Fuse issue 61

Shrimps Grand Theft Auto Sheffield music venues Breaking Bad

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Friday September 20 2013

short fuse.

Marketing fire: Reflektor

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t’s just a reflection of the world we live in. Marketing executives are always plotting viral campaigns for their clients, hoping the raging river of social media will sweep their film, album or perfume brand into public consciousness.

The latest group to try their hand are stadium hipsters Arcade Fire, who last month mobilised teams across the world to chalk up logos which hinted at the name of their new album, Reflektor. it whipped up the seductive scent of mystery without anybody really doubting what the point was. Kind of gimmicky, right?

The Reflektor street campaign did two things: one, it started the next stage of the band’s career with a strong, memorable insignia; two, it primed the audience to watch, listen and take note of what the album was about before they had a chance to listen to it.

That’s why these campaigns are good. Most albums are launched into the world, downloaded, listened to once and then put on the shelf. This will be a serious, high concept album and any chance to draw people’s attention to its themes and nuances must be welcomed.

Staying on people’s social feeds is one of the only ways to cultivate the attention span that listeners had in decades gone by, when they would sit down to listen to the new Beatles, Pink Floyd or Leonard Cohen record. If the music of Reflektor steps up to the mark, don’t think for a second that Arcade Fire aren’t going the same way and into the hallowed halls of pop history.

Finding beasts and writing movies

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Reflektor campaign: Dimitrihon/Flickr

Duncan Geddes

K Rowling might well have officially lost it. How is a not-evena-prequel film series set in the Harry Potter universe, 70 years before the first book, and partially in the US supposed to recapture the magic of the original seven stories?

She’s gone mad with power, stark raving mad.

Then again, maybe not. The next HP venture is the reincarnation of Harry’s textbook Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them, which will be Rowling’s first time actually writing for the big screen, it appears that the author’s next project will not be a simple one.

Given the slight disappointment of ‘Hollywood-isation’ that the films entailed for the book fans, it’ll be fascinating to see how JK Rowling will translate the appeal of her prose to cinema. The previous Harry Potter films had all the good bits of the dialogue; an incredibly accomplished cast and a gorgeously detailed production design that truly looked a labour of love. However they were ultimately like deformed monstrosities stuck between anxious-

ly adhering to the books and creating an action-stuffed cash cow.

But will JK Rowling be able to recreate the, excuse the pun, magic?

While her talent for compelling plot lines is her most obvious appeal, what made the Potter books really stand out was the warm, observant wit in which the snappy, endearing dialogue was seamlessly embedded, and the nonchalance with which Rowling created a richly detailed world that felt familiar and exotic at the same time.

The fact that Rowling herself is taking charge could definitely work in the project’s favour in allowing her to creatively expand and reinterpret the Potter universe, while finally allowing the cinematic Potter franchise to shed the burden of the novels’ format and expectations.

Even better, d’you know who was alive 50 years prior to book one?

Voldemort, Dumbledore, and Grindelwald. Who knows, we might well be in for a little treat.

Martin Bottomley

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E3

Gamers love not just the consoles as an item, but rather the experiences they have experienced because of them. Every Xbox and PlayStation has been unique to their respective owners and people will dig in and defend their console choice until their last breath.

On the outside looking in, it looks ridiculous. But from within, it is mainly camaraderie and good will. That and some morons who take everything way too seriously, but isn’t that always there in life?

Keiran Dean

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ello our lovely Fuse readers and welcome to the first issue of the semester.

You might notice we’ve had a bit of a redesign, in print and online. Our pages are looking fresh and new (cheers Kaz) and our website looks amazing (shout-out to Adam Harley). We hope you like it.

We’ve had an ace time running the place while the Forge Press editor took a jealousy-inducing holiday to Croatia while the rest of us were stuck in rainy Sheffield.

Music have prepared a map of all the best venues in the city (you can even pull it out and stick it on your wall) while Games have been gearing up for the release of GTAV with their retrospective on page 4.

Enjoy!

Amelia Heathman Kaz Scattergood

Our favourite Mexican babe Manuel has drawn us this GTA/ Uni of Sheffield inspired cover.

Can you draw too? Get in touch fuse@forgetoday.com

PlayStation 4 vs. Xbox One: who cares inter, or rather, late autumn, is coming and with it a new gaming generation in the form of the PlayStation 4 and the Xbox One. Ardent fans on both sides will be sharpening their arguments and will be ready to meet on a Somme-esque battlefield of gamers.

Does this entire argument really matter? Are they not the same thing under a different brand?

It appears that for those who buy a PS4 or an Xbox One for specific games that are exclusive to those consoles, there is no argument. It would be like explaining to a creationist what fossils actually are. It’s a nonstarter.

However, for those who look at both consoles with an open mind, it can be difficult to decide which games system to choose.

editorial.

Sunday September 29 2013 15:30 til 17:30

Scuba

Diving

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hy not try your hand at scuba diving at the beautiful, picturesque tropical paradise that is Hillsborough Leisure Centre?

Susac, our scuba diving club, will teach you how.

Get ready to shove this once in a lifetime experience in the face of all your douchebag friends who spent their summer in

Thailand or something.

Whilst we can’t guarantee there’ll be an abundance of tropical fish to frolic alongside, we reckon you can probably bring your own. At just £5 a ticket there’s no excuse not to learn a new skill and see the beautiful ocean of Hillsborough.

Water provided. But bring a towel, swimming cozzie and tshirt.

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Friday September 20 2013

q&a.

We caught up with our pals Polkdadodge, a local band starring one of our own ex-Screen editors, Tom Fletcher.

Polkadodge, explain your fantastic name please.

What’s it like being out in the big, bad non-university world?

JOHN: It’s actually a word that was rejected from entering the dictionary. It’s the awkward dance that occurs when two people attempt to pass each other and go the same way.

JOHN: Personally, I find it a mixed bag. I liked university but not to the extent many people seem to be having the time of their lives.

I suppose music has always been my main love so as long as I’m pursuing that I’m happy. As for the others, I think Tom became mentally stressed & began losing hair, Martin quit after a year as he never ever went and Paul’s still there currently & he’s enjoying it.

How did the four of you come together as a band?

JOHN: Myself, Martin & Tom all went to the same school and had been in previous bands together that had mixed successes, so we decided to make a serious go of it this time in Sheffield. So we tried out a few drummers which didn’t work out (there’s awkward stories to be told there!) and luckily we found our little Mancunian – Paul.

My friend Jamie put us in touch.

How would you describe your sound to our readers?

JOHN: The genre we’re playing isn’t revolutionary or new, but we definitely have our own stamp on every song we create. Our set is really quite varied too; there are

no two songs that sound even similar, and we are developing our own sound. I’d say if you like big sounding indie music filled with very catchy melodies and more hooks than a fisherman’s tool kit then you’ll enjoy us.

Do you feel you have a reputation to live up to as a Sheffield band because of the city’s musical heritage?

JOHN: I can’t say I think about it personally as everywhere has its local heroes I suppose. I think people look to Sheffield with expectation for good music so that’s always a positive thing.

How was it playing at Tramlines this summer?

JOHN: Amazing. We had four

shows in two days, which was a new record for us. I think we won over quite a few new fans in those gigs too. The only down side was that it was a bit of a nightmare for our manager getting stuff from one gig to the other, in a van which is seriously minutes away from implosion. We don’t use it anymore.

You’re playing Plug in October with Catfish and The Bottlemen, what are you most looking forward to about the show?

JOHN: We played with them at Soyo at Tramlines and they’re just a fantastic band. I gather it’s also going to be a very busy gig, so I’m just looking forward to playing to all their fans & seeing what they think of us. It’s one of those big gigs you really can’t wait to play.

You must know the ins and outs of the Sheffield venues by now: which one has the best dressing room?

JOHN: Sheffield City Hall is quite nice but that’s not very rock & roll.

Plug is quite nice, but to be honest, the best dressing room for me is any that has cider in the band’s fridge as I hate lager!

Finally, any word of advice for our new freshers?

JOHN: If it feels good – do it. Unless its murder. Seek advice and then listen to Polkadodge.

Polkadodge are supporting Catfish and The Bottlemen at Plug on October 8th.

Tickets: £2.50

Available from the SU box office

Django Unchained: Fri Sept 27 19:30

Avengers: Sat Sept 28 19:30

Silver Linings Playbook: Sun Sept 29 19:30

Friday September 20 2013

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hether or not you are a fan of the series, Grand Theft Auto has had an undeniably huge impact on the gaming industry. We take a look back at the defining features of this famous franchise, and how its major titles have helped to shape the games we play.

The original GTA was a point-based top down arcade style game. Players would have to commit crimes and complete missions to rack up points and multipliers. The 2D game was technically unremarkable but both critics and fans appreciated the fun of causing mayhem in the GTA world.

One thing that really set GTA apart from the crowd was freedom. You could choose not to complete certain missions, commit crimes at will and take any route you wanted to around the city. Until this point, most games had a fairly linear structure, and this new approach to game design was a real success with gamers.

This feature, and the controversy surrounding the game’s adult themes, were massively important to the success of GTA, and despite technical drawbacks the game managed to become a bestseller in the UK. The second game in the series, GTA 2, made few changes to the game. While it was well received, it was no secret that it lacked innovation, something which was about to change with the release of GTA III. GTA III abandoned the arcade style of previous games and brought the series into a 3D setting. It would later be seen as one of the most important and revolutionary titles in gaming history.

GTA III invented a new genre of gaming, where players were free to roam in an open sandbox world and could choose to progress through story

Retrospective missions at their leisure. The story became the focal point of the game, using cutscenes to create narrative structure and character development.

Players became genuinely invested in Claude’s development from the bottom of the crime world to the top, creating an underdog-to-hero structure which has become a staple of the series. Many of the game’s features have carried through to later titles, such as the minimap, weapon display and health on your HUD. These influences don’t just stretch to later GTA titles, but rather the gaming industry as a whole. Game series such as Saints Row, True Crime and even Assassin’s Creed were inspired by elements which were born in GTA III, particularly the use of player freedom.

After the monumental success of GTA III, Vice City was released just one year later. Inspired by Scarface, Blow and Miami Vice, Vice City was pretty much just GTA III with a new lick of paint. Whilst it felt technically identical - the game had a new setting, a different era, and a totally different vibe. The blue skies, beaches and 80s soundtrack gave Vice City enough contrast from GTA III’s

Liberty City to warrant its release, and its success.

San Andreas, much like Vice City, had relatively few technical improvements, but did introduce some key game features such as gang wars and minigames. It also introduced extensive player customisation and skillbuilding RPG elements, like driving skills and sex appeal; which are set to return in GTA V. Based on California and Nevada, the story drew upon local influences, such as the hip-hop scene and gang culture in 1990s LA. These games, while successful, could be argued to be simply different skins of the same game. The Grand Theft Auto games were due a rehaul, which came four years later with GTA IV. GTA IV was the most radically different entry in the series since GTA III. GTA IV attempted to increase realism to improve the franchise and take it in a different direction. The game’s protagonist had a troubled past and the storyline featured much darker themes. Despite the game’s success, a number of fans of the series claimed that the attempt to improve realism had removed some of the humour and fun found in previous GTA titles.

The game’s success only grew with age, as two large expansion packs were added, The Lost and Damned and The Ballad of Gay Tony. The former was a very gritty, dark story based on a biker gang, whilst the latter added back some of the glitz, glamour and fun that the game had previously lacked.

The most important element of these additions, however, was how they intertwined with the existing GTA IV story. With characters and storylines which intelligently overlapped, the expansions allowed you to revisit existing missions from a different character’s perspective, offering a unique multi-character experience.

This experience was such a success that it became the building block of the newest release, GTA V, which features three playable characters whose stories intertwine similarly, with missions playable from multiple perspectives.

Whatever the future holds for this gaming phenomenon, there aren’t many franchises who can parallel GTA’s influence on the industry.

Reece Nunn

Friday September 20 2013

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Lizzie Hyland talks to the University of Sheffield’s improvised comedy society

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long with the miserable change of weather and the summer holiday blues, the unpopular month of September brings one thing every university student awaits, the infamous freshers week.

For many, it is a time for making the most of the lack of lectures. A time for excessive drinking, horrendous fancy dress, free Dominos, and joining the mailing lists of innumerable societies that seemed like a good idea at the time.

This freshers week, Fuse spoke to one of these uncountable societies to see why, this year, as well as entering our email addresses into their newly organised spreadsheet, we should actually go along to their workshops.

The Shrimps, with their party line ‘the University of Sheffield’s premier improvised comedy group’ are one of the many performance based societies recruiting new members during these first few weeks. But, what would you be signing up for?

“Acting like an idiot is a great way to spend a Wednesday night” Seven years ago a University of Sheffield student, Demetri Mooner, saw a performance by the Imps, the Univeristy of Oxford’s improvisational comedy group, at Edinburgh Fringe. He was impressed and thought he would add a bit of steel city charm to the improv world, thus he formed the Shrimps. As Anna Hawthorne, Shrimps member and enthusiast put it, ‘it just snowballed from there’.

Chairman of the Shrimps, Hugh Clark explained, “we do improvised comedy in what we call ‘short form’, short games made up on the spot from suggestions from the audience”.

Alex Keen, another faithful Shrimp added, “we craft scenes around the suggestions”. He then helpfully expanded, “at this point in the explanation if people still look lost, we say it’s basically Whose Line is it Anyway?”.

With talk throughout the interview of miming explosions, whales knocking on doors, weighing pencil lead, speaking gibberish and even the mention of imaginary dildos,

it would appear that anything goes in the world of improv comedy, “it’s playing make believe as an adult” concluded Anna.

“You don’t have to be a comedian to join, it’s just saying what comes into your head and eventually something will be funny” With the idea behind the Shrimps (almost) understood, Hugh, Alex and Anna gave me their takes on the strengths of the society. “We’re nice people”, said Anna, “very approachable, very friendly, very pro-active”, which isn’t hard to believe when sat with three very together, very confident and incredibly smiley individuals.

Alex mentioned how as well as looking great on your CV, joining the group “makes you funnier, quicker, more confident”. The society has been popular with international students in the past, not only as it helps with improving English language but with understanding our peculiar British sense of humour.

Like any university society, the Shrimps are not without their internal tensions, with a private Monday group for the performing Shrimps and an all ability workshop on a Wednesday; promotion up the ranks, as always, brings competition.

However, with two liaising social secretaries and an ‘anybody welcome’ attitude, the Shrimps seem to have made the transition between what Alex called a slightly “difficult, obtuse and a bit cliquey” society, to one that Hugh encourages “anyone who wants to, to come along”. Their attitude seems different to many specialist societies; as Alex said “you don’t have to be a comedian to join, it’s just saying what comes into your head and eventually something will be funny”.

And, according to Mr. Chairman, “acting like an idiot is a great way to spend a Wednesday night!”

It is said (by the Shrimps) that one of the golden rules of improvised comedy is ‘no denials’, the comedians do not deny each other’s improvised creations. In this way, we do not deny that fooling around with your mates on stage isn’t entertaining. The question put to the Shrimps is do the audience enjoy their comedy as much as they do?

After a great guffaw from Hugh when asked this question, the members of the comedy group admitted what you might expect. “It’s easy to get wrapped up in it because we’re having such a great time” was Hugh’s immediate response, and “we occasionally fall back into in-jokes if the audience doesn’t respond” from Anna.

Hugh truthfully added that it depends entirely on the audience, as “those who haven’t seen improv before come along expecting comedy where they sit there and laugh, and when they don’t know they are encouraged to get involved they are scared. No one wants to be first to put their hand up”.

When hearing about the Shrimps run at Edinburgh Fringe this summer, it sounds possible that with an audience savvy about the niche comedy genre and up for a bit of participation, Hugh’s description of improv comedy as “having a laugh with your mates on stage” somehow becomes a worthwhile comedy show.

“A cheat code that lets us be children again” As a whole, like many University of Sheffield societies, the Shrimps provides an extracurricular outlet for students from any course and any background, comedic or not. It has the recipe for a highly popular society due to its all ability attitude, pub visits and occasional public appearances.

However, due to the unfamiliarity of this type of comedy, perhaps an acquired taste is still needed for Shrimp members and audiences.

In the end, it seems there is no denying the brilliance of Alex’s conclusion that the Shrimps provides “a cheat code that lets us be children again”. It remains to be seen whether the audience is always given the combination.

Friday September 20 2013

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The face of evil?

Will Ross explores Breaking Bad’s Walter White and his descent into his evil alter ego, Hesienberg. Caution, may contain spoilers

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alter White, a once bumbly, under-confident high school chemistry teacher, is

pure evil.

As his alter ego, Heisenberg, he has murdered, deceived and fought his way to creating a drug empire. From learning the drug trade to becoming the distributor his underlings could only aspire to be, Walt has destroyed all odds of survival and out-witted the most cunning of ingenious badguys. He is the contextualisation of evil, the image of maliciousness.

In the beginning, we were expected to wholly sympathise with the poor guy, after a cancer diagnosis and monetary issues with an underpaid job. And no matter how many terrible things he does, Walt always seems to keep the audience on his side. Perhaps it’s his persona, the way he stumbles around in his hunched pose, lower jaw slack, plain clothes tucked in and proper at all times. There’s something dad-ish about him.

Breaking Bad can, on many levels, be compared to a Shakespearean play. Walt is a tragic hero who has had many opportunities to cease his wrongdoing, but instead is consumed by his own greed; he’s tasted power and glory, and can’t let them go. However, through Walt’s inevitable death, his family, associates and indeed adversaries would be far better off. He is a danger to society.

In rejecting his role in society, Walt took a step towards truly finding himself; in discovering what it is to take revenge. He’s had lots of opportunities to stop, like when his daughter Holly was born, or when

the main competition, a certain Mr. Fring, was put to one side. But the thought of some underdog taking up his place and using his god-like name in vain made him sick. His twisted pride took over, and this was arguably the point at which Walt was not coming back. This realisation, that his allegorical figure might be soiled by the next best competitor, drove Heisenberg as Hyde to permanently destroy his Dr Jekyll counterpart, leaving him indefinitely in place of the adrenaline and pride-fuelled position of Albuquerque’s resident meth lord. As the show reaches its end, will Walt step up to the mark, or let his evil side fill him entirely?

One aspect that openly plays a part in Walt’s pent-up frustration is the company that he and Elliott built, the monstrous, multi-million dollar medical industry, Gray Matter. Walt’s chemistry genius has gotten him nowhere, when it could have earned him a lifestyle of luxury. Having been sold out of the fortune, feelings of betrayal and anger tug Walter towards frustrated madness and a hatred for every person who wrongfully looks down upon him, underestimating him entirely.

“When exactly did Walt become Heisenberg?”

Walt has always seemed out of his depth. Then he manages to miraculously overcome said obstacles, one way or another. When facing a major enemy, such as Tuco, the Salamanca twins, or Gus, Walt was constantly up against figures of malev-

olence, in their own insane or calculative ways. This is why we only ever saw him as a protagonist, despite the crimes he committed.

Murders and law-breaking were seemingly justified because Walt was saving himself, his partner/ prodigal son Jesse, or his family.

But now that the external threats are out of the way, his only adversaries are those closest to him. His actions haven’t changed, but now that he’s up against characters we’ve always seen as good, suddenly Walt reveals to viewers the evil, selfish antagonist that’s been stewing. He’s finally built up the empire he strived for, using knowledge and initiative to plough through New Mexico like a freight train.

Money was always the aim, but for selfless reasons. Walt wanted to raise enough to provide for his family when he eventually died of lung cancer – or by the hands of a competitor in his newfound career path. Now that he’s loaded with cash, and has Skyler laundering it for him like the now-famous white briefs, what more could he possibly want? What does a man want when he has everything?

More. It’s come down to greed, and an inability to slow down.

Heisenberg has come onto the scene, and the infamous character has eluded the DEA for so long that Walt’s proud of what he’s accomplished; what others could not. The infamous sunglasses and pork pie hat have become a trademark like no other, spreading the blue meth across the globe like a household brand.

But when exactly did Walt truly become Heisenberg? When he created the pseudonym in Tuco’s lair? His first kill? Once his product got its awesome reputation? No. Walter White is inherently evil; Heisenberg has always

been inside of Walt, just waiting to finally be released. The Shakespearean king in Walt, aided by a questionable Lady Macbeth in Skyler, has gone much further than he ever intended or expected to go. Can Walt be stopped, even if he wants to?

“Every life comes with a death sentence”

The evil side to Walt has been cooking internally for years, holding back and waiting, just to pounce on the world in a frenzy of angst, jealousy and revenge. Who else would be able to poison an innocent child just to cover his own back, and be able to get away with it for so long? There’s no way the old Walt could have done such a thing, considering he could barely even hold a lie under pressure.

Heisenberg has been suppressed for so long, and the timing for his evolution couldn’t have come at a better time in Walt’s life.

Everyone has a choice. Whether they have the moral compass to follow the right path is another question entirely. And while money is a direct ticket to a lavish lifestyle, it’s also the root of all evil. Breaking Bad has illustrated this better than any show before it.

Creator Vince Gilligan has written, fashioned, and displayed evil like no other. While Walt is a totally believable character, he’s nothing but a façade; a metaphor for wrongdoing in reality. But how does one create evil? Perhaps it’s a mixture of inspirational, transgressive figures combined with the acts of Dionysian fictional antagonists. One

way or another, Gilligan’s artistic genius mirrors that of Walt himself, for all its poetic mastery.

With the show’s closure nearing, and so much story left to cover, everyone following closely behind is on a razor’s edge as to what the outcome will be. First of all, there’s no way such an awesome writer/ director like Gilligan could make the mistake of starting a story about a character diagnosed with cancer, without ending it with his death. Be it by natural causes, second-hand revenge or an emotional standoff; Walt simply has to die.

Then you have to consider who’s still alive, and who will be left standing once the last scenes come to a close. Many very different theories have sprung up, some involving recent occurrences, others focusing on previous hints and tip-offs. Will Hank finally face Jesse? Will the unwilling protégé seek revenge on his old master, the subtle father figure? Will the kids be kept out of the loop entirely?

Both Walter and the show itself have little time left to make their impact on the world, but both will undoubtedly go down with an almighty bang. Walt’s name will be remembered, but which one?

The legacy of this dead man is coming to a close. Every life comes with a death sentence, and one of these two characters has reached their peak. In the words of Mortal Instruments author, Cassandra Clare, Heisenberg is burning the world down, only to dig Walt out of the ashes.

Friday September 20 2013

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Friday September 20 2013

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sion u F d n a ry d n u Fo

f the the size eopendent g in r e id s n d “Co e a lot of in ir ar doing the city, therres and restaurantsng that the most u shops, bIta keeps it interesptiycats of what yhoere. o . own thinpglaces aren’t just .cAlso walk everyllwy very y r it popula in every other c place and genera can findld’s quite a small afe. s Sheffie ndry on g the Foudevelopin y la p s e k st t the Croo elds hotte the We’ve gro3. They’re Sheffie dance floor of th e b n o .”

Octo d. They met ears ago ing ban Foundry a few y hite - Chris W

“The first thing a fresher should do in opinion is go out as much as our you can.

People learn soon enoug h what they like in Sheffield and what they do n’t!

“For us, Sheffield is one of where music was born: Pulp, the very few places Leppard, Arctic Monkeys anthe Human League, Def d Toddla here, to name but a few. T all formed “We’d describe the Bowery and fun. It definitely doesn’tas quirky, cute cool seriously yet has a great sel take itself too ection cocktails and beer!” of spirits, -Claire Bowery

ry e w o B e Th

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Harley

“Sheffield is a place that really the best t of benefits from a bit of exploring.y, Mos means it feels ch whi awa en hidd bit a is city the stuff in grower, not a a It’s t. illici bit a ost alm like a total treat, and shower. r the place this autumn, from “We’re putting live shows on all ove Wet Nuns at Queens Social and ples Tem to let King Krule at the Harley, hed the Cat ral that they want to with Club. We’ve also just persuadeddro 10 r obe Oct ning out there on us put noisy stuff on, so we’ll beand the Witch.

Esben s 10 this October. The “On top of all that, the Harleyyturn boozy, and the scene and nois , ndly frie Harley is sweaty, out of my life.” ts nigh t of some of the bes - Kate Hewett

Corporation

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Friday September 20 2013

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“Explore a . There also suglot of culture in th e city it’ss so befrie gest going elf. We’d out to th nd som We’re fieone who’s bro e countryside to ve minute ug o s from thht their car to U, “Bungalo e ni. w p s eaks! can eat good fo&o Bears is best d do a lot d with us. The escribed as a of events p m , that aruesic is always gub really. You “Outside a lw ays free reat, and we of Detac he entry. d shows, Bungalows & B ears, kee as they h Sheffield pa av . Audacio us Art Eex some great bon eye on Semi ok p eriment good liv also havings around e s tu f f e some - Jeremy to Arblasteo.” r

Bungalo ws & Be ars

sby t a G t a re G The

This is your city.

We put together this handy map of a few of Sheffield’s biggest and friendliest music venues and asked them what they like best about our fair city.

t “The Grease rving n e e b s Gatsby ha ils and food seven its ce ckta amazing cointo the early hours sino. g k a e e days a w ing a couple of years open enue. reat music svand g a o ls a is by e upstair get “The Gatssm ll, cosy stag With a aJ nights, things quickly regular D riotous.

- Fuse

Plug

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“The Leadmill is one of the greatest music ven field. Opened in 19 , it’s ues in Shefseen pantomimes put on by Jar vis Cocke80 r, as we ll as headline gigs from Arctic Monkeys venue it’s unbeatable,anbudt the Libertines. As an indie the Leadmill has so much more to offer!

“Electro-swing/retro night Itchy Feet almost always sells out within days. Popula r weekly nights include Shag and Sonic, where cha more electic Northern Soul rt music mixes with and disco music.”

- Fuse

is the “Sheffield reenest city. It’s the r? g e . It’s th ore could you ask fo f it. big villagety o ci . What m ke the most safest largening of a new life. Ma eorge, It’s the begin ing AlunaG e se to . rd g play at Plu king forwa “We’re losvoegas and Mikill Pane rm Gla ’ It, a platfo hed Plugginill be able to c n u la y tl n rece o w “We’ve alsboands, DJs and VJs, wthhemselves to the Plug t l u o ca b a (and for lo ave listened ck and a bPio h a tr m a a te d a g lu lo up online.” ce the website. Onnced) they will share it n e da - Flick Heid

Design by Manuel Andres Fuentes Zepeda

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Friday September 20 2013

Fuse. games SAINTS rOW iv

Xbox 360/PS3/PC/Mac 8/10

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ridiculous franchise made even more ridiculous Saints Row IV will have you sprinting faster than you can drive, throwing fireballs at enemies and using telekinesis.

While it’ll win no awards for emotional storyline or heartbreaking character development, this might be one of the most fun games we’ve ever played.

Saints Row IV started out life as ‘Enter the Dominatrix’, added content for Saints Row: The Third. The developers realised that their ideas and aspirations had evolved into something too big, too independent to simply add-on to an existing game.

“It sounds crazy and it is”

Whilst some were sceptical, worried the developers were needlessly fleshing out their content to warrant a new release, Saints Row IV is far from an overpriced piece of DLC. The biggest change to gameplay is the introduction of superpowers.

Where before, Saints Row’s focus on gang war and city-driven missions made it comparable to (and often accused of being a knock-off of)

Grand Theft Auto, this bizarre element really helps to make the game its own.

Following an over-the-top intro which establishes your character as a somewhat eccentric President of the United States, aliens take over and place remaining humans in a Matrix-like simulation, in which you can use superpowers.

It sounds crazy, and it is, but it’s an oddly believable frame for the creation of this gaming world. Despite superpowers, you are not invincible, the game is often a challenge on the harder difficulties.

To improve your character and their powers, you can buy upgrades with the in-game currency “cache” and complete challenges to unlock special items.

Some of the challenges, however, are not very well thought out. One requires you to travel over 470 miles in vehicles, and since you can run faster than cars, this challenge can end up becoming a tedious grind for the completionist.

Another niggle for achievementhunters is the ‘Four and Forty’ achievement, which might well be fine if you’re taking things slow.

However, powering through the campaign and completing all activities and collectibles will take just over 30 hours. This leaves an annoying amount of time to faff around Steelport in order to unlock your last achievement (or, you can cheat and leave your console on all day).

The actual storytelling is vastly improved from prior Saints Row games.

In place of the previous fragmented structure, involving the removal of gangs one at a time, the story in Saints Row IV is one single narrative which always heads towards the same goal. With one main villain you’re constantly wanting to beat, the game keeps you focused from start to finish.

“The giant pink dildo is still an available weapon”

The activities are no longer unrelated to the main story, while they are still optional mini-games they are framed as side-missions that you complete to disrupt the simulation. This helps with the structure of a single goal and feels less like you’re just distracting yourself from the main story.

Saints Row games are known for their immature humour, and while Saints Row IV does not shy away from this (the giant pink dildo is still an available weapon), some aspects of the humour are more intelligent.

The game directly parodies The Matrix, Mass Effect, Metal Gear Solid, patriotic Americans and the entire epic action film genre. Pop

culture references are found in cutscenes and in-game dialogue, which is a nice break from the usual toilet humour.

Saints Row IV will not impress anyone with its storytelling or graphics. It’s not inspirational or emotional, but it’s not trying to be.

What we’ve got here is a game that proves realism is not a measure of a great game, and being a little silly isn’t such a bad thing. You might be surprised at how much fun you’ll have playing Saints Row IV. Reece Nunn

CULT CORNER

Oddworld: Abe’s Oddysee

PlayStation/PC/Game Boy

Total War: Rome II PC 7/10

A

rguably the king of Real Time Strategy (RTS), Rome: Total War was loved for mechanics that allow you to take control of a faction, work with your allies and dominate your enemies by military, economic or political means.

As the name of the game might tell you, the game is set at the founding of the Roman Republic.

The main focus of the game is the relationship and eventual wars between the Romans and the Carthaginians. But you can play as nearly any faction on the map, from the Western Barbarians across Europe to the Persians.

One of the pushed features of Rome II was groups of influence vying for power within a single faction, the idea being to create more of a political struggle internally

as well as externally. Firstly, it’s so poorly implemented they may as well not have bothered. And secondly, the mechanic is only available for a handful of factions.

Graphically the game looks fantastic and runs smoothly. It feels a lot better optimised than previous installments.

The level of detail is truly amazing, the weather system is great and the addition of an actioncamera means you can get mindblowing cinematic shots - between commanding your army anyway.

Multi-player is back with a fairly enjoyable co-op campaign. Although it’s perfectly functional, the multi-player does seem stripped down in comparison to its predecessors.

If you’re already a fan of the Total War franchise then you’ll be happy to hear not a lot has changed; it still feels very much like a Total War game. However, if you’re a big RTS fan in general then you’ll probably be disappoint-

ed that some of Rome II’s features have been ‘stream-lined’ - which just means they took a bunch of strategy out of a strategy game.

All things considered, Total War: Rome II feels more like a remake of the original than it does a sequel.

It’s a good installment to the Total War franchise but not the master of all elements we were promised.

Niall Bird

Follow us on Twitter @ForgeGames

W

ith a remake of Abe’s Oddysee expected to hit the shelves this Christmas, it’s important to recall what made this game particularly special.

Abe’s Oddysee focuses on the adventures of Abe, a Mudokon slave, who overhears he and his brethren are to be massacred and made into tasty new snacks. It is up to Abe to escape the slaughterhouse and bring down RaptureFarms.

Abe is not a pumped-up superhero but an everyman who finds himself in the wrong place at the wrong time. His personality, after that, is up to the player. Thriving to save your brothers will win their loyalty whereas bruteforcing your

way through the campaign will banish Abe to the meat-processor.

Littered with complex puzzles and very little explanation on how to solve them, the game bravely refuses to hold your hand through the tough bits but similarly doesn’t help you out when you’re genuinely stuck.

The game suffers from a lack of saving options, permitting only one save per check-point – a feature not really suited to a game with long levels and a steep difficulty curve.

Abe’s Oddysee is a testament to the puzzle-platforming genre and only time will tell if Oddworld Inhabitants can recreate the magic of the original.

Joanne Butcher

11

Friday September 20 2013

Fuse. arts stuart: A Life backwards Crucible Theatre 10/10

H

aving only first been performed at this year’s Edinburgh Festival, Alexander Masters’ Stuart: A Life Backwards, the touching tale of troubled homeless man Stuart Shorter and his unlikely friendship with author and homeless worker Alexander Masters, is now showing at Sheffield’s Studio Theatre.

Stuart: A Life Backwards, written for the stage by the tremendously talented Jack Thorne, perhaps best known for his contribution to the writing of BAFTA winning Mini-Series This Is England ’88 (as well as ’86), is adapted from the book of the same title written by Masters himself.

The plot of the piece revolves initially around Masters’ early relationship with Stuart as they worked together to help the homeless. The play goes on to depict how eventually Masters came to chronicle the life of an extraordinary individual whose unfortunate circumstances continually meant a life of great hardship.

WE ARE 20 Workstation 9/10

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he Showroom Workstation is a cultural centre point for Sheffield. Most of us know it as the building that houses our own independent cinema only a stones throw away from the city centre, but the Workstation’s history could also be a starting point for people wanting to know more about the history of Sheffield itself.

In 1988 a report was submitted to Sheffield City Council Department of Economic Development entitled ‘Cultural Industries in Sheffield’. It examined the Cultural Industries Quarter, which was completely derelict following the collapse of the city’s steel industry. With the council intent on creating new jobs, the conversion of the building

BOOK CORNER THE MARRIAGE PLOT Jeffrey Eugenides 8/10

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effrey Eugenides’ third novel after the Virgin Suicides and Middlesex, The Marriage Plot effortlessly portrays the stresses of navigating that middle ground of life between being a full time student and full time responsible adult, something racing towards all of us at Sheffield.

The three main characters are Madeleine, a privileged English graduate, Leonard, a damaged scientist heading for a research program and Mitchell, a religious studies major heading to India to ‘find himself’. The characters all

According to Fraser Ayres, who takes the piece’s lead role as Stuart Shorter, Stuart: A Life Backwards essentially tells “the captivating and remarkable story of a tourist turned participant”. The play develops to illustrate how as Masters’ improbable bond to a mentally and physically challenged homeless man was established, he became unsurprisingly fixated on trying to both understand and share the story of such an astonishing life lived completely out of sight.

“I’m not an island, and you’re not wearing a funny hat; you can’t discover me”

He delivers a mesmerising performance in a role that allows for, in his own words, such “a beautiful dichotomy of… warmth and dark”. It is wholly unsurprising to know that Ayres was nominated for Best Actor in The Stage Awards for Acting Excellence for his portrayal of Stuart during the play’s run in Edinburgh.

Running for 90 minutes from start to finish, Stuart: A Life Backwards is an intense representation of an extraordinary modern story that gives a serious voice to very contemporary social issues with great humility and sensitivity.

With a cast and script that will prompt both plentiful fits of laughter and possibly tears, this is one performance that deserves, and needs, to be seen.

Dale Callaghan

Even given that almost every aspect of this production is nearing faultless, Ayres is irrefutably the plays greatest asset (even against Thorne’s characteristic skill and authenticity).

began so to revive the city’s economy. This exhibition, which took the form of photographs of the site before, during and after its transformation has a very personal feel to it as well as being a homage to the economic potential of the creative industry.

The work of photographers

Shaun Bloodworth, Matthew Conduit, Hugo Glendinning, Graham Gaunt, and Mark Harvey was displayed in the upper level of the Workstation that gave a chronological account of the history of the building. Flowing around the room were the photographs that started as black and white

images of a building gutted and left to ruin to bright and vibrant photographs of the smiling people who work there today. There were also quotes from interviews with the people who made the place what it is today. These were taken from the research of Dr. Marta Herrero of the University of

Sheffield who encouraged these people to remember the building and its cultural history.

Although the exhibit is not very large it is still worth seeking out as it gives a powerful account of a piece of Sheffield history. As they say, images can speak a thousand words.

Rhiannon Pickin

leave Brown University in 1982 on their own paths of self-discovery, however, these paths are marred by depression, self-doubt and failure. The relationships between the characters and the love and loss that fill them create a novel that is funny, poignant and gripping.

Anyone who has been in a seminar where everyone seems to be speaking a different language can relate to Madeleine’s experience of university, and Eugenides’ portrayal of Leonard and his depression is both eye opening and sympathetic.

Through the book’s intimate description that sometimes borders on being discomforting the reader comes to know and love the characters and their every flaw. This book has a lasting impact that leaves you

wondering what happened to them after the end and whether they managed to successfully ‘grow up’.

Kaia Mccoll

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

DOT COM

Friday September 20 2013

12

Fuse. music DEAF HAVANA

Old Souls Released September 16 4/10

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orfolk rockers Deaf Havana are back with their third album, Old Souls, but contrary to the title’s suggestion the band is moving on in style with this release – for better or worse? That partly depends on how attached you are to their previous output, but also good taste.

The band’s fame has grown steadily since their humble university beginnings in 2005. Their first album, Meet Me Halfway, At Least is relentless and dense, packed with screamo from Ryan Mellor, and they toured it with Metal Hammer Magazine. Fools and Worthless Liars, without Mellor, took on a tighter pop-punk sound (note that Matt O’Grady, of You Me At Six, produced both albums) and had a lot of deserved critical and commercial success. Unfortunately Old Souls has hardly any of their original sound, instead opting for an indie pop vibe that might cause fans substantial disappointment – and new listeners also.

Old Souls lacks the sheer drive of Havana’s first album and the

thoughtful brilliance of their second. Instead it relies on upbeat rhythms and rocky pep to win over a radio crowd, both the opening track ‘Boston Square’ and single ‘Mildred’ have been Radio 1’s ‘Hottest Track in the World’.

They’re perhaps attempting to emulate the style of successful groups like You Me At Six, whose most commercially viable album Sinners Never Sleep is actually very listenable, but they’ve lost themselves in the process. The guitar riffs are neat and twee, the instrumentation relies on thoughtful acoustic guitar and some other instruments thrown in as a wild stab at variation, and Veck-Gilodi’s crooning lyrics communicate hardly anything genuine or original. In ‘Subterrenean Bullshit Blues’ he informs the listener that “all I know is that I’m wasting my time.” We are too, Deaf Havana, we are too.

Some will like the album. It has a catchiness to it and cute xylophone contribution in places, but Old Souls is hackneyed and unoriginal – this reviewer, for one, has had enough of empty indie radio pop and it’s sad to see Havana walk down that cash-laden route.

Camille Brouard

WET nUNS

Wet Nuns Released October 7 9/10

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et Nuns would probably describe their debut album as “Satan sucking on the talon of an eagle who, whilst heroically soaring above the clouds, gets minced by a jet engine’s propellers.” Or something similarly gnarly.

Three plays in and Wet Nuns are still shouting their heads off, but from a band whose genre is

self-proclaimed ‘death blues’ and whose tracklist boasts shiners such as ‘Throttle’, ‘Hanging’ and ‘Broken Teeth’, that’s no surprise.

Wet Nuns is just a taster of the kind of whisky-drenched, distortion heavy rock’n’roll the band have been hurling out over the past three years, and as such it makes for impressive, bracing listening. It feels fully formed and completely ruthless, with each thundering riff leading seamlessly into the next: ‘No Death’ and ‘Heavens Below’ are so well knitted together that they form a sort of wall of metal, whilst ‘Throttle’ is so ballsy that it

catches you unaware with a bigger guitar onslaught in the final 20 seconds.

Lead single ‘Hanging’ is one of the album’s more bluesy offerings, with its Jekyll and Hyde guitar work which is jagged, tortured and sultry in the same instance. It’s also a sort of Devil’s crossroads, where the songs become less likely to headbutt you in the crotch and more likely to talk to it.

‘Broken Teeth’ is so savagely priapic it basically swings, and the grisly ‘Don’t Wanna See Your Face No More’, with its series of breakdowns and choruses, pushes vocals, drums and guitars to the edge. It’s ‘Only Sometimes’, acting like an interval at a bullfight, which provides the album’s only few minutes of respite. It’s beautiful, minor-keyed and pensive whilst retaining the strong riff work characteristic of this album.

Wet Nuns is a good, old fashioned aural assault built around the duo’s well honed sound and solid cojones. ‘Death blues’ as a genre may be well explored territory, and no one’s a stranger to rock’n’roll, but the album’s ten tracks never sound anything less than original and exciting. In fact, Wet Nuns is the opposite: the musical equivalent of someone throwing punch after punch into a sore blister. You won’t hear anything like it in 2013.

Rachel Smith

PINS

Girls Like Us Released September 30 5/10

T WHAT’S ON YOUR PLAYLIST?

Mohammed Yusuf Dentistry

James Ord Biology

Favourite band: Maher Zain Favourite track right now: ‘Euphoria’ - Loreen

Favourite band: Radiohead Favourite track right now: ‘Creep’ - Radiohead

his year has already been great for girls and guitars.

The likes of California trio HAIM have stormed their way through the music world this year opening a path up behind them, and it looks like Manchester band PINS will slot in nicely.

These girls grew up on bands like My Bloody Valentine and the Jesus and Mary Chain and may sound more New York-grunge than ‘Madchester’ pop but my word, it’s nice to have some female influence around in the music world.

The opening to ‘Stay True’ sounds like something Florence Welch would spread her ethereal tendrils over if she woke up one day with black hair instead of red. It’s all hard girls and mean attitudes but the intricate guitar-ing shows that this band know their stuff. For fans of the Dum Dum girls, Girls Like Us isn’t far from the style of Dee Dee and Frankie Rose, but with that extra injection of British punk which is hard to recreate outside of our rainy island.

Where Girls Like Us falls down

PINS: Elle Brotherhood though is its repetitiveness. PINS are clearly very good at being a girl rock band in 2013 but their tendency towards monotony means they may not break away from the indie blogosphere, and the issue of falling into the same genre as bands like Best Coast and Warpaint may mean that fans feel they’ve listened to a similar concept four albums earlier.

PINS may not be revolutionary but they are definitely showing the pop world that female artists don’t need auto-tune in this day and age to make an interesting record. Sadly, whilst it is inter-

esting, Girls Like Us lacks that fundamental hook that bands like HAIM have been able to produce in their music. It’s still worth a listen, if only once.

Amelia Heathman More reviews online

Read more reviews online at Forge Today

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UPCOMING: DRAKE:NOTHING WAS THE SAME / CHVRCHES:THE BONES OF WHAT YOU BELIEVE / HAIM:DAYS ARE GONE X

Friday September 20 2013

13

Fuse. music SWIM DEEP

Monday September 16 Queens Social Club

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right green left-over Tramlines wristbands are being handed out to the over 18s as we walk in mid-set to four-piece Wolf Alice. It’s not long before we clock that a very small percentage of gig-goers are not wearing the wristbands, who are instead ogling the alcohol longingly. This is Swim Deep’s fanbase; underage, aspiring hipsters who enjoy being thin, tartan oversized shirts and the Libertines.

Londoners Wolf Alice is intriguing and decidedly more forceful than their headliners, although the crowd are hesitant in switching loyalty. Ellie Rowsell’s vocals are drowsy and

sweet, retaining a pop-punk din, that foregrounds reserved drumming and guitars.

When Swim Deep take to the stage and begin expressing their undying love for Sheffield as the town that will start their September tour, fangirls go wild, screaming and clutching at the stage. The band begin by pulling out tracks from Where the Heaven We Are, Swim Deep’s debut released earlier this year, such as ‘The Sea’ and ‘She Changes the Weather’. A devoted crowd sing along word-forword, cooing along appropriately to the “oohs” and “ahhs” that make up a strong fraction of Swim Deep songs.

Perhaps it wasn’t the best decision to cover Cyndi Lauper’s ‘Girls Just Want to Have Fun’ next. “If Cyndi was here,” singer Austin

laughs, “we think she’d enjoy this”.

We’re barely enjoying it Austin, so we dread to think what Cyndi would make of this apathetic and drab debacle. Washed-out vocals make this overdone (albeit timeless) track tedious. We’re thinking Swim Deep are in desperately in need of water-arms, because this set is floundering.

An encore ensures, where skinny fans clamber on stage exhilarated.

It’s hilarious seeing kids throwing themselves around like paper, moshing without restraint and gyrating against each other. Still, these are pretty cool 16-year-olds and they’re clearly having a wicked time.

Nicky Crane

Shonen Knife: Chris/AZNpopculure.com

SHONEN KNIFE

Friday September 6 Queens Social Club

“

Wolf Alice: Nicky Crane

FUCK BUTTONS

Wednesday September 11 Rescue Rooms, Nottingham

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bsolute darkness descends on the Rescue Rooms, and after a little bit of awkward eyeballing with the crowd, the Haxan Cloak begins his half hour of dread.

With tracks taken from both his critically acclaimed sophomore LP Excavation, an album based on the after-death journey. His self-titled debut is themed around someone’s final days, and so it’s a little like being plunged into the deepest darkest pit of despair, with only the occasional pulse of a strobe light to know you’re still part of this world.

Visually, it’s a guy stood behind a table, but that’s not what this is about. Sonically, it’s fantastic, the

pulsating rhythms and bass literally washing over you in waves of ribcage rattling doom, which makes it the perfect opener for the main event, Fuck Buttons.

With a giant glitter ball and projection screen behind them and heat seeking cameras in front, they are superb. The cameras are picking up on Andrew Hung and Benjamin Power’s every move and blasting it to the screen behind in a series of psychedelic pulsations, mangling to the eyes. The bigger problem, however, is what’s happening to your ears due to their unbelievably loud warped electronic beats.

Fresh from their appearance on the 2012 Olympics sound track, as F Buttons (for the kiddies), there’s a plethora of middle aged men swaying rhythmically to tracks from all three of their albums. The main focus is on their 2013 release Slow

Konnichiwa! Konnichiwa! Let’s have a good time tonight!” sings bassist Ritsuko, drummer Emi and guitarist Naoko as they open the show, beginning the night with a delightful enthusiasm that would follow through the rest of the performance.

The trio are beaming as they tell the crowd they haven’t played in Sheffield for about 20 years, something the crowd are clearly thankful they’ve rectified. All three are decked out in matching 70s style shift tops that compliment the bright pink tinsel backdrop and their crimson guitars. The crowd is lapping it, reeling from the energy and unadulterated cuteness surging out of tracks ‘Banana Chips’ and personal favourite ‘I am a Cat’, and yet they retain that punk rock attitude, pulling out the sign of the horns now and again, all the while singing unashamedly about sweet little cats on flying saucers.

As the set continues songs be-

come gradually heavier, more akin to their Nirvana-esque beginnings, performing tracks such as ‘Cobra Versus Mongoose’ from 1993 album Rock Animals. This is what the crowd adores; the head-banging and guitar solo pandemonium that rocketed Shonen Knife to fame back in the nineties.

The threesome’s relentless energy leaves the fans chanting for more when the set eventually draws to a close. The band happily (because the state of unhappiness doesn’t seem to exist in their vocabulary) obliges, newly dressed in Shonen Knife t-shirts, gracing us with a forceful rendition of the Carpenters song ‘Top of the World’ that quickly gets a mosh-pit forming.

The smiles continue as signing sessions ensue after the show, leaving gig goers even more besotted with this must-see Japanese band.

Nicky Crane

Focus, a noise-electronica tour-deforce.

From this ‘The Red Wing’ is definitely the highlight. More melodic than a usual Fuck Buttons piece, it serves as an island in a sea of distorted shredding synths, maddeningly loud bass and drums, which repeats over and again, drawing the listener in some kind of tribal ritual, washing them with seas of resonance.

After around an hour and a half (and only about eight or nine ginormous tracks), they’re gone with a timid wave of acknowledgement to the thronging crowd. Visually stunning, sonically relentless, and combined, a joy.

Joe Carr

Follow us on Twitter @ForgePressMusic Shonen Knife: Chris/AZNpopculure.com

UPCOMING: CSS: PLUG SEPT 21 / TIM BURGESS: QUEENS SOCIAL CLUB SEPT 22 / NADINE SHAH: THE HARLEY SEPT 26

Friday September 20 2013

14

Fuse. screen In A world Dir: Lake Bell 8/10

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pened by the three words that make up its title, In A World is a thoughtprovoking and enjoyably humorous film, depicting the power of words and how we use our voice.

The film revolves around Carol Solomon (Lake Bell), a struggling vocal coach, who we first see attempting to help Eva Longoria enunciate her ‘F’s. Carol’s father, voice-over star Sam Soto (Fred Melamed), has overshadowed her for most of her adult life with his fame, but after forcing her to move out so his young, sickly-sweet girlfriend can move in, he inadvertently jolts her into making a definitive career step.

Carol makes a decisive bid to overturn the long-upheld tradition of male voice-overs. Pitted against her father and fellow voice-over star Gustav Warner (Ken Marino),

she attempts to become the voicing star of a new quadrilogy of films called the Amazon Games. (If you watch the trailer carefully, Cameron Diaz makes a short cameo as a war-painted warrior).

Part of the reason it works so well is that Lake Bell writes, directs and stars in the film, bringing it seamlessly to fruition as Carol. Bell’s clumsy, quirky protagonist is witty and lovable in her struggle to rise above the patriarchal oppression of her vocation. Her eccentricity creates plenty of laughs when she discretely tries to record strangers in the laundrette for her accent archives.

Melamed is a huge screen presence in his role as Sam, making impressive work of his character’s struggle between the desire to triumph in the competition and the desire to be a supportive father.

Marino plays misogynistic rival Gustav; an ideal character for an audience who love to hate the bad guy.

This low-budget satire is incred-

ibly witty, with stand-out characters and a straight-forward plot.

Realistic overlaps in conversation are then countered by profound, stand-alone utterances, showing, rather creatively, the potency we can make our words have, and how much our words can influence others.

Bell, after being intrigued by the ‘omniscient’ voice behind trailers, discovered that few film trailers actually make use of female voice-overs. As a result, she moved to create a film that innovatively explores a little-documented industry, and expresses the prejudices it holds. As well as successfully doing this, In A World makes for an original and fun take on family life.

It’s an unexpected goldmine for feminism and a feel-good comedy that promotes strength in solidarity, and an appreciation of language.

Kate Lovatt

SMALL SCREEN Legend of korra: series 2, episode 1 7/10

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he hotly anticipated series two premiere of Legend of Korra begins six months on from the explosive series one finale, reigniting the captivating plot that made the first series so popular. Despite appearing distanced from each other, Korra, Mako and Bolin are thrown back into the usual Avatar-style adventure when it is decided that Korra should visit her home, the Southern Water Tribe, for the Glacier Spirits Festival.

The group are then attacked by resentful spirits, and only Unalaq, Korra’s uncle, is able to stop them.

Korra chooses him to be her new teacher, over a disgruntled Tenzin,

CULT CORNER Lady vengeance Dir: Park Chan-wook

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rought to life by director Chan-wook Park in 2005, Lady Vengeance is a Korean crime thriller that depicts the transition of Lee Geum-ja (Lee Yeong-ae) from naïve young woman, into ruthless killer.

After being wrongly imprisoned for 13 and a half years for the kidnap and murder of a young boy, Park Won-mo, Geum-ja is released from prison and commences working on her plan to have revenge on Mr Baek, for whose crime she was incarcerated.

In Korean with English subtitles, Lady Vengeance begins light-heartedly, but rapidly descends into

incredibly dark scenes of violence, murder and rape. Despite its increasingly sinister plot, there are still surprising moments of humour throughout that work unexpectedly well as a counter to the bleak issues explored.

Rarely does such a transgressive film so expertly combine emotional turmoil and violent behaviour to show the unforgiving side of human nature. Lee Yeong-ae is masterful in her role as the protagonist and creates a remarkable depth of character through her acting.

The thriller is dark not only in content, but also in colour, with red and black cropping up as recurring symbols; Geum-ja’s scarlet eye-shadow is a constant reminder of her transformation for people who knew her as ‘Geum-ja the kind-hearted’. The flashbacks to her time in prison is also a useful

way of exploring her change in persona as she makes contacts and connections by helping those in need. When it comes to utilising those contacts, their shock at her transformation is evident, but most interestingly, none of them seem able to decide whether she has descended into darkness, or is rising to her salvation.

Lady Vengeance is the third in the Vengeance trilogy, following Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance in 2002 and Oldboy in 2003. Although not chronologically related, all three have connecting themes of vengeance and redemption (who would have guessed it), making for a disturbing, yet psychologically profound watch.

Kate Lovatt

and they depart for the South Pole to save the Southern Water Tribe from the spirits plaguing it.

The change in setting is a pleasant development, as it allows us to get reacquainted with familiar characters. It also sets up the Southern Water Tribe to be the base for the coming series.

The first series was praised for the way it introduced and dealt with current issues such as terrorism and segregation, and the series two premiere looks set to delve into similarly demanding political topics. ‘Rebel Spirit’ (episode one) sets up the importance of family and loyalty as a key theme for the series, and wastes no time in testing the relationships between characters – particularly that of Korra and her father, who she learns was banished from the Northern Water Tribe.

As in the first series, Korra remains the fiery, attitude-fuelled

female protagonist that will make any feminist leap for joy. Mako has little to do aside from advise her on difficult decisions, but Bolin is comedy gold as always, creating and diffusing awkward situations equally. He and Asami have less screen time due to the introduction of new characters like the unnerving Water Tribe twins, who add little to the plot. Their significance will likely become clear later in the series, but for now they add nothing in terms of personality.

The voice acting remains dynamic, and the animation is effortlessly elegant. Add this to the soft, artistic colours and you begin to understand the show’s popularity.

Although lacking in a little of the finesse that episodes from the previous series held, Legend of Korra certainly makes an energetic return to our screens.

Kate Lovatt

15

Friday September 20 2013

Rush

Dir: Ron Howard 8/10

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ast-paced in terms of script as well as driving scenes, Rush will exhilarate even those uninterested in all Formula 1 has to offer.

The film opens with Niki Lauda (Daniel Brühl) and James Hunt (Chris Hemsworth) taking turns to narrate how their rivalry would be changed by one fateful race in the 1976 German Grand Prix, when Lauda crashes on a wet track. A flash-

white house down Dir: Roland Emmerich 6/10

back then takes us six years back to their first meeting in Formula 3, and Rush proceeds chronologically from here, depicting the intense rivalry that sparks between the British playboy and the meticulously hard-working Austrian as they race with death on the tracks.

Based on a true story, director Ron Howard has created a thrilling biopic of conflict and competition, whose 70s setting has echoes of the style of his Frost/Nixon work. Lauda, a mechanical whizz, and Hunt, a charming daredevil are opposites as potent as fire and water. Hemsworth and Brühl play their parts

S

eptember’s offering to the terrorism movie scene takes the form of White House Down. Jamie Foxx and Channing Tatum take on James Woods, who played Hades in the 1997 cartoon adaptation of Hercules.

What, then, can you ask of such an awesome line-up, than gratuitous explosions, beautiful bad guy monologues and a good old fashioned kidnapping within the White House?

Martin Walker (Woods), top dog in the US Secret Service , decides to take his revenge on America via its seat of power, for its failings in Iraq.

Like many an antagonistic film character, Wa l k e r forgets a b o u t two key aspects: the lives lost on his death crusade, and the very, very muscular good guy coming after him in a suit with a gun. And I don’t mean James Bond.

Tatum’s John Cale takes it upon himself to escort the president (Foxx) to safety, armed with a rocket launcher, all the baddies’ guns and the power

flawlessly; Hemsworth’s immaculate British accent, tuned to perfection by his role in Thor, and arrogant yet charismatic persona draw the audience in, when by rights we should detest him. Brühl skilfully makes us sympathise with the diligent, but disliked Lauda, particularly during the treatment he undergoes after his accident. Rush is hotly tipped for Oscar nominations, and with acting this sublime it’s easy to see why.

Olivia Wilde, with an equally impressive British accent, plays Hunt’s neglected wife whose charm rivals his own. Natalie Dormer is alluring as Gemma, a nurse at the hospital of whispering. Of course, when up against relatively un-dangerous men, all of the evil henchmen are complete pansies. But that’s ok, because they’re all emotionally connected, which is a foolproof strategy from the leader that chose them.

Director Roland Emmerich does a grand job with both the multi-vehicular and armed close-combat fight scenes. Every one of the hundreds and thousands of explosions, all of varying size and impact, can be intricately traced back to its owner; if you can be bothered.

With such a small playground to destroy, the production team had to use their imaginations and involve some conspiratorial secret passages and mysterious panic rooms, heard of only in legend, such as JFK’s Monroe tunnels. This opens out the playing field a little, which is refreshing, considering it was likely to all be filmed in various bedrooms and conference rooms.

Full of wisecracks from a token racially sound super-duo, White House Down simply doesn’t match expectations. If anything saves the film it’s an excellent performance from Joey King (Cale’s daughter, Emily), and the surprisingly comic addition of the tour guide, Donnie, played by Nicholas Wright. Emily provides a mixed focus of concrete sympathy for a little girl caught up in trouble, and tech-whizz video blogger; Donnie, meanwhile, keeps coming up with distracting quips and sarcastic one-liners.

All in all it’s a thoroughly enjoyable film, but White House Down is nothing special. The lack of imaginative shots and fight scenes lets down what had the potential to be quite fantastic. Also, it’s almost exactly the same film as its cousin, which was released just months before, Olympus Has Fallen.

Will Ross

that Hunt charms out of her clothes and into bed (anyone would think it were The Tudors). Neither receives as much screen time as Alexandra Maria Lara in her role of Lauda’s wife Marlene, but even she is a secondary character, with the main drama centring entirely around the two men.

The film boasts some stunning visuals; colours are more vibrant on the racecourse (a clever expression of the adrenaline that the drivers experience), and a scene in slow motion of rain hitting the track is breathtakingly memorable, however brief. Add that to a bountiful

Insidious: chapter 2 Dir: James Wan 3/10

F

ollowing on from the cliffhanger ending to its predecessor, Insidious: Chapter 2 tells the story of the strange old lady ghost that once possessed Josh.

It’s nowhere near as bad as you might expect. A lot of textbook horror moves, such as doors creaking open, fill the first half of the film until the story starts to unfold. Only then do we see any actual jumpy scenes.

Specs and Tucker provide some welcomed comic relief throughout the film, and allow a film aspect used in The Blair Witch Project and the Paranormal Activity films, the handheld camera. This allows for a few ‘turn around’ shocks to mix up the pace a little.

Sadly for Insidious fans, the Man with the Red Face doesn’t appear in the sequel, but there is the potential for a tangential sequel, revealed at the end. More time is instead spent explaining the spirits introduced previously, adding a physical world level of explanation.

score by Hans Zimmer, and the race scenes roar (quite literally) into life.

The conversations between Hunt and Lauda are perhaps the most insightful parts of the film, as we get to witness an unexpected friendship develop from the rivalry.

With a remarkable cast, Ron Howard has created perhaps his best work yet. Rush mixes drama on the track with clashing personalities off the track, to successfully bring the famous 70s rivalry back to life.

Kate Lovatt

Like in the original, Renai’s face doesn’t change once; Rose Byrne seems to have caught the Kristen Stewart acting curse, with a constant face like a slapped arse. It’s almost like her eyebrows have been painted onto her face at a perpetually annoying angle.

Steve Coulter plays Carl, Elise’s replacement in the psychic department. His character was relatively strong, and enables a new form of portable Further communication, lettered dice. They prove quite useful when on the move, unlike the gas mask drawing method seen before.

If you enjoyed the original, and fancy having your questions answered, it’s just about worth the money. Otherwise, choose something else to watch.

Will Ross

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