The event issue 243 04 05 2010

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The properties above are JUSt a small sample of our extens1ve portfolio of fully furnished 2- 7 bedroom houses that we can offer you. Visit our website to see many more properties.

ProletStudentHomes .co.uk 01 603 763363

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Still looking UNION ELECTIONS 2010 for housing?

Home Run is the Housing Bureau run by the Union ofUEA Students. We compile a free listing of rooms, flats and houses. Home Run is recommended by UEA and our landlords comply with agreed minimum standards and charge no fees to students.

go to:

ueastudent.comjhousi ng cast YCU" vote bttwen 9am friday 14th may and 5pm .-day 19th may look out for an emiil from su.votell uea.ac.uk

I am not a fan of writing editorials, I always think they are a bit selfindulgent, but I want to take the opportunity to say thank you to everyone who has made The Event the glorious publication that it has been this year. Lots of people give up lots of time to write and edit the paper, and without them I would have to fill The Event with my ramblings about football and Chat Roulette. So, thank you to everyone who has been involved this year and thank you to you, the readers, for coming along for the ride. Not to forget Hannah, for tolerating me throughout an insane nurl"!ber of office hours. Good luck to Danny and next year's editorial team who are sure to make the paper better than ever. Happy hol idays and bon voyage,

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Topshop, The Rock Col lection and Philip Browne all kind ly cont ri buted clothes for the shoot, resulting in an amazing showcase of diverse and unique fashion that is sure to catch your eye. The concept of the shoot wa s to show a

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warped perception of life and the roles that we have to perform. This is true to fashion; do we conform or stand out? Is it possible to express yourself through pieces of material made by other people expressing themselves? Do we really have free choice or are we continuous ly

influenced? Does it matter? Can what we wear ever truly represent us properly? Or does it lead people to pigeonhole you with stereotypes? Is it possible to use these stereotypes to create new ideas of identity of expression? Never let others tell you what your style shoul d be . Your

opinion is the one that matters, no one else's. Everyone dresses differently for different reasons. What is important is to have a sense of self, be happy in who you are and what you wear, and then persona l style will shine through.

Thank you to Charlie at Topshop, Nathan and Mo at The Rock Collection and to Philip and Paul at Philip Browne for providing the clothes. Thanks to Amii -Rose Steward who did the fab ul ously eerie make-up on this shoot . Thank you to The Assembly House who allowed us to use their Music Room for the location of the shoot. A special thank you to Chief Photographer Greg Mann who has taken the amazing photos in all the fashion shoots for Concrete this year.

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, D ani, the devious clown slinks into a Tops hop number with ease. Layering is the main effect here; it takes a lot of calculation to work out which piece to put on first. The palette is limited in colours as contrasting patterns and textures are the main focus. Sailor stripes sit on ruby red lace; sheer navy socks are pulled over pink opaque tights, printed with black hearts. Just seen is a crossed, black crop top which is offset with the large flower hair band and a polka dot bowtie. The look is fun, yet frivolous with its raunchy, adult lace and the candy pink trainers help keep the outfit innocent.

R ob, the sinister Ring Master is top to toe in pieces from The Rock Collection. The long, black jacket is of military style but the red ribboned trim alludes to more a rock and roll edge. Noel Fielding eat your heart out at these skinny, red pinstripe jeans; these beauties will turn heads as you walk by. Deliciously dapper in the gentleman's shirt, bowtie and waistcoat, the mix of m,odern rock god and black tie etiquette create a balanced mix of style.

arriet, the serene clown with a devilish charm accentuates all feistiness with volume of red underlining of the skirt turned up to the max. The skin-tight, tartan jeans are a welcome clash with the equally tight black and white bodice. This spontaneous punky dynamic was brought to you from the shelves of The Rock Collection. The bowler hat is from Philip Browne and is worth your life in price!

D rew the suited sheep, may be, dare I say, the plainer performer but look a little bit closer and lavish your eyes on the beautiful suit. Seamlessly lined in a grey and so refreshingly cool that you can taste it on your tongue, this is a favourite for the summer months. To purchase this, as well as the tie, pop in to Philip Browne which is home to many other delights.

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In Manchester there is an old gothic building called Affieck's Palace. All six floors of it are devoted to all things dark and rocky. Shadowed corners sell neon hair dye and artfully ripped skater skirts, all the tools you need to unleash your inner rock chick. Spending most of my teenage years wandering those gargoyled

Why do I love Topshop? lt keeps track of the latest fashions, updating us with the new looks from the catwalk; you can mix and match so many pieces in Topshop and make them work. Topshop caters for smart, indie fashion, casual, classy... the categories are endless and all the clothes are stylish. One thing not typical of many clothes shops is that it has sections for both women and men and it's reputation in both departments secure it's trailblazing status on the high street. Despite being sometimes pricey, what the customer pays for is good quality material, a (now more often than not) fair wage for the garment's maker and the long life of the item. There's also a relatively large range of sizes available and Topshop just believes a good fit is â&#x20AC;˘ a good fit. Topshop has not only a diverse range of clothes, but also of jewellery and other accessories. By experimenting, just as the figureheads of fashion do, it is possible to stay within the boundaries of the fashion paradigm, but also to remain an individual.

Fashion has long been important to me. lt is the main way I show who I am to the world. Clothes say so much about the person wearing them. In a world where first appearances seem to count for so much it often pays to show yourself off and make a statement. Personally I am quite the fan of vintage and individual fashion styles rather than high street brands. it's hard to beat something quirky, that people won't have seen before or at least won't have seen for years. I think the best clothes are ones quite arty and different. That's why I'm such a fan of the store Philip Browne. Though some things in it are a bit pricey for the average student budget, it is definitely value for money and you can pick up some great pieces in there. Even if the thing you really want is out of your range it is a great store for inspiring your imagination so you can find it elsewhere. From bercool pyjamas to slick suits, you are guaranteed to find something in there that you want to get hold of. Located on Guildhall hill, it is in a great position for delving into the wealth of alternative fashion boutiques and stores that Norwich has to offer. Tom Goldsmith

corridors, I have a soft spot for The Rock Collection. The Rock Collection is Norwich's answer to Affieck's Palace. it's the anti-Primark, alternative rather than generic; an indulgence of your inner emo. Inside, My Chemical Romance plays as side fringes, lip rings and tattoo sleeves browse the shelves for the perfect black nail varnish. From Travis Barker's Famous Stars and Straps to Fall Out Boy's Clandestine, The Rock Collection sells small alternative brands that you definitely won't see on the rails in Topshop. From pop-punk netted skirts, to studded belts, there is a little nugget of rocky goodness for everyone whether you are full on Goth or just like to dabble on the weekends. it is a perfect example of Norwich's diversity, a little gem in the heart of The Lanes. At the grand old age of 20, I feel a little on the old side to shop for myself in The Rock Collection. Much to my despair, my skull t-shirts are gathering mothballs at the back of my wardrobe and my eyeliner is more Blair Waldorf than Blair Witch. Oh if I was 15 again ... Hannah Britt

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Provided You Don't Kiss Me: Twenty Years with Brian Clough is a wonderfully frank and

insightful glance into the life of footba ll 's greatest personality, through the eyes of the man who reported on him for twenty years. Duncan Hamilton spent twenty years fo llowing Clough and hi s Nottingham Forest team around Europe for th e Nottingham Eveni ng Post, chronicling the trials and tribulations of one of fo otba ll's greatest en igm as . Clough drank heavily, gave to charity generously, hit pitch invaders, and proved

a match in wit for Muhammed Ali on the Parkinson Show. Aside from his tempestuous nature, he was a managerial gen iu s, leading the provincial Nottingham Forest side to European glory in two consecutive years. was Clough's enigmatic character experienced by Hamilton to the full, and from his days as a young trai nee reporter, to hi s days as Sports Editor of the Nottingham Evening Post, he developed an affin ity with the man quite aptly known as '01' big head'. Hamilton attempts to dispel some of the untruth s portrayed in the fellow Clough biography, 'The Damned United'. While Hamilton does not shy away from Clough's undoubted pitfalls, he also highlights the generosity he showed to those more unfortun ate than him se lf - a trait he attributes to Clough's working class Teeside upbringing. Provided You Don ' t Kiss Me is what a sports book should be: in sightful, balanced and funny. Many of its anecdotes provide th ose readers who are too young to remember the preMurdoch football monopoly with a reminder of where the heart of the spo rt really lies. Clough once told journalists: "I' m not the greatest manager, but I'm in the top one." This award-winning book goes some way to exp laining why Clough may well have been right in his perpetual modesty. Danny Coli ins

PouTIC\ L jl 1 N~ I [ > So~ l [ ToPTrru~s blue or not, this book uses key figure s in the party to get behind closed doors. If you'd rather bury your head in occasionally mo re be lievab le fictio n, there's plenty of good read s on offe r. Fans of Sue Townsend's hap less hero Adrian Mole might like to try her lightly satirical Number 10, where a fami liarly charismatic Labour PM head s round the country in disg uise to find out, in political parlance, 'the real issues affecting real people on the street.' Like the election tours, but much funn ier.

Manifesto. Crop MP's counts down the worst politicians in Parliament history, while economists who have jumped onto the Clegg bandwagon won ' t be able to pass themselves off as a dyed in the wool Lib Dem without reading Vince Cable's world credit crunch expose The Storm. Back from the Brink by Peter Snowdon charts how the Conservatives went from thoroughly beaten in 2007 to standing a good chance thi s time around. Whether you ' re tru e

Peop le haven't had time to dig their teeth into th e Brown administration yet, but another great picture of Blair's Britain is Jonathan Coe's sequel to best se lling seve nties-based The Ratter's Club, named The Closed Circle. Whether you 've any interest in the era at all, Coe's characters are vivid ly drawn and the backdrop of recent history clearly recognizable. Kirsten Peter

Til L ( 111\.IJI I()( ll) I ) H L\ ~ I LH > TilL 7\ (Y il li::\Tr\ 1. > ;\ \.1 S~ \ ITII Jack Kerouac's On The Rood is the ultimate book for every student, wh ether travelling this summer or just working away. Written by the man who epitomized the Beat generation, this is the novel that epitom ized an era. This novel exemplifies a generation who, having see n the failures of the American Dream, became disillusioned dreamers living in a bohemian hedoni stic world who only had the option of going 'on the road' to escape.

that fought the statu s quo; the original hippies and punks th at make the novel refres hing despite its age and give a real gl impse into life as a Beatnik. All in al l, the entire book is a must for everybody: as Bob Dylan sa id, 'it will change your life, it changes everybod y's'. Th e journeys that Sal goes on are forays into madness and mayhem which will have you itching to get out and have adventures and misadventures

The semi-autobiographical nature of On the

of your own. And even if you don't enjoy the mu sings and meanderings of Kerouac you can at least look pretentio us and w ell-read during your lunch break, or on the beach. Fiona Howard

Road means that thi s comes ac ro ss in every

thought, character, and sentence. Despite the main character Sal's disillu sio nment, the book is thorou gh ly life affirmi ng. Death might be a reoccurring theme throughout but it is more about the fear of not having lived before death. The book received so me controversial reviews but it is impossible to deny the revolution ary impact it had, although it made Kerouac look a bit like a one-trick pony, despite his array of work. The fact that he wrote the book in one sitting on one 'scroll' led Truman Capote to quip that it wasn ' t writing but just typing . Kerouac's strea m of consciousness is so eloquent, and so perfectly expressed that we would be lu cky if this was just typing. The sex, the drugs and the jazz might all see m passe now, but back then they were the height of cool. They defined an under culture

Th e raw curiosity of a 12 year old's mind thing to capture. But it is Astrid 's provocative way of t hinking that really makes Th e Accidental a must-read. Primarily set on a family 's holiday in Norfolk (there's a nifty sce ne in Norwich train station), Astrid 's curiosity about life is encouraged by Amber, a mysterious vi sitor to the family 's holiday home. Ali Smith impressively interming les multipl e narrative voices in this 2005 Man Booker

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prize-short listed novel, and it isn't ju st Astrid's th oughts that we get a voyeuristic insight into. Her brother Magnus, mother Eve and father Micha el's psychologies are also divulged, but only through the appearance of Amber do their thoughts begin to change through the three main parts of the novel ('the beginning', 'the middle' and 'the end'). Amber makes a la sting impression on, and massive difference to, the principles on which the family bases itself. She questions the value of a life based on 'things' and what th ings are objectively defined as, and this is where Astrid really stea ls the focus of the book. Amber attempts to change how Astrid sees the world - she puts a stop to her obsession with documenting things with her video camera - and tri es to stop her from ever becomi ng attached to the accepted way of doing things, or th e accepted understa nding of what happen s

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in the world . Witty, cleverly put toget her and intriguing ly sordid at some po ints, this is the novel for you if you want something to deepen your thinking about how you see the world. Ha nnah Li vingston

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ARTs > TII£ NoRt:OLK AND NoRWJCI-I tfSTIVALIIIGIILIGIITS Next month, the city come alive with the arts. The Event picks a few highlights. Consider the Norfolk and Norwich Festival as the city's chocolate box of art delights, ready to be consumed. Even if you're not the sort to go out of your way to find cultural attraction, the festival has found a way of causing you to stumble across them . Kurt Perschke's art is a load of balls. Literally. The artist has travelled to the world's most distinguished cities, from Barcelona to Sydney, and stuffed a giant red ball in between the nooks and crannies of buildings. From the 7th May, the ball will be in 14 different locations around Norwich. Cue innuendo aplenty, no doubt. From the same date, artist Tim Etchells will be inviting people to his art exhibitions by text. His show A Short Message Spectacle (SMS, geddit?) creates art for those permanently attached to their mobile, in an 'imaginary performance across a virtual city.' To sign up to this world premier. event, text NNF plus your postcode and age to 60777. it's totally free to become an 'audience member.' Being a

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cultural virtuoso is just a few key strokes away. For Dance fans, Norwich becomes the hotbed of activity for the festival period. The Michael Clark Company hits the Norwich Theatre Royal on lOth and 11th May. Combining the music of Bowie, lggy Pop and Lou Reed with a fusion of classical and contemporary ballet, Clark's strong stylistic pieces put his own spin on the niche of modern fusion

>VIA wRITfRS >IAN MCbWAN

As one of the very first graduates of the now world-famous MA in Creative Writing at UEA, Ian McEwan helped to put our fledgling un~versity on the map. With numerous prestigious writing awards to his name, including the 1998 Booker Prize for Amsterdam, McEwan has become a by word for intriguing and subtly disturbing literature. This is perhaps the reason that new release Solar came as such a surprise to fans. McEwan, it would appear, has branched out into comedy. In Solar, McEwan follows scientist Michael Beard on his quest to save the planet from the dangers of global warming. The character of Michael Beard is the most noticeable departure from McEwan's usual style: overweight, selfish and fuelled by arrogance, Beard is a wholly unlikable character, yet unmistakably humorous in presentation. McEwan is able to employ stereotypes of gluttonous and lusty men in order to evoke titillation. The trouble with this, however, is the fact that McEwan has felt the need to dabble in stereotype and

superficiality. An author as accomplished as he may feel the need to vary their works, to shake up their stock characters and to attempt to delve into an academic field very different from their own, but there should be a feeling that this is not done in a way that damages their art. Sadly, perhaps Solar is hindered somewhat by McEwan's desire to try something new. This is not to say, of course, that Solar is in all ways lacking. McEwan remains the true master of tension: his language is fraught with conflict, hidden desires, and with passion . There is an astonishing simplicity to it, in a way that makes it very difficult to consider Solar anything other than a masterpiece. lan McEwan was, until Matt Smith recently became everyone's favourite new Doctor, the most high profile of UEA alumni, and for very good reason . He has written some of the best literature of the last thirty years, and here's to hoping that he will continue to do so for many years to come. Catch lan McEwan lecturing in LTl on Tuesday 11th May as part of NNFlO. Gemma Henzley

ballet styles that have been made popular by Mathew Bourne. A shift to the continent is brought by Flamenco sin Fronteras (Flamenco without Borders) who will bring their Latin American rhythms to the Theatre Royal on the 15th May. All these events and many more offer £5 tickets for under 25s. For those who are children at heart and

let's face it, that's most of us really, the NoFit State Circus are in Eaton Park on the 13th. If you weren't tempted enough by the thought of circus stunts, it's absolutely free. Kirsten Peter For more details on this year's festival, including a full schedule of free and ticketed events, Visit www.nnflO.org.uk

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General Election has been called for Thursday 6th May! This election will decide which person wHl represent you when it comes to determining the price of University education, the quality of public transport and housing, the future of our planet and your job prospects when you graduate.

walking buses

from your hall

All UK and Commonwealth students living on the UEA campus will be registered to vote! On the day of the election student officers will be leading walking buses from your hall to the campus polling station in Nelson Court Common Room B. All you'll need is your polling card which you'll find at the UEA post room

12.30

Norfolk Terrace (outside Block A) & Suffolk Terrace (outside Block D) 3.00 Britten House (outside flats 1.. 8) a: Colman House (outside flats 1.. 8) 5.00 Paston & Victory House (outside flats 19 .. 28) &Wolfson/Orwell, Kett & Browne House (outside Browne) 7, 00 Nelson Court (near the conference office) and Constable Terrace (between flats 12 and 17) 7.00 UEA Village (between Courtyard A and B)

NORFOLK AND NORWICH

STUDENT MANIFESTO visttwww.ueastudent,com rind out what all the candidates fn Norwfch South and some of the candidates locally have said about the five things students 1n Norwich want from their MPS- fafrly funded higher education, a low-carbon sustainable future, sustainable transport solutions, quality student housing in cohesive communities and good opportunities for Norwich graduates.

T FOR

visit

www. votefor$tudents.co.uk

MPs elected in this General Election will be making decisions about a possible rise in tuition fees. signing up to Vote for Students will mean you'll be emailed the details of the candidates that will vote against any increase in fees in the next parliament and will pressure the government to introduce a fairer alternative.

Remember the more students who vote, the more likely it is MPs and government will take students' views seriously. So make sure you use your vote on 6th May to help make students' lives better.

04may10 lssue243

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These marble pillars are coming down, are coming down The wreckage of time spent, is caught in your picture lament Grey walls that embraced, the people that interlaced As your Rome falls you frown, you wear your frown

The tears are in your cascading eyes, your cascading eyes Spheres and circles of tempered blue that once saw you through A near half-decade of thought; stress and scrutiny fraught To leave here is your desired surprise, your desired surprise Won it, you have, a place in unknown Merovingian life For Rome must always fall, whether from time or from strife Effects are collected, embodied memories around you are rife A dark age expected, daunting and looming like terrible knife But each friend and love was not a dream, it was not a dream The words that were spoken, the ties that were broken The early sun was no illusion, the ancient moon no delusion In every pillared monument you can be seen; you will always be seen Byzantium is here for you, though never the same Remaining eternal through its lunar wax and wane For this place was once yours, for it was here that you came Your youthful antiquity; carved on the ruins is your name This empire of learning that once you called home, once you called home Will never forget that you were one of its own, for now you have shown You are alive and enlightened, yet never alone, and the seeds they are sewn Of the scholarly wonder of

Does Winter last forever? Because I really don't know. Will it be here to deliver Fogs, frost, rains and snow? I have never felt such weather, But I think it has a lot to show. I can see ice in the river So, tell me where can I go? Winter makes young people shiver. lt gives poor old people a blow. Even voices begin to quiver and squirrels start to be slow. Now Winter freezes my liver! Unfortunately, I can't say no.

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This golden city crumbles, like the seeds of your dawn As you rouse bleary and aching on your final morn The midnight passion before, the waves of the fearful forlorn Have changed to tide and spirit you to hawthorn

lt is just past noon and although Beth's mother is supposed to be working, she is now in her living room lounging on the couch . it's a hot sum01er's day and so next to her sits a cold glass of ice tea and a murmuring fan. The windows are wide open letting in the intense summer's heat; it is like a thick hot wet blanket that insists on wrapping itself around everyone and everything. The only relief from this heat for Beth's mother is the occasional cooler air from the fan. it seems as if this heat has become almost solid filling in all the spaces that before were filled with nothing, it has hindered movement-there is no one to be seen anywhere. Yet suddenly this stillness is broken and the door bursts open . Beth is standing in the house entrance giggling away, being groped by what it seems to be her thousandth boyfriend. She is unaware of her mother's presence. "What, now? Here? Wait let me close the door at least and then we'll have some of that kind of fun in the bedroom ...or actually we can go to the pool ... " Beth, of course, is still oblivious of the her mother's existence. The new boy replies "the pool, the pool! it's so hot I can't breathe! But, hey, where is the bathroom?" As Beth explains the details of the lavatory's whereabouts, her mother reluctantly rises from her comfortable dwelling (away from that sweet cool air)and starts to move through the almost-solid hot air towards the entrance to confront her slacker daughter. The boy is gone at this point and so all that's left is Beth standing in the doorway fiddling around in her bag and her mother entering from the left of the house, with a bone to pick with Bet h. The sunlight, at its most powerful at this time of the day, beams in through the stained glass so severely hot it's close to burning the wooden floor, rather poetically it draws a line between the two women. The mother, despite her rage, seems to imitate the hot atmosphere and utters "Eiisabeth! !" in her most low pitched voice, as if unable to even muster her vocal abilities because of the sweltering weather. "Why are you home? Its midday and I know for a fact that this is a school day and I have had no phone calls from the school or anything to explain why you are here-and it seems that the only reason I can think of lies in the dubious company that you brought home with you." "What? Why do you have to assume that-" "Well it seems that I do have to start assuming things since you don't tell me anything, I always feel as if I'm lost in some kind of a fog with you!" "Look mum .. .l'm sorry it's just it was hot, I wasn't concentrating, alii could think of was our cool blue pool and I had a headache coming on so I thought what's the point in being at school if you're not in the right frame of mind so I leaned over to Chris, nudged him and begged him to leave with me-which he did obviously. Anyway why are you home as well? Aren't you supposed to be working or are you also up to no good ... " Beth smiles cheekily. To this her mother makes a scary grouchy face and breathes deeply again to try and to find the energy just to move her muscles and utter "No, my dear little one, I am not up to no good because I am a mother and a wife and so these things rather seem to include responsibility in the job title. So since you seem to be embracing your teenage stereotype I will do the complete opposite of what a mother of a teenage daughter would do at this point - which would be to ground you- instead go and enjoy the hot weather, and leave me be!" lra Lorandu

this concrete Rome, of this concrete Rome. Joe Odran Doran

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I IIAT~To Low You There are days when I think I love you Then there are days when I feel I hate you, But then I realize, I don't hate you, I hate how much I love you. , I hate how much I love you because We can never be. I hate that I cannot give you want yqu need, What you deserve. I hate how much I miss you, When you are not around . The days I know I love you Are the days that hurt the most, , Because no matter how much I love you, We can never be. I hate how hard it is not to love you, But most of all, I hate that I have to hurt you. But in the end You will realize, I did it out of love. ~ Kelly Wydryk ~~~~~~~K

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So here I sit staring at the sun; The battle's lost, but the war is won. My band of brothers, with whom I abide Wander lost; Searching desperately for a place to hide.

Melancholy whispers eclipse the air, A new dawn is reached over this dragon's lair. I return, bewildered, Why the pain? These sacred lives taken, what's gained? x "They're heroes across land and sea" I'm told by Blighty's enemy. Respect is universal, that I can see; So why did they die so needlessly? David Lintott

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WIIÂŁRf DoÂŁs IT ALL [ND? As t he yea r draws to a close, Television wax lyrical about what the future has in store for our favourite shows.

liiT~OIS What seemed like a viable rival for Lost sa w a rapid downturn due to convoluted plots, meaningless deaths and every character seeming to have a power. Then came season four. it's bee n a surpri singly good seaso n, but how will it end? This volume 's title, 'Redemption', suggests that quasi-super-villains Noah and Sylar will turn from their nefariou s ways, possib ly by stopping Samuel. Will an yone die? Most likely. Persona lly, my money's on the utterly use less Mohinder.

G u~r Will audiences get closure on the Claire/ Gretchen love woes? Will the Petrellis finally accept Nathan's death? Will the writers acknowledge that they abandoned Peter 's Iri sh love-in tere st in a nightmarish future two seasons ago without ever mentioning her again? Wi ll it al l be a dream? I have no idea, although I would love to see a happy, and definitive, ending for Hiro and Charlie. As the programme may not retur n, it must end on a high note. Gareth Rees-White

losr Lost is one of th ose rare beasts- at the same time undeniably fascinating yet cons istently infuriating, never under threat of cance ll ation despite ever-dwindling viewing figures, and a long-runn ing mystery show th at actua lly offers answers at the end (Twin Peaks take notes ... possibly). One thing's for certain, whether you watch it religiously, gave up so mewh ere in series two, or swore off it the second the first polar bear appeared; everyo ne wants to see how it will end (if on ly to complain about it). The show itself has offered up some suggestions over its six seasons (for example the very Oa//os-esque episode where it was all in Hurley's head), but

For those who have yet to watch this unique se ri es (I'm speaki ng now to the people who are either deliberately avoiding it or don't have a TV ... or friends), Glee is th e kind of show you either love to hate or hate to love . Invoking Freaks and Geeks and High School Musica l, Glee has already positioned itse lf with the bighitters and has a lot to live up to. When Buffy wa s lagging in its maudlin sixth series, Joss Wh edon turn ed it up to 11 with a musical, but Glee's alrea dy there; in Christopher Gu est 's own words: "Where can you go from there?"

Simple. 'Hush'. Take anoth er leaf from the

Buffy so ngboo k and have the leads contract tonsillitis, forcing the backing singers into some mu ch- needed lim elight. Or, go al l the way and make them all face regionals vo ice le ss, once agai n making them the underdogs who want to prove they 're not just stars beca use they ' re fortunate enough to be born with nice voice s. You think Britney can mime? You ain't seen nothing yet. Josh Butler

AS11[S TO AS1l[S one theory has emerged that could serve to madden and delight fans in equal measure. Rather than specu late on the intricacies of Lost's multiple mysteries, fans have picked up on th e throwaway thematic simi larities to 1960's show The Prisoner, which ended on the same shot in which it started. Given the nature of the show, using the first shot of Jack Shepherd's eye openi ng to end the show would certainly reflect the ambig ui ty held throughout and, in tru e Lost style, ultimately leave the show's meaning to the debate of viewers. Caroline Preece

With the end of Ashes to Ashes fast approaching, the show makers are remaining tight-lipped about details, although they have promised to leave all the unanswered questions from Life on Mars in all their polarising glory. However, there are still questions that seem to demand answers. Just who is Gene Hunt, and what is this world of his? Honestly, I've got no id ea, other t han that we'll all be sad to say goodbye to Hunt when the anti-hero leaves our screens for good. This is a character that should have been despised by viewers, yet he has endeared us al l and taken us nostalgically back to a time where police weren't stuck behind desks with mountains of paper work and could get the

job done, often through questionable levels of brutality. Maybe Gene Hunt does have a world of his own, maybe he's a figment of Sam Tyl er and Alex Drake's imagination or maybe, just maybe ... Ashes to Ashes will end with Gene Hunt saving the day once more, firing up the Quattro and using a confiscated flux-capacitor to teleport into the future/present and become prime minster. Move over David Cameron, there's another cand id ate straight out of the 80's, one that you won't want to make snide comments about from on ly two feet away - that is if you want to keep your teeth and your podium separate. Tasha Golley

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World War 11 has been the inspiration for some of the most dramatic and moving pieces of cinema and television . Throughout his career, Steven Spielberg has been behind many ofthem, managing to uniquely display the grandeur of events whilst emphasising the personal struggle of the people from every walk of life who were affected by the war. And so, following their previous and critically lauded series Band of Brothers, Spielberg and his returning eoexecutive producer Tom Hanks, have a lot to live up to with The Pacific. Unlike Band of Brothers, The Pacific follows three specific characters - Robert Leckie,

John Basilone and Eugene Sledge - and their involvement with the First Marine Division in the Pacific theatre of war. Although relative unknowns fill each of these roles, after just a few episodes it becomes clear why they were cast. The stunning visuals and set pieces in every episode really highlight the producers' input, including a fantastically tense beachlanding sequence, a direct reference to a certain Spielberg classic. Although suitably epic, the focus of this series seems to be more upon the war's effect upon the individual. Rather than trying to oneup previous war scenes in his portfolio, Spielberg dedicates the majority of the first half of the series to observing the marines' struggle with the environment in which they are forced to fight. There is a tan~ible sense of despair in every scene from the front lines, faithfully channelling the atmosphere of the books on which the series is based. Predictably, The Pacific makes essential viewing. Critical plaudits are sure to follow. Tune in to find out why. Tom Dolton

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tRIDAY 10.35PM- (IIANN[L4 So, for everyone who didn't set their watches by the TV schedules for the debut of The Ricky Gervais Show on Channel 4 {what advertisers like to call 'appointment to view television' ) this is what it looked like: a cartoonised version of a podcast in which two very successful comedians make fun of their significantly less successful and attractive friend {some feat, considering the comedians) . The show was occasionally genuinely belly-laugh funny, and it does seem that Ricky

Gervais and Stephen Merchant have reason to laugh at the stupid things their little bald friend Karl Pilkington comes out with. One problem, however, is that they seem a bit too harsh on the poor little man, with Gervais often feigning complete ignorance of what Pilkington is trying to say just to get a cheap laugh. {For example, when Pilkington was trying to conjure a tale of the first monkey sent to space and Gervais, holding back tears of laughter, exclaimed : "I don't think a monkey's

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Those still unconvinced by the new series of Doctor Who must surely now be having their moments of clarity after the latest, chilling instalment 'Time of the Angels'. Steven Moffat's double episode not only boasted the return of the Weeping Angels, but also Alex Kingston re prising her role as Dr. River Song. They proved to be truly some of the best episodes yet, not only living up to the brilliant ' Blink' from two years previous but utterly surpassing it with the perfect balance of those most volatile of ingredients: humour and terror.

Although the return of Song is skilfully done, the true leading lady was Karen Gillan's character, Amy Pond, her delightful one-liners such as "Mr. Grumpy Face" and "space rabies" really make the first episode a success, adding a much needed comic-relief to the sheer terror of the Weeping Angels hidden amongst the Maze of the Dead. In the second of thi s double-bill Pond proves to be up there with the most resilient of the Doctors compan ions, successfully navigating a terrifying forest filled of angels with her eyes closed, literally. She also proves the most risque, illustrated by a nice scene where Pond attempts to strip the Doctor of his garb and explore the back of his mouth. If there is one complaint to be made it would be regarding the speed, which was a little slow when compared to Who's typical cantering pace. Yet this is only to be expected with a twopart episode and only served to add a delicious tension as the small team traversed the Maze of the Dead. lt picks up in the second episode however. A gloriously funny and truly freaky double-bill. Don't blink, and don't miss it. Rebekah McGill

ever been to space at all. I think you' re making it up!") Karl may not explain himself well but in overstating his friend -turned-mascot's idiocy Ricky undermines the humour of when Karl comes out with a true clanger. The show is good for a few laughs, and since Gervais started charging to listen to the podcast it seems the show is for the fans who aren't die-hard enough to pay for the privilege . lt isn't, however, worth wasting a Friday night just to stay in for. I guess if you' re in watching Glee anyway then leave the TV on and make yourself a cup of tea . It' ll feel just like you're listening to a podcast. 路Micha Butler

So this is the end. I think Jim Morrison said it all when he said : "Father... I want to kill you ." And with the return of Britain's Got Talent it's easy how the man felt. news, classic TV earns a glossy rist which seems

They even organise it into schedules so that those shows you swore would never catch on are ever present, returning to haunt you regularly, every Friday at nine, except for sporting events. lt also means that by this point there are very few shows on TV that haven't been mentioned already and so I'm left lamely recommending that hospital drama with the English comedian or that show where young, attractive stereotypes sing and dance.

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<GAMING> < PR拢VIfWS > 1-I[AVY RAIN There aren't many games out there that have ever managed to convey emotion effectively, or actually managed to make you care about the character on screen; few games also manage to carry a story through to the end without becoming convoluted and diluted in the vast world and lore that they are contained within. Heavy Rain doesn't just make you care about one character, but four. lt tells how their lives intertwine together, taking you on a story-driven journey with a gripping plot and some of the most fantastic and visceral set pieces seen in any film, TV drama or game; and this is where Heavy Rain comes into a world of its own. Set as an 'Interactive Drama', it reaches not for the thrills found in triple-A First Person Shooters, but instead aims to capture the essence of a Hollywood thriller or a HBO TV Drama. Heavy Rain's plot revolves around the kidnapping of one of the protagonists' sons by the mysterious 'Origami Killer', a murderer who kills young boys by drowning them in rainwater and then leaves an origami figure on their dead body. While the game is about the father's quest to rescue his son, it is also about investigating and capturing the Origami Killer himself. However, it could also be about something else. Perhaps you will, in fact, aid the Origami Killer. This al l depends entirely on how you play the game. Taking on the roles of Ethan Mars (the Father of the kidnapped boy), Madison Page (a journalist investigating the Origami murders), Norman Jayden (an FB I profiler ca lled in to help 路investigate and put a stop to the Origami Killer) and Scott Shelby (a retired police officer performing his own private investigation on behalf of the victims parents). Each story slowly and seamlessly intertwines

to bring about a climactic ending that is never quite the same each time, as every play through is different and each choice made earlier in the game has a ripple effect later down the line. Any decision could shut off options for your character to perform or close off chapters entirely. To create the tension and make it play much more like a film or television programme all your interaction is decided by on screen button prompts and quick time events (QTE). and although this is initially jarring it quickly blends in. You won't have realised until playing how frantic they can actually be: you will accidentally hit the wrong button on the controller many times, or fumble when performing a tricky action requiring you to grip the controller like an octopus playing twister. Failing these QTEs and other on screen prompts doesn't mean failure; instead the game just carries on, adjusting accordingly. Even if you manage to get a character killed the game will keep on moving and you won't get to progress

any further with that character, which would also change the story arcs for the other characters. Heavy Rain will also be compatible with the new Playstation Move technology that is set to launch later this year, so instead of button presses, players will physically recreate the onscreen gesture or action. This will no doubt make the game much more immersive and remove the barrier of having to be familiar with the controller. Having said this, Heavy Rain has made itself accessible to as many as possible, not just by moving away from the regular conventions of games but also by using a simpler control scheme. Even those who are completely unfamiliar with the PS3 controller can pick up and enjoy the game. The developer, Quantic Dream, spent years creating a cast of believable characters and developed a way to capture real actors performances and transfer them seamlessly into a game engine without losing the emotion and

impact of a scene. This investment clearly pays off as Heavy Rain really does have you on the edge of your seat for much of the game hoping and praying your finger doesn't slip and you don't end up killing a character inadvertently. Complaints with Heavy Rain are few and far between, with the major gripes being that the killer's identity never changes and it 's very slow to start; literally taking the best part of two hours for it to kick off. This start however is necessary to set the sce ne, and from then on it's non-stop action, interspersed with moments of investigation and detective work. Like a TV show, you may not want to replay this game the instant you finish it, but, unlike a TV show, when you do play again everything could unfold in a comp letely new and different way. Vaughn Highfield Available on: PS3 Price: 拢50

-Great adaptive story, believable characters -Very innovative gameplay style -Good use of QTE (for once) -Graphically impressive

-Killer remains the same no matter what -Minor graphical glitches; clipping etc.

8.5/10

Goo .or WAn Ill Sony's flagship series is marching to war, one last time. The God of War series has been regarded by many in the gaming community as redefining the action adventure genre. The fluid gameplay has been highly addictive, the action satisfyingly gory and the dialogue absurd ly over the top. it's setting in the rich world of Ancient Greek mythology creates an atmosphere that's dark, brutal and oozing menace. Graphically God of War had pushed the ageing PS2 as far as it was thought possible to go. God of War 2 shattered this perception by pushing it even furthe路r and sealing the series' fate as being one of the sixth generation's best.

The plot very much ties into the previous two instalments and the game's constant referral back to them may confound those

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Nicholas Sparks, author of The Last Sang and other adapted-to-film novels like The Notebook, must be a terrible, terrible writer. When you discover that love interest Will (Liam Hemsworth) is not only a sensitive volleyball hunk who volunteers to look after itty bitty baby turtles, but also that he has to cope with fabulous wealth, demanding parents and the recent death of his brother, you have to question how anyone could overwrite a character this much. There are so many half-hearted "issues and subplots crammed into this film that the supposed focus of the story (stroppy teen Miley Cyrus and divorced dad Greg Kinnear bonding over their love of music) gets

ten minutes of screen time. Cyrus and real-life boyfriend Hemsworth, free of chemistry, are forced to resort to mud fighting and writing 'forever' on each other's Converse. The soundtrack is awful, featuring some totally inappropriate choices, and Maroon 5. First-timer (No! Really?) Julie Ann Robinson undoes all of Kathryn Bigelow's good work with some truly shoddy direction, and the last twenty minutes are just laughably syrupy. Take your stroppy little sister, but only if you actually hate her. Duncan Vicat-Brown

Fighting for 'true justice' is a theme that is sewn into the fabric of Hollywood filmmaking. A recent revision of this has been · seen in· the form of the much discussed 'torture-porn' genre. Films such as Saw and Hostel have twisted traditional ideas of vengeance and justice, and Law Abiding Citizen is no different. The film is in fact a marriage of the age-old lawyer-fightscriminal plotline and 'tortureporn' aesthetics. lt follows Nick

Rice's (Jamie Foxx) struggle to put bad guys behind bars; including a man (Gerard Butler) who has enacted justice of his own on the murders of his family. In many ways the film's premise is strong and it is selfaware of Hollywood's varying human morality tales melding together a jigsaw-like (Sow) world view with a classic good vs. evil dichotomy. However, the film becomes confused in exactly what it is trying to articulate. The graphic violence feels

1/10

Expectations for Hot Tub Time Machine are going to be low on all accounts, especially because of the title. Similarly to Snakes on A Plane, the film's lethargic title suggests an effortless or somewhat nonsensical premise, which does not usually fare well with audiences. The film follows a group of friends including Adam (John Cusac;k) and Jacob (Ciarke Duke) who are discontent with their current lives, thus visit a resort and a hot tub. This unsurprisingly, is a time machine which transports them back into the 1980s, where they appear as they did in 1986. The film itself lacks a sense of 'animation'. There is no real feel for the 1980s, as the

film depicts only cliches and references that detract from the film's potential to create the nostalgic atmosphere that it promotes. Moreover, the film should be watched for moments within the narrative, and not the film as a whole. Moments such as the mirror reflections, Phil's arm, and the theme of destiny and providence play out well, but when combined with the film's premise, these moments are inconsequential. The performances, especially from Cusack are flexible and articulate - perhaps his best since 1986. Adam Scales

misplaced and the actors seem misguided. Needless to say, director F. Gary Gray hasn't the track record of someone who could pull this type of film off (responsible for the dreadful Be Cool to name but one). The end result is an unfortunately disappointing action/crime film that fails to deliver an edge-of-seat moment from start to finish . Paul Cook

it's Complicated charts the highs and lows of Jane's (Meryl Streep) attempts to move on from her divorce from Jake (Aiec Baldwin), the complexities of having children can bring to communic~tion, and her struggle to find new love. For Jane, things really do become complicated as her ties to Jake soon see an old flame rekindled. However, the divorce finally sees Jane making changes to the house she

3/10

6/10

Despite ample amounts of body exposure offered by the gorgeous Gemma Arterton, it is her performance that truly delivers, suggesting that she is destined for great things. Her portrayal of a trauma~sed kidnap victim held for ransom by two kidnappers is flawless. What is most noteworthy, however, is how her deceptive character leads us to question whether she truly deserves any of our sympathy at all, which works well within the film's development. This British film capitalises in making the most out of a shoe-string budget, creating an uncomfortable, voyeuristic atmosphere through it's minimal dialogue and settings. Stylistically, the film has an art

house quality about it, using expressive camerawork to promote a sense of realism that delivers tension in abundance. Because of this, the unnecessary back stories of the characters are left unanswered, giving audiences the freedom to work out the complexities for themselves. Structurally the film is messy. Half way through it begins to feel confusing by presenting several convoluted twists without much reasoning to bulk up the narrative. lt jars and is unnecessary, generating some big plot holes which needed to be ironed out. Paul Martin

once shared with Jake. Enter Adam (Steve Martin), Jane's architect, and things get more complicated. Nancy Meyers, director and writer of The Holiday, has hit the nail on the head once again with this comical, sentimental outline of the reality of divorce. The acting is superb, with Streep playing the funny, caring mother who is just trying to move on; meanwhile it's great to see Martin playing a funny but sensitive character. This film

stands out; with all of the lead characters being slightly older than in other romantic comedies, and the added element of how their children react to the events makes the film extra comical and sentimental. lt's Complicated adds a sophisticated edge to the rom-com genre. lt may be complicated, but it's certainly entertaining. Elizabeth Poole

6/10

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8/10

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FANATICAL ABOUT FILM

RAT[D OR SlATfD? MARV[L AT Tl-lf MuLTrPLIT.I,- ~. . With Iron Man 2 having doubtless made enough money at the box office this past weekend to keep Tony Stark in shiny suits for the foreseeable future, it seems like a good time to highlight where the triumphant franch ise and its stable mates at Marvel Stud ios are headed next. Set up in 1993, Marvel Studios was created to develop te levision and movie projects based upon the back catalogue of comics stalwart, Marvel. In 2008, the studio definitively established itself as an ind ependent creator of blockbuster movies with the release of both Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk . Today, with revenue from their most recent hit rolling in from cinemas across the globe, Marvel's success has put the company in good stead to initiate the next phase of their plan for box office domination. The next few years for Marvel Studios are founded on the release of three films -two of which are standa lone super hero adventures that will ultimately directly feed into the third - a movie, as you will see, that could arguably be one of the most audacious super hero films ever mounted.

The first of this trio is Thor, to be released in May

2011, directed by Kenneth Branagh. Based upon the character created by Stan Lee, Thor owes a heavy debt to Norse mythology, chronicling the adventures of the titular thunder God and his crusade against rival, the trickster Loki. Set in both the real world and a Lard of the Rings-esque domain ca ll ed Asgard, the movie stars newcomer Chris Hemsworth (George Kirk in last years Star Trek) as Thor, and features Anthony Hopkins as Odin, Thor's fath er. Thor is an intriguing proposition, as, of the three upcoming M arvel movies, this is potentially the greatest departure. A story of gods and warriors, this sto ry naturally leans towards a more fantasy orientated style than other releases. Following Thor two months later is Captain America: The First Avenger di rected by Joe Johnston. The film will star Chris Evans (no, not that one) as the star-spangled World War 11 super soldier who faces off against the Nazi horde led by the villainous Red Skul l (Hugo Weaving) . The film 's period setting shou ld differentiate this from many other comic book movies on the market, and as such the hope here is

for a hybrid between the best elements of Superman and Raiders of the Lost Ark. Expect old fash ioned, boys-own thrills and spil ls from this one. Finally, in 2012, Marvel aims to re lease its biggest film yet - The Avengers, a film that wi ll unite Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, The Incredible Hulk and a host of supporting characters into one massive blockbuster. Whil st specifics are sketchy, word is that Buffy and Dol/house supremo Joss Whedon will direct the fi lm, redrafting the scri pt as he sees fit. Whil st very little is concrete in relation to The Avengers, the intent is to craft a genuine event mov ie, drawing together the stars of what cou ld be so me of the biggest films of the next few years. If successful, thi s could be huge. What with DC Comics properties Batman and Superman set to return to the screen within the next three years as well, one thing is for sure - now is a good time to be a comic book fan at the movies .... Liam O'Brien

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Acclaimed visionary director Werner Herzog is very good at two things. First ly, he is great at depicting characters wrestling with decay - this theme touch es a common chord: we all face mortality. Secondly, Herzog is excellent at depicting outsiders, typically an unusual man in an extreme si tuation. Aguirre: The Wrath of God (1972) is perhaps the finest example of thi s. Herzog's famously fiery relationship with actor Klaus Kin ski (Herzog and Kinski vowed to kill each other severa l times) left a lasting legacy. On a Co lumbus-style expedition to South America, Aguirre appears to us to be on the verge of insanity, yet in a clever move, Herzog depicts him as the only character in the film with clear motivation. The fact that Aguirre's men often appear to be passively bowed and bullied by his whims asks questions from the viewer: if Aguirre's aims are so insane, how is he in charge here? Herzog developed this theme with The Enigma of Kasper Hauser (1974) in a totally different context. He views Hauser's (played by reallife loner Bruno S) interactions with fine society in a harsh light, asking who is to blame for · Hauser's iso lation- further on, it does not appear se lf-imposed

despite his learni ng difficulties, but instead Hauser is a victim of circumstance. Derided as an idiot, he has the clearest sense of morality of any character in the film . Fitzcarraldo (1982) is arguably his most highly rated movie by critics. Again starring Kinski, the film has an unusual premise of a virtuoso who wants to bring grand opera to the jungles of South America. Like Aguirre, the exotic location is an excellent foil to observe a

Prize novel of the same name, has a huge budget, and has been tipped to do extremely well. • James Bond fans will be sad to hear that th e 23rd insta lm ent has been put on hold

• lt would seem that new rom com An Ex To Grind, starring Cameron Diaz and Benicio Del Toro, has failed to ignite much excitement within the industry. lt is an unlikely pairing, and while familiar territory for Diaz, it seems a rather odd choice for Del Toro. While being a mediocre film at best, it w il l probably be a favourite with the box office. • The Brits are out in full force, with both Clive Owen and Jason Statham reported to have signed on to action film The Killer Elite, an adaptation of Ranulph Fienne's novel The Feather Men. The pairing of Owen and Statham seems

character fighting aga in st th e elements. By focusing closely on the speec h, gestures and movements of Fitzcarraldo, we learn the method to his madness - but crucially, we are not allowed to feel totally comfortab le. Stroszek (1978) again starring Bruno 5, removes a character from his own comfort zone completely - Stroszek is transplanted to America from his homeland Germany, with quite surprisi ng results. Leaving his old life behind, we never really understand

where Stroszek stands on the question of the American Dream, which he appeared so fond of at the start of the film. Woyzeck (1979) focuses on a character with another clear rationale acting oddly: this time, a conscript bullied by other so ldi ers bigger and tougher than he. His shocking actions later in the film are not forgivable as a result, but understandable - a key exam pl e of playing with audience incl in ations. When done in a way that remain s true to the spirit of the film , this tendency can only be welcomed. Herzog's final, patchy collaboration with Klaus Kinski, th e much-maligned Cobra Verde (1987) again features this theme of insanity versus motivation. The final shot of Verde attempting to pull a large boat hull into the sea is a brilliant cinematic metaphor for the lone man wrestling against the odds - a theme that has pervaded the recent cinematic trends, sometimes in compelling fashion. Herzog's tendency to subvert expectation and ask who is really insane in hi s depictions of apparently mad characters is why he is one of the most compelling directors at work today. George Gilbert

Tn.tvtA TtMI~ • lt has been reported that 80s cult classic action film Commando is due to have a twenty-first century makeover, thanks to 20th Century Fox. The film is due to be directed by action-loving movie maker David Ayre. With an impress ive portfolio behind him, including films such as Training Day and Street Kings, let's hope Ayre does not disappoint. • Thanks to on lin e networking si te MySpace, the much anticipated horror sci-fi movie Splice has made its grand entrance. Adrien Brody, Oscar winning star of The Piano, stars alongside Sarah Polley as Scientists who have created a

new life form, but, of course, disaster ensues. • After a couple of hiccups, new film The Lincoln Lawyer has managed to grab hold of a whole host of heavy weight Hollywood stars, including Mathew McConaughey, Ryan Philippe and William H. Macy. With this much talent the film's success bodes well, although let's hope all that testosterone does not get in the way. • With the long string of films that have recently cashed in on the 3D craze, it is not surprising that Men in Black have announced that they are planning to make a third 3D instalment. The film hopes to

be released by Memorial Day 2011 and tactfully just in time for hoards of excitable and, erm ... cute children. • Talking about 3D, it has been reported that coveted director Ang Lee will be taking charge of

extremely promising, although filming has been pushed back to the summer. Bring on the action! • Talkin g about Brits, the nation's favourite actress Helen Mirren has signed up to star in the remake of the 1980's comedy Arthur. She will be starring opposite funny man Russell Brand, who has been going from strength to strength in recent times. Thi s promises to be a rather intriguing coupling, especially as the script is being written by Borat and Bruno writer Peter Baynham. Rebecca Harrington

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Tu£ SoUND ot CN£MA Cinema is a medium in which image and sound are inseparable. Whilst the moving picture, in it's infancy, started life as part of what we now refer to as the 'silent era', we are of course forgetting that these films had live piano or orchestral accompaniment. Cinema is without doubt the creative culmination of several age-old disciplines incorporating everything from writing to performance to photography to musicianship. With the ability to make us laugh, cry and extract every emotion in-between, cinema's dependence on sound is so often forgotten yet integral. Cinema is increasingly becoming the creative space in which all other mediums meet and it is often through music that this

becomes possible. Cinema in turn is benefitting from such a creative culmination. Where would Jaws be without John Williams' simple yet foreboding score, or Titanic without Celine Dion's uplifting My Heart Will Go On? In recent years, with the melancholic, contemplative sounds of Nick Cave and Warren Ellis providing the atmospherics for The Assassination of Jesse lames and The Road, and rock-legends AC/DC and Black Sabbath resurfacing through the Iron Man franchise, it is clear that music and film have an everlasting and inter-dependant marriage. The Event takes us through their musings on the oftforgotten, under-appreciated half of the audio-visual experience of the cinema ... Paul Cook

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... That was The Partridge Family's 'Doesn 't Somebody Want To Be Wanted~ followed by Edison Lighthouse's 'Love Grows Where My Rosemary Goes~ as K Billy's Super Sounds of the Seventies weekend just keeps on truckin ~ .. Then that bassline kicks in after those solemn words; that enigmatic bassline, and the skittish drums, and that iconic walk, and Tarantino and The George Baker Selection have suddenly become gangster personified. it is the most rock and roll title sequence of all time, but it only works because of the sheer juxtaposition of the two arts; Little Green Bag is in no way an aggressive song, but somehow becomes an ominous, haunting riff in the ears of all those who have seen the film . Consider too the Dylan-esque, pop, bubblegum favourite Stuck in the Middle With You, which accompanies Mr Blonde's sadistic, ear-cutting torture of the cop in the warehouse. The song is light-hearted and even comical at times, but the placement of it makes perfect sense in the film; explaining the cop's feeling of desperation and Mr Blonde's callous humour and it once again, remains, hauntingly, in the ears of the audience. However, Tarantino recognises that music is not only a useful cinematic device, but a part of life itself. Many times in the film, music is talked about just like in reality; be it who had heard True Blue earlier that weekend, whether Like a Virgin was about a kind lover or a particularly well endowed man, or simply if K-Billy's station was the best thing on the radio at the time. Either way it is the music that gets the characters talking, interacting and ultimately forges Tarantino's genuine style of cinema . And it is the soundtrack that gives the film its entire ambience too; with few set changes and minimalist dialogue the music really shines through and allows the mood to change with each different track. In short, the music choice seems to be as important as the script in Reservoir Dogs, and has definitely proven to be a brilliant film -making technique - it made the picture and made the characters how they were. If only we could tune in to the station where the seventies survived, K-B-1-L-L-Y. ..

So you've just directed a film . And you're not Michael Bay, so chances are this film is quite good . Now your film needs some noises; sometimes the audience needs music to tell them how they should be feeling because the actors are rubbish . Decision time : classical score, or something more contemporary? The main benefit of purely classical scores is that they are timeless; the soundtracks for Lawrence of Arabia and Star Wars could have been written yesterday. While they can lend subtlety and class to a film, it's also hard to deny the raw, visceral power of a full orchestra really going for the jugular. Unfortunately, orchestras are bloody expensive, as are all the musicians, and a studio to put them in . it's also worth noting that the bombast of an orchestra doesn't always work for small, intimate films. Then there's the option of a compilation soundtrack. This can lend your flick some indie cred ({500} Days of Summer), raise the profile of your favourite band (Zach Braff - Garden State - The Shins) or be exploited for comedy (any Phil Collins song in anything, ever). But choose carefully. A contemporary soundtrack can lend your film relevance, but poorly chosen tracks can quickly date it; take the naff 80s pop in Cocoon . The same goes for a score based around contemporary sounds. One word: synths. One more: don't. Looking at you, Michael Mann. Also, the rights to popular songs rarely come easily. Or cheaply. There is, of course, a happy balance; blending the two. John Murphy, Danny Boyle's go-to kid, successfully merged ambient score with post-rock guitars and structures for 28 Days Later, and collaborated with Underworld to find the middle ground between orchestral grandeur and ambient trance for Sunshine. Thomas Newman has had huge successes with his scores for more or less every good movie since 1992, which successfully integrate pop structures with orchestral stylings and world music. Clint Mansell's ambient-meets-melodrama score for Requiem for a Dream is now literally as ubiquitous as Happy Birthday, thanks to Simon Cowell and Sky Sports News. David Holmes took diverse influence from lounge, jazz, techno and hard rock for Ocean's Eleven and Out of Sight. Go classical, try cheap and easy, or be a bit clever. Your call. Duncan Vicat·Brown

Blood-soaked action scenes, shameless homages and scathing dialogue aside, the other thing that the films of Quentin Tarantino are most known for is their often iconic soundtracks. In an industry where it is generally quite rare for directors to appear to have a huge amount of say, if any, in the film's music, and in which bands or artists are frequently asked to write a song or two specifically for the picture (the buzz surrounding who gets asked to perform the latest Bond theme is almost as hot a topic as the latest actor to step into the lead role), Tarantino is known for crafting his soundtracks the way most people put together mixtapes, with almost as much care and attention to detail as his films. Reviews and interviews often talk about the director's lengthy compilation process which takes place as the film is being made, as well as descriptions of a highly complex record categorizing system in his home which more than hint at the high levels of control over and commitment to the musical side of the pictures (if not coming across as just a tiny bit obsessive). Obscure finds (he is said to have discovered The 5-6-7-Ss, who appear in Kill Bill Vol. 1, in a clothes shop in Japan, leading him to convince the shop's owner to give him the CD) sit alongside references to countless different eras of music and pop culture that have led to some of the most memorable scenes in late 20th/ early 21st-century film . Would the build up to Daryl Hannah's attempt to bump off a comatose Uma Thurman in her hospital bed in Kill Bill be as chilling without the screeching crescendo of whistling in Bernard Herrmann's Twisted Nerve? Would Reservoir Dogs' (1992) torture scene have seemed as bizarrely twisted had Stealers Wheel's Stuck in the Middle with You not been blaring cheerfully in the background? In a way the songs are like an extra character or even a narrator, matching the mood of the scene perfectly and staying with the viewer long after the credits have rolled. This can almost definitely be accredited to the constant decision to choose songs from a huge range of genres and places, rather than to simply provide a vehicle for current mainstream artists hoping for a boost in record sales (although it is unlikely that The 5-6-7-Bs are complaining). Kate Hinksman

Alex Throssell

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Have any other films created in the last ten years been such a groundbreaking success music-wise as The Lord of the Rings trilogy? The Fellowship of the Ring, released in late 2001, was the first part of over ten hours of soundtrack and together with The Two Towers and The Return of the King, guaranteed Howard Shore, composer of over 40 soundtracks (including Mrs Doubtfire, Silence of the Lambs and The Aviator}, the biggest crescendo in recognition he has ever managed to achieve. So what is so exciting about this soundtrack in particular? lt is delicately pieced together, creating a complex network of harmonies which gently, or fiercely, carry the film forward. Capable of building tension or producing tears, such an epic story

500 DAYS Ot SUMMIR could not do with anything less than the theme tunes Shore composed for each character and location : so full of emotion, he is able to portray their personalities, and through them their envy, mishaps and happiness, and the strength of citie s and battles. There is a reoccurring theme, for example, for the hobbits of the Shire, for the entire fellowship, and yet another for Gollum, which fills the listener with pity. However, it is not music which has to be accompanied by the film - it stands on its own too, a collection of powerful pieces played and sung by the Philharmonic orchestra and Annie Lennox; the beautiful lamenting song of Pippin in hts enslavement, one of the few examples of diegetic music in all three movies, was in fact composed by his actor, Billy Boyd, who borrowed lines from J. R. R. Tolkien's book. One of the highlights of the trilogy soundtrack has to be when Gandalf and Pippin pass the once majestic White Tree of Gondor, now wilting - Shore begins to increase the tempo and soon the mourning becomes a determined crescendo, and through furious strings emerges once again the triumphant theme of Gondor; this is naturally juxtaposed with the scene of Aragorn 's coronation where the tree is blossoming and the music therefore uplifting. The three soundtracks are highly renowned: The Fellowship of the Ring and The Return of the King won Academy Awards in 2002 and 2004. The latter film also won an Oscar statuette for Best Song, as well as the Golden Globe for Best Original Score Motion Picture and Best Original Song.

Robyn Comfort

The soundtrack begins with voiceover introduction directly taken from the film itself, and from then you are transported to memories of the film, beginning with Us by Regina Spektor. The Black Lips track Bad Kids is sandwiched between two Smiths songs, which doesn't flow quite that well as the same band is placed so closely together. Spektor also appears again several tracks later, yet these aspects of repetition give it an authentic mix-tape feel. The compilation really picks up with the upbeat track You Make My Dreams by Daryl Hall & John Oats, instantly recalling the dance scene and the happiness of being in love. The next few songs reflect the plot of the film, as Temper Trap's anthem Sweet Disposition then glides into a French song by Carla Bruni, and somehow it is beautiful without needing to know what the words mean. Feist's Mushaboom provides a nice tune that speaks of summer days, before Spektor appears again to change the tone to a more melancholy feeling. This track confirms the idea that the songs are from the protagonist's point of view, with lines such as 'he never saw it coming at all'. A short interlude by Simon and Garfunkel mirrors the flashback nature of the film, looking back on memories. The next few songs go along with the battling of emotions and working through pain. The last song is the band She & Him, fronted by the actress in the film, Zooey Deschanel, but yet again, she sings a Smiths song. That said, the somewhat overplayed Smiths do have a part to play in the film, as this represents what brings the two characters together. Overall, the soundtrack offers a well thought out collection of quality songs. Carmina Masoliver

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Asu > WATrRrRONT > WrnNrSDAY 21ST APRIL Ash's return to Norwich after a three year gap saw a significant downsizing in venue from the LCR to the Waterfront, possibly an indication that their generic brand of Weezer-esque pop rock is falling out of favour with the indie crowd . To compensate for this, Ash have recruited Russell Lissack, guitarist from turgid indie band Bloc Party, as a support act as well as second guitarist. If this was an attempt to attract more punters it certainly worked . However, his expectantly dull set aroused little enthusiasm from the crowd, with the only saving grace being that lead singer Kele wasn't there to layer his exasperating vocals over Lissack's tuneless riffing. His exceptionally irritating indie hair also proved a distraction that most found difficult to overcome. Despite the poorly chosen support act, Ash actually performed with an enthusiasm that belied their age. Sure, they have very little to work with; the songs feature at most two chords and the vocals are indistinctive. Yet they played most of their set with surprising conviction. The audience reacted to the new songs with bewilderment and a sense that they were waiting for something. When Ash finally launched into Goldftnger, it suddenly became apparent what they were waiting for. Energy surged through the thirty-something crowd as

Since topping the BBC Sound of 2010 poll, Ellie Goulding has enjoyed a meteoric rise to fame . With a chart-topping album and a BRIT Award under her belt, Pete Walker caught up with the 23 year old Hereford electro-folkie as she prepares for her upcoming stint supporting Gram my winner John Mayer.

they briefly returned to the halcyon days of their youth . Unfortunately, the newer material did not receive as rapturous a reception . The highlight of their set came in the second to last song of the encore, Twilight of the Innocents. Largely keyboard driven, the 2007 song featured a slow build-up of synthesizers eventually reaching a rousing guitar riff that sat completely at odds with the happy-go-lucky power pop of yonder years. Jack Loughran

TrMrs Nnv VIKING > ARTS CrnTnr > JU[SDAY 27Tn APRIL The Arts Centre's 'Twee Off' nights are becoming something of a speciality. Tonight is volume 11 of the series, which has previously played host to underground and cult favourites such as the Vivian Girls and Errors. This time it is Ohio's leading purveyors of the lo-fi twee-core scene, Times New Viking, who make the hotly anticipated trip to East Anglia's finest city. First up however are South-Londoners Yuck, whose slacker rock smacks of Sub Pop. Despite lacking the ability to find a decent moniker, the unsigned quartet bring good memories of the 90s' grunge heyday, begging the question: why did nu-rave ever happen? By t'he looks of him, drummer Johnny may have even been the inspiration for Pavement's 'Cut Your Hair'. Flannel's back big-time, baby. The poster on the front door claims that Times New Viking are a must see for fans of Guided By Voices, but really it is as if GBV were raised on a steady diet of Black Flag and My Bloody Valentine, and then fed recklessly through a blender. The Pitchfork favourites set the precedent by storming through four songs in the opening ten minutes. Why bother with long jams when you can fit in enough melody in two and a half minutes to fill the entire Beatles catalogue? The happily distorted sounds of I Smell Bubblegum, City on Drugs and Born

How has the tour been so far? it's been rea lly good, w e had the day off yesterday, stayed in Leeds - unfortunately we had to can cel the first date for a TV thing. But I love the band ; I went on an absolute bender the second 路night and I don't usually drink, my friend Ben from Mumford and Sons came down and I drank two of everything. I was vom iting all night, it wa s absolute dread. Is there a particular reason why you don't usually drink? Yes, I don't like the way it makes me feel at the end of the night and in the morning, I get really emotional and start hating everything. I'd like it not to be part of my lifestyle but on the road it's inevitable - the boys drink so much . For those who haven't yet listened to the album, can you give us your own synoptic of it? Who hasn't listened to it yet!? Nah I' m joking. it's alright: it's number one, it's kind of electro songs, which have guitar in, and then they have this voice over the top, which just so happens to be mine. In terms of the songs themselves, well, you've got the hap'py songs, then the sad songs. What are the more general themes of influence behind the album and musical genre? My cute little village home near Hereford and ... well, I haven't had my heart broken very much, but about people I've been infatuated with and haven't felt the same back. Generally, I have thoughts that spiral out of control such as imagining myself as a lonely spinster one day. You could say I'm never fulfilled.

Again Revisited all burst out of the Arts Centre's You went of course to Kent University, speakers which surely take a bit of a battering, as studying Drama and then leaving to pursue loud as indie gets without becoming something your career after two years. Might you ever else entirely. it's a fact that 9S% of the audience pop back there for one more year? go home with some sort of tinnitus, and the 路 Do you think I w ill? remainder are barely human. Relentlessly ... No? tearing through their forty five minute set with next to no banter and no encore, TNV deliver the Well maybe when I'm SO as like a... what's it message that they're here to deliver feel good called? Mature student. I would like to get a pop, only in the style of the best punk bands and degree in my life. at the cost of your ears. Michael Blunt You've worked with the like~ of Starsmith,

Frankmusik, even Diana Vickers; but could collaboration with Bon lver be possible? I know you're a big fan. it would be an absolute dream, I don't know though; I know he likes the cover of Wolves .

Congratulations of course on the 'Critic's Choice' Brit Award. Do you feel a certain amount of pressure now? Thank you very much. Well, people used to ask me that but now my album's number one, so not so much. The Brit award, however, didn't mean that much to me. it has come with so much abuse and criticism from those who have launch -padded me onto a pop platform and sadly, I can't appreciate it as much as I should . I mean, when all I want to be is a folk artist and that's what I' m used to. it certain ly comes with a price . Have you got any tips for budding musicians on campus? I would say write your own songs, stop doing covers. I crossed over from perform ing covers, namely for the competition at Kent and that's how I started out. Believe in you rself and oth er people will. Believe in what you sing and the way you dress it up. What next, after the headline tour? Lots of festivals, I'm playing Glastonbury, travelling around, Australia first - they' re trying to make me th is global thing .

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- Kate Nash's second album is notably different from the first, yet true enough to her original style to keep fans happy. lt would have been disappointing to hear a whole album of love songs dedicated to boyfriend Ryan Jarman, and thankful!y, with a few exceptions (I Hate Seagulls), that is not what we get. With the first album, the listener could imagine Nash in her room composing the tracks, whilst this album is more experimental, and experienced, creating a more grown-up image; the artist herself told The Times that she even composed the string parts. There is an influence from music of past

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eras, from the 1960s, to Riot Grrrl sounds and other musicians, such as Regina Spektor. What Kate Nash does best is make the listener feel like she is as normal as them, although having seen her in the flesh she has an aura that even X- Factor winners can't compete with (if they are assumed to have said "x-factor"). She makes it ok;Jy to feel jealous, or angry, or sad, and allows listeners to indulge in catharsis. In songs such as Don't You Wont To Share The Guilt? this message is apparent, and that if negative emotions are shared everyone can feel better. One criticism is that a fair amount of the songs rely on repetitive choruses, howeve r, even this seems to work with the way Nash uses her voice, for example, interjecting screams and screeches in I Just Love You More, showing that love is not all sunshine and roses and can sometimes make you crazy. Songs such as the first single, Do -Wah -Doo, are instant anthems that risk the overplay of the previous Foundations. Another highlight is Mansion Song, which begins as an angst poem, rolling into a chanting song with the rhythm of school girl clapping rhyme s. These, along with softer, melodic songs, provide an album more perfect on the shelf than any Pussycat Dolls. Carmina M asoliver

Compiling a 'Best of' album can sometimes be a tricky business. On the one hand, it allows a band to amass a testament to their successful (and assumedly long) musical career. Herein, however, lies a difficulty; what exactly should be put into the collection? Over an extended career an artist can compile dozens of singles - all that qualify for placement in a 'best of' collection . Yet, a Greatest Hits CD can hold only so many tracks. Doves however, have skilfully avoided this issue by releasing The Places Between at just the right time. Doves have a large discography

9/ 10

behind them - but not so extensive that its liighlights can ' t be neatly brought together in one volume. With songs from all four of the band's albums, as well as from their EPs, The Places Between forms a faithful introduction for any newcomers to the band, successfully communicating the overall flavour of the music that Doves have been creating for at least ten years now. Certainly, some singles have been missed out; Sky Starts Falling and House of Mirrors amongst them, but these are no great losses. Every track here is excel lent and the album has no real weak points. Despite being a compilation , its track listing is structured as well as any studio album and this makes listening to The Places Between as a whole an enjoyable experience. Hardcore fans surely have to applaud the album for its consistency in representing the commercial success of Doves, while newcomers will find themselves provided with an ample introduction to the band. As for anyone who finds their appetite whetted- but not satiated- there 's always the .deluxe three disc edition.

Joe Odran Doran

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- RIS[ UP

6/ 10 at an altered sound. Walking In The Rain is unmistakably The Paddingtons, as it consists of abo ut 3 chords and was probably written in 5 minutes . lt would be a fi ne B-si de, at best. Lady Boy was eo-written with indie odd-ball Adam Green - no prizes for guessing what the song is about. Wit h an un like ly horn section to close the song, it is The Paddingtons at

lt seems t his has been considered, as the album boasts a pleth ora of talent, includi ng M ike Shinoda (Linkin路 Park), Daron Malakian (System of a Down) and Tom Morel lo (Rage Against the M ach ine) who, as well as many guest rappers, share w riti ng and producing ro les to make Rise Up Cypress Hill's most full, professional sounding re lease yet. The lyrics also match this acco mpl ishment ; many songs focus on their

it has been 6 years since West Coast Latinorap superstars Cypress Hill have released a full record and, for many, t his period of quiet de lay has simply been too long. As one of the most successful mainstream rap groups of the past 20 years, with massive multip le-platinum success and a broad audience appeal, the band set a bar for new album Rise Up to, well, rise up to. The problem facing them is that to make their music relevant and interesting in a time when rap and hip-hop has become less controversial and, if anything, more accomplished than it has ever been before.

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successes and the album has a disti nct feel of aggrandizing the band. This more aggressive approach, with many songs featuring heavy prod uction and distorted guitars as well as their usual funky beats, brings success but also their downfall, as some of the songs just seem too simplistic and stereotypically antagonistic to provoke any real reaction. The almost incessant references to drug use and self-endorsement, although part of the genre, sound trite and almost comica l compared to more ta lented underground rappers. This is not to say the enti re album is of a similar standard. The first three tracks, it Ain't No thin', Light it Up and Rise Up are quality tracks and there are othe r high light s, but unfortunately at 15 songs the album just seems to drag. However, with a slot at the Reading/ Leeds Festivals later this yea r, I'm sure Cypress Hill won't let any critic ruin the party. Alex Throssell

Take yourself back to 2005 and you just might remember punk/ in die outfit The Paddingtons. Suffering from second album writer's block, they have all but fallen off the face of the earth, releasing most recent album No Mundane Options a lengthy 3 years after their debut. Despite this, The Lady Boy Tapes proves that they are still capable of writing the catchiest hooks in music today. Opening song Consequence sees the band on fairly familiar ground , though a slightly QOTSA-esque intra riff and questionable backing vocals suggests that this is an attempt

their most daring, but most enjoyable. Heavy distortion on the chorus vocals to Pretty Pity are a welcomed addition to t he ir sound. But it is the closing song Wrong 'Un that is the highlight of the EP. A short and sweet number, it is their most pop moment to date. With a chorus reminiscent of Weezer 's Green album, the singer bemoans "You let me down/ You went too far/ And you broke my heart". Lyrical gen ius it ain't, but you' ll strugg le to not sing along on your second listen. Despite lacking the full sound heard on previous hits such as Panic Attack, this EP, and its accompanying YouTube videos, show that these lads just love being in a band and playing music. This is by no means groundbreaking, and despite a helping ha nd from Adam Green, The Paddingtons will not break in to the mainstream (not yet anyway.) But it's a fine effort and worth a listen. Adam Wilson

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rIll[ (IT Cent e>8pm>£4 *C*A*B*A*R*E*T> B rd a e>8pm>£1 *Sports Night>B >9pm

*Salsa Lesson> H1 >Spm>£2 *Morecambe>P s >7:30>£12 *Stacey Earle & Mark Stuart > e >8pm>£8 *Bar b4 LCR> >8pm *Noah's Ark> LC >lOpm>£3.50

11nuumm UEA Literary Festivai>Esther Freud> L- >6:30>£6 *Alabama 3> >7:30>£17 *Lightspeed Champion> s C ntre >8pm>£9 *Live Music Night>Ba r>8pm

~mn *The Temper Trap> C >7:30>£13.50 *Paul Curreri> *Stewart Francis> >8pm >£12 *C*A*B*A*R*E*T> >8pm>£1 *Sports Night> >9pm

*GENERAL ELECTION 2010* *Film>Precious> ~ >7:30>£2.80 *An Evening of Clairvoyance >D >7:30>£10 *Masters of Pain> >8pm >£6 *DJ Rukspin>B >8pm *Karaoke> Bar>8:30

lbomm *Ecloustic Wonderland>S G o 6:30>£5 *The Cage Birds and the Real inspector trE->7 :45>£6 Hound>P De *Best of Leicester Comedy Festival > Ce t >8pm>£10 *Atomic Cocktaii>B rdcag >8pm

Now celebrating its fourth year, Pimp My Barrow is run jointly by four alumni students, Tom Tapper, Timir Kemp, Paul Wheeler, Chris Morris and UEA'S own Raising and Giving Society. Raising money for the Big C Cancer Charity, the event has raised over £5,000 in previous years, and around £5,000 so far this year with the hope to raise another £1,000 on the day. it will be held on Saturday 15th May. So what is it all about? Pimp My Barrow challenges its participants to make a standard wheel barrow into something spectacular. With cardboard, Sellotape and poster paint, students can 'pimp up' their wheelbarrow, and dress up to match their theme, to produce something worthy of donations towards the Big C. All wheelbarrows then meet in the square in anticipation of a parade around the pubs of the Golden Triangle area, and then return to campus and park up the barrows to head on to the LCR . The Golden Triangle route will take the Pimp My Barrow participants along South Park Avenue to the Farm House pub, across to Unthank Road and the Rose Valley Tavern,

*SocNight> B >8pm *80s Night & Hit Parade> >£3.50

*Film>Avatar> LT >7:30>£2.80 * SocN ight> Bar>8p m *Love Train>B rd age>8pm *Your Guilty Pleasures & Paradise City> F>lOpm>£3.50 >lOpm

*The Brownies, etc.> Centre >8pm>£5 >8pm *Bar b4 LCR> *The A List & Grit>l >lOpm>£4.50 *Meltdown & Britpoppin' Super Heroes Night> >lOpm>£3.50

*Gogo Bordello> C >7:30>£1& *Example> >7:30>£8 *Jesca Hoop> C >8pm>£8

Dnuv1mn *Salsa Lesson> >Spm>£2 *NME Radar Tour> F>7pm>£9.50 *Bar b4 LCR> B >8pm *The Groanbox Boys> s Centre >8:30>£10 *Vicars & Tarts>LC >lOpm>£3.50

*The Complete Stone Roses> >7pm >£12 *Chase & Status> LC~> 7:30>£13.50 *Chiddy Bang> F>7 :30>£7 *The Quiz>C >7 :30 *Tom Harris Trio> *Sargasso> s te t e>8pm>£7

and then The Rose, over to Earlham Road for a visit to The Black Horse, and finally returning to UEA to our own student bar. To register a barrow, participants must donate £20 to the Big C via their Justgiving Page (http://www.justgiving.com/pmb09) . This gives you entry to the event and team wristbands for drinks deals in the participating pubs. The organisers do stress that safety is a primary concern, and say that "barrowing is a gentleman's game and therefore by surrendering the value of £20 you agree to abide by the following rules", including an Oxford dictionary's definition of the wheelbarrow and the insistence of complying with it; a reminder that at least one member of the team must be in the barrow at all times; and a general reminder to abide by the rules. A place for participation is strictly first come first serve, so everyone is encouraged to register as soon as possible. There is a maximu-m of five people per barrow. Although preliminarily designed to raise money for a good cause and offer a good night out, Pimp My Barrow is also highly aware of police concerns for students' safety. Police have undertaken a full report on the event, and encourage students to familiarise themselves with the risk analysis, which includes safety rules such as : all participants will have a route

~Mm *Jumble Sale>B rdcage>2pm *Shake-up!>Art Cen >8pm>£8 *Bar b4 LCR> Bar> 8pm * Meltdown & Ska'd Up> >lOpm>£3.50 *Now 90s & DJ Double A>lCR>lOpm >£4.50

~*Diana Vickers>

F>7pm>£12 *The Quiz>Bar>7 :30

*Mr Hudson>LC >7 :30>£12.50

card, everyone must have a wristband, no one is permitted to bring their own alcohol into the pubs, and many more. Participants will be fully briefed about potential risks and safeguards at the beginn ing of the event. So, join your fellow barrowers to continue this UEA summer tradition and raise money for a great cause at the same time. Following last year's successes of themes of Tetris, Meals on Wheels, The A Team, multiple Amy Winehouses, Scrabble, YMCA, and so on, this year promises to bring more inventive themes and dress-up. As well as being a fun and sociable way to end the term, what else could be a better distraction from those nasty exams? The organisers for Pimp My Barrow can be contacted via their Facebook group, Twitter page, or by the UEA RAG society. You can download the organisers' 'Good PMB Guide' from the Facebook page wh ich outlines the rules, routes, an interactive map, an application form (which must be returned to the Hive by lOth May), and general advice . Pimp My Barrow takes place on Saturday 15th May, starting in the square at 3pm. Helen Thomas

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1: Britain's on ly native poisonous snake (5) 5: The drops caused by crying (5) 8: To marry or run away in secret (5) 9: To go away (5) 10: Strength, possibly (5) 11: Sleep, perhaps briefly (3) 12: Footwear being worn more recently! (7) 14: Wate r in desert, Brit-pop band who recently split (5) 16: Desert in Asia (4) 17: Collective name for Pac ific islands (7) 18: Economical, prudent with money (6) 20: Exclu sive licen se of idea (6) 23 : Breed of dog, golden (9) 25: Organ for hearing (3) 26: To remove liquid, pipe which water flows through (5) 27: Nine tim es ten (6)

1: Book of maps, Titan who hold s up the sky in Greek mythology (5) 2: Sketched by pencil, eviscerated (5) 3: Re-questioning a witness, repeated investigation (13) 4: Place where literature is purchased (8) 5: Speed (5) 6: Shop which produces catalogue, Jason's ship (5) 7: Adequate, static forays (anag.) (12) 13: Rage, fury (5) 15: Separate (5) 18: Sacked, placed in kiln (5) 19: Beyond the normal, fan atic sport supporters (5) 21: Garment protecting the clothes while cooking (5) 22 : To evict or throw out (5) 24 : Vehicle used for transporting heavy goods, such as Ford Tran sit (3)

Welsh In die heroes Feeder are playing the LCR on Sunday 6/6/10, and courtesy of the Union we have a pair of tickets to give away! With hits like Buck Rogers, Pushing the Senses and Lost and Found alongside material from a new album, this promises to be a fantastic gig from one of the best British live acts of the last decade. For a chance of winning just bring your completed crossword to the Concrete Office by Friday 14/5/10. E-mail:

Have you ever seen someone gliding elegantly around town or campus on a Segway and been tilled with jealousy? Well thanks to the good people at latelategifts.co.uk you too \ can experience the joys of this brilliant new bit of kit! One lucky reader will win an exciting Segway Rally Experience, the ultimate eco-friendly all-terrain race, in Attleborough (just twenty minutes from Norwich by train)! Take a few You'll be given full safety training and equipment, then let loose across a woodland trail. Use it as a relaxing way to take in the sites of the countryside or, and we know you'll prefer this option, race against each other to see who can become the fastest thing on two wheels ! 1

I mates and indulge your competitive side over a thrilling track which will test your Segway control to the limits.

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This awesome prize comes courtesy of www.latelategifts.co.uk - the new way to find the perfect present at short notice. Wh ethe r you need flowers, gadgets or even sexy lingerie: when you really need to give a memorable gift there's a fantastic range of presents for even the most forgetful or busy of generous folk. Next day, same day or even vouchers with C"n - - •Jtr::;nr:]p-]"?11....:-Sl instant delivery are al l avai lab le, so now it's never too late to give! To be in with a chance of winn ing this fanta stical ly fun prize, ju st email the answer to this simple question to competitions.concrete@uea.ac.uk before Friday 14/5/10: Name three stores which latelategifts.co .uk ca n help you find a last minute present from .

~~~~~~~~~!!!~!!!!!~T~h~is~p~ri~ze~d~o~e~ s n:o:t~include travel to Attlebo rough, sorry! Voucher must be used within 10 months. For safety reasons, the winne r mu st be over 12 years old and under 18 stone.

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The Gen ral Election has b n called for Thursday 6th May! This lection will d cide which p rson will represent you wh n it comes to determining th price of University ducation, the quality of public transport and housing, the future of our plan t and your job prospects wh n you graduate.

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All UK and Commonwealth stud nts living on th U A campus will be r gist red to vote! On the d y of the election student officers will be leading walking buses from your h ll to the campu polling station in Nelson Cour Common Room B. All you'll n ed is your polling e rd which you'll find at the UEA post room 12.30 Norfolk 1i rr c: (out td Block A) Suffolk 1i rr c: (outsid Block D) 3.00 Brttt n Hou (out id fl t 1·8) & Colm n Hou (out fd fl ts 1·8) 5.00 P ton a Victory Hou (out td fl t 19·28) a Wolf on/Orw 11, K tt Brown Hous (out fd Brown ) 7.00 N I on Court (n r th c:onf r n offic ) nd Con t bl "fi rr c (b tw n fl t 12 nd 17) 7.00 UEA Vill (b tw n Courty rd A nd B)

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vt ttwwwu tud nt corn F1nd out what ll th e nd1d t fn Norwich SQuth nd som of th c ndfdate loc lly h ve said ab ut th f1v thin tudent fn Norwfc:h w nt from th 1r MP - f frly fund d higher due tf n, a low.. arbon u tain bl fu ur , u t fn ble tr n p r olutfon , quality tud nt housfn in eohe 1ve c:ommunttfes and good opportunitf for Norwfch ra u t

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MPs elec d fn th1s ener l Elect1 n will be making decisions about a possible rise 1n tuitfon fees sf nin up to Vote for tudents wHl mean you'll be emaHed the details of th c:and1dates that will vote again t any increase in fees in the next parliament and will pres$ure the government to introduce a fairer alternative

Remember the more students who vote, the more likely it is MPs and government will take students" views seriously. So make sure you use your vote on 6th May to help make students' lives better.

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Next month, the city come alive with the arts. The Event picks a few highlights. Consider the Norfolk and Norwich Festival as the city's chocolate box of art delights, ready to be co nsum ed. Even if you're not the sort to go out of your way to find cultural attraction, the festival has found a way of causing you to stumble across them. Kurt Perschke's art is a load of balls. Literally. The artist has travelled to the world's most di stinguished cities, from Barcelona to Sydney, and st uffed a giant red ball in between the nooks and crannies of buildings. From the 7th May, the ball will be in 14 different locations around Norwich. Cue innuendo aplenty, no doubt. From the same date, artist Tim Etchells will be inviting people to his art ex hibition s by text. His show A Short Message Spectacle (SMS, geddit?) create s art for those permanently attached to their mobile, in an ' imagin ary performance across a virtual city.' To sign up to this world premier. event, text NNF plus your postcode and age to 60777. it's totally free to become an 'audience member.' Being a

cu ltural virtuoso is just a few key strokes away. For Dance fans, Norwich becomes the hotbed of activity for the festival period . The Michael Clark Company hits the Norwich Theatre Royal on lOth and 11th May. Combining the music of Bowie, lggy Pop and Lou Reed with a fusion of classical and contemporary ballet, Clark's strong stylistic pieces put his own spin on the niche of modern fusion

LniJ~ATUH[ > U[A W1~1TD~S > IAN Me[ \VAN superficia lity. An author as accomp lished as he may feel the need to vary their works, to shake up their stock characters and to attempt to delve into an academic field very different from their own, but there shou ld be a feelin g that thi s is not done in a way that damages their art . Sadly, perhaps Solar is hindered somew hat by McEwan's desire to try somethi ng new. This is not to say, of course, that Solar is in all ways lacking. M cEwan remains the true master of ten sion: his language is fraug ht with confliCt, hidden des ires, and with passion. There is an astoni shing simp li city to it, in a way that makes it very difficult to co nsider Solar anything other than a masterpiece. lan McEwan was, until Matt Smith recently As one of the very first graduates of the now world -famous MA in Creative Writin g at UEA, Ian McEwan helped to put our fl edgling university on the map. With numerous prestigious writing awards to his name, including the 1998 Booker Prize for Amsterdam, McEwan has become a by word for intriguing and subtly disturbing ~~tcrdlure. 1 hiS 1s perhaps the reason that new release Solar came as such a surprise to fans. McEwan, it would appear, has branched out into comedy. In Solar, McEwan follows scientist Michael Beard on his quest to save the planet from the dangers of global warming. The character of Michael Beard is the most noticeable departure from McEwan's usual style: overweight, selfish and fuelled by arroga nce, Beard is a whol ly unlikable character, yet unmistakably humorous in presentation. McEwan is ab le to employ stereotypes of gluttonous and lusty men in order to evoke titillation. Th e trouble with this, however, is the fact that McEwan has felt the need to dabble in stereotype and

became everyone's favourite new Doctor, the most high profile of UEA alumni, and for very good reason. He has written some of the best literature of the last thirty years, and here's to hoping that he will continue to do so for many years to come. Catch lan McEwan lecturing in LTl on Tuesday 11th May as part of NNFlO. Gemma Henzley

ballet styles that have been made popu lar by Mathew Bourne. A shift to the continent is brought by Flamenco sin Fronteras {F lamenco without Borders) who will bring th eir Latin American rhythms to the Theatre Royal on the 15th May. All these events and many more offer ÂŁ5 tickets for under 25s. For those who are children at heart and

let's face it, that's most of us really, th e NoFit State Circus are in Eaton Park on the 13th. If you weren't tempted enoug h by the thought of circus stunts, it's absol utely free. Kirsten Peter For more details on this year's festival, including a full schedule of free and ticketed events, Visit www.nnflO.org.uk

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Provided You Don' t Kiss Me: Twenty Years with Brian Clough is a wonderfully frank and insightful glance into the life of football's greatest personality, through the eyes of the man who reported on him for twenty years. Duncan Hamilton spent twenty years following Clough and his Nottingham Forest team around Europe for the Nottingham Evening Post, chronicling the trials and tribulations of one of football's greatest enigmas. Clough drank heavily; gave to charity generously, hit pitch invaders, and proved

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a match in wit for Muhammed Ali on the Parkinson Show. Aside from his tempestuous nature, he was a managerial genius, leading the provincial Nottingham Forest side to European glory in two consecutive years. Clough's enigmatic character was experienced by Hamilton to the full, and from his days as a young trainee reporter, to his days as Sports Editor of the Nottingham Evening Post, he developed an affinity with the man quite aptly known as '01' big head'. Hamilton attempts to dispel some of the untruths portrayed in the fellow Clough biography, 'The Damned United'. While Hamilton does not shy away from Clough's undoubted pitfalls, he also highlights the generosity he showed to those more unfortunate than himself - a trait he attributes to Clough's working class Teeside upbringing. Provided You Don't Kiss Me is what a sports book should be : insightful, balanced and funny. Many of its anecdotes provide those readers who are too young to remember the preMurdoch football monopoly with a reminder of where the heart of the sport really lies. Clough once told journalists: "I'm not the greatest manager, but I'm in the top one." This award-winning book goes some way to explaining why Clough may well have been right in his perpetual modesty. Danny Coli ins

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Jack Kerouac's On The Road is the ultimate book for every student, whether travelling this summer or just working away. Written by the man who epitomized the Beat generation, this is the novel that epitomized an era. This novel exemplifies a generation who, having seen the failures of the American Dream, became disillusioned dreamers living in a bohemian hedonistic world who only had the option of going 'on the road' to escape. The semi-autobiographical nature of On the Road means that this comes across in every thought, character, and sentence. Despite the main character Sal's disillusionment, the book is thoroughly life affirming. Death might be a reoccurring theme throughout but it is more about the fear of not having lived before death. The book received some controversial reviews but it is impossible to deny the revolutionary impact it had, although it made Kerouac look a bit like a one-trick pony, despite his array of work. The fact that he wrote the book in one sitting on one 'scroll' led Truman Capote to quip that it wasn't writing but just typing. Kerouac's stream of consciousness is so eloquent, and so perfectly expressed that we would be lucky if this was just typing. The sex, the drugs and the jazz might all seem passe now, but back then they were the height of cool. They defined an under culture

that fought the status quo; the original hippies and punks that make the novel refreshing despite its age and give a real glimpse into life as a Beatnik. All in all, the entire book is a must for everybody: as Bob Dylan said, 'lt will change your life, it changes everybody's'. The journeys that Sal goes on are forays into madness and mayhem which will have you itching to get out and have adventures and misadventures of your own . And even if you don't enjoy the musings and meanderings of Kerouac you can at least look pretentious and well-read during your lunch break, or on the beach. Fiona Howard

If the election has ensnared you in its fascinatingly dirty claws, you might be interested in a raft of political tomes released to go along with what is turning out to be one of the biggest political shake-ups in years. Even after May 6th, it looks like knowing how we got into this situation might not be such a bad idea, so whether you want something to enrage you or nod smugly along to, it'll be worth picking one up. Anyone running in the election is ready to tell you what the public think, but political comedian Mark Thomas probably has the best idea. Touring the country, Mark and his audiences have created such inspiring policies as: all fashion models being taken at random from the electoral register, and anyone who is found guilty of homophobic hate crime having to serve their sentence in drag. These ideas and more appear with commentary in The People's Manifesto. Crap MP's counts down the worst politicians in Parliament history, while economists who have jumped onto the Clegg bandwagon won't be able to pass themselves off as a dyed in the wool Lib Dem without reading Vince Cable's world credit crunch expose The Storm. Back from the Brink by Peter Snowdon charts how the Conservatives went from thoroughly beaten in 2007 to standing a good chance this time around . Whether you're true

blue or not, this book uses key figures in the party to get behind closed doors. If you'd rather bury your head in occasionally more believable fiction, there's plenty of good reads on offer. Fans of Sue Townsend's hapless hero Adrian Mole might like to try her lightly satirical Number 10, where a familiarly charismatic Labour PM heads round the country in disguise to find out, in political parlance, 'the real issues affecting real people on the street.' Like the election tours, but much funnier.

People haven't had time to dig their teeth into the Brown administration yet, but another great picture of Blair's Britain is Jonathan Coe's sequel to best selling seventies-based The Ratter's Club, named The Closed Circle. Whether you've any interest in the era at all, Coe's characters are vividly drawn and the backdrop of recent history clearly recognizable. Kirsten Peter

Till~ OIILDIIOOD Dm~~ll]~ > Ill[ ACCID[NTAL>AU s~lllll The raw curiosity of a 12 year old's mind is a hard thing to capture. But it is Astrid's provocative way of thinking that really makes The Accidental a must-read . Primarily set on a family's holiday in Norfolk (there's a nifty scene in Norwich train station), Astrid's curiosity about life is encouraged by Amber, a mysterious visitor to the family's holiday home. Ali Smith impressively intermingles multiple narrative voices in this 2005 Man Booker prize-shortlisted novel, and it isn't just Astrid's thoughts that we get a voyeuristic insight into. Her brother Magnus, mother Eve and father Michael's psychologies are also divulged, but only through the appearance of Amber do their thoughts begin to change through the three main parts of the novel ('the beginning', 'the middle' and 'the end'). Amber makes a lasting impression on, and massive difference to, the principles on which the family bases itself. She questions the value of a life based on 'things' and what things are objectively defined as, and this is where Astrid really steals the focus of the book. Amber attempts to change how Astrid sees the world - she puts a stop to her obsession with documenting things with her video camera - and tries to stop her from ever becoming attached to the accepted way of doing things, or the accepted understanding of what happens

Shorthsted for The Man Booker Pnze 2005

the accidental

in the world . Witty, cleverly put together and intriguingly sordid at some points, this is the novel for you if you want something to deepen your thinking about how you see the world. Hannah Livingston

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number with ease. Layering is the main effect here; it takes a lot of calculation to work out which piece to put on first. The palette is limited in colours as contrasting patterns and textures are the main focus. Sailor stripes sit on ruby red lace; sheer navy socks are pulled over pink opaque tights, printed with black hearts. Just seen is a crossed, black crop top which is offset with the large flower hair band and a polka dot bowtie. The look is fun, yet frivolous with its raunchy, adult lace and the candy pink trainers help keep the outfit innocent.

pieces from The Rock Collection. The long, black jac.l<et is of military style but the red ribboned trim alludes to more a rock and roll edge. Noel Fielding eat your heart out at these skinny, red pinstripe jeans; these beauties will turn heads as you walk by. Deliciously dapper in the gentleman's shirt, bowtie and waistcoat, the mix of m.odern rock god and black tie etiquette create a balanced mix of style.

Dre w the suited sheep, may be, dare I say, the plainer performer but look a little bit closer and lavish your eyes on the beautiful suit. Seamlessly lined in a grey and so refreshingly cool that you can taste it on your tongue, thi s is a favourite for the summer month s. To purchase this, as well as the tie, pop in to Philip Browne which is home to many other delights.

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...TJ l[ RocK(()LLJ~CTION In Manchester there is an old gothic building called Affleck 's Palace . All six floors of it are devoted to all things dark and rocky. Shadowed corners sell neon hair dye and artfully ripped skater skirts, all the tools you need to unleash your inner rock chick. Spending most of my teenage years wandering those gargoyled

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corridors, I have a soft spot for The Rock Collection. The Rock Collection is Norwich's answer to Affleck's Palace. it's the anti-Primark, alternative rather than generic; an indulgence of your inner emo. Inside, My Chemical Romance plays as side fringes, lip rings and tattoo sleeves browse the shelves for the

perfect black nail varnish. From Travis Barker's Famous Stars and Straps to Fall Out Boy's Clandestine, The Rock Collection sells small alternative brands that you definitely won 't see on the rails in Topshop. From pop-punk netted skirts, to studded belts, there is a little nugget of rocky goodness for everyone whether you are full on Goth or just like to dabble on the weekends. lt is a perfect example of Norwich's diversity, a little gem in the heart of The Lanes. At the grand old age of 20, I feel a little on the old side to shop for myself in The Rock Collection . Much to my despair, my skull t-shirts are gathering mothballs at the back of my wardrobe and my eyeliner is more Blair Waldorf than Blair Witch. Oh if I was 15 again ...

departments secu re it's trailblazing status on the high street. Despite being sometimes pricey, what the customer pays for is good quality material, a (now more often than not) fair wage for the garment's maker and the long life of the item. There's also a relatively large range of sizes available and Topshop just believes a good fit is a good fit. Topshop has not only a diverse range of clothes, but also of jewellery and other accessories. By experimenting, just as the figureheads of fashion do, it is possible to stay within the boundaries of the fashion paradigm, but also to remain an individual.

Han nah Britt

Robyn Comfort

women and men and it's reputation in both

Fashion has long been important to me. lt is the main way I show who I am to the world. Clothes say so much about the person wearing them. In a world where first appearances seem to count for so much it often pays to show yourself off and make a statement. Personally I am quite the fan of vintage and individual fashion styles rather than high street brands . it's hard to beat something quirky, that people won ' t have seen before or at least won't have seen for years. I think the best clothes are ones quite arty and different. That's why I'm such a fan of the sto re Philip Browne. Though some things in it are a bit pricey for the average student budget, it is definitely value for money and you can pick up some great pieces in there. Even if the thing you really want is out of your range it is a great store for inspiring your imagination so you can find it elsewhere. From bercool pyjamas to slick suits, you are guaranteed to find something in there that you want to get hold of. Located on Guildhall hill, it is in a great position for delving into the wealth of alternative fa shion boutiques and stores that Norwich has to offer. Tom Goldsmith

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Topshop, The Rock Collection and Philip Browne all kindly contributed clothes for the shoot, resulting in an amazing showcase of diverse and unique fashion that is sure to catch your eye. The concept of the shoot was to show a

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Thank you to Charlie at Topshop, Nathan and Mo at The Rock Collection and to Philip and Paul at Philip Browne for providing the clothes. Thanks to Amii-Rose Steward who did the fabulously eerie make-up on this shoot. Thank you to The Assembly House who allowed us to use their Music Room for the location of the shoot. A special thank you to Chief Photographer Greg M ann who has taken the amazing photos in all the fashion shoots for Concrete this year.

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I am not a fan of writing editorials, I always think they are a bit selfindulgent, but I want to take the opportunity to say thank you to everyone who has made The Event the glorious publication that it has been this year. Lots of people give up lots of time to write and edit the paper, and without them I would have to fill The Event with my ramblings about football and Chat Roulette. So, thank you to everyone who has been involved this year and thank you to you, the readers, for coming along for the ride. Not to forget Hannah, for tolerating me throughout an insane number of office hours. Good luck to Danny and next year's editorial team who are sure to make the paper better than ever. Happy holidays and bon voyage,

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<INTfRNfT> AW[SOM[ GAM[S TO PLAY 0\lbR Ill[ Bayonetta

Tom Phillips, William Moran a路nd Richard Joslin talk about games that need playing. If you haven't played them yet, then you have no excuse: summer's coming and wbat else are you going to do? Read a book? I thought not.

Mario Galaxy 2 Moria games have been a Nintendo staple for generations. We'll wager that most of you have stomped on a Goomba at one point, or eaten an odd looking mushroom. The Wii sees the whole experience expanded to galactic proportions, with Mario given a whole universe of wildly diverse worlds to explore. Jumping and careening around fresh planetoids, the 'newness' of the first game is firmly back - Nintendo have cooked up something truly special. Apparently the boffins behind the original had so many ideas left they just had to make another. it's pleasingly clear that any complaints about this sequel being just 'more of the same' will be silenced as brutally as the population of Alderaan. Nintendo's consistently marvellous level design shines through, and nestled in later levels lies one hell of a difficulty spike. We love us a challenge. New to this sequel is the ability to ride Mario's trusty dinosaur sidekick Yoshi through levels. His tongue can be used as a lasso in some cool side-scrolling areas, plus he can chomp up Bullet Bills and spit them out again, turning him into a running missile launcher. He gets a couple of extra cool power-ups, as does our favourite plumber- like the Drill item which allows him to bore through planetoids. Mario Galaxy 2 has a very high standard set by its predecessor, but its pretty certain that this title may actually pull it off.

Mass Effect 2 Following on from Bioware's 2007 space epic, Mass Effect, Mass Effect 2 allows players to use their old MEl saved game and continue near seamlessly with their developed character. lt is easily forty hours long and has multiple endingseven if these just decide how the finale plays out and which characters live and die. it's perfect if you're looking for an epic game with a mixture of lots of action and storytelling,

much of which is interactive. Will your character be a shining example of good, law abiding and noble? Or will he/she be an offensive, obnoxious, law breaking, unethical badass of a hero? it's all decided by how you want to interact with the other characters. Although it's certainly superior and can be played without any knowledge of MEl, it's probably still worth playing the original first (but that's alright; you've got the whole summer coming up).

Bayonetta, the game that Edge has awarded a perfect 10, is what happens when Devil May Cry and Ninja Gaiden get together and produce a genius child that takes the good genes from both and leaves out all the bad ones. The fighting system is intuitive, and allows a huge degree of flexibility, giving you absolute control of Bayonetta so you never feel like you've lost because of the game screwing you over, it's just your own skill letting you down. There are too many examples to list, such as not being able to cancel out of a combo in God of War, but a multitude of frustrations makes playing other action games after Bayonetta seem like going back to games from previous generations and being frustrated at the lack of movement options and control. Even the vehicle sections in this game are enjoyable, a feature that usually lets down a lot of similar games. lt does everything right, and other action games feel slow in comparison : the game lets it's imagination run loose on the storyline, characters and enemies. Everything about this game is absolutely nuts and loveable. lt only gets started when you complete normal mode, and start unlocking the many bonus features such as weapons and gameplay altering devices from the shop. The graphics, music; everything is extremely atmospheric and beautifully done. Bayonetta is in the highest tier of games, it's ..... almost a revolutionary 30 fighting game in the way it takes elements such as scale from GoW and perspective from Super Mario Galaxy, and then combines and executes them perfectly. Also, you punch God around the solar system into the Sun. What other game has that?

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Ever encountered a magical Leopluridon? Fled from the Bluh Bluh Bluhs? Asked why the boat is red and sticky, unwaivering in your belief that it's neither boat nectat nor some of God's tears? If you answered positively to any of these questions, chances are that you're familiar with the work of Jason Steele, who posts his surreal cartoons under the Youtube moniker of SecretAgentBob. After posting a number of live action sketches and crudely animated short comedy films on his website, filmcow. corn, Steele struck internet gold with Charlie the Unicorn, a surreal slice of madcap comedy genius which, to date, boasts well over fifty million views. Following the entirely unpredictable adventures of Charlie, who is constantly harassed and bemused by two friends of dubious gender in a world that defies both physics and conventional logic. The video's huge success soon spawned two even better sequels, and promotional shorts for

both Youtube Live and Hot Topic. And there's more; Steele's other hilarious and macabre videos include Llamas With Hats and it's sequel (arguably his funniest work), John McCain and his Vegetable Friends, Or Who Spoof The Cosmic Adventures of Doctor Fabulous and many others. If revision is getting you down then why not take a ten minute SecretAgentBob break? After all, as Car! the Llama will tell you, reading a book for too long will inevitably lead to stabbing a man thirty seven times in the chest... Duncan Vicat-Brown

On March 18th, an Apple engineer on a night out lost what looked like a regular iPhone 3GS but what ensued is the biggest security breach in the history of Apple; the scandal is being called 'AppleGate'. The iPh.one was found in a bar and upon closer inspection turned out to be what is assumed to be the 4th Generation iPhone. The product ended up with Gizmodo.com, a technology blog based in California who wasted no time dismantling and reviewing the find .. For anyone familiar with the iPhone, the biggest changes you'll notice with this generation are an additional front fac1ng camera (allowing for the possibility of video calling), a flash for the rear camera, higher resolution screen, separate buttons for volume on the sides, which are now metallic, along with mute and power buttons. The other main change is in the body of the phone itself. lt has a much squarer look to it and the back is not curved, but flat. Overall, it seems to be shifting away from an iPod Touch shape and

moving closer to a touch-screen smart phone shape. Internally everything has been shrunk to fit in a larger battery; whether this will boost the charge life or simply compensate for the flash and additional camera power drain .will have to be seen, but Apple rarely release a new product with weaker battery life than its predecessors. The bottom line is that this looks set to reassert Apple's dominance in the smart phone market and to regain them so much needed credibility after the perceived massive shortcomings with the iPad. it's sleek, smaller and the upgrades show that Apple really does listen to the requests from it's users. If your contract is running out _o r you're in the market for a new phone, this is certainly going to be worth waiting for. If Apple's letting them out in the wild, we have to believe it's near release; probably around June when the two year contracts end for all the people who bought the 3G phone in 2008. Lochlainn Coyne ,

ODEON

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FANATICAL ABOUT FILM

MAIN f拢ATURf This high-octane sequel to the 2008 smash-hit Iron Man is a touch-and-go film, requiring heavy use of the viewer's ability to suspend disbelief (even for a superhero movie), but nevertheless, provides a lot of fun and not a few laughs. Unlike the first Iron Man - which suffered from having two beginnings - this time director John Favreau drops us into the thick of the action. After reminding us that Tony Stark revealed himself as Iron Man at the end of the first film , we're thrust into Tony's world of fast cars, high tech toys and beautiful women. But this happy picture would not make for a very suspenseful film, so Tony has both the military

(who else?) and Slavic whip cracker lvan Vanko (Mickey Rourke, playing Whiplash with some welcome humour) to deal with . Happily, helping him are Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts (reprising her role from the first film) and Don Cheadle, taking over from Terence Howard, playing War Machine who operates as Iron Man's sidekick. Also appearing is a shady organisation, with Samuel L. Jackson playing a part. Iron Man 2 delivers where it should: it gives us two very fun fight scenes, one inside the opening twenty-five minutes, and one (very long and loud) at the end. The acting is not too bad considering it's about

Date Night has the potential to be comedy gold; a great cast fronted by 40 Year Old Virgin Steve Carell and 30 Rock star Tina Fey, however a lacking storyline lets the film down. Ph il (Carell) and Claire Foster (Fey) are a se lfconfessed 'boring couple from New Jersey' who, tired of their mundane lives, attempt to spice up their weekly date night by treati ng t hemselves to a night out at an exclusive restaurant in New York City. However, after taking the Tripplehorns' reservation, they get themse lves caught up with corrupt cops and t he criminal underworld, and quickly find themselves running for their lives via car chases, strip clubs and a shirtless Mark Wahlberg.

Carell and Fey work well off each oth er; t heir sce nes together are th e most enterta ining. However, the mistaken identity storyline gets a bit tedious after some time of running from the gunmen. More cou ld have been hoped for from the director/producer of What Happens in Vegas and Night at the Museum: Date Night is certa inly not Levy's finest mome nt. However, t he fi lm has laug hs from start to end, including hilarious outtakes and improvisation from the pair during the end credits which are a must-see.

a guy beating baddies to a pulp in a metal suit. Downey Jr, as anyone who has seen the first movie will know, suits this role well, pulling off Stark's character with just the right amount of sleazy charm, but also making us genuinely

want him to succeed. War Machine is a cool addition and his partnership with Iron Man is a lot of fun. The high tech gizmos could fi ll several App le conventions. There's enough going on to keep most viewers (young and old) easily amused,

and fans of action will lap it up. Unfortunately, there are quite a few flaws in the film, as well as too many characters. Scarlett Johansson and Samuel L. Jackson are definitely in this movie, but viewers won't know what the point of their appearance is. Vanko appears to lack motivation for a villain; he doesn't have enough personal animosity, but neither does he appear to be an anarchic killer like the Joker from Batman, who just loves destruction and death. He's merely an effective toy for Iron Man to fight- Rourke does his best, and it's not his fault that his character is underwritten. Implausibility is also a problem. In the Iron Man universe, it's

fun to have a guy flying around in a gadget-laden suit, but that doesn't mean simple events - such as Vanko's escape from prison - should be left underexplained. The film seems at times to be too busy setting up Iron Man 3 rather than getting down to the business of explaining the characters' motivations and the scree nplay suffers for this, jerking around so it's hard to keep track of what's happening. That said, Iron Man 2 is fun - fulfilling its brief with an entertained

Neil Marsha ll's historical th ril ler

assemb les the few survivors With Demi Moore returning to t he sce nes, I know what you're in an attempt to return to路 his all th inking: chick fli ck, ri ght? compatriots. Wrong . The traditional idea of However, mute tracker Etaine (Oiga Kurylenko) leads 'keeping up with the Joneses' a band of relentless hunters has just been taken to a new in pursuit of them . The central level in a valid effort by first limitation in the narrative 路 time director Derrick Borte. is the ending. Attention to What looks like your eve ryday detail in the violence serves family, in fact, appears to be just an unrelated group of to exacerbate the absence of attention else where. wa lking advertisements. On the out side, t hey appea r to Nevert heless, t he gritty ac uity of t he battle scenes, combined have it all; des igner labels, solid flash cars, popularity and with Fassbender's performance, is enough to happiness. provide a superbly gory hour However, behind closed doors their lives make our and a half of entertainment. 'normal' unconventional Vi mbai Mukwenha families look faultless. Whilst flashing expensive products and influencing individuals to buy these objects, we not

only find out some secrets about each character (you've guessed it, t he 'hus band' and 'wife' start to fa ll for each other) but also realise the harsh reality of the story, through a shocking twist in the penultimate scene. This slightly dark satire starts to fizzle out towards the last stages, and unfortunate ly has a cliched end ing. However, it is sma rt and brave to att ack t he American consu meri st lifestyle with humour. And to hire the semi-plastic Demi Moore for the lead of a film about advertisement is certainly ironic.

smile, so most of its flaws can be happi ly overlooked. George Gilbert

6/10

.,..

Sarah Hemsted

6/10

Centurion tells the story of

The Ni nth Leg ion . The Roman troops, numbering around four thousand, disappeared in Britain around the First Century AD. Speculation regarding the details of this grants Marshal! directorial liberties. Less concerned with factual preci ion and more with the visual, the film provides sweepi ng shots of deso late mountain landsca pes; th e scenery is an idea l backdrop General for destruction . Titus Flavius Virilis' (Dominic West) soldiers are massacred: the Pict tribes' defeat of the Romans poses a threat to the Empire's success. Inherently patriotic centurion Quintus Dias (Michael Fassenbender)

7/ 10

1710.