109mins, Director: Jason Reitman
Ryan Bingham, (George Clooney) is a ‘career transition counsellor’ who delights in his autonomous lifestyle flying around the world 322 days of the year and firing people.
Having already racked up millions of air miles, Ryan is most at ease in a clinical airport setting and delights in the plastic smiles of check-in clerks, prompted by their computers to say ‘pleasure to see you again Mr Bingham.’ He waltzes confidently from boardroom to boardroom, smoothly firing unsuspecting employees whose bosses haven’t got the nerve to do it themselves, before boarding the next plane to do the same all over again.
Between assignments in the corporate setting of a hotel lobby, Ryan encounters the smart and sassy Alex, (Vera Farmiga, The Departed). Sparks fly as they compare frequent flyer and privilege cards, leading to a no-strings attached affair based on coinciding airport layovers.
When his company hires Natalie Keener (Anna Kendrick), an ambitious and uptight graduate desperate to prove herself, her cost-cutting plan of firing people via a Webcam instead of in person threatens to leave Ryan grounded. Furious, he confronts his boss, which results in him going back on the road, to his horror with the young Natalie in tow, to show her how it is done.
The two women in Clooney’s life are never inferior to him in character nor in performance, and as Natalie’s presence in his travelling world certainly brings viewers plenty of comedy, it is his budding relationship with Alex that begins to challenge Ryan’s life philosophy that being unattached is best.
It is unclear what Reitman is trying to prove with Bingham’s character, but his portrayal of the high-flying lives that he and Alex lead is both clever and incisive. As films go, it certainly won’t change your life, but this is Clooney at his Danny Ocean best: sophisticated, cool and likeable. A gentle, thought-provoking comedy that’s well worth a watch.
Esther Jones
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I’m an animal. I like animals. I actually look like an animal.
Tight-lipped lizardy look-alikes and the bouncy ‘butter-wouldn’t-melt-in-my-mouth breed of models steal the show this season; inundating this seasons most alive trend.
This season has been no exception to the unwritten rule of fashion – ‘do what you can to amuse, shock, confuse and entertain.’ The boundaries of normality have been stretched to create a variety of collections which are startling and fierce, unpredictable and resilient. McQueen, Chanel and Marc Jacobs have created pieces that are so effervescent – they make you wonder what the little design minions are fed.
McQueen set his infinitesimal models stomping down the catwalks with a look that could kill- quite literally. How the models could see out of their deeply furrowed brow is almost miraculous in itself, never mind how they managed to walk in their ever so imposing ‘shoes’. His savage designs are challenging – forcing the observer to question their own taste - why step out in jeans when you could wear a largely caped shouldered creation? The patterns were innovative, combining animal prints with textures to create a look that screams ‘I am as close to an animal as a human will ever be’ – the should-be caption of one of this seasons most warped trends.
The desire for their creations to be eulogised, and to have Anna Wintour leave the show and say ‘that model bore an uncanny resemblance to a bow-legged deer’, was echoed by Chanel, who exhibited their collection in a space set out to imitate the wild woods. The bright-eyed beauties appeared and circled around trees, sometimes barefoot, and sometimes even smiling. Their make-up was fresh and minimal, allowing the focus to be safely rested upon the designs and the show as a performance. The colours were mild, exploiting marshmallow pink, winter white and a buttery beige. The tailoring was, typically of Chanel, painstakingly flawless.
Karl Lagerfield has given Chanel a rather expensive make-over, handing the brand a youthful pizzaz, and allowing it be talked about with the same fear of the unexpected that McQueen is, well almost. Not one to miss a beat or a button – Mars Jacobs is a perfect compliment to this trend. Whilst many of his models were analogous to freaky woman – not the Lady Gaga sort, but the sort you can imagine lounging around in Clockwork Orange, some of them carried a bird-like grace. Perhaps it was the taut-faced blonde, who sauntered down the catwalk wearing a ruffled creation that alluded to the feathery creature look. The ruffles, trimmed with lace and beads were harmonious with the tousled collar she wore around her neck. Though the dress design was perfectly feminine but stringent, her look was savage. Another of his looks exhibited a sea-blue silk two-piece – possibly torn of an exotic mermaid and wrapped around another taught model.
This trend has been explored with an admirable versatility this season. Credit is due to the whole creative team at each of the brands – for creating a show that could very well be a zoo procession, the high-end type. It’s a combination of the set, the models, the accessories and of course the designs that add the animalistic quality. Not to mention the hair and make-up, which completely defines the look. While many catwalk trends are quickly snapped up by your average Amy, I think this one may take a few adjustments before Amy heads out to buy her first feathery creation…
Hattie MacAndrews
All pictures thanks to style.com
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Magic shop project
The magic shop project is an interactive illustrative book with cut-out paper constructions. I was very much inspired by the internet-based phenomena of designer paper toys which you can download, print and construct – but I wanted something with more, context, story, and subtlety. The project is based around word play, puns and wit with words, in an old curiosity style shop.
Transition stop motion film
I had always wanted to do a stop motion film since watching the eerie ‘Secret adventures of Tom Thumb’. I think a dark story works really well with the creepy effects you can get with pixilation and stop motion – I was also inspired by The Cure’s ‘End of the World‘ video and Slipknot’s ‘Vermillion‘. The film took just over a month to complete, from concept to finish.
Pink Teapot
I worked as a resident designer at a charity 2 week event, ‘Worthless’ held in Seven Dials, Covent garden. Members of the public were asked to bring in unwanted items, which were then made into something desirable, which the customer could buy back. As one of the event’s sponsers was Jelly Belly, I decided to put my resources to use – I sold several of this particular print of an old yellow toy teapot which I transformed.
Maria Lee-Warren
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Greatly under-exposed and seldom regarded as material for main headlines, there is a movement straining to protect the buildings that have for hundreds of years served to construct the identity of our small, but great country. Structures from ancient times right through to the last century continue to be violated and razed at the hands of unsympathetic developers.
This short series of posters were composed to highlight the demolition of historical buildings in Britain: Of late, an issue relentlessly pulling at strings of my heart. Conservation, compassionate restoration and thoughtful utilisation are collectively the most ethical answer when redeveloping urban and rural areas. Demolition has however, become barbarically the primary solution chosen.
The intention of the posters was simply to encourage the public to question the value of their heritage, and stir them to fight for what essentially are the stories of their individual legacy. The slogans were simple, leaving room for further research into the subject to be carried out by those who were simply curious or vastly moved by the message.
For more information, visit Save Britain’s Heritage and English Heritage.
Hannah Wallace
http://milkytreats.blogspot.com
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The Jam. The Clash. The Sex Pistols.
These are the names that spring to mind when someone mentions late 70s music. It’s surprising then, that the latest musician to get the rock biopic treatment is Ian Dury.
Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll paints a picture of a man full of contradictions. At times solipsistic, deeply self involved and destructive, it nonetheless shows someone who is just as capable of love and compassion than he is aggression. The film charts Dury’s journey from fronting the High Roads, to subsequent underground and later mainstream sensation with The Blockheads.
A brilliant British cast falls in behind Andy Serkis’s Dury, including Naomie Harris as his lover and Ray Winstone as the father. Well executed bit parts from Mackenzie Crook and Noel Clarke are also included.
Under Mat Whitecross’s direction, (previous distinguished credits include The Road To Guantanamo) Dury’s life is told in a colourful, humorous and occasionally harrowing work. His past and relationship with his disability is explored in depth, particularly the psychological effects which seem to dog him daily.
While Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll is full of enthusiasm to promote it’s central character’s rollicking, give ‘em hell attitude to life, it avoids any of the cherry-picking and sweetening of other biopics. Finally, a warts and all tale to show that Dury was flawed, occasionally brilliant, but definitely not a nice man.
More British films need to be made in this vein. Compared to the conventional Nowhere Boy, Serkis shows that there is still room for a powerhouse performance in a low budget indie film. Serkis doesn’t play Dury, he is Dury, and when Polaroids of the man himself are flashed onscreen, you occasionally forget that you’re watching a film, not a documentary.
Thoroughly outstanding, and while it doesn’t really innovate or metamorphasise the biopic genre, it’s a solid film with strong performances and appropriately, a raucous soundtrack.
Joseph Stashko-Adamaszek
Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll is on general release from January 8
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The Horrors have had a pretty good year. Following the release of critically-acclaimed ‘Primary Colours’, they’ve played headline shows worldwide and been asked to tour Europe and America with the likes of Placebo and The Kills.
When Lung Rotter and Seven set up their Nintendo DS’ and started to play, most of the half empty Forum were pretty confused. The trio are essentially three middle aged men with very little stage presence playing a DS, but a few songs in it’s completely absorbing. Their Ulterior-esque EBM style sound carried through the venue well, each song deserving more applause than the last.
Main support HTRK should be more popular than they are with sets like this. Singer Jonnine ain’t no Florence Welch. She delivers each line in a monotone drawl, standing perfectly still, glaring over the crowd. Her only movement is to pound the drum in front of her rhythmically. The drum machine cuts through the distorted bass, the soft, quiet vocals and the waves of guitar noise.The crowd hardly moved- everyone just stopped to hear their MBV-sexy,JAMC-sharp sound, mesmerised.
Luckily, there was time to recover before The Horrors came onstage. After about five minutes of intro, the band finally strolled onstage, just about acknowledging the crowd around them. Drummer Joe’s bass drum start to ‘Mirror’s Image’ was followed by handclaps from a crowd that were already pushing closer forward, until Faris wandered to the mic, spitting the lyrics in his deep drawl. Guitarist Josh didn’t stop moving throughout the entire gig, constantly moving to his own guitar swirls, while bassist Rhys danced around half the stage throughout most of the gig. New single ‘Whole New Way’ sounded as fresh and positive as it does on record, working the crowd up to a frenzy, while previous single ‘Who Can Say’ caused many a bruised rib in the front row. The band ended with Sea Within A Sea, a song that sounds triumphant and shows just how far they’ve come.
Arriving onstage for the encore, Rhys joins Tom on synths for a cover of Suicide’s ‘Ghost Rider’, as song that perfectly suits Faris’ singing style and works perfectly for the band to follow on into crowd-pleaser ‘Count In Fives’, with every person in the Forum screaming back the ‘Hey!’ while Faris stared moodily into the crowd. The crush doesn’t end as the frantic, fuzzy bassline of ‘Sheena Is A Parasite’ starts a small riot before the song has even got to the chorus. Ending with ‘Gloves’, the entire crowd goes mad as the band tear it up on stage, clearly enjoying themselves.
The Horrors delivered one of their best shows to date, ending the year on a high. This could be their last UK gig for a while, as the band will start working on new material next year, but they have definitely left fans wanting more.
Words by Chloe Gynne
Photos by Becky Warren
]]>Compelling. Petite. Passionate. Ella Pearce Heath has been inflicting her British sense of style upon rock’n’rollers, classical beauties and influential designers all around London. Having styled the likes of Noush Skaugen, winner of the Rising Star category at the Download Music Awards and Escala, the electric string-quarter for the final of Britains Got Talent on ITV, Ella’s thirst for styling hasn’t gone unnoticed. Having got into the industry through working with ‘bands and musicians and making wacky clothes to shoot with a photographer friend’ her clients have evolved to include publications such as the Financial Times ‘How To Spend IT’, JFW Magazine, Vanity Fair and the Daily Mail.
Training at the Royal Academy of Music for three years seems like an unlikely origin; from a musical marvel to a conversant stylist. Ella stuck to her belief in fashion as an ‘art form that can reflect our society in a way that many other parts of the arts cannot.’
Clothes became an interest ‘Because not only are they objects of beauty worthy of admiration and a route of identity, forming transformation, but they are also part of a multi-million pound industry across the globe that cannot be ignored’. Holding an awareness surrounding the importance of fashion within our society has not only influenced Ella’s style and aesthetic, but the people she works with too.
The look that Ella creates, both for her clients and herself, is ‘British Eccentricity’. Drawing inspiration from everyday life to create looks that are fresh and exclusive, ‘I’m inspired by everything around me – nature, architecture, art, literature, cultures, politics, history, tradition and probably most importantly, people with a unique voice that aren’t afraid to stand out and go against the mainstream’.
Certainly not one to suppress any sense of creativity, Ella delves into the deeper depths of fashion through her writing (www.Ellapearceheath.com). But which does she prefer, styling or writing? ‘I think they need to go together, how can I write effectively if I don’t work hands on in the industry? Similarly, how can I style without understanding the wider cultural implications, and having my own theory on beauty. I couldn’t pick between them.’
Unlike many ‘Fashion Journalists’ today, Ella doesn’t just write for the sake of writing. Nor has she succumbed to the ease of writing about ‘must-have items’ and celebrity trends. She writes about the role of Fashion in Society ‘because you can’t fully understand anything until you place it in its context’. Constantly scouring the city for fresh designers untainted by the artistic restraint of sponsorship, it was Ella who recognised Fannie Schiavoni as an emerging new talent before she was acknowledged by the likes of Browns and Tank Magazine.
But why choose to use young, unrecognised designers? ‘Because they often are still in the position to place the aesthetic, a unique voice and forward thinking at the forefront of their collection as they haven’t yet been compromised by the buyers need for ‘2 of this in 3 different colour-ways attitude’. Not to be misunderstood, Ella is of course aware of the importance of influential high-end brands such as Alexander McQueen, Lanvin and Iris Van Herpen, and her inspiration and admiration is still drawn by ‘Prada for innovation and single-mindedness, Stella McCartney for feminine simplicity and Antonio Berardi for amazing dresses’.
The next step for Ella is preparing the Look-Book for Komodo, an ‘ethical, hempy and hand-made’ brand. Individuality and artistic exploration are both equally as important as sustainability, influencing Ella’s belief that the future of fashion ‘must move away from celebrity; collections by non-designers just trying to make money or boost their fame etc are just a gimmick. True fashion is an art form, and this needs to be recognised’.
How can the effects of the recession be seen in Fashion? ‘I think it has bred a new wave of designers who realise we aren’t infallible as a society or a people, and therefore has resulted in a rise of ecological and sustainable fashion designers who see a responsibility to our world’. It seems that Ella’s plans for the future are simple and to be honest, slightly understated , ‘I hope to make people think and to make beautiful images! Can that be a plan, even if it’s an ever so naive one?’
She’s headstrong, determined and knows exactly what she wants, and how she wants it done. Her ideal clients include Alexander McQueen, Gareth Pugh and Vivienne Westwood – who would be ‘pretty fantastic to work with, with all her rebellious attitude and strong opinions’.
Perhaps there’s a little bit of Vivienne in all of us.
Hattie MacAndrews
Night #18 – We hear it. Whatever it is, ghost or demon or malevolent energy, Paranormal Activity has one hell of an antagonist. The cause of the bumps in the night in the latest hand held horror film has a way of slowly saturating you with a cold dread that will make you curse bedtime for weeks. Oren Peli’s no budget debut as writer/director, truly, is extra-ordinarily terrifying.
Odd, then, that the first thing you think when watching Paranormal Activity is that for supposedly the most horrifying film of recent years, it doesn’t seem very scary. Katie and Micha who are the couple at the centre of the plot are bubbly, believable and endearing, joking about the creaking floorboards they put up with on a nightly basis. “This’ll be fine” you tell yourself, “I’ve seen Poltergeist”. How naive.
The anxiety begins slowly, Night #1. The film is structured around the unusual occurrences after dark that escalate very, very gradually.
This continues as a prominent theme throughout, and before long audible sighs of relief issue from the audience whenever a scene contains natural light.
However the relentless night scenes are labelled and numbered, each one slightly more ominous than the last. Each one uses the same unnerving wide-angle shot of the bed next to the open bedroom door. This creates a neat, slow boiling trepidation that keeps the audience hooked without that much really happening.
This slow pace doesn’t last forever, It isn’t long before the couple start to commune with the spirit. Micha, seeing the whole ordeal as an option to document some first grade ghostly happenings, starts toying with the spirit in the hope of catching something on tape, whereas Katie has a far more pressing need to see it come to its end.
The change in dynamic between the two as the days and weeks progress is expertly done. What begins as a persistently happy couple gradually becomes embroiled in a downwards spiral of fear and apprehension that leads to one of the most uncomfortable endings in any recent horror.
Nonetheless, it’s the cause of the terror who’s the real star. Peli does magnificently well to keep all but the slimmest facts about what in fact it is, tight to his chest. The result of this is some of the most uncomfortable viewing you will find in the cinema, and brilliantly entertaining for it. Just don’t go alone.
Chris Hamer
]]>A refreshingly gooey, horror fan’s horror movie, Drag Me To Hell has one hand in camp eighties super gore while the other tugs at the heartstrings.
The film follows Chris, a young female loans officer played by Alison Lohman, who in an effort to throw off her nice girl image refuses a loan renewal to an elderly lady. As you might expect, this elderly lady is not the type who takes bad news well, resulting in possibly the most undeserved three days of terror in the history of unlucky females in horror films. However, the film gets all of the plot points out of the way early, making an expositional first act that is neat but obvious, and leaves more time to focus on the scary parts. Raimi also makes the attempt to have us like his heroine a little too forcefully; she’s a farm girl in the big city, she used to be fat, she’s too nice to be promoted – this grates to begin with, but adds reams of comedy value when the pus starts to fly. Oh yes, there’s pus.
The boyfriend, played by up and coming nerdy heart throb, Justin long, is a brilliant character who remains the voice of reason in a terrifying world of demons and back talking goats that only Chris can see. The result is a priceless few scenes in which the logical boyfriend can’t keep his scepticism to himself – his reaction to being charged sixty dollars for a palm reading is particularly well timed.
The plot is simple really, and effective, and not a backwards walking Japanese ghost girl in sight. Drag Me To Hell really does bare all of the hallmarks of the Evil Dead series, with the addition of some superb acting and story telling skills, fans of Raimi’s earlier work will feel at home.
Be warned though, any punches left pulled from Evil Dead are delivered with force in the first few minutes of Drag Me To Hell. The opening scene sees a young gardening boy succumbing to the same unknown force of evil in front of a young medium. But attacks on helpless Mexican minors are really just a prelude to the atrocities that occur during the next ninety minutes. Luckily, Raimi has made the more gruesome scenes with an undertone of hilarity. No one’s eyes could pop out at that speed, that often, and that accurately, could they? A question you may find yourself asking.
Raimi also makes the most of the cinema space, he uses sound effects with the skill of a horror auteur, and knows how to reel the audience in for the big frights. For this reason, Drag Me To Hell is first and foremost an entertaining horror flick, with emphasis on the fun. Compared to the now formulaic descendants of psychological-horrors such as The Ring that peaked in originality a few years back, it’s an interesting niche. The fact that Raimi isn’t taking himself too seriously is incredibly refreshing and oddly innocent – especially for a film that shocks visually.
Well worth the time, Drag Me To Hell is diet Evil Dead with a far more accessible plot that will entertain you as much as it disgusts you. People fond of cakes and kittens, however, would do well to avoid it.
Chris Hamer
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Well, choosing the fashionista in this case, becomes a bit tricky…We’ve seen both first ladies smiling all over the place and wearing the RIGHT thing for the RIGHT occasion. But who deserves the fashionista award?
Michelle Obama is a mother of two who cooks shrimp linguini for her hubby (who happens to be the president of United States) and is next to him whenever he needs her. However, until recently she was earning a bigger salary than him and this great combination of a strong woman and a supportive wife is SO obvious in her dress code. Lawyer and power dressing looks and dresses inspired by princesses’ fairytales are probably her most remarkable fashion statements!
Carla Bruni Sarkozy is an Italian/French model-singer-actress-poet, who knows by heart the number of her pizza delivery man. Her wardrobe is a rainbow of ballet shoes with an exclusive range of gorgeous suits and evening dresses a-la Jacky Kennedy (well, almost..). She has the IT body and her own website! She hangs out with Karen Mulder, meets Sara Brown for some chat and stands proudly next to the Queen wearing a très chic coat to get some nice shoots. And guess what: Next to the REAL Queen.
Well, which one should get the FFL Award? (FiX’s First Lady Award).
You decide!
Donna Kaparti