11 years after the original set the standards for CG-animated monster comedies and added another impressive string to the Disney-Pixar bow, the first trailers for the second installment has hit. We've known for a while that Monsters University will be a prequel, and this teaser trailer which showing the younger looking versions of Mike and Sully is particularly exciting. Also, according to IMDB, Ken Jeong will feature in the voice cast which can only mean good things.
Monsters University will hit British cinemas on 12th July 2013.
Prometheus certainly proved itself more than simply an Alien prequel; while the original was all about enclosure, it is full of expansion and exploration.
The biggest difference between the two? Well, Alien did what it said on the tin ('In space no one can hear you scream'), and in contrast we still don't have a clue about the main questions conceived in Prometheus. Recently, however, Ridley Scott has done his best to enlighten us. Firstly, deleted images were released showing the Engineer in the first scene accompanied by others. These extra Engineers were of differing ages, implying that they are mortal and age just like us. Yet compared to Scott's latest explanations, these images are no more interesting than a flobberworm. In an interview with movies.com Scott actually answered one of the biggest questions in the film, namely why our creators wanted to destroy us? While many theorists claimed it was a commentary on humankind and our destructive nature, few thought the answer would be religious...but oh how wrong they were.
As bizarre as this may sound, according to Scott the reason our creators wanted to wipe us out is because we crucified Jesus. Jesus was an emissary of the Engineers sent down to give us a second chance. When the Romans killed him the Engineers had enough and would have sent down all sorts of biological warfare, had it not turned on them. In Scott's words, the Engineers' thoughts were such: "Let’s send down one more of our emissaries to see if he can stop it.' Guess what? They crucified him." According, one bit of dialogue explicitly pointed this out (although I certainly didn't pick up on it).
What sort of effect, then, will this have on the sequel (which Scott has already confirmed)? It certainly makes the prospect of Noomi Rapace, accompanied by Michael Fassbender's disembodied head, heading off in search of the Engineers' original home planet an interesting one. Furthermore, it leads to questions as to how much they interfered with life on Earth - perhaps then we'll find out where the cave paintings came from.
It still remains to be seen whether 'Space Jesus' will actually be incorporated into future films, but even so it surely stands as one of the most bizarre explanations in sci-fi - even amongst the likes of co-writer Damon Lindelof (i.e. Lost)
On June 20th, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, is released to the U.K. This adaptation of the best-selling book follows Abraham Lincoln as he tries to prevent vampires taking over America. Produced by Timur Bekmambetov (Wanted, 2008) and Tim Burton* (Corpse Bride, 2005), this faux-historical tale looks to be a somewhat mad-cap yet entertaining insight into the 'secret life' of the sixteenth President of America.
* CONSPIRACY THEORY: could Bekmambetov be Burton's russian alter ego?
5. The Italian Job Why it's fit for Her Majesty's service: SIR Michael Caine represents everything that's great about British cinema; he can do funny and loveable (as he shows in the Batman films), he can do hard-hitting and gritty (just look at Harry Brown) and he can do downright cool as he proved in this classic heist caper. Aside from all that, it stars a Knight of the Realm! Why one is not amused: It's called the Italian Job AND there's and Italian flag on the poster! Sorry Sir Michael but its off to the Tower of London for you to await your conviction.
4. The Iron Lady Why it's fit for Her Majesty's service: This film captures a century-defining era in British history and the rise and fall of the first female Prime Minister. Meryl Streep brought back to life Margaret Thatcher and showed us the person behind the iron mask. Why one is not amused: There's only one woman who best represents Great Britain, and she's not an Iron Lady (although she's regularly seen in silver and copper)! Furthermore, Meryl Streep, an American citizen, cannot possibly be held responsible for doing so.
3. Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me Why it's fit for Her Majesty's service: Yeah baby! In 1997 Mike Myers brought to life Austin Powers the International Man of Mystery and really we could have chosen any of the films. However, The Spy Who Shagged Me best represents it's take on the classic James Bond era of British film making. Although the films moved away from this with the later Goldmember, Myers hilariously sent-up the swinging 60s and a myriad of British institutions. Why one is not amused: With his background of Saturday Night Live television is the US, Myers is clearly influenced by American comedy and an American view of Britain. Perhaps, too much of a spoof to best represent the British Isles.
2. Henry V Why it's fit for Her Majesty's service: Kenneth Branagh is a remnant of a great age of British theatre, a stalwart of Shakespearean acting, the closest man alive to the greats like Laurence Olivier and a British institution. His performance alone in the gloriously British Henry V - which celebrates our heroic victory over the French at Agincourt - is enough to secure it our second spot. And who can forget this speech full of the most epic lines in the history of film? "We would not die in that man's company that fears his fellowship to die with us!"
Why one is not amused: One is amused! But the next entry must surely take the top spot...
1. The Queen Why it's fit for Her Majesty's service: It's a film about the Queen! In the wake or Diana's death, HRH Elizabeth II must decide how to publicly react and whether to follow the advice of the Prime Minister Tony Blair. Regardless of the dramatic storyline, that is close to the hearts of the British nation, the performances alone and the insight into life behind the palace doors are enough to secure this film the top spot in posters that best represent the United Kingdom. Why one is not amused: 'One little thing...Helen Mirren looks far too old to portray me!'
Commissioned for last
year’s Latitude Festival, Wasted is
the first play written by 20-year-old beat-poet Kate Tempest. It follows the
lives of three post-adolescents as they stumble their way through a
drug-fuelled night out, assessing their lives and dealing with the difficulties
that come with growing up and being faced with the real world.
For those of you who
don’t know what beat-poetry is, I suggest you look up Kate Tempest’s
performances on YouTube. The style of speech in these poems is fluid verses of
rhyme that are delivered as a spontaneous stream of consciousness. Tempest has
written hundreds of poems on various commissions, released two spoken-word
records and has just published an anthology of her work. However, Wasted is her first play and I was keen
to see the transition from poetry to prose.
The play opens with
the three friends – Ted, Danny and Charlotte – addressing the audience
directly. They each have a microphone, which makes their voices resonate over
the loud club music that preceded their entrance onto the stage. They speak in
turn, sometimes overlapping, sometimes finishing each other’s sentences, but
all the time speaking in the familiar rhythmic poetry that is so archetypal of
Tempest’s work.
As the play pans out
we learn more about the lives of the three. Ted works in an office but isn’t
really happy, Charlotte is a teacher who feels like she’s wasting her life
teaching kids who don’t want to be taught, and Danny is in a band you’ve never
heard of that isn’t going anywhere. All three are drawn together by the death
of friend Tony. The scenes are split into three types, individual
monologues, scenes that play out the events of the night as they happened and
the afore-mentioned three-way addresses. While the monologues are the
strongest points – particularly Charlotte’s heartfelt speech where I felt
Tempest’s true style came through – the latter three-ways are where the play
falls flattest. The idea is promising: splitting a monologue between three
people who pick up on each other’s cues with such fluidity that it sounds like
one speech. However, some cues were dropped and it was done at such a speed
that it came across as if the performers weren’t completely comfortable on
stage.
The set itself is impressive. Unassuming black walls, floor and ceiling mean that the
transitions from park, to café, to nightclub are seamless with no messy
set-changes during their infrequent blackouts. The main focus is the enormous
screen at the back of the stage, framed by ultra-violet lights and speakers.
Onto the screen are projected the various backdrops, instantly transforming
the stage for its intended purpose to great effect. I always find the use of media
interesting in performance. It’s a thin line to tread between cinema and
theatre and shows can often be found guilty of having overly distracting
cinematography, drawing your gaze like moths to the light and making it hard to
follow what is happening on-stage. Wasted
avoids such a trap by using the screen merely as a moving backdrop during
dialogue and saving the most absorbing camera-work for when it was the sole
focus of the stage. The lighting too, is colourful and engaging and is as
perfectly adapted for the hectic and vibrant nightclub scenes as it is for the
stale artificial light of the café the morning-after.
The main criticism I gathered
from my fellow audience members was that they found the play to be somewhat
patronising. The repeated message of ‘you can live your dreams’ and ‘be
anything you want to be’ was rather thrusted in the audience’s faces throughout
the play. I think this was perhaps something that can be pinned down to problems
an inexperienced playwright is always going to encounter. Common themes throughout
much of Tempest’s work are the lack of ambition in the youth of society and how
to inspire those neglected and with low aspirations. Naturally, this was the
focus of Wasted, however I think Tempest
could have afforded to allow her audience with a little more intelligence. The
message came across most beautifully when it was subtly implied, through the characters
internal monologues and the realism of their interactions. The direct addresses
of the audience were therefore unnecessarily explicit and came across a little
preachy.
Having said that, I
still think that Tempest shows great promise as a playwright. Her style of
writing is unique and I think the transition from beat poetry to theatre is a
medium that could be developed further. The interactions between characters
were very fluid and immediate which is a real testament to Tempest’s writing. Often,
with writing that tries to reflect how young people to speak, it comes across
as jarring and insincere. Tempest dealt with that problem with remarkable
dexterity, accompanied by the talent of those performing, and delivered scenes
that were both entertaining and relatable.
Overall, Wasted, though not without its faults,is a good piece of theatre. The performances
were strong and the set and soundscapes were inspired. I hope to see more of
Tempest’s work take to the stage.
