LOAD Magazine issue 10

L O A D issue 10 february 2008

WE BARBARIANS INTERVIEW INDIE THREE-PIECE MAKING WAVES OUT OF LONG BEACH THE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY THE LOWDOWN ON 2008’S MOST BREATHTAKING FILM OKAMI A SECOND LOOK AT JAPAN’S COOLEST VIDEO GAME LOST SEASON 4 PREVIEW THE MYSTERIES THAT MIGHT FINALLY BE SOLVED OPERATOR PLEASE ALBUM REVIEW AUSTRALIA’S HOTTEST NEW EXPORT...WITH VIOLINS

D L E I RF

E V O L C

STER N O M IPATED C I T LAST N T A A Y L S A H INEM S’ HIG C M S A T I R H B J.J. A MOVIE

music

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film

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art

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tv

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games

music

film

6.we barbarians

14.cloverfield

interviews

album reviews

10.operator please - ‘yes yes vindictive’ 11.we barbarians - ‘in the doldrums’ 12.lightspeed champion ‘falling off the lavender tree’ 12.vampire weekend ‘vampire weekend’ 13.hot chip - ‘made in the dark’ 13.these new puritans - ‘beat pyramid’

issue 10 - february 2008

features reviews

26.cloverfield 32.dan in real life 33.be kind rewind 34.[rec] 35.walk hard 36.the diving bell and the butterfly 38.the cottage 39.no country for old men 40.the bank job

dvd reviews

42.resident evil: extinction 42.invisible waves 42.sherrybaby 43.the counterfeiters 43.superbad 43.rise of the footsoldier 44.ex-drummer 44.assassin(s) 44.roadgames 45.eastern promises 45.tales from earthsea 45.bright future

art

features

46.cell shaded

cinema

tv

games

68.lost season 4 preview

70.okami

features

features reviews

74.jeanne d’arc 75.taiko no tatsujin ds: touch de dokodon

feature written by Faith-Ann Young

written, edited and produced by Sam Bathe www.loadmagazine.co.uk editor@loadmagazine.co.uk

best of the blog Checklist for 2008 £ Run a Daniel Warner comic £ Dig out Dreamcast and replay Shenmue £ Solve the mysteries of LOST £ Start a YouTube video group £ See We Barbarians live

the latest news, reviews and features at loadmagazine.blogspot.com

a half straight. The Cribs filled their allotted stage time with non-stop music, no need for walking off stage for 10 minutes, only to stand with their ear to wall listening for applause.

Why do all other bands feel the need? I go to gigs for music, not an empty stage. The fact that everyone in the audience bought a ticket and bothered to show up should be all the ego flattering a band could need.

Take a leaf out of The Cribs’ book.

£ Get published £ Throw stuff at The Horrors (it’s not that I hate them, their album is really good but they say when crowds pelt stuff at the stage they feel inspired and play better) £ Start a fashion shoot series £ Track down The Colour’s Cave Sessions recordings

Second coming of The O.C.

Why Play Encores?

I love live music, there’s nothing better. Sure, studio albums sound great, but they’re often a little too perfect.

Music is as much about the imperfections and individual styles of different bands as their breathtaking talent.

The Cribs have both. Finally claiming stardom with wonder-album ‘Women’s Needs, Men’s Needs, Whatever’, a hit-or-miss riff on ‘Be Safe’ made the final cut as lead guitarist Gary Jarman bemoans “it wasn’t my best one, but who cares”. They are a refreshing breakaway talent in the largely pompous indie scene, and what’s more, they’re fantastic live. Recently impressing on their sold out tour, I caught the brothers from Wakefield at Forum in London, and it brought to mind a similarly pretentious problem with today’s music.

Mounting the stage at 9.30pm and finishing some time after 11pm, the band left to rapturous applause and even the odd ballroom dance, but alas no encore. No encore, because they’d just played over an hour and 4

It’s an old cliché but you really don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone. When The O.C. stormed our screens 4 years ago, its debut season pulled in an unerring amount of teens, but even for those older TV fanatics it became a guilty secret. As the seasons wore on, ratings stared to falter, and when Mischa Barton chose to leave the show you could tell the end was in sight. With its last few breaths, The O.C. stuttered to 16 episodes of a fourth season before Fox cancelled the series, leaving a tear in the eyes of many fans.

But you can’t help but feel, each tear was tinged with a hint of hypocrisy. From the very start of season 2, disappointment reigned high after the wonder debut run, and fans were more than vocal in their protest. Calling for creator Josh Schwartz to revert to the high octane action of season 1, viewers were not happy with the slower, more heartfelt approach to latter seasons. The benefits instead are paying off now.

With a lack of new alternative, and UK channel E4’s late night O.C. spot, I found myself returning to the sun soaked shores for more of the power four. I even strummed up a liking for Taylor.

On first air, The O.C.’s latter sentimental pace did little for adrenaline junkies, I though was unwittingly growing an even stronger affection for this bunch of troubled characters, and realise now that for different reasons, seasons 2, 3 and 4 deserve just as much credit as the premiere batch that made its name.

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music

T S JU ES T U R B T A ?

T R A E H As they stopped off at New York City on a soldout US tour with indie princes Cold War Kids, we caught up with new band We Barbarians, already causing a stir since their recent inception.

Over beer and passion for music, we chatted with drummer Nathan Werkentin, to uncover why the three Long Beach-based musicians transformed from The Colour to We Barbarians, their dumpster diving practices, and if they are really the Barbarians they say they are.

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LOAD: You guys all met as art students?

Do you think the songs represent that motif?

Nathan (We Barbarians): Yeah basically. The singer Dave and I went to art school together.

Yeah, I think there’s a real rawness and honesty to it; the idea of getting back to basics. There’s only three of us in the band… [so] a lot of the songs are just basic drums and vocals a lot of times…And a lot of the lyrical content is just very basic, asking some of the basic questions of life. People relate to that.

Oh cool…I think Cold War Kids (whom WB were opening for) did too.

Yeah, they actually went to the same school…

Ah….so that’s how you know each other as well…

The [Cold War Kids] bass player Matt Maust [and I ] are good friends…We’ve done a lot of art stuff together…

I’ve know him for about 8 years now…

And We Barbarians used to be the band called The Colour?

True, the three of us were in a different band called The Colour…It’s something we did the last few years… but what we are doing now is totally different…

What is the difference musically?

To be honest we don’t want to talk about it too much but we want to focus on what we are doing now… but basically it was a really classic rock-influenced band…

70s sort of stuff. What we’re doing now is really our heart and soul…

Can you describe your new EP and the thought process behind it?

I read about how you guys searched through trashcans and dumpster dove for a while outside of Trader Joe’s. Now you are touring with Cold War Kids, has it changed? You still diving?

Generally speaking we’ve always been scavenger types… I think any artist has to be that way or has to be ok with living that way... Otherwise you’re not going to be able to create art, because unless you have major success, it’s not easy.

Yeah, rough….

Well, we don’t have it rough by any means. I mean, we live in a nice house. But we don’t really have well-paying jobs or anything… You figure out ways to survive. I don’t want to over-dramatize it by saying we are like poor. We just figure out how to survive.

Ditto. What’s your favorite track on the EP? Probably I’d have to say “Yesmen & Bumsauckers.” I lay down a pretty wicked drumbeat in that one. (chuckling)

We have a new EP called In The Doldrums, 6 songs. It’s a first taste of who we are and what we are about…

We just started this band in August 2007… There’s a lot of different stuff on it… It takes you through a bit of a journey, through ups and downs.

(laughter) If you don’t say so yourself…

How long did it take you to record?

And are you guys looking into doing summer festivals or anything?

We did the EP in probably 4 days.

Damn!...

Yeah we’re pretty quick. We’ve been doing music and art long enough to know exactly where we are going to go… We know what our destination is and so we kinda just go there and do the stuff.

No but seriously. With this band, we are really excited what’s bubbling up and what’s happening… I mean it’s our first tour and we are playing sold out shows…

Yes definitely. We want to get over to the UK and Europe soon and see what happens over there. We’d also like to focus a bit actually.

You [and Cold War Kids] both hail from Long Beach. Is there a music scene there we should keep our ears out for?

Where did the name come from by the way?

In Long Beach?

There’s this book, Winged Sandals, by a French author.

I just like found it because I like to find old books mostly for art purposes. There was a short story in it called “We Barbarians in Paris” and it’s talking about the idea of the refined, evolved man. As we are getting more refined and more educated, the reality is we are just brutes at heart. We are really basic creatures, we have needs and desires… and we go after those.

Is it just a coincidence?

Nah, I don’t think there is necessarily a movement happening but all of us in the band live with Matt and Nathan from Cold War Kids. We have a lot of artist friends around… it’s a really grassroots artist community…

I don’t think that necessarily has anything to do with Long Beach. It’s just where we choose to lay our heads.

WORDS FAITH-ANN YOUNG

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‘‘

’’

The band thought it was cool to think that, as everyone thinks everything is getting better, it’s all really just the same.

The human story is at the end of the day, just the same story.

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album reviews

Operator Please ‘Yes Yes Vindictive’ (Brille Records) When a the students of Elanora State High School witnessed a then freshly formed Operator Please, none would have thought two years down the line they’d have one of the most hotly anticipated albums of 2008.

Their brand of refreshing indie pop has drawn Operator Please huge attention, playing a showcase gig in New York before signing to Virgin/EMI in Australia and Brille Records in the UK. Their debut album ‘Yes Yes Vindictive’ proves the hype more than worthy.

Most promising is their openness to experimentation. With five members, one on guitar and vocals, one bass, one drums, one keyboard. a fifth member who plays the violin. Prominent in every song, the violin provides a vibrant, electrifying burst of energy throughout the album, perfectly complementing their music.

From opener ‘Zero Zero’, fast paced and submissively intrusive, to ‘Cringe’, a melodic thrill ride doubling back at each chorus for a magnificent violin sequence, the whole album smacks of raw enthusiasm but an already cultured talent. Such is the quality of the rest of the LP that lively breakthrough hit single ‘Just A Song About Ping Pong’ is well down the pecking order.

Second single ‘Leave It Alone’ is one of those reaching higher. Remixed from the single version, this album edit builds to an intense climax, already racing along with catchy violin and guitar riffs, with prog. like repetition, engages the listener even further.

Other two power horses ‘Get What You Want’ and ‘Ghost’ cement Operator Please as already proficient performers of racy indie pop. The former based on pure excitement and Amandah Wilkinson’s spritely vocals, the latter boasting imaginative lyrics and another superb violin chain.

Providing light relief from the otherwise non-stop debut, ‘Other Side’ churping a spritely beat and joyous acoustic chords. Operator Please have done themselves proud, producing a very impressive first album, despite a couple of ‘album tracks’, the vast majority demand a listen, and overall produce a wonderfully cohesive experience.

★★★★★★★★★★ 10

Kicking off with ‘Yesmen and Bumsuckers’, a track so far out ahead of the countless indie throwaways assaulting the market. They have something to say, trickling along with gripping vocals and slow beat drums before launching into a closing tirade a third from the end, suddenly re-invigorated and hugely engaging. The rest of the EP only kicks on from there.

‘Walls’ further captivates. An unforgiving baseline kicker accompanies wandering, rough riffs, as the track meanders here and there. You feel the band are opening their heart and mind making it so easy to jump in and get lost in the music.

Title track ‘In The Doldrums’ is possibly the best from this 6 track debut, and would slot perfectly into any Arcade Fire or Cold War Kids set.

Musing around the guitar and bass before landing on a joyous rhythm, ‘In The Doldrums’ really takes off before an intense and wholly appealing chorus.

We Barbarians ‘In The Doldrums’ (Mister Mausters) When highly touted indie rock band The Colour broke up in June 2007, fans lay in waiting to see if any of the talented Long Beachers would reform and move onto even greater things. The signs were ominous.

A couple of weeks later the band’s MySpace page was gone, their website backdated and no news to stoke the fires, although many sensed something was coming.

Finally emerging with a couple of live shows and back on friends Cold War Kids and Delta Spirit’s MySpace pages, a member lighter, Davey Quon, Derek Van Huele and Nathan Werkentin announced themselves as We Barbarians.

With a bunch of songs written, the new three-piece went from strength to strength in short space of time, picking up tour slots and even their own Silverlake Lounge residency.

But fans only clamoured for more.

A mere handful of songs made it online as the band perfected their first release.

Entitled ‘In The Doldrums’, We Barbarians’ debut is worth the wait; a six song strong record full of promise, creativity and thoroughly artistic music. The EP is released on new independent label Mister Mausters, a collaboration between Cold War Kids’ Nathan Willet and Matt Maust, and the influence on fellow friends We Barbarians is there for all to see.

We Barbarians style is heavy on bass and reverberating drums bringing an atmospheric swathe of indie rock that strikes the right notes.

Apply Quon’s coarse vocals and jagged riffs and its no surprise the band have come so far so soon after forming.

The rest of the EP is just as enthralling. From the distinctive ‘Spun Out’ and moving ‘Black & Crooked’, you land on ‘War Clouds’ to close out a magnificent effort from three guys just starting the long journey in music. Making use of an eerie organ, the final track sounds like it has been pulled straight out of Tim Burton movie. As all the elements come together, building in volume, tone and vigour for the culmination of a lot of hard work, and it’ll stick with you beyond the final strum.

Such a mature, well rounded EP is a mammoth achievement from a band that at the time of recording had been together for little over a month. With gorgeous screenprinted artwork and now picked up

by Rough Trade, both online and in their London store, and for sale on We Barbarians’ website plus a handful of independent shops in the States, this 500 limited press will sell out fast.

We Barbarians can go far. Very far.

★★★★★★★★★★ 11

Spritely but tender ‘Tell Me What It’s Worth’ is undoubtedly one of the stand out tracks on this prelude to what will surely become memorable solo career. Hynes builds emphatic energy at the song’s core and pays dividends as you’ll get lost in the swaying choruses.

Lightspeed Champion ‘Falling Off The Lavender Tree’ (Domino Records) Ex-Text Icicle Devonte Hynes’ new project couldn’t be any further from his previous outfit. Now performing with whomever friends he can pull in at the time of a gig and calling up much touted British singer/ songwriter Emmy the Great to help with recording, Hynes deserves a huge amount of credit for taking a chance and shifting his music to the next level.

Despite stumbling slightly in the middle of ‘Falling Off the Lavender Bridge’, dragging its heels during an overly downbeat spell, Hynes effortlessly draws your attention once more as he recalls his life experiences. ‘I Could Have Done This Myself’ demands a listen before the beautiful ‘Salty Water’. While the backing music on some of the slower tracks is stripped back to bare bones, this only further builds a bond between the listener and the effortlessly charming Hynes.

Further successes ‘Midnight Surprise’ and ‘No Surprise (For Wendela)’ prove Devonte Hynes has well and truly left the teenage angst of Test Icicles behind, now a maturing, eloquent and inspirational talent.

There’s a little way to go yet but ‘Falling Off The Lavender Tree’ is a massive step.

★★★★★★★★★★

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Self-titled debut ‘Vampire Weekend’ yearns for the African plains and cultured upbeat folk music.

Truly different than anything currently out there, the band have created a wonderfully diverse and light-hearted 11 song salvo.

While the songs do not flow as effortlessly as on Arcade Fire’s ‘Funeral’ record, direct comparisons can be made between New York’s Vampire Weekend and Montreal finest eclectic rockers.

Both are trying something new, taking their music out of the traditional comfort zone, and where Arcade Fire’s debut excelled with flying colours, Vampire Weekend follow.

Mixing harpsichord on memorable opener ‘Mansard Roof’ and joyous, light guitar chimes on ‘Campus’.

Lazy dreamer ‘Oxford Comma’ rambles along with unwitting ease, Ezra Koenig plying his subtle vocals to ever expansive lyrics.

Faster paced ‘Walcott’ and Congolese soukous reference ‘Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa’ prove Vampire Weekend didn’t just hit in lucky on a couple of tracks but have matured their style to a tee.

When posed with a vast range of genres to describe Lightspeed Champions’ style, Hynes narrowed it down to “semi-pop”, but folk wouldn’t go a miss too. Gone are the storming riffs and screeching vocals of Test Icicles to be replaced by a mellower, reflective tone.

Intro ‘One’ would certainly have Test Icicles fanatics at a loss, the album emerging to a simple country tune before rolling into emotional ‘Galaxy of the Lost’. As with the rest of the album, violin and acoustic guitar make a prominent appearance but it is Hynes’ engaging lyrics and down to earth vocals, remarkably reminiscent of Bloc Party’s Kele Okereke, that lead the show.

Influenced by a vast range of music around the world, you’d be hard pushed to find anything more individual in indie music than Vampire Weekend. But their style is far from what you’d expect from a band with such a devilish name.

Vampire Weekend ‘Vampire Weekend’ (XL Recordings)

‘Vampire Weekend’ would be the perfect soundtrack to any Wes Anderson movie but don’t take that to mean only Wes Anderson fans will love this album, far from it. Vampire Weekend’s first LP is a magnificent natural and organic listen. While they wouldn’t be misplaced at a classic world music festival, don’t be surprised if you hear a few of their tracks at your local indie club, and love them. Full of diverse and expansive music, you’ll find it all too easy to lose yourself in a wealth of genres you’d have never expected.

★★★★★★★★★★

first three tracks.

Perplexing and overly quirky ‘Bendable Poseable’ doesn’t really work and outside of ‘Touch Too Much’ and the energetic ‘Hold On’, ‘Made In The Dark’ is a marked underperformer. Slower tracks ‘In The Privacy Of Our Love’ and ‘Whistle For Will’ feel like they have been tagged onto the end to boost the song count and title track ‘Made In The Dark’ only breaks up the album’s flow.

Hot Chip ‘Made In The Dark’ (EMI) After second album ‘The Warning’ propelled this unlikely bunch of Londoners to electro-dance fame, Hot Chip’s new studio release comes under a swathe of immense expectation. Preview single ‘Shake A Fist’, released September 2007, gave fans a hint of what was to come, showing ample promise for what could be this quintet’s crowning glory but it is not until now that we’ll see if the hype proves substantial.

The whole album ‘Made In The Dark’ doesn’t hit the sustained highs it really needs too, losing its way a couple of times and failing to capture your imagination. A handful of tracks are good enough to make any club playlist, but set the whole LP playing and any dancefloor would clear.

Hunt down the brilliant ‘Ready For The Floor’ video and pick and choose a few downloads without a doubt, but the whole album isn’t worth the money. A ‘best of’ selection will certainly be better for prospecitive fans.

★★★★★★★★★★

‘Made In The Dark’ certainly picks up where ‘The Warning’ left off.

Album opener ‘Out At The Pictures’ doesn’t give listeners a chance to find their feet, instead launching into a beat heavy synth masterclass, just what fans have come to love. The aforementioned ‘Shake A Fist’ is more of a spiky, jerky track, interjecting in the middle to introduce a game called “sounds of the studio”.

First proper single ‘Ready For The Floor’ really gets the album going.

Reminiscent of previous hit ‘Over And Over’ with an immensely addictive baseline and simple catchy lyrics. You won’t want the joyous chorus to stop but in the end it will and reminiscent of their debut album, sadly the rest of the album never quite hits the highs of these

After Klaxons’ all conquering rave electro in 2007, These New Puritans echo of the same benchmark. In a genre where experimentation is the norm, where can you go? Despite, reeking of The Fall (in a good way), These New Puritans sound fresh, untried and untested, and it works in their favour.

Away from the game for far too long now, White Rose Movement are going to see their underground electro crown gone. Far grungier, punkier and expansive, These New Puritans mean business. With a ripe average age of 19, these four talented youngsters have come a long way already. NME Cool List and GQ Best Dressed chartings under their belt, only a breathtaking record is missing for them to become the new hype monster. And they’ve almost managed it.

Ramping up a hefty 16 tracks, although a handful are over before you think they settle in, ‘Beat Pyramid’ packs in substance and an expansive range of songs, plus the occasional oddity.

‘Numerology (AKA Numbers)’ sounds athemic, stop-start with jolting riffs and Jack Barnett’s sly, deep vocals. ‘Colours’ and ‘C 16th’ reveal a few nu-rave tendencies, punching out verses with reverberating chords and lyrics chanted to a distinct beat. ‘MKK3’ is an excellent slower, down beat track reminiscent of new Bloc Party.

Riff infused ‘Elvis’ is by far and away the standout result of a very promising first album. A corkscrew guitar sequence pushes onward, synths adding atmosphere and catchy lyrics finishing the piece.

These New Puritans ‘Beat Pyramid’ (Angular Records)

While ‘Beat Pyramid’ might not do too much different once you click play, their Fall inspired sound makes a leap away from every other modern electro revolt bands. Perfect?

No. Promising? Without a doubt, and more than worth a listen. These New Puritans are a band to look out for in the future

★★★★★★★★★★ 13

film

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Bringing the internet to a stand still with a mysterious untitled trailer back in July 2007, one of the most complex and intriguing meta stories has been building ever since. After mustering the mesmeric world of LOST, creator now turned producer J.J. Abrams lies at the heart of Cloverfield, a monster movie with a difference. Before finally reaping destruction across New York City from January 18th, throngs of dedicated bloggers have been analysing every clue and spec of evidence as they go in search of what, why and who is cause for the all the attention. With demonstrative oil companies, “happy drinks” and a plethora or MySpace and video blogs to scrawl through, Cloverfield is a movie fanatic’s dream, and we’ll help you catch up with the events so far...

special thanks to CloverfieldClues.com 15

February – The green light given for the film and with Abrams on board, secret auditions begin

10th July – Slusho.jp launches, the website for a Japanese squishie style drink with a mysterious secret deep sea ingredient and the catchphrase “you can’t drink just six”. The Slusho! logo now recognisable on the T-shirt of a character in the teaser

June – Shooting begins

3rd July – Teaser trailer airs before Transformers in American previews. No title, simply the release date 1st January 2008. Given the codename “Cloverfield”

9th July – Producer J. J. Abrams claims Cloverfield has nothing to do with Ethan Haas

20th July – New photo on 1-18-08.com with a soldier and scared pedestrian

July 2007

February 2007

a 24th July – “Monstrous” rumoured as the official title

3rd July – 1-18-08.com launches with merely a still of two scared female faces

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6th July – A shot from the party added to 1-18-08.com

6th July – EthanHaasWasRight.com launches to a huge buzz of publicity.

Solving the website’s mysterious puzzles reveals mysterious videos from Van Mantra. Widely rumoured to be linked to Cloverfield

12th July – New photo posted on 1-18-08.com, a mysterious white smoke filled scene with people covering their mouths

27th July – New photo on 1-18-08.com, a still from party time stamped as second in sequence. The photos can now be more freely moved around and flipped to reveal messages on back 1st August – CNBC claim Cloverfield could be called “Overnight” after the same attorney who trademarked “Slusho!” also trademarks “Overnight”

2nd August – EthanHaasWasRight.com now links to an RPG called Alpha Omega developed by Mind Storm Labs

27th July – Major updates to the Slusho! website, now has an online store and flavour mixing game

27th July – MySpace pages are set up for all of the main characters

27th July – At Comic Con, Abrams says the film is not called “Monstrous” and hands out Slusho! T-shirts, explaining the idea for the film was inspired by Japanese toys, especially Godzilla but reveals no other details. Publicity packs are released with a serious of four mini posters, one with “Monstrous” at the top explaining the rumour, others with “Furious” and “Terrifying”, and one without a title

a

August 2007

a

7th August – Photos taken of the Cloverfield set in Central Park. On the public notice the film is called “Cheese”

8th August – NY Magazine visit the Cloverfield set and release “major spoilers”.

After getting their hands on a call sheet, they claim the film ends under a bridge in Central Park with Rob and Beth hiding under a bridge

10th August – Orders from Slusho! are shipped with a Japanese newspaper

9th August – Paramount send out a cease and desist notice for any stories on the “Cheese” call sheet leak

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21st August – Slusho! start “Happy Talk” on their website

4th October – New video of Jamie up on JamieAndTeddy.com; she has received a gift from Teddy but has been instructed not to open it until December 9th 24th August – The 1-18-08.com website goes down for a while, coming back online with no apparent changes but after 6 minutes, breaks the silence with a loud monster roar

13th October – Slusho! start “recruiting” workers through parent organisation Tagruato. Employees will be trained in how to “preserve the flavour of our special ingredient, Seabed Nectar”

4th September – Various MySpace updates; Jamie’s page mentions someone called Teddy Hanson

10th September – JamieAndTeddy.com is launched, including secret video of Jamie

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October 2007

September 2007 29th September – A new photo of a Japanese chef appears on 1-18-08.com and flips over to reveal a noodle recipe using “deep sea nectar”

a

29th September – Tagruato.jp launches, a deep sea drilling organisation, opening a drilling station near New York in early September called Chuai. Tagruato is the parent company of Slusho!

3rd October – The Tagruato website is updated with contact information and a Japanese telephone number routing through to a recorded message

18th October – New video on JamieAndTeddy.com

29th October – The actor playing HUD, TJ Miller, who is “operating the camera” for the majority of the film, reveals the auditions were blind, each actor said yes to the project without seeing the script and when he receive the script it only covered his part

12th November – New video on JamieAndTeddy.com, she reveals Teddy is away for “the cause”

22nd November – Tagruato website is updated denoting claims by the Ravaille Research Center that Slusho!’s secret “seabed nectar” ingredient is dangerous to human health. The original report by the “Ravaille Research Center” details the “nectar” does have “restorative powers” as Tagruato claim, however, direct exposure brings accelerated cell growth, increased strength, increased soft muscle tissue growth, sharper eyesight and a feeling around your body like a “wave of happiness”. They also note that Slusho! is to be imported into the USA

November 2007 15th November – Interview with Lizzy Caplan who plays Marlena Diamond; she explains how the scripts were swapped out every time they moved on to a new set and each script was watermarked on different coloured paper for each actor

16th November – New trailer airs with Beowulf screenings, confirming the title as “Cloverfield”. There is a glimpse of the monster in the trailer, standing at around 350ft tall. Towards the end a woman also appears to “expand”

a 23rd November – Tagruato’s voicemail is updated announcing their recall of subsidiary product ParafFun wax 26th November – Slusho! appears on Heroes

24th November – Tagruato’s website is “hacked”.

The title changed to “TAGRUATO IS DESTROYING OUR OCEANS” and the regular photo is changed, adding devil horns CEO Ganu Yoshida, a wave destroying a city and several sea life creatures. Embedded onto each creature is a roman numeral, and if you take the first letter from each of their names in order, plus the wave, TidoWave.com is exposed. The new website is for environmental activist group Les Guerriers de Mère-Terre (The Warriors of Mother Earth) founded by notorious conservationist Les Bandit Vert (The Green Bandit)

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27th November – Tagruato subsidiary Bold Futura launches a satellite and hires student scientists, including a deep sea ecosystem specialist

29th November – Official website CloverfieldMovie.com is launched

30th November – The Tagruato voicemail is change to a notice of a memorial service for one of their biologists. TidoWave.com reports the biologist made a “magnificent discovery” before he retired but his computer and files are “no where to be found”

4th December – “Cruel-etin board” is launched on the TidoWave website with some dark secrets about Tagruato

9th December – New video found on JamieAndTeddy.com; after first complaining about not hearing from him for a while, Jamie opens the gift from Teddy. In the box is a Slusho! cap and a note claiming that if she opens it before they’ve spoken, he has been captured by Tagruato, telling her to wait to hear from “Randy” and not call the authorities or try to contact him. Someone called Randy previously posted the story on TidoWave.com about the dead biologist

6th December – Wacky Slusho! commercial is posted

December 2007

a 10th December – Three new blogs appear on TidoWave.com, one claiming a repeat “event” on the 14th, and to contact Randy for more information

14th December – In an interview, director Matt Reeves say a lot of inspiration came from the poster image for Escape from New York of a decapitated Statue of Liberty, although it wasn’t used actually in that film.

He also confirms the connection between Cloverfield and Slusho!

28th November – Slusho! hoodies are added to their online store. New orders also now ship with a torn “Top Secret” Tagruato memo reporting an “incident” at the Chuai drilling station near New York. On the rear is a hand written note from a “whistle blower” claiming the Chuai station “hides a dark secret” 20

5th December – Slusho! contest launched for fans to make an advert for Slusho!; the winner will receive a stylised laptop

17th December – When interviewed, producer Bryan Burk said the intention was to make America’s answer to Japan’s Godzilla

18th December – New blog on TidoWave reporting there was a problem with the “event” and “Randy and the others” have gone missing. “Backup desperately needed”

18th December – An email is sent out by the Tagruato whistleblower through 18kagashimad@tagruato.jp The message includes a Tagruato financial statement with a hand written proclamation of “Americans, no oil here! They must have known before they built!” The statement also is missing financial data for the Chuai station, possibly confirming it was built for alternate purposes

26th December – The sixth video on JamieAndTeddy.com watches Jamie as she calls Tagruato, fed up of waiting for him, but she gets no where and afterwards they mysteriously call her back

a 18th December – TV spots begin, using the tagline “something has found us”

17th December – Michael Stahl-David expains that his character Rob spends the whole film trying to get to a girl he’s been in love with for years

14th December – The Cloverfield widget contest is launched requiring fans to “grab” the widget from other fan’s website and post it on their own, with the website with the most “grabs” winning hometown screening of the film

20th December – Cloverfield’s official MySpace film and Facebook pages are launched

19th December – Rob updates his MySpace blog, detailing that he has given up on long term will-they-won’t-they target Beth and wants to move on and find a new job away from New York

21st December – Cloverfield guerrilla marketing is spotted with chalk writing on the pavements across San Francisco 21

28th December – Beth leaves Rob a message on his MySpace page wishing him good luck for his upcoming job interview

3rd January – Some big updates on Tagruato. com. Two new posts have been posted on their “Headlines” section. The first of which describes an “altercation” at the Chuai station, citing an “eco-terror cell” for the disturbance. However, there is no mention of the station “disappearing” as TidoWave previously claimed. Meanwhile, one of their recently launched satellites has been tracking a “fallen piece” from the Japanese Government’s “ChimpanzIII” satellite. Perhaps the scan images the whistle blower recently released are of such?

3rd January – The Tagruato contact number’s voicemail is updated with the news story about the altercation at the Chuai station 29th December – A new message is sent out by the Tagruato whistleblower with one of two radar images attached. The radar appears to be tracking something and dated as the 18th December

1st January – TidoWave post a new blog on their website reporting that their mission to the Chuai station only found that it was not there, concluding there had been an incident wiping it from the ocean

January 2008 2nd January – New video posted on JamieAndTeddy.com but Jamie appears to have lost her patience with her boyfriend, drunkenly proclaiming she is fed up of waiting, sure he has found another girl. Creepily, midway through the video someone appears to be trying to force their way into the room and the door rattles

22

2nd January – Tagruato’s website is updated with some news stories, the last of which claims some fish were bathed in Slusho! to their delight, with the drink even giving happiness to other species

5th January – Lead character Rob has posted a new blog on his MySpace page declaring that he’s been hired by Slusho! and will be heading out to Japan in a couple of weeks. HUD replies to his post warning about Tagruato but in general his friends are happy apart from a distraught Beth

a 5th January – TidoWave are reporting no one should return back to “The Farm” as it is crawling with Tagruato agents. The go on to claim everything is a “set-up” and they would never harm a human being, although they’re not upset that one of Tagruato’s stations is no more. TidoWave sign off telling people to wait for “Janice’s picture” to know where to meet and they promise to get to the bottom of what happened at Chuai

6th January – Four “news” stories appear on YouTube about an attack at the Chuai station. Each in a different language, one each from German, Spanish, Italian and French networks, and include footage from a helicopter of the collapse of the Chuai station after one of the supports appears to blow up. A Tagruato spokesperson claims TidoWave were in the area and have in the past infiltrated Tagruato operation. In the Spanish report, seismology experts claim their readings on the event are unlikely to be caused by human-made explosion. German experts further claim the collapse could not be due to structural failure. Mysterious Tagruato soldiers can be seen aboard the station in of the clips and what seems to be a large creature jumps beneath the Ocean as the explosions start

7th January – Three more “news” reports appear online, now in English, Russian and Japanese. The English language report picks out a “dark shape” below the station is similar to a mysterious shape that appears to jump away from Chuai in other videos.

It is also more clearly visible that some sort of tentacle wraps around a station support, backing up their claim that the station sinks remarkably fast. In the Japanese report the event is said to have taken place on December 27th, before TidoWave reported their mission to the station found it to have vanished.

9th January – A new video is available on JamieAndTeddy.com of Jamie performing her new “hate dance”

a 7th January – The Cloverfield Facebook page is offering the chance to attend “Rob’s surprise party” in New York on the 17th.

200 lucky winners will be selected for the Cloverfield celebration

7th January – An new image is placed on 1-18-08.com showing one of the small boats fleeing the collapsing Chuai station

7th January – Jamie posts a new video on JamieAndTeddy.com. She opens some “evidence” Teddy sent her and tastes some of it despite a “do not each this” message on the foil packet. She is says it tastes great and heads out immediately 23

9th January – An open letter from Tagruato CEO Ganu Yoshida is posted on their website, wholly blaiming TidoWave for the attack on their Chuai drilling station

12th January – After laying low for the past few days, TidoWave post go on the offensive with a new blog. Categorically denying any involvement in the Chuai station attack, instead claiming Tagruato killed their own workers. TidoWave also say they know they “know the truth about Slusho”. No picture from Janice as of yet

15th January – Tagruato CEO announces that he will be travelling to America to speak with water manufacturer BevVo about distributing Slusho! through public waterways and manufacturing plants

10th January – The latest TV commercial includes a smoky glimpse of the monster but nothing very clear

10th January – Slusho!’s secret ingredient Kaitei No Mitsu, or “Seabed’s Nectar”, is approved for US Distribution

15th January – 1-18-08.com is updated with another photo, this time at night in night vision and something seems to be under attack from various aircraft and ships

a 13th January – New video on JamieAndTeddy.com, this time Jamie is cutting up a teddy bear

11th January – Paramount have stationed a headless Statue of Liberty in front of their studios 24

16th January – The official premiere is held at Paramount’s head studios

14th January – The 8th photo makes it onto 1-18-08.com, this time of a crushing attack on a ship, whether the attack is human or monster is unclear, but mysteriously, part of the image is blurred out

18th January – Tagruato.jp is down for maintenance

18th January –TidoWave’s website has been locked by the “Internal Affairs Department”

16th January – The third image in quick succession is uploaded to 1-18-08.com This time a far calmer scene, the photo shows a tiny rowing boat in the ocean, eerily surrounded by a pool of blood

17th January – TidoWave’s “horns are down” for now, but in a new blog they claim they’ll be back

16th January – A Japanese manga comic is found online called Kishin. Following a school boy of the same name, the comic features a Tagruato ship and credit Abrams et all on the final page

22nd January – Tagruato’s website is back online

18th January – A whole heap of MySpace posts from the lead characters, all building, if somewhat secretly, to the secret going away party for Rob

18th January – Jamie has well and truly lost patience with Teddy, posting another image on JamieAndTeddy.com.

She’s dressed up, made up and ready to party and forget about her old lover

18th January – Tagruato are reporting that their CEO Ganu Yoshida was ambushed yesterday, claiming it was the same individuals behind that they claim destroyed their Chuai drilling station

February 2008

a 18th January – Cloverfield released in cinemas across America and other selected territories

21st January – Cloverfield breaks the American box office opening weekend record for January, hauling in £21m ($41m) over the 3 day period since its release

22nd January – TidoWave.com is back online 18th January – The eleventh image is uploaded to 1-18-08.com of another creepy scene. Now on the beach, the (gigantic) remains of something have washed up, one part with a huge bit taken out of it, but there’s no clue as to what it is

1st February – Cloverfield released in the UK 25

Cloverfield

Directed by: Matt Reeves Starring: Michael Stahl-David, Mike Vogel, Odette Yustman, Lizzy Caplan, Jessica Lucas & T. J. Miller Studio: Bad Robot Productions Distributor: Paramount Pictures Release: Out now (USA) February 1 (UK)

After a severed Statue of Liberty head bounced down the Manhattan streets in Cloverfield’s teaser trailer way back in June 2007, you can’t simply ask yourself is the movie any good, you have to also question whether it lives up to the hype.

Not since The Blair Witch Project back in 1999 has a film release seen such an expansive viral marketing campaign. And if you look at the box office records, it appears to work. Shot for a measly £13,000, The Blair Witch Project raked in over £125m worldwide. Working within a very modest £15m ($30m) budget, monster movie Cloverfield outdoes all campaigns before it. Taking ideas from the ‘LOST Experience’ plethora of meta story websites, a slew of fictional company, organi26

sations and individual character domains were created, engaging fans’ passion for imaginative media.

itself the reason why fans wouldn’t stop clamouring for the ever nearing release.

While at first only the fanboys raved about the potential of the movie, soon the wider film base caught on.

With expansive stories in the most regarded publications around the world and analysts predicting huge success, you’d be pushed to go far without someone vocalising their excitement for the film. But despite the immense anticipation of Cloverfield’s release, no-one really knew what was coming. With blind casting, watermarked scripts and radio silence from cast and crew, beyond the hints and clues wrapped up in the mysterious viral back story, solid details were down to a bare minimum. Something attacks New York, that’s all we ever really knew, and in

So what is it actually all about? Shot entirely through a handheld camera, best friend Hud is tasked with the job of documenting Rob’s leaving party and his last few hours in New York before jetting away for his new job abroad. We see everything Hud shoots, as if the tape were just inserted into a video player and set running. Jolting forward as Hud finishes filming goodbyes with all the members at the party, brief excerpts from the video already on the tape flash up on screen of Rob with his idol of affection Beth.

It quickly becomes apparent that there will be more to Cloverfield than the rampaging monster. The

long term will-they-won’t-they couple, in a brief moment of happiness couldn’t be much further from the present. As Beth arrives late for the party, and with a date on her arm, Rob pulls her aside to find out what’s really going on. Since their long overdue night together weeks previous, the pair drifted apart once

more and their conversation ends with Beth storming off.

As bad as the night was going, things soon get a lot worse for Rob and his fellow party-goers. Shocked by a thundering tremor through the apartment, everyone rushes outside to see what’s going on. Puz-

zled, they stand on the roof before a huge explosion hits the centre of the city. And the first of many sequences of exhilaration kicks off.

With objects reigning from the sky, everyone rushes back inside and onto the reverse street to survey the damage. Big mistake. To their left, and taking a chunk out of a giga- 4 27

ntic office block, the Statue of Liberty head comes crashing down, torn, scratched and disfigured, bulldozing cars and people in its path.

People are screaming around him, others are battered and bruised, and after taking cover in a nearby shop, even the hell raising creature marauds down the street but Rob’s attention turns to one thing, Beth.

He receives a distressing call, and it’s not good news. Trapped and hurt, Beth is stuck in her apartment and in trouble, but ever the hero, Rob decides to go save her. For the rest of the movie we follow Rob and an ever dwindling bunch of his friends as they head downtown to rescue Beth. Not the easiest task given the monstrous creature roaming the streets, but it sets the foundations for a hugely successful film.

Finding a route through hectic streets, creepy tunnels and a collapsing building, over a number of environments, Cloverfield manages to check all the boxes. The action is frenetic, loud and aggressive, the tension is overpowering, nerve-racking and tantalising, and everything in between is thoroughly gripping.

With a film so quickly embroiled in the fast lane, it is sadly difficult to build a real affinity with any of the lead characters. The frequent flashes to the original video on tape of Rob and Beth do help, but in the end, struggle to really provide a proper background. However, given the intimate involvement brought by handheld filming, it doesn’t especially matter and it feels like you’re one of the New Yorkers fighting across town. The sometimes shaky, often crude camera style is certainly one of the film’s strong points.

The centrepiece, is certainly another. Amongst all of the pre-release speculation, the appearance of the monster ranked at the top. Roping in a specialist in the design field and taking great inspiration from monster movie icons across the world, J.J. Abrams does not disappoint.

Towering in form and boasting a 28

vicious tail, never mind the scowling face, Abrams’ hope of creating America’s answer to Godzilla is well and truly complete. The inception

of dog-sized, scattering miniparasites, keeps our lowly humans relevant and shows no matter what the scale, New York is in trouble.

Pleasingly there’s little information on what the monster is, where it came from and why it found itself in New York. Cloverfield is not about

the why and the how, it focuses on the here and now, and feels much better for it. The reasoning instead appears to be heading to the meta

story virals. With updates already since the US release, fans are going to have to search and investigate to find out the hidden facts, but 4 29

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they wouldn’t have it any other way.

Fans who have been heralding the film since the original teaser, and following every viral update, could though find a few details annoying. Despite building to the date, and calendar release, January 18th 2008, the night of the attack within the film is May 22nd. According to blogs of lead character Rob’s MySpace he is set to leave for Japan late January, hence the seemingly scheduled party date on the 18th, and yet the movie is set in May. While it doesn’t affect the overall enjoyment of the film, there are several little niggles that will annoy fans of the overall Cloverfield meta experience.

This part separation from all of the pre-release marketing does ensure cinema goers, untouched by the likes of Tagruato, will be able to enjoy the movie still to its fullest, with the odd reference providing a smile for avid fans but not harming others’ experiences.

Despite a cast of complete unknowns, each turns in a great performance, especially from Lizzy Caplan playing sarcastic outcast Marlena.

From the budget of £15m ($30m), Cloverfield is a remarkable achievement. The dramatic monster is unerringly scary and the vast destruction of New York looks completely lifelike.

Despite hitting a number of niggles, plus you’ll have to look beyond the lack of depth and a couple of annoying dialogue sequences, overall Cloverfield is a refreshing take on modern filmmaking and a languid, unadventurous genre.

With a turnaround of under a year, and the extraordinary level of secrecy, Cloverfield is an even more remarkable project. Considering the time and effort put into the viral marketing, it may come up slightly short to the hype and internet buzz, but J.J. Abrams has created a cult classic fans will remember for many, many years to come.

★★★★★ 31

Dan in Real Life

Directed by: Peter Hedges Starring: Steve Carell, Juliette Binoche, Dane Cook, Dianne Wiest, John Mahoney & Emily Blunt Studio: Focus Features Distributor: Icon Film Distribution Release: Out now

When stand-up star Dane Cook arrived on the scene a number of months ago in Good Luck Chuck, for many, he had already condemned himself to a career of lifeless, senseless “comedies”. Thankfully he picked up director and co-writer Peter Hedges’ new film too, and the second movie in his career is a triumph after all.

Don’t expect Dane to dominate the screens in Dan in Real Life, however, the lead instead turns to a now maturing Steve Carell. After 2006’s Little Miss Sunshine, Carell confirmed his aptitude for more adult, rounded roles, helping push the black comedy to an Academy Award nomination. The silly Even Almighty might still be fresh in your memory but this is Little Miss Sunshine mark 2 for Carell, a big claim to make, but Dan in Real Life stands up, head tall, every bit as warming a comedy as it should be.

Based on fellow co-writer Pierce Gardner’s experiences of summer vacations with his wife’s extended family, Dan in Real Life takes up residence at the Burns’ autumn retreat.

Grappling with one daughter’s young love, another’s inability to 32

master her driving and the youngest, and unlikely peace maker, Lilly, the foursome head out to meet the rest of the troops for what should be a relaxing getaway. And Dan needs the break.

As an advice columnist he spends his days solving the problems of social ineptitude but needs to turn the attention on himself. Still struggling to cope with the passing of his wife years previous, he has cared for his kids but not been able to find the next right person in his own love life, so out at the big family home he’s sent on the lengthy paper run to take a breather, clear his mind and decide where he’s headed.

When he meets Marie (Binoche) in a local book store his luck seems to have changed, but their next meeting is rather sooner than expected.

As Dan gets back to the house, Marie is arm in arm with brother Mitch (Cook), his girlfriend nonetheless, and a story worthy of Dan’s columns hits the family weekend with brilliant, if a little agonising, results.

Wound up in a world of shouldthey-shouldn’t-they, Dan and Marie temper their bursting emotions, but

know inevitably, someone is going to get hurt.

Steve Carell is brilliant as expected, providing the light relief from a remarkably heartfelt narrative. His witty one liners are just as funny as his comically awkward acting style and when Mitch and Marie double date with Dan and neighbour Ruthie Draper (Blunt), the ensuing dance in a bar is worth the ticket price alone.

A compelling performance from Juliette Binoche really sets Dan in Real Life alight, struggling to temper her feelings and yet keep the conclusion out of sight, while Dane Cook gives his most creditable performance yet, although alongside Good Luck Chuck, that wasn’t very hard Dan in Real Life hits the cinema cliché of forbidden love with a vengeance but tackles it with more maturity, emotion and heartfelt affection than ever before, leaving a movie so tender at its core and an alter-hilarious side keeping the balance. Dan in Real Life might not get the recognition the likes of Little Miss Sunshine received, but it is every bit as entertaining.

★★★★★

Be Kind Rewind

Directed by: Michel Gondry Starring: Jack Black, Mos Def, Danny Glover, Mia Farrow, Melonie Diaz & Sigourny Weaver Studio: Focus Features Distributor: Pathé Release: February 22

despite Mike’s best attempts, gets into the shop, inadvertently wiping the contents of each cassette. It’s all a little implausible sure, and to be honest, a daft idea, but what follows is a heart-warming story about two friends following their passion.

Left with a shop full of black cassettes and a dwindling bunch of customers, Jerry and Mike set about recompiling the video collection.

However, not to recopy each video but reshoot each film. With whatever props, clothes and items they can get their hands on, the pair start out with a 20-minute Ghostbusters before tackling a particularly hilarious “special effects” heavy RoboCop and even The Lion King.

Their ”sweded” range of blockbusters are as often as not, more entertaining than some of the originals.

From the wonderfully creative mind of Eternal Sunshine... creator Michel Gondry, you would expect more from the lead-in to Be Kind Rewind. The film picks up as friends Jerry (Black) and Mike (Def) work on some graffiti celebrating local Jazz legend Fats Waller and aging video store “Be Kind Rewind” across the street. Owner Mr. Fletcher’s shop is of the more old fashioned style. There are no DVDs in sight, just classic video cassettes and Mr. Fletcher’s reluctance towards new technology. When he decides to take a long overdue holiday, Mike is left in control, and charged with the task of keeping

hazardous Jerry out of the way.

Sadly Jerry is an accident waiting to happen, in the store or not, and after convincing himself the local power station is trying to slowly kill him with “microwaves”, he sees to sabotaging its power supply. Mike backs out of the plan leaving Jerry all alone with 15,000 volts of electricity and after pressing the wrong switch, electrifies himself in a magnetic field.

The next morning, Jerry rouses with an almighty headache and a perplexing spark to his fingers. He heads over to the video store and

With a warming conclusion, despite the strange link back to Fats Waller, Be Kind Rewind is an imaginative film, making the most of an entertaining premise. You can’t deny Jerry’s “magnetisation” is a weak attempt to bring about the store’s predicament but it really doesn’t matter once you get there. Jack Black and Mos Def are a joy to behold acting out some of Hollywood’s favourites, winning the hearts of the local community and cinematic audience alike.

Beyond the aggravating introduction you’d be hard pushed to find anything majorly wrong with the film. The script is sweet, Danny Glover’s role is a refreshing change from Lethal Weapon and Be Kind Rewind even includes the biggest exhaust pipes you’ll ever see. It does though lack the spark to turn Michel Gondry’s latest from a charming film into something up there with the likes of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Gondry has done it again, but there won’t be an Oscar waiting this time.

★★★★★ 33

[REC]

Directed by: Jaume Balagueró & Paco Plaza Starring: Manuela Velasco, Ferrán Terraza, Jorge Yamam, Carlos Lasarte & Pablo Rosso Studio: Castelao Productions Distributor: Filmax Group Release: April 11 (UK) TBC (USA)

Purchased for a Hollywood remake before it was even completed, Spanish directors Jaume Balagueró and Paco Plaza’s [REC] seemed destined for cult status from its very conception. Two short teaser trailers confirmed the movie’s huge promise and a third of a terrified audience set anticipation wild.

As the film opens you could be mistaken for thinking you were watching the next Blair Witch. In a similar style, [REC] is filmed entirely on handheld camera, although here on a more conventional basis.

The cameraman is just that, working with presenter Ángela (Velasco) for a local TV station. Their latest report for show ‘While You Were Sleeping’ sees them stationed with a firemen squad on their daily nightshift.

34

their destination but there is no fire in sight and enter an apartment block to investigate. As a policeman immediately ushers them upstairs it becomes apparent that the problem is a little more unusual than the firemen are used to.

block’s residents. Barricaded inside for fear of spreading the problem, Ángela and cameraman Pablo turn their attention to surviving the horror they have found themselves in, while recording the events until the final minutes of tape run out.

Following every inch of the action, the TV squad shadow the emergency crew toe-to-toe and really convey the excitement of live, nonstop reporting. They enter the apartment where the disturbance occurred to find a dishevelled woman, partially dressed and covered in blood. Cautiously approaching, the woman suddenly makes a lunge for the policeman, biting his neck and tearing away flesh and arteries.

The point of view narration is hugely effective and really places you in the heat of the action although for the majority of the film, as the crew keep breaking back to the lobby, there is no real sustained suspense.

However, more of the residents are attacked and the pace and horror quickly builds, proving for a thrilling conclusion.

Wandering around the base interviewing workers and filming the sleeping, eating and fitness quarters, Ángela and cameraman Pablo (Yamam) lie in waiting for the first emergency call of the night.

In horror, the crew and firemen gasp, struggling to wrestle the policeman free, and finally make a break for the door to regroup downstairs. However, as they reach the lobby, the main door is being sealed off, and the true extent of the situation emerges.

Soon enough, the alarm calls and the TV crew jump on board as the fire squad head out. They reach

[REC] is a new breed of zombie movie, as an infection wreaks havoc on the lives of one apartment

Sadly before the close, an unnecessary story twist takes hold but doesn’t ruin an entertaining spectacle. [REC] has all the ingredients to be a much lauded cult horror, but is unlikely to be recognised as the next true trend setter. There are though, certainly enough jumps, frights and shocks to keep you more than interested as a real life nightmare plays out right before your very eyes.

★★★★★

Walk Hard

Directed by: Jake Kasdan Starring: John C. Reilly, Jenna Fischer, Kristen Wiig & Tim Meadows Studio: Nominated Films Distributor: Columbia Pictures Release: Out now

Playing on rockstar biopic Walk The Line, Walk Hard is an unforgiving and often silly parody, even Johnny Cash’s life could not match.

The template is simple; misunderstood young talent with a tortured upbringing, finds fame and success, falls for the draws of drugs and countless women and wastes away to northing before becoming a national icon. Walk Hard is no different.

After slicing his brother in two while playing “machete fight”, a young Dewey Cox is left to find his own way in life. Disowned by his father and finding no guidance from his toothless mother, Dewey finds his calling in music. He leaves the family home at a ripe age of 14 (Reilly hilariously doing little to temper his less than youthful appearance), heading for Hollywood and a beckoning career.

The music moguls soon find Cox and as chart hits start rolling in, the downward spiral of fame and fortune begins.

Sleeping with 411 women, marrying three times, fathering 22 kids and taking LSD with the Beatles, Cox takes the rock’n’roll lifestyle to the extreme.

Sadly for the audience, Dewey’s life is not the laughter packed experience it is intended to be. At times, you may well be rolling around laughing but not all the jokes come off. The Cox/cocks references grow tiresome long before the end and a great bunch of the other jokes fail to rouse even a chuckle.

the Liverpool accent, the ensuing conversation goes some way to saving this tepid comedy.

That said, a cameo from Jack White as Elvis and Jack Black, Paul Rudd, Jason Schwartzman and Justin Long playing the Beatles go some way to saving Walk Hard. When Dewey Cox travels to India to detox and relax, he bumps into the Beatles at a highland getaway. Poking fun at

John C. Reilly is fairly competent in the lead role, holding the film together with his brassy style. To his credit he makes the most of a limp script, adding gloss to the handful of scenes that do come off. Reilly had a further hand writing some Cox’s songs himself, but sadly, despite

writer/producer Judd Apatow’s participation, Walk Hard can’t get anywhere near the entertainment of Superbad.

All in all the comedy is a little to hit-and-miss for Walk Hard to command viewing, stuttering along without every really clicking into top gear.

★★★★★ 35

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly Directed by: Julian Schanbel Starring: Mathieu Amalric, Emmanuelle Seigner, Marie-Josée Croze & Max Von Sydow Studio: Pathé Renn Productions Distributor: Pathé Release: Out now (USA) February 8 (UK)

If there was anything good to come out of 2007’s summer of threequels, it is films like this. Cinema lovers across the world often slam big money blockbusters but you can’t deny that they are keeping the industry alive. In recent years, box office takings have reached record highs, which more importantly than filling the pockets of mega-studio executives, this enables the production of smaller, more artistic and creative features.

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly however, is much more than an aesthetic gamble. Backing up stunning direction and cinematography with moving performances, Julian Schnabel’s adaptation of the beautiful book of the same name, will reignite wayward film fans’ faith in filmmaking.

The film begins with breathtaking simplicity. As Jean-Dominique Bauby (Amalric) awakens, light fills his vision with colour and energy.

Losing focus and struggling to grasp the sense of his environment, the camera pans around, smoothly meandering between the near and foreground and light and dark.

Through the eye of the beholder, the breathtaking shot is interrupted as two strange faces approach, quickly beckoning a third. But JeanDo’s surprise is only reciprocated by their expressions. As the third stranger, a doctor, explains JeanDo’s situation, it doesn’t make for pleasant news.

This is the first time in months they have spoken to Jean-Do, nay the first time he has been able to listen.

He lies in hospital, at least now free of the coma starving his mind of energy and life, but instead afflicted with an extremely rare and serious condition. As the doctors begin to explain and ask basic questions, he replies but cannot be heard. Suffering from “locked-in syndrome”, Jean-Do is essentially paralysed, a mind trapped in a lifeless body.

36

The diving bell.

In Jean-Do’s case his left eyelid is functional. It is his last hope of experiencing his surroundings and

the only chance for communication, after all he can think, he can imagine, he can opinionate simply vocalising his thoughts hits the wall.

For a someone in such a terrible

situation, you could be forgiven for losing hope, giving in, but memory and imagination keep this inspirational man pushing for the next day.

Jean-Do works on a method developed by his speech therapist, building words and sentences through blinks of his eyelid and finally he can be heard once more.

The butterfly.

His hospital soon allocate a team to aid his physical rehabilitation and more importantly speech.

Before the fateful stroke that left Bauby for dead, he signed a contract to write his take on ‘The Count of Monte Cristo’ and he wasn’t

ready to let this opportunity pass him by. Assigned an annotator, Jean-Do started work on a new project, and telling the story of his own life, and the world from the eyes of a remarkable character. His book was ‘The Diving Bell and the Butterfly’.

When director Julian Schnabel took the reigns of The Diving Bell and the Butterfly he knew a great weight of expectation lay on his shoulders. Capturing the story of Jean-Dominique Bauby, and doing justice to his powerful book and soul-destroying situation was to be a mammoth task. Shooting much of the film as if through the eyes of Jean-Do, Schnabel’s sublime sense of colour, light and focus puts you at the heart of the situation, even showing Jean-Do’s communicative blinks with bursts of darkness. In the later flashbacks of Jean-Do caring for his father, and a bed side phone call, the interplay, and then lack of, between two powerful characters is deeply moving, a fantastic achievement in direction.

The man in the shoes of Jean-Dominique Bauby deserves equal credit.

Once lined up for Johnny Depp before Pirates of the Caribbean shooting took precedence, director Schnabel earmarked Mathieu Amalric for the part after spotting the actor in a little known French film he once judged. With an unerring sense of realism Amalric took to the part instantly, and not once dropping out of his paralysed persona, the sheer patience required for such is an achievement alone.

While The Diving Bell and the Butterfly is a wholly captivating and emotional experience, it will as much be loved for harking back to the pure, simplistic and beautiful filmmaking. The adaptation from Bauby’s book is remarkable and if nothing else, will alert a new generation to the struggle of his condition and his inspirational experience. There is always more to life than first becomes apparent, and The Diving Bell and the Butterfly will help you find it.

★★★★★ 37

The Cottage

Directed by: Paul Andrew Williams Starring: Andy Serkis, Reece Shearsmith, Jennifer Ellison, Steven O’Donnell & Dave Legeno Studio: Steel Mill Pictures Distributor: Pathé Release: March 14 (UK) TBC (USA)

When wannabe hardman David (Serkis) was planning his big score, kidnap in cohorts with his brother Peter (Shearsmith) shouldn’t have been top of the list. One dealing in brawn, the other almost providing the brains, together they ought to make a decent pair but come up one cog loose.

At least the abduction starts to plan and the pair arrive at a small countryside cottage with a young blonde in their boot. Tracey is out cold and gagged, ever lovable maiden...until roused. When Peter sneaks a peek at her cleavage as David runs to grab the bedroom key, Tracey springs to life, launching into a tirade of headbuts and kicks to send Peter crashing to the floor.

All with her hands tied behind her back and a gag in her mouth.

To be honest, David would have struggled to pick a less appropriate hostage. Daughter to a renowned mobster and owner of the club where he works, he can’t even phone in their demands for fear of his voice being recognised, so the ransom call is left to the less than threatening Peter.

Surprise to say, when third accomplice Andrew (O’Donnell), himself 38

crossing step-sister Tracey and the rest of the family, enters equation, things goes from bad to worse. Andrew is lacking on brains and brawn and stumbles in, open-faced balaclava in hand carring a bag with, shall we say, less than the £100,000 they were expecting.

Before you know it, while David is away making another ransom call, Tracey gets free and breaks out holding Peter to knife point. Tables turned, David is now on the back foot, but after everything that has gone on, even he couldn’t predict what was waiting in the forest.

With a premise and narrative perfectly suited to the horror/comedy genre, and thankfully a Texas Chainsaw-style enemy rather than the zombie outbreak that has hit the film industry in the last couple of years, The Cottage should be a whole lot more successful.

Andy Serkis won’t be charting his performance alongside the likes of Gollum in Lord of the Rings but he is believable as a man-with-a-plan David. Steven O’Donnell is lovable as fool-hardy Andrew too. However, Jennifer Ellison isn’t quite as successful as captured alpha-female Tracey. Owing in part to the script,

she comes across far too brash and is thoroughly annoying soon after opening her mouth for the first time.

Slight subtlety on her aggression wouldn’t have gone a miss.

The one saving grace for The Cottage lies in Reece Shearsmith.

Ranking alongside anything in the wonderful League of Gentlemen, his performance as nerveless Peter is almost enough alone to prop up an otherwise lethargic film. From unwittingly facing his fear of moths when he enters a room full of them, to having sections of his body somewhat severed, his timing and relentless energy keeps The Cottage entertaining for the most part.

Sadly nothing has ever quite stood up to Shaun of the Dead since it reinvigorated the horror/comedy genre some years back, and The Cottage is no different. The tension picks up in the latter half but despite the immensely talented Reece Shearsmith turning in a great performance, comedy is otherwise absent. While it never quite comes alive, you could do worse than spending an evening at The Cottage... just try to blot out Jennifer Ellison for as long as possible.

★★★★★

No Country for Old Men Directed by: Joel Coen & Ethan Coen Starring: Tommy Lee Jones, Josh Brolin, Javier Bardem, Kelly Macdonald & Woody Harrelson Studio: Miramax Films Distributor: Paramount Vantage Release: Out now

“Call it” proclaims Chigurh (Bardem) as he flips a coin. Whether the man in front of him knows it or not, his life lies in the balance. Call it right, he’ll live another day, get it wrong and he’ll be dead in seconds.

Like several of the Coen brothers’ films before, No Country for Old Men is about taking chances. When Lwelelyn Moss (Brolin) goes out hunting he stumbles upon a drug deal gone wrong. A handful of dealers lie dead on the ground, their cars pummelled with bullets, the sole survivor gasping for air and dripping with blood. And more importantly at another’s side lies a case full of $2m.

He gets away undetected but after suffering a late bout of conscience, drives back in the middle of the night to give water to the dying man. Big mistake. As Lwelelyn approaches the truck of the now dead man, another vehicle scales the hill top, spotlights on. Spotting

him, they take chase, Lwelelyn barely getting away and sparking a cat and mouse chase stretching the entire film.

Contract killer Chigurh has been hired to track down the money, played by the chilling Javier Bardem. Boasting a trademark ‘80s bowl cut and a deadly cattle gun, there’s something overwhelmingly eerie about a hunched figure carrying around a mysterious canister of air.

And the audience’s dread of Chigurh is a huge factor in the success of No Country for Old Men. Living the fear of having a deadly killer, without a shred of regret on your tail helps create a intense sustained suspense for the entire film. Even when Lweleyn get’s away, you just know it won’t be long before Chigurh is at his door once more before he finally starts to turn the tables and get on the offensive himself.

The Coen brothers’ subversive tone comes through wonderfully and pushes No Country for Old Men to the highs of their most regarded works so far, although to be up there with the very finest, you’ll have to leave 10 minutes early and imagine the perfect ending for yourself.

Sadly, the closing scenes fail to wrap up a marvellous cold blooded trail, instead providing a mysteriously inconclusive finish. In no way does it ruin the film, but you feel if the same attention has been paid to ending sequence, we’d be looking at an even more compelling movie and a truly must-see.

Still, the Coen brothers’ CV is starting to read amongst cinema’s true greats and they can still be very proud of their latest dark and brooding creation.

★★★★★ 39

The Bank Job

Directed by: Roger Donaldson Starring: Jason Statham, Saffron Burrows, Richard Lintern, Stephen Campbell Moore & Daniel Mays Studio: Mosaic Media Distributor: Lionsgate Release: February 28 (UK) TBC (USA)

Over 10 years ago, when then Olympic hopeful Jason Statham placed third in the British diving trials, no-one would have expected a career on the screen, never mind sustaining the success he has found.

The London boy has come from nowhere to build a notable reputation as an action star, working with the likes of Brad Pitt, Benicio Del Toro, Jet Li and even Luc Besson. Now back in London, Statham is ready to take down Llyods bank in this intriguing film based on the famous heist of 1971.

When activist Michael X (Peter De Jersey) holds his prosecutors to ransom over his possession of some lewd Royal photos, the Government decide it’s time to take matters into their own hands. With the pictures secured in a private safety deposit box, they have to go off radar and convince Martine Love (Burrows) to organise the raid with a bunch of friendly toughs.

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Of course, Martine doesn’t mention the higher purpose and proposes to friend Terry Leather (Statham) that they hit the Lloyds bank to raid the safety deposit boxes for cash and jewellery. After rounding up a bunch of mates, Terry and Martine set about formulating a plan and before you know it, they’re digging into the floor of an adjacent shop.

Aggravating the police, local crime bosses and the Government, the story twists and turns, culminating in a thrilling finale but it’s a shame The Bank Job remains a let down.

Jason Statham isn’t known for his depth of character acting and certainly won’t be recognised for it after this. His wooden performance isn’t helped by Saffron Burrows’ insubstantial role. The whole cast never really get started, giving a collective whimper when The Bank Job needs an aggressive set of performances and a lot more oomph.

TV drama regular Peter De Jersey’s casting as Michael X seems particularly confusing, in no way pulling off activist Michael X, De Jersey is certainly more suited to Holby City.

For such an amazing story, and a plot so perfectly suited to filmmaking, it is disappointing to see The Bank Job fall short. The on location filming in and around Baker Street will bring a smile to Londoners’ faces, but without a much needed injection of pace, the wider audience might have trouble catching on. The main crime is the lack of wonder, suspense and amazement you should feel from a multi-million pound robbery.

The Bank Job is a little too washed out to compete with cinemas true great heists but will just about keep for Statham fans happy before Crank 2 due later this year.

★★★★★

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dvd reviews Resident Evil: Extinction Video games’ finest survival horror series hits the big screen for the third time. In Extinction, ever the heroine Alice is facing a tough time in a world absorbed by the rampaging T-Virus, turning almost the entire human population into blood thirsty zombies.

Alice finds a bunch of fellow survivors on her mission to wreak revenge on the Umbrella Corporation but as she tracks them down, realises they’ve been hunting her too.

Sadly, for fans of the games, Resident Evil: Extinction will disappoint. Introducing a new “super undead” and removing classic character Valentine pulls this latest film too far away from the source material. And yet with knowledge of the back story, gamers will get the most out of the film. Extinction will scare you at times, but annoy you at others.

Milla Jovovich is good again as Alice, boasting impressive fighting skills in a huge desert onslaught, although by the 50th flying kick you’ll get a little bored with the repetition.

Some interesting ‘making of...’ features, including an excellent exposé on the creation of a ravaged Vegas and a handful of deleted scenes round off the experience. A quick preview of new CGI film Resident Evil: Degeneration will get you excited for more.

Film ★★★★★ Extras ★★★★★

Invisible Waves Working as a chef in a Hong Kong restaurant, Kyoji has more than your average relationship with his boss. While having an affair with his wife, he is then hired by his boss to kill her. Struggling to deal with the guilt Kyoji escapes on a boat to Thailand, hoping to form a new life, free of his past, but he struggles to ever truly let go. As his ex-boss sends hitmen to conclude the unfinished business, Invisible Waves takes an imaginative twists, proving thrillers can be equally based around action as inner torment and morality.

Boasting an all-star Asian cast Invisible Waves is an intriguing piece, somewhat failing to thrill but certainly posing important questions about ethics and one’s actions.

The behind the scenes feature is entertaining but little more adds depth to the experience.

Film ★★★★★ Extras ★★★★★

Sherrybaby Faced with the unenviable task of staying clean and out of trouble, young mother Sherry is fresh out of jail and hoping to get her life back on track. Living in make-do social housing, Sherry’s only wish is to be with her daughter, currently living with her brother Bobby and his wife. Sherry finds it all to easy to fall back into the old routine, battling with her own vices and an unforgiving society but gradually starts to realise what is most important and the changes she needs to make to her life.

Sherrybaby excellently portrays hard-hitting story and the rollercoaster of life should you take one step wrong. Maggie Gyllenhaal adds another fine performances to her remarkably impressive filmography making Sherrybaby an excellent piece of heartfelt cinema.

Three interviews with the cast make into on the disc but don’t quite do the main feature justice.

Film ★★★★★ Extras ★★★★★ 42

The Counterfeiters The Counterfeiters documents the remarkable story of the Nazi’s counterfeiting unit towards the end of World War II. Focussing on Saloman Sorowitsch, a renowned counterfeiter and playboy, after being arrested for endless forgery crimes he finds himself in a concentration camp, working for the German’s to fake millions of pounds worth of currency, funding the war effort that is holding them.

Achieving unheralded success at the box office, director Stefan Ruzowitzky deserves special praise for so perfectly recreating what must have been a horrendous environment to work in, right down to the very set and menacing guards. Maintaining a level of suspense and thrilling narration far ahead of most mainstream high budget features, The Counterfeiters is a compelling, extraordinary and powerful piece of modern cinema.

A bunch of very interesting cast and crew interviews bulk up the bonus features, including a look into real character Adolf Burger’s artefacts.

Film ★★★★★ Extras ★★★★★

Superbad After the box office hit Knocked Up and his preview catalogue of successful works, Judd Apatow has quickly propelled himself to the top of the comedy circuit. Now turned producer, Superbad is the finest comedy out of Apatow’s production company to date combining a barrel of laughs with lovable characters.

Following highschool’s less than finest Seth, Evan and Fogel as they try to make to a party and get a couple of attractive classmates. En route, attempting to buy liquor with Fogel’s “McLovin” fake I.D., riding with two hilarious cops and hitting an alternate house party where fighting seems to be the order of the day, Superbad is the finest teen comedy since American Pie, knocked even its forefather off the roster. All of the cast pull off superbly funny performances, especially Michael Cera as Evan, Jonah Hill as Seth and Seth Rogan as one of the cops.

The ‘Extended Edition’ doubled disc set boasts a lorry load of special features including a funny “Everyone Hates Michael Cera” spot and 5 minutes of placing snakes and reptiles on a scared Jonah Hill. The usual documentary and deleted scenes plus a heap of production material complete an impressive selection of extras.

Film ★★★★★ Extras ★★★★★

Rise of the Footsoldier Julian Gilbey’s ultra violent portrayal of one man’s ascendance to the top of organised crime business is a shocking but self-indulgent crime epic. Based on a true story, Rise of the Footsoldier follows the life of Carlton Leach, one time football hooligan turned drug dealer and muscle for hire before heading a powerful London gang.

With ruthless performances from the entire cast, a feeling of true grit, determination and aggression swamps the film but after the endless fight scenes and unnecessary nudity, come the two hour finishing line, you’ll want the action to end. A lot of the gore feels like violence for violence’s sake, making the narration feel empty and unfulfilling. Where the Football Factory delivered the hard truths of a life on the wrong side of the law, Rise of the Footsoldier is too self indulgent to portray a more serious message.

A complete absence of special features won’t even get your heart going.

Film ★★★★★ Extras ★★★★★ 43

Ex-Drummer There’s something immensely intriguing about a prospect that should never succeed but against all adversity produces something special. Wannabe punk band The Feminists certainly fall into that category. Already boasting three drug-addled and disabled members, they seek a drummer, and well known writer Dries seems perfect to complete the quartet, as he can’t play the drums.

Ex-Drummer is a rollercoaster ride along the short and somewhat doomed lifespan of a band hoping to compete in a local rock festival competition. With fights, thrills and spills in their short success as an outfit, the quality of the music is alarming good, keeping this defunct bunch of individuals together.

Winning various awards across the globe, this is director Keon Mortier’s debut feature and displays a great deal of promise from an improving film talent, aptly capturing the sensibilities of punk music and the bleak life of today’s strayed youth.

Mortier gives an excellent insight into his film in the special features.

Film ★★★★★ Extras ★★★★★

Assassin(s) From the director of stand out French cinema masterpiece La Haine, Assassin(s) picks up as Mr. Wagner is nearing the end of his career at a hitman. Following a genuine code of honour, Mr. Wagner considers himself a bright light in the underworld so over aught with aggression, revenge and cold blood. Seeking out a worthy beneficiary of his knowledge, Mr. Wagner takes on 20 year old Max, tutoring him in the code of his actions and of course, deadly ability behind the barrel of a gun. It soon becomes apparent however that Max far from boasts the capacity to carry out the deadly deeds and so the search continues once more.

Shot with elegant style and cut-throat attention to detail, if it no surprise director Mathieu Kassovitz moved onto the glorious La Haine after a taster in the French crime world.

Assassin(s) is not without quality, struggling a little in the middle but bringing the storyline back together for a high paced conclusion.

From a film with such promise it is disappointing only the trailer makes it by way of film extras.

Film ★★★★★ Extras ★★★★★

Roadgames When trucker Pat Keach sets off on his latest delivery, he thinks little of a mysterious green van that keeps popping up along the way. Upon hearing news on the radio of a serial killer in the area, murdering hitchhikers then dumping the bodies at the roadside or in motel garbage cans, the pieces of the puzzle start to fit together.

Going against the trucker code and picking up his own hitchhiker, Pat becomes attached to his new found friend only for her to mysteriously disappear after they think they’ve cornered the killer. The exciting story builds to a truly thrilling climax, full of tension and nerve wracking action.

Roadgames is pleasingly entertaining, proving you don’t need a big budget or special effects to successful recreate a promising story.

Sadly, there’s little more than a trailer by way of bonus features.

Film ★★★★★ Extras ★★★★★ 44

Eastern Promises After a baby’s mother dies soon after the birth of her daughter, nurse Anna finds a diary in the woman’s bag and takes it upon herself to find out who this woman was and track down family members to take care of the child. However, it soon becomes away she’s treading in murky waters, embroiled in the Russian mafia in London, the unfortunate mother had led a less than free life.

Eastern Promises is an enthralling spectacle with intense narration and an intriguing plot. Viggo Mortensen is excellent as mafia driver Nikolai, stunning audiences in a high paced sauna fight scene and giving an air of mystery perfectly complementing the film. Twists and turns along the way will keep you hooked until the very last, and further exposing disgusting illegal human trafficking that still goes on today.

There aren’t quite the bonus features you’d expect but the tattoo featurette is very interesting and the cast are also interviewed about the story.

Film ★★★★★ Extras ★★★★★

Tales from Earthsea From the creative minds that have brought us Howl’s Moving Castle and Spirited Away, Tales from Earthsea is the latest animated adventure out of Japan’s immensely talented Studio Ghibli. Based on the books by Ursula Le Guin, this latest worldly voyage accompanies a powerful wizard, Sparrowhawk, on a quest to find the source of evil unsettling the dragon race. Considered a powerful omen, great importance is placed on dragons, and Sparrowhawk much fight not only the local king but a great evil spirit. With an aspiring young wizard and mysterious young girl at his side, Tales from Earthsea builds to a ferocious face-off between Earthsea’s greatest powers.

Sadly, after the breathtaking imagination and colourful animation in their films of the past, Studio Ghibli’s latest creation falls a little flat. Tales from Earthsea is by no means a bad film, but the plot is fairly tried and tested and fails to tread any unknown waters. It is still though a visual treat and an entertaining film if not quite the wonder we all hoped for it to be.

The second discs boasts a huge TV special on the film and works of Studio Ghibli alongside a similarly lengthy “Behind the Microphone” features.

Film ★★★★★ Extras ★★★★★

Bright Future Bright Future tells the story of two friends, disillusioned by day to day life and their dead end job in a factory. Mamoru is obsessed with his pet jellyfish, shunning society to help the animal adapt to fresh water. Inexplicably, one night he murders his boss’s family, and is sentenced to death in prison. Yuji attempts to continue the experiment however, in a moment of despair accidentally tips over the jellyfish’s tank, and it sleep between the floorboards into Tokyo’s canals.

Bright Future is a film about struggling to fit in with society and finding one’s own place.

It is breathtakingly shot, especially in one particular scene as the jellyfish emerges, filling the water with light, and comes together for an excellent ending. One of Japan’s finer pieces of thoughtful cinema.

A behind the scenes feature and film notes give an insight into the director’s creative vision.

Film ★★★★ Extras ★★★★★ 45

art

death proof

CELL SHADED CINEMA

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the dark knight

in loving memory of heath ledger

goodfellas

flags of our fathers

goldfinger

king kong

the matrix

sweeney todd

the darjeeling limited

this is england

transformers

tv

LOST

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fa so s rie te ys m e th ... w e vi re p 4 n seaso With an end date in sight, LOST fanatics can finally be safe in the knowledge that the show’s mysteries will be solved before too long. Over the last 3 seasons, creators J.J. Abrams, Damon Lindelof and Jeffrey Lieber have spurred viewer intrigue with a complex back story to each character and a plethora of island surprises.

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Season 4 is set to hit TV screens in a matter of days but after the plot leak of season 3’s finale, details have been painfully slow to emerge. We know at least to expect a thrilling batch of episodes, pushing boundaries even further. After so many mysteries, we take a look at the island wonders you should be keeping an eye on.

The mysterious black smoke monster that haunts the island is one of LOST’s most perplexing supernatural elements. Ever since the very first episode when the plane’s pilot was plucked from the cabin and rampaged through the forest; the smoke has been terrorising the castaways.

smokes killed him at the end of season 2. Locke has also seen the monster but was not at all scared, and was even happy to be pulled into its mysterious hole.

It has the ability to change its form, creating visions of Eko’s brother, Walt and a black horse, as it tests the island inhabitants. Eko seemingly failed his test and the black

During season 3, the smoke chases Kate and Juliet but is kept out of the Other’s base camp by the sonar fence. Juliet previously mentioned that the Others “don’t know what it is”, but it remains to be seen how much they really know and whether the monster is in fact following a specific purpose?

When Ben told Locke of a “magic box” on the island, you could even guess as to what was in store. Midseason 3 the mystery came to a fore when Ben opened the door to a mysterious room in the Barracks, and within sat John’s father, Anthony Cooper. Ben claimed whatever one desired lay in waiting in the

“box”, John himself wanting retribution for his father but had the Others simply brought Anthony Cooper to the island or was he summoned

by Jacob or an impression created “the island”. If the latter is true, then the black smoke could be a factor, although this would mean the Others have control over it.

Desmond’s old love is searching for him and the island and appeared to make a break through after the Discharge of the Swan hatch explosion. The electromagnetic anomaly caused is picked up by a listening station who then call Penelope to

tell her they “found it”. In associated book “Bad Twin”, her father’s company, Widmore Industries, is said to be funding the work of the Hanso Foundation and so she could plausibly have access to the cameras of the stations on the island.

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After Desmond turned the failsafe key in the Swan hatch, a bright light, and seemingly magnetic explosion filled the island.

speculation, while long term effects are also unknown.

What exactly happened, and how the failsafe worked is open to

If whatever they blew up had the power to bring down an aeroplane then surely remains can be found somewhere too.

Previously known simply as “Him”, Jacob is the leader of the Others, and the only person to give Ben orders. Towards the end of season 3 we finally met Jacob when Ben takes Locke to meet him. The pair enter a weary looking cabin, deep in the jungle to find what appears to a table and empty chair. As Ben appears to be having a conversation with Jacob, Locke can hear

nothing, but as he starts to walk out, hears a very deep “help me”.

Locke then turns around and shines a torch on the chair, seemingly angering Jacob as objects start to fly around the room and Ben is thrown against the wall. In the midst of the action there is brief glimpse of Jacob’s figure. Ben also claims he has the ability to cure cancer, but any other details are sketchy.

When Naomi crash landed on the island, she claimed to sent by Penelope Widmore to find Desmond and that the main search freighter ship is waiting nearby. However, in the season 3 finale Charlie talked to Penelope through the communication equipment in The Looking Glass that she did not know anyone

called Naomi and that the ship was not hers. In the same episode, using Naomi’s satellite phone, Jack contacted the ship, speaking to someone called Minkowski who tracked Jack’s location. Who sent the freighter? Why was a freighter used as a search ship? And will the ship make it to the island?

Often at moments of peril, eerie whispers can he heard echoing around the castaways. At first these seemed to be connected to the monster or the others but now it is less clear. There are no specific moments when the whispers are

guaranteed to appear and nor do we know who or what is creating them. Decoding the whispers has revealed actual speech but nothing to help work out the source so far or develop the story and the characters hearing them.

The Numbers’ frequent reoccurrence is LOST is rumoured to be in-joke amongst the production staff that went a little too far, but is still compelling to say the least. The mysterious sequence; 4, 8, 15, 16, 23, 42, once not must have been entered into the Swan computer but won Hurley the lottery, led Danielle to the island, is documented

on island medicine, never mind the countless occurrences in part. Using the Numbers brings gross bad luck, for example Hurley’s misfortune after winning his millions. The Numbers are the core values of the “Valenzetti Equation”, a mathematical formula designed to predict the end of humanity, itself the suggested focus of Dharma’s experiments.

Following the Discharge and the destruction of the Swan, Desmond started seeing flashes of the future, saving Charlie’s life on several occasions. He also woke up naked in the middle of the jungle after the explosion, so it is possible someone

may have moved and done something to him. Desmond also relived his past, going back in time and meeting a strange jewellery store clerk who persuades him not to propose to Penelope as it is his destiny to push the button on the island.

As Sayid, Sun and Jin sailed around the island to the Others’ camp, they caught a glimpse of part of a huge statue. What remained was a still mammoth four-toed foot, which producers have said is from times before Dharma, the real origin, however, still remains a mystery.

Bring on January 31st...

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Released a little over a year ago, Ōkami squeezed every ounce of power out of the aging PS2 but you felt it was yearning for a little more. Now coming to Wii, one of Capcom’s finest titles to date will be given a second birth in the next generation.

The game is set in a world laid baron by the by the forces of evil, sapped of its colour, of its life, it is left to a mythical sun god to restore a former glory. Tackling mesmeric monsters, enemies and ghoulish demons Ōkami is anything but a stroll in the park.

The stunning watercolour graphics and beautiful cut-scenes will be back only now the innovative brushstroke puzzles will be controlled by the Wii remote’s pointer. Hopefully enough people pick Ōkami up off the shelves as if ever a game has deserved widespread exposure, this is it.

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Jeanne D’Arc

Format: PSP Developer: Level-5 Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment Release: Out now (USA) TBC (UK)

After two glorious debut releases, Dark Cloud and Dark Chronicle, Level-5 announced themselves as one of the best RPG developers in of Japan. Branching away from the PS2 with a couple of handheld and next. gen projects, Jeanne D’Arc comes highly anticipated and after desperate need for must-buy PSP games, shoulders the added responsibility of jolting some life back into Sony’s struggling console.

Set in the midst of the Hundred Years War, when her small home village is destroyed by the reckless English, a then young and innocent but vehemently spirited Jeanne leads the fight back to save her heartland. But it soon emerges the battle will be anything but simple.

Countless years ago, in an ancient battle between humanity and a demon of pure evil, only with the power of five holy armlets and sacred gems can peace be restored, however, after centuries to rebuild his armoury, the evil power is back, taking control of the English army and pursuing a tirade against France.

As in any hero story Jeanne meets her destiny, receiving one of the holy armlets after saving a fellow crusader in battle. Spurred on by mysterious voices, she sees to banishing foreign forces from her motherland, backed by a bunch of hearty fellow comrades and a stern will.

The difference between Jeanne D’Arc and Level-5’s genre-defining 74

Dark Chronicle and other titles, lies in the gameplay. Where as you might expect freeform, linear exploration of new areas, travelling through levels to reach far away towns and regions, Jeanne D’Arc takes a route closer to the Final Fantasy Tactics Series. After selecting an area on the overall map, Jeanne and her group will automatically travel your destination, and then trigger a fight, cutscene or shop and training post. Essentially fight, select new area, fight, select new area. While fans of Dark Chronicle’s immersive dungeon system will be slightly let down, the simple nature of movement and progression works undeniably well, however does rely on an imaginative fighting system to keep the plotline entertaining.

And the battles sequences do not disappoint. Settling on the basic turn based fighting pattern where by you decide where to move within the battle ground the either attack, use magic or use an item, a number of innovative ideas spice up the action.

First up, the characters. Before each battle, you can select a specific team to fight the opposition, and even fully customise each companion. After the expansive selection of weapons, armour, the player can choose between a wide array of skill stones, giving each character special attacks, stat. improvements or magical moves. The stones can also boost a character’s affinity or one of three elemental powers. In a similar fashion to rock-paper-scissors, fighters of a certain affliction will be strong against opponents of the contrasting power but weak against the third element.

Jeanne D’Arc’s fast paced battles also introduce a handful of new ideas. With the burning aura, when you attack an enemy, the space behind will become powered up, allowing a partner, or enemy, to make their next move with greater ferocity. Plan your attack well and

you can have 4 or 5 burning aura attacks in a row. When your team is grouped they’ll also form a unified defence, decreasing the damage taken by the attacked member.

Most refreshingly, while counter attacks are far from a new idea, in Jeanne D’Arc, the recipient of an attack will automatically retaliate, although won’t always hit.

The biggest advancement makes use of the aforementioned holy armlets. Jeanne and a few of her comrades boast the mythical jewellery, which after being customised with a handful of magical gems, gives untold powers to the beholder. Vastly increasing all stats., the armlets can offer hugely effective special moves and the ability to attack again after felling a foe.

Transforming to this impressive state is limited to an experience bar, which slowly builds each turn, but means a well timed transformation and wave of destruction can see off an enemy fleet in moments.

With gorgeous part cell-shaded visuals and even more glorious anime cut scenes backing up over 30 hours of gameplay, Jeanne D’Arc does justice to France’s historic heroin. Sure, it may not be quite up to the level of Dark Chronicle and probably won’t bring hardened RPG fans to buy a PSP just to play it, for those with hands already on Sony’s handheld, Jeanne D’Arc is a must buy.

★★★★★★★★★★

Taiko no Tatsujin DS: Touch de Dokodon!

Format: DS Developer: Namco Publisher: Bandai Namco Games Release: Out now (Japan) TBC (USA & UK)

Enter any Japanese arcade and there’s one game that not only overshadows all surrounding it but attracts a constant stream of players. From the nation that started the dancing game craze, Taiko no Tatsujin, Taiko Drum Master, is taking over a new generation of music loving gamers.

Switching focus to drums, but not an intricate drum kit, instead a booming mega drum that sits on the front of each arcade unit, the series has spawned 10 hugely successful titles. At the side of the drum lie two sturdy drum sticks, and from there on it’s simple, bang the drum to the beat.

Boasting one of the most imaginative and effective uses of the DS’s touch screen to date, Namco’s new game in the series, Taiko no Tasujin DS: Touch de Dokodon!, or Taiko Drum Master DS: Touch and Play!, tapping out the rhythm on the lower screen. And with both the main drum and rim to be hit, tidily visualised on the handheld display, two mini drum stick stylus’ are included in the pack.

With bottom screen taken up with the drum, the upper screen is left for the song you must beat along to. Flying across a timeline, symbols indicating double, single or rim and special hits give the player instructions of how to tap out a song, with the rest of the music playing through the speakers.

To pass each song you’ll need to hit the majority of beats, missing not a single one to obtain a gold medal, and there’s a pretty heft range of songs to choose from. Ranging between J-Pop, classical and even the remarkably entertaining Mario theme, the learning curve is perfect and each song gives a varying level of difficulty, although even the hardest track won’t give that much of a challenge for long term players.

On the side there’s a handy training mode, which together with the individual songs in the game, you can work through to unlock new tracks and funny costumes for your drum mascot. You can also play wirelessly with 3 other drummers, whether they have the game or not, making use of special items to help distract your opponents and boost your score.

Despite the lack of depth, Taiko no Tatsujin DS is a wickedly entertaining game that unfortunately doesn’t quite last long enough. You’ll race through the selection of around 30 songs although replay value is very high and the bright and quirky graphics perfectly fit. Sadly there’s no guaranteed release outside Japan so if you local import shop will be stocking the DS’s finest, if not only, drumming game, head down there before it sells out.

★★★★★★★★★★

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next month LOAD issue 11 available March/April 2008