Venue 323

Editorial

Issue #323 8 Mar

It was the day after Pancake Day (which was, funnily enough, the subject of my previous, equally riveting editorial), and I was sitting in the kitchen with my housemate. Like every year we had spent together at university, she was giving something up for Lent. And like every year before, she was giving up (the classic) sweet things. Chocolate. Cake. Ice cream. Chocolate ice cream cake – all of them, and more, would be banished from her diet, from February 10th to March 24th.

Venue Editors: concrete.venue@uea.ac.uk Ana Dukakis Joe Fitzsimmons Arts: concrete.arts@uea.ac.uk Niamh Jones Creative Writing: concretre.creativewriting@uea.ac.uk Jay Stonestreet Fashion: concrete.fashion@uea.ac.uk Lizz Gowens Leah Omonya Film: concrete.film@uea.ac.uk George Barker Melissa Haggar Gaming & Technology: concrete.gamingtech@uea.ac.uk Tom Bedford Music: concrete.music@uea.ac.uk Freya Gibson Daniel Jeakins Televison: concrete.television@uea.ac.uk Hannah Ford

I asked her about it, and she was surprisingly calm. It turned out she had prepared, not unlike a woodland creature preparing for winter, and eaten extra confectionary items leading up to the date. Now she was ready – and, she urged, ‘it’s a nice thing to do’. She seemed so confident that in the madness of the moment I believed her, and for reasons I no longer fully understand, I decided to join her on this challenge.

I am not particularly religious, and had never given anything up for Lent before. The strongest reason I can give to explain my choice was that it seemed like a good idea to give up sweet things after the amount I had eaten in the weeks before.

So far things have gone well. Aside from the occasional doughnut-filled nightmare (jam can look scarily like blood), no sweet things have been consumed. But I can’t lie; at times I’ve found that my determination, like a piece of shortbread, is crumbling fast.

This has led me to try and come up with ways to motivate myself. One method has been substituting my sweet cravings for equally unhealthy savoury snacks, but this somewhat defeats the reason I embarked on this challenge in the first place. For a while I focused on the sweet things I was going to bake once Lent was over, but this only seemed to make things worse. Thus I decided to try the opposite, and not think about Lent at all.

Guess what I’ve found to be one of the best ways to distract yourself from Lent (or deadlines, or graduation, or anything that keeps you awake at night)? You guessed it: Venue!* This issue there have been plenty of pieces to sink your teeth into, and many that provide food for thought. There’s a brilliant playlist to help you start your day on the right foot (because we can always use a few more songs to belt out in the shower).

There’s a glimpse at the up-coming wonders of Norwich Fashion Week and Norwich Gaming Festival. There’s insight into how to be an amazing student illustrator, right from the mouth of an amazing student illustrator. And there’s plenty more in this pick-and-mix, all of which kept me happily entertained (right up until I sat down to write this editorial, at which point all the sugary memories flooded back…).

Look: you’ve made it through the train wreck that is this editorial so far, so you may as well treat yourself and have a look inside. Trust me, the content will be much, much better…

Have a brilliant break, everyone! *Unless you’ve given up Venue for lent, but a) you wouldn’t be reading this, and b) why on earth would you ever want to do that?

Art and Design: concrete.artdesign@uea.ac.uk Dougie Dodds Cover Art : Emily Mildren

3

Music Live Review: Little Comets & Hippo Campus Chris Grosset To set the scene; the Norwich Open was set for a smaller and more intimate gig. The large and grand main hall was reserved for the bar only and the stage was set in the smaller secondary room.

On entering what felt like a secret gig, where the lighting was dim and there was a quiet buzz of discussion, the audience was struck by the sight of Maya Law on stage. Her soft, understated acoustic tones set the mood nicely. All of this was accompanied by her minimalist set, an interesting build up to what was to follow.

She provided a refreshing and well suited start to the gig, getting the chilled out, midweek crowd swaying to the narrative of her songs. My recommendation, check out her

Alice Mortimer You’re halfway through your UK tour, how are you enjoying it so far?

It’s been great, we get to do our favourite thing everyday! Like, play a show, play some music for people. It’s travelling as well, getting to be in a new city everyday.

We were lucky enough to arrive here yesterday, because we had the day off, so we had time to kind of explore Norwich.

We’d been here before because we played

track; “At Sixteen.”. There are surly great things to come from her in the future.

Hippo Campus came on to the stage second as the tour long support to Little Comets.

They were more emotive than Maya, bringing atmosphere with a more electronic and distilled sound, composed of carefully selected guitar riffs and rising vocal lines classic to the indie genre. A highlight of their set can be found in the song “South”, which was an upbeat yet somewhat melancholy alternative tune.

At this point it dawned on me that Little Comets have an unprecedented ability to send their support acts to indie fame.

Examples being the now renowned, previous supports of ‘Catfish and the Bottlemen’ and

‘Swim Deep’.

like ‘Formula’ to add head bobbing energy.

Next, Little Comets came on, bathed in blue light and seemingly on a quest to showcase their subtler and more emotional work. They performed in smouldering, simple blue and red lighting for the whole set. The band later expressed sentiment of gratitude at the Norwich audience’s tentative listening.

Highlights of their set for me were in ‘Worry’ and ‘Joanna’ where the confined space of the gig seemed to bind the audience and the band most, always aided by the bandfriendly on-stage chemistry.

Their set, for the first half, seemed to showcase the change in their musical style: a little more refined and a little more restrained, reflecting their move to their latest release: ‘Hope is Just a State of Mind’. They started off with older tracks ‘Bridge Burn’ and ‘The Blur, the Line and the Thickest of Onions’ which added a great enjoyable depth to their performance alongside their newer material

There was, however, one unfortunate twist. At a couple of songs, like in their performance of ‘Dancing Song’, the band seemed to have created such a contemplative vibe that the faster paced material seemed to struggle to break out. The same could be said with the end of their performance which appeared abrupt and cut off. They left without a goodbye and did not return for an encore. A great shame as the gig had been a great, emotion packed one.

Interview: Fickle Friends Radio 1’s Big Weekend last year, and we did the Propaganda night the night before. But basically this tour is like the Fickle Friends’ tour of the UK’s vintage shops! We got some good stuff today!

What’s your favourite venue you’ve played?

We loved Dingwalls (Camden), it was great! We always seem to have a lovely time in Nottingham as well. Just the Bodaga is great! We actually play Brighton, where we first formed, surprisingly the least. Our place is London really, that’s where all of our fans are. It’s very difficult when you go to uni together to get out of that initial ‘it’s just your uni mates turning up to your gigs’ kind of thing, but you get out of that and then it’s your actual fans.

Late last year you released ‘Say No More’, along with

your first EP Velvet in the May - how did you find the reaction?

The EP was good. It was pretty quiet. We’re so used to releasing singles and kind of getting a bit of buzz online, that doing four songs at once kind of almost felt like ‘ah, people don’t care’. But everything’s gone from us being like an online ‘buzz band’ on the blogs and on SoundCloud, to now it moving over to Spotify. So you just have to look at where the Spotify count is and stuff to be like ‘people are still listening to it’. The response was great - it’s just more online – but it still shows that people still want to buy it and stuff. We’re still selling it as well, every night of the tour we’re selling it – the Velvet EP. People must still like it, so that’s lovely!

You’ve dropped catchy single after catchy single, what’s your favourite one you’ve written? And your favourite track to play live?

We write all the time, so ‘Swim’ was our first single, our first song to ever write together, and we’ve been playing it for two years. So it’s kind of like when you play it at the end of the set it’s like ‘ah, I’m home again’, and you don’t have to think about it, it’s so natural. Usually, the newest songs are our favourite, because we’re so excited about it being a new song. So that’s usually how it turns out!

Who would you say were the key artists you’ve taken inspiration from as a band?

We listen to loads and loads of stuff. We really like eighties production, so all the synth and the way they treat everything.

Then, bands we listen to, like Phoenix, Daft Punk, Michael Jackson. It comes from everywhere, you can hear different bands within our music. If we have a favourite song and we think ‘that’s amazing’, we can use an element of that song and kind input it into our own stuff.

Any ideas about if and when we should expect an album?

We’re recording our album this year. It’s just whether it comes out the end of this year or the beginning of the next. It’s fully on the way, though! It’s being written!

Festival season is coming up, so we wanted to ask you, festivals vs. smaller headline gigs - how do they differ from each other, and which kind of shows do you prefer?

It always depends on the festival itself, really. We’ve done Secret Garden Party two years in a row now, and our billing was about 6 o’clock on a Saturday, which was great, pretty decent. It’s almost sunset, it’s busy, and it’s amazing. We’ve done as well main stage at Boardmasters, and being on a stage that huge is just like ‘this is crazy’. But sometimes people care more when you’re playing a smaller stage, as they’ve come to see you rather than just manage to catch you because you’re on the main stage.

Image credit: Wikimedia, S. Bollman

4

Music Interview: Clean Cut Kid Alice Mortimer Liverpudlian quartert Clean Cut Kid have enjoyed a dramatic rise in popularity since the release of debut smash ‘Vitamin C’ last summer.

They’ve been touted by Radio 1, featured on Spotify’s ‘Viral Chart’, and have performed at Reading and Leeds. Alice Mortimer sat down with the band before their gig at the Waterfront in support of Fickle Friends to talk influences, future plans and thier fast growing fanbase.

For those who haven’t yet been introduced to your music, tell us a bit about yourselves and how you formed.

Evelyn: Well, about two years ago, was it?

Ross: Yeah. We’ve been going for about a year.

We did our first gig almost a year ago, and we were rehearsing for like six months before that.

But, it was a three piece before then.

Evelyn: Me and Mike met about four years ago, and we started playing together, Mike had the ‘Clean Cut Kid’ kind of idea. At this point it was very much like a folk two-piece.

Then after a while we were just like ‘there might be something here, we should try and get a band together’, and that was when Mike remembered a guy that he met in a studio about six years ago. And literally about two days later we saw him busking at one in the morning as we were out for a curry, and were like “oh my god, you’re the guy!” So Saul joined from that, and we were a three piece for about six months, but we didn’t really do much - I think we just did like one little secret gig for our mums!

That’s when we were like, we should probably get Ross on board.

Saul: And then we got signed on our second gig.

Evelyn: Which was nice!

Saul: Yeah, living the dream.

Can you give us three words to describe your music?

Ross: Fuzzy, indie, pop!

Saul: We had that prepared! But some other words you could have would be sentimental, romantic, perpendicular and...

Ross: Obtuse!

Saul: Yeah, obtuse!

You guys seem to have just appeared out of nowhere, with your incredibly infectious track ‘Vitamin C’ - what’s it been like in terms of how quickly you seem to have gained publicity and a fan-base?

Evelyn: It was amazing. Especially as we haven’t done many gigs, really. So for our first single to actually get national radio play and stuff was amazing, but it sets quite a pressure, where you have to keep at that level.

Ross: Saul booked the practice gig in London we thought we should get some gigs under our belt as that was the next stage of developing the sound - and then next you’re thinking about record deals, we didn’t have time to adjust.

It was immense though, it was amazing. We wouldn’t change any of it for the world.

Saul: You walk into Tesco now, and all you want to do is buy a pack of toilet paper, and the girl behind the till is asking Ross for his autograph and me for my fingerprint?!

you’re like fuck!

Evelyn: It was mad. It was crazy. It’s a real stand out moment because you just think wow, we’re such a young band. In terms of our journey it’s so early on, and we shouldn’t have really been doing it in terms of how long bands go for before they get on it! I think we were just really proud to be on it. It was nice. Scary, scariest thing in the world!

We’ve got to the time of year where festivals have started announcing their line-ups.

Have you secured appearances at many festivals this summer?

But this year is when we’re properly doing a lot of them.

Evelyn: There’s some in America that I’d like to play.

Mike: Coachella!

Evelyn: Yeah, that would be insane.

Do you have any major influences from the musical world when it comes to writing your own tracks?

What’s been the stand out experience for you as a band so far?

Evelyn: Right, here we go! So we’ve got Great Escape, Live at Leeds, Lee Fest, Secret Garden Party, Sound City, Liverpool International Music Festival, Love Saves The Day, In The Woods... loads!

Ross: I think it changes from what we like from a song-writing point of view to then sonically, like lots of eighties sounds and then Peter Gabriel and Paul Simon. Then we love bands like Arcade Fire, and there’s key sounds that we like from Vampire Weekend. There’s just so much.

Evelyn: Live Lounge. That was a biggy for me.

Mike: Oh, and we got Bestival today!

Mike: Loads of eighties people as well.

Ross: Playing in America was cool, and we also did like a little tiny gig in Liverpool two weeks ago, in one of my favourite coffee shops. We organised it ourselves, put on a little gig night and everyone showed up, like you couldn’t get in. So that was immense, to just have that fan base who were there.

Saul: We’ve got three of our own headline gigs as well. One in Liverpool, one in London, and one in Manchester.

What’s next for the band?

So, you’re half way through your UK tour with fellow indie-pop band, Fickle Friends, how have you found it so far? And what else have you got coming up?

Mike: Great, yeah!

Evelyn: It’s such a bonus when you go on a support tour and you actually like the band you’re supporting, and you’re really into their music, because you’ve got to remember you’re watching this band every single night! But they’re great live and they’re really fun to watch so we’ve really enjoyed it. Then, what else? Oh, we go straight to Texas two days after this tour finishes!

Mike: Then we’re just recording, finishing the record. Then we’ve got like 25 festivals.

So, let’s talk big, where would be ‘the dream’ venue or festival to play?

Mike: I’d like to play Union Chapel, as apparently it sounds amazing and I think it works in like churchy places, our sound.

Evelyn: I’m quite excited for our first big tenthousand plus! Just because I’ve never done a gig that big.

Saul: We just got slotted onto a load of festivals last year because when we got signed it was like right on the boarder when everything was being booked, so they threw us on a few stages just for fun, basically.

Mike: We’ve got the rest of the year booked up, basically, already. By the time we’re patching up the album we’ll be halfway through the campaign of the next single. All going to plan we should be promoting another single as the summer goes by, and then towards the end of the summer, releasing the record. There’s just no gaps.

Evelyn: I think in between that, because we’ve signed with a label in the states as well, we plan to get a single out in America and promo that, which will be cool.

You were recently on Radio 1’s Live Lounge with your single ‘Vitamin C’, along with your mash up of Shawn Mendes’ song ‘Stitches’, and David Bowie’s ‘Ashes To Ashes’. The Live Lounge is such an important part of Radio 1, how was doing that as an experience for you and in terms of getting your music out to so many listeners?

Ross: It’s like, you know, there’s two million people listening but you can’t see them. You’ve got this headset on, you’re sitting there looking at each other and you hear this countdown and

Image credit: Chuff Media

5

Music The Brit Awards 2016 Emily Foley From Madonna taking a tumble to Adele flipping the bird during her acceptance speech, The BRIT Awards always affords more than its fair share of entertainment, mishaps and unpredictability.

The inaugural Awards in 1977 only became a calendar event five years later.

Initially broadcast live, this was curtailed under increasing criticism for being too unrehearsed (cue Mick Fleetwood and Samantha Fox). Recently however, the live, un-cut version has been revived, the impromptu and the haphazard by now regarded as a quaint attraction rather than a liability. The first broadcasting, in black and white, included The Beatles winning Best British Album and Best British Group and Cliff Richard winning Best British Male.

This year’s ceremony was comprised of Adele, Coldplay (who took Best British band), and an emotionally poignant tribute to David Bowie, also witnessed an unintentional Michael Jackson tribute act going by the name of The Weeknd.

The near-hysteria surrounding the presence of international stars such as Rihanna, Drake, and Justin Bieber, begs the question do we need a global perspective to celebrate our indigenous talent? With the likes of Jack Garrett, James Bay, and Catfish & The Bottlemen all earning awards it seems somewhat unnecessary to reel in international stars when homage (and air time) should be acknowledging new home-grown talent.

“It’s all got a bit too slick now, it’s treated

with a bit too much respect if you ask me. It is but a TV show with a few awards carved up and spread around.”

Not only is he a talented musician, but Noel Gallagher’s witty observations are generally right. The BRITs have become unarguably more polished over the years.

Attention to detail in terms of organisation and presentation merit a far higher priority. The a-list appearances customarily provide an embarrassing moment or two, but we wouldn’t like the Awards to forego all of its charm now, would we?

The main transition from old-school glamour to somewhat commercial vanity is to some degree represented in the scale of venues used to host the event. The 1977 Brits was held at Wembley Conference Centre, accommodating up to 2200 guests.

9 years on, in 1996, the event moved to Earls Court Exhibition Centre (capacity 20,000), marking the well-documented era of the Oasis/Blur Britpop feud.

In 2011, the event took up residence at the O2 Arena, also boasting a 20,000 capacity -and higher prestige. The Brit Awards continue to be broadcast from this venue, seemingly with an unending dosage of glitz, glamour (and this year flamethrowers!)

Undoubtedly the event continues to overindulge in multiple forms, amplifying not only the level of publicity but also stylising every aspect of the ceremony.

Clearly music has changed over the years. Genres have emerged, evolved and mashed together. As more and

more subgenres unlock, new artists are emerging, reinventing the likes of grime, country rock, acid jazz and disco.

Just as the music industry has rapidly progressed, so has the variety of performers at the awards. In February of 1992, dance/ art band ‘The KFL’ opened the ceremony.

Instead of their usual rap/rave stage show they join forces with grindcore metal band ‘Extreme Noise Terror’ playing a death metal version of the KFL hit ‘3am Eternal’, climaxing with a machine gun firing blanks over the heads of the stunned audience. Bands’ cashing in on scandalous live acts is now far less anticipated, particularly at prestigious award ceremonies.

Performing ‘Hymn for the Weekend’, Coldplay opened up the 2016 edition of the show, with their tales of getting drunk and high alongside a sunset background and flower garlands decorating the stage.

A somewhat delicate approach to the opening of the show, paralleled with said previous death metal travesties. Later on in the ceremony Chris Martin used his speech to voice support for Syrian refugees, winning a lot of respect from many viewers.

Coldplay fan or not the frontman deserves some admiration for continuing to raise awareness about this ongoing issue.

Undeniably, the BRIT awards remain consistent in delivering some of the most memorable incidences on British television. Michael Jackson’s 1996 performance of ‘Earth Song’ presented

him as a bizarre Christ-like figure which many onlookers in cluding Jarvis Cocker felt was too self-indulgent for the ceremony. Pulp’s frontman invaded the stage presenting his bare behind in an attempt to protest against Jacko and the ‘American sails’ he intended to fly that evening. Queen of Pop, Madonna, took a legendary tumble in 2015 after her cape failed to untie itself, dragging her down a flight of stairs mid-performance.

Luckily she escaped unharmed and carried on with her performance; it’s debatable whether or not this excuses the mass quantity of memes created online.

Nonetheless, it certainly added a gripping element to her routine. Only recently at the 2016 BRIT Awards Icelandic singer Björk won ‘Best International Female Solo Artist’.

However, back in 1998, after scoring the same award, she gave a very distinct acceptance speech firstly by leaping onto the stage and then uttering the words ‘I am grateful... grapefruit’.

Short but sweet, like the singer herself.

Even with a new image and location the BRIT awards still remains rife with controversy. Many aspects of the ceremony have changed over the time, just like the music industry has.

Nonetheless the combination of live broadcasting, vast quantities of alcohol and highly spirited pop stars makes a heady mix for unforgettable bust-ups and a series of very entertaining endeavors.

By [1] - Rihanna, CC BY Wikipedia Commons

6

Music Live Review: Basement Andrew Parkins The Alternative Rock quintet Basement are back with their third full length album Promise Everything after a long wait, following their announcement of an indefinite hiatus back in 2012, just before their previous release Colourmeinkindness which was a huge success and attained critical acclaim.

It has been just under two years since the grunge revivalists first came back on the scene to reclaim their seat, and whilst the title of their latest release may seem contentious in its assertion, you could argue that it epitomises the collective feeling from haughty Basement fans everywhere – in what is their best album to date.

With the band’s album release tour in full swing, Norwich became host to a particularly special performance for the

Ipswich lads – in what frontman Andrew Fisher described as their ‘hometown’ show.

The humility of the Norwich neighbours became apparent through Fisher’s anecdotal recollection of his past appearances as part of the Norwich crowd at the Waterfront, with the band in full support of the fans and the crowd not shy in showing their neighbourly love, the cohesion made it a release show to remember.

Having seen them perform previously at festivals and in larger cities, Norwich undoubtedly paralleled other auspicious audiences with an energy that you would expect from a Basement gig – effectively rendering words such as ‘stagnant’ or ‘static’ obsolete.

Notable tracks such as ‘Oversized’ and ‘Blinding Eye’ displayed a duality in

Base ment’s musical conversation; with Basement’s first single of the album Oversized marking a clear departure from their signature raw and aggressive sound, the track intends the listener to focus in on the overt meaning of the lyrics and to enjoy the harmonious melodies.

‘Oversized’ was an instant hit with the Norwich crowd, as they elatedly echoed every word of the track, creating an organised dissonance of voices (oxymoron intended) that radiated a jubilance only attributed to that of a new Basement song.

‘Blinding Eye’ on the other hand, provides Basement’s prescribed rock hit that in no way taints its prevalence within the album.

The punchy guitar in succession with Fisher’s resonant voice confirms that the band has found a winning formula. While it

is not dissimilar to previous tracks Basement has produced such as ‘Covet’ there are clear impressions made by 90s rock giants such as Weezer and Green Day – tapping into the 90’s nostalgia that has proven its popularity in recent years. The signature Basement sound that ‘Blinding Eye’ and even ‘Submission’ produced in culmination with Basement’s older songs had everyone hanging from the rafters in ecstasy.

Few bands are able to accomplish such a legacy within the British Alternative Rock scene as Basement have done in half a decade – it almost seems superfluous the amount of support they have received in recent years, however their ability as a band to engender a mass of energy, whilst also producing bigger and better sounds will keep them in the spotlight for many more years to come.

The Ultimate Shower Playlist Songs to Sing to as you Soap up Chris P. Rice Bonnie Tyler - Total Eclipse Of The Heart

Earth, Wind & Fire - September

Do not underestimate the power of a bit of Bonnie Tyler. If you’ve had a rough day, been stuck in the library since you can remember or simply need a pick-me-up, this is the tune for you.

You don’t need to listen to this song exclusively in September, it’s perfect for any morning to get your blood pumping. Pumping because you just have to dance to it. Be careful in the shower though, we’re not responsible for any accidents that you may incur.

Queen - I Want To Break Free A true classic that makes you want to pick up your loofah and scrub in time with Freddie Mercury.

Make sure to air guitar mid way through the song...

Lou Bega - Mambo No. 5 What’s not to love about this latin pop classic from 1999? Once you’ve got the whole list of names nailed down, have fun miming trumpets and reliving your childhood.

Kate Bush - Wuthering Heights Maybe not one for signing as your hungover housemates are slowly waking up, but definitely one to belt out when home alone.

Beyonce - Formation

Credit: publicdomainvectors.org, cyberscooty

Come on...Do we really need an explanation for this choice?

Taylor Swift - We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together Everyone needs a bit of Tay Tay sometimes. Though not her newest track, it’s a timeless masterpiece that should be the staple of any shower time playlist. If you want to shake it up a bit, why not try the goat remix?

Bon Jovi - Living on a Prayer If you’re showering before a night out, this makes a great air-grabbing routine. With a chorus that demands the highest volume setting, your only option is to grab your shampoo bottle and sing away.

Headbang, rinse and repeat.

DMX - X Gon’ Give It To Ya Made famous by featuring in the recently released Deadpool film, this is a fantastic track to get you feeling bad-ass enough to face any nine o’clock seminar UEA can throw at you.

7

Fashion Norwich Fashion Week 2016

Leah Omonya

As you may have noticed, much of the social media world is awash with coverage of New York and London Fashion weeks – not to mention Paris, Prague or Milan etc.

What you may not be aware of is that Norwich is going to get in on the fun. From 9th -18th March, our city is playing host to its very own Fashion Week. There will be fashion shows, hair shows, and workshops galore. The independent retailers, budding student designers, and professional practitioners in fashion and beauty are all coming together in a range of locations to bring this event to life.

There is something for everyone. If you are a budding stylist, Jarrold are hosting a workshop for that. A big foodie? There is Fash ‘n Chips. The Bird Cage and Grosvenor Fish bar have teamed up to bring us speical NFW fish suppers and tantalising cocktails to fuel our event-filled days.

If you are a humanitarian trying to do a world of good, then the Fashion Jam is for you. The 24 hour design challenge and following show is part of the One Planet Norwich festival at the Forum. Teams of local makers, students, bloggers, stylists, designers and creatives rise to the challenge to create brand new catwalk collections solely from charity shop garments

donated by Age UK Norwich. The collections will be showcased on the catwalk at Norwich Castle on Monday 14 March. This is a great time to turn up and show your support for the local fashion and beauty industry. There will be shows from retailers, vintage stores and designers that all work towards the aim on cementing Norwich as a vibrant shopping destination.

These are just a few of the events available during the two weeks, so be sure to check out these and more during Norwich Fashion Week!

Norwich Fashion Week

To Buy or Not to Buy Are Designer Goods Worth the Money?

Roseneath Machube I think it’s safe to say most people desire a designer item or two at some point in their lives. Whilst this desire may not amount to an actual purchase (due to the heavy pricing) but the desire is there nonetheless.

Designer clothing and accessories have always been notoriously hard hitting on the wallet, which brings us now to the age old question “To buy or not to buy?” Unless you’re a very impulsive buyer, you’ll go through stages of questioning yourself as to whether you really need it, what you would wear it with, how you’d look in it and more - unless the price is merely a drop in the ocean that is your bank account balance.

Some people want to know why designer bags are so expensive, unable to justify spending that much money even if they have plenty of it. Nevertheless, I would argue that we’ve got to respect the classics such as Chanel, Hermes and Celine. All the replicas I have seen fall short of the artistry these bags portray. If buying a £2,000 Celine bag is out of your budget, either save up or find an alternative brand that may make a bag

of similar design. However, unless you find an amazing replica – just don’t go there.

People can tell when you’ve got a fake if it’s badly made, so you’re far better off getting something equally beautiful but gentler on your budget.

One reason why designer brands are expensive is because they’re supposedly more durable. This is debatable. Bags made from real leather will be stronger than your average £10 bag from Primark, however its not a one size fits all analogy.

I can agree that bags retailing over £1,000 are generally good buys, and I’m yet to see substantial complaints regarding these top designer labels. But have you considered that the reason some of the women who are handbag collectors have their designer purchases for years and years, still in such good condition, is because they own quite a few bags and have them in rotation.

They’re hardly used in the same way as your shredded Urban Outfitters backpack.

If you’re considering taking the plunge with a designer purchase, you should bear

this in mind – if you want it to last in good quality, it can’t be an everyday item.

Secondly, designers feel their artistry should be appreciated, resulting in more expensive designs, which is understandable as some designers really have earned their stripes (all hail Mr Lagerfeld). Thirdly, some designs go through stages of production that require more labour, be it extra fancy stitching or bedazzled embellishments, hence the overall costs are higher, and by extension, so too are the retail prices.

There is still the option of cheaper designer bags. There are a lot of designers whose entry level designs are very affordable.

The likes of Michael Kors and Ted Baker sell bags and purses ranging from £100, sometimes even less. These two designers have a large variety of designs, and if you’re seeking the “I’m wearing a designer bag” satisfaction this is the perfect option.

Although, particularly with MK, you may be subjected to the copycat sneers.

Nevertheless, the air of exclusivity is still present, and you can wear a brand that

people can easily spot without breaking bank. You won’t be starving for months just so you can buy a brand name purse.

If you love designer bags but cannot afford any of them, the next best option is the high street. Shops like MANGO and Aldo are notorious for almost duplicating designer bags, but at least they don’t stamp on the fake logo. So technically you’ll have an 100% authentic MANGO touch bag that closely resembles the Prada Saffiano, for example.

The advantage in this is you’ll pay anything from £20-£80, and dependant on your usage you’ll get good wear out of your bag. If that particular style ceases to be trendy, you’re not too gutted as you’ve hardly spent a lot of your money in the first place.

Yes, there are a lot of things to consider when thinking about splashing the cash on any material item, especially in fashion, and no, designers are not for everyone. But if you’re really in love with an item and it ticks all the boxes… well, money is meant to be spent, right?

8

Fashion

LFW A/W16 Beauty A Look at the Latest Beauty Trends as Seen on the LFW16 Catwalks Abbie-Leigh Smith From 19th - 23rd February, fashion experts and enthusiasts flocked to London for the 63rd London Fashion Week to witness the newest stroke of aesthetic genius from the experts of the avant garde and couture houses. The clothes that took the catwalks by storm were undoubtedly inspirational and exquisite, and the models wearing them looked equally inspiring. For a designer, a catwalk is an opportunity to display their artwork. It is not, necessarily, intended to be directly transferable to the everyday wearer. This is why we often see a variety of off-the-wall performances, music, locations, and clothing from so many designers. The makeup worn by the models are part of this presentation, with some artists opting for complementary nude shades, while others create harsher statement looks to complete their vision.

A wide range of looks were displayed this year, from cherub-like natural beauty to intense and sexy smoky eyes. Despite the bold and often intimidating look of many of the faces we see on the runway, there are

plenty of looks that have stood out as easy to achieve, perfect for taking to the campus catwalk.

Royalty, (£14, cocktailcosmetics.com). For a cheaper, easy to get hold of version; try NYX Macaron lippies in Pistachio (£5.50 Boots).

The first, and perhaps most wearable look was Vivienne Westwood’s baby faced, cherub inspired look. The models wore ringlet curls in their hair, with a very natural base, and a bright rosy cheek. This is a very easy look to create. The natural base can be achieved by using a BB cream, as they are very low coverage. For example, Rimmel London’s Radiance BB cream, (£7.99 in Boots), paired with Sleek’s blush in Pixie Pink (£4.49, Boots), which is a great dupe for NARS blush lovers seeking a cheaper alternative.

Gareth Pugh, however, took a much more ‘ideal beauty’ approach, perhaps the closest to ‘natural’ we could hope to see Pugh go, with an Avant Garde twist. This season, his models wore an elastic band just below their cheekbones to give the impression of fuller cheeks and lips, as it pushed up the cheeks and pulled up the top lip. While we do not suggest walking around with any stationery on your face, you can easily fool people into think your lips and cheeks are fuller than they actually are, without the pain of wearing a rubber band! To give the impression of fuller lips, simply line your top lip with lip liner and fill it in with a complementary colour. Fuller cheeks are slightly harder to create, but not impossible, with just a bit of contouring. Using a contouring palette like Smashbox’s Contour Palette (£35.00, Boots) or for a cheaper option, like Seventeen’s Define and Conquer Contour Kit (£5.99, Boots) and put the darker shade below your

Anya Hindmarch also seemed to channel her inner child, with a collection inspired by retro games and models wearing bright matte eyeliner. For those brave enough, this pop of colour can be recreated with bright lipstick. The current matte lipsticks taking the makeup world by storm is the Jeffree Star Cosmetics range, in shades like Jawbreaker, Breakfast at Tiffanys, Prom Night and I’m

cheek bone, and the highlight on top then add some blush on the apples of your cheeks.

This, when blended properly, will give you full and perfectly structured cheekbones that Angelina Jolie would die for!

And finally, Sibling displayed a dramatic yet wearable glossy berry lip, for day and evening wear. To get this look, keep the eyes simple; tight lined eyeliner, and a little bit of mascara, this look is all about those luscious lips. For a high-end version of this look, we recommend Ariana Grande’s Mac lipstick, Viva Glam (£15.50, MAC), a deep berry shade topped with her Viva Glam Lipglass (£14.50, MAC). For a cheaper, easier to apply product, try Tanya Burr’s lip gloss in Berry Picking (£5.99, Superdrug). This aptly named, high-shine lip gloss is certain to take your look from every day to catwalk ready in no time!

Now you’ve got the inspiration, the products and the know-how, enjoy getting all glammed up, and make the campus your catwalk.

Illustration: Ana Dukakis

9

Arts Is Drama Important?...

Bobbi Sleafer-Nunes For thousands of years, drama has been an instinctive part of human nature. The Greeks encouraged the art of storytelling, an essential part of life that has provided us with a source of entertainment. Today it has evolved to films, television and theatre- all of which are regarded as primary functions of a society in order to have enjoyable experiences. It is unanimously agreed that medicine, engineering and law are all essential for creating a better society.

We need medicine to live, engineering to progress and law to protect. Similarly, drama is crucial in that it provides us with not only a source of entertainment and escapism during tough times, but also allows us to understand human nature. A quote from Dead Poets Society sums it up entirely: “the human race is filled with passion. And medicine, law, business, engineering, these are all noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, art, romance, these are what we stay alive for.”

Whether you are writing the play, playing the part or watching the performance, you will be educated about the topic. If you are playing the role of a doctor, a psychopath or someone with an illness, you will need to understand their subject in order to perform the role successfully. Whilst it is often for entertainment purposes, we are constantly being educated through it. Thus, drama allows us to explore the world in general, and it becomes a study of humanity in all its forms.

Ilona Brinton

"Nobody makes a living from being an artist."

This statement may be hammered into the little kid who wistfully proclaims that he wants to be an artist, or it may be subtly imbued into the minds of thousands, if not millions of kids as they attend school each day. School is meant to prepare us for life, and if being an artist – in whatever form that may be – will not earn us a living, then why even bother with it in schools in the first place? Or more importantly, if the government and all the economists running the country do not see a correlation between more artists among its citizens and a rise in GDP, why invest money into cultivating them?

Naturalism to entertain; epic to provoke thought; verbatim to inform- whatever the style, the function of theatre is crucial for us to better ourselves as people. During colonial Britain, convicts created theatre companies to become more socialised, dignified and reformed beings. Wertenbaker’s Our Country’s Good stresses that whilst society needs people to learn practical skills to be able to survive, to become a civilized society we need drama. Through refining a skill, and taking on a role of another person, we become more empathetic creatures of nature. It develops our ability to communicate and understand emotions, improving our relationships around us.

Moreover, it allows us to be more rounded beings. It is clear that life is easier when you are able to communicate, express and work well together. Drama provides these tools.

Without a doubt, it can be confidently agreed that without drama, life would be a colourless place. Drama captures beautiful (and not-so-beautiful) moments of life. We can get a sense of different eras in history, colonial Britain and the war, amongst many other things due to drama. Not only historically, but culturally too. Theatre helps us understand people from cultures other than our own. It accounts for a much less ethnocentric, and more accepting world.

In today’s society, there is a heavy emphasis in the importance of scientific study to improve

Illustration by Dougie Dodds the world in relation to climate change, disease and technological advancement- yet we must not be hasty to forget the importance of the arts. Drama has the ability to educate its audience on current worldly affairs. In that moment, drama will often bring a physical reaction from the audience member:

ingenuous emotion will be evoked, and that in itself is a very powerful thing. In that instant, people realise they’re alive. Drama, at its best, holds a redemptive power in making society a more cultural, enlightened and stimulating place.

...And Do We Need Art? It seems more sensible to grow businessmen, entrepreneurs and engineers to help us continue to grow and compete with other countries. So onwards, reading, writing and arithmetic! I mean, why not start learning to read when we’re new-born babies to get that bit more ahead?

If research tells us that we need x more engineers and y more business men, then investing more in maths and the sciences and less in the arts, would seem a sensible decision to make. Many of you artists, or aspiring artists out there may already bristle at this idea, and frankly, what the government is currently systematically hammering out of schools, and smoothing over with ever more science and maths is a violation of freedom of choice and

diversity that not only artists, but everyone else can see. By excluding arts, we are losing not only painting and drawing, but music and drama as well. Who ever said school plays were a waste of time?

Our government is failing to check itself, as it expands an ever more rigorous programme for exam success in schools (in the STEM subjects which they promote so much of course).

Perhaps certain statistics have not reached the insulated walls of the houses of parliament (or our ministers lack the imagination of how to incorporate them into the curriculum).

Whatever the reasons, they would be unwise to ignore a great deal of research that shows that including the arts in improves test results – not just in some areas, but across the board.

Rather than taking away from valuable time spent on STEM subjects that the politicians are so worried about, it actually enhances results. The array of programmes that testify to this, from ‘Turnaround: Arts’ supported

by Michelle Obama in the US, as well as ones closer to home such as the Opera North programme, which are all dealing with schools that have been struggling in terms of grades. In all of the cases pupils’ performance and general wellbeing soared beyond expectation.

This may help you imagine what it is we are losing when we lose the arts. Is it freedom of choice and fun, or better grades and prospects for the future? Or both. You choose. But let’s hope David Cameron and his government have the ability to imagine that too.

10

Arts UEA Artists Presents: Illustration Frank Morris

Yes, You Can be a Successful Artist at University. Just Ask Frank.

Credit: Frank Morris My name is Frank Morris and I am currently trying to juggle an American & English Literature degree with making my way as a young artist and illustrator. My course requires me to spend hours and hours reading, but I try to spend as much free time possible on drawing and developing my craft. Unfortunately I am not really one of those people who can constantly create work, but instead I patiently wait for the wave of inspiration to come my way, then desperately work as much as possible while that creative energy is still there.

Previous to coming to UEA I completed an Art Foundation at London College of Communication and my original plan was to go on and do a degree in Illustration or Graphic Design. Although my university had incredible facilities, I ended up feeling artistically stagnated and realised that I enjoyed self initiated projects more than being directed by a course syllabus and decided to apply to the subject I enjoyed most at A level, which was English.

When I went on my first visit to Norwich I was a bit apprehensive as to what I may find; remembering numerous rumours and jokes I had got from friends back in London. But,

Credit: Frank Morris

as soon as I got into town I was pleasantly surprised, not just at how beautiful Norwich was with its cobbled streets and Cathedrals but also at how many art galleries and independent creative shops there were. Coming from a big city like London, I had found it difficult to find opportunities to show my work and stand out, but being a young creative in Norwich throws up loads of opportunities. At the moment I currently have two prints selling at Moosey Art gallery down on Bridewell Alley and some tote bags featuring one of my designs in Dandy Horse coffee house down on Magdalen Street. If I was in London it is unlikely that I would have been able to share my work and get myself out there as much as I have done so far in Norwich.

young child I was I was fascinated by trying to add as much detail to a drawing as possible.

When I was around twelve I used to take a super fine line pen, hold a magnifying glass in my other hand and spend hours drawing, adding as much detail as possible and not looking at the piece through normal vision until it was done – (this is something I would recommend anyone to try out, it is really fun).

As I’ve grown older my skill has increased, but the obsessive nature I had when I was much younger is still a major part of my work. It can take me no longer than an hour to draw the outline of my illustrations, but over a week to fill in the intricate details; when doing this I feel intensely peaceful and happy, it isw a form of meditation for me.

My style of illustration has evolved from hours and hours of doodling as a young kid. I have always taken an interest in art and have been lucky enough to be inspired by numerous members of my family who are very artistic; especially my sister who is an incredible natural drawer and my great aunt who is an artist. My illustration style started properly taking form when I discovered the joys of drawing with fine black pens and realised the wonderful detail one is able to give to a piece if you have time and patience. As a

I am inspired by many things and try to be as observant as possible in all of my surroundings. One theme that seems to come up a lot in my work is animals - often sporting dapper attire. I feel like nature is like an endless pool of inspiration – the amount of beauty and variety one can get from it means that I’ll always have something to draw. I am also really interested in 1950’s American style and take a lot of inspiration from that too.

I was fortunate enough to have worked for over a year in my parents’ shop selling vintage

glasses and as a result have a useful memory bank of wonderful frames. These vary from beautiful 20’s off round tortoise shell effect “ancient librarian with long beard” glasses to extraverted 80’s Hip Hop Cazal sunglasses, which I can lend to my illustrated characters as I see fit. Recently, I have also gone through a significant transition in my life from a medium rare steak loving meat eater to a plant-loving Vegan. This has given me a sense of direction and drive that I feel will heavily influence my work from now on and was the direct inspiration for my most recent piece shown in the ‘Oppression – The Artists Speak’ exhibition at the end of last month.

This week I have received an email approving my application for a £500 grant from the UEA Enterprise Centre. This money will go towards launching a t-shirt range that will feature my designs and share the message of compassion and love to all earthlings that Veganism promotes. 10% of the profits will go to an animal charity of my choice, which will give me a chance to give back a little to the creatures that have inspired me to create my work. This is the main project that I am working on at the moment, although I am looking to do numerous collaboration projects in the near future as well.

11

Television Mental Illness on Screen With a Rise in Representation of Mental Illness on TV, Are Dramas Doing Such Sensitive Topics Justice?

Katharine Lyon Just a warning before I begin, this article discusses the experience and representations of suicide and self-harm in a way that could be distressing to some people.

Recently, I had what I’m sure is a very common experience. I turned on the TV and found myself witnessing a scene that, without context, seemed bizarre. A young woman stood in the middle of a crowded pub, looking terrified,ppp as she watched a man hold her baby. When another character asked her what was wrong, the screen turned red, and the camera zoomed in on her distraught face, as she cried “I see the Devil!”. The scene I was watching happened to be from EastEnders and while the scene did take me aback; I don’t feel entitled to pass judgement. I don’t watch EastEnders, so I don’t know how well this particular storyline – Stacey Branning’s (Lacey Turner) struggle with postpartum psychosis – has been dealt with. Upon doing further research, I now know that the writers of the programme worked with Mind and Bipolar UK on the storyline. However, seeing the scene in isolation got me thinking: in an age when mental illness is becoming more and more talked about in society, what is the best way of representing those suffering with these conditions on our screens?

There’s no denying that representation is important. With mental health education being almost non-existent in our schools, and the general “stiff-upper-lip” attitude of British society, TV is one of the most universal mediums for getting information about mental illness out there. However, there is a very thin line between genuine representation and using mental illness purely for shock value. In the most recent series of Downton Abbey for example, we witness Thomas Barrow (Rob JamesCollier) attempt to take his own life. This could have been a good way of addressing the mental toll of the isolation experienced by some members of the LGBT community, but when we next see Thomas he’s sat up in bed, seemingly unaffected by what should have been an incredibly traumatic experience.

on painkillers as a result of trauma she’s experienced both in childhood and later in her life. Nothing is hidden from the audience; we watch as she gets her stomach pumped, images flashing across the screen to show us exactly why she tried to commit suicide. Whilst it is incredibly difficult to watch, crucially, it is honest, and that’s how portrayals of mental illness should be.

This need for honesty clashes with the tendency modern media has to romanticise mental illness. The ‘beautiful suffering’ narrative seems to be getting more common, despite many mentally ill people speaking out about how damaging it is.

This goes hand in hand with the idea that mentally ill people can be ‘fixed’ with love.

Teen Wolf – a show that, up until this point, had been pretty good at depicting anxiety and panic attacks – features a scene where Stiles Stilinski (Dylan O’Brien) has a panic attack. In response, his long-time crush Lydia Martin (Holland Roden) kisses him, which appears to calm him down. Panic attacks are an overwhelming experience, where the sufferer can often feel like they’re trapped and losing control. While the kiss may have served as a distraction, I doubt that, realistically, it would have done anything to bring someone down from a panic attack. Coupled with the romantic music that warbles in the background while the kiss is taking place, it seems that the Teen Wolf writers are using Stiles’s mental illness as a vehicle for romance.

an ongoing Emmerdale storyline in which Aaron Livesy (Danny Miller) struggles with self-harm. It’s a plot arc that doesn’t pull any punches, showing the reality of what many people go through on a day-to-day basis: it shows feelings of fear and shame, the secrecy from family and friends. When his struggle comes out into the open, he is not met with understanding right away, but fear and misplaced anger from loved ones.

It’s not enjoyable to witness but, as with This Is England, it’s honest in a way that so many portrayals aren’t. It’s important to remember that, in the internet age, for every black and white photo of a razor blade posted for likes on Tumblr, there’s a

person out there suffering in silence, with an addiction that even they themselves don’t fully understand.

Mental illness is never an easy thing to address. However, when we’re faced with such staggering statistics as the one in four people who suffer with some form of mental illness during their lifetime, it’s hardly something we can afford to ignore. If television is to aid society in its understanding of mental illness, we need stories that do those affected justice. It’s a subject too important to be tackled halfheartedly. We need TV shows that are dedicated, sensitive, and, above all, honest.

There’s nothing beautiful about mental illness. While I don’t think this is the right platform to discuss my own ordeals, I can tell you that much from first-hand experience.

Mental illness is terrifying and, more than anything, isolating. The oh-so-popular ‘beautiful suffering’ narrative often implies that a saviour, someone who will come along, kiss your scars and tell you you’re beautiful, and subsequently everything will be okay. That’s not real, and it doesn’t do anyone any good pretending that it is.

Mental illness doesn’t bring you closer to people; in fact it pushes you further away.

This isolation is captured effectively in

Suicide isn’t that simple. It’s not a matter of being patched up and sent on your way; it’s a lot more than the act. The experience of getting into such a desperate state in which death seems like the best option is traumatic in itself. This trauma is portrayed devastatingly well in This Is England 88’, in which Lol (Vicky McClure) overdoses Illustration: Dougie Dodds

14

Television TV So Bad It's Good The Revival of Sitcom Full House as Fuller House on Netflix May be a Cheese-Fest, but That’s Why It’s Great Denise Koblenz Do you want to escape the stressful world of deadlines, money problems, and the constant fear of failing? If so, then I have the perfect solution for you in the form of the new Netflix sitcom Fuller House.-tdh Escape the real world and delve into the American dream full of cheesy catchphrases and unrealistically perfect lives, with a happy ending in every episode.

To truly appreciate this latest Netflix addition, you first need to hear about the show’s history. Fuller House is not a standalone sitcom, but a revival of the much loved 80s sitcom Full House, which saw recently widowed Danny Tanner (Bob Saget) raising his three daughters DJ (Candace Cameron), Stephanie (Jodie Sweetin), and Michelle (Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen) with the help of his brotherin-law and Elvis fanatic Jesse Katsopolis (John Stamos), and his best friend, more or less successful comedian Joey Gladstone (Dave Coulier).

Running from 1987 – 1995, the audience grew up with the three Tanner daughters, from Michelle’s first word to DJ’s first love.

This show was something for the whole family, and over the years it became a world success. It comes as no surprise, then, that a revival of the show was something much talked about during the last ten years.

Even after the last episode aired in 1995, Full House never really left; countless reruns could be seen on TVs all over the world, attracting a whole new generation of fans.

Moreover, the cast, much like their fans, couldn’t seem to let go of the show, having annual reunions and reclaiming their roles in guest performances on The Jimmy Kimmel Show more than once. Eventually this undying love for the show led to the much anticipated revival when Netflix decided to take on Fuller House.

Before anyone complains about the rather unimaginative title - I should add that’s the point. It’s not trying to be something new, it’s a homage to the original. Fuller House is going back to the classic sitcom format of catchphrases, light hearted stories, and an over-enthusiastic live audience. It’s all about nostalgia. The plot pretty much follows that of the original with a slightly

more feminist twist: we see oldest Tanner daughter DJ and her three sons move back into her childhood home after her husband’s death, with her sister Stephanie and best friend Kimmy (Andrea Barber) to help raise the children. The fact that it is three women living together, needing no man to lead a successful life, gives way to new plots and twists that are more current today than might have been the case in the late 80s.

As lovely as it is to see the original cast reunite and reprise their roles, there are cutbacks, as probably the most famous cast member, the Olsen Twins, who, let’s be honest, have Full House to thank for their career, refused to join Fuller House. The show does not try to hide the fact that one important family member is missing, and it is explained that ‘Michelle’ c1§7an’t be there for the family reunion because she is too busy running her fashion empire in New York, followed by a pointed look straight into the camera by all of the cast.

Breaking the fourth wall and making references to the actors’ real lives, or snarky

remarks about sitcoms and revivals, plays another big part in making Fuller House a good show. It knows what it is and doesn’t pretend to be anything else. For everyone involved, the show is a fun project that gives them the opportunity to once again work together; having fun and not taking it too seriously is the whole point, and embracing its cheesiness and predictability is key to enjoying it.

This show is something everyone can enjoy, be they diehard fans or newcomers, as long as your expectations aren’t set too high and you accept the fact that this is a bit of fun. It’s a show that doesn’t require much thinking, and leads you into a world of unrealistically perfect lives with spontaneous dancing, breaking out in song, and of course, catchphrases - perfect if you want to escape the excessive amount of stress us students have to face.

To sum it up: this show is so bad it’s good. So much so that it has already been renewed for a second season! Now, whether it deserves one or not, I’ll leave that up to you to judge.

Illustration: Dougie Dodds

15

Television Spy Sensation BBC’s all-star cast drama The Night Manager brings movie-style glamour to the small screen Melissa Haggar How to introduce The Night Manager?

That might be a bit tricky; one look at its impressive cast would probably send you into a fanatical, wheezing fit, if you’re a fan of great British TV. Fortunately, in this daring drama Tom Hiddleston is available on hand as the enigmatic hotelier-turnedspy to resuscitate you…maybe.

Based on the John le Carré novel of the same name, this adaptation of The Night Manager has been updated to suit current day situations and events, moving from the setting of the Cold War to the Arab Spring. The production budget has clearly been set quite high, as the camera blissfully sweeps across luscious oceans, capturing every intricate and scenic detail of gorgeous mountain tops and stunning villas: a true testament to the drama’s grandiose nature.

It’s certainly an incredibly cinematic and artistic TV drama, and it knows it. Full of riveting drama, sex, and mystery, the series may as well be a prolonged TV film for its careful construction of every artistic element of its production and editing, but

you’d expect nothing less, considering the magnitude of its actors.

Television is perhaps a more suitable medium for an adaption of a le Carré novel, and the six part mini-series has plenty of time to fully explore the elements of the thrilling espionage plot. This therefore guarantees a better chance at success, and for the most part, the first palpable taste of The Night Manager is satisfying and offers up a juicy and easily digestible piece of television gold.

Tom Hiddleston stars as the notorious ‘Night Manager’, Jonathan Pine, who is recruited quite suddenly by Angela Burr (Olivia Colman), an intelligence operative who has made it her life’s mission to take down arms dealer and ‘worst man in the world’, Richard Roper (Hugh Laurie). In order to do this he must assimilate himself into Roper’s world through unconventional methods, whilst also trying not to be uncovered by any of Roper’s group, including his girlfriend Jed (Elizabeth Debicki), and suspicious associate Major Corcoran (Tom Hollander). As

suspected, Hiddleston is utterly convincing in his role, able to show the darker, more committed side to his character that comes with his need to infiltrate big business, whilst also switching between the smart and more faux-courteous side of the role.

Laurie also flexes his villainous side, proving he doesn’t always have to be the good guy. Laurie manages to embody every characteristic of the ruthless Raper, despite not being on screen for more than a few minutes at a time, which is quite a feat for even a seasoned actor. There is something utterly commanding about his screen presence that is captivating if only for every few fleeting seconds before he saunters off no doubt to orchestrate another crime or two.

then it will be thoroughly intriguing to watch. If not, it will certainly be utterly disappointing.

Whilst there has been very little Laurie/ Hiddleston play-off so far, the show inevitably tempts you with a few interactions in the first episode which set the foundations for a truly charismatic and satisfying partnership between Laurie and Hiddleston. If the series manages to capitalize fully on this potential

What The Night Manager has in store for us in later episodes is still uncertain, but this is an intriguing first look at a series which, providing it makes use of the talent and budget at its disposal, should be a thoroughly enjoyable affair that finally manages to do le Carré’s novel justice.

After her successful role in Broadchurch, Olivia Colman takes on another policing role as intelligence operative Angela Burr.

While it might be difficult to compete with immovable acting forces, Colman stands her ground, and delivers quite a few prominent speeches to both her colleagues and Hiddleston’s Pine. In particular, her dialogue with Hiddleston is expertly drafted and delivered with such undying conviction that you truly believe this is a woman who is utterly committed to her country and her cause, and knows the risks that this particular mission entails for both herself and Pine.

Illustration: Dougie Dodds

16

Gaming & Technology Life's Good When It Is Modular The Reveal and Round Up Of The New LG G5

George Pegler At Barcelona’s annual Mobile World Congress 2016, LG’s new flagship smartphone, the G5, was debuted, and is expected to be available in April.

The G5, radically different from its predecessor, the G4, focused its marketing strategy on two feelings reminiscent of the school playground: fun and friendship.

These concepts are manifested through interchangeable modules, and ‘Friends’ that enhance the possibilities for the G5’s user experience.

In a world of ever increasing choice within the marketplace, the smartphone industry has been comparatively less creative. LG changes this. As the first modular smartphone for the UK market, LG’s flagship device challenges the stereotype that a phone doesn’t need to be just a thin metal slab in order to be what

we are all craving: a device that’s fun and excites us.

Let’s start with the basics: a 5.3 inch QHD display with a resolution of 554ppi, powered by the new Qualcomm Snapdragon 820, 4GB RAM, and a 2,800mAh removable battery, housed inside a metal chassis, make for a clearly competent 2016 flagship device.

LG didn’t discuss the G5’s specs in much detail, but they should have; it has 32GB of storage, USB-C and 900 nits of display brightness. These are all features that will become mainstream in 2016, but its good to see LG ‘future-proofing’ the device to last longer than one year.

A special mention should go to the camera on the LG G5, or to be specific, cameras there’s two of them. The G5 has a 16MP

camera alongside an 8MP camera. These are used as either individual shooters, with the latter having a wider 135 degree viewing angle, or together, allowing you to layer photos and combine focuses on different objects simultaneously.

However, as LG said themselves, tech specs don’t make for the most interesting phones.

Instead, LG dedicated their announcement to how the G5 differentiates itself from its competitors: the modular design.

There is a small button at the side of the device that reveals the removable battery that can slot into two different modules. LG intends to extend this range, but currently there’s only two options: a module providing an extra 1,200mAhs as well as features for the camera app such as a physical zoom dial, or a Bang & Olufsen DAC that optimises the

audio experience for plug-in headphones.

LG cleverly allows you to personalise your smartphone with the features you care about. Camera enthusiasts can concentrate their modular handset with a bigger battery, whereas audiophiles can enjoy tailored modules that optimize the phone’s sound quality.

Alongside the device, the LG 360° camera, LG 360 VR headset and, my personal favourite, the LG Rolling Bot are ‘Friends’ that can be paired with the G5 to increase LG’s ecosystem.

LG excites us every year by innovating rather than iterating their flagship device, and the result for 2016 is an enjoyable handset, without compromising tech-specs. The G5 is a very commendable phone and one I recommend to those looking for an upgrade.

Gaming Takes Its Rightful Place Stephanie Wilderspin Video games are still a relatively new medium, mainly being addressed by tabloid media, casting fans as introverted teenage boys being inspired to commit violent acts. But opinions are starting to change as we move into the golden age of gaming. In the US in 2013, video games generated $25bn, while the film industry only made $10.9bn. 51% of households own a console, and that is excluding the use of computers or mobile devices as a means of gaming.

In 2014, the Forum hosted the first Norwich Gaming Festival – an event aiming to entertain and educate the public, as well as to promote the growth of the local gaming scene. Last year, the festival saw 45,000 people come through its doors in order to play new indie games, see concept art designed by local graphic artists, as well as look at the history of games. NUA helped with the conception of the festival, especially with its acclaimed course in Games Art and Design. Now, it’s UEA’s turn.

Anticipating UEA Games Culture Day UEA has been leading academics through new forms of media since it was established in 1963. It was the first university in the UK to introduce creative writing as a degree, as well as one of the first to cement media studies as an academic area. As we move even further into the 21st century, a new topic is starting to come into the academic world: video games.

This year Dean Bowman, a PhD student writing on video games and Tom Phillips, a lecturer in Interdisciplinary studies at UEA, approached Norwich Gaming Festival about bringing UEA into the event. From 10am – 4pm on 31st March, UEA will be partaking in the festival with a series of talks throughout the day at The Forum. These talks include discussions about narrative in games, gaming and gender, the preservation of games, the importance of games such as Minecraft, as well as the relationship between phenomenology and gaming. These talks, gathered together under the name

Credit

“Introducing Game Studies”, are not just aimed at the academically inclined, but are a form of pop-science that link the world of gaming and academics together.

Fun FactYou can book places for UEA Games Day at norwichgamingfestival. com/UEA-Day.html This was the main aim of Dean Bowman, the organiser of the talks, when he originally approached the Norwich Gaming Festival team. Dean has gone from graduating from UEA with a degree in English literature, to a masters at Edinburgh university in Media Studies, to now returning to UEA to write his PhD on the use of narrative in video game. Although he describes himself as slowly “slipping down the ladder of cultural acceptability”, after a break from academia, he is now trying to

bring together these two worlds he loves, hoping that UEA is a university that will recognise video games as an academic topic in the same way that film and television are. Bowman started his love for gaming with Vagrant on the original PlayStation and it became a hobby that lead to it becoming the topic of his PhD. Bowman’s talk focuses on Bloodbourne and how narrative and video games are interlinked. Other talks will be held by other postgraduate students from a variety of academic schools, such as Tarnia Mears who is in the department of American Studies, writing her PhD on gender and gaming, and Merlin Seller, who is working on his PhD in Art History, while also lecturing on video games at NUA. The Game Festival itself will be in the Forum from the 31st March until the 2nd April and is free entry. Come along to support local game developers, as well as fellow students!

nasa.gov Credit: Youtube.com

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Gaming & Technology The Myth Of The Gun What is it With the West and Firearms?

George Barker In 2014, 21% of video game sales in the US were ‘Shooters’, and another 28% were ‘Action’ games, likely featuring guns in some capacity. So why are guns in video games so popular? Since 2008, Call of Duty consistently placed in the top tenbestselling games of the year. In 2015, two Call of Duty games made the top ten, along with Fallout 4, Grand theft Auto V and Star Wars: Battlefront (Venturebeat.com). The fascination with guns is largely a western phenomenon. In Japan last year, only one shooter featured in their top ten-bestselling games and that was Splatoon (Kotaku), a cartoony game about squirting paint, and not a grizzled shaved head in sight.

idea of pointing and clicking remains simple.

As game mechanics go, the idea of a shooter is simple: you point and shoot; be it from a fixed position, with a light gun, in first person or third person over the shoulder.

Once you’ve used a control stick or mouse to aim in one shooter you can do it in all of them- shooters embody the idea of ‘easy to learn, hard to master’.

The emulation of violence and war in pursuits of leisure is a characteristic of our society millennia old. The pursuits of hunting, tournament fighting or even battling with wooden swords taught skills valuable to those living within a medieval society where violence was endemic, whilst pastimes like airsoft, paintball, laser-tag or Nerf do not provide any skills for modern combat. In the same way that violence has influenced active pursuits, it has been a major influence on art, poetry and literature, and so arguably then the video game as an interactive medium allows both artistic expression to be combined with the feel of an active pursuit. War as a game has a way of appealing to those who find the

Shooting is perhaps the easiest form of violence to pick up in video games. There are no combos to learn or parry timings to perfect. Not to say all shooters are the same. You might not have the easiest time jumping from Splatoon to Counter Strike, but aside from the million ways you can finesse the details of your shooter, the

Perhaps the reason shooters are so popular is people love shooting each other. From toddlers to adults, people love the fantasy of shooting each other. Whether it’s kids fighting their way through dense jungles of their back garden, hosing down their friends with imaginary bullets from imaginary guns, to a group of co-workers mercilessly gunning each other down on the paintball field, the fantasy of violence is prevalent across many age groups.

Image Credit: E Amos, Wiki Common real concept of it abhorrent. For instance, H.G.Wells, a famously outspoken pacifist, developed the rules for a war game to be played with toy soldiers.

But why guns specifically? What I have said applies to any violent video game.

Arguably guns are so popular because they are the most up to date method for causing misery that we have. Had the Wars of the Roses actually been a late medieval eSports tournament, the most prolific videogame weapon of the age would have been the sword; the most cutting edge of weapons technology back then. Guns in video games allow people to achieve that cinematic power fantasy with instant satisfaction.

Click the mouse, a beautifully rendered gun recoils on screen, bright red pixels bloom

from the face of your foe and points fly up on the screen. Rinse, repeat. Call of Duty perhaps best embodies this power fantasy, placing you as the hero , facing down this year’s foreigners of choice as they dare to get in the way of ‘freedom’.

‘Shooters’ are incredibly varied, from the pedantic “realism’’ and detail of ARMA to the incredibly competitive Counter Strike with its high skill bar for entry, but it’s the mainstream triple-A ‘Shooters’ designed to give the player a giddy power trip that are the most successful in sales. Like fast food these games satiate a craving, each kill, each unlock, each explosion providing momentary fulfilment, before giving way to hunger for more hollow satisfaction.

An Apple A Day...

Tom Bedford

The Moral and Ethical Obligations Of Our Corporations Gets Questioned

On 2nd December last year a medical centre in San Bernardino, California, was the location of a terrorist attack which left 14 people killed and 22 injured. It was another American tragedy, and the various powers leapt to work to understand why it happened and how it could be prevented.

And then on February 9th the FBI announced that they couldn’t access one of the culprit’s phones, an iPhone 5C, which could potentially include important information relating to the case. In an attempt to unlock the device, they asked Apple to create a backdoor into the iPhone that they could use to access the phone without the password they needed to unlock it.

Apple declined, forcing the FBI to submit a court appeal in order to mandate them to create this backup. The conflicting moral and ethical obligations of the FBI and Apple make this one of the most important court

cases relating to technology in recent times, with possible consequences affecting the technology we use and purchase now and in the future.

Apple has stated multiple times that it is against their policies to create a backdoor to their own devices, even if it would only be used on one device. They aim to respect their customers’ privacy as much as possible, and creating an operating system to bypass security would obviously nullify any privacy their customers had.

In a rare case of a company respecting their faithful followers, Apple is opposing on ethical grounds to hacking their own devices. This is, of course, a good deed on behalf of the company.

However there is also the moral side to the story. At least 36 people have been immediately affected by the attack, and many more were present or are related to

the victims. By refusing FBI access to the phone, a phone that they could very easily access themselves, they are perhaps denying those affected the justice they deserve that an FBI investigation could allow.

There is no certainty that the phone could contain any useful data whatsoever, especially since the device is only the work phone of one of the accused and not their personal mobile device, but the thought that it could should give Apple the moral reasoning to create the backdoor to the phone.

The FBI are not the bad guys in this dilemma - they are just trying to pursue justice for those who need it, and hopefully prevent similar events happening again.

But Apple are in a difficult situation, as the obligations they have to their customers and the obligations they have to the country they are based in, are opposing actions.

This raises the question- what should Apple do? Should they disrespect the customers who made them who they are now- and may stop their custom if hurt- or should they resist the course of justice in America, a country where justice is one of the founding principles?

Currently, Apple are siding with their customers, although a tirade of court appeals compelling them to act may mean this changes soon. Various courts have ruled to protect them or control them, but one thing is for certain - whatever course of action the company takes will change the way people view their image and products for the conceivable future.

Fun FactBoth Microsoft and Google have defended Apple's position

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Film Tom Hall Bone Tomahawk opens with the sound of a man’s throat being cut, with hisses, pops, and crunches as each vein, tendon, and ligament is sliced clean through. The grisly act would appear to foreshadow a film full of violence and bloodshed, yet Bone Tomahawk largely sidesteps the B-movie path, and instead presents a measured Western road movie about determination and comradery (Well, as measured as a film that follows a man being visibly scalped can be).

Following The Hateful Eight, Kurt Russell doubles down on his moustachioed period roles, here playing a small-town sheriff who must assemble a rescue team after three inhabitants of the town are kidnapped by a group of Native American cannibals. Along

Rick Ansell Crooked cops and the Russian mafia join forces to pull off several bank heists in this entertaining action thriller. The sadly never truly comes together due to an underwhelming main story.

The movie features strong performances from Casey Affleck as the straight cop, ex black ops Chiwetel Ejiofor, the quirky Woody Harrelson as an unhinged, intoxicated Sergeant Detective, and Anthony Mackie as the crooked police officer, Kate Winslet has fun in an unselfconscious role as Russian crime boss Irina Vlaslov. Unfortunately, talented stars like Norman Reedus, Aaron Pail, and Gal Gabot as Irina’s sister Elena, feel underused, as their characters are not provided enough time to truly develop.

This issue is intertwined with the narrative, as there are simply too many characters for a movie under the two-hour mark.

This results in far too many stories to tell, creating lacklustre attempts to surface level

Bone Tomahawk for the ride are Patrick Wilson’s crippled cowboy, husband of one of the captives, Matthew Fox’s dandyish gunslinger, and Richard Jenkins’ elderly ‘back-up deputy’.

The bulk of the film follows these four characters’ pursuit of the cannibals and, much like the Coen brothers’ remake of True Grit, ultimately becomes more about the journey itself and the men who are undertaking it than the quest that lies ahead.

The performances are a uniform display of gritted teeth and knotted eyebrows, with each actor seemingly trying to outdo the others in a display of steely resolve. Russell is far subtler here than his showy portrayal in Tarantino’s latest, his ease at playing the authority figure readily apparent. Fox also does well portraying the

sort of character that could so easily become a caricature in lesser hands, imbuing the role with a certain stillness, and hinting at a backstory that is unfortunately only partially revealed.

As the film enters the final act, it crosses into horror movie territory, featuring a couple of truly shocking moments of gory dismemberment, before an ending that arguably wraps things up rather too neatly, and which required a good deal of ignorance of logic. Neither particularly revisionist nor nostalgic, it seems unlikely that Bone Tomahawk will have as much of a legacy as some other recent Westerns, yet for fans of the genre or indeed any of the main actors, it’s worth checking out. Just be prepared to avert your eyes during the scalping.

Yes

+ Layered

Performances

+Shocking Gore

- Pacing Issues

A Western road movie with horror elements, that doesn't boast a lot in the way of action, but features good performances and at least one truly memorable death scene

Triple 9 explorations into the lives of these imperfect characters. Michael’s (Ejiofor) backstory and motivations for taking on a life of crime are highly compelling, but the viewer is provided with only brief glimpses of why he is fighting so hard, instead of allowing the dramatic side plot to truly breath. As a result, comparisons can be made with Antoine Fuqua’s crime films, such as Training Day (2001) and Brooklyn’s Finest (2009), which deal with similar subject matter and themes, with multiple characters eventually converging in one another’s fates. The difference is these films do so in a far tighter, concise, and effective manner than Triple 9.

The plot is also confusing as there is too much going on whilst the film charges on like a freight train. However, there are some truly standout scenes of quiet contemplation that provide relief from the chaos, such as when Michael and Irina discuses one last heist to end his dire situation. The tension between the two is palpable, and Irina

quietly dominates the scene with simple gestures and expressions of power. Michael sits helplessly, conveying so well how he has become a broken man under Irina’s heel.

The film’s action scenes and violence are depicted in thrilling style, with a memorable and stunning post-heist scene on the freeway, with the Atlanta skyline featuring as the backdrop to the carnage.

The most enthralling scene comes during a claustrophobic and tense raid on a housing project, with Affleck’s character leading the assault.

The movie is brilliantly shot with smooth and swift camera movements, creating a unique and engaging atmosphere, drawing the viewer into Triple 9’s world of corruption and malice. Triple 9 is a picture that bravely comes along and does something different and succeeds in many aspects. It’s just a shame that the main plot isn’t stronger. However, it remains a solid and recommendable movie.

+ Great

Yes

Performances

+Thrilling action

- Weak

narrative If you're looking for an action movie with substance and excellent performaces, then Triple 9 will definitely satisfy.

Top: Illustration by Emily Mildren, Image Credit: Open Road Films

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Film Gabriela Garcia-Huff Every few years the world of romantic comedies needs a fresh and updated perspective on the status of today’s dating culture. Nevertheless, the structure and themes of each film is relatively unchanged: in this particular case, we revisit what it’s like to be a single woman living in New York City. This 2016 model, however, does its best to provide a range of charismatic and generally relatable characters.

Headed by Fifty Shades alumnus Dakota Johnson, and the resident funny girl, Rebel Wilson, How to be Single stands out amongst its fellow and numerous rom-coms because of its cast of highly energetic comedians and rising stars. Likeable characters aside, the film follows Alice (Johnson) on her journey of self-discovery after breaking up with her

long-time university boyfriend. Her best friend Robin (Wilson) steps in to show her the ins and outs of the single life, one hangover and shameless hook-up at a time.

It’s very cliché, but that’s the point. Wilson drives the comedy portions, while Johnson provides the relatable insight and quirks of the film. Alice’s older sister Meg, played

by Leslie Mann, steps in as the reasonable, yet uptight figure of the bunch, in her own struggle with single life and motherhood.

Beyond this, you’ve got your classic ladies man, the desperate female just trying to meet ‘the one’, and a single dad trying to raise his daughter; all the bases are essentially covered. In the end, Alice doesn’t get the guy, though of course there are numerous attempts. She does however,

realise that being single and alone aren’t at all what she expected, and is determined to experience life and all of the things she was too afraid to do on her own.

The film falls victim to the classic conventions of the genre, but isn’t that the point of a romantic comedy these days? You don’t have to think too hard; just sit back and enjoy it for its simplicity and charm.

Though admittedly not always the most realistic, it provides a familiar and relatable outlook on relationships, all while making you laugh hysterically, and in this case, if you are in a similar position to any of the characters, leaves you with all those cheesy, warm feelings of hope that are so characteristic of a good rom-com.

Yes

+Relatable

Characters

+Comforting -Unoriginal

A run of the mill rom-com whose redeemable cast and comedic one-liners make it a decently enjoyable film.

Grimsby

Louis Pigeon-Owen Guns, semi-naked women, explosions, a ludicrous storyline … sounds like a Bond film, right? Wrong! Introducing Nobby: alcoholic, gun obsessed, Y-front clad, chainsmoking family man.

Sacha Baron Cohen’s new film Grimsby is ballsy both in the metaphorical and literal sense of the word. Having worked with directors Tim Burton and Martin Scorsese over the years, Baron Cohen has learned a trick or two about film-making since he first appeared on screen for The 11 O’clock News back I the 90s, and this is definitely his slickest and most polished movie to date. It is, however, missing something. At times more substance over style, Grimsby occasionally lacks the satirical bite associated with the Baron Cohen name. That said, it is undeniably genius for the way it subverts

+Funny

Yes

How to be Single

+ Baron Cohen

+Northern

James Bond meets The Inbetweeners in this orgy of stereotypes, gun fights, and satire which will leave you hysterical, breathless, and nauseous.

the tropes of action films like Bond, Bourne, and Mission Impossible, remaining totally unpredictable all the way up to the postcredits scenes.

When you’ve tackled the issues of racism, homophobia, terrorism, and immigration, what taboo could possibly be left to Hollywood’s most controversial star?

Answer: the north of England. When you’re responsible for such memorable characters as Ali G, Borat, and General Aladeen, you must be used to heads turning, jaws dropping, and lawsuits rolling in, but this film is different. Funny as the jokes are, in places Grimsby slips from cutting-edge parody to straight out classism. Although large swathes of the cast are northern, and much research was done into the live lives of the unemployed during production, the blockbuster nevertheless fell for every northern stereotype known to humanity, even making up a few of its own along the way.

Its saving grace, aside from Baron Cohen’s majestic sideburns, is that it is as critical of the upper-class elite as it is of families on benefits. As the films progresses, its message improves, leaving the audience with the idea that family and community trump social status.

Ultimately, this is a funny film, as provocative as it is entertaining, which at times has you crying tears of laughter, and at others watching through the cracks between your fingers. Sacha Baron Cohen’s gift, aside from his excellent wardrobe and arsenal of accents, is the infinite ability to

provoke and stimulate debate, and this film is no exception. Many elements of Grimsby are brilliant, some leave things to be desired, others don’t leave enough, but one thing’s certain; this is a film that will have people talking for a long time.

Credit: Open Road Films

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Film The Finest Hours Is Hollywood exploiting suicide for a cheap spectacle?

Rick Ansell Hot off the gargantuan success of Star Wars: The Force Awakens comes Disney’s latest release, period disaster movie The Finest Hours.

The movie is based on the true story of the United States Coast Guard rescue of the ship SS Pendleton after it split apart during a violent storm in 1952. It stars Chris Pine, Casey Affleck, and Holliday Granger. Two seafaring men, underestimated by their colleagues, must prove themselves in this drama that harkens back to classic Hollywood cinema. However, the movie is not as grand or spectacular as it intends to be, but is instead rather dull.

Pine is Coast Guard crewman Bernie Webber, a role that is a far cry from the all-American charm and cockiness of Captain Kirk. Instead, here he portrays Webber as a shy, modest man who has a tendency to play by the book, despite being tasked with braving the stormy seas to rescue the crew of the sinking

SS Pendleton. Casey Affleck takes charge of the doomed ship as Ray Sybert, in a flat and uncharismatic performance, which is a stark contrast to his memorable role in Triple 9. He appears bored, despite being faced with such enormous catastrophe. English actor Holliday Granger is the weakest aspect of the movie, delivering lines awkwardly in a poor New England accent.

Performances are unmemorable all round, as the actors react in a disengaged manner to their dire circumstances, and the lack of tension and threat leaves little room for emotional investment in the fate of their characters. At one point, as a wave the size of a skyscraper rolls up into the sky before Webber and his crewmates, his face is completely neutral and unresponsive to the ominous sight of natural terror. The reality is that Pine is being told to look up at a green screen. Digital effects rarely

work effectively in realistic settings, and it’s a surprise Disney didn’t utilize their ownership of Industrial Light and Magic after such impressive work on Star Wars. Despite being a spectacle movie, there is a distractingly digital look to the film, where things look blurry and soft, which clashes with the old-fashioned sensibility and 50s visual style. The reliance on digital effects diminishes the sense of epic scale the movie is searching for. Everything feels small, which could potentially be effective if the drama packed far more of a punch and with less clichés.

This is a story that could have been told better, as the real events sound far more inspiring than what played out on screen. The romantic sub-plot involving Pine and Granger is unconvincing and forced. This film contains zero magic and very few dramatic thrills audiences come to expect from Disney

+Engaging in

No

parts

+Forgettable -Uninspiring

This is the kind of movie you forget, see in a store one day and recall a hazy memory of once watching it half asleep in a parallel universe, wondering if you were stoned

A Bigger Splash

What’s up with post-credits scenes?

Alice Tougher A Bigger Splash is the remake of 1969 film La Piscine, directed by Luca Guadagnino, and starring Tilda Swinton, Ralph Fiennes, Dakota Johnson and Matthias Schoenaerts.

The film follows Marianne Lane (Swinton), a world famous rock star, on holiday with her boyfriend, Paul (Schoenaerts) following vocal surgery. Their blissful haven, however, doesn’t last for long as Marianne’s ex-boyfriend, Harry (Fiennes) shows up with his newly discovered teenage daughter Penelope (Johnson).

The storyline of this film seems to have everything, love, sex, mystery, jealousy, humour, and some incredibly dark moments; it felt like Shakespeare had written it. The film has one of those unique qualities where the audience is laughing one second, and crying the next. The character of Harry in particular is demonstrative of the ever-changing mood that falls over this

group of people. Harry is played perfectly by Fiennes, in a way that we’ve never seen him act before. He is vibrant, full of life, hilarious at times, but with moments of real instability, jealousy and darkness. His performance is one of the strongest in the film, second only to Swinton. Although she barely speaks above a whisper throughout the film, if at all, Swinton brings a powerhouse performance as the famous rock star, who is arguably the most stable character in the film. Although these two actors in particular stood out, Johnson and Schoenaerts are not to be discounted, as they both have excellent performances, especially Johnson who will leave you feeling on edge for most of the film. Aesthetically, this film is stunning. Shot on the Italian island of Pantelleria in the height of summer, the scenery will have you craving a holiday when you leave the cinema. The beaches, the towns, the hills,

and the villa itself all contribute to the idea that these beautiful people, surrounded by beauty and crumbling under the heat, await the annual Scirocco wind that brings a storm full of sand across the island. The costume design certainly deserves a mention, as Dior’s Raf Simons was responsible for the incredible wardrobe that Swinton wears throughout the film. The designs are beautiful, and feel iconic already. Fiennes’ character’s appreciation for the Rolling Stones offers another iconic aspect to the film, with the soundtrack including hits such as Emotional Rescue.

Although the film is not what you might class as easy Sunday morning viewing and definitely not suitable for kids or the fainthearted, it’s well worth a watch, and will leave any audience nostalgic for the days of classic European cinema.

Yes

+Swinton

and Fienes

+Intracate Storyline

+Visually

Stunning A Beautiful portrayal of love, sex, mystery, jealousy, humour and incredibly dark moments, A Bigger Splash is a wonderful throwback to classic european cinema.

Image Credit: Fox Searchlight

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Film Respect for the Dead Is Hollywood exploiting suicide for a cheap spectacle?

Benjamin Pinsent Hollywood is no stranger to exploiting tragedy and real world events to create films. Nationwide or global, natural and man-caused catastrophes like 9/11, the Blitz, the Boxing Day tsunami etc. appear in blockbusters for the masses to view these horrendous occurrences from the safety of a movie theatre. The Forest, a 2016 horror film starring Natalie Dormer, is set around Aokigahara forest, a place known as one of the largest suicide sights in the world, a space full of tragedy. This is not a review, I will not be writing about the film’s quality or lack thereof in this case, what I will try to argue is whether this film is a moral one, or whether through exploiting a real life location filled with tragic connotations for so many families, it turns the film in to a grotesque spectacle.

First, for the uninitiated, an explanation of Aokigahara Forest is probably necessary.

Situated at the base of Mount Fuji in Japan, it is a place that has been associated with Japanese folklore long before it gained its reputation as the largest suicide location.

There are two major grievances I have with the film, the first one of course is the exploitation of real life tragedy for the sake of spectacle. This film reminds me of the 2012 Chernobyl Diaries about a group of tourists who end up trapped in the titular ruined town, hunted by mutated victims of the nuclear meltdown. There is an air of morbid curiosity in both films that I personally find distasteful. Both seem to be taking you on a guided tour like a 10 year old boy who is far too into bugs going “look at that, cool!” When a film like The Forest centres on restless spirits, who are they referring

to? Real people with real families, who took their lives for a multitude of different reasons, and by reducing them to monstrous presences desecrates their memory. Though I think that the film is at its most ethically dubious when a major plot point is that Natalie Dormer’s group of explorers find a yellow tent that belonged to her sister. On YouTube there is a documentary of a man who goes into the forest to prevent people from committing suicide and to find those who have tried. One section sees this man coming across a tent. Try to guess what colour that tent is? Yellow.

The second point I would like to make is perhaps less obvious. I feel that The Forest, through the exploitation of a foreign space, seems to degrade it and make it unreal.

Aokigahara Forest in The Forest is not real; rather it is a fake forest some Hollywood

screen writer created to scare an uninformed audience with after he heard about this one place briefly on the internet. Similar things can be seen to happen in films like The Grudge were Hollywood reshapes a cultural mythology to suit a three act structure of your standard mainstream horror film.

The Forest is a bad film, both in terms of quality, but also in terms of morals. It turns a very personal and tragic place into a popcorn spectacle, relegating the memories of those who actually died there to angry spirits out to get one American woman. Similarly the film also exploits Japan as a whole as a place of exotic beauty and of danger, a place that is different to America. What would have been better is a documentary about people who go into the forest every day to save those who have lost their way, rather than a standard jump-scare filled failure.

Beyond the Credits What’s up with post-credits scenes?

Alex Morrison Sometimes it’s not enough for filmmakers to end the film at the end of the film; they feel the need to include one last morsel. That’s when the post-credit scene comes into play, rewarding the audiences for waiting right through to the end of the film.

The post-credit scene can take on multiple forms, whether it be providing a resolution to the plot of a certain character, giving one final joke for the audience or setting up a sequel.

Early on, the most prominent place that a post-credit scene could be found was in comedy movies. The Muppets Movie and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, for instance, had scenes with their characters informing the audience that the movie was in fact over; as such, this shows how post-credit scenes could allow for comedy with the character’s

awareness that they were in a movie.

Later, more serious films would start using them and whilst comedy still remained, more dramatic elements started to occur, including sequel hooks and plot twists; X-Men: The Last Stand featured a scene revealing that Professor X may not be dead after all and Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End resolved the romantic plot lines between Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann.

The Matrix Reloaded, meanwhile included a teaser trailer for The Matrix Revolutions at the end of the film, showing how post-credit scenes could be used to excite audiences for the next instalment.

Arguably the most important development for post-credit scenes came with the Marvel Cinematic Universe. This started at the end of Iron Man, where Tony Stark

is approached by Nick Fury concerning “the Avengers initiative”. This showed the beginning of the shared universe Marvel was creating, and subsequent films used similar post credit scenes to set up further developments, culminating with a teaser trailer for The Avengers at the end of Captain America: The First Avenger. This kept on going with The Avengers; plot threads for future movies would be set up through these credit scenes (such as the presence of the Infinity Gauntlets), whilst characters such as Thanos, Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch made their first appearance in these stingers. But humour still abounded in some post-credits scenes; Iron Man 3 revealed that Tony was telling the movie’s events to a beleaguered Bruce Banner and Guardians of the Galaxy featured a surprise cameo from Howard the Duck. As such,

this shows how Marvel have been able to use post-credit scenes to their advantage.

What was once a niche in films has now turned into something audiences fully expect in films, and surprise comes when one isn’t present; Star Wars: The Force Awakens proved to not have one much to the shock of many, and audiences booed at Avengers: Age of Ultron when a post-credit scene didn’t come up. What’s more, they’ve gone from something that’s generally light-hearted and silly into something much more major. As such, if you feel like a film could end up leading to more in the future, you might want to stick around through the credits; whether it be seeing Thanos declare Earth as his next target or catching the Avengers silently eating some shawarma following battle, you’ll be rewarded for your patience.

Image Credit Top: Wikimedia Commons. Image Credit Bottom: wikimedia-user-Sailko

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