimed Batman: The Dark Knight Returns. At one point Adam West, TV’s Batman, did audition for the role but was turned down. It is rumoured that he was offered to play Dr. Thomas Wayne, Bruce Wayne’s father, in a cameo but turned down that offer because he would not play any other role but the Caped Crusader. In the end, Michael Keaton won the role.

Michael Keaton? You mean the guy from Beetle Juice?

That would be the one. The director Tim Burton looked for an actor who could do more than just action scenes. Burton believed that Keaton would bring credibility to the role and a certain ‘realism’. As Keaton is not the bulkiest of guys, it was believed that if he fought crime he would have to wear an intimidating disguise and fight with a plethora of gadgets and gizmos. Many hardcore fans of the comic book complained but Batman creator Bob Kane publicly supported the casting and protests seem to die down.

It seems that casting Keaton was a risky choice. Is this why Jack Nicholson was hired as The Joker?

Your assumption is pretty good. As Michael Keaton was not a big name at the time, the producers hired Nicholson to add some star quality to the film. However, Nicholson would prove to be very business-savvy and like his friend Marlon Brando in Superman, would cut a very profitable deal. For his role as The Joker, Nicholson would get top billing, a cut of the gross profits and all royalties on merchandise.

With this deal, it is thought that he earned around $60 million!

I’ve heard that this film tinkered around with the mythology of the characters. Is this true?

As with all adaptations, some issues are changed to make the story more dynamic in film form. The biggest change with this adaptation is that this film shows Jack Napier, who would later become The Joker, as the murderer of Bruce Wayne’s parents. The comic books have the random street thug known as Joe Chill as the killer.

Batman never catches Chill in the comic books, as otherwise he would lose his motivation for fighting crime. By having The Joker as the murderer, Burton creates a tense dynamic between the hero and villain. The original idea was to make a trilogy of films, with Batman Returns dealing with Bruce losing his motivation and Batman Forever showing him achieve redemption.

So does this film have any link to the new film coming out this year, Batman Begins?

There is no real link between the films. Batman Begins is not a prequel to Batman but in fact a reimaging of Bruce Wayne becoming Batman. The new film is influenced by Frank Miller’s Batman: Year One, and Joseph Loeb’s Batman: The Long Halloween and Batman: Dark Victory.

Mark Simpson

Event the the

04.05.05

08 Feature

All Hail the King!

Local author and monarch, King Nicholas I lets Dan Richards into his palace and makes a fur-

K

ing Nicholas greets The Event with a broad smile and a firm, regal handshake. “You found it, then,” he says, gesturing to his caravan, complete with official brass plate.“Well it was brass, but some kids nicked it. So I only put this one out when I’m in residence. Do come in” The Event is then given a tour of the royal Copeman residence, perched high on a Sheringham cliff-top, perilously close to the edge. “Yes, it’s a slight worry, that.” He shrugs, supping tea gravely. “As it erodes more, all the walkers will have to go round the back [of the caravan], which will be nice because they do get in the way a bit. But it does spell the imminent end for this place. I think the site owners are hoping the book is a success so I can buy a nice new caravan out the back somewhere and stop being such an eyesore. ”Whilst he tells The Event this he is changing into his official regalia. “Of course, I’d prefer patent leather. You really need patent leather... because of the stirrups,” opines King Nicholas 1, glancing down at his Adidas Classics. “Then I

could have spurs. Though that might be a bit dangerous on the bus. And this,” he says, suddenly flourishing a four- foot long sword, “was my Uncle’s. He was a commander in the navy. Big beard, drank lots of gin, very old-school.”

“My crest is actually a rip-off of the queen’s and the queen-mother’s old one stuck together. Someone then came up with the motto ‘rex masturbatorque’ which I though might translate as something rude. But no, no. It’s a sombre motto from yonks back. King John or something... But it turned out this had just been made up and it means ‘a king and a wanker,’ which is unfortunate because it’s on all my stationary now... all the letters to Zara... Maybe that’s why she’s never responded.”

Such a sad state of affairs cannot dampen the royal mood for long though, and when asked about his obsession with Zara Nicholas brightens considerably. “Well she’s clearly the best royal going!” he enthuses. “Unless you wanted to shack up with Prince William. But I don’t think he’s that way inclined. My friend Baby Face and I used to write a great deal of letters. I would write to Zara, but he became obsessed with (wired-looking BBC Look

Photos: Mark Dishman.

ther plea for the hand of Zara Philips.

King Nicholas I in regal splendour outside the gates of Copeland Palace.

East weather-munchkin) Julie Reinger.

He got a letter back once too, though I’ve never heard back from Zara. I’ve tried walking around near Sheringham House at Christmas when I know she will be there. But I’ve never had the good fortune to bump into her, which is very sad.”

N

icholas’ struggles to break into the higher echelons of the royal family circle are documented in his book, which relates the saga of Nick Copeman’s rise and fall; in equal parts inspired and insane, an example of what can happen if one has too much time on one’s hands. “Being unemployed and being a student are actually quite similar really,” suggests Nicholas

aware of the need to take maximum advantage of his new-found status.

Kingdoms need to be funded and he found selling peerages over the internet to be a uniquely lucrative way of doing so. A string of royal appointments followed, of which the jewel in the crown is surely Roy Boy’s burger van which we drive out to see on the A147.

Sure enough, on arrival, we are greeted by a very large Copeman crest under which is written, ‘By royal appointment to King Nicholas I.’ “He’s a local treasure, Roy,” states Nicholas I, tucking into a sausage bap. “The appointment came about because I come up here... well, not every morning, but most. When they’re in season, he makes me delicious pheasant burgershuge things that taste wonderful.”

Nicholas’ struggles to break into the higher echelons of the royal family are documented in his book, which relates the saga of Nick Copeman’s rise and fall.

Kingly duties involve sipping the finest blends of tea and keeping an eye on what one’s subjects are up to.

Event the

04.05.05

I, coming over all wistful.“You leave university with a degree- actually I never got one because I dropped out- and you’re all geared-up to do ‘something’ but you find that its pretty damn hard in the real world and I ended up in this situation.

“It all came out of boredom really.

Sitting around all day with nothing to do but watch Countdown, you have to come up with something... mad things to keep yourself amused. After changing my name to ‘King Nicholas’ one thing led to another, and before you know it you’re riding down to the job-centre on a horse. I’m interested as to whether the students who read this think ‘what a cock’ or see it as a call-to-arms.”

Of course, being a king has some perks. It isn’t all boring stuff opening parliament and marrying your cousins, and Nicholas, from the very start, was

But royal time is precious time and Richard & Judy are due to turn up to the palace any time soon. With a cheery wave he leaves us to drive back to his residence in the royal Toyota Yaris, promises of knighthoods still ringing in our ears. Truly a monarch of the people, surely the second most eligible bachelor in the country.

King Nicholas And The Copeman Empire is published by Ebury Press in June 2005.

Norfolk’s most eligible bachelor competition.

Do you look a little like Zara Phillips?

Send your picture with contact details to Concrete, Union House, UEA, Norwich, NR4 7TJ. for a chance to be taken on a royal engagement!

Feature 09

In Praise of Jean-Luc Godard Mollye Miller takes a look back over the career of one of cinema’s most controversial and enigmatic figures.

R

ed velvet chairs soften luxurious rooms, and Little Red books deck the shelves inside a bourgeois apartment. Mao Mao Mao, screams a song on the radio. Marxist slogans and pictures decorate the walls. This is the jagged, outrageous set of French film director Jean-Luc Godard’s 1967 satirical film La Chinoise (Chinese), to be released on DVD by Optimum this month. The film centers on a group of full-lipped, cigarette puffing, mock-serious socialist Parisian students, fed up with unexplained inequalities at their University. The five “revolutionaries” spend their whole summer in their parents’ bourgeois apartment, debating the cultural revolution in China and planning one of their own.

The film’s heroine, Veronique (Ann Wizaemsky, Godard’s wife at the time) stars as a broad mouthed intellectual, whose lines only consist of Marxist political slogans and philosophical truths. Her boyfriend-counterpart, Guillaume, the captivating boy-muse Jean-Pierre Leaud, stars as a self-mocking socialist. He is always seen pacing through rooms shouting aloud from socialist manifestoes and pointedly drifting into philosophical musings over cups of tea. Both of them only smile once.

La Chinoise is considered Godard’s most political project. But his views are difficult to distinguish, and they were not apparently his motivation for making the film. He did not know he was creating a prophetic film in 1967. He simply chose the two most interesting and controversial topics at the moment of the mid-sixties—anarchy and radical Maoist ideas—and cast a group of youths to blend them to life. China was just then beginning to bulk up their cultural revolution and just one year later the French government was almost overthrown by the May 1968 uprising of students and workers. French students gave an unenthusiastic response while Maoist students who saw the film vehemently rejected Godard’s focus on violence. For today’s audience, though, the film is more artistic than political.

La Chinoise has changed out of its old clothes. Now it can be seen as a flashy, Pseudo-satire, aging away from its controversial beginnings. It is quite experimental and worth close artistic examination. Between rather straightforward shots of watching the characters speak, we see pans of hastily painted red shutters, and the images are constantly mocking the characters thoughts and eccentric ambitions. Most of the film takes place inside a lavish apartment, highlighting the claustrophobic and hypocritical nature of the revolutionaries’ project. Godard and his crew (including his cinematographer counterpart Raoul Coutard) had to find visual symbols within the house to express their themes, so almost every shot contains huge decorative lamps that look like bird cages and serve as symbols of the artificiality of their headquarters and their own wastefulness and self-proclaimed captivity. The walls are covered in slogans in red ink, which means there is also always some form of text hanging behind the actor’s speech, hinting at the rehearsed nature of their language. Everything they say has been said before and actually acted upon. All of these combined details illuminate one of Godard’s satirical

themes: the self consciousness of the cinema.

In the 1964 film Bande à part (The Outsiders), for example, Godard unravels the powers of cinema to examine his character’s private moments of sexual isolation, such as the 36 second piece of the film that is shot intentionally without sound. In La Chinoise, the storyline actually traces the young people making a film about starting a revolution.

We see the cameras in one scene and for the remainder of the film, the crewmen—whose voices we can only hear— examine the students’ motives in interview style questions. More than with

bourgeois consumerism, which included a strangely beautiful ten minute shot of a traffic jam, little from Godard’s isolated late-sixties repertoire is recognized, not even the prophetic La Chinoise.

Jean-Paul Belmondo and Jean Seberg in Godard’s iconoclastic A Bout de soufflé.

B

ut in 1979, Godard returned to the cinema with a few successes. His twenty minute short Sauve qui peut la vie, an examination of sexual relationships in different combinations, is at least recognized, and Passion (1982) performs as a self-conscious film musing over the need for a story. Then

Francois Truffaut, another key New Wave director, once called him ‘a piece of shit on a pedestal’ after a particularly dramatic falling out. any other filmmaker of the period the audience is aware that the room is a set, the people actors, and the furniture props; his work is infused with distanciation devices that belie Brecht’s influence.

After Le weekend, Godard formed the Dziga Vertov Group and left the cinema world for political filmmaking, famously ending the film with the typically arrogant slogan ‘cinema is dead.’

Whilst he still makes films to this day (his latest Notre Musique is currently on limited release), he is still best remembered first and only box office hit A bout de soufflé (Breathless, 1960), for which Godard won great respect and promise. A bout de soufflé was a landmark for the French New Wave, a movement of young directors who made independently produced incorporating a cool mix of elements from Hollywood crime movies and real life youth culture, never seen before in cinemas.

Audiences expected more of the same smoky philosophical quality. But after his second commercial success Vivre sa vie (1962), and Bande a Part he went on to make more collaborative and experimental works. Godard’s projects became progressively controversial and during the early 60’s most of his films either deflated or enraged audiences. He became less accessible as a man and a filmmaker. Even his commissioned work was rejected by French TV, and the BBC. Apart from Le Week End (1967), another film critiquing French

Godard was running extremely low on funds for his next film, a modern day story of the Virgin Mary (1985, Je vous salut, Marie, Hail Mary). He was so desperate for funding that he took on a commercial project, a film based on French stars set in one location, a Paris hotel. Détective strays from being characteristically “Godard,” but he still makes the material his own.

In Détective Godard uses his background in film noir to direct a montage of detective stories and failing love stories. In typical Godard fashion, the film moves through dialogue more than action which works well. However it also makes the film exceptionally confusing: Godard only gives us pieces of love stories, mysteries, and mafia crimes. It traces, with uncertain fingers, the story of a married couple, the beautiful and bored Francois and the balding and boring Emile, (Nathatlie Baye and Claude Brasseur) who are attempting to collect a debt from a tired mobhaunted boxing manager, Jim Fox Warner (Johnny Halliday). But these complexities are not emotive or worth explaining in any more detail. The story is valuable more in its parts than in its whole.

The only interesting portion of the narrative is the choppy surface story in which the hotel detective (Laurent Terzieff) is searching for the “simple” reason that a prince was shot in his hotel room by a killer without an apparent motive two years ago. Besides some

provocative images (we return to the reflection of a billiard table in a mirrored ceiling quite often) and some more simple and stunning close compositions— the adulterous couple talk about the future of their love in one naturally lit pose—the film refuses to cohere. But what marks this film and so many of Godard’s others is not only the dialogic base, but the emphasis on literature and poetry.

Throughout the whole film, almost every character is reading a different book. And the most notable title is Shakespeare’s The Tempest. The detective and an eighteen year old student, properly named Ariel, read parts of the play together, reading different parts simultaneously. Thus, the madness inside the hotel starts growing trees and oceans, beasts and beaches, and looks more like Prospero’s island with each absurd event.

Godard’s film begins to mimic Shakespeare’s thoughtful obsession with Time, how we are always conscious of it but are unable to do anything about its passage.

Détective, then, like The Tempest cannot be explained chronologically. It is best to view the film as a further exploration of the question of the classical adherence of unities of time, place, and action. As one character says, “In the end, everyone is left with his own fragmented truth.” Unfortunately, some people may not have the patience for his literary technique. You could watch this film ten times and still not completely understand one relationship.

To say that Godard is a controversial director would be an understatement. His former collegue Francois Truffaut, another key New Wave director, once called him ‘a piece of shit on a pedestal’ after a particularly dramatic falling out. But he remains one of the most influential directors of the twentieth century, whether or not he is liked. Perhaps the most notable distinction between Godard and other directors of our time is his unrelenting attempt to deconstruct the cinematic image. Even though he can be reclusive and is hated by many of his peers, he is a seeker of truth and is obsessed with the possibilities film has for touching some space of truth and politics. Some find this searching pretentious, but maybe this is his way of pushing around the edges of cinema to see where it will give.

Détective and La Chinoise will be released by Optimum on May 16th.

Event the

04.05.05

10 Feature

Norfolk and Norwich Festival

Summer time means festival time, and from the 4th to the 15th of May, Norwich will be holding its very own arts festival, celebrating the best in music, dance, theatre and comedy. Over eleven days the city will host over a hundred performances in fifteen different venues.

The Singer Lhasa appears on the 6th May at St Andrew’s Hall, 8pm

F

irst up is a performance on May 4th from the Nimmo Twins, entitled Normal for Norfolk. This promises to be a hilarious stroll through some of the quirkier elements of Norfolk living, from two extremely talented comedians. They have been described as two of the funniest people that the UK has to offer and have sold out at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival three years in a row. Worth seeing if only for their offensive, astute observations of what it’s like to live in Norwich.

Next up is an internationally renowned singer by the name of Lhasa, performing at St Andrews Hall on May 6th. This Mexican Canadian performer has been heavily influenced by her nomadic childhood and her bohemian upbringing is thought to be the inspiration behind her eclectic bilingual vocals, which include a mixture of English, French and Spanish.

Following a seven year break to escape from the fame which followed the release of her first album, La

Llorona, Lhasa will now be performing work from her latest album, The Living Road, which recently earned her the BBC Award for World Music in 2005.

Her music has been linked to that of Bjork, Edith Piaf and Tom Waits. Her smoky, impassioned vocals are as renowned as the philosophical, lifeenhancing lyrics. This European star promises to bring some much needed international glamour to the dark interiors of Norwich.

Storioni Trio

M

ay 7th brings an invigorating slice of musical entertainment, with a late night performance at St Peter Mancroft Church by Emma Johnson and the Storioni Trio. Emma Johnson is a world renowned clarinettist, who returns after a sell out per-

formance at last year’s festival. For this special late night concert she will be performing Messiaen’s masterpiece Quartet for the End of Time alongside the Storioni Trio.

Another potential act to fill up those luxurious student days are an intriguThe Bays

ing band called The Bays, who are to perform at the Playhouse on May 9th.

The Bays are made up of some of the biggest names in the session world.

Between them they have worked with the likes of both David Bowie and Massive Attack. Their music has been used on some of the most inspiring film soundtracks of recent years, including Adaptation and Traffic. They have never recorded any material, so it is impossible to buy any of their CDs. They believe solely in the powers of improvisation. Using drums, bass, DJ and keyboard FX they are the masters of electronica, encompassing everything from drum ‘n’ bass to house and hip-hop.

Having already played performances at Knebworth, Glastonbury, Big Chill and Ministry of Sound, they are currently creating major waves of interest throughout the music industry.

Whatever they come up with on the night, this performance promises to be one of most exciting events that the festival has to offer. Miss it at your peril.

Clare Teal

A

lso performing on May 9th, for those who prefer a dash of culture, is jazz sensation Clare Teal, who is singing at St Andrews Hall. Teal has recently signed a deal with Sony records of reportedly Jamie Cullum size proportions. She is the next big thing in UK jazz and has been described as one of the most engaging live performers on the circuit today.

Having recently released her latest album, Don’t Talk, which is infused with a mixture of stunning big band numbers, irrepressible sambas and passionate ballads,Teal seems set to rise to

the dizzy heights of fame fairly soon.

This should certainly be a night to take note of.

For those of a more theatrical disposition, Matthew Bourne’s brand new production of his acclaimed ballet, Highland Fling, is being performed on May 10th at the Theatre Royal.

The critically renowned director has followed the huge success of his previous shows, Swan Lake, Nutcracker! and Play Without Words with this latest production, a contemporary reworking of the classic romantic ballet La Sylphide.

Highland Fling follows James, a young Glaswegian who is captured and ensnared by an unearthly, exotic siren.

Intoxicated by her wild ways, he is taunted and teased by her as she leads him into an enchanting and mysterious world beyond the backstreets of Glasgow.

This ballet is a gossamer, gothic fable of winged fairies, energy and imagination and is packed with Bourne’s trademark wit, sparkle and humour. If his other productions are anything to go by, this should be well worth the ticket price.

I

ning artists are heavily under the influence of popular culture. They are renowned for their irreverent interventions into everyday life.

This latest creation is likely to be a cross between the surrealism of Donnie Darko and the docu-comedy of Dave Gorman, with a fantastic soundtrack to accompany it. Super Night Shot is a multi-screen film event, in which

Tuesday 10 May Ashok Klouda + Borut Zagoranski The Last Ballade Andrew Manze, Richard Egarr Russian State Symphony Orchestra Highland Fling

The Assembly House, 1pm, £5/8 Norwich Arts Centre, 7.30pm, £8 King of Hearts, 7.30pm, £7/15 St Andrew’s Hall, 7.30pm, £5-45 Theatre Royal, 7.30pm, £5-23.50 The Assembly House, 1pm, £5/8 John Innes Centre, 7.30pm, £5/15 Norwich Arts Centre, 8pm, £7/9 Norwich Cathedral, 9pm, £5/17 Norwich Playhouse, 9pm, £5/14

Thursday 05 May Regent String Quartet Jacques Loussier Trio Emma Johnson + Brodsky Quartet Stephen Mottram’s Animata

The Assemly House, 1pm, £5/8 St Peter Mancroft, 8pm £5-30 John Innes Centre, 7.30pm, £5/18 Norwich Puppet Theatre, 8pm, £5/9

Wednesday 11 May Harriet Fraser + William Hancox Steven Osborne Guy Davis Hildegard Gob Squad: Super Night Shot

Friday 06 May Jonathan Deakin + Daniel Swain Luminarium Brook Street Band Tallis Scholars Lhasa

The Assembly House, 1pm, £5/8 Chapelfield Gardens, 3-8pm, £3.50 John Innes Centre, 7.30pm, £5/15 Norwich Cathedral, 7.30pm, £5-23 St Andrew’s Hall, 8pm, £5-18

Thursday 12 May Jenny Doyne + Jenny Miles City of London Sinfonia Carole Cerasi Gob Squad: Super Night Shot Alexander Balanescu

The Assembly House, 1pm, £5/8 St Andrew’s Hall, 7.30pm, £5-30 King of Hearts, 7.30pm, £5/12 Norwich Playhouse, 9pm, £5/14 St Peter Mancroft, 10.15pm, £5-16

Saturday 07 May Video Claymation Workshop Over The Moon A Child of our Time Enrico Rava Emma Johnson + Storioni Trio

Norwich Puppet Theatre, 10.30am, £6 Norwich Puppet Theatre, 2.30pm, £6 St Andrew’s Hall, 7.30pm, £5-27 Norwich Playhouse, 8pm, £5/15 St Peter Mancroft, 10.15pm, £5-16

Friday 13 May Avanti Piano Trio Mikhail Rudy + Misha Alperin City of London Sinfonia June Tabor

The Assembly House, 1pm, £5/8 John Innes Centre, 7.30pm, £5/15 St Andrew’s Hall, 7.30pm, £5-23 Norwich Playhouse, 8pm, £5/15

Saturday 14 May James Campbell Medieval Banquet Balanescu Quartet Bigger Sky Richard Sinclair + Theo Travis

Norwich Playhouse, 2.30pm, £5/7 King of Hearts, 7pm, £32 John Innes Centre, 8pm, £5/17 Norwich Cathedral, 8pm, £5/9 Norwich Playhouse, 8pm, £5/8

Sunday 15th May Music + Underwater Creatures Luminarium Janet Cardiff’s Forty Part Motet The Tragic Flute Festival Finale: Joshua Redman

Puppet Theatre, 10.30am, £6 Chapefield Gardens, 12-8pm, £3.50 St Peter Parmentergate, 1-6pm, Free Norwich Cathedral, 2.30pm, Free St Andrew’s Hall, 8pm, £5-20

Sunday 08 May Phoenix Rising Balanescu + Obermaier + Maria T

King of Hearts, 11am, £5/7 Norwich Playhouse, 8pm, £5/15

Monday 09 May Haddiscoe to Raveningham Walk Jeanine Thorpe + Alex Demitriou Steven Osborne Clare Teal The Bays

Millennium Plain, 9.30am, £20 The Assembly House, 1pm, £5/8 John Innes Centre, 7.30pm, £5/15 St Andrew’s Hall, 8pm, £5-20 Norwich Playhouse, 8.30pm, £4/15

Where...

St Andrews Hall Bank Plain

Norwich Arts Centre St Benedicts Street

Norwich Puppet Theatre St James, Whitefriars King of Hearts 13-15 Fye Bridge Street Norwich Cathedral Tombland

The Garage near Chapelfield Gardens

Chapelfield Gardens Chapelfield Road

Norwich will become a film set for a series of fantastical missions. The cigarette butts, market stalls, cars and buildings become props and facades. The people around town become the extras, potential friends, lovers or family members of the film-makers. In one single shot, Gob Squad document their adventures in Norwich and bring them back for us to view that night.

Millennium Plain, 6.30pm Free Norwich Cathedral 8.30pm £5-30 Norwich Playhouse, 8pm, £5/15 The Garage, 8pm, £5 St Peter Mancroft, 10.15pm, £5-16 St Peter Parmentergate, 1-6pm, Free

Norwich Playhouse 42-58 St George’s Street

Gob Squad f you’re looking for a surreal evening, then check out a performance on May 11th by the Berlin-based Gob Squad, entitled Super Night Shot.

The Playhouse is once again the venue for the screening of this innovative, unusual documentary.

Previously described by one critic as “part plane disaster, part rock concert”, this crazy collective of award win-

What’s On...

Wednesday 04 May Festival Launch Event Jan Garbarek + Hilliard Ensemble The Nimmo Twins Hugh Hopper Trio Alexander Balanescu Janet Cardiff’s Forty Part Motet

The Nimmo Twins

Event

Feature 11

Norwich Theatre Royal Theatre Street

The Assembly House Theatre Street

St Peter Mancroft Church Millennium Plain St Peter Parmentergate Church King Street Millennium Plain Bethel Street

Tickets for all events can be booked in person at the Norwich Theatre Royal Box Office on Theatre Street, or by telephone on 01603 766400. You can also contact the box office by email at boxoffice@theatreroyalnorwich.co.uk.

For additional information about the Festival have a look at the website www.n-joy.org.uk.

the

Event the

04.05.05

04.05.05

12 Music

Live Reviews

Albums

Ocean Colour Scene LCR 20/04/05

New Order

Waiting For The Sirens Call This album takes time to grow on you. It is only by the third listen when the chilled tone becomes less of a hindrance and more appreciated. By that time, however, it has developed into more than background music. There’s nothing wrong with Waiting... but there is nothing thrilling about it either, and therein lies the problem. There are definite moments of electronic groove that could have been abused far more, but instead the album is pitched at mediocrity. The singles are on here (ie Jetstream), but the persistent notion that this could have been sung by any other band and the listener would not blink an eyelid, is not exactly promising.

After hearing the amount of good words spoken about this band, it’s disappointing to hear this, as it is unable to lift itself above sounding bland, and has none of their original verve or dynamism. The album sounds like a throwback to the early Nineties, which, while not necessarily a bad thing, becomes so when there is little differentiation between the songs. Whilst sounding greatly like one song, it isn’t a bad song, but has little else to make it above average.

Cheerful bunch, aren’t they?

Suzanne Rickenback

As the anthemic chorus to The Day We Caught The Train rings out from the stage, the LCR and everyone in it are miraculously transported back to the summer of ‘96, and only two things are certain. The first is that Britpop is alive and well. The second is that Oasis are vastly overrated. Rather, Ocean Colour Scene take everything the brothers Gallagher base their musical career upon (The Beatles, sunglasses, choruses centring around “Oh-Oh-La-La!”), and improve it vastly.

Tonight, OCS draw upon their new record, the superbly titled A Hyperactive Workout for the Flying Squad, as well as tracks spanning their 8 album career. The Circle, Hundred Mile High City and Profit In Peace sound as fresh tonight as the day they first graced the airwaves, and the band‘s playing and stage presence do not fail to entertain- Steve Cradock’s guitar work owes more at times to Jimmy Page than Noel Gallagher, and drummer Oscar Harrison dons lead vocals at one point to supremely soulful effect.Yet it is The Day We Caught The Train, coming as it does just prior to the encore, which itself featured a rip-roaring cover of The Beatles’ Day Tripper, that unites the audience in chorus and opens our eyes as to just how overlooked this band really is.

Dogs Arts Centre 21/04/05 There weren’t any Dogs jokes in the review so we had to put one in.

many bands in their twilight years. Yet, unfortunately, they seem to have never progressed or deviated away from the same Byrds-esque sound. It would have been more desirable to have tried something new and failed or just not bothered at all.

Nick Brookes Force Of Evil Black Empire This album is pure genius.

Straddling the boundary between sacrifice-drenched black metal and gay-as-abadger power rock, Force of Evil have managed to create something of true beauty.

Squealing guitar harmonics?

Check. High-pitched shrieking from the disappointinglynamed Martin Steene? Check.

As camp as a row of tents?

Check, in extremis. What most people won't understand is how superb this sounds after a few beers and an evening putting young maidens to the sword. It's both deadly serious and hysterically funny - after all, there's a song called Back To Hell which is as brilliantly overblown and packed full of as many metal cliches as is humanly possible. Force of Evil are no Iron Maiden, but they give it their best shot and impale me on a stake if they don't come close.

Ben Patashnik

Dogs, united by their ‘shared hatred of the low ambition banality’ of London’s apparently dead music scene make a swift return to Nowich (quote: Dogs tour schedule) on their own tour this time. “The Pack”, as they like to call themselves, take to the stage with a sense of try-hard chaos, an attempt to emulate that which their support, 10 000 Things, manage easily, perhaps?

Cynicism and dog jokes aside, the band put on a good show; ladish and aggression fuelled, one has to respect them – they do not have token good looks and they are not public school converts. With Dogs it is about their music and their energy, they know how to play to a crowd. And the crowd enjoyed it. Their February release She’s Got A Reason probably the highlight of the set. Johnny Cooke - when he was what can only be described as smashed - recently declared himself frontman to ‘the greatest punk band in Britain’ ..disillusioned or is he just ambitious? Forthcoming gigs, festivals and this summer’s album release shall decide.

Miranda Bryant

Event 04.05.05 the

Teenage Fanclub 4 Songs, 2 Centuries Teenage Fanclub, with their brand new release, It’s All In My Mind, have taken the opportunity to remind us what has made them such a cult band over the last sixteen years. Included amongst the four songs, is the particularly good Sparky’s Dream from 95’s Grand Prix.What is heartening is that neither of the songs from their latest offering Manmade show a decline in song writing that plagues so

Mountain Goats The Sunset Tree The name of this band does nothing for expectation and, as they are little known, would-be listeners can be forgiven for not expecting much from this band. But it turns out that it doesn’t take too much imagination to make The Goats reminiscent of alternative US indie gods Neutral Milk Hotel. Which is nice. This is apparently their umpteenth album and they boast an impressive dedicated underground following, for good reason it seems. The Sunset Tree is a consistently impressive album, an overwhelming air of sadness imbues the poetic lyrics of this record, but the gorgeous mix of acoustic, Americana, and lo-fi folk ("folk music with a hammer"), and the powerful, at times strained, voice of singer/song writer John Darnielle suggests that all is not bad. Stand out tracks, This Year and Magpie are intricate, engrossing acoustic numbers, and thankfully Up the Wolves is not an ode to that shite football team I love to hate so much. This record is good.

Matthew Elliot Tracy Bonham Blink The Brightest Ms Bonham’s talents are not limited, but at times they fail to satisfy. Undeniably, the resurgence in recent years of the female singer/songwriter is nothing other than a good thing, and many such artists have produced music of a standard head-and-shoulders above that of their male counterparts. Tracy Bonham most certainly does not fail in doing this - All Thumbs, Take Your Love Out On Me and the sombre yet jazzy Wilting Flower are all gems of songs - but numerous tracks on this album, if played by a male group, would fail to rise above the moniker of fairly standard, fairly melodic indie-rock. This is to take nothing away from Blink the Brightest however this album is honest and enjoyable, with Bonham’s voice gliding delightfully throughout, and displays a song writing talent which, given time, looks likely to blossom into something beautiful.

Simon Griffiths

Johnny Panic The Violent Dazzling "Violent, dazzling" front man Rob replied when asked to describe Johnny Panic's live gigs. On record the studio quality gives this album an eloquence of quality rock, the skill rarely found in the songs of mainstream chart-chasers.

But the smooth and the precise contribute their style to unfair and laborious pigeon holing;

too chirpy for rock and roll, too down to earth for emo, its just got to be that brush-aside pop rock. Scan the website and you may just believe that they might at least sound like amen or maybe funeral for a friend. And they probably are violent and dazzling0 on stage, they've been around a while but still don't seem to have learnt that studio produced conventions are boring; class such as this deserves more.

Charles Rumsey

The Funky Lowlives Someone Else is here Summer is coming, and the Funky Lowlives are here to bring it in with style. They're graceful, melodic, upbeat, and relaxed. This is a perfect album to listen to out in the sun and just forget about all your exam-related worries with the beautiful soothing guitar and orchestra-based melodies. Particular highlights include the instrumental Time to let you go and the trance like Till I left the music.

Think the last Air album, but English, and you have a rough estimation of this CD. Best known as producers for other bands, the lowlives have been sitting in the limelight since 1998. After the tragic death of their former manager, the lowlives have reinvented themselves with Somewhere else is here. This is their second major release, and hopefully will bring them some of the attention they deserve. It's hard to find fault with this cd, it really is the perfect summer CD.

Tom Souter

Music 13

Live Reviews

Singles

The Hives LCR 26/04/05

Mylo

In My Arms Mylo or Myles MacInnes, is a 24 year old producer from the Isle of Sky. This new single In My Arms is taken from his muchhyped debut album Destroy Rock and Roll. In it he samples Kim Carnes' Betty Davis Eyes, (which this reviewer unfortunately is not old enough or clever enough to remember). It continues the recent trend of sampling cheesy 80s tracks such as The Sunset Strippers' reworking of Boy Meets Girl's Waiting for a Star to Fall.

Although the Sunset Strippers' song works to great effect played to drunken students in the LCR, Mylo's take on Betty Davis Eyes would most likely not have the same impact.

The track starts off in a decent way with it's funky disco bass line, however it never really seems to get going. As it continues it begins to feel more and more like your CD player is knackered as the sample repeats itself to the point of self destruction. Mylo says of his work, 'It's got to have impact, otherwise I just don't see the point', unfortunately the impact from this single is mostly one of irritation and wanting to throw it out the window.

Mark Crawley

The Tears Refugees

Countermine Letters

LCD Soundsytem Discoinfiltrator

Over 10 years ago, the songwriting force behind Suede, Brett Anderson and Bernard Butler, fell out, which led to Butler's departure from the band. The pair reconciled many years later and, with the demise of Suede, have begun this new venture.

Comparisons with Suede are all too easy - similar soaring guitars, similar urban romantic lyrics - but The Tears prove that the pair are still capable of writing fantastic pop songs.

This catchy, accessible, Britpop-tinged single will please Suede fans and newcomers alike and, with some B-sides that could be singles in their own right, "Refugees" is worth the decade-long wait.

Pianos and rock are a tried and tested way to polish up even the dullest of Indy ballads, Countermine even throw in those soothing violins for some extra shine. Parts of Letters might sound sickeningly like rips on the Manics but this British 5-piece is far ahead of the bandwagon's rear carriages, they were one of those bands that toured with the Stone Roses which says it all really; it's the much needed authenticity to a less than inspiring track, the type of attribute that will rocket Countermine to our overplayed favours.

Given the pedigree behind LCD Soundsystem I was expecting to instantly fall in love with Disco Infiltrator, that didn't happen - it is however a definite grower. LCD's James Murphy is co-founder of DFA records, a label that boasts some pretty cool up and coming bands, and he's also produced for David Holmes and Radio 4 amongst others. This is a simple, yet decent and (eventually!) catchy, electronic 'punk-funk' dance number, a sound reminiscent of DaftPunk that should soon be filling a dance floor somewhere near you… I had my doubts about this single, but give it a little time and it'll pay off!

Chris Hyde

System Of A Down B.Y.O.B There is no way that you could mistake this for any other band, as it bears the return of S.O.A.D and fits into their usual frantic style. B.Y.O.B is full of loud buzzing guitars, Serj howling, singing and screaming for its entirety; however, this still remains standard S.O.A.D. Musically they are still as together as ever, with guitars that beg for them to go mental, but are let down with the slow pace of the others. They have stayed to the same formula throughout the years, and while it worked before (as with, for example, chop suey), it is now growing tired.

Charles Rumsey

Chris Hyde

Mika Bomb Norwich Arts Centre 11/03/05

Dogs Tuned To A Different Station

Gorillaz Demon Days El Presidente 100mph

James Banks

Matthew Elliot

Suzanne Rickenback

Damon Albarn's animated four-piece Gorillaz return with this unexpectedly melancholic first single from their second album Demon Days. The song contains many elements that constantly surprise the listener - a catchy and inventive bass line, hip hop beats, gentle acoustic guitars, haunting vocals, rapping from guests De La Soul, weird laughter and handclaps are just a few.

Complete with a fantastic cartoon video, Feel Good Inc manages to combine these elements very well and creates a song that can be danced to as well as being relaxing. Perfect for relieving exam stress!

With a front man who can only be descibed as a cross between the Mask and Gomez Addams, this was sure to be a gig not to be missed; or indeed one that would not be forgotten in a long while. Wearing their now trademark white suits and black shirts, there is nothing black and white about the Hives' music. They rock till they drop (the bassist looked like he was swimming in his own sweat, but still managed to pull it off) and they are able to pull the crowd in a way that this reviewer has never seen before at the LCR with a mixture of singles and highlighting songs from their latest album. Their infamous arrogance spilling out on to the stage: "Norwich" screamed Pelle "you are in my pocket". By the end of the night it had to be admitted that The Hives had the LCR eating out of their hands, not just sitting in their pockets.

Smother Understand

Ever wondered what AC/DC would sound like if they reformed and bought some synths? Well here’s your answer, and its not a very good one. In fact, its awful. The vocals carry a disgustingly feigned country-twang to them, the use of electronics is tacky to the max, and unless The Event is very much mistaken, the chord progression is “borrowed” from The Scissor Sister’s Take Your Mama Out. Its clear that the band have tried to be camp and tongue-in-cheek about this

Smother's new single is reminiscent of the Smashing Pumpkins, it would be hard not to listen to this single and make the comparison. Listen out for the 'vocal dexterity' section which sounds uncannily like the same section in Bullet with Butterfly Wings, but that is not to say that Smother have plagiarised the pumpkins. It is easy to see what bands have been carved into their arms and a few spring to mind like Queens of the Stone age, Manics and the Smashing Pumpkins, but this is a beautiful pop-song that shows music from Essex is not necessarily restricted to electronic beats.

Simon Griffiths

James Banks

Currently on a tour of the UK (stopping off in Norwich to play the Arts Centre) Tuned To A Different Station is Dogs latest release ahead of their album expected this summer.

The intro bounds straight into singer Johnny Cooke’s coarse vocals singing lines somewhat apt to this reviewer’s current attitude to her degree;“I suffer from a lack of concentration…my brain’s just tuned to a different station.” It’s a vibrant tune that embraces the powerful sound of sleaze rock. The perfect song for blasting out across the lake as you kid yourself you’re revising.

Hayley Chappell

The crowd at tonight’s Japanese extravaganza are a mixed bunch, with different walks of life congregating into the art centre gothic lolitas’s, Art school kids, J-pop enthusiasts and all cram into the room. The opening band ‘ Hyper kinako’ are delectably weird, throwing in cheerleaders, cowgirls and lollipops into their set, making it as weird visually as it was audibly - but to a greatly appreciative (if confused) audience.

Headliners ‘Mika Bomb’ thrive with energy and enthusiasm, the tiny front woman stomps around the stage, demanding everyone’s attention and telling us to ‘rock out’. Which with or without the command, sees people (to Heart attack in particular) swiftly making their way to the increasing crowd of people dancing at the front. Tonight is one were you would have to challenge someone to not have fun, and the impression upon leaving is one of a very satisfied audience.

Suzanne Rickenback

Event the

04.05.05

14Cinema

The Other Screen

The Main Feature

Sin City

Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

T

o the extent that no ‘screenwriter’ appears in the credits, Sin City is Frank Miller’s comic-book drawn large and fast on the screen. Such a direct adaptation – or ‘translation’ as director Rodriguez puts it – is both remarkable and in this case inevitable, since Miller has long held the movie rights for his comic works under sturdy lock and key, and well away from the producers whose ideas of ‘adaptation’ tended to differ greatly from his own (Miller had had bad experience with Hollywood in the early 1990s.)

Robert Rodriguez, a passionate fan of the comic, turned out to have very similar filming ideas to Miller, and started work with his approval and extensive help – hence no in-between screenwriter, just Miller and Rodriquez co-directing.

As a result, Sin City is driven by all manner of comic-book stylisations: non-naturalistic colour (here black and white with splashes of bright colour); eruptive splatters of gore; continuous voice-overs from the character on screen – like speech-bubbles; elaborate costumes; and of course the highly detailed and faintly fantastical settings, which were all shot separately to the acting and then added digitally. Everything comes off to wondrous effect, as you might expect from a director who has always had a flair for pulpy violence. Even so, nothing in Rodriguez’s back-catalogue (which includes Desperado, From Dusk till Dawn, and Once Upon a Time in Mexico) achieves the same sublime balance between visual excess and visual precision that we get here, where a bloody brawl is matched for impact by the image of a hero’s thuggish face, covered in strip plasters and looking like an

exploded crossword puzzle.

It’s to Rodriguez and Miller’s credit that the visual flourishes don’t drain the story of intrigue and humanity, heavily ‘typed’ though the characters and situations both are. Here Sin City is noir to the bone: trenchcoated antiheroes, lovely-but-dangerous-toknow young women, shadowy alleyways, seedy bars, shady deals, corrupt authorities and unseen arch-evil.

With its roots in 1940s/50s film noirs like The Big Sleep (1946) and Kiss me Deadly (1955), Sin City frequently blooms into something more grandiose, surreal, or broadly slapstick. Take the scene where the current protagonist is driving down a night highway with a corpse sat beside him: the voiceover murmurs on, describing internal thoughts and fears, and suddenly his fevered state of mind is made thrillingly visual as the corpse lifts its head and starts chatting away, its voice all strained and gurgly thanks to a slit throat.

(Quentin Tarantino guest-directed this episode for a fee of $1 – call that budget well spent.)

The narrative too takes a modern route, playing three separate stories Pulp Fiction-style, one after another with occasional intersections (the film matches the comic almost exactly in this department).

Bruce Willis leads the most poignant episode as city cop Hartigan, a wrongfully shamed hero with a ‘bum ticker’, doomed to a broken heart and more by a violently unjust society. A brilliant and unrecognisable Mickey Rourke plays out a shocking revenge drama as unrelenting street-fighter Marv, and Clive Owen does macho with a darkly wry twist like never before, as he desperately tries to recover evidence of his murdering a cop. True to the noir genre, all the storylines focus on male redemption or downfall, with the female roles limited – though often striking – and highly sexualised. If there’s an element of adolescent fantasy here, then its part of the exaggerated aesthetic and desire-driven story construction that makes the film so vital. In its own way anyway, Sin City is high watermark for comic-book adaptations, action-filled neo-noir, and sickly amusing Tarantinoesque spectaculars.

Sebastian Manley

Event 04.05.05 the

T

his is what The Event has to say about The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy: The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy is perhaps the most remarkable film ever to come out of the great film corporations of Hollywood.

Funnier than The Lord of the Rings, more insightful than Die Hard and more controversial than the latest Star Wars Trilogy of Science Fiction blockbusters: Where George Lucas Went Wrong, Some More of George Lucas’ Greatest Mistakes, and Who is this George Lucas Fellow Anyway?

This much loved cultural phenomenon of the late seventies and eighties, which began life as a radio show before being turned into a book and a tv series, now appears in its long awaited cinematic manifestation, perfectly timed at its release on the 29th April to precede Star Wars Episode III. If Star Wars seems more and more like a cynical expansion of a once original, now soulless series, then Hitch Hiker’s Guide provides the perfect antidote, doing to the Sci-fi genre what Austin Powers did to James Bond.

Based on Douglas Adams’ own especially prepared screenplay, drafted before his death four years ago, and completed by Karey Kirkpatrick (Chicken Run), the film has largely remained loyal to the original material. Indeed according to director Garth Jennings, one half of the production house Hammer and Tongs, Adams’ paring down of the script had been so drastic that they even had to put material back in, such as the fantastic scene in which two thermo nuclear missiles turn into a bowl of petunias and a rather surprised looking sperm whale voiced

by Bill Bailey.

The casting is very effective; especially Alan Rickman as the morose robot Marvin and Stephen Fry as the whimsical voice of the book. More surprising is the performance of rapper Mos Def (The Woodsman) who provides a perfect contrast to Martin Freeman’s tightly wound Arthur. The casting of a rapper as Prefect also adds an extra level of irony to the joke when Dent discovers that he is from a planet in the vicinity of Beetlejuice and “not from Guildford after all.” Martin Freeman has eloquently summed up this interesting parallel by commenting, “Arthur Dent was flying around the Galaxy with a bunch of aliens and I was stuck with a load of Americans.”

The film acts as a tribute to the late writer, and Martin Freeman (who plays Arthur Dent) seemed to speak for the cast and crew when he said that he would only carry on with the series if it “was done with the same intentions,” and not turned into a shallow franchise.

The ending of the film does anticipate this potential sequel, with Ford Prefect suggesting that they all go for a meal at the restaurant at the end of the universe (the title of the second novel).

However the film’s clumsy romantic ending in which love interest Trillion (Zooey Deschanel) and Arthur Dent set off together to see the universe and the Earth is restored by Slartibartfast (Bill Nighy) to its former ‘glory’ (or how it was when they left it anyway), arguably provides an unnecessary degree of closure, something Adams always fervently resisted (hence the trilogy in 5 parts).

It was perhaps inevitable, given Adams’ tortuous and digressive genius and his penchant for misanthropic hanging endings that a Hollywood treatment should attempt to tame the material in this way. However this is not all bad as the new plot focuses much more on the bureaucratic Vogons, one of Adams’ most successful creations, making the narrative more cohesive, though slightly more linear as a result.

Some of the new material may take some getting used to for fans of the books or radio show, such as the seemingly arbitrary introduction of the P.O.V gun. This gun, which causes its target to see things the way you do, does however allow Marvin to act the hero in a hilarious scene at the end of the film.

If the narrative structure at times stops the film from being an absolute triumph, then the content itself does not disappoint at all. Indeed the most accomplished aspect of the film is its visual design, thanks to the originality and cutting edge creativity that the production company Hammer and Tongs bring to the project, along with the budget that has allowed them to visually realise some of the novel’s more inventive whims (such as Zaphod Beeblebrox’s second head).

Adams’ ideas make the transition to film well and very often the verbal humour of the radio show is augmented and enhanced by clever visual jokes, for example every time the Heart of Gold’s Infinite Improbability Drive is initiated the ship hilariously turns into random objects (an apple, a shoe, an alarm clock) before disappearing completely, a simple but effective device.

Jennings has wisely and bravely steered away from relying on CGI, as so many films currently do. Therefore the Vogons are incredibly detailed lifesize puppets from Jim Henson’s creature workshop, which the director and

actors were able to interact with. There is even an inspired section of the film in which everything is made of wool and animated in stop-motion.

When CGI is used, however, it is impressive to say the least, but even in these moments the film loses none of its simple charm. The destruction of Earth at the beginning of the film works best as a hilarious parody of apocalyptic scifi extravaganzas such as Independence Day (images of various cities accompanied by comic screams). The other big CGI sequence is when Slartibartfast, the modest designer of Earth (“I won an award for Norway you know”), played

by Bill Nighy - who says that if he were able to redesign the planet in reality he would remove the English Channel because it’s “bad for our manners” shows Dent the construction of Earth mark 2. Even amongst the vastness of this CGI set piece we see amusing details such as maintenance men filling the oceans with hosepipes or painting Ayres Rock red.

The film is a bizarre composite of different styles and influences drawn from all manner of sources. The guide entries are animated by small British company Shynola and parody the kind of functional ‘How to lift a crate’ style graphics found in any work place. The Vogon’s ships look like grey breezeblocks, because the Vogon’s are too boring to come up with anything better, which also explains why their home planet resembles a Welsh Quarry, typical filming location of so many low budget 50s TV series such as Doctor Who. The Vogon’s themselves were inspired by the cartoons of 18th century political satirist James Gillray and Deep Thought, the super computer who gives the answer to life the universe and everything as ‘42’, is based on Rodin’s The Thinker.

The soundtrack, composed by Joby Talbot (The Divine Comedy), is also worthy of note, and provides a suitably farcical accompaniment to this irreverent sci-fi, especially the opening montage of dolphins, the most intelligent creatures on Earth, performing tricks accompanied by the theme song ‘so long and thanks for all the fish’, sung in a kitsch male voice choir. It sets the tone well for the rest of this i n c re d i bly e n j oy a b l e film.

Dean Bowman

DVD15

A

lexander Payne has proven himself to be one of the finest contemporary American filmmakers with a string of excellent films, including Election and About Schmidt starring Jack Nicholson. His latest film Sideways, adapted from the novel by Rex Pickett, is one of the truly great films of the year so far. Like About Schmidt, Sideways is essentially a road movie. Again Payne keeps the focus on character, allowing his actors room to explore their roles.

The results are superb, with both films containing some excellent performances from the leads, yet while About Schmidt starred one of Hollywood’s most famous faces, in Sideways Payne has cast relative unknowns.

Miles (Paul Giamatti) and Jack (Thomas Haden Church) are two mid-

Play Movie

Director’s Commentary

Sideways

I'll Sleep When I'm Dead

dle-aged men who have been friends since college. Both have their flaws and both recognise that their lives have been far from successful. Miles is an English teacher hoping to get his book published and Jack a one-time soap actor reduced to doing TV commercial voiceovers. Miles is a borderline alcoholic, depressed and self-destructive, still unable to get over his ex-wife.

Jack is selfish and scared of commitment. Had they not ended up as college roommates they would surely never have become friends yet here they are twenty years later bickering and winding each other up. A week before Jack’s wedding they take a trip to the Californian wine country. As they set off Jack opens an expensive and prized bottle of Miles’ wine, despite the latter’s prot-

estations, and this is merely the first of many clashes.

Miles can’t wait to begin wine-tasting, but Jack, with little interest in the intricacies of wine, makes it his mission to get both himself and Miles laid. They meet two women Maya (Virginia Madsen) and Stephanie (Sandra Oh) and the four head out for dinner. Jack is determined they will have a good time, Miles is not so sure – cue a hilarious outburst, “If anyone orders Merlot I am leaving.

I am not drinking any fucking Merlot”.

Indeed the film is frequently hilarious, most notably in the surprise awaiting Miles when he must retrieve Jack’s wallet from the room of a waitress he slept with the night before.

Yet the film is bittersweet, the comic moments are tinged with sadness and Sideways swings from moments of hilarity to moments of pathos with ease, neither seeming out of place. One of the films finest scenes sees Miles and Maya discussing their mutual love of wine.

As Miles describes his favourite grape to Maya it soon becomes apparent that perhaps he is unwittingly describing himself. Sideways is beautifully shot, filmed on location in the vineyards of Southern California. On one level it provides a fascinating insight into the world of wine-tasting, playfully poking fun at its snobbier side through some of Miles’ more extravagant comments. Yet it is primarily a wonderful tale about middle age featuring great characters skilfully bought to life through the four central performances.

Sideways is released by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment on May 16th

I

’ll Sleep When I’m Dead is a mysterious, bleak, but refreshing look at the British gangster movie. In fact, the film is what could be termed a ‘post-gangster’ movie, in much the same way that Carlito’s Way (1993) ended the American gangster cycle of the 80s. It represents Mike Hodges second outing with Clive Owen, after the highly successful Croupier (1998). It begins by following Davey (Jonathan Rhys Meyers), a young, trendy drug dealer, out at a fashionable party in London. Very quickly he is sexually attacked; then, unable to cope with the trauma, commits suicide. Meanwhile, his older brother Will (Clive Owen), is residing in a caravan in the countryside, having had a breakdown and given up the gangster lifestyle. Soon enough Will comes to learn of Davey’s death, and begins a process of revenge and recrimination, edging back into the old gangster lifestyle.

It is this doubt and dislike that makes the film interesting, and which makes it distinct from the caricatures that populate other gangster films such as Lock Stock, and Gangster No.1, and more recent films like Layer Cake. Will’s main revenge in the film doesn’t appear to be so much on Davey’s attacker, Boad (played by an elderly, restrained Malcolm Mcdowell), as on his past self. He is full of doubt about entering back into the gangster world, assured that he’ll only be there to get his revenge, and then he’ll leave. At times, Owen’s acting seems too calm to express this quandry, but there are a number of good scenes which do. One occurs in an old nightclub, where he meets his former posse, and they urge him back to the fold. They don’t believe he has changed, and don’t believe that people can change – he replies quickly, saying that they can.

Surprisingly, -for such an obvious line-, Owen manages to convince you.

David McNaught

Extra Features

The Agony and the Ecstasy

A

far cry from the clammy noir he made his name with, Carol Reed’s The Agony and the Ecstasy (1965) is a large-canvas portrayal of Michelangelo’s undertaking to paint the Sistine Chapel ceiling. A short introductory documentary starts the film with a reverential glance over some of the Florentine artist’s other well-known works – the sculpture David, and the unfinished pieta Rondanini – and a description of Michelangelo’s natural talent and preference for sculpting over painting. This in mind, The Agony and the Ecstasy goes on to tell the tale of an artist whose greatest work starts off as a labour, and rapidly grows into an awesome obsession.

Despite some grand backdrops and battle sequences (beautifully photographed by Leon Shamroy) Reed’s film is largely a two-man show, focusing on the personal/professional relationship between Charlton Heston’s Michelangelo and Rex Harrison’s Pope Julius II, the commissioner of the ceiling. Together they are a delight to watch. Aside from the constant sparring (haggling over an increased fee, the maddened Pope exclaims ‘it costs me more to paint a ceiling than lay siege to a city!’), there’s a tenderness and poignancy to the way they deal with quite separate views on art and religion, passionate in their respective beliefs but coming to understand the other more and more through

the artistic struggle.

On the subject of the painting itself – a massively complex feat of engineering, spatial organisation and aesthetics – we get very little insight, and Heston is rarely stretched beyond applying a few flimsy brush-strokes on top of a nearly complete portrait. But there is sharp and engrossing debate concerning the morality of Michelangelo’s painting style, which emphasises the nude muscular bodies of biblical figures like Adam.

Too Greek, too immodestly Pagan, say the church. Michelangelo responds in typically fiery manner: ‘what do you expect me to do? Put britches on them?’

Sebastian Manley

A Farewell to Arms

I

f you had not read the novel and you were to watch this twentieth century classic with expectations of the lavish uplift, a word of warning: a somewhat gritty tragedy is on the cards.

Despite containing certain Technicolordrenched scenes of romance and carefree joy that would make Meet Me in St Louis jealous, the film is an overwhelmingly pessimistic affair.

The result of Frederick (Rock Hudson) and Catherine’s (Jennifer Jones) doomed affair is made even more melancholy by the backdrop of War, as they meet in Austria while he is in the ambulance squad and she is a V.A.D. The film’s cynical and despondent ending - a trope carried over from the Heming-

way novel – resonates with the ongoing discomfort, loss and suffering of World War I. Catherine has already lost one fiancée to the War, and at first is reluctant to succumb to Frederick’s charms (a classic though perhaps unintended light for recent viewers due to the incredible sexism of his chat-up lines) because he ‘didn’t join up to kill anyone’. However, despite this rocky start, an atmospheric rain storm soon assuages her doubt, and thus their relationship begins. In the plot that follows, Catherine becomes pregnant and Frederick witnesses the horror of War, leading him to desert the army and, with Catherine, flee to Switzerland. However, here the hope that

their new life together could offer is cut short, when Catherine’s labour results in a double tragedy, as Frederick loses both her and their baby.

The overall depressing atmosphere does make uncomfortable viewing, and at times it seems to drag – especially through some slightly unconvincing chemistry between Hudson and Jones.

However, if the mood so takes you, try it out as this mini-epic is definitely worth watching.

The Agony and the Ecstacy and A Farewell to Arms are released as part of Twentieth Century Fox's 70 year anniversary Studio Classics Range on May 9th.

Sometimes the dialogue seems stilted and cliched, as when Will bumps into a Welsh girl (‘You From London? I’ve been there twice. Frightened me’), and in other parts, the narrative doesn’t seem to move along fast enough. However, there are enough memorable, -and memorably silent- images to make the film worth viewing. In one great and unlikely shot, Will looks through a window into the domestic life of his brother’s tormentor, Boad: we see him in the distance, a rare glimpse of a villain in his private life, picking a wine bottle, and hugging his wife. In another shot, we focus slowly and powerfully in on Will’s girlfriend Helen (played by the excellent Charlotte Rampling) as she is curled up on her bed, distraught, watching old tapes of Davey.

You get a better idea that the film won’t be about happy bunnies and rainbows when viewing the sequence which bookends the film; Will, stood on a clifftop, looking out to sea, pondering life, love and the universe (‘The dead are dead. Only their memory remains…’). Hodges himself, on the short BBC documentary provided, explains a lot of the sombre mood of the film by admitting he is, to put it mildly, quite a pessimist. He says that at least for the time being ‘Death is the only ending I can guarantee’. Whilst its mood may seem overly pessimistic for some, there are numerous saving graces that ultimately make the film worth a look: namely Owen, Mcdowell, and Rampling.

Their performances combine with some powerfully shot scenes to make this glance at gangland London seem original, complex and far more thought-provoking than most films of this genre.

I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead is released on DVD by Momentum on May 16th.

Stephen Sharrock

Laura Mell

Event the

04.05.05

16 Arts

Book Reviews

Slam Poetry Winner A new champion was crowned at The Jazz Café last week

One Shot

by Lee Child

L

T

Gabrielle Barnes You can catch a number of hip-hop poets at Rinse-Out, on Thursdays at Imagine.

Event 04.05.05

T

he Israeli-Palestine debate has long been a violent, controversial area, into which few writers would dare to venture. In this book Neill Lochery bravely attempts to investigate the conflict that has dominated news headlines for years. A recent poll revealed that over half of Europe think Israel poses the greatest threat to world peace.

This book seeks to explain why this is, and whether this prejudice is justified.

Lochery’s study of our illogical bias towards Israel is both extremely incisive and well written, his account a fair and accurate one.

This is not only an essential read for anyone who desires an up to date account of Israel’s history, but also an accessible one for the casual reader with a vague interest in the subject matter.

his re-imagining of Alice in Wonderland promises much. It moves Alice to the counterculture of the 1970s. Alice Duncan, the novel’s protagonist, suffers from an excessive ‘maturation process’. Although aged eleven, Alice seems much older to those around her. Neglected by her parents, she finds herself adrift in an adult world which she doesn’t understand. Sent to an art institute for gifted children one summer, she gradually falls under the influence of the unsavoury, Lewis Carrol-esque figure of J.D., and it is then that her problems really begin.

Taking in the hedonism of the 1970s, abuse, drugs, art and responsibility, this is a readable book with a strong narrative.

However, it fails to live up to either its promise, or the standard of its source material.

Daisy Bowie-Sell

Roanna Bond

Amy Lowe

Why Blame is Israel? is published by Icon at £8.99.

One Pill Makes You Smaller is published by Canaongate £10.99

One Shot is published byBantam £6.99.

he Jazz Café’s Poetry Slam drew a small yet enthusiastic audience in the Hive’s red-lit arena last Monday. The atmosphere was spirited. At a glance, various people could be observed clutching notebooks in quavering hands. Five members of the audience were selected as judges before the thirteen competing poets took to the stage.

A Poetry Slam is an event where poets perform their original writing in a battle of linguistic proficiency and showmanship – in this case, for the chance to win £150. The Jazz Café’s poets exhibited these qualities amply, delivering their poetry with a confidence that belied the occasional trembling hand. The judges pronounced their verdicts, the audience booed or cheered according to their opinion on the scoring, and the highest and lowest marks for each poet were discarded. The six top-scoring poets proceeded into the next round.

Humour and sexual content served our young poets well as subject matter, provoking loudly appreciative responses from their audience. Some poets chose to establish some interaction with the audience, which went down well. Nadina Mustafa opened her performance with definitions of the slang she was about to use, for less enlightened spectators. Paul Haggar adopted the interesting approach of offering a democratic decision as to which of his poems he should perform. He listed the titles, and the one that received the loudest cheers was the one the audience got to hear.

Finally, the poets were whittled down to three: Andrea Tallarita, Chris Farnell, and Paul Haggar. Andrea’s previous hilarious offerings about the Pope and chess pieces performing unmentionable acts were sharply contrasted by the lyricism of Rain.

Chris’ Warp Factor 12 was firmly in the vein of his established witty entries, but it was Paul’s fabulously surreal Bull Poetry – five short poems in a sequence – that crowned him champion of the Slam.

The real treat however was yet to come.

Outside in the square, many of the poets stuck around and were joined by others in a rather more impromptu performance – not for prize money this time, but for the sheer love of language. As Ollie Stannard said, “Getting your message across to people – that’s payment in itself”. Amen to that.

T

One Pill Makes You Smaller

by Lisa Dierbeck

ee Child’s simplistic, matter-of-fact prose draws you to his novel One Shot so that it is difficult to put down, or perhaps just easy to read. One Shot centres around a ‘Maverick’ exsoldier cop, as all Lee Child’s novels do, who seems to be able to solve any case he comes across. Even, as in the case of One Shot, if the case is already solved, with water-tight evidence.

With CSI precision, Lee Child pulls out all the stops in an attempt to enthral the reader. However the prose is highly selfindulgent, descriptive at best, and brings nothing new to a genre which has seen better days.

For all this, there is plenty enjoyment to be gleaned. A good ‘holiday read’, for someone who prefers to be entertained rather than challenged.

Paul Haggar: The purveyor of Bull Poetry.

the

Why Blame Isreal?

by Neill Lochery

Theatre Engage Productions’ Crazy challenges views on mental illness

E

ngage Productions is run by former students of UEA Laura McPartlin and Rosa Wyatt. The pair single-handedly researched, wrote and starred in Crazy, a surreal and eye-opening experience.

The play itself is minimalist, relying only on the talents of McPartlin and Wyatt to weave a complex web of characters and situations. We are introduced to the pair as anonymous individuals, waiting in an indistinguishable room. Through boredom, the pair enter an allegorical role-play, transforming into the play’s two chief “characters” Eliza and Henry. In this simple act, issues of schizophrenia and psychosis are brought to the forefront. Through the pair’s own delusions a host of alternative characters and plot-lines emerge, each of which

leaves a question mark next to the sanity of the two protagonists.

The pair transgress gender, age, class, and arguably mental disposition to present us with a cross view of society and its attitudes to mental illness. The critique given is not always flattering. Some may ask what gives these UEA alumni the license to tackle such a sensitive issue, and what they base their observations upon. Questions such as this were answered quite explicitly in a postproduction Q&A session, and the extent of McPartlin and Wyatt’s knowledge and motivation around the subject became clear. For some months prior to tonight, the pair have conducted research in conjunction with the NHS, setting up workshops with mentalhealth patients of varying conditions in

order to harness their creative suggestions.

McPartlin and Wyatt emphasize, quite poignantly, that many of these supposedly “sick” individuals are closer to the supposed norm than most would assume. Mental illness, they suggest, is something that can affect anyone. This is the underlying message of the play, although the allegorical and open-ended conclusion suggests that questions stand to be answered. These are questions about who, or what, may be considered “crazy” - questions about the integrity of those, professional or otherwise, who judge the health of an individual’s mental state. To describe this play as thought provoking would be an understatement.

Simon Griffiths

Norwich to be treated to a production of Siddharta on May 28th

T

here is an impression, often circulated, that Norwich lacks cultural diversity. It has one of the lowest numbers of different ethnicities in the country. But this is not reflected in the artistic output of the city.

Natypriya Indian dance and drama company puts on one production dance per year at the Norwich Playhouse and the UEA drama studio. Last year Natypriya performed Savitri.

The previous year it was Samudra. On May 28th they will perform a new production of Siddharta, based on the novel by Herman Hesse, at the Playhouse.

Siddharta is a Brahmin’s son engaged on a spiritual journey of enlightenment. He finds peace by discarding all worldly doctrines in favour of finding harmony with the elements of nature, the unity of the world and eternity. His quest is one of happiness, fulfilment and immortality.

Natyapriya is the creation of Anne Tibertius. Anne acts, directs, does the choreography and travels backwards and forwards between India and the UK for inspiration. She also picks up material on these trips for the vibrant costumes the company

makes. Natyapriya also offers a series of workshops on storytelling, dancing, singing, textiles, creative arts, yoga, and even Hindu wedding enactments. It also runs programs teaching the design and production of short Indian dance and theatre pieces.

“The group is run as a cooperative entity. There will be an all female cast of 12 performing Siddharta,”Anne tells The Event. The UEA aids Natapriya, lending support with free space to rehearse in.“The university has been very helpful and sees the worth of what we are doing,” she adds. Two of the team are involved in study and research at the UEA, Doreen Aitken is working on a PhD in Drama and Annie Blyth is a medical researcher. “In addition to helping with ideas for costumes and set design, they also help a great deal with the choreography,” says Anne.

After a one off performance at the Playhouse, Siddharta will be taken to the Buddhist Performing Arts Centre in London.

The Event recommends seeing it in Norwich while you can.

Luke Roberts

For more information on Natypriya visit www.natyapriya.com

TV/Digital 17

TV Preview: Love Me, Love Tuesday, 7pm BBC 1 My Kids

F

ly on the wall shows and reality TV featuring the public have been clogging up our schedules for years, despite this genre bursting its bubble long ago. Listening to the licence fee payers, the BBC presents us with this new Tuesday night “entertainment” featuring – you guessed it – members of the public. But not just anybody. This series sees children helping their divorced or single parents find a partner. Now, for those of you who haven’t had parents divorce, let me tell you – it’s not fun. It’s anything but fun. It’s certainly not entertaining. Surely the adults featured in the programme could find partners themselves, without relying on their kids? Surely the kids don’t actually want to see their daddy find a new mummy?

The show introduces the Isaacs family from Guildford – 4 children and a single dad, Steve. The footage shows them looking happy enough, but the one thing missing is a girlfriend for the dad – what he describes as “the last

piece of the new jigsaw of my life”.

After lengthier films on each of the children and Steve, the children interview 20 women, presumably chosen by the BBC, with the aim of selecting 2 that satisfy their gruelling questions to each spend a weekend living with them. This bit has clearly been edited so that all the “aww aren’t they cute” questions like “how often do you wash?” and “why don’t you have a boyfriend?” are shown, covering the somewhat sinister 4-children-on-a-speed-date scenario in a thick layer of sugar.

The first date chosen is Cecilia, a singer in a disco tribute band and political activist. Her reaction on entering the house is mildly amusing (when looking at a photo of Steve, she asks “how long ago was this taken? 2 years ago? Has he got much greyer since?”) and she even goes through his wardrobe to see what sort of clothes he wears. She gets on well with Steve, despite quibbles over his attitude to recycling, his “prehistoric” view on women’s rights and a date to a farm,

TV DVD: CSI 4.1

and it seems like they have something.

The second date is Amanda, who the kids immediately regret choosing, describing her and her pink hair as “weird” – their father has a similar reaction, staring at it when he first sees her and then lapsing into silence. The children quickly grow to like her, but it takes a rugby match date for Steve to begin finding her attractive.

For the final date, the children choose Cecilia to share a dinner with Steve in a country house. They seem to be happy together and we’re told they’ve been out together since.

It’s depressing – depressing that Steve has to rely on his kids and the BBC to get a girlfriend (even his children describe him as “lonely and desperate”), depressing that it makes entertainment out of divorce and depressing that the whole show tries to make it all cute and sweet.

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation 4.1 £39.99 Released: 9th May

Chris Hyde

T

he original series that kicked off the whole CSI franchise frenzy is certainly an ideal place to start if you’re wondering what all the fuss is about.

The CSI team, led by the furry Gil Grissom, armed with their trusty torches and tweezers trawl fearlessly through Las Vegas’ glamorous crimanal underworld.

There’s eye candy for all, and plenty of gory and salacious special effects CSIstyle. Death has never been so sexy! The DVD also has plenty of special features, just as we’ve all come to expect, although there is nothing especially innovative to excite the seasoned DVD collector. The £39.99 price tag may prove a little rich for student tastes, but if you’re feeling flush there’s a lot of prime time entertainment for your cash.

Soap News: Hollyoaks and Neighbours Silly-billy Karl doesn’t realise that filthy Izzy is doing the dirty with Paul Robinson, and Mandy has a bun in the oven...

I the

t’s not the intention Soap News to be the ‘Isabel Hoyland Files’, but that girl just cannot behave herself and settle down! She feels little guilt over her torrid affair with perma-tanned Paul Robinson,

despite what she may tell him or Carmella and this week things go from bad to awful as Karl unexpectedly arrives home whilst Izzy and Paul are ‘testing the bedsprings’.What follows is hilarious, even by soap standards; as whilst a flustered Izzy tries to give Karl and warm welcome home, Paul is trapped under the bed, unable to escape.

The good doctor remains oblivious as ever to his fiancée’s deceit and later boasts to Paul about the happiness of his and Izzy’s relationship- if only he knew! Izzy, believing she is getting away with the whole sorry business carries on as normal, but things get difficult later this fortnight when Karl questions her over a man’s watch he has found. No doubt she’ll find some way to wriggle out of trouble as normal.

Elsewhere on the Street, things aren’t too rosy for Connor as he is attacked with an iron bar by Carmella’s

stalker. Looks like the future isn’t looking too bright either for the Irish laddie, as the end of the week sees him locked in an abandoned factory- with no idea of how he got there!

In the decidedly less violent Hollyoaks village the stork is circling, bringing with it a bundle of joy- or is it.

Mandy is shocked to discover she’s pregnant, especially since she and Tony have no immediate plans to add to the already dysfunctional brood. Whether or not she keeps the baby is uncertain, but there’s certainly some tough decisions ahead for Mrs. Hutchinson.

In HCC student residences, fantasies are being fulfilled, as faced with the unappealing prospect of cleaning; new boy Jeremy enlists an unlikely and somewhat underdressed bunch of helpers. If only UEA had a similar service!

Kate Bryant

Martha Hammond and Kim Howe

Digital Stuff: Ability Office Basics Treat your PC to a software makeover without forking out too much dosh...

W

hen exam season is upon us, which is a rather common occurence, it becomes almost impossible to get by without the help of Mr PC. However, it’s a costly business having a PC that has everything the busy and hardworking student needs without spending too much cash in the process. Ability Office Basics is a complete software package for the finan-

cially weedy amongst us. It contains programmes for word-processing, spread sheets, even an organiser and much more.

At £29.99, less than most console games would set you back, the package is an attractive purchase if you’re in need of its features. Each of the programmes mimicks the look and feel of MS software so you won’t spend long familiarising yourself with how to use Office Basics. Most importantly for the

busy student about campus, all the programmes are compatible with their MS equivalents so transfering work from computer to computer is not a problem.

However, no matter how user friendly or cost-effective Ability Office Basics might be, it is difficult to believe an economic alternative to Microsoft Office will ever appeal. Office Basics is a valiant effort and certainly a worthwhile buy if you find yourself penniless

after splashing out on your shiney new PC and not to keen on doing the same for software.

Kate Bryant

Event the

04.05.05

18 Creative Writing

Creative Writing In Association with d i t t o / Excerpts from the famous ‘Bull Cycle’ Winner of The Chill’Em Out Jazz Cafe Poetry Slam 2005 Bull Poem #1 Eat Bull Drink Bull Waste Bull No Bull Left Bull Educate Bull Destroy Bull Get Bull End Bull Sin and Fear Amen...

(Damn You!)

Bull Poem #4 Cry Usury Hidden Bull Bull Lines Bull Takes Bull Aggravation Precipice Bull Bull Fallow Bull Light Bull Entertainment Mind Bull Sin and Fear Amen...

(Damn You!)

The Girl Who Works For The BBC

Bull Poem #2

Bull Poem #3

Expectations Bull Finds Rogue Bull Bull Excepts Bull Moves-On Algorithm Ribosome Bull Bull Codon Plasmid Bull Classified Cause Bull Sin and Fear Amen...

It Heat Bull Bull climb Walls Dry Bull Escape Bull Escape Bull Never Again...

(Damn You!) Bull Poem #5 Bull Fester Bull Fester Bull Panic Fester Bull Tar Bull Alimony Bull Codex Bull Aggregates Bull Settlement Bull Cleaning Bull Extraction Sustained Bull Bull Fines Bull Balloon Bull Affidavit Sin and Fear Amen...

(Damn You!) Bull Poem #6 Bull Poem #6 Take Bull Take Bull Surround Bull Subsidize Bull Deduce Bull Vindicate Bull Question Bull Historic Bull Hector Bull Sin and Fear Amen...

There is this girl who works for the BBC Who long ago started to rather obsess me Of course I knew her before she worked at the BBC But even then it often struck me That she was destined to work for the BBC This girl who works at the BBC She is extremely intelligent you see I used to run, keep fit and carry poems with me Just to impress this girl who works at the BBC After a particularly bad break up I emailed the girl at the BBC And the emails which were written by me Were always drafted several times before they were sent to the girl who works at the BBC

[All together now...]

(Damn You!)

Many congratulations to Mr Paul Labond Gozey!

(Damn You!)

Last night, I found out that the girl who works for the BBC Is in a relationship with a middle aged man - and not me But none of this matters Because the girl still works for the BBC. - Richard ‘Smitten’ Britton

Dream Interlude

You Are Here

Karan ‘Presidenta’ Parker

The market has a sharp green smell Mixed with a musk of earth that lingers Beneath the fresher, fleeting scents.

It is an old aroma, rich and deep, Evokes the clotted roots of trees, Whispering histories.

An early frost Crystallizes air; breath comes in clouds, Billowing smokily from hot, wet mouths.

A rainbow of fruit, impossibly various, Stupefies the senses.

I am lost.

The sea of thronged humanity, the shouts, The dissonance of colour, shape and sound Always defeated me.

I glance around The map boldly declaring, "you are here!"

But for me there can only be one 'you', No longer here with me.

Where are you now?

Who is it you lead laughing by the hand Through market labyrinths?

Who says your name Like a caress, a kiss, a coming home?

High-layered trifles, Tower greatly above us.

They will fall some day.

- Jules Sebastian Arabia

Event 04.05.05 the

By his hurried, fleeting flock, And he asked that lonely bird: "O son of wings, that earnest mock Of gravity the oppressive word, Since you're so thoughtless as to stay Behind and ride the gentle winds, Give me an instant scrapped, I pray, And answer this poor peregrin's Uncertain questions: I did deem On coming here, that being this The home of gracious Autumn Queen I'd find the land to wear her bliss, Instead this valley is a corpse, A dying animal's sick breath; O tell me, bird, why are the ports Set here whence sail the ships of death?"

And the bird to him: "My sorry friend, You do misunderstand: If I Am placed, in line, at my flock's end, And am so helpless slow to fly, It's not because I love to fling My hours into thoughtless weave Of flights; it's that I broke my wing.

I cannot fly; I cannot leave.

And thus since I can not flee winter, Let me put right your mistake: When comes the white, the sky to splinter, I will die with the first flake.

- Andrea ‘Hasta la vista’ Tallarita

Ocean Echo They touch their rotting corpses And kiss their skeletal layers; Foolish friction of dangerous meat, Out of synch with a silent tongue; A deafening silence of still, salty air About to suck the life out of your shell.

Warning Haiku What wonders wither Watching wanderers walking, Watches wailing ‘wait!’?

- Anon

Your parched, pungent words Breathe a cold ocean echo into my ear.

I am frozen by your slippery grip, Made to lie bare in a watery bed.

But it is better to have half and feel whole Than to have a whole and feel nothing at all.

- Iman Sid

- Merinne Whitton

Unsettled by this horrid show, Our Kenny turned upwards his eyes, And saw a bird gliding so slow That he was left in lonely skies

I only try because, you know, Even a dying thing will struggle, Though the only place for me to go Is stony earth, to feed the rubble.

From Above I dreamt that we were making love- hot and sweet, Bodies fitting together like they had never been apart.

I woke up with the taste of you on my lipsPhantom lips.

You're still lying next to me- but kissing me no longer.

Bodies cold and distant.

I touch you, trying to hold you to me But you slipped away while I wasn't looking.

And I'm here, tracing patterns on your skinAnd I love your skin.

But it's pulled tight now, shying away from my fingertips.

The room is cold and dark and I shakeScared of losing you.

Too late, I scream.

Too long, too far, too distant.

Staring at the ceiling, staring at the sky, Staring anywhere but in your eyes.

Your eyes have turned dark.

Where have you gone? I whisper.

Ye Moft Tragical Hiftory of Kenny Concludeth!

Please send all contributions to m.whitton@uea.ac.uk for the next issue!

Listings 19

Listings Music

Arts

Movies

Nine Black Alps Wednesday 4th May, The Waterfront

HMS Pinafore Wednesday 4th/Saturday 7th May, Maddermarket

The Aviator Thursday 5th May,Union Films

Jazz Jam Wednesday 4 May, The Arts Centre

Rebecca Saturday 7th May, Theatre Royal

Jeremy Hardy Vs. The Israeli Army Friday 6th May, Union Films

Australian Pink Floyd Monday 9th May, LCR

Earthscape Sunday 8th May, Theatre Royal

A Very Long Engagement Thursday 12th May, Union Films

Thirteen Senses Tuesday 10th May, LCR

Dave Kelly and Christine Collister Sunday 8th May, Maddermarket

Ocean’s Twelve Friday 13th May, Union Films

John Martyn with Ian McNabb Wednesday 11th May, LCR

Highland Fling Tuesday 10th/Saturday 14th May, Theatre Royal

The GO! Team Wednesday 11th May, The Waterfront

Singalong Sunday 15th May, Theatre Royal

SPECIAL EVENT: Abbas Kiarostami Retrospective A London wide celebration of the world’s most important director, including a retrospective of his films at the NFT, a series of Interviews and a season of Iranian film on Channel 4. Throughout May. See www.bfi.org.uk/nft

Europe Monday 16th May, LCR

The Witches Tuesday 17th/Saturday 21st May, Theatre Royal

F2 – The Second Coming Tuesday 24th May, Spencers

Saltmine Theatre: The Screwtape Letters Monday 16th May, The Playhouse

On General Release: Kingdom of Heaven From Friday 6th May Mean Creek From Friday 13th May

Competitions I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead

Alton Towers

Alton Towers is re-opening on the 12th March for another season of thrills and screams. Brand new launch coaster Rita, Queen of Speed, will ensure your day is fuelled with adrenaline.

From April 1st, grab your mates and head for Alton Towers, as this Spring sees the launch of Rita, Queen of Speed. The first of it's kind in Europe, Rita races from 0100 kph in 2.5 seconds.

On launch, you'll feel the pull of an awesome 4.7 Gs that's sure to clear the sinuses. With an average speed of 60 kph, you'll be left feeling excited, exhilarated and ecstatic at the same time!

Joining the invigorating Nemesis, Oblivion, Air and Spinball Whizzer, Rita is here, it's fast and it will take your breath away! Rita, Queen of Speed will definitely be added to every visitors "rides to experience list".

For more ride information and opening times visit www.altontowers.com.

To celebrate the launch of this fantastic new ride, we have a pair of tickets to the park to giveaway.

For your chance to win simply answer the following question.

Ability Office Basics We are offering two copies of this excellent home office software solution - it's perfect for a wide range of home-computing applications from writing up lecture notes and essays, to recording your finances, editing and enhancing much-loved digital photos of friends and family to cataloguing them in a user-friendly organiser. It has all the useful functions without the unnecessary extra features found in commercial office software. At only £29.99, it is great value for money - perfect for any student!

Ability Office Basics is simple to install from CD onto the hard disk (taking up only 50MB of space) and has a familiar PC interface - so really is easy to use!

For further information visit: http://www.ability.com/offers/ or call 08707 607307.

To win a copy just answer the following question: How much space does Ability Office Basic take up on a hard drive?

Dellacasa

What is the G-force of Rita, Queen of Speed?

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation Momentum Pictures have given us two copies of I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead, (reviewed on page 15) by Mike Hodges, director of the classic gangster film Get Carter. It tells the story of Will Graham, a retired ganster who comes back to London in the aftermath of his Brothers apparent suicide, and discovers his brother was the victim of a brutal male rape at the hands of mob boss Boad. He then embarks on a journey for revenge. Staring Clive Owen, Charlotte Rampling, Jonathon Rhys Meyers and Malcolm McDowell.

I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead is released on June 5th.

To win simply answer the following question: What was the name of Mike Hodges debut film, staring Michael Caine?

Courtesy of Momentum Pictures we have one copy of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation 4.1 to give to a lucky winner. It collects episodes one to twelve of the fourth season of the excellent forensic television series starring William Peterson and Marg Helgenberger.

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation 4.1 is released on May 9th.

To win just answer this question, what does CSI stand for? (c) MMII and MMIII CBS Broadcasting Inc. and Alliance Atlantis Productions, Inc. All Rights Reserved. (c) 2004 Momentum Pictures, All Rights Reserved

Dellacasa have another meal deal for us to give away.

Answer the following question to have a chance of winning: Name the capital city of Ireland.

Winners The winners from issue 176 are: Vera Drake... Stacy Southall, Jessica Durkota, Seb Manley; Dellacasa... Justin Doel; Napoleon Dynamite...Amma Langridge, Lucy Pearce; Silverfin book and poster... Lucy Izzard; All competition entries must include a name and contact number, and should be sent to: concrete.event@uea.ac.uk.

Event the

04.05.05

TWO GREAT SHOWS AND A FREE SEAT WORTH UP TO £9 TEMPTED?

n o r w i c h t h e at r e r o y a l BOX OFFICE (01603) 63 00 00

TUESDAY 10th - SATURDAY 14th MAY

Eves 7.30pm, Mats Thur & Sat 2.30pm

UNDER 25s STANDBY

£5 best available after 6pm on day of performance “ONE OF THE AYS BEST NEW PL D TE EVER PRESEN NAL

BY THE NATIO E” TR THEA

“FIRST RATE, ING FUNNY, GRIPP Y EL AND GENUIN THOUGHTG” IN PROVOK PH DAILY TELEGRA

POPCORN

BY BEN ELTON

ES SUNDAY TIM

STRONG LANGUAGE AND SOME LOSS OF OUTER GARMENTS

MAY 19TH TO 28TH Oscar-winning director, Bruce Delamitri, makes 'Tarantino style' movies, trademark throw-away violence. But his tinsel world is suddenly assaulted by the reality of what, until now, he only films.

And whose responsibility is the outcome?

Delamitri’s, society’s misfits - or ours?

VINCENT IN BRIXTON

BY NICHOLAS WRIGHT

JUNE 23RD TO JULY 2ND Brixton 1873, a brash young Dutchman rents a room in the house of an English widow and daughter. Based on Vincent van Gogh’s early life in London, we see the transforming effects of love, sex and artistic adventure, their part in the shaping of genius.

R EACH SHOW BOOK A PAIR OF SEATS FOSO TELY FREE! AND ONE SEAT COMES AB LU

IONS) TICKETS £9 AND £7 (CONCESS FICE ON 01603 620917 OF X FOR MORE INFO CALL THE BO

Maddermarket Theatre, St John’s Alley, Norwich NR2 1DR www.maddermarket.co.uk

GRADUATION BALL TICKETS ON SALE NOW Graduation Ball - Friday 15th July 2005 Tickets are available on-line at www.ueaticketbookings.co.uk or over the counter from the Union Box Office in Union House. There are two types of tickets available; the Platinum Ticket at £45 and the Gold Ticket at £35. If you book your tickets on line, this price will be subject to a booking fee of £1.50/£2. Tickets that are purchased over the counter at the Box Office, using either cheque or cash are not subject to a booking fee. If you have any enquiries, please phone 01603 50 80 50. There is no limit to the amount of tickets an individual can purchase, but there is only a limited amount of Platinum Tickets available.

Platinum Tickets - There will be a Champagne & Canapé Reception for Platinum Ticket Holders only. The Blue Bar will also be available for their use exclusively all evening. The ticket entitles you to a complimentary photograph from professional photographers who are just sited in the Blue Bar. Also for your amusement we have arranged a fortune teller and table magicians to entertain you.

The evening starts at 8pm with all the attractions, rides, stalls and other amusements operating from 9pm to 1am. At approximately 2.30am we will serve breakfast pastries in the Hive Bar. The LCR remains open until 3.45am for dancing with last orders for alcohol being called at the Bar at 3.00am. For those still standing there is the Survivor’s photo taken in the square at 4.00am.

A full entertainment programme with details of all attractions and live acts will be displayed on the Entertainment and Bars section of the Union web site www.stu. uea.ac.uk as soon as they are confirmed. So please keep checking the site.

Tickets: £5.00 - £25.00

Book online: www.theatreroyalnorwich.co.uk THEATRE STREET, NORWICH NR2 1RL