welcome week DAY
DAYTIME EVENTS
monday 15th
Student Life Preview
tuesday 16th
Student Life Preview
BARS
LCR
ALTERNATIVES
International Welcome Party
WATERFRONT
wednesday 17th
International Welcome Central
thursday 18th
International Welcome Central
Go Global LCR
Limehouse Lizzy
Student Life Preview
Returners A List
Propaganda
saturday 20th
sunday 21st
monday 22nd tuesday 23rd
wednesday 24th
thursday 25th
friday 26th
Home Welcome Central Home Welcome Central Union Induction & Welcome talks Welcome Fair Union Induction & Welcome talks Societies Fair
Sports Fair
Democracy Day Freshers General Meeting Media Day
saturday 27th
Sports and Societies demos and taster sessions
sunday 28th
Explore Norwich
Saturday Social
Flash socials at 6.00, 6.30, 7.00, 7.30
friday 19th
Coasts
Treasure Hunt
Meltdown
Sunday Social
Fill Your Stein
Treasure Hunt
Throwing Muses
Premier League Football
#TheNetworkUEA
Treasure Hunt
The Horrors
Karaoke Night
Damn Good: Back To School
Treasure Hunt Quiz and Pizza
Champions League
Acoustic Night
AIMED AT POSTGRADS
Zane Lowe
Ghost Walk
AIMED AT: MATURE STUDENTS
Martin Taylor
To Kill a Mockingbird: Norwich Theatre Royal 2-4 Tea Party AIMED
Sophie Ellis Bextor
AT: INTERNATIONALS
Cocktails Night
Propaganda
Welcome Prom
Bricks of Burston: UEA Drama Studio
Propaganda
Family Lake Walk 11-1
Enraged (Studio) Meltdown
AIMED AT: PARENTS
Quiz Night
Sean Walsh
Manchester Orchestra
03 concrete.venue@uea.ac.uk
venue
September 16 / #299
Editors Holly J. McDede and Adam White Cover Art Adam White Illustrators Tamara Chang and Imogen Simmonds (Creative Writing)
music 04-07
fashion 08-09
arts 10-11
creative writing 12-13
Editors Myles Earle and Mike Vinti
Editors Gemma Carter and Helena Urquhart
Editor Katie Kemp
Editor Jake Reynolds
Contributors Myles Earle, Emma Holbrook, Imi Launchbury, Holly J. McDede, Mike Vinti
Contributors Rachel Hayllor, Felicity Urquhart, Helena Urquhart, Katie Wadsworth
Contributors Jonathan Alomoto, Anastasia Dukakis, Silvia Rose, Beth Ryan
Contributors Blythe Amison, Georgina Currie, Vicki Maitland, Silvia Rose, Nina Ward
gaming + tech 15
television 16-17
film 18-21
Editor Joe Fitzsimmons
Editor Adam Dawson
Editors Neven Devies and Silvia Rose
Contributors Ben Cheshire, Joe Fitzsimmons
Contributors Caitlin Arthur, Adam Dawson, Nour Ibrahim, Courtney Pochin, Lucy Rivers
Contributors Caitlin Arthur, Louis Cheslaw, Adam Dawson, Emily Fedorowycz, Joe Frost, Indigo Griffiths, Will Hunter, Sophie Marner, Molly Pearson, Chris Rogers, Silvia Rose, Adam White
Hi, world, or at least this venue Venue micro-world. I am Holly J. McDede, venue Venue’’s co-editor along with Adam White. The new university year is upon us, they say! But to be honest, working on this little culture magazine feels more real life-ish than any of this school stuff (school: I’m American, and uni still feels like an internal organ). Every page has a story behind it. Take the blood in the Gaming section. Yesterday Adam turned to me and
said like a murderer with a style preference, “I got rid of the blood you had. I think this blood looks a lot better. Is that okay?” Last term someone tweeted that our font looked like the ‘90s (ouch). Then we ran into him at the IT help desk when we went to purchase a new one (harharhar). But forget the backstory; we’ve made a magazine! I decided a while back that to be a happy, functioning person in Norwich, you have to create. Like,
competitions 22 listings 23
Editor Daisy Jones Contributors Charlie Methven
say, a newspaper. Or a radio show. A paper airplane. Maybe a child! Just kidding… unless you feel you are ready. This is a version of a child, produced by beautiful writers and then carefully edited afterwards. Examine him closely, and please, tweet us about our fonts. Keep it real, kids Holly J. and Adam
music
04
concrete.music@uea.ac.uk
Indietronica
Music Umpire
Artists to watch out for
Imi Launchbury takes a look at upcoming artists for this year Shura - a.k.a Aleksandra Denton - is a half Russian, half British musician making some of the most exciting RnB we’ve heard so far this year. Her music features sassy rhythms and thoughtful beats, and strikes a perfect balance between chilled-out melodies and creating an insatiable need to dance along. Her musical evolution was one which was a slow and natural progression; from early folk tracks with a university friend to a smooth synth-based RnB which was shaped and moulded by Iranian producer, Hiatus. After Hiatus discovered Shura at a gig he remixed some of her tracks, beginning to add the compelling beats that are now very familiar to both Touch and Just Once (a particularly successful collaboration is We Can Be Ghosts Now). After learning a lot and enjoying her time with Hiatus, Shura endeavoured to produce a sound that is uniquely hers. Producing Touch six months ago, Shura appears to have successfully fulfilled her brief. This track manages to
“...Juce produce music which makes you want to party, and that’s where they met”
combine heartbreaking lyrics with a melody that makes you want to dance and move to the track. Touch was Shura’s first proper expedition into electronic synths and this truly premier exploration reflects the vulnerability within the track perfectly. Her next song, Just Once, was released a month ago and perfectly builds on its predecessor. The track marks a development from the contents of Touch but continues the smooth synth beats and adds an almost eighties vibe. Shura’s music is easy to listen to and it is impossible not to have a little shuffle to it: not only is it fantastically produced but it’s also an exciting experiment on Shura’s behalf. This is definitely an artist to watch. Girl band Juce produce music which makes you want to party, and that’s just where they met. Georgia, Chalin and Cherish had previous experiences with the music industry but had never fully committed to music that wasn’t theirs. After meeting at a party however, the girls decided to form Juce. They are a band who likes to have a good time and have confessed their desire to be the kind of role models who don’t take themselves too seriously. Juce are another group seeking to recreate the sun-glazed nostalgia of what our generation proudly remembers as the nineties. Their laidback and mischievous attitude is part of their determination to be a real life girl band, reminiscent of the glory days of girl power. Featuring on BBC
Introducing and recently signing to Island Records the trio are on their way up. Call Me Out producer, Dan Carey, offered the girls their second opportunity to write when he invited them to take on the Speedy Wunderground challenge - writing and producing a song in only 24 hours. The result was Braindead, a funky and exploratory track. The thing about Juce is that you can tell that they really enjoy the music they are making and are revelling in the chance to pick up the girl band torch. They are a band who is definitely savouring the opportunities being presented to them, and as such their musical development has been a natural and enjoyable progression. Axel is a young London-based producer quietly making some of the most exciting sounds we’ve heard this year. Axel has always had a keen interest in music; from playing in school orchestras and bands to discovering the vast potential of digital composition programmes. His work always has a sense of the epic and a great deal of atmosphere, and this is something he aspires to. Since falling in love with Finnish band, Nightwish, and being inspired by the omni-brilliant Hans Zimmer, Axel began exploring the power of soundtracks. One of his most recent tracks, Petit Morte, really encapsulates the sense of space that so many good soundtrack’s have. This song combines classical sounds with a cool hip hop beat to create music that
engages you at every stage. Nevertheless, Axel acknowledges that he was just as inspired by
“...he was just as inspired by Grime and Dubstep as the classical scores...” Grime and Dubstep as the classical scores, and points to artists like James Blake as strong influences on his writing. The most interesting thing about Axel’s production is that when he writes he is inspired by art and events around him and how he thinks they would sound. Axel also composes for up and coming artist Violet Skies and his ability to convey her lyrical concepts makes them a perfect match (How the Mighty and Patience are Axel’s favourites - and mine too!). Axel is also fantastic at remixing other artists’ tracks. One of his earliest experiments, Linger is a great example of his ability to see a song in a different way and evolve the track in an entirely new and fascinating direction. Axel is thoroughly excited by music itself, and something tells us that you should be just as excited about his!
music
05
concrete.music@uea.ac.uk
What you missed this summer Music Editor Mike Vinti fills you in on summer 2014 releases
Summer, by all accounts, is over and while you were busy traipsing around outside and ‘doing something with your life’ some of the most important musical happenings of 2014 were, well… happening. But fear not, we here at Venue spent our summer cowering in the dark, listening to obscure SoundCloud mixes and thinking about ‘post-cloud rap’ and have compiled all the best bits of music and news into one handy article so you can sound cool in front of those friends you couldn’t be bothered to meet up with over the break. First off on our magical mystery tour is Spooky Black’s new EP Leaving. Tinged with the melancholy that comes with the end of summer but filled with enough sensuality to seduce, this is the perfect collection of tracks to ease you from those halcyon months of getting up at twelve to the upcoming days of getting up more like eleven. Billed by the blogosphere as the R&B Yung Lean, Spooky Black is the latest in a series of artists making a name for themselves by flipping the genre on its head. His music is mysterious and spacey, majestically sad in its reverb-drowned vocals and winding instrumentals, courtesy of defacto producer Kid HNRK. Just don’t put on Idle before the LCR. You know they have a new album coming out, your housemates know they have a new album coming out, at this point your mum probably knows as well but hey, guess what? Alt-J have a new album coming out! Suitably recovered from the departure of bassist
“...at this point your mum probably knows as well but hey, guess what?” Gwil Sainsbury from the band, everyone’s favourite smart sing-along merchants have been dropping a track from the album every couple of weeks, as well as a few suitably bizarre music videos. It sounds like Alt-J, which is a good thing, the lyrics are still
“...it’ll ease you from those halycon months of getting up at twelve to the upcoming days of getting up more like eleven”
Flickr: NRK P3
weirdly sexual, “turn you inside out to lick you like a crisp packet”, the instrumentals are still packed with pretty arpeggios and one of the lead tracks may or may not be about masturbating, which is really what you want in your crossover hits. If you’re the kind of student that puts on Boiler Room mixes at pre-drinks then you could do a lot worse than Mix 2 by experimental hip hop group Clipping. At 18 minutes long it mixes party rap with the all the unsettling background noise you could want before a night at Hideout; watch out for the Metallica samples. Sticking to experimental hip hop, Jonwayne has been releasing a new track every Monday on his Soundcloud to critical acclaim and has some serious rhymes bound to provide anyone with a RapGenius account with hours of fun. Jungle’s debut album of the same name
failed to cause the stir of their early singles, but is still well worth a listen if you enjoyed the slick modern soul vibes of Busy Earnin and The Heat. Summery and almost too well produced throughout; Jungle would have been the soundtrack to all those inner-city
“...and one of the lead tracks may or may not be about masturbating...” garden parties during the heatwave if they hadn’t used up the good singles before it came out. Add in the fact that the Quietus ran a very effective takedown of the bands
self-imposed mystery, revealing them to be privately educated heirs to capitalist fortunes rather than the all-encompassing collective they had claimed to be and what could have been the album of the summer fell victim to ever shifting favours of the blogosphere. Moving us into less ennui-inducing territory is the news that two giants of the underground, Aphex Twin and Flying Lotus, are releasing albums this October. Both artists have previewed singles; the suitably obscurely titled Minipops 67 [120.2] [sourcefield mix] and the Kendrick Lamar featuring Jazz explosion Can’t Catch Me respectively are gearing up to dominate in the next few months. Expect weird sounds aplenty on both albums and mind blowing collaborations including Herbie Hancock and Snoop Dogg on FlyLo’s fifth offering. On the more chart side of things Nicki Minaj’s new album has been announced for the end of November which ,in light of Anaconda ,should be a welcome return to rap for the bewigged one after a string of average features and imitation Calvin Harris tracks. Another light in the impenetrable dark of Radio 1’s playlist is rather surprisingly Ariane Grande, whose new album features collaborations with The Weeknd and the hood pope himself A$AP Ferg. Cursory mentions go to Ed Sheeran and Clean Bandit who really don’t need any more press but definitely had their moments over the past few months. Now, get back inside and don’t tread any mud into the carpet.
Let’s Eat Grandma! Holly J. McDede sits down for a chat with fifteen year-old experimental duo Let’s Eat Grandma and Let’s eat, Grandma: two grammatically experimental head tilters. One results in the consumption of a poor grandmother, while the other depicts a beloved grandmother invited to a presumably happy dinner, perhaps of lobster, perhaps with the whole family. In some ways, Norwich’s own experimental duo, Let’s Eat Grandma, are just two young teenagers – Rosa Walton and Jenny Hollingworth – still learning to mess around with commas and other instruments for communicating with the world. In Welcome to the Treehouse, for instance, the two end up playing a maraca, guitar, ukulele, keyboard, and recorder all in a jumbled, bizarre five minutes to capture the longing for the idealistic and chaotic world of a treehouse. The keyboard, once a toddler’s toy, sounds suddenly eerier than anyone remembered it underneath Walton’s fingertips; at one point, the two
unite in high pitched, harmonic screams. The comma is gone. Rules are dead. The grandma will be eaten. The two met at the age of four, and decided to start a band when Walton got a guitar for her 13th birthday. Hollingworth had proposed Walton try to be
“Some people think we’re mad. Some people don’t understand us” the next Jessie J, to which Walton suggested they just start their own band instead. They were and are young, and so unapologetically began covering Ed Sheeran songs. But then they started writing their own material, and before long, Ed Sheeran
became Let’s Eat Grandma (who would have thought?). Their first song, Get Off the Banister, was inspired when Hollingworth’s mum told them to get off the banister. Soon their songs started getting more meaningful, ranging in subject from alarm clocks to Rapunzel the unconscious mind. You could say their age was showing, and you could say that’s okay. “There’s a difference between the response people have to our music, and the response people have to us,” Hollingworth said. “Some people think we’re mad. Some people don’t understand us”. Gradually, more and more instruments kept arriving in Let’s Eat Grandmas’ basements. Soon they had gigs at Epic Studios, the Birdcage, the Waterfront, and then around the country. Walton and Hollingworth are different people, but sometimes, it’s hard to tell. Walton is more of the performer. While Hollingworth might be strolling on
stage coolly with her saxaphone during a performance of Sax in the City for instance, Walton takes a break from the harmonica to make eye contact. They’re also still in school. One of their recent songs, Deep Six Textbook, goes, “We live our lives in the textbook, letter by letter. I feel like standing on the desk and screaming, I don’t care!” “I don’t know how to tell my teachers about Let’s Eat Grandma,” Hollingworth admitted. “We’re always behind with school work. I think my teachers think I spend my time doing nothing. I would tell them, but I don’t know how to tell them to check out our Facebook page. There’s music at school. There’s concerts and stuff. But I spend too much time doing this”. Their music depicts the way the world sounds for two fifteen-year-old girls growing up, and though each song sounds more smooth and crafted, they never sound any less weird.
music
06
concrete.music@uea.ac.uk
So Tonight
Basement Jaxx Junto Myles Earle
Following the release of their 2009 album Zephyr, Basement Jaxx are back and in full
throttle with their 2014 album release. Junto, released on August 25th, made its way into the dance scene with its funky vibe and summer feel. This album, holding its place as No.3 on the UK Dance Albums chart, received favourable criticism from music critics from publications such as Allmusic and Rolling Stone, and we at Venue venue agree with this. The twelve-track album itself does not jump on the trend train like many dance tracks currently released. The track arrangement lulls you in with its South-American vibe, and then delivers a knockout with the infamous experimental sound that the Jaxx are known for. The album begins with Power to the People, a carnival-inspired track with prominent trumpets, drums and steel pans that back this track whilst lead vocalist, Niara, serenades listeners in this party starter.
However, even with the choir arrangement singing the title in the chorus, Basement Jaxx still keep this track rooted with a dance vibe, making you bop your head subconsciously. This summertime vibe runs through to sixth song on the album, Summer Dem, with its energetic tempo and funky tone. Once you start listening to this song, you are met by the sample from Janet Jackson’s Got Till It’s Gone, giving it an old-school sound. Once you are captured, you are then powerless to Patricia Panther’s rap, which she does in a Scottish accent; adding a whole new dimension to the song. However, like we said before, this album lulls you into a false sense of simple dance comfort. The vibe changes halfway through, especially with the Jaxx’s track featuring Mykki Blanco. Notorious for her experimental rap style, their collaboration on the track Buffalo is a great way
to change up the flow of the album. The hard beat and bass is reminiscent of hip hop, but then makes a complete turn to an old-school jungle vibe in the chorus, sounding much like the famous English band, The Prodigy. This entire album features talented artists on vocals, such as Shakka, Nina Miranda and ETML, who Basement Jaxx have worked greatly with, to produce an album perfectly built for the summer. The album almost reflects a typical summer’s day, in that it is high in energy in the afternoon, and comes to a calm close as it moves towards the evening. Structurally, this album hits dance music with a fresh, new take on the genre.
Bounce for example; lolloping into life, building layer upon layer of drums and then hitting the listener with victorious synth trumpets. It’s a trick as old as dance music itself, yet Diplo’s syncopated twist on those drums changes everything, turning what should be a bland, club friendly trap song into a masterclass in tension and release. Similarly the GTA co-released Boy oh Boy works itself up into a synth frenzy, complete with looping pitched up samples, every thirty seconds or so before being stripped back to what is essentially a click track and the most basic of melodies to dance-floor-demolishing results. However, Diplo’s real talent as a producer stems from his days as a mere DJ and his ability to curate and find music that no-one else is. A prime example of this is 2012 banger Express Yourself, a suitably hype take on New
Orleans’s culture of Bounce music, the video for which exposed twerking to the mainstream while Miley Cyrus was still under contract for Disney. Nicky Da B’s distinct MCing style carries across the energy of Diplo’s live shows and is probably the only rapper you’d want spitting over a beat as ridiculous as the assshaking anthem flowing behind. Meanwhile, Techno demonstrates Diplo’s ability to create monstrous tracks out of the most unlikely combinations, fusing hard hitting techno with the even harder hitting vocals of Waka Flocka Flame into a stupidly hard tribute to ‘the club’. This is not an album for a quiet night in.
Diplo Random White Dude Be Everywhere Mike Vinti
Whether you know it or not at some point in your life you’ve got down to Diplo. Be it the
overblown Dancehall of Major Lazer’s Pon de Floor, the chopped and screwed Bangra of M.I.A’s early work or even the meta-irony of Das Racist’s Sit Down, Man Diplo has been out there, writing, producing and creeping in the background of music videos for over a decade. Thanks to his self-confessed talent to ‘be everywhere’ Diplo has cemented his reputation as zeitgeist extraordinaire among both seasoned music critics and the kind of people that listen to EDM. In theory, Diplo’s brand of commercial Trap come Dancehall should be awful; the synths are saw-toothed and brash, the drums are barely more than a one bar loop and the vast majority of vocal work on the album comes from distorted samples, yet the simplicity of Diplo’s music is what makes it so effective. Take the Angger Dimas featuring Biggie
music
07
concrete.music@uea.ac.uk
Rene Passet @ Flickr
FKA twigs LP1 Myles Earle
Scoobyscoobz
It’s a long way from being a backup dancer for Jessie J to having a debut album that has a very
unique sound. However, for Tahliah Debrett Barnett – a.k.a FKA twigs – this is the journey she has taken to release her first album LP1, released on August 6th 2014. Critically acclaimed, FKA twigs mixes her seemingly angelic voice into a pool of disjointed sounds throughout her tracks. With hard-hitting syncopated beats and thought provoking lyrics, her album brings out a sincerity and uniqueness that rivals some of the more established artists out there. The first song on the album, Lights On, is poetic and storylike with emotive lyrics about love. Coupled with her ethereal voice, this song positioned as the appetiser for the entire album showcases this singer/songwriter skill as an artist, both musically and linguistically. The arrangement of this song, as well as the following Two Weeks, builds up an expectation that goes
against her voice, surprising us as listeners when we hear the 26 year old’s voice. Calling herself the “sweet little lovely gun”, this artist fires herself into the music industry stratosphere as one to watch, exploring the limits with what can be done with disjointed sounds. A modern day Enya, FKA twigs could be said to combine the mechanical with the human, in a sense that produces something which shouldn’t work but does. However, though this album seems to explore with beats, the majority does become repetitive to a point that you may not be able to distinguish one song from the other. It is as if the songs become so experimental that they lose a bit of differentiation from their predecessor in the album. Although, one track that we’d bring to the forefront which breaks away from this repetitive style is Numbers, her
sixth song on the album. Seeming almost druglike, this track transports you to a world that could be fantastical or nightmarish, completely dependent on how you connect to the album and the Dream Pop vibe it produces. As a debut album, there is no doubt that LP1 is a substantial project that will definitely bring FKA twigs to a wider audience, especially with the excitement of constantly breaking boundaries in music. However, there is a bit more work to be done for FKA twigs in terms of changing up the sound within her future albums in order to make each individual song stand alone, as well as to integrate into this a wellformed album.
and an effervescent imagination to create a beautiful mess of sound, thought, peculiarity and musical innovation. Whilst perfect opening tracks, You Know Where to Find Me and Entanglement, are more conventional than the rest of the album’s offerings, Heap moves swiftly into the absurd with The Listening Chair. It is a charming musical autobiography and every minute accounts for seven years of Imogen’s life, including wacky anecdotes like “Wonderbra flung around the German classroom.” Not only does the song couple the dissonance of teenage years with the simple melody of childhood, it also serves as a microcosm for the entire album: indicating how seemingly random strands can be put together to create an unconventionally cohesive story. The stories behind the record are just as
fascinating as the music itself: tracks such as Cycle Song and Xizi She Knows, include sounds that Heap collected during her travels across China and the Himalayas; and fan-sourced sounds, such as the striking of a match and a dishwasher slam, also make this a distinctively collaborative effort. Sparks also enables Imogen Heap to go from musician to inventor, as she makes music with the aid of a running app, as well as her imaginative Mi.Mu gloves (which allow her to create music gesturally), indicating the scale of technical achievement in the album. But Heap’s triumph is not solely down to musical invention: it is also due to her fantastic lyrical ability, which allows banal images such as ‘one stir of a teaspoon’ to have emotional resonance. Sparks is not a particularly accessible pop record, but unlike other albums that often
grow stale upon successive plays, Heap’s record flourishes and renews itself with every single listen. By no means is this an album for everyone, as certain tracks fail to match up to the high standard set by the rest, and the imaginative technology will alienate some, but to others, Sparks will be an ambitious, innovative and fantastic sonic achievement. In You Know Where to Find Me, Heap asks the listener to “be still with me”, and in such a dynamic record, this is often a a tough ask. But the several vibrant sparks of genius converge to create a very rewarding – albeit disjointed – holistic piece, meaning that Sparks is easily one of the most wonderful and refreshing records of 2014.
Imogen Heap Sparks Emma Holbrook
Anjunabeats
‘Unique’ is a word that is applied far too easily these days, but with songwriter and multimusician, Imogen Heap, it is a perfectly fitting definition. With her fourth record, Sparks, Heap uses fan collaboration, technology
fashion
08
concrete.fashion@uea.ac.uk
Beauty rehab
Rachel Hayllor offers essential autumn beauty advice for keeping your look summer-fresh for autumn The excitement of the new term is always coloured with a tinge of sadness - it means that summer is officially over and we can already hear the pitter-patter of essay deadlines scuttling towards us with sadistic alacrity. But while we may mourn, there’s no reason why your skincare or makeup should suffer. To share more tips for helping others maintain their summer glow, tweet @Conc_Fashion
Heroic hair masks After a long summer of ill-treatment at the hands of chlorine pools, sea water and UV rays (that’s right, hair can get sunburnt too!), your locks are bound to be looking a little lackluster and dull. As the autumn showers begin to pour, giving you the appearance of either a drowned rat or a poodle, depending on your hair type, you’ll definitely need to give your mane some extra TLC! In the case of frizz and fly-aways, keep a little bottle of hair oil handy so if necessary you can smooth down your hair between lectures. We love the L’Oreal Extraordinary Oil (Boots, £9.99), it’s a super light, nongreasy formula which smells amazing - it makes your hair sleek without going too ‘Danny Zuko’ and offers UV protection if the sun decides to pop out unexpectedly. To give your hair back its moisture and venue recommends using coconut shine, Venue oil. It’s cheap (Superdrug’s own brand is only £2.29 for a tub), can help repair sun damage and even stimulate hair growth! It’s full of fatty acids, which are miracle workers for dry hair or skin, and best of all it’ll make you smell like a Bounty bar, what’s not to love?
Exfoliating expert To keep your skin feeling velvety smooth even
as the cold weather closes in, exfoliation is key. For a go-to exfoliator that you can cobble together from bits and bobs in your kitchen cupboard, pour granulated sugar (this acts as the exfoliator which will buff away dry, dead skin) into a bowl with some olive oil (this will put the moisture back into your skin) with some lemon juice (a natural version of a chemical peel which exfoliates, tones and brightens) and a tablespoon of honey for a nourishing, hydrating treat. This will do wonders for skin that got slightly overcooked on holiday! Ocean Sea Salt Scrub (Lush, £7.25) is a must-have rescue remedy for acheiving smooth skin. This combination of natural ingredients means your skin is in no danger of being exposed to any harsh chemicals. However, it should never be used as part of your daily skin care routine - make it a once a week treat, and you will reap the benefits of this sensational scrub.
cheeky burgundy – perfect for autumn! To fake a tan without committing to a classic mitt and mousse fake bake, there’s no better product than a bronzer. Another low budget option, the cult favourite Bourjois Delice de Poudre bronzer (Boots, £7.99) has a great shimmery glow and as a bonus smells like a chocolate bar!
Tanning tactics If you’ve been on holiday and you’re scared of your golden glow fading then tinted moisturiser is the answer, not fake tan. Although fake tanning is great, it takes a lot of practise and can be a disaster. A good tinted moisturiser is less harsh and shouldn’t leave you smelling like a packet of biscuits. There are a wide range of products on the market right now, including Dove
Summer Glow Lotion (Boots, £4.99), Garnier Summer Body (Boots, £5.10) and Palmer’s Cocoa Butter Natural Bronze Gradual Tanning Moistursier (Boots, £5.35). Be sure to exfoliate your hands before applying and wash your hands afterwards!
Happy hands As the weather turns colder it can have harsh consequences on your skin, particuarly your hands. To prevent them from becoming dry, moisturise your hands throughout the day to ensure your fingers and palms don’t become damaged. Botanics Intensive Hand Cream (Boots, £2.99) is a non-greasy formula that is guaranteed to keep your hands moisturised for up to 48 hours!
Sun-kissed saviour To imitate that fresh-off-the-plane golden glow, all you need is some carefully chosen cosmetics. For a glittery rose-gold summer eye that won’t break the bank, look no further than the Sleek Oh So Special eyeshadow palette (Boots, £7.99) which hosts a range of flattering colours in golds, pinks and even a
Check mate
Katie Wadsworth talks us through one of this seasons hottest trends
Accessorise If you can’t help but associate checks with picnic blankets or kitchen floors, try incorporating checks into your life via accessories. A silk scarf in a brightly coloured check can be worn as a summery headscarf à la Audrey Hepburn, or even tied onto a handbag for just a hint of flair. Another great way to ease yourself into checks is with a bold check clutch. Team with jeans and a t-shirt for out and about daytime chic, then simply switch out the jeans for a simple dress and heels and you’re set for the evening.
Going for broke
Blogspot
If you ain’t afraid of a little check, why not go all out? Don a little checked dress and pair it with a cropped jacket in a different sized check to really play up the style. The key with this trend is a decent cut, so make sure the cut of the dress and jacket work for your shape. For a
final flourish, finish the look off with a checked headband in a coordinating shade. Pair the whole outfit with some simple nude pumps to keep your look classy.
Colour check Don’t shy away from colour when choosing your check, as this Autumn/ Winter introduces a gorgeous seasonal colour palette. With checks in navy burgundy and mustard, they will assist your wardrobe’s transformation this autumn - making this transitional time of year easy-peasy.
All checked out If your head’s in a spin from all these checks, soften the look by teaming it with a floral statement necklace or a gold ear cuff for added attitude. Remember that checks don’t have to be a statement, they can be the subtle foundation of your outfit, which you can then build on with your own individual edge.
Check out a classic A black and white chessboard checked blouse teamed with a fitted black skirt and simple accessories might seem like a straight-forward way to do checks. But don’t underestimate the effortless elegance that this outfit oozes. The real trick to fashion is making it look easy, so for a more casual take on the look, try a pair of chessboard skinny jeans or leggings and wear with a jumper in a rich jewel tone such as forest green or a rich burgundy for winning winter style.
Check it out, guys! Put your style back in check and update your look with these cool new prints. We’re moving away from the same old red, green and blue lumberjack shirts you’ve been sporting since forever, to bold new things. Team hot check t-shirts with a leather jacket for a tougher look and pair graphic checks with a mustard coloured hat and black Harrington jacket for urban cool.
Blogspot
fashion
09
concrete.fashion@uea.ac.uk
Photography Felicity Urquhart Model Christianne Risman Stylist Helena Urquhart
Flawless fall fashion Helena Urquhart explains why it’s time to ditch bikinis and kaftans for some faux fur and leather swag It is September; it is Autumn, hurrah for all those wardrobe treats that await us. However, before we get carried away with all things wintery and Christmassy it’s only September which means one thing. One minute it’s pleasant and before you know it an arctic wind has taken over. Not the ideal weather situation. So, venue has one suggestion for this tricky weather conundrum – the answer ladies and gents is to layer up - and layer up to the max. When the weather is a tad indecisive it is best to start with a thin classic dress or skirt. By keeping each of your layers thin it will stop you from looking frumpy. Over this layer with a leather jacket, a staple in any girl’s wardrobe! Leather jackets are ideal for a casual outfit for a day on campus or used as a cute cover up on a night out. Dressed down or dressed up they are
fabulous. Topshop is always a good place to start if you are looking for looking to update yours and Zara has some at some affordable prices if you’re looking for structure and a chic cut. Love it or hate it – faux fur is in this season and in a big way. This along with animal print is a definite must for any fashionista. Leopard print was huge on the catwalks with Givenchy and Gucci among those sporting the trend. This trend is not for the faint hearted but this fur gilet layered look is perfect for this time of year and the many colours available allow you to make it your own. venue
Tip...
Once the weather gets a little colder, pair the fur jacket with a chunky knit jumper and skinny jeans for a cosier feel. Our advice would be to buy into these
looks early and make the most of them throughout winter. As we’re on a student budget you’ll definitely want to get your money’s worth and that’s the way to do it! Any finishing touch to an outfit is the use of some good accessories which can either make or break the look. Cold weather caps have evolved far beyond the classic beanie and have transformed into something much more sophisticated. Fedora hats were born in the late 1800s, and since then the hat has grown in popularity among the stylish and is an essential Fall fashion trend - the perfect solution to ramp an outfit up to the next level. It continues to grow in popularity due to a plethora of different styles and colours being introduced, making it the perfect transitional accessory from those
lazy summer days to the cold Norfolk winds. Regularly seen on the likes of the goddess that is Rosie HuntingtonWhitely, grab a fedora hat this Autumn to emulate her flawless style and make a fashion statement (we can’t promise you her legs though – sorry!)
Just Jared
arts
10
concrete.arts@uea.ac.uk
In conversation with Lara Usherwood Originally from North Wales, NUA student Lara Usherwood speaks to Silvia Rose about her experience studying Fine Art in Norwich drawings manage to do a similar thing which is interesting. Some people may not like his work, for example huge black canvases hung up in a room, but for me they create a kind of void. It’s made me realise how important space is, and all the little things that can alter it.
Tell me about your background in art. When was the moment you first thought of yourself as an artist? For as long as I can remember, I’ve been interested in art; in drawing and creating things. We always had art books in the house. I started art classes with local artist Eleanor Brooks when I was in primary school, eventually leading me on to a Foundation course many years later. That’s where I developed an interest in printmaking, photography and sculpture. After that I took a couple of years out from education. It was during this time that I realised art was the direction I wanted to take, so I applied to NUA to do Fine Art. I’m only just going into my second year and I already feel like my work has developed a huge amount, just being around creative people and through the encouragement of my tutors. Though it’s not how I get the majority of my income yet, I guess I’ve always been an artist in terms of being creative and thinking of new ideas.
How has the course itself helped change and shape your work?
a way of connecting with other people without having to use words. I’ve never used my art to challenge people, I use it more to bring beauty and joy into people’s lives.
Both the encouragement of tutors and the campus itself have been a big influence. Also being exposed to other people’s work has brought out aspects of my own work. Norwich is an extremely inspiring place creatively - the area, the buildings, fellow artists, galleries...it’s a very arty town, I think, and there are a lot of opportunities available as an art student here.
How would you describe your work? Like all artists, my work has developed slowly over time. I began mainly with drawing portraits then developing onto nudes. Until recently, my work has revolved around people, now I’ve taken a more minimalist and abstract approach. A lot is based around colours, space and lines. The mediums I use most are photography, painting and print. Who are your influences?
What does art mean to you? Basically a form of expression. It’s also something to be appreciated, something beautiful that we’re surrounded by in everyday life, from furniture to clothes to paintings. Art can be used as a form of therapy and
Two of my earliest influences are Steve McCurry and Lucian Freud. McCurry’s powerful images opened my eyes to what photography can be used for, his ability to capture a moment or a personality was a big influence on me. It’s a special thing to have a small glimpse into someone’s life, without having to meet them. Freud’s work is incredibly beautiful and inspiring, especially his etchings. The fact that he can spend years on one painting also adds an element of intimacy to his work; he really knows his subjects, and we can see that connection through his eyes. A recent influence is Richard Serra. The magnitude of his sculptures can change how you feel within a space. His retrospective
me to get things done and self-directive study makes you realise how you work best. Describe your average work day. What is the creative process for you?
What advice would you give someone who’s considering an art degree? Definitely go in with an open mind, don’t think that your work is set in stone and that you have a particular style. All artist’s styles change over the course of their life. Be open to the advice that tutors give you and try new things, don’t be scared, even if it goes wrong at least you learn from it. What do you find most challenging as an artist? I find discipline the hardest, especially during the holiday period. Being at university is helping me, as deadlines push
I start by preparing my space, for me it’s really important to be in a tidy, clean environment and have all my materials ready and surround myself with inspiration that I’m using, for example, images of other artist’s work. I usually sketch out what the piece is going to be before starting on the painting. Do you have any upcoming projects or exhibitions? Once second year starts there will be ongoing projects and exhibitions throughout the year. Look out for posters around Norwich and social media sites! If you would like to contact Lara or view more of her work, her email is lara1307@ hotmail.co.uk and her Tumblr site is www. tumblr.com/blog/larausherwood
“Reality” exhibition heads to the SCVA Anastasia Dukakis takes a look at what’s in store for us with the SCVA’s upcoming installation From the 27th of September to the 1st of March next year, UEA’s Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts will be housing “Reality: Modern and Contemporary British Painting”. Consisting of over 50 paintings by British artists spanning from the early 20th century to the present day, the exhibition aims to demonstrate the tenacity of painting as a continuing art form. The show is curated by award winning artist Chris Stevens, who is not only one of the exhibiting painters, but a veteran in the field, having had numerous solo exhibitions and work displayed in both public and private collections. Summarising the exhibition, Mr. Stevens says, “the painters in this exhibition have been selected under the banner of Realism through their interest in everyday subject matter. “Each painter is figurative or
representational in nature and yet ‘Reality’ will present an extraordinary overview of artists with highly individual approaches to the making of a painting.” As noted by Mr. Stevens, there is a great amount of range within the theme of the exhibition. There are pieces from major artists such as David Hockney, Francis Bacon and Lucian Freud, and also works from contemporary artists such as David Hepher, Ken Currie and Caroline Walker. Each work draws on different aspects of reality, boldly and unabashedly capturing fragments of the social issues, history, relationships, war, politics and urban environment that make up the world we live in. Ken Currie’s painting ‘Dirty King’ uses a muted palette to cast an eerie tone over the focal figure. Contrastingly, Phillip Harris’
‘S.P. Behind A Glass Door’ uses rich colours to create layers within the painting that are striking and vibrant. David Hepher’s series ‘Tree’ shows the emotion that can emanate from a building, encapsulating the hopelessness emitted from the residential blocks he painted. Each painting provides its own food for thought that will make you stop, think, and marvel at their large scale, brush-stroke textured glory. The exhibit holds a wide range of subjects by a wide range of artists; yet they are all drawn together by one endeavor: to capture reality unflinchingly within the form of painting. While today new and modern art styles are receiving more and more spotlight, this exhibition proves that painting remains a timeless, powerful tool - especially when it comes to reflecting the world around us.
Chris Stevens
arts
11
concrete.arts@uea.ac.uk
(L-R) Director Edel McCormick and Stage Manager Gemma Aked-Priestley in the director’s booth; Standing out from the competition on the Royal Mile can be tough; Cast members prepare for final show Photography by Jonathan Alomoto
Edinburgh Fringe Festival: from an inside perspective Beth Ryan documents the journey of UEA students taking to the stage at Edinburgh Fringe, with photos by Jonathan Alomoto The Edinburgh Festival Fringe is the largest of its kind in the world. It is an extravaganza of an arts festival which sweeps over the Scottish capital each August, transforming each corner of the city – be it pub, lecture hall or abandoned warehouse – into a theatre. Here you will see every show imaginable, from bizarre cabaret to world class theatre, all part of the greatest show on Earth. This year, among the hordes of performers making the annual pilgrimage to the festival were two independent companies formed of UEA students. Turn the Key hoped to capture child audiences with “Under the Erl Tree”, a devised fairytale inspired by the Grimms brothers’ Cinderella and the German folklore character of the Erl King. Using theatre, puppetry and live music, they tell the story of a girl who escapes a loveless engagement by fleeing into the enchanted forests where she encounters the malevolent Erl King. Pursuing a very different kind of audience, Creased Productions took their pun heavy comedy “Barry the Barrister/Barista” to the fringe. The play follows the story of Barry, who, after losing his job as a barrister because of a mysterious scandal, resorts to working in a café as (you guessed it) a barista.
Rehearsals and the devising process So how did the two groups tackle the challenge of building a festival worthy show from scratch? While the rest of UEA forgot about campus life and disappeared to various continents, these students spent July wandering the empty corridors of Union House, tirelessly improvising, scriptwriting and playing with material until they had a show. A month long bout of intense rehearsals may not be the easiest way to spend a summer, but it is certainly rewarding. Turn the Key director Edel McCormick talks of the unifying
didn’t really work.
The other side... And once the punters were in, the teams could finally get on with what they came to do… entertain! So how did the audiences respond to “Barry”? Comedy, after all, is a very delicate art and this one was somewhat of an acquired taste. “The humour isn’t for everyone” Lizzy admits “but I think it really caught some people (…) the audiences were generally good – as long as we had a couple of people in hysterics I think we did our job.” And Turn the Key’s younger audience? “We were thrilled from the reactions of the kiddies at the festival” says Edel, “they seemed to love it!”
The show’s success Barry’s props are packed away after the final performance Jonathan Alomoto
process of developing ideas as a team: “it was a really gratifying experience, as building the play became a complete collaboration.” Lizzy Margereson, director of “Barry the Barrister/ Barista” similarly found that challenges were overcome by the commitment and work ethos of the team: “I was nervous about the devising process, but luckily the cast were really open and innovative people so we were able to develop scenes through play”.
Flyering It takes one look at the hefty Fringe programme to understand why publicity can be more important than the show itself. There are literally thousands of shows on offer, all grappling for a decent audience. Hence the flyering fiasco of the Royal Mile – the city’s main high street – which is invaded each
August by swarms of casts and crews, chanting their taglines and badgering passer-bys and pasting their posters on to every surface in sight. The street is the arrhythmic, slightly strained heartbeat of the festival. Amongst all the noise, it is a demanding challenge to gain enough attention. Turn the Key latched on to a gap in the market - children’s shows account for only 5% of the festival’s programme and they adapted their publicity techniques accordingly: “the thing with flyering” Edel says, “was to maintain a sense of humour (…) our actors would often run up to children and talk to them in character, which they loved”. Creased productions relied on the integrity of their cast and crew: “you can be as gimmicky as you like but ultimately if you don’t connect with punters they’re less likely to come”, says Lizzy, admitting that their original idea of giving out free coffee to people on the street
But of course, it was not all work. The companies spent their free time soaking up the endless quirks of the Fringe and trying to relax, elbow to elbow, in their overcrowded apartments. After months of working, playing and resting together, a little friction would be expected, surely? Apparently not: “Honestly, it was the best time” Edel remembers, “we were in this wonderful apartment and we went out to shows together and cooked together. We were just this bunch of girls all living it up at the Fringe. It was brilliant”. As stage-dwellers across the globe let their minds wander to August 2015, Lizzy speaks for everyone involved when she says, “I will definitely be back next year, it’s a bit addictive”. And for anyone who wishes they’d been roaming the Royal Mile this year, heed Lizzy’s advice: after reminding me that the whole show came from a joke that her and her friends shared in the pub, she says, “I’ve learnt that if you’ve got an idea just go with it. Make it happen – there’s no point in it just festering somewhere in your mind”.
creative writing
12
concrete.creativewriting@uea.ac.uk
“The beginning is simple to mark” - Ian McEwan, Enduring Love
13
Writer’s Block Georgina Currie
Making Anthropology Public
Hello - and welcome to Concrete’s creative writing pages! Every issue we mine the plethora of student creativity here at UEA and ask for submissions of prose and poetry in response to a particular theme. Considering this is the first issue of a new academic year, the apt theme is beginnings. In this issue ‘beginnings’ take the form of old stories in new places, distant memories of a genesis and the start of new life. Enjoy! - Jake Reynolds
Defenestration Vicki Maitland
I thought the door was open and the window shut – a trick of the light, perhaps. I heard the former slam as you pushed me out the latter. As I fell I looked up into your face. You were pressing your forefinger into the space between your eyebrows. Your thumb was on your lip. I’ve lain for a while on this damp ground. The cold has seeped into my limbs and I am numb. I still do not remember landing. I sit and pick the harsh shards of glass from my flesh. They are a mountain beside me, and my skin itches from the scabbing wounds. I haul myself up, dragging my broken body through the day. This is a new normality, a tiptoe where there used to be a confident tread: your footprints are everywhere and I am swaying between the cracks. Friends are tightrope artists on their lines, each slow step fusing bones. Your footprints shallow, and my bruises yellow. By the time I crawl into bed my exterior is fresh, fixed, new. My organs are still displaced – my stomach sits too low in my torso and my heart skitters in my throat. There is an uncomfortable hole where my diaphragm should be. I hope the night will heal my pain.
Uninspired I sit. Tap, tap, tap, The keys click, click. Beginning is the first step The worst step, Where my brain has to think, think. Scrambled meter on toast, Beat by biro until ink bleeds smudgy footprints That sprint into an illegible mess. Charcoaled crumbs trail the finish line, Cremating it with an X.
It is irritably pleasing. Pleasingly irritable. And the world doesn’t make sense. Oh, what a pretence!
Sanity scrubbed in the sink, Patience is teetering; an old-timer almost extinct. China bowls and cups now bone dry, Padlocked in cupboard they caress a cry Of the songbird, slaved. All the while nostalgic tea leaves thirst, Their bodies deflate under the weight of my verse. Two sugars, please, and a dollop of creativity.
Selfish, selfish pistol. I click the hammer And resort to repetition, It is trigger, trigger, triggering.
Where to begin, how to start? Concentrate, but I ponder: New beginnings make ends to endings. Beginnings end endings. Also, endings end with beginnings. Beginnings begin after endings, So, endings begin before beginnings. Then which comes first, the beginning or the ending? The chicken or the egg? Why fear the end when it is actually a beginning? Oxymorons contradict and constrict. Twizzling, turning I roast them on a spit; It is a convenient nuisance. Accurate nonsense. All clarity is barbequed by amber coals,
Microfictions
Submit your own to @miniaturestory on Twitter. dfdf
He then reasdgòlised that getkgking a catttt might begjj troublklkkesome for his wrrrrrrrrriting. He stASAAARTED LOOKKKNKNKING FOR ANNEDITOR
Now stop rambling and think, think. Structure, rhyme, rhythm, Lights, camera, action! Lock ‘n’ load But the barrel does not share it spares of delight, And the camera chokes chewed film, It is gulped by the night.
Malnourished the page awaits, Craving, wavering, Pacing behind bars into a sticky paste. I lick my lips. Fatigue faints. I taste the cream, sugar, My laces tied tight, I win the race. This impossible task turned memorable maze, Its map joined dot-to-dot With lines of letters and bread crusts saved. I dodge the dead-ends, I rant and rave To evoke the muse. Anger her, strangle her, Till tales tumble from my tongue And I can begin until I am done. Touching the keys, I tap, tap. The worst step trodden. The beginning has ended, Another began.
That Time Silvia Rose
Remember that bar where we went that first timein a backward street facing the sunset.
Imogen Simmonds
Untitled
Horizon
Nina Ward (i)
vodka shot eyes: and the moon replies without warning, waiting for her Orpheus hardly there, fashioning rings from her red, red hair (ii) she was a meadow; taste of heather rattle of bone he Decembered her with marzipan lips and moans
Blythe Aimson
Hillock of thrusting buttocks and hips – broken dry stone spine, shifting.
Deep ravine, valley walls where waters run swift in fertile ground.
Branches and bracken catch, clawing at river-bed. Breeze rustle-of-leaves sighs.
Red door and windows, painted to look olda fresh lick thoughundeniably so. Remember the table at which we sat. The candle burnt and we thought we were so above it allthe flame, the street, the part of town we’d just discovered in our post-picnic haze. (It’s the sun! you said). Above it alldiscoverers of a new worldweary with new findings, desperate for shock, but eyes never wide enough to notice the beauty.
You mentioned something sweet and final as if we could never go back, as if that point was the pinnacle. Nothing could impress you, could it? I acted unruffled but my heart was beating like a mouse’s under my thick layers. Each time you mentioned the possibility of--I frowned. The beer travelled through us in an amber river, down spirals of tunnels, in darkness. When it was time to leave and we were alone again, in the backwards street, I glanced. To my side you were there. But I could not see your arm. You had your hand tucked in your pocket playing with loose change.
We sat for hours looking bored.
(iii)
The next morning I wake up falling.
his arms howl like raindrops among the hailstones
Tamara Chang dreamstime
gaming + tech
15
concrete.gamingtech@uea.ac.uk
The Xbox Hub
Zombies through a child’s eyes Ben Cheshire reviews The Walking Dead: Season Two
Developer Telltale Games Mode Single-Player Roger Ebert once said ‘[no one] has ever been able to cite a game worthy of comparison with the great dramatists, poets, filmmakers, novelists and composers.’ Of course, video games have come much further than Pong. The truth is that those who do not play a wide variety of games often overlook how effective they can be as a form of storytelling. Telltale Games’ first season of The Walking Dead is one of the greatest examples of just how effective the medium can be in this respect. Season Two is arguably an even better example. TWD: Season Two continues the story of
the corruption of humanity during a zombie apocalypse. You take control of a young girl called Clementine, the deuterogamist players protected in the first game. As you are now watching the nightmare unfold through a
“What happens to them... matters. It’s not for the faint of heart” child’s perspective, the emotional impact is even greater than before. Once again, striking cel shaded visuals, a great script, and incredible
voice acting fully immerse you into the dark story. The characters are three-dimensional, and they all develop in meaningful ways. What happens to them, and Clementine, matters. It is not for the faint of heart. In terms of actual gameplay, The Walking Dead is a point and click adventure game, but Season Two has very little actual pointing and clicking. There are virtually no puzzles and fewer opportunities to explore or engage in optional dialogue scenes. Instead Telltale has opted to always push you forwards and focus on the first season’s strongest mechanic, choice-making. Not simplistic ones like choosing to be good or evil either. Hard choices. Choices you may regret. The time limit you’re given every time this happens will intensify even seemingly trivial
decisions. The consequences aren’t always immediate, keeping the player on edge. In Season Two you always get the sense that you’re progressing the story forwards, though perhaps a little something is lost from the faster pacing. Some twists are glossed over by the cast rather quickly. Although, in a sense this reflects the harsh reality of their world. Everyone needs to keep moving in order to survive. The Walking Dead has no difficulty settings, unlockables, or competitive aspects. It puts the story first. This is a TV drama with interactive moments, masterfully manipulating our emotions as we watch the consequences of our actions. The result is an experience far more personal than had it been told through an alternative art-form.
Social shooting in space
Joe Fitzsimmons explores the best selling new video game in history Developer Bungie Mode Single-Player/Multiplayer Destiny, also known as the most pre-ordered new video game franchise in history, hit the market worldwide last week. Developed by Bungie in a big fanfare, Destiny marks their first move away from the Halo franchise they were tied to by Microsoft for nearly ten years. For a while, Bungie managed to keep plot details thin on the ground. Basically, the player takes the role of a ‘guardian’. Remnants of the defenders of humanity, after an event known so far only as ‘The Collapse’ bought an end to a period of rapid inter-planetary colonisation
“Bungie proved they could craft sublime shooters, and revolutionised the concept of competitive play”
and technological growth. A major element of gameplay will be ‘The Light’, a power wielded by the player. This power apparently derives from ‘The Traveller’ a celestial body which the coming of allowed humanity’s rapid growth. Readers noticing more than a slight resemblance here to Halo, rest assured you are not alone. Clearly, Bungie have a comfort zone in their writing, and they are sticking to it. Expect power armour, plasma guns, and other sci-fi cliches in abundance. In terms of gameplay, scale seems to be the name of the game here. Described as an ‘online shooter’, Bungie has promised that the FPS gameplay will serve as a core mechanic, whilst also including MMO elements. Likely, this is intended to free the player from the heavily scripted gameplay that blights other shooter franchises. In the last console generation Bungie proved that they could craft sublime shooters, and revolutionised the concept of online competetive play. The question is, can they repeat this success on the scale of which they have hyped themselves up? As one of the bigger hitters of the new IPs, Destiny has a lot to live up to. This may prove to be an example of how well a top tier game can sell on new system without having to rely on brand name reconnection. This is crucial
for developers as the new generation slowly becomes more adopted and existing franchises see their sales figures dip as brand fatigue sets in. When the sales numbers are published, publishers will be looking with a keen eye. Reviews of Destiny prior to its initial release are guaranteed to be few and far between. With a main element of the game being online play and player interaction, Bungie seem to be loath to provide review copies that would not demonstrate what they consider a core part of gameplay. This, unfortunately, is a double edged sword. Reviewers will of course not be in a position to judge the game in an incomplete state, possibly impacting negative criticism that becomes irrelevant once the game has reached a mass market. On the other hand, not having a review copy available for the major gaming press will no doubt impact on swaying early adopters, and could have an adverse effect on day one sales figures. This also seems to run counter
“This may prove to be an example of how well a toptier game can sell ...without having to rely on brand name connections” productive to Bungie’s marketing stratergy so far. Common practice in the gaming industry, seen this year with Watch Dogs, is to over-hype a game developers don’t have any lasting faith in. This is done in order to boost day one figures to off-set a drop in sales as news travels that the game isn’t up to standard. With Destiny as hyped as it is, combined with review copies being denied to press, consumers may do well to be more than a little alarmed.
television
16
concrete.television@uea.ac.uk
Pretty Much Amazing
BoJack Horseman
Starring Will Arnett, Alison Brie, Aaron Paul, Amy Sedaris Stream it now on Netflix
Nour Ibrahim Netflix is all about creating its own shows, and frankly it’s on a roll. BoJack Horseman is its newest endeavor, taking on the beloved realm of the animated comedy and sporting a theme song written by one half of The Black Keys. All twelve episodes were released simultaneously in late August and - though Netflix does not divulge its viewer stats - it’s obvious that enough people were streaming the show that Netflix, only four days after it released the first season, announced there would be a second.
BoJack takes a sad look at Hollywood culture, satiriing it with anthropomorphic animals. BoJack Horseman (brought to you by Will Arnett) is a washed-up sitcom actor who’s trying to break ground on his memoir, while freeloader Todd (Aaron Paul, bitches) lives on his couch. Diane Nguyen (Alison
“She also happens to be dating BoJack’s washed-up TV rival, Mr. Peanutbutter” Brie) is enlisted to ghostwrite BoJack’s memoir because he is incapable of doing it himself. Oh, and she also happens to be dating BoJack’s washed-up-TV-sitcom rival, Mr. Peanutbutter (Paul F. Tompkins) who is a Lab Retriever and is literally the best. Hilarity and shenanigans ensue, to the point where you forget there’s a
memoir being written or something. The premise leaves a lot of possibilities open for potential storylines, but this first season leaves you feeling deflated. It follows a pretty tried and true formula, and it works. It’s entertaining and garish in all the right places, but apart from anthropomorphic animals doing crazy things we’ve seen real life celebrities do, this show doesn’t offer up anything particularly new or engrossing. The plotlines and character developments were predictable. The pleasure was in the peanutbutter. I mean, details. Narcissism and self-loathing come with the ‘Hollywoo’ bubble BoJack is simultaneously part of and critiquing. There is literally a lot of failure on this show, it’s pretty much one of the major themes, along with inertia and the inability to change. It’s full of witty jabs at the celebrity underbelly. Even then it feels too safe. The problem is, BoJack’s antics aren’t funny or outlandish enough to counteract the depths of pity you end up feeling for him. In fact they often make you pity-hate him more. This is
about a talking horse, how can the sadness overwhelm the laughs? But it does and you end up with a cartoon that’s more awkward and sad than funny. Let’s see where Netflix takes BoJack before jumping ship. It’ll be hard though, because herein lies the problem with being given everything you want all at once (i.e. binge-watching): short shows that leave no lasting impression are easily forgotten.
re-using old stories to the point of aggravating predictability. Let’s be honest, that is exactly what we were dealing with when it came to the last quarter of the season. However, the on again/off again couple did manage to gain closure in the finale, after deciding in a very Harry Potter-like manner that neither could date while the other was still hanging around, which resulted in some highly selfish and drastic measures being taken. But not all characters were as lucky with their resolutions, in particular both Jessica and Jason’s storylines. While ultimately they were given happy endings, they both seemed rushed and somewhat random. For instance,
Hoyt’s speedy reconciliation with Jess was an act completely out of character for the both of them, whilst Jason’s relationship with Bridget was full of lacklustre due to his obvious penchant for his best friend’s girlfriends. Everyone’s favourite bar owners had a pretty interesting season too. Eric was struck down with Hep V from the get go, causing Pam to obsess over finding a cure and both to reminisce about their time together. The extra insight into their past made up for the duller aspects of certain episodes, especially when the origins of Fangtasia were revealed, and we all realised that Ginger was actually really cool in the 90s when she wasn’t shrieking her head off. The flash forward ending was a nice touch; however the cuteness of it all seemed a little unusual for a show that thrives on sex and violence. It also left the audience in need of answers. For starters, who the heck was Sookie’s baby daddy? For now it’s safe to say all we really need is a spin-off series about Eric and Pam’s new glamourous business empire. Can someone get this made already?
True Blood
Starring Anna Paquin, Stephen Moyer, Alexander Skarsgård, Sam Trammell, Ryan Kwanten Stream it now on Blinkbox
Courtney Pochin After eight long years, seven action packed seasons, and eighty nail biting episodes, True Blood has officially left the building. Alan Ball’s scary yet incredibly sexy television drama based on the Sookie Stackhouse novels by Charlaine Harris, has captivated audiences with its tale of vampire and human co-existence ever since its premiere on September 7, 2008. With over 4 million US viewers glued to the screen for “Thank You”, the final episode, it appears that for the majority, the grand conclusion didn’t disappoint. The ten-episode final season, picked up at the exact point where season six left off, with our favourite characters struggling to survive the outbreak of the Hepatitis-V virus, a disease
Wikimedia
lethal to all vampires. Mere moments into episode one, viewers were hit with the first in a string of shocking deaths and it was this kind of hard-hitting, suspense-driven quality that became notably absent from the show as the season progressed, leaving the finale lacking True Blood’s usual bite. Over the years the writers have served up an abundance of insane ideas to keep fans on their toes. They’ve done it all, inbred werepanthers to bull-headed, Greek god-worshipping women known as maenads. While there may not always be a need for a new supernatural foe each season, there certainly is a need for fresh, daring plotlines as opposed to simply
“This is a show about a talking horse, how can the sadness overwhelm the laughs?”
television
17
concrete.television@uea.ac.uk
What I watched this summer
Adam Dawson and Lucy Rivers guide us through their summers of binge-watching Adam: It was a long, hot summer, the days designed for lounging outside under the shade of a tall tree with a classic novel as heavy as a doorstop resting gently on your knees. Finally, the right time and place and atmosphere to make a sizeable dent in War and Peace. Alternatively, you can stay in bed and watch enough TV to turn your eyes square.
“If Mad Men is a little too slow for you, try Masters of Sex” The summer began with comedy. You’re the Worst, you’re the best. Still airing its first season (which doesn’t have a bad episode yet), a young English writer living in L.A. struggles to write a second novel or get the credit he thinks he deserves for his first when he meets Gretchen. She doesn’t change his world, just fits nicely into it because she’s just as hilariously cruel as he is. This is a little bit like a romcom, but one which is actually honest about how difficult it is to navigate the emotional minefield of being not-quite-an-adult. The jokes are sharp and
Wikimedia
self-aware, like a sentient razor blade aiming itself at your jugular. During one episode, the two main supporting characters realise they’re the supporting characters in the lives of their friends. It won’t be for everyone due to the mean humour, but it’s a great break from the happy, brightly lit world of shows like Parks and Rec. Next, I caught up on a show I definitely should have already seen, Masters of Sex. Set in the late 50s, Dr. William Masters and assistant - slash - sex partner - slash - confidante Virginia Johnson conduct experiments into human sexuality. It’d been avoided because of Mad Men – the trailers made it look exactly the same, only with more explicit sexy fun times. Don’t worry if you live on the prudish side of life, the sex is so clinical it smells of antiseptic. The sex takes a back seat to the emotional lives of the characters. If Mad Men is a little too slow for you, try Masters of Sex instead. It has all the fashion and character study, with a stroke more plot. It does lack the spark of Mad Men, which may be why it’s not quite as successful. Honourable mentions go to BoJack Horseman, the show about an animated horse so funny you’ll literally wet yourself, and to season two of House of Cards, which will definitely be finished at some point soon.
Lucy: This summer, following the shocking and tragic news of Robin Williams’ passing, I rediscovered Mork & Mindy. For those who don’t know about it, Mork & Mindy was Williams’ breakthrough role and centred on the relationship between Mork, an alien from Ork, and Mindy (Pam Dawber), the Earth girl he lived with while learning all he could about Earth and humanity. It was actually spawned from a one-off (if unusual) appearance on the usually-realistic series Happy Days in which Fonzie encounters an alien. Mork had potential, so a whole series was formed around him. Through his friendship (and romance) with Mindy, Mork is exposed to our world (or at least Boulder, Colorado) and the full spectrum of human experience; everything from emotions, to getting a job, to learning not to drink with your finger. Gradually, Mork becomes as much human as he is alien - though there’s always an element of a zany other-world in Williams’ magnetic performance. It isn’t easy to get hold of this overlooked gem. Amazon third-party sellers and eBay are the only legitimate options. However, if you can get your hands on it, it is worth it. Yes, it is very ‘70s, and yes, there are moments of full-on cheese, but the fizzing, frenetic genius
of Williams’ performance is not to be missed. Sticking with humour, It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia, was consumed in 3 weeks on Netflix. That’s 9 seasons equalling 104 episodes in just 21 days. Only on Netflix for UK viewers, it has been around for years but remains largely unknown. Following the scams and schemes of Charlie, Mac, Dennis and Dee - with Danny DeVito as Dennis and Dee’s foul father - this unique US sitcom is unafraid of playing with taboos. Its main characters are amoral and mean (sometimes just plain stupid) to a degree that is very unusual for an American comedy series and has more in common with British greats like Blackadder, Fawlty Towers and Bottom.
“It’s Always Sunny was consumed in three weeks on Netflix. That’s nine seasons... 104 episodes in just 21 days”
The Emmys: relevant or not?
Caitlin Arthur wonders whether the annual awards ceremony is actually worth anyone’s time The Emmys have come and gone for another year and with a shrinking viewership and some extremely undeserved award winners, we have been left questioning their relevance. When was the last time that someone of our generation used the Emmys, or any award show, to influence their viewing habits? Rather than determining viewership, the Emmys are constantly playing catch-up. The shows that win or gain the most nominations are often phenomena in their own right, often already the subject of popular discussion. It is doubtful that Game of Thrones will stop attracting a huge viewership because it didn’t win any of the Primetime Emmys for which it was nominated. Likewise Breaking Bad, holder of the Guinness world record for the highest rated TV series, owes as much to word of mouth, social media, and streaming platforms such as Netflix, as to its subsequent impressive
award wins which include Emmys for acting, writing, and directing.
“The Emmys have a huge role to play in the television industry but they are not taking this responsibility seriously” Despite the fact that we may not use the Emmys to determine what we watch, one assumes they have a use. They are obviously very important to the TV industry, helping to determine which shows continue to be produced and which are put out of their misery. With such power over programming,
do the Emmys in fact reward the deserving or are they truly stuck in their conservative ways? We are supposedly experiencing a TV “golden age”, representative of a contemporary diverse society. However, the Emmys only seem interested in rewarding straight, white men. In some cases, such as the recognition of Breaking Bad’s Aaron Paul and Bryan Cranston, this is undoubtedly justified. However, it was in the comedy categories that this anomaly was more conspicuous. Modern Family, whose initial rave reviews are becoming tepid, and which is widely agreed is to be on a downhill trajectory, won its fifth Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series. Its competitors such as the biting satire Veep or Orange is the New Black, both of which are receiving rave reviews, remain unrewarded in the Outstanding Comedy Series category. While proclaiming to be “modern” and featuring gay characters, Modern Family was
created by two straight, white males and has been criticised for frequently portraying its female characters as housewives. Modern Family appears to be the ‘safe Emmy’ – the show with which the Academy can most easily identify with. This is in contrast to Orange is the New Black, which was created by a woman and features women of differing racial backgrounds and sexual orientations. The Emmys seem to have a long way to go, seeing as how of all the non-gender specific awards only two went to women, and the Academy felt it was appropriate to present Modern Family’s Sofia Vergara as slowly rotating eye-candy. She patted her bottom as the Chairman of the Academy extolled its virtues and current diversity. The Emmys have a huge role to play in the television industry but they are not taking this responsibility seriously.
film
18
concrete.film@uea.ac.uk
Collider
The Guest
Director Adam Wingard Starring Dan Stevens, Maika Monroe, Ethan Embry Runtime 99mins Thriller
Chris Rogers Adam Wingard and Simon Barrett, the duo behind last year’s terrific slasher You’re Next, return to the screen with The Guest. A family is grieving when mysterious David (Stevens) appears on their doorstep claiming to be a friend of their son who died fighting in the Middle East. Sporting charisma, impeccable manners and an unquenchable desire to help the small family, David appears from the outset to be a miraculous Samaritan, but as questions about his past are raised, things begin to take a darker turn. The key to enjoying The Guest – and indeed
Divergent
Director Neil Burger Starring Shailene Woodley, Theo James, Kate Winslet Runtime 139mins Action/Adventure
Home Video Review Emily Fedorowycz Thrown headfirst into a dystopian world of the future, set in post-apocalyptic Chicago, we learn of a new society governed in an entirely unrecognizable way. The citizens are categorized by personality into five factions: Abnegation, for the selfless; Amity, for the peaceful; Candor, for the honest; Dauntless, for the brave; and Erudite, for the intelligent. While each faction supposedly lives in harmony, as we follow Tris (Woodley) in her journey to find out where she belongs, we find out that, of course, this isn’t true. Based on the debut novel by American student writer Veronica Roth, who wrote the book in the winter break of her final year, the
You’re Next – is understanding the dark and ridiculous sense of humour with which the film handles itself, and boy does it return with a bite in the final act. The script is sharp and funny, and any film which can make an audience of horror-phobic students burst out laughing as someone is brutally murdered has to be doing something right. Deny it as they might, it’s safe to bet that the audience laughed like hyenas consistently throughout the bloodshed.
I’m a soldier, man. I like guns. Dan Stevens is absolutely brilliant in the central role, and despite the charisma and the charm exhibited at first, you know from the start that something very wrong is going on beneath the surface and it’s the tension and excitement of waiting for things to go wrong that makes his performance so enjoyable. Leland Orser as the alcoholic father with the dead-end job is undoubtedly one of the film is very Hunger Games-esque, with a similar structure and mirroring the strong, rebellious female protagonist. It is also interesting that the movie rights sold before Roth graduated, undoubtedly because of the inspired concepts that underpin the story, and it is these that engage us from the outset. However, the ideologies aren’t the only captivating element. Shailene Woodley plays quiet and mysterious Tris who we completely root for, and girls will obviously be watching out for hunk Theo James who catches Tris’ smitten eye a fair few times as they cross paths. Also, if you’ve seen The Fault in Our Stars recently then you’ll be swooning all over again as Ansel Elgort plays Tris’ doting brother. The factions themselves lay the path for clichés, but typically romantic Kate Winslet is quite a sultry surprise as the villain of the piece. Still a little melodramatically played mind you, but all in keeping with the teen adventure-comelove-story. The only real problem with the theatrical hero-villain performances is that it takes away slightly from the sense of threat that is supposedly imminent. Neil Burger, director of The Illusionist and Limitless, certainly tries to keeps the tension high however, as Tris
funniest aspects of the film, whilst Maika Monroe and Brendan Meyer as the brother and sister duo put in fine performances, and in fact the majority of the supporting cast bounce off Stevens incredibly well. The movie is shot in a gorgeously stylish manner, the palette seeping with neon glows and pitch-black shadows working in fantastic tandem. Visually, this prevents the film from looking like a thriller that takes itself too seriously, enhancing the comedic tone despite the suspenseful set-pieces that pop up every now and then. A massively enjoyable synthheavy score does nothing to lessen the 1980’s B-movie sensibility but that is exactly what Wingard is aiming for, down to the font used for the opening titles which brings to mind titles like The Hitcher and The Evil Dead. Though deliberately slow and some might argue self-indulgent towards the beginning, the story holds out on the twists and turns for the final twenty minutes, with an ending that works incredibly well: Wingard and Barrett have the audience exactly where they want
them and know exactly how to play them, the divided audience reaction of outraged ‘No way!’ on the one side and hysterical laughter on the other proving that to a tee. Upon leaving the screening, it was refreshing to hear so much animated discussion, to see so many gobsmacked faces which completely confirmed the quality of the film. The Guest is a shed-load of fun; a strippeddown, smart, punchy psychological thriller that wears it’s ridiculously stylish B-movie colours proudly. There’ll be a part of you that feels immensely guilty for laughing with it, but that’s why it works so well. It’s hard to remember emerging from the cinema with such a large yet slightly ashamed grin for quite some time. Unless something truly startling emerges between now and December, it would not be far-fetched to call it the film of the year.
Splatter in Film
Don’t try and define me...
the way, we all know where the climax is heading, but Burger brings back the uncertainty as to how it might resolve with the chaos that ensues. Plus, the effects are exceptional, and the stunts so incredibly real, you may just find yourself holding your breath with the characters.
All in all, it’s well worth a watch, as it’s completely targeted at the student age group: it’s got intelligent bits, scary bits, sexy bits. What’s not to like? Divergent is available now on DVD and Blu-
film
19
concrete.film@uea.ac.uk
Obvious Child
Director Gillian Robespierre Starring Jenny Slate, Jake Lacy, Gaby Hoffmann, David Cross Runtime 84mins Comedy/Romance
Joe Frost Abortion is generally considered to be a subject that film-makers should run away from, or so it would appear from the weak efforts to broach the matter in Judd Apatow’s Knocked Up or Diablo Cody’s Juno. Gillian Robespierre’s debut feature (a wonderfully fleshed out version of her 2009 short film) is pro-choice for real and takes its subject matter to both poignant and hilarious heights. Donna Stern (Slate) is a stand-up comic who after losing her job at a Brooklyn bookstore and being dumped by her boyfriend ends up having a one-night stand with smalltown sweetie, Max (Lacy) that (to abide by a two-week waiting period ) results in her being scheduled to have an abortion on Valentine’s Day. One of the plot’s strongest points is in the fact that the decision to have the procedure is never really in question, instead Donna’s conflict lies in facing growing up and whether she should inform Max of the upshot of ‘seeing a condom’ but not knowing ‘exactly what it did’ in their drunken hook-up.
Sin City 2: A Dame to Kill For
Directors Robert Rodriguez, Frank Miller Starring Mickey Rourke, Jessica Alba, Josh Brolin Runtime 102mins Crime/Thriller
Adam Dawson Sin City exploded onto screens nine years ago. It punched you in the face with its gory, stylish, black-and-white visuals. It took nearly ten years to get the budget and cast together for Sin City 2: A Dame to Kill For. The stakes were high and gambling is always dangerous in Basin City. More of the same doesn’t pay off this time though; this one doesn’t pop the same way Ava Lord’s red lipstick does. That’s not to say it’s a bad film – far from it – but it mainly serves as a two-
Schmoes Know
Jenny Slate is the life force of this picture through and through, taking Robespierre’s script that is irreverent and endearing in equal measure, and running with it. A brilliant comic herself in real-life, Slate has been making smallscreen, stand-out performances for several years now (a particular favourite being her portrayal of Jean-Ralphio’s sister, Mona-Lisa,
You’re dizzy because you played Russian roulette with your vagina in Parks and Recreation) and brings the same imitable energy - as well as some very affecting tender and earnest moments - to this role which can only lead to a whole host of other projects that should be anticipated eagerly. Alongside Slate, the films boasts a fantastic supporting cast: The Office’s Jake Lacy manages to be much more than simply the doofus WASP character that he appears to be at first sight, and the semi-awkward rapport between himself and Slate moves beyond previous indie-comedy attempts to provide a very pleasing authenticity. Girls’ Gaby Hoffmann is well cast as Nellie, Donna’s abrasive feminist roommate, and gels extremely well with Gabe Liedman (Slate’s longtime comedy partner - you should have a look at their webseries Bestie X Bestie as soon as you possibly hour reminder of why the first one is so great. The movie is split into four different stories, two of which (‘Nancy’s Last Dance’ and ‘The Long Bad Night’) were written by Frank Miller just for the film. The other two, ‘A Dame to Kill For’ and ‘Just Another Saturday Night’ are adapted from the comics. It’s difficult to create a timeline across the two movies because some of the stories are prequels to the first movie, others sequels, and others happen on the same night. In ‘A Dame to Kill For’, for example, we learn how Manute got his golden eye. Marv is still alive and as enjoyably brutal as ever, so his bits must be set before Sin City. Try not to think about that, it’ll only make your head hurt. The most enjoyable of the stories is ‘The Long Bad Night.’ Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays a cocky young gambler who thinks it’s a good idea to take on a corrupt senator. Hint: it’s not. Gordon-Levitt fits into the blackand-white world like he’s never seen colour. His slicked hair and cool voice belong in the incredibly stylised Basin City. Eva Green also acts like she was born as Ava Lord, the dame to kill for, a snake of a woman who
can) who plays Donna’s gay best friend Joey. Liedman makes the role very much his own, subverting the cliches of rom-com which the rest of the film also generally achieves. Other notable turns include Donna’s separated parents played by stalwart scenestealers, Polly Draper and Richard Kind who approach their daughter with contrasting brands of love, subtly creating some of the film’s most memorable scenes. A small appearance by Arrested Development’s David Cross delivers some solid laughs as a lecherous fellow comedian but the minuscule side-plot feels a tad tacked-on and may have simply been an excuse to get Cross involved, which in fairness is always welcome. Far from being defined by its ‘issues’ despite being banded around the media as “The Abortion Comedy”- Obvious Child is a great film with a sharp script that will not disappoint. The stand-up may not be to everyone’s taste but Slate’s style is instantly likeable and relatable for those who are looking for it. Coming in at just under an hour and a half, it is a little short in length, but in that time Robespierre covers a lot of ground and breaks a lot of it too. Above all, the film simply portrays a refreshingly honest image of a young woman’s life. Ironically, seeing it is not a choice. plays the corrupted game better than anyone else. You can forgive her shaky accent when she looks as good as she does emerging from a pool, silhouetted against a giant moon.
Sin City’s where you go in with your eyes open, or you don’t come out at all We do get treated to the prostitutes of Old Town again though. They might only be in the movie for all of ten minutes, but you know it’s going to be the best ten. Throwing stars, samurai swords, Rosario Dawson with a machine gun – it’s the stuff of dreams. The prostitutes deserve their own movie more than this one deserved to be made. The four stories work well individually. Maybe if they were shorts instead of sewn together for a movie’s sake they would have been more successful. One after the other
Rennes Maville
becomes too much of the same thing. Honestly, there’s only so many revenge plots a boy can take. Jessica Alba’s Nancy deserved the most attention. Instead, we mostly just get long shots of her sexy dancing or crying. Which is great if you like that sort of thing. Poor little Nancy has already suffered terribly, and all she gets is an unsatisfying twenty minutes to wrap up her story. She should have been the character the other stories orbit around instead of being demoted to a stripper with a gun. That’s the problem with Sin City 2. It’s all of the violent fun, none of the depth of story – a character is wronged, seeks revenge, gets it or dies. There’s no mystery or any clever storytelling to keep us watching like there was in the first. It leans far too heavily on its incredible style, thinking that’s enough to keep you occupied (it’s not). We get a very pretty action film but nothing much else.
film
20
concrete.film@uea.ac.uk
Before I Go to Sleep Director Rowan Joffe Starring Nicole Kidman, Colin Firth, Mark Strong Runtime 92mins Mystery/Thriller
Indigo Griffiths Based on S.J.Watson’s 2011 literary bestseller of the same title, Before I Go to Sleep is a suspense thriller that tells the story of Christine Lucas, a forty-year-old woman who suffers from a form of amnesia where she cannot remember anything from the past twenty years of her life. The film begins as Christine (Kidman) wakes up naked in a stranger’s bed. She is soon confronted with pictures detailing events from her life, including a marriage of which she has no recollection. The viewer learns that the stranger is her husband Ben (Firth) who explains that as a result of an accident Christine can only retain information for one day and that this routine is repeated every morning – à la 50 First Dates but without the comedy. As the film continues, Christine receives a phone call from Dr. Nash (Strong) who informs her that she has been keeping a video diary in order to keep track
of her life and perhaps improve her memory. The film contains strong performances from the cast, in particular from Kidman whose last appearance on the silver screen in the Grace of Monaco was widely criticized. However Before I Go to Sleep sees Kidman back on top form with a gripping performance reminiscent of her role in Alejandro Amenabar’s The Others. Despite being in every scene, and reprising the same questions and behaviour repeatedly, Kidman avoids being either boring or unbelievable in her portrayal of Christine. Her screen presence is absorbing as she fearlessly launches herself into the role and drags the viewer along with her, creating a protagonist with whom we can both empathise and sympathise. Narratively the audience is put in the same position as Christine; they are given the same knowledge and nothing more. This technique is utilised effectively by director Rowan Joffe who weaves the plot around the viewer’s expectations, forcing them to trust no-one and suspect everyone. Colin Firth steps out of his comfort zone somewhat, playing the suspect husband Ben, and pulls off an understated yet compelling performance as he leaves the viewer second guessing his every move. Kidman and Firth, who were last paired together in Jonathan Teplitzky’s The Railway Man, play off each other effortlessly and the tension between their
characters remain palpable throughout the film. Sadly the supporting cast are not given the same opportunity to shine. The brilliant AnneMarie Duff is underused but does the best she can with the underwritten character, Claire. Mark Strong, as the intriguing Dr. Nash, suffers the same fate and all but disappears in the second act. This is the films biggest flaw. Whilst the viewer is presented with interesting characters their stories are not delved into deeply enough. Although narratively this makes sense (Christine cannot remember anyone) it would have benefited the film to
Tonight as I sleep, my mind will erase everything I know today probe beyond the surface level rather than simply allowing characters to dip in and out of the plot. Even Firth’s Ben, who is given ample screen time, is not fully explored. As a result, when the film tries to build layers through character revelations, they occasionally translate as exposition points rather than exciting discoveries. Ultimately, as the viewer is left with a lack of information and depth, the film fails to finish with quite the bang it should.
Fanpop
Despite its shortcomings, however, Before I Go to Sleep is a solid thriller that successfully keeps its audience gripped throughout its modest running time - a major feat that many recent, over-long blockbusters have failed to do.
Nate D. Sanders
Revenge tragedy in modern cinema Molly Pearson explores the ties between Tim Burton’s Sweeney Todd and the vengeful heroes of classical literature Revenge tragedy. If the phrase calls up thoughts of Tourneur, Kyd or Shakespeare, you’re looking too far from home. In a world where films are divided by genre, few people are aware that Tim Burton’s 2007 movie Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street – a cinematic adaptation of the award-winning musical by Stephen Sondheim – is as perfect a revenge tragedy as those of Aeschylus and Euripides. The story derives from a Victorian penny dreadful long since assimilated into pop culture – that of a barber who slits the throats of his customers and, with the help of his accomplice Mrs Lovett (Helena Bonham Carter), makes their bodies into pies and sells them to the general public. Yet despite being marketed as a horror film, Burton’s Sweeney has more in common with the Medea or the Oresteia than with its contemporaries. Concealed beneath a scrupulously maintained atmosphere of darkness – which owes as much
to Burton’s love of noir as to the plot – and the abundance of what one critic described as ‘tenderly art-directed, soup-thick, tomato-red fake-gore’, revenge tragedy forms the structure around which Sweeney Todd is built, and from which the story’s pathos and power derive. Sweeney himself is the archetypal hero of a revenge tragedy – which is to say, a man wronged by an enemy far more powerful and prestigious than himself. In his case this enemy is Judge Turpin, the story’s villain, who has committed the most classical of crimes – the rape of Sweeney’s wife and the abduction and sexual grooming of his daughter. As a ‘man of justice’, Turpin’s legitimacy in the eyes of society makes him a dangerous foe. It is therefore easy to draw parallels between Sweeney and characters such as Euripides’ Medea, a foreign woman in a xenophobic and patriarchal society pitted against the might of two royal men. And like Medea, who
vows to punish her unfaithful lover and his new father-in-law, Sweeney quickly becomes obsessed with revenging himself upon Turpin. Due to the wealth and social status enjoyed by their enemies, however, vengeful heroes are often forced to resort to vigilantism and Sweeney is no exception. Unable to confront Turpin openly, he instead adopts the persona of Sweeney Todd in lieu of his former name and identity in an attempt to lure the Judge to his shop. Once again, the trope is age-old; in the Choephoroi, Orestes poses as a traveller to gain entrance to his mother’s house in order to kill her and her lover for murdering his father. Even Odysseus disguises himself as a beggar in order to get revenge on the suitors exploiting his wife, though his story does not end tragically. The scenes with Sweeney and the Judge are an effective mixture of old and new, and bring horror to the fore by utilising the classic thriller scenario of placing a character
alone in a room with a serial killer. The twist, of course, is that this murderer is our hero and is, despite his growing madness, justified in his desire to kill the unsuspecting victim. Like most other tragic heroes and heroines, Sweeney deteriorates mentally and morally over the course of the musical, and his progression from a position of wanting to kill the man that destroyed his family to instead revenging himself on humanity as a whole is the subject of several songs. The degeneration of the main character is a crucial aspect of any tragedy; Orestes’ willingness to murder his mother and Medea her innocent children in a form of revenge by proxy mark their descent into truly dark characters. Aided by Mrs Lovett – as Orestes is by his sister Electra – Sweeney becomes the cannibalistic serial killer of English legend, and the notorious pie shop begins selling (amongst other things) ‘A Little Priest’.
film
21
concrete.film@uea.ac.uk
Back to school
Whether you’re the type of person who’s drawn a timetable and stocked up on stationery, or are already complaining about early-morning lectures, there’s no denying that uni is on your mind. Here’s a list of school-themed films ranging from the dark to the comical to get you back into the classroom mood.
E! Online
The Breakfast Club (1985)
If... (1968)
James McAvoy’s accent, and the plot is, at times, predictable. However, the story is extremely tender, and offers a rare chance to see Benedict Cumberbatch, before he donned the famous deerstalker hat, as the stuck-up university team captain. The film offers an amusing insight into university life and the potential awkwardness of certain first encounters. Caitlin Arthur
The Faculty (1998) Slacker Guide
Roy Arden
The Breakfast Club is a true classic and one which everyone can identify with when looking back to their school days. Set in the 1980’s, this film centres around five students who couldn’t come from more opposing social cliques, defined as a ‘brain’, an ‘athlete’, a ‘basket case’, a ’princess’ and a ‘criminal’. Being forced together during detention makes them question whether they are really so very different after all, and whether they have simply been living with superficial identities. Regarded as one of the greatest high school films, The Breakfast Club remains very powerful in its ability to remain relatable to the present day. Sophie Marner
Lindsay Anderson’s offbeat If... about anarchy and rebellion at a British public school delivers an allegorical message about regimented subservience in society as a whole. A preClockwork Orange Malcom McDowell plays schoolboy Mick Travis who, brutalised by the cruelties of the public-school system, discovers a weapons cache and leads a violent coup against the school authorities. Made with minimal resources, Anderson employs a series of techniques to emphasise the clash of the old and new orders, using title cards, choral music and the mixing of colour with black-and-white photography to juxtapose reality and surrealism. McDowell is brilliantpart-swaggering rebel, part-sociopath- and the film’s anti-establishment tone is both an unobtainable fantasy and a cautionary fable, with stark warnings over the oppression of free spirit that are still relevant today. Flawed, disturbing and exhilarating. Will Hunter
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986)
Starter for 10 (2006)
Now that we’re all finding ourselves somehow back in lectures halls and seminar rooms after a long summer off, what more appropriate film is there than one about students scheming their way out of class? Ferris Bueller’s Day Off provides just that, along with one amazing musical number, a scene-stealing appearance from Charlie Sheen, and some powerful lessons about growing up. Life moves pretty fast, readers - if you don’t stop and watch Ferris Bueller’s Day Off once in a while, you could miss it. Louis Cheslaw
Dazed and Confused (1993) Wallpaper Space
The Faculty operates like Body Snatchers meets Scream meets The Breakfast Club, with a collection of disparate teenager archetypes (among them the geek, the goth and the popular girl) putting aside their rivalries in order to stop the alien entity slowly taking over the minds of their teachers. Lifting from the “high school is hell, literally” metaphors of its late 90’s pop culture contemporaries, The Faculty is full of gratuitously self-aware yet endearing protagonists, while director Robert Rodriguez adds a cool, stylized polish with the film’s comic-book violence and pithy humour. Highly-rewatchable, and an underrated classic of its genre. Adam White
Confessions (Kokuhaku) (2010)
Moviezine
Kinopros
Starter for 10 tells the engaging story of Brian, an 80’s Essex lad addicted to University Challenge. The film documents his turbulent first year at Bristol University. Certain elements of the film are unconvincing such as lead actor
Nakashima’s Confessions (or Kokuhaku) charts the intricate revenge plot of school teacher, Yuko Moriguchi (Takako Matsu) after two of her pupils murder her fouryear-old daughter. While it unfortunately loses something when moved away from the claustrophobic tension of the initial scene of confrontation in the classroom, this is an incredibly intense psychological thriller with a deliciously psychotic, debut performance from Yukito Nishii and will provoke some fascinating discussions on culpability. This film should be on all ‘to-watch’ lists unless of course you disdain to read and see moving images at the same time, in which case just learn Japanese. Just kidding. Joe Frost
IPT World
Adapted from a Kenae Minato novel, Tetsuya
Film.at
One of Richard Linklater’s earliest films, Dazed and Confused is an atypical high-school comedy foreshadowing his unique observant style. It is set during the last day of school in the summer of ’76 and follows various groups of teenagers as they grapple with the tensions of fitting in and defying authority. Though there are recognisable stock characters such as the popular, bitchy girls and the braindead stoners, there is something refreshingly odd about it. The humour is off-kilter, there is undeniable cruelty, and most importantly it captures the truly wild, reckless spirit of teenage life. Featuring an array of big names before they were big names (most memorably Matthew McConaughey as a lecherous older guy), it is not surprising that this film has achieved cult status and features on Tarantino’s best films of all time list. Silvia Rose
Competitions 16/9 - 30/9 concrete.competitions@uea.ac.uk
Quiz Time!
From the Quiz Society’s own Charlie Methven
Photo by Rob Drury
Lynx
Peace
for
1. Norwich’s Prince of Wales Road passes over which river? 2. Apple released the iPad, the BBC broadcast the first episodes of Luther and Sherlock, and Matt Cardle won The X Factor in which year? 3. Pretoria, Cape Town, and Bloemfontein are the capitals of which country? 4. Who is the Non-Flying Dutchman?
Tweet us peace signs and win a semester’s worth of Lynx!
5. In The Simpsons, Sideshow Bob and his brother Cecil were voiced by two actors famous for playing another pair of brothers in which sitcom? 6. Desmond Miles and Altaïr ibn-La’Ahad are characters in which 2007 game?
Lynx’s new range of manly toiletries are sure to win the hearts of all the girls on campus, Peace, is partnered with Peace One Day, the nonprofit organisation behind World Peace Day. Marked on the 21st September every year, World Peace Day is, you guessed it, a day of global ceasefire and non-violence. To celebrate love, peace and smelling good, Concrete is giving away a whole term’s supply of Lynx. So even if you spend your nights drunkenly trying to catch one of the rabbits that populate campus, you can still rock up to your 9am lectures with tastefully tousled hair, smelling of mandarin and yuzu.
8. Which South American country hosted the first football World Cup in 1930? 9. Up, down, strange, charm, top, and bottom are varieties of which sub-atomic particle? 10. What type of animal is the African Grey? 11. Which national flag’s three horizontal stripes are, from top to bottom, the same colour as the only submarine Thunderbird vehicle, the seats in the lower chamber of the British parliament, and the kit worn by the Yorkshire football team nicknamed The Millers? 12. Use the regnal number of the kings described for some maths (e.g. Edward VIII = 8). What do you get when you multiply the regnal number of England’s last Plantagenet king by the regnal number of the monarch who employed (and eventually killed) Thomases Cromwell and More?
Whether you just take a quick selfie while you’re waiting at the bus stop or do something wacky with your friends, we want to see it - and not just because the Competitions editor is single and happy to check out guys.
7. Which of her songs did Kate Bush remix for the 2012 Olympics opening ceremony?
Peace out! Daisy Jones
13. What historical name for England is formed by combining the initials of a Scottish BBC presenter and former newspaper editor, the owner of Skywalker Ranch, and the Chilean author of The House of the Spirits?
Guidelines for entry:
14. Which 2006 film stars actresses who have also played a princess called Mia, a queen called Victoria, and a nun called Aloysius?
Tweet us a picture @Concrete_UEA of yourself making the peace sign with the hashtag #PeaceNotWar.
15. What connects Withnail & I, Our Friends in the North, Casanova, The Ruby in the Smoke, and The Thick of It?
Deadline: September 30 dormify
FLIP & REVEAL 1. River Wensum 2. 2010 3. South African 4. Dennis Bergkamp 5. Frasier
6. Assassin’s Creed 7. Running Up That Hill 8. Uruguay 9. Quarks 10. Parrot (bird)
11. Lithuania (Thunderbird 4 is yellow; House of Commons seats are green; Rotherham United FC’s kit is red) 12. 24 (Richard III x Henry VIII) 13. Anglia (Andrew Neil; George Lucas; Isabel Allende
14. The Devil Wears Prada (Anne Hathaway in The Princess Diaries; Emily Blunt in The Young Victoria; Meryl Streep in Doubt) 15. They all starred actors who would later headline Doctor Who. (McGann, Eccleston, Tennant, Smith, and Capaldi)
Listings 16/9 - 30/9 concrete.listings@uea.ac.uk
Limehouse Lizzy
Jack Cheshire
Thu 18 Sep (£13)
Tue 16 Sep (£8)
Propaganda
Gilmore & Roberts
Fri 19 Sep (£4-5) (on door)
Throwing Muses w/ Tanya Donelly Sun 21 Sep (£20)
Wed 17 Sep (£8)
David Thomas Broughton and Juice Vocal Ensemble Mon 22 Sep (£8)
The Horrors w/ Telegram
Rue Royale
Mon 22 Sep (£16)
Tue 23 Sep (£8)
Propaganda
The Little Unsaid + Cate Ferris
Fri 26 Sep (£4-5) (on door)
Mon 29 Sep (£5)
Meltdown
Dan Walsh
Sat 27 Sep (£3.50-4.50) (on door)
Tue 30 Sep (£8)
Manchester Orchestra + Kevin Devine and the Goddamn Band Sun 28 Sep (£14)
Owls + Olympians + Reno Dakota Thu 18 Sep (£10) (£8 nus)
DZ Deathrays + Dingus Khan + Happy Coloured Marbles Mega Emotion + Chorusgirl + Happy Coloured Marbles Fri 19 Sep (£3)
Mon 22 Sep (£7 advance) (£5 nus)
Fear of Men + Flowers + Horse Party Fri 26 Sep (£5 advance) (£4 nus) (£7 door)
The Peacocks + support Sat 20 Sep (£5)
Johnny Foreigner + Cineclub + Kamensko Sat 27 Sep (£6)
Returners LCR Fri 19 Sep (£5)
Damn Good presents... School Disco Tue 23 Sep (£5)
Gilmore & Roberts
more listings at concrete-online.co.uk/events