Fuse Issue 83

Fuse.

Copyrights, Copy Wrongs Political videogames Is the protest song dead?

Best political TV shows

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Wednesday May 13 2015

Short Fuse.

Comments and rants on entertainment news.

All quiet on the Silent Hills front

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isappointing the collective gaming community at the International Film Festival late last week, Guillermo del Toro said “it’s not gonna happen and that breaks my greasy heart”. He was referring to his pet project, one of the most eagerly anticipated titles of the new generation of consoles: Silent Hills.

This wasn’t just any old Silent Hill.

This iteration had Hideo Kojima and Guillermo del Toro at the helm, two of the most subversive and eccentric personalities in gaming and film respectively.

Del Toro is perhaps best known for his cult classic Pan’s Labyrinth, a gothic fairy tale with more than a few moments that will live on in my nightmares. Kojima’s Metal Gear Solid series is somewhat stranger: a bizarre mixture of stealth gameplay, philosophically dense cutscenes and adolescent humour that is obtuse and frustrating, but rarely boring.

What was more is that Norman Reedus, known for his portrayal as Darrell Dixon in AMC’s The Walking Dead, would be lending his acting talents to Silent Hills’ unnamed main character. This was truly a match made in heaven for Silent Hill fans, eager to see some life brought back into the ailing franchise.

Silent Hills was publisher Konami’s attempt to turn the franchise into a big time player again, and with del Toro and Kojima at the helm, this was going to be a highly publicised event.

So, why was it cancelled? Konami have remained tight lipped around the details of its cancellation, with del Toro, Reedus and Konami only admitting that it’s ‘not going to happen’. While I can only hypothesise, the writing has been on the wall for some time now at Konami, who appear to have some fairly massive difficulties of their own.

First is their breakup with their

long-time partner, Hideo Kojima, who appears to be leaving the studio on bad terms. It is rumoured that he will not be credited for his work on his new game: Metal Gear Solid 5. Then there’s their lack of publicity for any other new games coming out, aside for Metal Gear Solid. Finally, P.T. has been abruptly removed from the PlayStation Store with only a weeks warning. PS4s with the game installed are now selling on eBay for up to £1000.

Konami’s subsequent silence implies some trying times for the long established company. And that breaks our greasy hearts.

Ewan Turner

Of course we know the heroes always win - that’s why we go and watch the movies

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arvel Studios has announced their upcoming film Captain America: Civil War is going to be starring basically everybody.

Chris Evans is of course going to be returning as the protagonist, and he is due to be joined by Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man, Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow, and Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye.

It’s one of the most ambitious movies in the series to date, reassuring fans that the Marvel brand is still going strong. At the same time, there’s a downside to this reassurance: we know now, even before watching Avengers: Age Of Ultron, that those heroes cannot die.

It’s not great that Marvel is lessening the tension of Ultron’s epic battles, since we already know our heroes will win. But, more than that, they seem to be breaking the most sacred of the rules between fans and producer in

In Case You Missed It A quick look at some of the entertainment stories from the past fortnight which were too interesting, funny or downright bizarre to overlook.

fiction: the one of not spoiling the endings for us. Marvel’s perpetual marketing campaign is backfiring on them, lowering our expectations for upcoming movies.

Still, give us some credit. Would we really fear for the lives of the Avengers if we didn’t know that

“The comfort of predictability is the reason we still watch Marvel movies”

of common sense. The comfort we find in the predictability of their survival is, in fact, the very reason why we still want to watch Marvel blockbusters.

Marvel’s Cinematic Universe, as much as the universe of the comics, is reinforced by the recurrence of familiar characters and old faces confronting new adventures.

Hundreds of comics starring the same, beloved heroes are out there to prove a simple rule: quality and innovation in the narrative, rather than trivial plot twists like shock deaths, are what matters the most.

Mariaclaudia Carella

they are bound by contract to appear in 12 more films? Or would we know, deep down, that they’d be OK either way?

Assuming Captain America and Iron Man are immortal is not a marketing move, but more a matter Blockbuster films are getting bigger and bigger all the time, but it’s rare that you see a film with the urge to go smaller. But that’s exactly what Marvel have done with their upcoming movie AntMan, as the studio has installed tiny billboards across various cities in Australia (here’s a picture of one next to a regular-sized coffee cup). We’re hoping this will be followed by an ant-sized drive-in movie theatre.

A video of a fox eating a bacon sandwich went viral last night. The animal was found living near the abandoned city of Chernobyl by a team of journalists, who threw it scraps of bread and bacon to eat. The fox took them all, but not before carefully stacking them into an easy-to-carry sandwich and proving once and for all that foxes are the students of the animal kingdom - nocturnal, feral and obsessed with bacon.

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Wednesday May 13 2015

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eet the new boss - same as the old boss. Last month we took to playing politician and, unlike Nick Clegg, we actually managed to get re-elected to the Fuse editorial team (or maybe Clegg did get re-elected - we’re writing this on Tuesday afternoon. Either way - woo, democracy!).

You’re stuck with me (Phil) for another year, and this time I’ll be joined by the amazing former Arts editor Joss Woodend - who, as I write this, is trying to suck spilled soy sauce out of her dress. If that

doesn’t fill you with confidence, nothing will.

The election may have come and gone by the time you read this, but that doesn’t mean we immediately stop giving a shit about it. Students are more politically active than ever - especially here in Sheffield. And we’ve got four politically charged features for you to sink your teeth into. Not bad considering we’ve got two editors sunning themselves in Madrid right now.

Your shiny new Arts editors, Joshua Hackett and Jo Gallacher, have taken on one of the Greens’

more interesting policies: trying to reduce copyrights to only 14 years.

Screen editors Ashleigh Howard and Rhys Handley wax lyrical about some of their favourite political TV shows, while Games noobs Ash Emeritte and Moya O’Rourke prove that videogame politics can be about more than shouting at people on Call of Duty.

Finally, solo Music editor Tara Hodgson - with a little help from Joss - looks at politics within music, and how the protest song is very much still alive (she promises it isn’t just about her love for Enter

Shikari).

Not only this but we have some fantastic reviews to keep you ticking over, like Avengers: Age of Ultron, SUPAS’s production of Footloose, Blur’s new album The Magic Whip, and a look at a cult videogame where you play as a sentient piece of bread. No, we didn’t make that up.

And if all that doesn’t satisfy you, then you only have to wait a year to vote new people in!

Phil Bayles & Joss Woodend

Editorial.

Thanks to new Arts editor Joshua Hackett for this glorious twilight photo.

Thou shalt drink nothing but milk in Tennessee

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he state of Tennessee has made a peculiar decision to endorse the Bible as its official “state book”. This directly undermines the secular impartiality of the state laid out in the first amendment of the US Constitution. Neighbouring states Mississippi and Alabama have tried to push through similar agendas, but they’ve all been abandoned.

This measure, sponsored by Jerry Sexton, a former pastor and Republican representative, was passed 55-38 by the Tennessee state representatives. It is however, still yet to pass through the Senate and then be approved by the governor of Tennessee, Bill Haslam, who has been quite vocal in his disapproval of this idea.

This aim, although seemingly incredibly unlikely to come into fruition, would have the Bible join other state symbols such as milk as the state beverage and the ‘square dance’ as the state dance.

One must question the motives behind politicians spending time and money to push through an inevitably doomed agenda. Activists claim that just because the Bible would be their state book, doesn’t mean that you’d have to read it.

The symbolism alone in this act speaks volumes, as an unapologetically vocal attempt is made to reaffirm their Christianity at a time when world conflict is defined by religious extremism.

The fact of the matter is that Tennessee has a recent history of denying religious pluralism. This is evident in the recent struggle that Muslims encountered in establishing the “Islamic Center of Murfreesboro”. This mosque was subject to vandalism, islamophobia, punitive local legislation and a general resistance that we wouldn’t dream of seeing in the UK. Recent cases such as these remind us that this decision is not the simply result of innocent Christian

politicians paying homage to the influence that the Bible had on their lives.

“The symbolism of the act speaks volumes”

This is a statement of religious identity: ‘we are a Christian state it’s the Bible, not the Qur’an or the Torah, that’s our state book’. One cannot help but feel that this will only exacerbate the already prevalent religious animosities within American society.

William Morely

Be careful at Glasto, darling - those wellies are so last season...

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s it possible for festivals to be a fashion show when by day three most of us haven’t showered and we are grovelling in our own dirt?

The answer apparently is yes for certain people and celebrities setting trends at festivals such as Coachella, managing to look immaculate for the whole festival.

You’ve only got to look at the likes of Kendall and Kylie Jenner, Vanessa Hudgens and Robert Pattinson see evidence that this is in fact becoming a fashion show. But

is this true for ordinary people? I for one struggle to get up after the first night, let alone care what I am wearing or what I look like.

However, walking around the festival in an alcohol-infused haze I have been aware of people somehow managing to preserve their cleanliness and fashion forte, leaving me questioning where my life has gone so wrong.

Although it’s a fashion show for many, for others it’s merely an excuse to have a great time and

In an effort to tackle the growing issue of potholes in the town of Ramsbottom in Greater Manchester, a street artist calling himself Wanksy has covered the streets in penises; forcing the council to cover them up by filling in the holes (no pun intended).

Honestly, this story would only be funnier if it had happened in Penistone. We swear it’s a real place - it’s about 20 miles outside of Sheffield.

see some of their favourite bands.

At Tomorrowland people are probably too busy enjoying themselves to even realise who or what they are seeing on the Saturday night let alone what they look like. You’ve only got to watch one episode of Festivals, Sex and Suspicious Parents to see the extent of people not caring what fashion statements they are making, crouching by a tree for a wee in the middle of a field.

As for Glastonbury, the line-

up isn’t even really a crucial part for many as tickets sell out every year within minutes without the acts having even been announced. So has attending Glastonbury simply become a fashion statement in itself?

Some may go simply to make a fashion statement, particularly girls, to sashay about in their tassels and floral headbands whereas others may simply go to enjoy the music and the environment.

In this day and age, though, most

Nearly a million people bought the new Apple Watch in two weeks - which is more than Android managed to shift in a whole year but those with tattoos on their arms might want to wait a while. Many customers have complained that the Watch doesn’t work if placed over a tattoo, since its sensors can’t properly read their heartbeat.

We reckon forking out that much for a watch would give anyone a heart attack.

people want to feel good about themselves and look good, so to some extent everyone will make some effort with their appearance but maybe not to the extent of making it a fashion show.

Ultimately, £250 for a weekend ticket at a festival is a lot of money to spend on a line up you’re not bothered by and simply seeing it as a fashion show (but not half as expensive as buying all those fashionable clothes to strut about in).

Emma Thorpe

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Wednesday May 13 2015 cry, think, and fill us with rage. They are the cement which holds together a society. But they are not vital for life in the same way medicines are.

They are created by individuals with dreams and ambitions which we may not share or admire but from which, through the works they produce, we all benefit.

Moreover, a medicine is the same medicine no matter who produces it or why. The Polio vaccine could be given over to the public good because it would always be the same and work the same. Art is different. Some artists - whether we like it or not - produce for personal gain. They own copyright because their work is theirs and theirs alone.

This may not be material and their desire may be more to see their name up in lights, but the effect is the same.

Those with ambition and drive

learning and practicing their craft.

That world gave us Lord Byron, Oscar Wilde and Rembrandt, undeniably brilliant, but shut out and snuffed out the potential of millions.

The modern world, of ambition and success being necessary for survival in the arts, has given us JK Rowling, Andy Warhol and the Beatles.

“This policy raises a vital question for the art world, and society at large”

going while the skilled, talented, ambitious and, yes, egotistical pour their abilities into other work and essential industry. In the other, it will be an industry unto itself, populated and powered by sharp minds and fierce intellects using their creativity both to produce a good life for themselves, but also to inspire, educate and create a more vibrant world. To whom copyright belongs - in short, whether art is personal or pooled, creative-owned or collective, a way to make a livelihood or a societal decoration, is an issue which may define the direction our cultural industries develop.

Robin Wilde

In one future, art will be a public sideshow, produced to keep society

JAMES TURNER Author

“Art is a very personal thing - an artist’s rights should remain with then for as long as they like. Those rights are a privilege that the artist has earned”

HELEN HIORNS Author

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recent open letter by author Sarah McIntyre brought into the public eye the Green party’s policy to reduce copyright time limit significantly. At present, creative works are protected by copyright for the creator’s lifetime plus 70 years - the policy would see that time limit slashed to just 14 years after a work’s creation. For illustration, this would mean the first three Harry Potter books would already be in the public domain, with the fourth on the way in two months’ time.

The merits or otherwise of the policy aside - for risk of Fuse falling under the inquisitive microscope of the Electoral Commission - the row opens up an interesting debate over the role of the arts as an industry. It gets to the key issue of to what extent they straddle the line between competitive business and essential public service.

The Green party policy would see more public funding of artists via the Arts Council, in a kind of trade-off for losing copyright after such a small period of time. There is subtext to this move. It exposes a belief that art is not the property of the creator, but of all those who experience it. While creators would be adequately rewarded, their work would not really be their own.

“I deserve to have the rights and control over my debut novel beyond the age of 33” When the polio vaccine was discovered, its creator Jonas Salk famously gave up the patent for the public good, reasoning that the elimination of polio was worth far more than any personal enrichment.

Indeed, one of his most famous quotes went:

“The reward for work well done is the opportunity to do more” This public spirited attitude is to be roundly applauded within the sciences. The curing of diseases is admirable at the best of times, and to do so for little personal gain is exceptionally selfless. However, the argument is far less clear cut when it comes to the arts and to whom the copyright ought rightfully belong to.

After all, art and public performance are vital elements of culture and socialisation. They teach us, enrich our lives, make us laugh,

might turn to other pursuits outside the creative industries. This would no doubt be highly useful, as skilled and driven individuals are of great use in almost all areas, but would remove from the pool of artists and creators those more abstract and unique voices and faces who are, rightly or wrongly, driven by personal gain.

In exchange, the view of art as a public good would draw in artists from outside the type of people we traditionally think of as artists.

They would be people for whom the pursuit of common benefit would be the primary goal, rather than the creation of works from which they can profit and ultimately live. They would be people who could afford the meagre sums the Arts Council would have to offer - independently wealthy, or else willing to live very hard lives while keeping alive a creative flame.

In the past, arts was only an occupation for those who could afford to devote their lives to

JAMIE BLAKEMAN Designer

“If you pour your effort into something, you should be able to see it out for your lifetime at least; 14 years is too little”

Wednesday May 13 2015

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Part-ly Political Broadcast In light of the General Election, contributors chat politics and television...

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THE THICK OF IT (2005 - 2012)

ith a central cast of one minister and two staffers, The Thick of It starts out as a spiritual successor to Yes Minister. Over the course of several series, it expands its cast and remit significantly, becoming a universal parody of the inner workings of the British government, paying particular attention to the phenomenon of spin.

The show is most notable for two things; “all-swearing eye” Malcolm Tucker (the newly doctoral Peter Capaldi), and creator Armando Ia-

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special-hour long episode, which took the form of vignettes from the “Goolding Enquiry”, fashioned after the Leveson, Hutton and any number of other enquiries fresh in the public mind.

While the character of Malcolm Tucker may now be in the past, Armando Ianucci’s wit and biting sarcasm lives on in another of his critically acclaimed series; Veep, which lampoons the American vice president.

Joshua Hackett

SPACED (1999 - 2001)

dgar Wright’s quintessential 21st-century sitcom, full of as much pop-culture spunk and creative visuals as its characters are lovable quirks, may not seem very relevant to British politics. And that’s because it isn’t.

Spaced captured the soul of the post-millennial generation better than perhaps any other show; the way we do fun, work, people – and how we engage with wider issues and events (i.e. we kind of just don’t).

We follow two twentysomethings

(Jessica Hynes and Simon Pegg) struggling to find adulthood fulfilling. Place this premise in any postwar decade before the noughties, and it would entail involvement (to some degree) in movements for improved rights, better conditions, or social justice. However, their generation is different: basic liberties are given, needs met. The major challenge for those born after 1980 has been balancing being employed and entertained. There’s simply no more oppressive urgency to the lives of normal English post-

political people – and this is the root of apathy.

It’s not a show that tries to make any points about the ways of things, and in that regard it perfectly encapsulates the core of adult life in modern Britain. Our struggle for happiness is no longer something that requires any involvement in the political sphere; we’re fine as long as we’ve got our friends, our flat, our media, our drugs.

Isaac Stovell

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A VERY BRITISH COUP (1988)

hen firebrand politician Harry Perkins, a former steelworker from Sheffield, takes office, he finds the forces of the establishment and the crown arrayed against him. Perkins struggles to govern in the face of worker strikes, a crisis over nuclear disarmament and dissent from within his own cabinet.

Culminating in a cliffhanger at once as exciting as it is chilling, A Very British Coup may hark from 25 years ago but is as relevant now, as

BLACK MIRROR - THE WALDO MOMENT (2013)

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nucci’s insistence on improv. Some of the most hilarious lines are thought up on the spot.

Set in the fictional Department of Social Affairs and Citizenship, the non-specific setting is perfectly poised to enable the show to satirise whatever scandal the government finds itself involved in at the time of filming.

Over the course of its run, the show made a transatlantic leap with the feature-length In the Loop, which took inspiration from the lead-up to the Iraq War, and a

he 2015 General Election is the election of #Milifandom, Cassetteboy and Buzzfeed.

So cue the beard-stroking think pieces about how meaningful all this fluff and triviality really is.

Yay, nay, the great parade will roll on anyway. I’d say the piece that comes closest to the bone is ‘The Waldo Moment’. An episode of Charlie Brooker’s Black Mirror, it is a depressing examination of the power relations behind these reincarnations of Lord Sutch.

An animated bear called Waldo

runs for a local by-election, going viral with his ‘fuck politics’ stance.

Waldo is controlled by a failed comedian (Danel Rigby) who comes to realise the harmful effect Waldo will have on British politics.

It is a condemnation of protest votes and joke candidates, while at the same time recognising that they are by-products of the inhuman spin from more serious candidates. The show’s greatest strength is that it exposes how beneath his farts and dick jokes, Waldo serves the profit-driven interests of private

parties. That it does so with clarity and such pitch-black humour is damn near miraculous.

Perhaps not perfectly analogous to the examples I cited at the beginning, ‘The Waldo Moment’ should make us question all the memes, gifs and clickbait that assault us before we click Retweet.

Joe Brennnan

when it was made. This relevancy is portrayed through its depiction of the effect the press and established power structures can have on electoral politics.

Ray McAnally plays gruff, grim and determined with great enthusiasm as the embattled prime minister, supported by the most stellar cast British TV in the late 1980s could offer. Tim McInnerny, Geoffrey Beevers and Keith Allen all join in throwing themselves into their respective roles, and giving the impression that despite the rather un-

realistic setting, the stakes are very real.

Fans of politics should not be the only audience engaged by what is ultimately a very accessible thriller.

With bursts of romance, action, suspense, murder and trade unionists, A Very British Coup will, in the words of its protagonist, “have you by the short and curlies, comrade”.

Robin Wilde

Wednesday May 13 2015

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Press X To Run

There are two things Ash Emritte can tell you about the general election. One: someone, somewhere will be disappointed with the results, and two: give it five years and you will damn well end up disappointed. Don’t let the abundance of disappointment get to you. Rejoice! This feature will provide you with an alternative to real life politics: not-so-real life politics. If the election didn’t go the way you wanted it to, drown not your sorrows, not by raising your blood-alcohol level, but by heeding our advice and taking to gaming.

Conservative

David Cameron’s Chicken Chase

The title here is fairly self-explanatory and is also as fun as it sounds.

Link: http://games.usvsth3m.com/chicken-chase/

Labour

Labour Party Press Team Tweet Generator

Always dreamed of being on the Labour Party Press Team?

Fulfil that ambition. It was either this or the Ed Miliband Slash Fiction Generator.

Link: http://community.usvsth3m.com/generator/ labour-party-press-team-tweet-generator

UKIP OKUKIPD

Lonely? Looking for love? Hit okUKIPd now and choose from a selection of single UKIP hot studs.

Link: http://games.usvsth3m.com/okukipd/

Green

Send David Cameron a Message from the Greens

Twitter but with plants. Send a ‘green’ message to David Cameron. Beware of your budget.

Link: http://games.usvsth3m.com/send-david-cameron-amessage-from-the-greens/

Myself Me, me, me

Put yourself in the shoes of a politician. Try out the games on your right to see if you could do a better job running the country.

Wednesday May 13 2015

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The Government Democracy 3

“What’s a democracry?” he said. “Democracy is a game,” she said. Disagree with the policies of the party that won the General Election? No worries. Obtain Democracy 3. Face one of the most complex, but also one of the prettiest, interfaces you have ever seen. Did you think this was going to be easy? Think again.

After your first hour playing the game, you should have now done absolutely nothing at all in fear of breaking the entire country.

Everything affects something else, positively or negatively. You have a chance to implement change, if you’re brave enough. You have no more time for real life. This game will consume you, no doubt about it. It can only end one of two ways: with you losing, or with you dying. Welcome to politics, folks.

The Sims 3

Want to campaign but without the effort and stress? Too busy to run for office, but not too busy to procrastinate? No worries. Ask dear mother where she hid your copy of The Sims 3. You have to start somewhere.

But when you gain the ability to throw a campaign fundraiser... it just changes you. Work your way up the pay ladder from a humble polisher of podiums to the Leader of the Free World. It’s your time to shine, dear. Requirements: friends, charisma and patience.

Sim City 4 Still fairly disheartened by the results? No worries. I trust you have a copy of Sim City 4 located on your person. Whip it out and whack it in the disk drive and let the calming music whisk you away to a magical land where all power belongs to you. That is, all power besides the power to make curvy roads. Start in God Mode and craft a beautiful landscape for your soon-to-be thriving metropolis. As a mayor, set fair taxes, plan, build and grow.

Then pause for a moment, absorb the soothing essence as you smile down upon the peoples of your world. There is nothing but serenity. You are the perfect leader. But you realise something is missing and now you have a choice. Do you unleash the Giant Death Robot? Or the Giant Death Meteor? Rain down destruction upon every single last tile as you laugh maniacally. Feel the power. Now, laughing crazily, razing a city you slaved away building, massacring millions of fictional, fairly innocent Sims, you finally realise that you have utterly lost the plot.

As you can see, it could be worse; you could find yourself in a seat of power. So chin up and let’s reconvene in five years for another dosage of wild emotions, egos and possible disappointment.

Merry Election and a Happy New Government!

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Wednesday May 13 2015

KEEP CALM & PROTEST For this issue’s Music feature, Joss Woodend looks at the protest song and if it still has a place in society

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usic has always been a firm favourite when it comes to expressing political viewpoints. Over the years we’ve had Billy Bragg, Tracy Chapman and John Lennon, just to name a few. Many musicians have had an astounding impact on how we view and access politics.

But, with all that being said, are politics and music still as intertwined as it has been in the past?

Countless musicians have used the protest song as a way of challenging politics over the last few decades. Billy Bragg has used both his music and influence to protest about politics. Bob Dylan did the same, with songs like ‘The Times They Are ‘A Changin’’, confronting the uncertainty and unrest that often surrounds politics.

Tracy Chapman has used her music as a way of protesting.

‘Talkin’ ‘Bout a Revolution’, ‘Freedom Now’, and ‘The Rape of the World’

all challenge aspects of the political sphere. John Lennon, an original member of the Beatles, most famous song - ‘Imagine’ - is still played today, and is still as relevant as it was when it was first created.

The list doesn’t end there. In fact, when it comes to the past decades politically charged musicians - Sex Pistols, the Clash, Ramones, Dead Kennedys, Public Enemy, Tupac Shakur.

Politics has always been entrenched in music, with song after song speaking the minds of the public. The Punk genre saw the rise of bands like the Sex Pistols and attacks on both government and monarchy. Even R&B has seen its fair share of protest songs, with Public Enemy creating music to battle racism.

It is clear without a doubt that the protest song has had a place in our society. We have all lapped it up, enjoying any opportunity we

“It seems there is no stopping both Enter Shikari and political music”

Wednesday May 13 2015

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“You sold us short, you will not profit off our health - step the fuck back”

can to shout and scream about the political topics that impact on our lives. Music has become a means for the public to vent their frustration at the political system.

Providing an outlet for anger is something that music still provides and, hopefully, will continue to provide. Frank Turner’s ‘Thatcher Fucked the Kids’ challenged Margaret Thatcher’s time in office.

Rise Against’s ‘Broken English’ fought against the collapse in society.

Last, but not least, Rage Against the Machine’s ‘Killing in the Name Of’ not only spoke of the battles of war, but also showed the pure anger of society when it reached Christmas number one in 2009.

There is an extensive list of modern day musicians who use the protest song. But Hertfordshire band Enter Shikari are the perfect example of the good old political song in current times. Speaking to Kerrang! earlier this year, lead singer Rou Reynolds said that he hoped the band’s lyrics gave people the courage ‘to keep standing up for what they believe in’. From Take to the Skies (2007) to the recent The Mindsweep (2015), Shikari’s lyrics have always been inherently political. That is, after all, what makes them as admired as they are.

Cut Shikari open, and they’ll bleed politics. In the album Common Dreads (2009), ‘Havoc B’ shouts of our “grassroots resistance” and ‘Juggernauts’ screams of our “home of disrepair”. A Flash Flood of Colour (2012) took things even further, seeing the band enter

“Music has always been a firm favourite when it comes to expressing political viewpoints” into even deeper political lyrics.

“That’s the sound of another door shutting in, in the face of progress” blasted out from ‘Arguing with Thermometers’, and ‘Ghandi Mate, Ghandi’ saw the rise on the iconic lyric “Yabba dabba do one son, we don’t want your rules”.

Yet, within The Mindsweep, Shikari seem to be at their most political, tackling issues from the NHS to class structure. ‘Anaesthetist’, addressing the despair of the NHS, features Reynolds belting out “you will not profit off our health, step the fuck back”. ‘Torn Apart’ rings out the words “defined by your skin, forget we share kin, we’re torn apart”.

‘There’s a Price on Your Head’ sees an attack on social class constructs with the lyrics “there’s a price on your head, unknown to you”.

The Mindsweep is Enter Shikari at their finest, bringing the political issues that affect us all into the forefront, and using their music to

express that: Shikari are the modern day Billy Bragg and Bob Dylan.

It seems there is no stopping both Enter Shikari and political music.

That is not to say that Enter Shikari are the most political musicians out there. Turn on Rage Against the Machine, Rise Against or Frank Turner and you’ll hear the same political lyrics. Political music is far from ‘dead’, in fact the opposite.

The protest song is still going strong.

With a political climate as tense as ours, it would not be surprising if more and more musicians began to use protest songs. Many bands have used their strengths to highlight the inequalities in society and, perhaps without them, we would not have the freedom that we do have.

Protest music is not just great to listen to, but life changing. Long may it continue.

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Wednesday May 13 2015

Fuse Games.

KERBAL SPACE PROGRAM Squad

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hen playing Kerbal Space Program, you are thrust into a managerial position with a great responsibility placed on your shoulders. Your aim is to propel the cartoon race of Kerbals into the starry night through your ingenuity and skilled command.

You are faced with three options: Sandbox, essentially for goofing around with unlimited supplies of everything; Science, which offers a quick game; and Career, the full experience of a Space Program from start to finish. The career begins with an overview of your very own complex, with various buildings offering different aspects of research. The game looks daunting; you’ll likely struggle with what exactly to do in the

SHIFTLINGS

Rockpocket Games

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f first impressions really were everything, then Rockpocket Games’ new platform puzzler Shiftlings would get an instant recommendation; it utilises a unique mechanic, with a vibrant art style and a quirky setting, and the puzzles are functional and engaging.

You play as two conjoined alien janitors, characters on the popular television show that gives the game its name. Through the tube that connects our simple heroes, the player is able to change the size of each character in order to progress to the next level, with the change in mass providing an opportunity for some excellent physics based challenges.

The controls are also well designed, with the simple nature of the game meaning that only a few buttons are needed when playing with an Xbox controller. However, the pre-set key bindings feel rather unusual on the keyboard, but these can be changed to suit your preference.

Indeed, any problems with Shiftlings has nothing to do with the premise or mechanics, but rather with the execution. After a strong start, the game burns itself out uncomfortably quickly. At the beginning, it is easy to lose

yourself in the levels, but having made an effort to find the three collectable objects in each level, you begin to realise after an hour or so that you are simply just trying to make it to the end.

The collectables do not seem to reward you with anything, and so any incentive to spend more time on the levels disappear. Although you might as well stay on the same level, as the following one does not feel much different, beyond the odd

“After a strong start it burns itself out uncomfortably quickly”

addition. Even the narration begins to exhaust itself.

The developers’ website was keen to emphasise the co-op feature, so I coerced my flatmate out of revision and we gave it a go. It was, sadly, quite disappointing to find that the multiplayer seemed to actually make the game more frustrating; with

each player controlling a different character it just becomes chaotic and a sense of fatigue starts to seep in after just two levels.

Some players may relish the extra challenge however, though it felt entirely unnecessary.

Whilst the game has lots of potential, Shiftlings isn’t the sort of game one can picture themselves playing for anything more than a way to kill a spare 10 minutes. If the same mechanics were used in an open world setting, with more investment in the characters, then the game may be more engaging in the long term.

As it stands, it is like staying with your grandparents for a week; whilst it may be nice to see them, once they start telling the same stories a million times over, and you realise they don’t have WiFi, your mind will transform into a powerhouse pumping out even the slightest of excuses to leave.

Matthew Mills

early stages, but it’s a sharp and rewarding learning curve once you begin to understand the mechanics.

One irritating (or enjoyable, depending on your viewpoint) aspect of the game is that a lot of time will be spent reading what each of your spaceship components do. Kerbal Space Program certainly can be a game that you can pick up and play for a few minutes, but you will likely find yourself experimenting for hours at a time, especially if you want to progress and achieve the ultimate goals.

The general graphics aren’t incredible, but this is to be expected; it’s a cartoon game, not Elder Scrolls V. The spacecrafts themselves, though, are finely detailed and there are plenty of options to keep you occupied and creative; or despairing, when your ship inexplicably decides to spiral into the sea.

Another notable thing about this game is that you’ll struggle to run out of things to do. There

are endless combinations of items for your spaceships (or probes or planes), with staff management and research and development also included in the career mode.

Plus, if you don’t want to take the time to unlock all of the items, you can play sandbox mode and let your imagination run wild.

The game is available on PC for £22.49, which is pricey even accounting for its recent release; it is an experimental indie game after all, and most similar games will be a fraction of the cost.

Despite this Kerbal Space Program is fun, challenging, frustrating in parts, and if you’re a budding astrophysicist, definitely for you..

Your aim is to propel the cartoon race of Kerbals into the starry night through your ingenuity and skilled command.

CULT CORNER

these mini-games are unlocked as you progress through the game.

It can therefore take a while to unlock all.

The controls are made more bearable with a controller. Still, the game is playable, doughn’t be put off if you don’t have access to one.

The keyboard controls definitely ‘kneaded’ time to get used to.

On max settings, the game looks unexpectedly good. It runs very smoothly, unsurprisingly, given the lack of anything in the game that is too taxing on hardware. The upbeat soundtrack was a pleasant surprise and a great addition to the game.

Up until the classic gaming rage takes over you, it is an incredibly amusing, sunny and fun game. It is not exactly the best thing since sliced bread but it created a few hours of entertainment. It is definitely worth a shot if you enjoy puzzle games with a twist.

I AM BREAD Bossa Studios 2015

A

fter spending a few months on Steam’s acclaimed ‘early access’ platform, I Am Bread was officially released on the 9th April and, dare I say, this game is more than a wee bit toasty. Aptly described as ‘an epic story of a slice of bread’s journey to become toast’, the game entails incredibly simple, yet ludicrously difficult, controls to move your slice of bread to anything you can use as a piece of bread’s equivalent to a tanning bed.

This ranges from the obvious toaster, to an iron and to a set of hair curlers.

Awkwardly traversing across varied terrain, you must avoid all manner of nasty things that would soil your edibility.

On the flip side, jamming up is a plus, making your crumby self more delicious. As the game progress, you face a new host of challenges such as wind effects and other nuisances.

The physics are fairly sound.

Everything can move, break or cause damage. Who would have thought that a simple trip to the heater could induce a series of unfortunate events? It is this that makes the game so entertaining.

Aside the main story mode, there are various side games to indulge in, ranging from soul searching for some cheese to racing a bagel through checkpoint. The only issue:

Joe Bonnett

Jez Etherton

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11

Wednesday May 13 2015

Fuse Arts.

FOOTLOOSE

University Drama Studio

T

he latest production from SUPAS, Footloose, is a fun, fab frolic which is likely to cause a city-wide outbreak of dancing and possibly a resurgence of cowboy boots and plaid shirts in the Sheffield area. Consider yourself warned.

From the moment the curtains went up to the moment they came down, the entire cast were bubbling with energy and showbiz spirit. This is what made the performance such a joy to watch; it felt like the whole cast were having a whale of a time and most importantly wanted to be there. You have to exercise a certain amount of restraint and not get up on stage and join in the dancing. Fortunately, this reviewer’s singing went unnoticed.

Obviously, a big part of Footloose is the dancing. The choreography of Phoebe Phillips and Madison Bean

was incredibly fast and exciting, with some really original routines which the whole cast performed with outstanding energy. The timing and co-ordination was incredibly professional. By the end, even poor Matt Giles’ Willard Hewitt could dance like the rest of them.

One song that had some really cool moves was ‘Somebody’s Eyes’ which had a great routine where the entire cast circled and stared out Tom Brindley‘s Ren McCormack.

“The entire cast were bubbling with energy and showbiz spirit” The central cast were very strong and were supported by a wonderfully enthusiastic ensemble.

The whole performance ran without

any glitches in lines or timings, which is impressive. In fact, the only wobble in the performance came from Brindley’s Ren, who rollerbladed off stage, but let’s face it; rollerblades are tough.

The chemistry between Ren and Ariel (Sophie Merrington) was very believable, but this reviewer’s favourite couple was Giles’ Willard and Rusty (Katie Coen) whose performance of the classic ‘Lets Hear it for the Boy’ was super.

Most amazing was the unbelievable amount of talent and fantastic voices on show. Of particular note is the beautiful voices of Faye Wilson as Vi Moore.

We can’t forget the talent of the orchestra either, who were incredible. A particularly memorable number is ‘Holding Out for a Hero’ which had nothing to do with the topless firemen (obviously).

Overall, an unforgettable experience.

Ashleigh Howard

Tom Williamson

BOOK CORNER THE CIRCLE Dave Eggers

T

echnology is becoming ever more omnipresent, omnipotent, and arguably, more ominous.

No longer merely a machine, it is is now an integral part of us.

Our faces are constantly lit up by the screens of the online world; we can no longer walk down the street without the ping of a new notification or email.

Prolific novelist Dave Eggers decided to set The Circle in an undefined futuristic era, yet the reader soon begins to realise the world Eggers has created, so obsessed and defined by technology, is not so far away from our own.

Ambitious college graduate Mae Holland has high hopes when she lands her dream job at The Circle,

a groundbreaking tech company set to revolutionise humanity with technology at its core.

With a one-password-fits-all foundation, the company aims to centralise everything citizens do by simultaneously feeding it through their own system.

The Circle demands transparency in everything. Nothing ought to be erased, everyone and everything shall be closely monitored solely for the safety and welfare of the citizens. Nope; no obvious plot twist here at all.

Eager to get ahead in the company, Mae enthusiastically volunteers to participate in ‘complete transparency’. This means sharing her experiences and knowledge via live camera feed with an ever-growing number of followers. The company believes that a person is not inherently good, but only becomes good when someone is watching.

Blinded by this mantra, Mae fails to acknowledge her lack of

privacy could be capable of any negative connotations; she is simply benefitting society by sharing her life experiences. The consequent events of ‘complete transparency’ make for an interesting, if not a little predictable, read.

The incongruous juxtaposition of how humans utilise and think about technology is continually relevant in the 21st century, and Eggers makes a substantial contribution to the debate. The inexorable digital age is deemed to be the answer to all of life’s problems.

We are told the benefits are endless: it will make us healthier, more organised, more connected and available. The Circle questions the validity of these claims, and ought to be on the ‘to read’ list of anyone who thinks they might like the idea of a private sphere, or in fact, would like a choice in the matter.

Jo Gallacher

O’Connor), Jug (Rebekah Phillips), Oss (Holly Wilson) and Arbee (Kieran Stern). The play of Amy Kinsman had a great impact on the audience, thanks to some moments of violence and a remarkable cast, although not always used to its full potential.

“Bizarre but with a deep philosophy at its core” FESTIVAL OF NEW WRITING

University Drama Studio

T

he Festival of New Writing gives the chance to the University students to show their acting talent and their writing skills.

There were three pieces performed: ‘Three’, ‘Lacuna’ and ‘We’re Building a Gallows’.

Written and directed by Chad Bentley, ‘Three’ is a monologuestory of Steven (Stephen Geller), a just-elected students’ president, Olivia (Becky Phillips), a social worker, and Jen (Anna Dobrucki), a middle age wife. The simple and apparently boring structure only conceived the complexity and the drama of the events told. The play is solid, mature, with a bit of humour at the end and kept the attention until the last word.

“Lacuna is a play that asks a lot” said Tim Norwood, the director. Set in a possible apocalyptic future, the story revolves around the find of a book, a dictionary, breaking the equilibrium between Hare (Rob

Last but not the least, ‘We’re Building a Gallows’, written by Will Side and directed by Sarah McCloskey, follows the story of John (O’Connor again) a prisoner on death row.

Despite the dramatic set, it was funny and humorous. As the guard, Oliver Harnett was brilliant and his conversations with O’Connor made you laugh from the heart, while Sam Costelloe’s Gary embodied the soul of the play: bizarre, but with a deep philosophy at its core.

By breaking the apparently light atmosphere, the end is powerful, but essential.

Overall, The Festival of New Writing was remarkable. The quality of the plays was impressive, in particular if we consider the authors’ ages. Once again SuTCo have produced a quality product.

Valeria Vigilante More reviews online Read more reviews online at Forge Today

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Wednesday May 13 2015

12

Fuse.Albums. music Fuse BLUR

The Magic Whip

I

n the years since their previous album - 2003’s fractured, endearing Think Tank - Britpop survivors Blur have been far adrift.

Reunited in 2008 for a long run of triumphant comeback gigs, new material was still a pipe dream and the group’s individual ambitions and careers had never felt more separate.

Sent in tangential directions over the past decade or so, this longawaited return appears as a rich, funny and angry delight, made all the more joyous by the unexpected nature of its existence.

The Magic Whip crashes in on ‘Lonesome Street’ with an immediate, classic Graham Coxon riff harkening back to the southerners’ more straightforward early releases, offset endearingly

by Damon Albarn’s aged, creaking vocal - far removed from the boyish charm of his youth.

It’s one of the album’s greatest assets that, despite its weird divergences and innovations, there is still that indefinable quality that means no other band could have written a single note. Everything on Whip is undeniably, indescribably Blurish.

Whip’s jumbled, ragtag charm emanates from its origins, cobbled together in five spare days in 2013 when the band was left stranded in Hong Kong thanks to a cancelled gig.

The influence of that city, and the East at large, is felt across each track - from ‘New World Towers’, a sparse sensitive ode to the bright neon of Tokyo, to the militaristic stomp and serious Oriental keys of

LAURA MARLING Short Movie

S

hort Movie is Laura Marling’s fifth album, her first away from acoustic. Marling’s trappings are clear throughout, careful and delicate guitar that echoes in the stereo and that hauntingly old voice humming its way from the 25 year-old.

The electric is clearly a step away for Marling. ‘Warrior’ opens boldly, more ambiance, greater depth: not like the staples of her past releases. The relative formula it seems to follow strays from her typical style but is brought back to the essential essence of Marling with its ever entrancing vocals.

‘False Hope’ seems more complete than any other track, a fuller sound with a lot more production than past releases, her reliance on the rhythms of her acoustic guitar disappear in a refreshing nod to her potential

‘There Are Too Many Of Us’ that point to North Korea.

It’s the sound of four guys trapped in a room with only their immediate environment for inspiration and it’s also a showcase of how, despite the wonders their solo efforts

“Everything on Whip is undeniably, indescribably Blurish” have produced, the four of them together is a truly unique privilege to behold.

Some cuts may well be up their with their best - the simple

sci-fi lament of ‘Wish I Was A Spacemen’, the mechanical sorrow of ‘My Terracotta Heart’. All tracks draw from the individual members’ histories, but could only be crafted by the four together.

Whip stands starkly separate to the rest of Blur’s canon and, in doing so, feels like a new phase for the band. It ushers in and encourages uncertainty but it can’t resist plunging into infectious joy on penultimate anthem ‘Ong Ong’ or aching, lovable longing on closer ‘Mirrorball’.

They lost their sense of direction long ago, but never let it be said that Blur have lost their imagination, or their charm.

Rhys Handley

THE WOMBATS Glitterbug

T

he Liverpudlian indie pop band, well known for ‘Moving to New York’ from their 2007 debut album A Guide to Love, Loss and Desperation, are finally back on the scene with their third album Glitterbug. After a four year hiatus since their last album This Modern Glitch, you might anticipate great things. But you might well be disappointed.

Although there is nothing dreadful about this album, it is not particularly ground-breaking either. The rather cringeworthy named opening track entitled ‘Emoticons’, a desperate attempt to drag themselves into 2015, is coupled with try hard attempts at witty sounding lyrics, and bizarre metaphors, such as “now all my elephants are in the room.”

It’s not all doom and gloom though. The tunes are catchy, many perfect for the dancefloor (befitting the album title) and after a few listens I can’t stop myself from

future. A hint of Baez is evident propped up with some some Americana lyrics; a highlight of the album alongside the later ‘Don’t Let Me Bring You Down’.

‘I Feel Your Love’, ‘Walk Alone’ and ‘Strange’ seem out of place, not really in keeping with the newer sound. ‘Strange’ particularly is, well, just strange.

If ‘False Hope’ and ‘Bring You Down’ are a sign of the future ‘Easy’ is the opposite, a more traditional Marling piece. Lazy plucking guitar in a way that seems easy, Marling is at home with this sound, humming her way through vocals in a similarly natural way.

The remaining six tracks leave little impact, ‘Gurdjieff’s Daughter’ doesn’t quite hit the mark with some slightly unnatural vocals feeling like Marling has been strained to differentiate. Some Marling trademarks emerge; her wonderfully cynical lyrics: “when you know you’re winning you’re already losing” but overall the album’s close falls quite flat.

“The rhythms of her acoustic guitar disappear in a refreshing nod to her potential future” Short Movie is a good effort, but not quite there. To change as she has seems too much for Marling following four albums of slow progress. High points are present but overall not the confident foray into electric that you’d expect from folk’s modern master.

Sam Ralphs

singing along. In particular, one of the singles, ‘Give me a Try’ is evocative of their earlier indiedisco sound, with an upbeat, euphoric chorus.

There is a bit of variety, as in contrast with this is the melancholic ballad ‘Isabel.’ Unsurprisingly, the main theme of the album is the tumultuous nature of love.

Apparently lead singer Matthew Murphy’s inspiration for the album came from LA and an imaginary relationship, which explains the clichés overkill.

Sadly, none of the tracks quite live up to the former glory of infectious songs such as ‘Let’s Dance to Joy Division’ and ‘Kill the Director.’ Murphy’s vocals are as strong as they’ve ever been, but this is offset with a tad too much synth in places.

For Wombats fanatics Glitterbug is certainly worth a listen, even if mainly for nostalgia. Still, if the bands recent gig at Sheffield’s very own the Leadmill is anything to go by, which sold out months in advance, it’s doubtful we’ve seen the last of The Wombats.

Harriet Hales

13

Wednesday May 13 2015

liveFusemusic.

Gigs.

JUDAS Contours May 3

L

ondon indie-rockers Judas have been making quiet progress since their formation last year, with tracks ‘Call Me’ and ‘Youth of the Young Age’ appearing on Xfm and Soccer AM respectively. The band have also enjoyed a recent support slot with stylistic counterparts Dexters.

Despite these credentials, the settings were pitted against Judas.

The sparsely populated crowd was mostly comprised of the rest of the day’s performers, and the band was as good as unknown to many of the Sheffield natives present.

“Their enthusiasm was genuine and infectious - this band have begun their career in earnest”

As if to consciously fill out the empty space before them, waves of reverberant guitar riffs defiantly opened the set. The wiry silhouette of frontman John Clancy wasted no time in beckoning the crowd forward, noticeably stirred by this confident, professional opening.

Further into the set, it became clear that Judas are a band who have no inhibitions about flaunting their desire to join the live heavyweights of mainstream indierock. Shamelessly conspicuous

choruses and breakdown sections imploring the audience to clap along were strewn across the set.

Subject matter includes drinking, smoking and being young.

This ability to whittle down the palatable aspects of a live show into a presentable package led to the nagging feeling that this had all been done before. The monochrome aesthetic and boyish faces hiding behind buoyant fringes left visual comparisons to the 1975 a little too tempting. The playful drum patterns of Peace accompanied the kind of pained whiskey voice that brought Kings of Leon to mind.

Their enthusiasm was genuine and infectious - this band have begun their career in earnest. But for all their efforts to avoid halfmeasures, the looming question Judas will have to answer is whether they can carve out enough originality in the existing indie-rock creed to make the mark they so clearly want to leave on the scene.

GORILLA WARFARE Contours May 3

I

f you can start a mosh-pit in a tiny room above a pub, then that probably says more about your band than any review ever will.

Making the most of an initially empty room, Gorilla Warfare are proof of the blatant power of a good riff and a hammering drumbeat, as an archetypal three piece comprised of a guitarist and vocalist, backed up by a bassist and a drummer. The music itself was nothing fancy, but was made more effective because of it; the riffs were infectious, the drums were tight and unforgiving, and the songs came forth as waves of relentless energy.

The vocals seemed to almost be an

afterthought, included simply to dress the music up so that it didn’t feel self conscious as it threw itself against the windows. Whilst it was definitely very raw, the guitar and bass often worked together to add in surprise moments of sophistication, with the bassline adding little decorations that rested on top of the chords and gave the music a very layered feeling. It definitely wasn’t let down by a lack of guitar solos or fancy techniques, and the drums were determined not to be constrained by the common time signature.

However, as powerful as the music was, constantly going at a hundred miles per hour is bound to leave you burned out, and after a while the songs felt as if they were melting into one another without much discernible change. Sophisti-

cation may not have been the order of the day, but the potential of the band could be better realised if they added something a bit different into their set. Obviously it would be ridiculous to suggest that they all picked up acoustic guitars and led a sing-along version of one of their songs, but at the very least they could slow it down just enough to give the floorboards a break. In any case, Gorilla Warfare are a band that don’t go in for subtlety, which leaves you absolutely certain that you are hearing something good.

you get bored.

ing as a café, some of his introductions were drowned out by general background chatter.

Despite this, Dan’s set was confident and assured, remaining at ease with the crowd throughout, and he even recovered well when he forgot some of his lyrics midway through a song. His practised musical style and honest songwriting was endearing, and while h e may not have had the best voice on the planet, all the different elements combined together in a way that made this redundant. Dan’s performance relies heavily on contrast, and it wouldn’t have been as memorable without it.

Matthew Mills

Matthew Mills

Harry Chambers

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DAN LOOPS Contours May 3

W

ith a focus on acoustic performances, the Interval Garden stage came alive with the sun. Unfortunately, it was very difficult to actually hear any of the performances from outside in the garden itself, and so if you wanted to hear Dan Loops’ set, you had to sit inside.

From his name, you may have guessed that Dan isn’t the type to just stand with a guitar and croon ballads over the crowd; instead, his simple yet effective use of a loop pedal to create rhythms and soundscapes elevated his performance, effortlessly carrying his engaging blend of softly sung vocals and energetic rapping in a way that connected with the audience instantly.

The contrast between both these styles seemed to be key to his appeal, and gave each song a definitive staying power, refusing to let

“His simple yet effective use of a loop pedal to create rhythms and sound-scapes elevated his performance”

The set suffered slightly due to the issues largely with the venue.

The mix seemed unbalanced, and the guitar and percussive loops often overpowered the vocals, meaning that it was hard to get involved in the meaning of the songs. Without this engagement, some of the rapping sections became a bit messy, as you could hear the rhythms but not the lyrics, somewhat detracting from the impact of his performance.

Also, as Interval was still function-

Wednesday May 13 2015

14

Fuse Screen.

Fuse. screen FAR FROM THE MADDING CROWD Dir: Thomas Vinterberg

A

n adaptation of a Thomas Hardy novel never promises to be an uplifting few hours but an excellent performance from Carey Mulligan as the film’s heroine, Bathsheba Everdeen and a wonderful supporting cast combine to push Far From The Madding Crowd past its humble beginnings into a mildly intriguing cinematic drama.

The film follows Bathsheba as she rises from simple rural upbringings to become a lady, navigating the ways of wealth, power and love (in the form of three different suitors).

Superb direction from Thomas Vinterberg accompanied by an enchantingly straightforward screenplay from David Nicholls gives a very character driven focus to the 19th century Victorian

SMALL SCREEN EMPIRE: SEASON 1, EPISODE 1

Dir: Lee Daniels & Danny Strong

G

oing into Empire I had a cautious excitement boiling in my head. The trailers suggested a sort of hip-hop House of Cards, not something that immediately appealed to me but it did sound interesting if nothing else.

What I actually found was more of a cross between Made in Chelsea and, oddly enough, The Mighty Boosh.

The plot follows Lucious Lyon (Terrence Howard), the terminally ill CEO of Empire Entertainment, who plays his three sons off against each other in the hopes of finding

an heir.

As one of the sons point out it’s a bit of a King Lear setup and, from what the pilot episode reveals, is quite compelling.

The issue lies in the show’s Made in Chelsea-dull characters: most are sadly quite unappealing. Howard pulls out a strong performance and is suitably Machiavellian in his role but only shines briefly, though his subdued ruthlessness managed to make me quite uncomfortable at times.

The other characters are unfortunately less pleasing, Lyon’s sons in particular seem about as multi-layered as a bungalow.

Andre is your textbook corporate character who could just about pass for a robot in the new Terminator film, Hakeem is childish and irritating while the show attempts to pass him off as ‘talented’, and Jamal is as painfully unexciting to watch as his brothers.

drama. The audience feels invested in Bathsheba’s choices romantic, financial or otherwise, without being visually assaulted with overly obvious class commentary and gender differences. It is a film which provides understated rural drama to sustain the audience’s interest from the opening scenes to the last without being entirely implausible.

Although, for animal lovers out there the first 15 minutes of the film proves a tense, and at times traumatic watch.

However, there are a few minor criticisms. The narrative lulls halfway through as an over-reliance on a fade to black transition between scenes becomes irritatingly predictable. As does the copious natural imagery used to show the seasons changing every twenty minutes or so. Yet, these are issues easily muted with a hauntingly beautiful violin accompaniment and engrossing dialogue that draw the audience in regardless.

In accompaniment to Mulligan, Michael Sheen out-acts himself with

stage but show promise in the form of manipulators and the powerhungry.

Empire’s certainly provided a reasonable set-up for what could be a very exciting series, however far too often what should have been a gripping, tense drama seemed more like an American spin-off of Downton Abbey.

And the music was rubbish.

Jamal does however present a more interesting dynamic in the form of his troubled relationship with his father, who discredits him for his homosexuality.

The key issue is that none of these three major characters demands any sort of presence onscreen and their strange Mighty Booshlike musical interludes are almost cringe-worthy.

It’s only when Cookie Lyon (Taraji P Henson), the ex-wife of Lucious and the mother of his three sons, arrives halfway through the episode that Howard has any sort of dramatic equivalent. Cookie is loud, bombastic and most importantly attentiongrabbing, Henson takes charge of every scene in a welcome fashion that shakes up the dreariness.

Supporting characters are basically undeveloped in this early

CULT CORNER DAISIES

Dir: Věra Chytilová

E

ven within the context of Czech New Wave cinema, director Věra Chytilová’s work stands out as anarchic and innovative.

Not simply challenging the status quo, Chytilová’s vibrant approach to filmmaking demonstrated an overt disregard for the boundaries of the medium itself.

In fact, she boldly stated that “I proceed from the assumption that nothing is valid”. Her second feature and best-known work Daisies, released in 1966, exemplifies Chytilová’s modus operandi at its most exhilarating, experimental and aesthetically daring.

Daisies chronicles the farcical,

his portrayal of the awkwardly amiable suitor Mr Boldwood fitting into the role so seamlessly that you wonder who else could play such fragility and not appear entirely pathetic. Also Tom Sturridge as the charmingly rougish alternative suitor Sgt. Troy steals the scene every time he appears. It is however the modest Matthias Schoenaerts as suitor number three, Farmer Gabriel Oak who drives the performance along with Mulligan.

In terms of lasting impressions, it is the questionable independence of the heroine that truly brings a human element to the film. Mulligan as Bathsheba presents an inspiring portrayal of what a strong-willed young woman can endure and accomplish. But with a largely predictable plot the film cannot aspire to be more than a solid adaption.

Megan Myer

Oliver England

transgressive adventures of two young women, both named Marie, as they run riot creating havoc in their town.

In a recurring scene, the girls stage dinner dates with wealthy, older men and then, losing interest, ditch them.

Experimenting with their newfound sexual identity, the pair exploit men, remaining wholly apathetic to their declarations of love. One of the girls, epitomising the film’s absurdist, sardonic humour, even questions, “Why do they say ‘I love you’? Why don’t they say, for example, ‘egg’?”.

A persistent theme pervading the film is that society at large has ‘gone bad’.

However, the deeply subversive voices of the two protagonists also demonstrates the power of youthful identity, with its stubborn rebelliousness towards society’s

prevailing doctrines. That Daisies culminates with the girls demolishing a grandiose banquet hall and dancing atop the table only reinforces this idea.

In the end, the film itself is much like its central characters: highly adventurous, bustling with vitality and difficult to ignore. Also similarly to its protagonists, Daisies deliberately resists categorisation – if anything the film constitutes something of a celebration of femininity rather than overt feminism per se.

Of course, the film was immediately banned, with the official reason being that too much food was wasted during production.

Appropriately enough, Chytilová dedicated the film to “those whose sole source of indignation is a messed-up trifle”.

Tim Metcalfe

Wednesday May 13 2015

AVENGERS : AGE OF ULTRON Dir: Joss Whedon

T

he first chapter of Joss Whedon’s inspired Marvel blockbuster brought to screen the ultimate superhero experience. The synchronised collective stunts and overall awesomeness of the movie made all the other superhero movies look slow and boring in comparison. The hype for the second one was so high that the other three franchise movies were barely enough entertainment to keep the fans occupied until this release.

Avengers: Age of Ultron was, for all those reasons, the sequel everybody was looking forward to.

This hype may have contributed to the disappointment that the movie really is.

The story opens exactly from where we left off. From the ashes of SHIELD, Tony Stark & co. give birth to the Avengers, a superhero team with the same faces but a reinvigorated

and less charismatic of the villains.

In a war to affirm their own morality over Ultron’s perverse fantasy of world control the Avengers will do their best to stick together and to save as many people as they can. All whilst actually endangering them with pointless (but highly spectacular) tricks and substantial Hulk screen time.

As a slight psychological tone emerges, the worst flaw of the movie comes up: the fact that after eight movies there is nothing else to say about our beloved, allbrawn characters. The film tends, in fact, to endlessly repeat itself with the same trite problem: the Avengers are superhumans with the saviour complex and very human imperfections.

Despite this, they are doing the best they can.

And the same goes for Joss

spirit. The enemy is also the same, a branch of the HYDRA who are now experimenting on human mutation using the power of the sceptre, previously wielded

by Loki. However, not even this new ploy is enough against the almightiness of the new Avengers.

The sceptre’s gem, which is now in the Avengers’ hands, instantly fosters mad scientists Tony Stark and Bruce Banner’s ambition: to create a highly evolved AI which goes by the name of Ultron.

Unfortunately Ultron appears not to agree with his creators about the best way to save Earth and immediately rises against them. In his delusional surge of rebellion the automaton recruits twins Pietro and Wanda Maximoff, the resulting rookie superheroes from HYDRA’s genetic experimentation. They then secretly plan to destroy the human race and replace it with a more evolved species. The most perfect of the allies turns out to be the most predictable

THE FALLING

Dir: Carol Morley

F

rom the trailer The Falling looks like a movie with a lot of potential: a story of mysterious epidemic in an all-girls school in the 60s, without any horror subplot. But it’s not.

Following the death of Abbie (Florence Pugh), the typical queenbee, her best friend Lydia (Maisie Williams), starts fainting during lessons, school assemblies, in the toilets, at home; in other words whenever she feels the urge to talk with the floor.

Written and directed by Carol Morley, the movie can only be defined as an unaccomplished work.

Her study of mass-hysteria is slow and undermined by the choice of an open ending rather than a definitive explanation. This leaves the viewer with a sense of anticipation – not in a positive way.

THE GOOD LIE

Dir:Phillipe Falardeau

A

t its heart, and it has a lot of heart, The Good Lie is a film about family. Based on the true story of the ‘Lost Boys of Sudan’, when 20,000 children became forcibly displaced by acts of war in Southern Sudan.

The children have no choice but to band together and attempt escape through Kenya.

We follow a dwindling group of children, with brothers Theo and Mamere at the head. When

Mamere is forced to become chief of their group, which consists of ‘brothers’ and ‘sisters’ in all but blood, he gains a guilt he holds on to for years to come.

“Held together by six fantastic performances” We follow them through the beautifully captured burnt-umber hues of Sudan and the surrounding territories (South Africa stands in for them on screen) on a journey of survival, one that continues on through to America. We come to see America, with its trappings and wonders, through the innocent eyes of those young children displaced from their Sudanese villages.

In between the seriousness of the film there are glimpses of humour as a woman’s nickname is ‘great white cow’ and the classic “Why did the chicken cross the road” becomes the funniest joke ever, to someone who has never heard it.

Perhaps more believable is pizza described as a ‘miracle food’ (which is true, anyway). Humour and pathos abound in the struggles and happiness of the characters.

The Good Lie is strongly held together by six fantastic performances. Arnold Oseng, Ger Duany and Emmauel Jal are affecting as the trio transplanted into a wholly alien post-9/11 America. Kuoth Wiel as their ‘sister’ Abital, although only briefly present, also provides a sensitive performance.

That these actors are actual Sudanese refugees lends the film a poignant reality.

Carrie (Reese Witherspoon) and Jack (Corey Stoll), the former headstrong and sensitive, the latter quietly wise, take a back seat in the journey of the refugees.

Additionally, the child actors who play the young counterparts of the Sudanese characters are extremely talented, providing the film with an emotional springboard to leap off.

They handle the upsetting nature of the earlier scenes with aplomb and a natural acting style.

The film is sometimes at risk of appearing slightly maudlin, but never falls into this saccharine trap.

It is a moral fable of sorts, and the titular ‘good lie’, the concept of lying as good if it is wholly selfless, becomes important throughout and

Morley’s many close-ups of green nature is disturbing and with a xylophone in the background, it hints at the paranormal. But, sadly or not, the idea isn’t developed further, as if Morley was constantly interrupted by a phone call or the kettle, when she wrote the script.

Stressed out by colourful photography, the mystical/ paranormal element undermines rather than strengthens the drama within the film: Abbie’s sudden death.

It encourages viewers to believe the causes of the fainting is a physical expression of grief .

The film is painfully slow at some points and struggles to get to the point. The end, which should be the climax of the entire story, is flat and actually only adds more, useless information rather than giving a good conclusion.

The generational conflict between the teenage girls headed by Lydia and the adult world of Miss Mantel (Greta Scacchi) and Miss Alvaro (Monica Dolan) is poorly used but

at the finale of the film.

The direction, by Phillipe Falardeau is an unobtrusive presence, drawing the beauty out of the rolling deserts of Africa and the stark lines of America. Natural imagery sits alongside what is essentially a very character driven film, and a film that ensures you are invested in their plight; ecstatic when they prosper and concerned when they falter.

Annie Mullineux

15 Whedon and his powerful castensemble (of which, Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner are the main ones) who didn’t really do anything wrong. Apart from agreeing to make a movie which is a gigantic copy of the prequel.

Ultimately, since a great deal of change is in the air for this particular franchise, Avengers: Age of Ultron represents the sad end of an era.

An era where the echoing cycle of destruction and salvation was enough to cover the loud void of new ideas. The movie can be seen as a sentimental farewell to an over exploited brand, and its familiar protagonists who have certainly marked the golden era of Marvel movies.

Mariaclaudia Carella

at least it gives the best line of the film: “This generation. They think they’re so misunderstood. If they’d any idea what it’s like to be a middle-aged woman, they’d know what ‘misunderstood’ meant.”

Williams’ Lydia is controversial and ambiguous, walking the line between victim and leader, grieving for her friend Abbie and seeking desperate attention from her mother (Maxine Peake). Peake, indeed, is remarkable in her portrayal of an agoraphobic woman lost in her own pain and blind, consciously or not, to her daughter’s one.

The Falling is an ambitious project whose potential is badly managed.

Morley fails to use the strengths in the story and focuses her talent and energy on the weaknesses.

Unfortunately the strong message is lost in a carousel of trees, mysticism and xylophones.

Valeria Vigilante

Follow us on Twitter @ForgeScreen More reviews online Read more reviews online at Forge Today

DOT COM

Fuse Listings.

Photo: Joshua Hackett

All the events in Sheffield that you don’t want to miss in the next fortnight.

Screen.

Games.

Eye Openers: The Green Ray (May 10, the Showroom Cinema, 4pm) New Wave director Eric Rohmer’s french film follows the life of Delphine, a woman who flits from place to place and friend to friend. The film captures her loneliness perfectly in beautiful frames with a documentary feel. Download the Now Then Magazine app and you can get in for just £5!

Game Releases

This is Our City: Sheffield On Film (May 11, the Showroom Cinema, 6pm) Telling remarkable stories of everyday life and documenting diverse communities in Sheffield, this showcase of films will make us think again about the place we call home. In partnership with the Storying Sheffield project, the screenings will include a talk from landscape archaeologist Dr Bob Johnston on his research into community heritage in the city.

May 13 Lifeless Planet (Xbox One)

May 12 Project CARS (PS4, Xbox One)

May 19 Ride (PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One) The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (PC, PS4, Xbox One) May 22 NASCAR ‘15 (PC, PS3, Xbox 360)

Coming soon to the University of Sheffield’s independent cinema...

Friday May 8: Vampire’s Kiss Saturday May 9: Foxcatcher Sunday May 10: The Theory of Everything Friday May 15: Wild Tales Saturday May 16: Ex Machina Sunday May 17: Wild For more info on future releases or to volunteer go to filmunit.org.uk

Tickets: £2.50 each

Arts.

Music.

The Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize (May 5 - August 19, Millennium Gallery) The Millennium Gallery are offering the only chance outside of London to view this exhibition, so why not pop along. Originally opening at the National Portrait Gallery, the prestigious annual fixture features 59 shortlisted photographs and some of todays most exciting photographers, including winner David Titlow.

Pride and Prejudice (May 14 - June 6, the Lyceum) The classic and beloved Jane Austen romance is coming to the Lyceum this month. The story follows the life of Elizabeth Bennet, a woman who longs for emancipation from expectation and to marry for love. Will Elizabeth ever find love? The eternal question that we all want answer to.

National Theatre Live: Man and Superman (May 14, the Showroom Cinema, 7pm) Ralph Fiennes, a.k.a. Voldemort, plays Jack Tanner in this reinvention of a witty classic. A celebrated and radical thinker, Tanner acts as an unlikely choice as a guardian to heiress, Ann. Yet, in true romance fashion, they decide to marry. All does not go to plan, as ever, leaving an exciting turn of events transpire.

Traces of Empire: Decoration and Design in Roman Britain (Until October 31, Weston Park Museum) Invaded in 43 AD, Britain became a province of the Roman Empire. This display at Weston Park Museum looks at the change in style and decoration during this period, as well as displaying significant archeological finds from Museums Sheffield’s collection.

Live Gigs Chelsea - 9/5, Corporation Dianne Reeves - 12/5, City Hall Man Made - 12/5, The Rocking Chair Django Django - 14/5, Plug Frankie and the Heartstrings - 15/5, Plug TBC - 15/5, Bungalows and Bears DUB FX - 16/5, O2 Academy Fearless Vampire Killers - 16/5, Corporation Empire Festival - 17/5, The Hop

Mark Knopfler and Band - 17/5, Motorpoint Arena Capsize - 18/5, Corporation Slaves - 19/5, the Leadmill Emily Smith - 20/5, The Greystones John Barrowman - 20/5, City Hall S CLub 7 - 21/5, Motorpoint Arena Frazer - 22/5, Plug Gaz Coombes - 22/5, the Leadmill Monuments - 22/5, Corporation

Album Releases May 12 Barbarossa - Imager Blanck Mass - Dumb Flesh Crocodiles - Boys Grounders - Grounders Paul Weller - Saturns Pattern Snoop Dogg - BUSH Surfer Blood - 1000 Palms

May 19 Ceremony - The L Shaped Man Faith No More - Sol Invictus Hot Chip - Why Make Sense?

Jim O’Rourke - Simple Songs Tanlines - Highlights The Story So Far - The Story So Far Whitesnake - The Purple Album Zedd - True Colours

Life at the University of Sheffield is about so much more than lectures and seminars. Which is why the Union created the Give it a Go programme; an easy way to try everything from archery to chocolate tasting. Joining an event couldn’t be easier. Once you pick an event you like, buy a ticket from the Union Box Office (or online at sheffieldsu.com/events), then turn up on the day! Be prepared to try something new and make friends! Oh, and don’t forget to bring a bottle of water.

Day Trip to Harrogate Bar One Sunday May 10 9am £10 With spas and a Betty’s Tea Rooms, is there any better way to spend your weekend?

Enjoy the Yorkshire Dales and a day out of Sheffield by visiting Harrogate.

Barista Training Coffee Revolution, SU Sunday May 10 6:30pm £6 Go along to Coffee Revolution and learn how to be a barista. You’ll get the chance to experience life behind the coffee counter and create your own drinks.

Tarot Card Reading Gallery Room 3, SU Thursday May 14 5pm £3.50 Here you can learn about what tarot is and how to interpret the symbols so you can gain insight into their meanings. By the end, you’ll be able to do your own tarot reading!

Full Body Relaxation Gallery Room 3, SU Wednesday May 20 7pm £3.50 In this Give it a Go you’ll have the chance to fully relax and forget all your worries!

With exam season looming, this event will be a great opportunity to relax

Astrology Gallery Room 3, SU Friday May 22 6pm £3.50 Ever wondered where your stars lay and what they mean?

Well now you can find out.

Make sure you take along a pen and some paper to note everything down!