Teen Art Out nr 30 ISSN 2284 – 6549 ISSN–L = 2284 – 6549
Our editorial team Editor-in-Chief: Simona Mihalca Editors: Andreea Albulescu Aubrey Songcog Andreea Bădeu Mihnea Săvulescu Ruxandra Sevastin Kasey Rae Theodora Ștefănescu Andreea Chirică Carlos Funes Cover design: Simona Mihalca Design: Simona Mihalca Alexandru Miclos Laura Lucia Mihalca We reserve the right to select the submissions received before publishing. Contact: www.artout.ro/reviste/teen.html teen@artout.ro
Letter from the Editor Mother Earth Ever since middle school, we had to write essays on pollution, environment and how to save it. We hear all this talk of recycling. We know we are going downhill and destroying the world but we have been raised not to care. Everything that happens in the world has become white noise. Thousands of years ago, people used to worship nature. Whether you believe in a deity or another, there is something so majestic, so powerful and so spiritual about nature. It’s a safe haven, filled with energy. It’s where you go to get away from it all. It’s where you can find yourself. However, there will soon be no more finding yourself. Do we really need nature? YES! YES! A million times yes! Even in our desensitized state, we must realize what we are doing. Consider this: the earth is 4.6 billion years old. Let´s scale that down to 46 years. Using this analogy, humans have been here on this planet just 4 hours. Our industrial revolution began just one minute ago. And in that meager 60 seconds, we have already destroyed more than 50% of the world´s forests. This is akin to ripping out one lung from a living organism and expecting it to be in the same good health it was beforehand. That is why we invite you to read a bit about Mother Earth, a mystical force, a poem and a story, an empress ruling the lands. Think about your choices and rediscover the beauty in nature. Don’t take it as a lesson and don’t be scared. Be a part of it!
Simona Mihalca, Editor-in-Chief
Summary
Editorial Team: 2 Letter from the Editor: 3 Summary: 4 Mother Earth: 5 -Us and Mother Earth, Ruxandra Sevarstin: 7 -The Wolf and The Moon, Aubrey Songcog: 11 -Supernovae hearts, Andreea Albulescu : 17 -Sometime ago trees used to have eyes, Andreea Bădeu: 24 -Couple, Andreea Bădeu: 26 -Humanity, Mihnea Săvulescu: 27 Interview: 29 -Osric Chau: 30 -(Blind Guardian): 38 Iconic: A journey at Somerset House, Aylin Bayhan: 48 Ideas on Celluloid: - Avengers: Age of Ultron, a review by Theodora Ștefănescu: 59 - Need to Know’s For Filmmaking Amateurs, Kasey Rae: 71
Mother Earth
Us and Mother Earth “How many times, in the middle of trees always silent and motionless we felt that with these old friends talkative! How many times haven’t we tell her our pains and how many times, above all, don’t we have comforted her this pain.” Calistrat Hogaș In the last few years, we tend to isolate from all that surrounds us. From our fellow humans, but also from all the beautiful things in the nature. We surround ourselves with blocks of glass, concrete neighborhoods, we spend hours and hours in front of laptops and TVs. We search the internet to fill our desktops with beautiful images of trees, flowers, birds instead of getting out in the middle of them to get drunk with their beauty. Over the centuries, scientists have tried to find an answer to the question: what is happiness? They could not define. If we want to talk about it, happiness could be explained in a mathematical formula but true happiness is to be where time stops, worries don’t exist, in nature. It is a real pleasure for our eye to see how Mother Earth comes every day with something new, each season is accompanied by an insane idea of colors, variations of the birds, and smiles of children. Nature is continuing its play guided by laws imposed by divine hands of our Creator. Exquisite like an actor who is preparing for a different role. All these in order to makes us feel more close to us, for it.
After a good sleep deserved along with bears and a hedgehog, in the spring our Mother, start a new plays full of color. Spring is so beautiful! On the undulating plains green, flowers appear bashful under the snow, little lambs running round and round make us laugh. Month of April is one of the most colorful of all. The fragrance of flowers in gardens and orchards makes you feel like a princess when you get near them. Summer ... what season, filled with colors, what a magnificence sight. Faint stirrings of wind among the humming of the bees, send us in a world of silence. Soon the story becomes more intense, with vibrant red, yellow, and purple leaves which cover the earth into a beautiful rainbow along with splashes of cold rain. Coming rains augur the winter, ice flowers, to enjoyment of making snowmen. In a paragraph we summarized the beauty of them all. Mother Nature amazes us every time by various colors and variations prepared carefully. This cycle of nature, harmonize perfectly with our life. Spring captures our inner child, summer makes us fall in love again with everything, even makes us run barefooted on the shores of great, and then the season of the rain and snow come with a smell of hot cocoa. God along with Mother Nature show us these changes gradually so that we remember that our house in fact, is the Earth. What more evidence, we need to realize that between us and Mother Nature the relationship is undivided? Ruxandra Sevarstin
The Wolf and The Moon By Aubrey Songcog
As one of the nature’s phenomena, gravity is one of the wonders that shaped our world. An entity that could hold everything in place, like a hand that holds all creatures in order, a force that gives weight to every thing to keep them grounded. Avoiding chaos and keeping us from wandering beyond the Earth. But it also holds a painful truth that creatures living on Earth are meant to set their foot on nothing but Earth. A truth that keeps us from reaching what is beyond, a force that pull us away from the heavenly beau above, away from stars, away from the universe outside this realm. Maybe that would explain why the wolf cries each month everytime the full moon appears. It cries for a love it will never touch. It was a tale from countless ages ago. In the early days of Earth, all creatures are living in peace, inhales life from one specie and exhales for the life of others. An interconnected chain of living things that every creature cannot live without the others, which constitutes a greater scheme of life as a whole. But one creature doesn’t feel the sense of belonging in any of these circles. He’d rather go along on his own. Big Bad Wolf they call him, as he is merciless to his prey. But he is not really bad, he is just . . . sad. Wandering on his own, with no one to share his music with, with no one to tell his own tall tale. Running from edges up to the other end, just surviving the day, but the sense is unknown.
Until one night, while he was wandering in the dark spaces of the grim forest, he heard a sound that made him stop, a sound that may already have been existing before but never heard until that moment. It was a resonating music that could embrace a creature without touching, that could swipe all the coldness away but leaving the breeze that lingers at the end of his fur. Slowly, the lone wolf found himself at the end of a ridge, looking above, staring at the most alluring thing he had ever seen. He felt surreal but it doesn’t matter if it’s reality or not, because at that moment, he finally realized where his heart really belongs. The reason why he doesn’t feel as one on this Earth is that, the sense of life that he needs doesn’t belong on this realm, but rather in the universe beyond. That place is where he needs to be, in the circle of his beloved moon. Beautiful, mysterious, and wild, that’s the most stunning piece he had ever seen. The silvery gleam she illuminates veiled the night sky and her loving grace of light filled the longing heart of the wolf. He sang back to the moon which made the music even sweeter. A sound from above and below that meets halfway, and created a universe on its own. Casting an interstellar cloud of dust. “My love, leave yourself behind Beat inside me, leave you blind My love, you have found peace You were searching for release” Everything seems to be right and wonderful until the wolf felt the need to be with her, to be with the moon as one. So he ran and searched for the highest ridge he could find, hoping he could
reach the moon at the tip of his nose and to finally jump into her world. He may have reached the highest but the height was not enough to close the distance between them. But the wolf didn’t lose hope. He called the wind and said: “blow me with your strongest wind and let me fly so I could be with my beloved”. The wind blew his strongest but the force couldn’t lift the wolf even an inch. He felt downhearted at the moment but he kept on looking for a way. He had seen birds that could possibly buoy him up and hitch a ride towards the moon, but every time he gets near, all the birds get startled by his name as a fearsome villain, and fly away. Finally, he asked for the help of Mother Earth, if she could stretch upward the highest mountain so he could reach the moon by its peak and finally be united with his beloved. But this angered the Great Mother and said, “Who are you little creature to yearn for something that is million times greater compared to you? How dare you to ask me to defy my own maxim? You can’t have her, she belongs to the universe, and you -- you belong on this Earth. Learn to accept where you should be and live with it, you ungracious canid”. This made the wolf cry. But he was overthrown by his deepest allegiance. He was too enamored to give up. So he climbed the highest ridge on the land, stood on its edge, and with the desperation, took a leap towards the moon. He knows that he who leaps for the sky may fall, it’s true, but he may also fly [An excerpt from Delirium by Lauren Oliver].
“You gave it all into the call You took a chance and You took the fall for us You came thoughtfully Loved me faithfully You taught me honor You did it for me” But to take the risk is fatal. As he ascended towards the sky for a second, he didn’t close his eyes but just stared at the moon, adoring how magnificent she is. Persistently reaching towards the space, but failed to close the distance. Followed by the pull of gravity that multiplied the speed of falling towards the ground. “You belong here”, said by the Great Mother Earth. But the wolf didn’t hear the preach anymore. As the moment he reached the ground, his body collapsed, and weep over the love that he plainly will never have, a love lost forever. Bones were shattered into pieces and his blood covered the dirt beneath, and eventually exhaled his last breath. “Tonight you will sleep for good You will wait for me, my love Now I am strong, you gave me all You gave all you had And now I am home My love, leave yourself behind Beat inside me, leave you blind My love, look what you can do I am mending, I’ll be with you” The angered Great Mother picked up every piece of the shattered remains of the defiant and showered it in the air, cursing the canids all over the land and its succeeding generation for how ungracious their kind are.
From that day on, all the wolves in the land were ought to look up on the moon on its full illumination and weep, to feel the love and anguish that none of them can decipher. As long as the fragment of the soul of the late wolf lives on them, they will forever wail for the tragedy of a forbidden love. Sometimes, no matter how hard we try, no matter how hard we want it to be so, sometimes there is no such thing as perpetual zeal. Only a split of bliss in between. “I know in peace you go I hope relief is yours Now I am strong, you gave me all You gave all you had And now I am home My love, leave yourself behind Beat inside me, leave you blind� -My Love by Sia
Supernovae hearts
One of these days, while I was walking down the street on my way home, I found myself enveloped in the gentle light of the sun, and the smell of blooming flowers filled up my heart with a feeling of pure joy and inner peace. I just felt like the whole spirit of spring passed through me, leaving its trace linger in my soul. Too bad it did not last as long as I wished; maybe it was my fault that I let that sensation burn instead of letting it slowly fade away.
I have noticed all sorts of messages and hundreds of quotes that encouraged people to let their hearts burst with joy, colour and passion, letting everybody know how they feel inside, and I could not help but think that, by exploding with colour and energy, like supernovae, we only make the sensation fade faster.
Once you are able to better control your feelings, you get to enjoy them more and eventually you become the master over them. It is like pouring gasoline over a bonfire to make the flame bigger and brighter, without realizing that the wood burned faster and the gasoline tank is empty. Even if you enjoyed the beauty of the fire, you did it for a short period of time. Instead, if you just let the fire burn normally, you would have enjoyed the warmth for a longer period of time.
I am not saying, of course, that we have to hide our feeling and keep them for ourselves only. What I am saying is that one should not let their emotions take over their mind, making them behave in an uncontrolled manner until their tank of gasoline (their energy) becomes empty and their fire (the strong feelings) dies.
As Oscar Wilde said in “The Picture of Dorian Gray” through Dorian’s voice, “I don’t want to be at the mercy of my emotions. I want to use them, to enjoy them, and to dominate them.” Naturally, the context in which this line was used is entirely different, but if we just take it as it is, it refers to the fact that once we manage to control the sensations that flows through from within, we get to experience them for a lot more time, making the most out of them, instead of consuming them in a blink of an eye.
I hope that the next time I will be going home on a splendid afternoon I will be able to temper my supernova heart so that the trace of the nature’s touch would linger for as long as I want it to
Andreea Albulescu
Cândva arborii aveau ochi Cândva arborii aveau ochi, Pot să jur, Ştiu sigur Că vedeam când eram arbore, Îmi amintesc că mă mirau Ciudatele aripi ale păsărilor Care-mi treceau pe dinainte, Dar dacă păsările bănuiau Ochii mei, Asta nu îmi mai aduc aminte. Caut zadarnic ochii arborilor acum. Poate nu-i văd Pentru că arbore nu mai sunt, Sau poate-au coborât pe rădăcini În pământ, Sau poate, Cine ştie, Mi s-a părut numai mie Şi arborii sunt orbi dintru-nceput... Dar atunci de ce Când trec de ei aproape Simt cum Mă urmăresc cu privirile, Într-un fel cunoscut, De ce, când foşnesc şi clipesc Din miile lor de pleoape, Îmi vine să strig Ce-aţi văzut?...
Some time ago trees used to have eyes Some time ago trees used to have eyes I can swear that I know it for sure Because I used to see when I was a tree I remember I was astonished By the funny wings of the birds That would pass by But did the birds notice My eyes I do not recall. I am hopelessly searching the trees’ eyes now Maybe I can’t see them Because I’ve ceased being a tree Or maybe they have gone down to the roots Into the ground Or maybe Who knows It was just me And trees have always been blind… But then why When I pass them by I feel how They watch me In a familiar way, Why, when they rustle and blink From their thousand eyelids I feel like screaming: What have you seen?..
Cuplu Unii te văd numai pe tine, Alţii mă văd numai pe mine, Ne suprapunem atât de perfect Încât nimeni nu ne poate zări deodată Şi nimeni nu îndrăzneşte să locuiască pe muchia De unde putem fi văzuţi amândoi. Tu vezi numai luna, Eu văd numai soarele, Tu duci dorul soarelui, Eu duc dorul lunii, Stăm spate în spate, Oasele noastre s-au unit de mult, Sângele duce zvonuri De la o inimă la alta. Cum eşti? Dacă ridic braţul Şi-l întind mult înapoi, Îţi descopăr clavicula dulce Şi, urcând, degetele îţi ating Sfintele buze, Apoi brusc se-ntorc şi-mi strivesc Până la sânge gura. Cum suntem? Avem patru braţe să ne apărăm, Dar eu pot să lovesc numai duşmanul din faţa mea
Şi tu numai duşmanul din faţa ta, Avem patru picioare să alergăm, Dar tu poţi fugi numai în partea ta Şi eu numai în cealaltă parte. Orice pas este o luptă pe viaţă şi pe moarte. Suntem egali? Vom muri deodată sau unul va purta, Încă o vreme, Cadavrul celuilalt lipit de el Şi molipsindu-l lent, prea lent, cu moarte? Sau poate nici nu va muri întreg Şi va purta-n eternitate Povara dulce-a celuilalt, Atrofiată de vecie, Cât o cocoaşă, Cât un neg... Oh, numai noi cunoaştem dorul De-a ne putea privi în ochi Şi-a înţelege astfel totul, Dar stăm spate în spate, Crescuţi ca două crengi Şi dacă unul dintre noi s-ar smulge, Jertfindu-se pentru o singură privire, Ar vedea numai spatele din care s-a smuls Însângerat, înfrigurat, Al celuilalt.
Couple Some people solely notice you Some others only notice me We overlap so perfectly That no one can notice us both at once And no one dares to reach the edge From where we can both be seen. You only spot the moon And I the sun alone You long for the sun And I yearn for the moon, We sit back to back Long ago did our bones intertwine Blood carries tension From one heart to the other. What are you like? Should I raise my arm And stretch it backwards I come across your sweet collar bone And sweeping upward, my fingers touch Your holy lips Then all of a sudden they come back and press My mouth wholeheartedly. What are we like? We have four arms to defend ourselves But I can only fight the enemy in front of me And you only the invader before your eyes We have four legs to run
But you can run nowhere but in your own direction And I only in the opposite one. Each step is a matter of life and death. Are we equal? Will we die simultaneously or will one of us carry The other’s body like an attachment For a while Slowly getting intoxicated with death? Or maybe death will not strike fully And one of us will endlessly carry The sweet burden of the other, Weakened by eternity As big as a hump, As big as a wart… Oh, you and I alone can taste the yearning For gazing into each other’s eyes And thus truly be aware of all, understand it all But we sit back to back Grown just like two branches And should one of us cut themselves loose Sacrificing oneself for that one single look, All they would see is the back he has abandoned Aching, shivering Belonging to the other half.
HUMANITY Mihnea Săvulescu
Good evening… To chaos… Good morning… To serenity…
Good day… To humans.
A slightly advanced breed of monkeys on an average planet orbiting an average star on a random orbit, trying desperately to cling on to their comfortable short lives, not thinking about broader contexts, the big picture or anything resembling this abstract term we call “the future”. This planet birthed us, caressed us, made sure that we got where we are at this moment, and yet… We display absolutely no affection towards it. Fossil fuel reserves are dwindling, our wallets are itching and our home seems to become so hot that we might soon start fighting over small amounts of water, just so that we can survive towards the next day. Ungrateful children, other advanced civilization would call us. Idiots, the few people that think of the future are thinking. And all for what? For a few more dozen years of comfort? All our progress until now will be sacrificed, unless something is done, unless we wake up, unless we hear Mother Earth’s call.
Nothing, absolutely nothing, we’re just fighting on who gets the better price for oil, or for gas, or, if you want on a smaller level, which shop has the cheapest dress. We’re even wolves towards our fellow humans, working the poorest people of the planet insane hours for miserable salaries only so that we can live a more comfortable life. This isn’t what I signed for, this isn’t what any of us should’ve signed for. This is our only home, our only planet, at least for now. The only place that has technology, food, love, peace, war, resources, internet and dreams, that we know of. Even so, no far reaching thought ever goes through the collective consciousness of the world. All due to all this comfort, of course. What good is an electric car, when you have to recharge it each 100 kilometers? What good is it to recycle, when you have to go all that way to the center? Or to put in research into alternative energy sources, when that will raise your taxes? We are our own biggest enemies, not because we want it, but because we’re stupid. We deny global warming, we deny the need for other fuels, we deny the need for change, because the status quo is charming.
The status quo is perfect. It’s something we know. We fear the unknown, we fear change, but… Change is all we have, change is what makes us better, change is the only that can actually save us.And change… Is brought by some hope. People are still working for better technology, despite the lack of funding. People are still trying to educate the masses, despite few being willing to hear their message. And some… Some see the bigger picture, some fight for this planet, some fight for us, for ourselves, for the whole collective. Those are the true heroes, not the soldiers, not the conquerors. No scientist was ever named “The great”, but no king ever invented the light bulb or electricity. At the end of the day, there is still a slimmer of light at the end of this tunnel, if people keep fighting for the greater ideal of this… Mother Earth.
Mihnea Săvulescu
INTERVIEW
Interview with Osric Chau By Simona Mihalca & Andreea Chirică
Bojana Doneva @ Friday Chopsticks
Bojana Doneva@Friday Chopsticks
I hope you all know who Osric Chau is. Not because he is famous for the movies (2012) or TV shows he’s been a part of, but for how amazing a person he is. I have yet to encounter a person so kind, so friendly, so energetic, spreading so much happiness as Osric. He was the main reason why I attended East European Comic Con and it was so worth it. Whenever you get the chance, you have to look how he’s doing and if he’s coming to your town, go meet him. He says it’s all because he’s lived a long life (28 years), even if he doesn’t show it. But truly, he is an inspiration. Simona Mihalca: Hi and welcome to Romania! I know you’ve heard this many times! Osric Chau: Thanks! It’s nice to be welcomed, too.
S: We had the chance to talk to you last year and you said you’ll be coming to Romania in 2015. O: Right? And it’s 2015! I can’t believe! I know! It happened! It actually happened! S: You have certainly been to your fair number of conventions. How was it going to your first convention as an invented actor and could you imagine all of this when you started acting? O: No. I mean it wasn’t something I thought would happen. I used to go to the conventions as an attendee and that was a fun thing. My first convention was a Supernatural convention. So that’s a bit different, too, you know. Everyone’s there For Supernatural and at Comic Con events I was always an attendee, I could hide in the crowd.
It’s funny because coming from being an attendee to being a guest was such a strange transition for me. I was going to SDCC for the 2nd time and I had my Princess Bubblegum outfit ready and I was going to wear it there but i ended up working that week and so instead i wore it to a Supernatural convention and it didn’t occur to me that I was a guest and not and attendee and that’s why I started cosplaying publicly. But yeah, it’s such an incredible thing to be part of and I don’t know if anyone really expects it, you know? You hear about it or maybe some actors go to them as well but it’s not something that you think about, you know, doing a show and then going to all these conventions it’s usually a really nice surprise.
S: Do you think the way of doing TV shows has changed? Even if most networks still value ratings more than anything, there have been a lot of cases where fans saved shows from being cancelled. O: The emerge of the internet, online communities, fandoms is a game changer. Couple of years back movies, films, that was like that was the Holy Grail. Everyone wanted to be there and TV was looked at as a 2nd string but now it’s the opposite.
You have such incredible stories that can come from a show that you can’t just get on screen ‘cause you have the time in more episodes to really develop the characters and really build that relationship between the viewer and the show and the characters. Surely ratings are important but I think more and more networks are looking at fandoms and they’re seeing what kind of shows, what kind of characters get people together and having that community is such an amazing thing. Photo:Monica D Photography
S: We wanted to ask how you choose the role you could receive. What makes a role worth taking and what doesn’t? O: That’s a good question. I mean there’s no right or wrong answer. There’s not one definitive way. Usually you’ll read it… Sometimes it’s a good script. Sometimes it’s a terrible script.
Sometimes it makes sense. Sometimes it makes no sense. Do you like the character? Is it a challenging character to play or is it something you’ve played a million times or something that’s so incredibly offensive? You know there’s all these configurations and, you know, you’ll read it, you’ll look at all these things as a whole and usually you’ll have a decision that yes it’s worth it. I mean very rarely is there ever such a bad script with such a terrible character that you’re just like “aargh no!” You’d like to think that we’re in a professional world and everyone’s got at least that vision that they want to make something good but it doesn’t always happen. For me I like be challenged, I like to do new things and certainly having a strong position... Being more important in that project makes it all the more challenging and that’s what I’m looking for. Always looking up. Looking for bigger and better.
S: What do you believe of the show’s evolution from simply killing monsters in S1 to this everyday more and more complicated mythology O: I think it’s a very important transition that they did. I love that they did it. In S1 it was the monster of the week but they had that relationship in the back always that overarching storyline that carried it through and now they focus more on that.
But they still have a monster every now and then, it’s just a little bit different. I love what they do with the characters and I’m still rooting for them or rooting against them sometimes. I can’t believe it’s season 10! Usually when a show gets to season 10 it’s kinda fading out and I feel like there’s still trying to climb, you know.
S: You are certainly a very open and honest person. How do you find the line between what is personal and what becomes public? O: Maybe I don't. Because I'm a big fan of a lot of things myself I never really liked to divide between the fan and the celebrity. When I started on Supernatural my roommates at the time were really big fans of the show and I didn't know it. I remember watching the 1st episode like "You are on the show?" and i was like "Yeah.". We just kinda just went through it and then i started noticing all the posters and the pictures on the wall and I was like "wait a minute". It was a strange transition but they're still my roommates, they're my friends, you know. So going from not really knowing what the show and the fandom is all about to really knowing it... it was a weird couple of months but after a while I'm like "you know what? Meeting fans is just like hanging out with my roommates. And I like to meet/them as people and the fact that I'm on the show it makes it weird at first but it doesn't change anything. I don't like to put a line anywhere, you know. It's like meeting friends. I don't put conditions on meeting friends. It's a weird thing for me, sometimes, when people put me up on a pedestal and try to treat me nice… I'm like: No, treat me like a normal person. S: I have just seen the teaser trailer for SPN parody. Can you shed some light on it? O: It’s coming out soon! I think you guys are really gonna like it. It was a lot of fun to do. I met the Hillywood girls in Spain last year and I just looked them up and right away I’m like “wow! you guys have such high production quality for something that you just straight do it yourselves!”. We stayed in contact and I kept pushing “Do a Supernatural thing!” for months and they were like “No.. we haven’t really seen the show”. Photo:Tereza Balabanova @Friday Chopsticks
But eventually they asked me to do The Walking Dead thing and I kept asking “You should do a Supernatural thing” and they finally got around to watching the show and they said “Ok, allright we’ll do it! “. And it.. Argh! Really there’s so much i want to say about it but… No… Everything fell into place and worked out perfectly. I almost wasn’t gonna be part of it because I couldn’t but scheduling worked out. Actually I had a project that was supposed to shoot in Romania and it fell through which sucks ‘cause I would’ve loved to see more of your country but that was one of the only times when i was actually kind of happy that it fell through because of how excited i am for this project. It was great! We spent a week in Vegas and then we went to Oregon to shoot some of the car scenes... They had an Impala. One of the fans owned an Impala, he’s named Eric, he’s from Sacramento. We had a lot of fun doing it, especially with Rob.
S: When a scene calls for you to display hatred what do you think about? O: Any time you do any scene with any emotion you just… commit to it. You fully dive into it. We all go through a life full of emotions and if you need to you just think of one of those moments. But usually when a story and a script is good you just believe in your character and believe in their motivation. If it makes absolutely no sense then that’s when you start tapping into your memories. Hate is not something I live by but I grew up with a lot of it.
Photo:Tereza Balabanova @Friday Chopsticks
S: You played in 2012 so this might be a question you used to hear a lot. What would you do in case of an apocalypse? Do you think you are prepared? O: I don’t know if I’d do much. I would live life as I do. If it came, it came. I’ll be grateful for everything. I feel like I am already trying to live my life to the fullest. Everyday trying to learn something new, trying to do something that seems a little bit crazy to you. I’m constantly pushing myself out of my comfort zone and trying to do all these things that if I took the time to think about I would not do. Maybe i would break a couple of laws cause it wouldn’t matter. Who knows? S: Have you ever tried playing multiple characters on the same show? Would you like that? O: That would be funny. That’s a good challenge as an actor. I like things that challenge you. Things like thinking about how you’re gonna approach that. It’s a lot of work and preparation, but I would love that challenge and getting to that point, figuring out how to do it. That’s where we learn and grow as people, so if i ever got that opportunity i would love to do it.
S: I know you don't like naming favourites but what are some of the best gifts you've ever received? O: Most of them are the very personal ones. When people give you something it's a very nice gesture. Sometimes people don't just give you something. If they give you something that has a meaning, has a story behind it, it's those things that really stick with you. Sometimes someone will give you something and they'll tell you why this is what I did that changed that person's life and then they show me that progress. And right there and then it gives like a purpose to my life all of the sudden. Because I'm here that happened and that's an incredible feeling. You can easily feel useless in this world like "What are we doing here?", but to actually see the effect that you have on someone is so powerful. Those are usually the ones that I remember.
S: You've mentioned that in high school you were a politician. do you think you'll ever be tempted to go back to that trade? O: I'm Canadian and that's one thing I had in common with Kevin. When I was in highschool I wanted to be the first Asian Canadian prime minister of Canada. I was president of the student council. I was president of the Vancouver district student council, I was very involved in school's clubs, student rights and it was a big part of me. I enjoyed figuring people out and what people wanted and just trying to accommodate wherever you can and it was just like a giant puzzle. Would I go back to that? Watching House of Cards... So much politics involved, but there's politics in any industry. I don't know if I would go into politics. I like making a difference. I feel like you can in politics but maybe there are too many factors that sway your mission statement, your judgment, so I'd probably stay away from it. I would still do the political stuff but not in politics.
Photo:Monica D Photography
S: Do you usually like knowing more than your character knows? O: No. We always know more than our character knows. We read the scripts. So part of the challenge is to not know and still go through it. When I started with Kevin I was gonna watch a lot of the show and like "wait a minute my character doesn't know anything about this show. So I'm not gonna watch it". So, usually no, I don't. When you're preparing a character and your character makes certain decisions and sometimes they'll do it and you have to understand why they do it. And your character doesn't. and still come to that same conclusion in the moment of not knowing. Interview by SImona Mihalca and Andreea Chirică
Photo: Hans-Martin Issler
Interview with Hansi Kürsch By Carlos Funes
Romanian Blind Guardian fans have been waiting for their return since May 2011, and over a year since the show in Bucharest was announced. We all were eager and looking forward to this show, because they were coming with their fresh new album "Beyond the Red Mirror". An album highly appreciated and which is going on its way to become the favorite of many, but time will tell if Blind Guardian fans will place it on their top albums. Finally! Friday 15th was here and we were extremely anxious to be on our way to the venue and meet with The Bards, but by midday bad news were coming our way. Blind Guardian was being forced to cancel the show due to issues with the transport of their equipment, and had to move the show to another date, Monday 18th 2015. It was a terrible long weekend for the Blind Guardian fans! But at last, Monday was here and the band arrived to the venue as scheduled. I had the privilege to interview Hansi Kürsch before the show and he confirmed what I actually always thought about him, he is a humble, charismatic, open and overall an awesome person.
Teen Art Out -“Distant Memories” and "Miracle Machine". Your fans seem to enjoy them very much. What do you think about these two songs in particular? Hansi Kürsch - From the singing point of view, they are both in a very comfortable range for me, Miracle Machine was one of the basic songs were I came with the basic fragments for it, so when I was doing the basic cuts for the song I was also checking for a good range for my voice to sound the way it does in the record, then when I started involving Michael Schüren into the song writing we stablished even more ranges for the final result. “Distant Memories” is a song were Andre came up with the fragments, there was a quite unusual way we treated this song, because when I got his first ideas, I got a fractured file and I was singing in not a different key, but on instruments that were not there he then build it up on what I did with the vocals and did rearrangement below it, so this is actually why the softer parts sound the way they do, it’s heavy but it has a more rockish attitude so I was not forced to do the vocal pressure, which I usually do. And so they were quite comfortable to do in the production phase because there are other song in the album were I had to push it a lot, but I like that style as well.
T.A.O. -Speaking about singing style, how comfortable do you feel about a more aggressive singing? Taking into account that you've collaborated with Heaven Shall Burn on their cover to "Valhalla"? H.K. -It was really harsh/aggressive (He agrees), but that’s the other way around. Especially in a live situation, I like to treat the vocals in a way that can be as expressive as possible and this is the other direction of my singing. I personally believe that HSB has paid tribute to a song in their own style and I liked that from the very first moment and then when they asked me if I would be willing to participate, I immediately agreed on it because I knew that I would probably not “compete” with their vocal style but at least I could do something into that direction. It was a quite amusing and demanding experience.
T.A.O. -I know that “Sacred Mind” is your favorite song from the album, why is that? H.K. -Expression, it’s a roller coaster ride. There were things that we couldn’t recognize in the beginning. We have a lot of triplets within the music in which slower rhythm defines the music and we had to add blast beats to it at points and there is high diversity of rhythmical changes in the song and the same was happening with mood and the tunes in the song, and this is what I like. About the lyrics and the vocals in general, I was able to deliver most everything; from the soft stuff to the high and harsh stuff and especially with the harsh style again. Even though still in the Metal frame Charlie Bauerfeind, pushed me to the limits and some point and this is what I like a lot and then what is not so easy to figure when you listen to it is the chorus, it’s extremely difficult because the harmony lines are very close to each other and so to do all the vocals layouts was a very big challenge and the result was so outstanding that this makes “Sacred Mind” my favorite song of the album.
Interview with H T.A.O. –What made you choose the Arthurian Epic in the album? H.K. -In first place I live nearby a castle in Germany, there was always that medieval influence right there, around me. Even long before LOTR, I liked the Arthurian Epics, but when I started to grow up I didn’t put attention to it anymore, I got more into horror, sci-fi, epic fantasy and especially into LOTR. When I read “The Mist of Avalon” (I think it was the first one) by Marion Zimmer, which is telling the story of King Arthur and Mordred from the perspective of Morgana Le Fay, I liked the attitude in them so much, that I became addicted again. And at that point I reread the old stories that I read when I was a kid or which were read to me by my parents or grandparents, and I also found many new interesting things that I forgot about it and realized how important this mythological path is for the European culture in general, and so my focus has been fixed on this for quite a while now. And when we did Beyond the Red Mirror I just felt like “Well, Imaginations from the Other Side and the story with boy is basically sort of Arthurian epic as well and there is Mordred’s Song and A Past and Future Secret and so I combined all that”
Hansi Kürsch
Photo: Hans-Martin Issler
T.A.O. -Which ones were the most challenging songs from the album? H.K. -“The Throne” no doubt. It was the more challenging song from the album, which I did not expect. This is always the tricky thing during the production; there are songs like “Grand Parade” that was not so demanding for me. Yes I did two versions of it and I paid a lot of attention and it took me a while until I completed everything but it’s again in the “Comfortable and nice range” for me to sing and it’s very melodic so for it was not so difficult. But in the layout of “The Throne” whatever arrangement below the vocals is so complex and there are so many formations again like in “Sacred Mind”. To just fix the chorus demanded an enormous amount of time! I was convinced that this was going to be one of the easiest songs and it turned out to be completely different. When we finished the production, it was one of my least favorite recs, even though it started as one of my most favorites recs, but then I was like “I don’t know where this is going to lead me” So I lost it somewhere for myself and thanks to Andre this song ended up on the album because it seems to be a very likeable song. But I was about to skip that and you know, having “Distant Memories” as a main track on the album and having “The Throne” as a bonus track.
T.A.O. -The 13 years old boy, the main character do you have a name for him? H.K. -Arthur. It made sense at the very end you know, when we did “Imaginations” there was not an idea that I would be transferring the “Bright Eyes” or “And the story ends” into and Arthurian direction, but when working on the songs (of the new album) and having stuff like “Holy Grail” and some other pieces here and there, I was like “Ok, let’s do some sort of science fiction, dystopian story that would be tied by the Arthurian epic just by switching the positions a little bit, because the fallen son is Mordred but he is the older one, to say so, and Arthur the younger one. T.A.O. -Have you at any point in the production of this album thought about inviting a guest singer/musician on any of the songs? H.K. -No, I’m a bit like this guy in the movie “Along came Polly” where Philip Seymour Hoffman is appearing as a vocalist in a Jesus Christ Superstar musical there, were he is willing or fighting to get the role of Jesus and Judas and most probably Pontius Pilate as well – Laughs- I am the same kind of guy; I want to do all the characters myself in our music. We were considering doing something like this for the orchestral album, but even there it would be just a second thought. T.A.O. -I know that both you and Andre are the main composers of the band. How does this duet work in real life when you are a morning person and he a night person? H.K. -That is true, and this was very important when we did the old albums. We needed to share the same production environment and so it was very beneficial for us to have different persons working at different stages of the day, because when I was “finishing my shift” for saying something, Andre was just coming in and we could do rehearsals if there was a need so everyone was involved at that point. But now with the new technique that we have is not so important anymore, you see, this is my studio now –points to his laptop- I just need another two or three things and a microphone and that’s it, and so it is for Andre, he probably has a little more equipment to do the keyboards. Nowadays we are just exchanging files, it’s a like a puzzle game. Either one of us comes with the frame of a song, the other one starts to work and compose based on what the other came up with. And when we reach certain level, we involve the other guys and they come up with their ideas and instruments and basically that’s how it works. It’s based on brainstorming and chance I could say.
Photo: Hans-Martin Issler
T.A.O. -You are set on such an extensive tour with shows almost every day. At some point you said that you were a bit concerned about the length of it, how are coping with it so far? H.K. -We behave very well. Everyone has been very careful and prepared in their own way. I was concerned about these 10-12 weeks of continued performances (especially for my voice) because some of the blocks included back to back shows and having in consideration that we play at least two hours and this can be very demanding for vocalist, but I’m very positive about it. I do a lot physical exercises, not only for my voice but also for my body. Alcohol on show days is a complete no-go and even on the off days if there is a demanding season, no one is drinking. T.A.O. -Speaking of the tour, you announced to be recording a live album. How is that going? H.K. -Yes, we are recording during all the shows. We could finish the recordings after the European leg and then do the mixing in the summer , which was our first intention or we could continue in October – November when we are in North and South America to have what we call a “World Live Album”. We also could split it but at this point I have no idea how we will do it.
T.A.O. -How do you choose the live songs that you want to include in the Live album? H.K. -Since we record everywhere, we have all our recording systems with us, sometimes we even have a backup recording system to ensure that all the shows are recorded. But so far we didn’t have any complication on the recording and we expect it to continue the same way. Then we have to make a decision once we get home, listen all the recordings, and choose the best songs and so on. Everyone in the band has always different views with this, Markus for example will want the song were his guitar sounds best, I will want the ones were my voice sounds better, etc. Then we come up with a list of songs and this is where the struggle starts, because apart from our concerns, the audience in the sons plays a very important role for us when deciding which songs will go to the album, because we need the live feedback from the audience. T.A.O. -Which is the most dangerous/adventurous thing you have ever done? H.K. -I think that the dangers or adventures are always when we are on the road with the band, we had traveled to countries with “less peaceful periods� and we are always exposed to some level of risk, we had bombs threats for example, we had many issues at airports, on the planes were even emergency landing was necessary. In terms of my private life, I like it cool and relaxed even though we also travel a lot as a family but on a more regular routine, not as I would do with Blind Guardian of course. T.A.O. -What is your favorite TV show? H.K. -Doctor Who! My son is a die-hard fan of Doctor Who; I love Doctor Who as well.
Photo: Hans-Martin Issler
T.A.O. -When was the last time you asked for an autograph and whom did you ask for it? H.K. -To put in a way, I’m not an autograph collector. But I had the chance to work with a publicist from the UK, who knows a lot of people from the cast of Doctor Who and I asked her if it could be possible to meet someone from the main cast and well, I’m still waiting for her final email (Smiles). But honestly I did this for my son, he asked me if it would be possible and since then I had some hard times back at home because he really wants to meet them! Interview by Carlos Funes
A journey at SOMERSET HOUSE
through the London Fashion Weekend, light and William M. C. Lam HOW IMPORTANT IS LIGHT WITHIN A TEMPORARY EVENT IN TERMS OF GUIDING ONE’S EXPERIENCE THROUGH SPACE AND HOW DOES SOMERSET INCORPORATE THIS TECHNOLOGY AT THE LFW?
Aylin Bayhan
A
s one can only participate in London Fashion Week if one is directly involved in the fashion industry or belongs to the elite society, the London Fashion Weekend is a biannual convention of the fashion industry that allows a larger public to visit the otherwise hard-to-reach world. Simply by buying a ticket and spending the Saturday and Sunday at the chosen venue, one can go through pop-up stores and see the ready-to-wear exhibited on the rooms of one of London’s iconic buildings.
further into the experience of these two vast domains and observe the way in which they interact. “My experience is what I agree to attend to. Only those items which I notice shape my mind - without selective interest, experience is an utter chaos. Interest alone gives accent and emphasis, light and shade, background and foreground - intelligible perspective, in a word.”
William James, The Principles of Psychology, Henry Holt and Company, Inc., New York, 1890, vol. 1, to get more funds into an al- p 402. As I immerse into experidon Fashion Weekend gives to those who like to express ideas encing the London Fashion Weekof personal, social and cultural identity through their clothes, its gates from the Strand. I feel a place where they can dream, pulled into a darker space, surwhere they can meet similar peo- rounding by stone Doric columns ple who have a story and are not and white arches that somewhat afraid to tell that story in the way from what’s on the other side of they dress or create. I have always been fas- the entrance, the courtyard. cinated by the meeting point of I begin to notice that light takes Fashion with Architecture. Archi- over a role of shaping my mind tecture expresses a similar crea- and guides me towards certain tive message, sharing the same spaces, almost like telling a stoprimary function of providing ry through the way in which it shelter for the body, creating makes me perceive reality. And volume out of two-dimensional as it starts to shape my experimaterials, addressing the human ence, I let it guide me along my journey… Light in here feels almost the user and the beliefs of the restricted from the visitors of solid, more permanent and mon- Somerset, just so that the impact of reaching the outside becomes umental presence. Recently, I have had the chance even bigger and more powerful, to attend the London Fashion accentuating its neo-classical Weekend at the Somerset House. grandeur. Finding out that it will take place The white ceiling with beautiat William Chambers’ spectacular neo-classical gem situated right blinding light form the courtyard, in the heart of London, between directing one’s sight towards the the river Thames and the Strand, outside and building the exciteI could not help but keep my eyes and my heart open to dive even residence of the Queen of Eng-
land, later demolished to make way for the new riverside palace that is yet to be discovered. “Seeing is not a passive response to patterns of light; rather, it is an active information-seeking process directed and interpreted by the brain. Visual sensory data are coordinated with incoming contextual information from the other senses related to past experiences of comparable nature, and given attention or not depending on whether the incoming stimulus the information content and context of a stimulus, not its absolute magnitude, which generally deits importance. This in turn largely determines what we look at and what we perceive.” (1) In front of my eyes, a world buzzing with ladies dressed in minimal, geometric, hard-shaped trapezoid dresses. And though these architectural details add a certain character to the place, the true personality lies within the venue itself that London Fashion Weekend has used for Although it may seem like there is not much of a connection between the London Fashion Week and London’s architecture, the least poetic truth is that the chosen venues are a crucial part of designers’ managing of their brands. These places almost never make it into fashion reports but for those who attend the event, the venue and the clothes become hard to dissociate. It is the reporters and the journalists who will form a perception of the designer, his clothes and the show and later share that perception with the rest of the world. While the catwalk shows take
place in the British Fashion Coun- “When bright light sources are dicil tent located in the court- rectly visible, or when their images yard during the London Fashion Week, the pop-up stores are specular surface such as a piece of glass or a wet roadway, pattern becomes even more important and West Wings of Somerset. than usual as a signal. Pattern is One can see here the creations an easily perceptible form of orof both established and up-and- der, and triggers expectations of coming designers featured with- completeness and consistency. in the shows and one can inter- [...] Expectations and a patterned ract with the fabrics, the colors context draw the eye to an omitand the designers themselves, if ted element of the pattern, which they happen to be there at the becomes a de facto focus, whethtime. er intended or not.” I can’t help but notice the rela- (2) tionship that is created within the inside and outside and that, Projected onto the tent, thouwhile the promotion of the industry happens within the cen- runway shows that took place tre of the Somerset premises, just before that weekend, makthe actual retail business moves ing everyone stop and get a throughout the building. glimpse of what they should exThe tent this year is made of a the pop-up stores. The bright, tographers, but also glares out point of attraction in the courton a clear blue sky day. Although yard where most of the people standing on its own, in contrast gather around as they are unconwith the Portland stone of Lon- sciously lured towards it. don’s epicentre and disrupting the pattern of a neo-classical architecture, the specular addition to the courtyard blends in with the color of the surrounding environment.
courtyard and into Somerset from the South Wing entrance, looking forward to see how Somerset House makes room for the tdsalented British designers to sell their work. The building itself actually extends the brands’ imexciting way that what the Mayfair’s boutiques could. Pop-up shops allow versatility in terms of light and arrangement that the stores cannot provide.
from top to bottom: 05 panorama of the reception after the event with a view towards the courtyard exit 06 the reception area during the event 04 the projections screen in front of which poeple mostly gathered in the courtyard
03
A luminous room where one can event, vouchers to brands selling their items in the following rooms, and the map for every
I make my way through the
comes inside both through the entrance and the exit, making the space seem like a hub for
Avenger: Age of Ultron A review by Theodora Ștefănescu
Back in 2012, Joss Whedon (a.k.a what was then the ‘Lord and Saviour’ of the Marvel MCU fandom) set out on a pretty big quest-he was to deliver one of the most expected and hyped films of almost all time, as fans from all groups and of all ages prepared for The Avengers. And boy, did he deliver. The task of bringing heroes from four Marvel franchises with little to no relation between one another—adding in an overarching storyline about SHIELD (along with a half-dozen affiliated characters),was expected to be a failure. Against all probability, Whedon succeeded, producing a blockbuster which I, personally, felt the need to watch again. And again. It was plain and simple- Marvel seemed on the right track. Not only did it satisfy a previously existent (and might I add damn hard to please) fanbase, but along with it fueled a new one, just as dedicated and as excited for upcoming projects as those decades-old comic book fanatics. The roaring success of the first movie paved the way with heightened expectations for Avengers 2: Age Of Ultron, and there is no denying whatsoever that Joss Whedon’s job was difficult. After all, on top of the (albeit successfully incorporated) nonsense in TA, the sequel introduces 4 new major characters, cameos by all sorts of Marvel personalities from each of the Avenger’s respective canons, and a heap load of origin stories. Not only that, but the movie in itself is meant to serve as some sort of connecting string between the previously made Marvel movies and their upcoming counterparts, and all of this is supposed to happen in the mere time of two hours and... twenty one minutes?! That’s a little bit unrealistic. This being said, Age Of Ultron is a worthy opener for this summer’s box office, all things considered. But. And this but is bolded and italicised for a reason. Obviously, spoiler warning under the cut.
The movie starts off on an action packed note, which got the 11-year old in me beaming with excitement on the edge of my seat.
There are a lot of explosions and shooting around the bad guys as we see the Avengers infiltrating a Hydra base and-wait, what?! Despite the scene being, plainly put, awesome, it leaves room for the first question of the non-casual watcher: who was it that made the call for the Avengers to assemble to take down Hydra cells? Because, according to the prequel, the Avengers were no longer working together, and while on good terms, the team assembled by Nick Fury was merely a fraction of what it had been. The mission we start with is to retrieve Loki’s sceptre, but it’s stated that they’ve been on a bunch of missions together previously, even though that doesn’t exactly comply with canon events. (Captain America 2: The Winter Soldier and the disappearance of SHIELD, anyone?!) Alas, the movie continues, explosions still roaring in the distant background as the Maximoff twins, Pietro and Wanda (Quicksilver & The Scarlet Witch, for connoisseurs-played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Elizabeth Olsen, respectively) are introduced rather hastily as being part of some sort of Superhuman project, courtesy of none other than Hydra. Despite Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner)-(who didn’t quite live up to his name because, to quote Pietro Maximoff, he “didn’t see that coming”) getting injured and sort of compromising the mission, Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) saves the day yet again, what a surprise, retrieving Loki’s sceptre and proceeding to carry both the alien object and his superhero pals back to the Avengers’ fancy Manhattan based HQ. And, because he’s Tony Stark, he kind of really fucks up.
Cue Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) and Tony, a dynamic duo otherwise known as ‘the Science Bros’ doing what they know best- science shenanigans. They begin analysing the alien gemstone embedded in the sceptre, (whose identity was most likely already deduced
by Marvel fans) discovering that it can aid in Stark’s AI based program, “Ultron”, and thus, in the ultimate goal of achieving world peace without the Avengers. Yes, you heard that rightTony Stark’s brilliant plan is to create sentient robots using an overall unknown rock from space because there is absolutely no way that could go wrong. What is inherently aggravating regarding this is Bruce’s compliance to the entire ordeal- not only does he agree with Stark, but he also fully supports his decision to hide this masterful plan from the rest of the team, which, in all honesty, is neither smart nor very Bruce. In a foreshadowing instance of AOU Whedon completely disregarding previous character development, the Stark/Banner dynamic starts out if not forced, then at least definitely changed when compared to the first film. The jolly good atmosphere of the movie provided by skillfully inserted -yet at times distasteful (more on that later)- one liners is accentuated during the house party thrown by Stark. Not only does the party allow certain beloved characters, such as Sam ‘The Falcon’ Wilson (Anthony Mackie), or James ‘War Machine’ Rhodey (Don Cheadle) to make a surprise appearance, but it also provides an excellent opportunity for The Avengers to find out about Tony Stark’s pet project, which is no longer a pet but a completely sentient-and-eager-to-destroy-humanity android. Ultron (voiced by James Spader) goes all Frankenstein on the gang, in the process destroying Jarvis (Paul Bettany) (another almost sentient AI. But don’t worry, he’s a good guy. We like him.), and announcing his...not so friendly intentions towards Earth while proving he severely misunderstands the concept of peace ingrained in him by Stark(who is, more or less, Ultron’s “father”). Woopsie. Talk about rebellious teenagers.
AI Supreme then proceeds to co-opt Wanda and Pietro Maximoff, who, out of spite for Stark and Stark Industries (the ones seemingly responsible for their parents’ tragic deaths) immediately join. They kind of mess around with The Avengers for a while, giving them realistic nightmares to fuel the man pain, and, respectively, whiplash from running around in circles-reminiscent of Sonic the Hedgehog (Gotta go fast!). The team, battered, bruised and pretty much publicly seen as enemy number one as a consequence of The Hulk going
berserk in Africa, decides to lay low for a while at Clint Barton’s lovely farm. How in-character for the perpetually snarky, overall hilarious spy we have seen in the prequel! Not. This nightmare of mischaracterisation does not stop here, and instead continues with presenting his wife and... children. Truly lovely that yet another of the already scarce female characters was used as a plot device to further poorly contour a White Male, and emphasise how in dire need of a quiet family life every woman is. The lack of said family leads to a woman becoming a monster, apparently, at least according to
Natasha Romanoff ’s (Scarlett Johansson) dialogue with Bruce, after the Hulk ravaged a city. When Banner mentions monstrosity (motif frequently used all throughout the movie) he happens to talk about his incapacity to procreate, to which Natasha replies with a sympathetic monologue about her sterilisation by the Red Room in order to make her a “more efficient” spy, all the while comparing infertility to literally being the Hulk. It makes sense for her to be traumatized by the abuse she experienced during her training, but to compare sterility with inhumanity? Again, aggravating is Bruce’s complete lack of a reaction-the obvious response was to tell her that she isn’t a monster, and that the people who did this to her are the real monsters. But that didn’t happen, leaving the viewers wondering why emphasis is being put on Banner’s debilitating guilt–Natasha’s past crimes don’t even get a mention, as though they’re not nearly important enough to compete with the enormous significance of her female biology, or the memory of a seriously gendered violation.
While the Avengers are trying to organise they get paid a little visit from none other than Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) -deus ex machina extraordinaire, who gives them an inspiring speech reminding them all that he’s their metaphorical Dad. Ultron continues assembling a robot army, while trying to get himself a real body with the help of Dr Cho (Claudia Kim) and vibranium - if the peculiar element sounds familiar, it’s because Captain America’s (Chris Evans) shield is made of it. Tsk. Following are some other action packed scenes and heated highway pursuits, seasoned with cheesy one liners and plenty of fanservice in the person of Thor (Chris Hemsworth) who is taking his shirt off to flex his Shakespearian biceps and figure the origin of the stone that powers the Avenger’s nemesis. Without much explanation, the meddling Maximoff twins switch sides, apparently forgetting about their eternal hatred towards Tony Stark, which is never again addressed in the movie.
Alas, managing to steal Ultron’s developing body incubatory-quite literally-the superheroes side against Tony Stark once again, when he wants to combine JARVIS’ remains with the Ultron carbon copy, in an attempt to set machine against machine (or, rather, machine
against half-machine?). Cue Thor breaking the conflict-and the incubatory-and thus releasing Vision, a sort of saviour ( “I am not JARVIS, I am not Ultron, I am…I am.” That’s literally in the Bible, isn’t it? ) to parallel Ultron, the “false prophet”. There was a whole agency/naiveté thing with Vision. Stark just did the same thing with Vision and Ultron; half created the program, hoped it would work, and then had someone else come in to finish the job for him. He had no agency and learned nothing, not to mention the situation gave no actual opportunity for Tony’s technological and inventive genius to shine through as it did in the Iron Man movies. The only thing we get to know is that the Vision’s intentions are common with the Avengers’ before the movie sets out on its way to unveil the battlefield for the “big boss battle”, Sokovia -the same fictional Eastern European nation where the movie began at Strucker’s Hydra lair. The battle with innumerable computer-generated robots quickly sparks, while Bruce Banner is sent to rescue damsel-in-distress Natasha (since when can’t the Black Widow, trained assassin
and outsmarter of the God of Mischief himself, escape a typical prison cell?) and the rest of the team set out to figure how exactly to stop Ultron from outright using the entire patch of land Sokovia is on as a-literally-Earth shattering bomb. The cinematographic techniques used for this scene, of the city rising to the sky in an almost Inception-esque manner, are absolutely breath taking, and the Avengers’ promptness to react to it-thus taking the focus back on the main battle-is almost disappointing. Luckily, the rest of the fight lives up to expectations, being properly seasoned with salty one liners, recurring jokes and impressive new battle techniques, such as Captain America and Thor’s shield-hammer combo; all of these make the entire scene all the more pleasant to watch, reminding the audience that they are, in fact, at a Marvel movie and none other than the successor of one of the highest grossing films of all time.
Nevertheless, with the help of Vision and at the cost of one of their members’ life, the Avengers win the war against Ultron, thus putting an end to his (short-lived) age. The movie’s ending leaves us with the usual Tony/Steve (b)romance, Natasha pining over Bruce (who, after smashing some airplanes, proceeds to “pilot” one into the ocean, Captain America-style), Hawkeye welcoming a new member to his idyllic family (little Nathaniel, awww) and Thor being off to Asgardknows where (leaving his total screen time in the AOU to almost equate that of Hawkeye’s in the first movie). And, of course, the final scene reveals the New Age Avengers-Wanda “The Scarlet Witch” Maximoff, Sam “The Falcon” Wilson, The Vision, James “War Machine” Rhodey, Captain America and The Black Widow. Or,in Cap’s words: “Avengers-” (the “ASSEMBLE!” is implied.)
All in all, Age Of Ultron was a decent sequel to an excellent movie. However, it weighs down to a few major issues.
The treatment of women was absolutely inexcusable. Whedon turns Maria Hill (who is a tough, professional soldier, nearly six feet of sass and brutality-a high ranking government officer and spy.) into Stark’s personal assistant, acting as Pepper’s replacement. Speaking of Pepper, businesswoman who manages to keep the hectic Tony Stark in control and balance a capitalist empire in a world dominated by men, she supposedly wants a farmhouse exactly like Clint’s. Or, rather, that’s what Tony thinks she wants. A nuclear family and an idyllic country life is what everyone seems to want (particularly women), which is a weird change of pace from Marvel’s usual work. The MCU is filled with stories about people being damaged by parents/parental figures/death of parents etc, so this sudden burst of “having a family is really important and obviously everyone’s goal in life” is... really odd. Natasha’s character is outright butchered, as she is thrown into a facade relationship with Bruce Banner, the man she is terrified of. There was honestly very little to support their actual bond which was assumed from the beginning of the movie. She was the Hulk’s “lullaby person” without explanation and apparently that’s enough to justify dating him. In a (really terrible) monologue she tries to
explain why she likes him while removing it from herself despite the fact that we’ve seen Natasha form real and serious human bonds with other people (see Steve Rogers in CATWS). Apparently he’s special because he “doesn’t want to be a soldier”, despite being the only avenger to actively hurt and threaten women in non-fight contexts, one of whom was Natasha. Not to mention the blatant disregard for Clint and Natasha’s previously established relationship, which would have been instantly recognised by both casual watchers and hardcore fans should it have been developed (and if the romantic subplot were entirely necessary, which-spoilers-it wasn’t.). The female characters are not the only ones whose story lines are messed with by Whedon. Steve is probably one of the most poignant metaphorical victims of Joss Whedon’s messy writing. Steve’s storyline as the MCU last put it was going after Bucky. Steve was willing to die for Bucky in CATWS but here he’s hanging out with the Avengers as a whole like they’re a cohesive team and he’s a whole person. He says “I don’t have any plans tonight” like every moment taken away from the search he himself pushed forward, and with which we assume he has occupied his pre-AOU time, isn’t significant.
There was an exquisite party that both Sam and Steve-person who signed himself up for the search-attended without much ado for Bucky’s condition or location. Hanging out and playing pool at a dinner party held three days after the end of an Avengers mission does not support the very significant, world-changing developments in Steve’s life since we last saw him. . Apart from this, the movie is filled to the brim with one liners, which honestly make the pace of the film rather abysmal and, while easy to follow, it actually takes away from the emotional scenes the viewer is supposed to focus on. Moreover, some jokes are overused to the point where they get inherently annoying, such as Steve Rogers saying “language!”. You mean to tell me that Steve, a kid who not only grew in Brooklyn, but also was part of the Army, would be coy to using and hearing swear words being used?!. Of course, on the brighter side, this cheerfulness draws away from the extremely serious notes of the film, which can get overwhelming-especially for younger audiences. While on the subject of humour, the dark comedy played skillfully by Ultron is delightful to watch, and it makes him a tid bit scarier, Joker-style.
Overall, Avengers 2: Age of Ultron had its undeniable good traits, its assets standing in special effects,a killer soundtrack and fast-paced action-packed scenes which make it worth the while, and a delight to watch for the comic book nerd hidden deep inside all of us. How-
ever, the perpetual disregard of canon events and character development means the audience almost got emotional resonance – with Pietro, with Wanda, with Clint, with Steve losing his temper, with the terrifying closeness and understanding that Ultron and Tony share. We were very, very close, but the feeling we were expecting just never came. Where an entire theatre gasped at the portal exploding with Tony still inside in The Avengers, the same audience will likely not give second thoughts to the heart-breaking Tony-taking-after-his-father narrative (Howard Stark created the nuclear bomb in hopes he’d save the world; his son created Ultron in hopes he’d do the same-go figure.). The movie has, at the core, a huge potential, which turned into an amalgamation of a number of tropes we’ve already seen in the MCU, thrown together, seemingly, without any self-awareness in the narrative-such as the motif of monstrosity. This isn’t new, and Joss Whedon didn’t even bother to acknowledge this-instead, he took the plot of CATWS, morphed it into some weird Frankenstein’s monster and put the “brand new” etiquette on it.The audience has seen all of this before in the franchise, and the major issue with this is that they’ve seen it done better.
Is AOU a bad Marvel movie? Not really. Is AOU the best Joss Whedon could do with a sequel considering the circumstances? Absolutely not. Don’t get me wrong, it was good on a first watch, if you ignore almost all of the nonsensical plot and whatever happened to most of the characters. It is a fun ride for casual watchers of all ages, the perfect Sunday movie to see with your family/S.O./alone while crying over Thor’s perfect abs. But it doesn’t, in my opinion, live up to the prequel. Make of that what you will.
TL;DR- Age of Ultron is more like Age of Ughltron. Also, what do you mean there’s no after-credits scene? Dude, there’s always an after-credits scene, it’s Marvel hahaha unless Whedon really didn’t put one and-...what do you mean “calm down”? What do you mean I have to “exit the cinema quietly”? A review brought to you by Hollywood Multiplex București Mall
Need-To-Know’s for Filmmaking Amateurs. By Kasey Rae
Don’t be afraid of experimentation! As a starting / amateur filmmaker not everything you film needs to be seen by anyone other then yourself. Especially if you are completely new to the world of film, it’s so important to try everything out before really working and focusing on one thing with one medium. Some of this depends on how much money you have so trying out different camera’s, lenses, sound equipment and lights is strictly for those who have money or some form of privileged access (family or university). Sense you are reading this, I’m going to assume you have a camera, any form of camera that does not double as a phone (come on, now!). Spend a day going everywhere with that camera, and an actor friend to help with your camera tests. See how well your camera and lens captures
different degree’s of light ( that is very important ). Also make sure to notice how much you can fit into one single shot without tilting your camera, have your actor run, walk, dance, into shot and then back out again ! You really need to know your camera and its abilities before you dive into something important. A lot of what you film you will not be able to fully notice until you are editing. During editing is the horrific moment you catch your continuity (consistency between shots) errors, a shaky camera, cut off people or images. For this reason id say half of the finished film project is done in the editing room .my personal advice is not to edit the same day as filming. Though I’ve done that plenty of times, I much prefer having time to clear my mind before editing.
Find a balance between not letting yourself get bored of your project (then you’re doomed) and not letting yourself forget your original ideas and feelings (then you’re doomed), therefore I think giving it at least a night before you edit your footage will give you a more positive editing experience and a much better outcome. If you bore yourself you will most likely bore your audience. Make sure to have fun and experiment with editing as well ! Turn your footage upside down, saturate everything blue, yellow, make a split screen, tri-screen and create iris-out endings. Knowing every corner of the editing program you use practically makes you limitless. It may seem silly while you’re doing it but you never know what project you’ll have in the future that requires a split screen, or odd saturation (Spielberg, Tarantino). So please, save your progress every 4 minutes and please, try it all !