Current Issue: 16
12th - 18th March 2010
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LS2: Arts
COMMENT - Did David Really Beat Goliath?
Does the Hurt Locker's Oscar Sweep signify a new direction in the Academy's pickings?
The Hurt Locker wins Best Picture
The Oscars are often criticised for being less a celebration of the creativity of filmmakers and more an opportunity for the Academy to congratulate itself, with awards usually going to those that sway the most Academy influence. This year however, the close of the 82nd Academy Awards saw Kathryn Bigelow’s stunning Iraq war drama The Hurt Locker storm the show despite returning a mere $21 million, making it the lowest grossing Best Picture winner ever; beating James Cameron’s Avatar, the highest grossing film of all time. The problem is not that The Hurt Locker won, but why it won. Was it really the David and Goliath tale it has been made out to be? Does the film’s success mark a shift by the Academy towards recognising more relevant films or is it just as out of touch with popular opinion as ever?
One fact that cannot be overlooked here is the issue of genre. It is rare that the Academy gives recognition to… Continue reading...
THEATRE PREVIEW - Magic and Impossibility
Rachel harvery speaks to the co-designer and star of Stage@Leeds new production
Was it difficult to bring the world of magic into the theatre?
It was very difficult. In terms of designing and creating this magical wonderland, it has been tricky. We’ve tried to transform the space so that it’s unrecognisable.
Posted in LS2 » Arts » THEATRE PREVIEW - Magic and Impossibility
MUSICAL REVIEW - Footloose
Riley Smith Hall 09/03 - 13/03
Bonnie Tyler hits, dance bonanzas, retro clothing – SMS’s Footloose should technically have been everything you could want from a musical, and more. Sadly, a protracted script coupled with some dubious singing left me feeling little of the euphoria that the performers clearly were.
Read morePosted in LS2 » Arts » MUSICAL REVIEW - Footloose
THEATRE PREVIEW - Dream/Play
Stage@Leeds 28/04 - 01/05
This new show, an assessed piece by third year Performance and Cultural Industries students, is set to be an explosion of imagination, interaction and energy. Using A Dream Play by August Strindberg (arguably one of Sweden’s most influential writers) as a stimulus, PCI’s Dream/Play branches off from its source, adding the group's own interpretations, dreams and reactions to create an entirely new experience. Natasha Hamilton-Ely (group manager and PR officer) describes it as “going to the extreme with experimentation,” while Elena Hewett (one of the production’s performers) hopes to “achieve that sense that anything can happen.”
Read morePosted in LS2 » Arts » THEATRE PREVIEW - Dream/Play
POETRY - Sticks and Stones
Strawbs bar 08/03
From vampires to peanut butter, doing the dishes to life’s disappointment, Sticks and Stones presented a night of profound poetic thinking, once again showing that poetry is something that speaks to our day and age, and about all issues imaginable. The unique words spoken resounded within the four walls of Strawbs bar and echoed determinedly.
Read morePosted in LS2 » Arts » POETRY - Sticks and Stones
THEATRE REVIEW - Rum and Coca-Cola
West Yorkshire Playhouse until 03/04
Rum and Coca Cola, by Mustapha Matura has been circulating around theatres for the past 25 years, and from its performance at the West Yorkshire Playhouse, it is clear to see why. It’s a play full of charisma, attitude and cheeky comments about the government and Americans; two subjects people love to laugh at. The play focuses on two men, one old Calypsonian professor (Victor Romero-Evans) and his young protégé (Marcel McCalla) who he has saved from a life of selling crack-cocaine on the streets of Trinidad. Their days are spent living and learning the beauty of Calypso music, in the hope of creating the next number one, and making real money, unlike the petty tips they receive off tourists.
Read morePosted in LS2 » Arts » THEATRE REVIEW - Rum and Coca-Cola
FILM REVIEW - The Last Station
Christopher Plummer stars as Leo Tolstoy in a biopic of his final days of life
The impassioned life and prolific writings of Russian novelist LeoTolstoy ought to provide even the most incompetent filmmaker with enough material to produce a respectable work. Woefully, however, director and writer Michael Hoffman’s lacklustre attempt at historical drama plays out more like a Pythonesque sketch, in which neither the subject nor the artist emerge with any credibility whatsoever.
Read morePosted in LS2 » Arts » FILM REVIEW - The Last Station
POETRY CORNER
Somnia - Ben Styles
Is this night
A sleepless one?
Or is the world in fact
Asleep?
Posted in LS2 » Arts » POETRY CORNER
DANCE PREVIEW - LUU Dance Show
Committee member Charlotte Jennings tells us what to expect from the dance extravaganza
What can we expect from the LUU dance show?
There’s something for everyone. Originally set up by Ballet society, the number of societies involved has increased yearly, with this year being the biggest ever. With over ten different societies, there are hundreds of students involved in the production.
Posted in LS2 » Arts » DANCE PREVIEW - LUU Dance Show
FILM REVIEW - Crazy Heart
Jeff Bridges stars as a faded country singer in the film that won him his first Oscar
Jeff Bridges won the Oscar for Best Actor. Crazy Heart couldn't even make a ten-film shortlist for Best Picture which included the boring and soulless District 9. That, for the reader who hasn't the time for in-depth reviews, tells you need to know about this film.
Read morePosted in LS2 » Arts » FILM REVIEW - Crazy Heart
FILM REVIEW - Chloe
Amanda Seyfried and Julianne Moore star in this erotic thriller
As the film opens, and Amanda Seyfried’s call-girl character ‘Chloe’ slowly and sensually dresses herself after a night with a client, Seyfried casts off the shackles of her much beloved role as ‘Sophie’ in Mamma Mia. As refreshing and daring as this is, the thing with Seyfried’s attempt, unlike Daniel Radcliffe’s infamous nude scene in Equus, is that I’m not quite convinced that it was worth it.
Read morePosted in LS2 » Arts » FILM REVIEW - Chloe
FILM REVIEW - Crazy Heart
another review, another viewpoint because, well, why not
The Early hours of Monday morning saw the announcement of the winners of the 82nd Academy Awards. It was a night of new beginnings with Kathryn Bigelow becoming the first woman to win the Best Director award since the Oscars began in 1929. A great achievement no doubt, something to be lauded and shouted from the mountain tops. However, under all the hullabaloo there was one problem; what had been forgotten. Whilst Bigelow was taking one small step for womankind; a quieter piece of history was being written; Jeff “The Dude” Bridges also won his first Oscar. Bridges, a Hollywood behemoth and as big a liberal institution as Google, has long been the Academy’s bridesmaid, nominated four times but never getting a little golden groom of his own. With Crazy Heart, however, the curse has been broken and in spectacular style
Read morePosted in LS2 » Arts » FILM REVIEW - Crazy Heart
THEATRE - Celebration
15/03 - 16/03
Nick Coupe's production of Harold Pinter's restaurant comedy leaves Callum Gore wanting seconds.
Read morePosted in LS2 » Arts » THEATRE - Celebration