Fuse issue 63 by Forge Press

The Last Laugh MineSoc builds SU clubs Oxjam Celluloid Screams

Friday October 25 2013

short fuse. comments and rants on entertainment news.

editorial.

inter has tuly arrived in Sheffield, and with it comes another issue of

Rockstar make a valuable political point with GTA torture

he latest installment of the Grand Theft Auto series has not been without controversy. The game includes a mission where the player has to actively participate in torture in order to extract information. The mission cannot be skipped and involves such niceties as pulling teeth, kneebreaking and waterboarding. Many would say that this is another example of the gratuitous, amoral violence which peppers modern video games, and at first I would be inclined to agree with

them. However, as with many concepts within the Grand Theft Auto series the mission is actually an excellent satire, showing how disgraceful government sanctioned torture is. This message is portrayed through what happens once the torture is over. Trevor (one of the game's main characters and a known psychopath with extreme murderous tendencies) begins to feel some remorse over the suffering that he has caused the torturee, and instead of killing him as per his

orders, decides to drive him to the airport so that he can escape from Los Santos. During this drive Trevor explains how torture is actually a very poor method of extracting information, and instead only exists to serve the desires of the torturer. Through this Rockstar makes a strong point: if even a psychopathic, amoral serial killer disagrees with the use of torture then how on earth can it be right that governments continue to carry it out? If the mission concluded as the

torture ended then it would be gratuitous, and I would feel uncomfortable playing it. However, Rockstar have included it in order to make an important political point that most developers and publishers would shy away from, and have brought the issue of torture into the minds of many of those who would not usually consider it. For that, I applaud them. Robert Moran

David Byrne-s online music streaming

David Byrne: factmag.com

weden may be most well known for ABBA, IKEA and Volvo but in 2007 something truly incredible was launched there that is changing the way music is monetized. This is of course Spotify, and whilst consumers are finally getting to access music at a reasonable price, some wellrespected artists are not so pleased with their end of the deal. The latest to come forward has been David Byrne (of Talking Heads turned solo artist) in a convincing Guardian piece which leads with the dramatic statement: “The internet will suck all creative content out of the world”.

Wed Oct 30 4pm- 5pm, Studio, £3

Thriller

lass

Dance C

t’s close to 4pm on a Wednesday afternoon and you have a lurking feeling of needing to boogie. You see a sight that almost stops your heart, the opportunity to attend a ‘Thriller’ dance class in the Studio. You start to call all your friends to get them down for this wonderful event. You’re energised!

‘Cause this is thriller! A ‘Thriller’ dance class. And no one’s going to stop you from having the time of your life. ‘Cause this is thriller! A ‘Thriller’ dance class. There ain’t no second chance for this opportunity to dance. ‘Thriller’ dance, tonight. No previous dance experience necessary and bring a water bottle.

As much as I admire David Byrne, he is wrong. The fact is, if you want to listen to a wide variety of music, purchasing it all is out of the majority of people’s financial reach. Byrne cites that Daft Punk only made $26,000 from Spotify plays of their international summer hit ‘Get Lucky’, the point supposedly being that this is a depressingly low ceiling. However, he neglects to tell us that they also sold 7.3 million singles. Why didn’t these people just stream the song? I propose it’s because music on Spotify is only borrowed and not owned, a simple analogy being that people don’t stop buying books because there

are libraries. A well-trodden argument in streaming’s defence is that it provides a platform for new artists the chance to win over fans, which then funds them through gig tickets and merchandise. David Byrne seems to think this just doesn’t happen, and admittedly it is quite a weak point, but only because it’s so unquantifiable. So what’s the solution? Byrne admits he doesn’t have the answer, so I really fail to understand why he has even written the piece in first place. Jack Ross

Iceland’s creativity eruption

mid the ebullient geysers and mischievous volcanoes of Iceland, books are being written more per capita than in any other country. And they're being written by everyone. Or, at least, by one in 10 residents, according to the BBC. It's a strange thought. As you go about your day, try imagining that the bus driver, or the frantic, overworked woman behind the till at Tesco, or that weird, reclusive guy in your flat are all working on sprawling tomes of experimental surrealism, or gritty crime fiction. We shouldn't forget that the creation of great literary art is a full-time occupation and only those who devote themselves entirely to its precarious pursuit can become true masters. On the other hand, the process

of writing is valuable in itself, irrespective of the artistic merits of the text it produces. The creative impulse is a magical part of human nature and the more people who have the confidence to pursue it, the better. If e-publishing makes it easier for those people to propel their contributions into the maelstrom of the culture, then good luck to them. The obvious worry is that the more content available, the harder it becomes to sift through the dross and find the diamonds. More than ever, we need good filtering mechanisms to guide our reading habits, and that means intelligent professional reviewers; for all their faults, they're the only alternative to the hive-mind of the internet. Mark Wood

Fuse. We’ve scoured the far corners of the country to bring you excellent content including a Q&A with the cast of Ender’s Game with dreamy Harrison Ford and news of what our very own Minecraft society, MineSoc, have been up to following the opening of the new Union venues. It may be cold outside but festival season is far from over: this issue we have reviews of the Last Laugh Comedy festival and Sheffield’s Oxjam music festial. And for all you fear-addicts out there, the Celluloid Screams film festival is about to start and there is a gruesome preview piece for you to feast your eyes on. Amelia Heathman Kaz Scattergood

Our extremely scary Halloween cover comes from our new artist Jan Lüttgens. Want your art to be featured in the next issue? Email us at fuse@forgetoday.com

Friday October 25 2013

q&a. Kate Lovatt attended an event with the cast of sci-fi film Ender's Game, including Harrison Ford and Hailee Steinfeld Ender’s Game was published nearly 30 years ago, why has it taken so long to become a massive motion picture? Gigi Pritzker (producer): I had a nephew who read the book a long time ago and loved it, and this is a boy who had a hard time reading. So the fact that he read the book was shocking to me and I decided I needed to read it as well, and it was a terrific book he was right. And it took me 13 years to find Bob. Bob Orci (producer): And the technology didn’t fully exist. The effects had to be wonderful and audiences had to be hungry for it. Talking about the advancement of CGI, was it [the film] something that couldn’t have been made many years ago, so it’s now the right time to make this movie? Gavin Hood (writer and director): With technology, what’s happened is that we’ve reached a point now where visual effects really are so good that they can either be well used or abused. What I love about Ender’s Game is that is does have fantastic visual effects but it’s also a story and its heart is about great characters and great character interaction. Harrison then, turning to you, obviously a man who’s worked in this genre for many years and

you’ve seen CGI grow and change, what were the fundamental differences that you saw working now on Ender’s Game that maybe you didn’t see back in the late 70s and early 80s?

didn’t talk down to me, I loved that it celebrated intelligence, I loved that it had complicated themes, I loved that it was a great space adventure, so it kind of hit all the sweet spots for a 12-year-old.

Harrison Ford (Colnel Graff): In the olden days, and I was there, you put bits together and then you made a physical prop and you photographed it. Now you can create it in a computer, and that’s basically the difference. The computer graphic allows you the potential, as Gavin mentioned, to exceed human scale. It’s a great aid to imagination and one of the best things about science fiction, I think, is the bandwidth of imagination that you can use.

What about for your Asa? Did you ever read it or did you get the script and then go back to the book, how was it for you?

How was it for you Asa and Hailee then venturing into the world of sci-fi, what was it like working with CGI? Asa Butterfield (Ender): It was really exciting. Neither of us had done a film with this level of special effects and when you’re hanging there 20 feet off the ground surrounded by green screen and all you’ve got is the other action and the wonderful Gavin Hood shouting instructions at you as to what’s going on, it’s a really interesting experience. Let me talk about the book for a second as well, how familiar were you all with the book? Bob: I’m excited to read it, it sounds great. I read it in 7th grade when I was 12 years old and I loved that it

Asa: Yeah I read it just after I got the script and I’m a massive fan of science fiction so it was right up my street. For me, not just the character of Ender, but the whole world is so beautifully crafted in the novel that I wasn’t sure how it could be brought to the screen, but Gavin has done it justice, and he’s done it amazingly. Hailee and Asa let me talk more about your characters, because they’re at the real heart of this. Let’s talk about the character relationships that you guys have. Hailee Steinfeld (Petra): When you meet my character Petra, you meet her at a time when she’s been at the battle school for quite a while. When you meet Ender, he’s instantly doubted by everyone else at the battle school because they wonder how he’s going to catch up with them. You could assume that my character, being one of very few girls at the battle school, and being the only girl in the Salamander army, got quite a bit of the same doubt from other people around her. So when they meet each other

they’re really not looking for anything but a friend. Gigi, you have an incredible cast, it’s like a who’s who of Academy Awards and nominees, was this the dream you had all those years ago? Gigi: Oh I think at first, but in reality it’s become something extraordinary. I think when you have material as good as this it attracts incredible talent on all sides of the camera. The people we have that Gavin’s mentioned, our production designers, our stunt coordinaters are all fans of the book and all people who wanted to see this film get made. Bob: Yeah people ask us ‘so what’s the process of deciding on Sir Ben and Harrison Ford?’ and I say to them you don’t decide on them, they decide on you. Let’s move on to Sir Ben Kingsley then, you have this incredible look in the film, let’s talk about the facial tattoos you have, they’re stunning. How many hours of makeup were you in everyday to get that look? Ben Kingsley (Mazer): It started off as two hours and went down to an hour and 10. But I went very still in makeup, I don’t chatter, I gently run my lines through in my head. I just close my eyes, let the guys do their work and never look in the mirror, and after that hour 10 I open my eyes and there he [his character] is.

We need to talk about the training school and the zero gravity because it’s like something we’ve never seen cinematically before. Asa, what was that like? Asa: That was so much fun. We had quite a few weeks before filming practicing with the crew, getting up in the wires and just experiencing what it was like. After that we had an astronaut come in who showed us what it was really like to be in zero gravity, because often it’s stereotyped as being very slow and sluggish, but in reality it really isn’t. One last question, they always say that a director has one sci-fi movie within them because they are such hard work; what are the unique challenges of sci-fi and also are we going to get a sequel? Bob: We always say it’s bad luck to count your sequels before they hatch. If we are lucky enough for anything like that to happen, we want to know what audiences think and want to know what was inspiring and what wasn’t and make that part of whatever any future development would be. So although I have a title, we just barely finished this movie and want to make sure it gets all the respect it deserves and not think about what should happen next.

Tickets: £2.50

Available from the SU box office

Elysium: Fri Oct 27 19:30

Anchorman: Fri Nov 1 19:30

This is the End: Sun Nov 3 19:30

Friday October 25 2013

With a host of famous faces guaranteed to tickle your funny bone, the Last Laugh Comedy Festival 2013 is not to be missed.

he comedy scene in Sheffield is booming. It is a city with a long comedic heritage and the Last Laugh Comedy Club also stands as one of the longest running comedy clubs in the country. The Last Laugh has regularly run comedy nights with performances across several of the city’s top venues, such as the Lyceum theatre and the Sheffield Memorial Hall. In 2005, Sheffield comic favourite Toby Foster teamed up with Scott Barton and Yellow Bus Events to bring us Grin Up North – the Sheffield Comedy Festival, an event that has been well received and loved year after year. Now, as a 20th anniversary celebration of the Last Laugh in Sheffield, the event is re-launched as the Last Laugh Comedy Festival, a month long celebration of comedy with a host of comedic talent from across the UK and all over the world. In past years people such as Michael McIntyre, Ross Noble, Dylan Moran and Tim Minchin have appeared in the line-up, just to name a few. In 2013, audiences can expect to see some of the best comedians at affordable prices. This week, Fuse reviews a wide range of these acts, including performances by Tony Law, Russell Kane, Andy Parsons and Alexander Armstrong.

Russell Kane - Smallness As the lights dimmed, the murmurs of the audience faded in anticipation. Russell Kane’s voice began to bellow through the speakers as he introduced himself with a reference to a persistent heckler encountered by his warm-up act Steve Bugeja, “Ladies, gentlemen, and Matt!” It became clear at the preliminary stage of the show that Kane would succeed in squeezing every last laugh out of the Lyceum. Throughout the show, Kane took his audience through three areas of British smallness. The first was British reserve and our innate inward behaviour that leaves us first fearing ‘Who saw?’ before even contemplating pain when we fall. The second was a child-like appreciation for the small things in life and constantly looking towards the next big step in life. The third was about wishing you were back were you once were, that longing to be back at home under your mum’s wing when you’re suffering from a combination of fresher’s flu and a battered liver!

Raven Levi Tolson

Tony Law - Nonsense Overdrive Hot on the heels of his Fosters-nominated show last year, ‘Nonsense Overdrive’ is Tony Law’s attempt to see if lightening can indeed strike twice. Laced with the same absurdity and dreamlike tangents that spiked his previous sets, ‘Nonsense Overdrive’ definitely lives up to its name. At one point, Law refers to a girl in the front row who clearly isn’t finding his ramblings as funny as her mother. Law knows why. Not everyone stays on-board with his sporadic story-telling, jumping in and out of different accents for no reason and riffing with audience members who aren’t actually heckling him. But for someone who is tapped into Law’s sense of humour/timing/madness, then Law’s new show is packed with good ideas. But sadly, not all of them work.

If you like Law’s unreal anecdotes and buzzing intellect, then the lacklustre of ‘Nonsense Overdrive’ can be forgiven. However, if you find yourself lost in the buffoonery of a man who really needs to pull up his trousers, then you might not easily excuse his failings.

Andy Parsons – I’ve Got a Shed

Joanne Butcher

With his south-west twang, Andy Parsons of Mock the Week fame wastes no time in testing the waters with some rather crude, but absolutely hilarious, anecdotes. The fact that most of these stories mostly involve Andy embarrassing himself, either by falling off the back of a bus, enjoying a massage a little too much or getting locked outside a hotel completely naked makes you feel like you’re just listening to a mate recalling a funny story down the pub. In a good way. Highly entertaining in Mock the Week, Andy Parsons completely comes into his own in a solo set. Basically, if you enjoy laughing at the expense of others’ embarrassment, you’ll like Andy Parsons. I had a smile on my face for two hours, which on a grim Sunday night is some feat. Zoë Antell

Alexander Armstrong and His Band “What exactly were you expecting?” asks a sharp-suited Alexander Armstrong from the stage of the Lyceum theatre. From the sea of confused, middle-aged faces it’s apparent that no one honestly knew what they were expecting. Known for light tea-time entertainment on BBC gameshow Pointless and his comedic partnership with Ben Miller, Armstrong isn’t known for his aptitude with smooth jazz. The resulting 90 minutes proves to be a totally surreal, but genuinely entertaining Monday evening. A quick succession of beautifully-realised jazz standards, such as ‘Is You Is Or Is Your Ain’t?’ and ‘A Nightingale Sang in Berkley Square’ make it clear that Armstrong plans on playing this evening straight. Each song has clearly been carefully selected and is dearly loved by all involved. Closing joyously on Chas & Dave’s ‘Ain’t No Pleasing You’, the man currently conquering the BBC proves that he is a performer with many nuances. Alexander Armstrong and His Band successfully provide a safe and entertaining evening for all. But mostly middle-aged Pointless fans. Rhys Handley To read the rest of these reviews, visit our website at forgetoday.com For more information on The Last Laugh Comedy Festival, go to www. lastlaughcomedyfestival.co.uk/

Image: Sheffield City Council

Friday October 25 2013

Rebuilding the union venues took a year...or just 40 hours in Minecraft

tarting out as a small game about building whatever you can imagine, Minecraft has since transcended its humble, indie origins to become a massive phenomenon in the gaming world. The University of Sheffield’s Minecraft Society (MineSoc) stands as a testament to the game’s place as an icon of contemporary video games. Now entering its third year, MineSoc recently completed their greatest achievement: recreating the refurbished student clubs - Fusion, Foundry and Studio - in the game. It was a project undertaken by four committee members: Adam Poulston, James Brook, James King and Chris Sherlock. The group were given a tour of the areas of the Students’ Union a week before it officially opened where society president, Adam Poulston, took loads of pictures to refer back to when they would reconstruct the space in Minecraft. The team were also given floor plans. However, this would lead to one of the difficulties they faced. Treasurer and server admin, John Brook, explains that: “In Minecraft everything is one metre blocks and when you’re trying to fit that in with something that is like a quarter of a metre you can’t do that. So a lot of it was done by eye.” The whole project took 40 hours of work with 4 hours spent on lighting alone.

That’s right; they not only recreated the space, but also the lighting system. In Minecraft, electrical systems are wired using a material called redstone. It can be complicated to pull off and the team had to restart the wiring from scratch at one point. You can see their incredible handiwork on YouTube. However, for all their work the committee were disappointed that they didn’t recieve the publicity they had hoped for. The video is now a lost relic of 40 hours of MineSoc’s hard work; at the time of writing, their video only has 265 views, and for something so impressive, that is not nearly enough. Apart from S.L.U.G.S, MineSoc are the only dedicated video game society in Sheffield. S.L.U.G.S had their own Minecraft server at one of their LAN events, but the committee insist that MineSoc offers something different. The society has its own server that members can access online, outside of the University network. Payments for membership (a paltry £4 for the year) go towards maintaining and upgrading this server, so that members can continue to play together. John explained that with LAN games, members would have to take their gaming rig to a set location. He said: “to a lot of the people who play Minecraft, that’s a lot of effort.” The setup they have now allows members to play Minecraft together with the minimum of fuss. You are only allowed to join the server if you are on the user whitelist, which you will be added to when you have paid the membership fee.

Minecraft is known primarily for its open-ended gameplay and being uncompetitive, but MineSoc devised an alternative way to play with the Minecraft Olympics last year. A series of aggressive games were held, the most striking of which was the aptly named “Survival Games”. Based on the Hunger Games franchise, players spawn in a field with the goal to kill each other off until only one player survives. In the middle of the field is a chest with weapons. Players can either make a grab for the chest or run away and create their own weapons with the materials available to them. It sounds surprisingly cutthroat for such an innocent game as Minecraft. The greatest challenge for MineSoc at the moment is getting people to take committee roles. Most of the current committee have been around since the beginning and they are currently in their final year at university. If they can’t find people to take over next year, MineSoc may well be finished. It’s a massive shame for such a sociable society which fosters creativity and team-work that has inspired this new venture with the Students’ Union. Hopefully, new members will be eager to take the mantle from the old committee and take MineSoc to new heights.

Words: Joe Brennan Artwork: Frankie Morshead

Friday October 25 2013

Music editors Nicky and Rachel talk to Oxjam and attend the charity music festival

OXJAM

Friday October 25 2013

ver felt your live music experience was lacking a little philanthropy? Oxjam may have been your answer. On Sunday October 20, Oxjam festival took over four of Sheffield’s finest venues along Division street for one day only. If you’re not familiar with Oxjam, this is the skinny: it’s a month long music festival, taking place in tiny towns and vast cities all over the country. Organised in whole by teams of talented and enthusiastic volunteers, Oxjam has one aim: to raise money and awareness for Oxfam’s cause through the medium of local live music.

“Oxjam is especially good because the focus is on local bands, driving grassroot campaigning” Oxjam is a great festival for two reasons. Essentially it’s providing a loud, live, interactive platform for fighting poverty whilst also giving smaller, local bands a chance to perform their material in front of a massive audience. The audience really is giant: since the festival’s beginning in 2006, more than 4,000 bands have played at 3,000 Oxjam events up and down the country to a staggering 800,000 people. “Oxjam is especially good at raising awareness about global issues and funds for the causes because the focus is on local bands & acts” says festival

manager Richard Ripley. “It really does drive grassroots campaigning and is more inclusive for all to enjoy” All in all, they’ve raised £1.75 million, an aweinspiring amount of money straight from the pockets of the music loving population. “The money goes to Oxfam, who use it to help support some of the world’s poorest people”, says Richard, “they spend the majority of their money across three different areas; emergency response, development work and campaigning for change”. In addition to this, proceeds from ticket sales will also help Oxfam build toilets and irrigation systems, provide clean drinking water for schools as well as green energy resources and mosquito nets. On a social level, the money will also go towards training farmers and efforts to further womens rights across Africa. Oxjam’s statistics are a clear sign that the festival has a lasting and productive effect on people’s lives for the better. This is the fourth Oxjam takeover for Richard, and the first for fundraising co-ordinator Ben Cater, so they’re both particularly keen about settling in Sheffield. “Sheffield is a fantastic city with some excellent local music, so were excited about this takeover the most. We’ve worked alongside some truly inspirational people, whose drive, determination and enthusiasm for music and making a difference has made these events a possibility. We really can’t recommend getting involved highly enough!” Oxfam have earned quite the reputation in musical circles, employing volunteers in mass to do the festival circuit. It’s a pretty sweet deal for the volunteers too; free entry to festivals like Glastonbury for three days work, and the satisfaction that you’re helping all the little kids in Africa. “Having stewarded at Glastonbury myself,” says Ben, “I know first-hand what a difference that contribution makes to Oxfam. Festivals are a fantastic opportunity to engage with people, explain the cause you’re fighting for and encourage them to help. In Sheffield, where the music scene is particularly strong, festival/gig goers are really enthusiastic about Oxjam because the majority of people who come to our festival have a shared interest.” Richard said highlights included New Camaros, the Gentlemen and I Set The Sea on Fire. “We’ve been very fortunate that we’ve been able to secure an eclectic mix of bands and artists across the four venues; the Bowery, the Great Gatsby, the Hop and the Green Room, which allows us to cater for a variety of tastes.” A variety is certainly what we got. On a rainy Sunday afternoon, we made it to the first of the four venues, the Hop, just in time to catch the tail end of spoken word poet Adolfus’ short set. Some-

where in between Scroobius Pip and Ghostpoet, Adolfus’ sensitive and accurate poetry, set to a gentle guitar accompaniment, is performed with great feeling and a cheeky sense of humour. Next up is the livelier Ryan Young, a singer-songwriter whose voice fills the high ceilings and space of the venue. Playing songs from his debut EP, as well as a cover of Johnny Cash’s ‘Folsom Prison Blues’, Young recalls the strident guitar music of Jake Bugg and Frank Turner.

“Adolfus’ sensitive and accurate poetry is performed with a cheeky sense of humour” We cut Young’s set short to head over to the Bowery in time for Ollie King, another young singer-songwriter from Sheffield. Although promising, King’s set falls flat, mostly due to a lack of audience. Things do pick up with a brilliant rendition of Arctic Monkeys’ ‘Do I Wanna Know?’ and one of his own songs, ‘Dance Song’, from his upcoming EP. The highlight of the night comes from another Sheffield band, Seventors. Formed of three girls and one boy, the band make the most of intricate vocal harmonies, and although they lack a drummer, we hardly notice. Finishing with two unlikely covers, first ‘Club Foot’ by Kasabian, and the Black Keys’ ‘Lonely Boy’, it’s a shame to see them go. The Green Room is the next stop on our Oxjam tour, where we catch Hail to the Eskimo. We’re struck by the lack of bandmates; what is usually a five-piece band appears to now consist of two. The band have decided to perform a short acoustic set, in anticipation of their decidedly more explosive set at the Bowery in a couple of hours time; “don’t worry guys, you’ll get the full effect tonight!” They take tracks from Hail to the Eskimo, giving songs a minimal, pensive twist, as well as their acoustic project, Murder at the Seaside. Serene tracks like ‘New York’ and ‘Coffee in the Morning’ work wonders in a small venue like the Green Room, but we can’t help thinking this performance is the calm before the much more engrossing storm later on. Oxjam was a festival with great promise, so it’s a shame that the event didn’t quite follow through. With such great acts and an even better cause, it’s surprising that the audience in Sheffield didn’t come out in full force. If you want more information or to get involved, it’s worth visiting the website, oxjamsteelcity.co.uk.

Friday October 25 2013

Fuse. games beyond: two souls PS3 9/10

ony have been machine gunning out the big budget exclusive titles in the latter half of this year, despite their PS4 launch being right around the corner. We have already had the fantastically dark The Last of Us and coming soon will be Gran Turismo 6. But with October comes the launch of Beyond: Two Souls, another rare entry into the genre which Quantic Dream created with the PS2 title Fahrenheit and more recently Heavy Rain. In Beyond you play as Jodie, who you take through her unique, turbulent life from birth until potentially death. However the game doesn’t flow chronologically, it is recalled from Jodie’s middle-aged self’s broken memory of her past. At first it’s jarring, but as the timeline of Jodie’s life is filled in, it becomes clear how this jumping around time really creates a deep connection with the characters in the game and makes the drama all the more impactful. It’s difficult to talk about the story without spoiling it, but the best description is that it is a confusingly ordered pile of beautiful pieces that only make sense at the end. Jodie is special, she has an ability to communicate with the ‘In-

POkÉmon X & Y 3DS 9/10

okémon X & Y, the first games in the Pokémon franchise to have a world-wide release, have clearly been highly anticipated - over four million copies sold in the first 48 hours certainly speaks for itself. The opening cutscene, as you follow a Fletchling flutter into your bedroom to wake you, is designed to evoke warm fuzzy feelings – this is the start of your biggest Pokémon adventure yet. Being on the new 3DS of course means the graphics have made a giant leap from the last game, the transition into an extra dimension feels natural and the controls are smooth. The game holds true to previous titles, you get to choose a starter pokémon (Froakie, Fennekin or Chespin), and visit the region’s Pokémon professor to be set off on your quest to fill the Pokédex and gather information on every pokémon. Your journey will see you traverse the Kalos region, training your team, taking on the region’s eight gym leaders and the evil Team Flare, before finally heading to boot out the elite four and become the Champion.

fraworld’, think of it as another dimension that runs parallel to our own, where entities can exist and sometimes interact with our world, but aren’t visible. Aiden is her silent invisible companion in this other world, and he leads to some amazing gameplay opportunities as you switch from controlling Jodie, to and from Aiden. This is, without doubt, the best looking game on the market, at least at its usual close quarters, human scenes and indoors, where 90 per cent of the game takes place.

“The visuals are so striking and the acting so real”

acting so real that it is more than entertaining enough just to watch, but the constant player input and decision making keeps your attention up, and involves you in the story so much more than any movie would. Its staggering visuals are incredibly valuable to the game, and you will need a great TV to do it justice. The only problem that you might have with Beyond is that it isn’t that difficult, however that would be missing the point. Beyond is not meant to be a challenge, it’s an experience and one that will leave you breathless, and in awe, it’s unlike anything else in any form of media, and it is definitely worth multiple playthroughs.

When in large expanses, there is some pop-in but since this type of scene is rare in Beyond, it’s never really an issue. Interestingly, the whole game is in a 21:9 aspect ratio, the same as movies, this gives a letter boxing effect on normal 1080p TVs that are 16:9, which empathises the cinematic nature of Quantic Dream’s games. Throughout Beyond it becomes apparent how well executed this concept is, as the visuals are so striking and the

Christopher O’Grady

X & Y add loads of new features that give the game more depth and places these Pokémon titles in a league of their own. ‘Pokémon amie’ allows you to pet, feed and play games with your Pokémon to increase their friendship towards you, while super training provides a way to boost your teams’ EV stats via mini games. There are also opportunities for trainer customisation with clothes, accessory shops and hair salons throughout the game. Your character is also displayed rocking your chosen style on both your trainer card and in battles. The addition of the brand new ‘fairy’ type, which is super effective against both ‘dark’ and ‘dragon’ types ensures that there is no longer

a clear superior type. Potentially the most notable new feature, though, has to be ‘Mega Evolution’. A select number of Pokémon can ‘mega evolve’ for the duration of battle when holding a special mega stone. In this special form, a Pokémon’s appearance is altered as well as their abilities, stats and sometimes even their type. Some Pokémon, such as Charizard and Mewtwo have different mega evolutions depending on if you’re playing version X or Y. Anyone hoping to “catch ‘em all” will have a task on their hands with this game. The Pokédex is bigger and better than ever, boasting 718 pokémon, including 69 new ones to discover. And it’s not like Nintendo only throw Pidgeys and Caterpies at you for the first two hours of gameplay – fan favourites start showing up right from the off. Every new route holds excitement as you never know what you’re going to find as the tall grass parts. Even the most nostalgic fans will struggle to go back and replay older titles after this. Lexy Monks

CULT CORNER Mother 3

Game Boy Advance

hen future generations hear the name Mother 3, they’ll most likely ask “what on earth is Mother 3?” What they won’t say is “Ah yes, the quirky, hilarious and heartbreaking Game Boy Advance RPG from Japanese writer Shigesato Itoi”, because that would sound odd. But they’d be right - because Mother 3 is all of those things and quite possibly one of the finest games ever made. From an opening in the rural idyll of Tazmily Village, the story soon takes a tragic turn. Underpinning every bit of silliness from that point on is a vague sense of unease - a feeling that the colourful, fun atmosphere and characters are a brightly painted mask stretched tight over a rotten core. Still, what a mask it is. Simplistic but expressive sprites are the order of the day here, and the lovingly designed environments bloom with colour, detail and life. The Nowhere Islands are a sight to behold regardless of how old the game might be, and the inventive music-based combat system only adds to the appeal. The music is ably provided by veteran composer Shogo Sakai and varies

wildly in style. Between rock tunes belted out in the game’s strange, mountain-top nightclub, and the moving piano pieces which accompany emotional story segments, there’s everything orchestral, poppy or electronic. Whatever your style, there’s bound to be something you’ll walk away humming. Of course, this retrospective would be much more relevant if western gamers could actually play Mother 3, which of course they can’t. Despite putting the protagonist, Lucas, in 2008’s Super Smash Bros. Brawl, no official translation exists. You’ll either have to learn Japanese, play the admittedly excellent translation from dedicated fan Clyde Mandelin or settle for playing Earthbound, the series’ previous game, which is available from the Wii U eShop. It’s a shame though - because words alone cannot do Mother 3 justice. It really is unlike anything else. Robin Wilde

Friday October 25 2013

Fuse. arts

BOOK CORNER

The shadow of the wind Carlos Ruiz Zafon 9/10

arlos Ruiz Zafon’s enthralling novel, The Shadow of the Wind, is a dark and exciting tale of literary obsession and mystery. Set deep in the heart of Barcelona, the story is based in the wake of the Spanish civil war, amidst all the uncertainty and horror of the revolution. Zafon’s novel is literary excellence; it is a story about a book and its power to inspire and, at times, destroy. On a cold morning in 1945, an antique

book seller takes his young son, Daniel, to a mysterious labyrinthine library tucked away down the cobbled streets of Barcelona’s Old Town, known as the Cemetery of Forgotten Books. Instructed to pick just one book from the thousands hidden away, Daniel selects an obscure work by unknown author Julian Carax, an innocent discovery which will change his life forever. Captivated by the book, Daniel is swept along in his quest to shed light on this mysterious, enigmatic author. As he pieces together the tragic life of Carax, Daniel identifies many unnerving similarities to his own life and realises that he has the only surviving copy of The Shadow of the Wind, which is, in fact, highly sought after. In particular, a terrifying faceless man who seems to be straight

out of Carax’s books is tracking down all the works and burning them. In what starts as harmless literary curiosity, it soon becomes an intense and dangerous race to uncover the mysteries of Carax himself. With themes of passion, love and adventure, this crime fiction novel is irresistible and gripping. This book has the perfect recipe for success, a shocking twist, lovable characters and a thrilling plot, highly recommend. Grace Waters

The Winter’s Tale The Crucible 6/10

ith winter creeping up, and the first students tentatively looking towards the heating, it seems fitting that Shakespeare’s A Winter’s Tale arrives at the Crucible. Director Paul Miller attempts to let the play speak for itself, and a strong ensemble cast deliver plenty of striking moments. The play presents the ideas of rebirth and reconciliation through two almost jarringly different halves. The first half revolves around the tragic descent of the King of Sicilia, Leontes (Daniel Lapaine) into a manic state of jealous rage. Falsely believing his wife’s has been unfaithful with his childhood friend Polixenes (Jonathan Firth), he refuses to acknowledge that the daughter she is carrying is his own. Whilst Lapaine is undeniably stunning in being handed a free reign of the space to throw his tantrum, it is the performance of Claire Price as his wife Hermione which really stands out. Price cuts an impressively resilient figure of purity as her petu-

Monkey Bars The Studio 8/10

he Studio Theatre was the backdrop for Chris Goode’s Monkey Bars, an original performance which gives us an insight into children’s voices in society: something that we usually ignore. Described by the Telegraph as “hilarious and poignant by turns” Monkey Bars takes transcripts of 72 children aged six to 11 from a range of sociological backgrounds, commenting on religion, social affairs and more personal topics. Described as “child’s play: the use of unedited transcripts encapsulates the innocence and vulnerability of children, whilst still giving them a strong voice” this verbatim script is performed “by adults as adults, in adult situations” As the audience began to take their seats, the faint strum of a guitar was heard as a member of the cast lovingly serenaded a plate of green jelly. Although this was at first quite bizarre, the intimacy of this moment felt

as though we as an audience were taking a voyeuristic stance as we were invited to observe the innocent nature and spontaneous quirkiness of children. Presented on a minimalist stage, the actors worked closely as an ensemble to create believable scenarios for the dialogue to take place. With help from ambient, melodic music, the bare stage was transformed to everything from a swanky wine bar to a leafy park, using only white boxes to divide the stage. The juxtaposition of mature scenarios presented alongside the colloquial, sometimes vague language of the children provided an air of nostalgia amongst the performance. It reminded the audience of their personal experiences as a child, and encouraged them to reflect on their own childhood, leaving a sense of unity amongst us and the children. On more than one occasion, we have all felt conflicted, sad and even confused; it is something that affects us all, regardless of age, gender and social class. Prior to the show, some people have had many preconceptions of what this perfor-

lant accuser bounces around her, all sweat and saliva. The end of the first act is notably a home to the immortal stage direction, “Exit, pursued by a bear” This iconic moment is handled in an understated yet highly atmospheric fashion. Bolts of lightning illuminate the bear’s threatening emergence before it disappears almost immediately after the audience can pick it out of the shadows. The second act transports the action 16 years into the future and away from the courts of Sicilia to the simpler, rustic Bohemia. The play shifts dramatically in tone from tragedy to comedy and this is present in the pleasant contrast between Bohemia’s bright appearance and the tensions of its neighbour. Leontes’s daughter, Perdita (her name itself is “lost girl” in Latin) has been by raised by a shepherd and attracted the attentions of Polixenes’ son. The injection of comedy that keeps the second act moving is mainly provided from Keir Charles’s ukulele playing Autolycus and a fantastically flaboyant Young Shepherd, portrayed by the squeaking Patrick Walshe McBride. Unfortunately things fall a little flat as the lovers’

mance would entail. For instance, some may have expected the cast to deliver caricature like performances of children, dressed in oversized coats, slobbing around the stage in ill-fitting shoes. Admittedly, they couldn’t have been more wrong. Monkey Bars is a unique performance which cleverly reveals the unedited voices of children, as they comment on subjects seen through their own perspective. The infusion of humour, sadness and sentimentality make Monkey Bars refreshingly brilliant. Amelia Mather

escape sees the focus return to Sicilia, and after all the hard work done in the first act, the remarkable ending somehow feels distinctly lacking in magic. Simon Daw’s staging feels at times innovatively minimalist yet at others a little bare. Dressed at its best for the Bohemian sheep-shearing festival, the presence of a striking giant sheep’s head fashioned from straw provides an eye-catching backdrop to the large set-piece festivities. Ultimately the production finds the sheer amount of faith required from its audience a little out of reach. That’s not to say it isn’t a strong production. It elicits emotion, in particular in Leontes’s concerning treatment of his newly born daughter, and you laugh where you’re supposed to. However, the play struggles in making both halves feel like they’re meant to be together. A Winter’s Tale is playing at the Crucible Theatre until Saturday November 2. Sam Russell

Friday October 25 2013

Fuse. music CHER

Closer To The Truth 6/10

her’s new album, Closer to the Truth, is a worthy comeback for the 67-year-old pop icon, indicating that she really has found a way to turn back time after all. The lead single, ‘Woman’s Work’, starts the album off as it means to go on, with a rapid, infectious beat and a firm, fistpumping brand of feminism that is very much in keeping with the tone of the rest of the record. It’s clear from the outset that Cher still has things to say. Dedicating the album to her mother “and all the strong women in … history,” there’s a pervading sense of female empowerment throughout the record. It is most evident in the first half with songs like ‘Dressed to Kill’, an inspired re-working of Big Brother contestant and Ordinary Boy Preston’s ill-fated solo output,

THE FRATELLIS

We Need Medicine 4/10

id you know that the Fratellis had ever broken up? Did you know that they have reformed and have released another album, their third in fact, We Need Medicine? Me neither. But here goes. Ever since we all stopped chanting the chorus to debut Costello Music’s most successful track ‘Chelsea Dagger’, the Fratellis all but disappeared, appearing as if they had no more to give in the way of catchy, punchy pop-punk. The success of We Need

XUPCOMING:

boasting provocative, vampy lyrics such as “Heads will roll and blood will spill/But how can you resist when baby I am dressed to kill.” Of course, the album is not without its power ballads. ‘Sirens’ is a noteworthy highlight, with its deliciously slow build-up and dramatic guitar solos. Both this and the cover of Miley Cyrus’ ‘I Hope You Find It’ are perfect songs for the Queen of back-ofthe-throat-belting herself as she adds her own, more experienced spin to them. Though the album starts intensely, it soon slows down to a more reasonable pace that seems necessary after the high-energy onslaught of the first half. But

Medicine then is sure to either re-make, or break this band. Sadly, for the Fratelli brothers (who aren’t actually brothers at all), there are fears that it shall be the latter. We Need Medicine, although by no means unpleasant on the ears, is equally nothing to rave about. The first track ‘Halloween Blues’ rather clumsily stands out as the weakest song offered by the album. More than sounding like an appropriate title track, the repeating rhetoric around which the song is based merely resembles the type of drunken chanting you’d hear in Foundry toward the end of a particularly boozy Pop Tarts, albeit resoundingly less en-

the album never loses its impact and just as the closing song reassures us, it is clear that whatever happens next, we haven’t seen the last of Cher yet.

WHAT’S ON YOUR PLAYLIST?

Laura Stanley

Kyle Irwin Economics Favourite band: Star Slinger Favourite track right now: ‘Dancin’ - Aaron Smith (KRONO Remix)

Martina Danelaite Magazine Journalism Favourite band: the Beatles Favourite track right now: ‘Mojo’ - Alt J

joyable. Some tracks however, those featuring toward the beginning of the album, ‘This Old Ghost Town’ and ‘She’s Not Gone Yet But She’s Leaving’ do show some promise. It soon becomes clear though, that We Need Medicine simply represents a band unsure of which direction to head in. Although faint echoes of the sounds that made Costello Music so popular do pipe up every now and again, the album lacks any distinguishing character, something which their debut album delivered in abundance. Dale Callaghan

SON LUX Lanterns 6/10

he third studio album from New York based Son Lux, Lanterns, resembles a peak in an abusive relationship the musician has been keeping with the love of his life. First track ‘Enough of Our Machinest’ is filled with cute indie tones arranged in what could be a Scriabin sonata only to drop the beat on your confused hips a moment later. A sexy lieutenant in service of the malicious queen of postmodernism, Son Lux summons everything his inner ear ever came in contact with into a battle to rejuvenate the grace of chaos. In ‘Lost it t o

Trying’, candied dream-pop follows violent outbursts of electronic folk, motivational counseling session turns into suicidal whispering and pressing repetition easily co-exists with polyphony, all embedded within in the sounds of crying nightingales, chimes and cartoon horns. Some tracks, such as ‘No Crimes’ or ‘Ransom’, are so full of energy that they miss the perhaps more important goal of the immediacy of feeling and finally resolve to simply stirring the bipolar tendencies in you. Lanterns may well be the best of Son Lux so far but certainly – and hopefully – it’s not his final form yet. Barbora Kerkova

DAVID BOWIE : THE NEXT DAY EXTRA / ARCADE FIRE : REFLEKTOR / LOS CAMPESINOS! : NO BLUES

Friday October 25 2013

Fuse. music LANTERNS ON THE LAKE The Harley October 14

ellow and thoughtful in equal measure, Newcastle’s Lanterns on the Lake write for chapels on hills and high-rise cathedrals, but until they get a call from His Holiness they’ll have to settle for bars like the Harley. New album Until the Colours Run takes the youth and intimacy of their early sounds and shapes them to the mould of a grown up band; with tonight’s set they’re willing to move beyond piano balladry and introspective songwriting. The blue notes in opener ‘Picture Show’ confirm that vocalist Hazel Wilde is sampling from a broader palette this time. Her bandmates launch into swagger-

ing rock band excursions and dizzying snare marches without a second thought, but the core remains the same. ‘Another Tale From Another English Town’ stands out, conjuring the grand echoes of touring partners Explosions in the Sky, but otherwise the best moments are quiet and humble. It’s not a perfect performance. Like an increasing number of British indie bands, they have a habit of taking off their guitars so they can wallop a spare drum, which is visually pleasing but clutters the mix and detracts from Oliver Ketteringham’s more nuanced work behind the kit. Lanterns are still ironing out the creases on some of their new material, but part of what makes them so likeable is their impeccably courteous stage manner. Towards the end Wilde an-

nounces that they’re “going off stage for a bit so you can cheer for some more. Is that alright?” Wilde returns on her own to play a gorgeous new piano piece called ‘Green and Gold’, whilst the deeply evocative ‘I Love You, Sleepyhead’ swells to a gratifying climax and there’s a feeling that, although there’s more to come from Lanterns on the Lake, things are just fine as they are. Duncan Geddes

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Lanterns on the Lake: Stephanie Nicola-Miller

CHILDREN OF BODOM O2 Academy October 12

G Chvrches: Youtube/Polweka123

CHVRCHES The Leadmill October 12

hen Chvrches exploded onto the blogosphere last August, their nostalgic 80selectro pop was practically begging to be played live. But the Scottish band stayed relatively close to their roots for the next few months, with the occasional venture to London with their live show. This October however, Chvrches are taking their debut live, up and down the UK to showcase why they are one of the best new bands in recent years. Their first English night on the tour, Sheffield’s very own Leadmill, proves just that. The show starts with the explosive track ‘We Sink’. The audience are immediately taken in. Lauren Mayberrys’s voice is that brilliant in real life; even swear words are shocking when coming out of her mouth. She may be small, and her vocals may be sugary-sweet but she doesn’t let the main Leadmill stage swallow her up, she demands to be noticed instead. The set-list takes in hit after hit from their debut album, The Bones of What you Believe, from the earnest

‘Recover’ to Chvrches’ more darker sound in the form of ‘Science & Visions’. The audience is treated to a performance by Michael Doherty, one of the band’s synth players, with his vocal-led track ‘Under the Tide’. Doherty’s performance stands out in the show for the contrast in his deep voice to Mayberry’s. It adds to Chvrches enchanting persona, by making sure the tracks don’t all roll into one. The band seem to build in confidence throughout the show, from little interaction at the start to thanking the audience for “giving a shit” and fan-girling over Alex Turner by the end of the show. The audience is also treated to a surprise with Chvrches cover of ‘It’s Not Right, But It’s Okay’, taking the 90s Whitney Houston classic and putting their own spin on it. Then, with a last rendition of ‘The Mother We Share’, they’re gone. But it’s firmly planted in the minds of the crowd that this is one of the hottest shows Sheffield has had in a while. Amelia Heathman

rowling vocals, pounding drums and enough keyboard solos to make even Liszt blush. What more could you want out of a Saturday night? Perhaps a night of Children of Bodom, Napalm Death, Insomnium and Medeia will help. Children of Bodom are back once again, this time to promote their eighth studio album Halo of Blood, which has received critical acclaim compared to their more recent releases. None the less when Bodom get on stage there’s no stopping them, from start to finish they are a force to be reckoned with. The same can be said of the brilliant support acts Insomnium and Medeia, both accompanying Children of Bodom very well with their similar melodic death metal style. The same cannot be said about Napalm Death, who are good in their own right. However, the grandfathers of grindcore felt quite misplaced when tucked up in

this primarily melodic death metal line up. Seeing Bodom hit every note during a keyboard/guitar ‘duo’ solo is a treat for eyes and ears. The audience is not only spoiled with a handful of new tracks but also a robust set of old classics such as ‘Are You Dead Yet?’ and a superb encore of ‘In Your Face.’ There are however some quite pretentious recorded speeches played between some songs that not only seem out of place, they also seem to quell the raging atmosphere throughout the venue. But as soon as they’re over we are back straight into the madness again. All in all, Children of Bodom and friends rocked the O2 Academy to its very foundations. Its going to be a long time until that happens again, it’s assured. Matthew Till

Children of Bodom: Youtube/ Szopen271

UPCOMING:ARCTIC MONKEYS:MOTORPOINT NOV 2/FUTURE OF THE LEFT:QUEENS NOV 5/PERE UBU: QUEENS NOV 7

Friday October 25 2013

Fuse. screen Le Week-end

Dir: Roger Michell 8/10

ou may be forgiven for thinking that Le Week-end is a rom-com for older people, judging by the trailers. The film itself is a much more melancholy affair, and it is so much better for it. It begins with a tracking shot through a crowded train carriage en route to Paris. The camera final-

SMALL SCREEN sleepy hollow Dir: Various 8/10

ew show Sleepy Hollow attempts to bring the paranormal American novel The Legend of Ichabod Crane into the modern day in a crime/action show. An imported US drama, it has all you’d expect from a show in the paranormal genre: continued suspense, fast-paced action, and some gruesome and chilling moments. The show follows Abby, a police officer in the eponymous small town of Sleepy Hollow, as she is dragged into mystery when investigating a homicide by decapitation. Soon aided by a reawakened revolutionary war veteran, Ichabod Crane, she argues with authority to investigate the perpetrator: a headless horseman. There are no dull moments in the first episode, which is packed with (mostly) good dialogue, intense action, and drenched in suspense. The characters are fully-fleshed out,

ly settles on Meg (Lindsay Duncan) and Nick (Jim Broadbent): two veterans of marriage who are spending the weekend in Paris for their thirtieth anniversary. It is clear from the beginning that they are not particularly happy together. This set-up is perfect for a mediocre feel-good film, where the lovers’ relationship is given new life by the city of Paris. However, writer Hanif Kureishi is too skilled for such a humdrum plot. Meg and Nick’s marriage is irreparably scarred. Moments of and the plot flows naturally. That said, it doesn’t feel like there’s a lot ‘new’ in Sleepy Hollow plot-wise. It sticks to tried-and-true tropes, such as the cop about to move on, fighting with bureaucracy during an investigation (“go home, get some rest”) and the mysterious character who knows something. It pulls these all off well, however, and it comes together nicely to make an exciting, enjoyable 45 minutes. The main characters are all fleshed out fairly thoroughly, and the acting allows them to pop out the screen. Nicole Beharie plays a great female lead in Abby, the wary-but-enthusiastic police lieutentant, but Tom Mison (Salmon Fishing in the Yemen) is superb as the abolitionist ripped 250 years into the future, managing to portray Ichabod perfectly as clearly bewildered, but trying to cope. All-in-all, the pilot of Sleepy Hollow sets up what could be a great new paranormal drama, steeped in intrigue, and definitely possible to get hooked on. If the first episode is anything to go by, it’s going to be well worth hopping on. Theo Cole

compassion between the two are found here and there, as they chase each other through their hotel or visit Montparnasse Cemetery. But otherwise, there is a coldness that exists between them throughout much of the film. Duncan in particular can be incredibly icy at points, but her performance is so accomplished that she still garners sympathy. Broadbent is suitably subdued as well, highlighting his range when compared to his manic turn in Filth. The film is all about Meg and Nick, but they come across the lat-

ter’s old university friend Morgan (Jeff Goldblum). A slippery character, his life serves as a contrast to Nick’s. Goldblum gives a solid performance as the upbeat, but morally flawed Morgan, and his surprise appearance also adds variety to the film and prevents it from getting stale towards the end. Regrets of the past and the uncertainty of the future are explored here. In an especially poignant moment, Meg asks: “Once the kids have gone, what’s left of us?” Kureishi’s writing and Roger Michell’s

direction employ a slow, brooding pace to make these themes play out effectively. Sex is also portrayed frankly here, with the couple using explicit language as they struggle with problems of intimacy. If you’re looking for a good first date film, this isn’t it. Although not Kureishi or Michell’s greatest work, it certainly isn’t as good as their last collaboration Venus, Le Week-end is a mature film about love that deserves to be seen. Joseph Brennan

CULT CORNER

struggles. Fully developed characters are not to be found here. Most are meant to provide laughs and represent a certain attitude. The film is littered with small and wonderful performances; Jim Broadbent, plays an alcoholic artist, Steven Buscemi is a loathsome gallery owner and Anjelica Huston is excellent as an exasperated Art History teacher. The funniest scenes involve Jerome’s class peer-reviewing each other’s work. Jerome is frequently frustrated that his technically excellent paintings are ignored in favour of his colleagues’ experimental (i.e: terrible) work. Initially, Jerome fits into the mould of the socially awkward nice guy who tries to win the girl. It’s a grating character type that crops up in films like Loser and has become ubiquitous in recent years (thanks Michael Cera).

As the film comes hurtling towards its conclusion, the laughs begin to subside and the college stereotypes fade into the background, eventually culminating with an uncomfortable message about art, and the role of the artist. Enjoying Art School will be difficult for some, primarily because the departure from comedy is so jarring. Some of the jokes do fall flat - Jerome’s gay roommate pretending to be straight simply isn’t funny. However, if you want a college comedy that’s different and a little bit twisted, Art School Confidential is worth your time.

Art school confidential Dir: Terry Zwigoff

f you’re in the mood for one of the more odd college comedies, Art School Confidential is the oddball for you. The film is the second collaboration between writer and indie comic icon Daniel Clowes and director Terry Zwigoff. Max Minghella plays Jerome, a freshman majoring in painting at Strathmore College. By his own admission he wants “to be the greatest artist of the 21st century”, but he also wants to lose his virginity, preferably to beautiful art model Audrey (Sophia Myles). On top of this, there is a mysterious killer on the loose, who eventually becomes entangled with Jerome’s

Joseph Brennan

Friday October 25 2013

The Fifth Estate Dir: Bill Condon 8/10

overnment secrets more or less stayed secret 10 years ago and whistle-blowers were few and far between. But then along came Julian Assange with Wikileaks, which changed the entire face of whistle-blowing, espionage and indeed intelligence as a whole. Now we have The Fifth Estate, a film about this secret and elusive organisation, based on the book by Daniel DomscheitBerg (the former spokesman for Wikileaks) Inside Wikileaks. It has already caused controversy within hours of release as Julian Assange has labelled it a “bad film” from a “toxic book.” The first surprise of the film is that it’s from Daniel’s perspective. While some may wish for the film to be from Assange’s viewpoint, it is clear that we gain a more rounded, yet intangible view of Assange when we view him from the outside. The film starts with Daniel as an IT guy at a small company, and from this we see his first meeting with Assange at the Chaos Computer Club to the rise and fall of Wikileaks. Along this journey we see

FOr those in peril Dir: Paul Wright 9/10

his obscure indie film directed by Paul Wright tells the story of Aaron (George MacKay), a young man from a Scottish fishing village and the only survivor of a boat accident that kills his brother Michael (Jordan Young) and four other men. Outcast by the angry, resentful locals and spurned on by folklore and superstition, Aaron sets out to prove that his brother is still alive and to bring him back home. But For Those In Peril is certainly not the charming, Life of Pi-like experience that the summary might suggest. It’s not a film to step into lightly or even to enjoy. Mercifully short at 92 minutes, the film is heavy with an oppressive, almost unbearable sadness. It’s not the easiest film to watch, but it’s a

Captain Phillips Dir: Paul Greengrass 9/10

om Hanks’s new film, that will most probably be multiple award-winning, is based on the story of Captain Richard Phillips and the Somali pirates that descended upon the American cargo ship MV Maersk Alabama in 2009. After what is a fairly mundane, domestic opening, the menacing pirates’ arrival creates a sense of rising tension that barely stops to let

the explosive growth of Wikileaks from a few files to the leaking of over 90,000 confidential documents about the Iraq war with the Guardian, the New York Times and Der Spiegel all supporting it in a global launch. The film also marks the complex relationship between Daniel and Julian, highlighting how we can spend so much time with someone and yet never really know them at all. The list of positives for this film are huge, but the highest accolade must go to Benedict Cumberbatch for a stellar portrayal of Julian Assange. He has transformed from his typecast role of eccentric British gentleman, to introverted Australian hacker with the sublime skill of a truly outstanding actor. His portrayal of Assange shows a man who exposes thousands of secrets, yet hides all of his own. Daniel Bruhl’s performance as Daniel DomscheitBerg is not bad either, but the show is stolen by Cumberbatch completely. The film also utilises many cold lighting effects and CGI graphics to highlight the importance of technology and its advancement in the modern age, and integration of real news footage to illustrate our current globalised media. There are negatives, such as the lack of dialogue at certain points and rushed feel throughout the film, but then this all

Lewis Colson

and madness brilliantly. A scene he shares with Nichola Burley - who plays his dead brother’s fiancée - is a standout moment as he pretends to be Michael to comfort her. Here, two young actors show promise for excellent careers ahead. It’s truly traumatic stuff. The rest of the cast is filled by Brit indie staples like Kate Dickie and Michael Smiley who all get their little moments to shine. Dickie’s moments come towards the end; once when she mournfully signs along to a karaoke version of Roberta Flack’s ‘The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face’, and again when she comforts Aaron with an old Scottish fairytale. She displays the strength of a mother alongside draining fragility. The cast is truly committed and absolutely flawless. For about 75 minutes, the film is a slow-burning, torturous study of

gorgeous piece of cinematic art, if you’re willing to get on board. Picking up after the accident, the film tightly follows Aaron as he deals with the loss of his brother. Wright’s editing and camerawork are shaky, jumpy and fractured, masterfully reflecting Aaron’s grief and deteriorating mental state. The script is packed with long pauses, harsh expletives, mumbles and awkward naturalism that expose the raw humanity on display every scene is beautiful, but awful. The cast definitely aren’t afraid to dirty themselves with that human ugliness. Young up-and-comer MacKay is front-and-centre for the entire piece and carries it like an old pro. As Aaron, his acne-ravaged face is almost constantly frozen in a sort of traumatised vacancy, but he radiates anger, grief, loneliness

the audience catch its breath. The performances of the Somali pirates are stunning – the success of the film rides on their capacity to make the audience feel both hatred and empathy for them. Barkhad Abdi, as the pirate ‘captain’, Muse, makes a strong impression as the antithesis to Hanks’s own captain: their dialogues throughout Billy Ray’s sparse and realistic screenplay simultaneously entertain and worry. What makes the performances (and by extension the film) so electric is the volatility of them – we don’t know exactly what is going to happen next, and with each

adds to the air of mystery around Wikileaks. It shows that things did happen too quickly, that everything cannot be explained and that Assange is much more than the two dimensional hero or villain the news shows. The Fifth Estate moves quickly and hits hard while hacking into your emotional core, leaving you begging that you knew how to write code and to join Assange’s legion of online revolutionaries.

pirate constantly wielding a gun, we’re not sure we always want to find out. Director Paul Greengrass, employs his signature shaky-cam technique, which really encapsulates the ‘close-quarters’ nature of the raid, and the way in which the eyes of both captain and captors dart and weave. The soundtrack is efficient in ramping up the tension; moments of silence combined with booming music help give a sense of light and shade about the film. This is also achieved through the cinematography. Captain Phillips has a very strong sense of contrast – the scenes

and action towards the second half of the film flip from day to night, showing to great effect the way in which Phillips had to endure many tortuous hours of captivity. Tom Hanks’s ability to fully convince as the captain is amazing. He never overtly appears as the hero of the piece, simply a man taken captive looking to survive by any means. Towards the end he performs in a scene of catharsis as emotional as any of his other films (yes, even Forrest’s mum dying), and it is both a relief and a tear-jerker to witness the deconstruction of any façade he maintained before.

human grief in all its forms. But the finale takes a turn for the gruesome and surreal. The realism melts away into a display of total madness and desperation. The violent, fantastical imagery rounds off the plot perfectly. Weird as the ending is, it will linger in the mind. For Those in Peril certainly is not a film for everyone. It’s harsh, depressing, slow and difficult. But, in the right frame of mind, it is a thing of beauty - an emotional, destructive whirlwind. Just don’t take a date. Rhys Handley

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We are constantly told by Muse, naval operatives, and countless other voices in Captain Phillips that “Everything gonna be ok.” The phrase often rings both sincerely and sinisterly, and it is hard to know who to believe. Through this mantra, however, the viewer is reminded that, despite appearances, the film and its eventual outcome may not be as bleak as it first appears. Annie Mullineux

FORGE’S DESERT ISLAND Every fortnight, we ask a couple of our editors to pick their Fuseesque desert island necessities. This issue we ask our comment editors which items they couldn’t live without.

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