Lions for Lambs

Laura Pugh writes about Lions for Lambs.

Lions for Lambs takes place six years after America went to war with Iraq. The film itself is in three parts, which is slightly annoying to get into, but after a while it becomes necessary to the plot, allowing us to witness the same event through the eyes of the government, the media and the individual soldier.
Despite his age, Tom Cruise plays senator Jasper Irving successfully as a political figure who has an ultimate plan to target Al Quieda and the Taliban and bring an end to terrorism. Starring opposite him, award winning Merly Streep plays the only female eye candy in the film as journalist Janine Roth. Streep is convincing as a journalist with a heart who interviews Cruise throughout the film. In doing this she unveils the shocking truth that the American government will do ‘whatever it takes’ to win the war, regardless of the lives that will be lost; of course, her version of events will never go to print, and an edited version will spread across the World like wildfire. Director Robert Redford, who also plays Professor Stephen Malley in the film makes us the question the reliability of the media in our society; do we really know what’s going on, or do we simply believe what we are told anyway?
Redford’s character plays against Todd Hayes, actor Andrew Garfield, in the second section of this episodic film, trying to persuade the political science student to see out University. More importantly, her tells Todd about two inspirational students he taught who went to be soldiers; these are the two soldiers the story focuses on in the third snapshot of the film, when they are separated from their patrol. These characters, Ernest Rodriguez and Adrian Finch, are played by Michael Pena and Derek Luke, who give heart warming performances throughout the film playing American heroes. Redfords presentation of the film makes us think of them not only as soldiers, but as university students with a future, young men, and ultimately, numbers on a piece of paper. A very thought provoking film.

Mothership

Ledhead Will Harris reviews Mothership.

Landing in at number four on the UK Top 40 in its week of release, "Mothership", Led Zeppelin’s most recent greatest hits album, is a 24-track collection of songs spanning the career of the band, and its high first entry in the charts showing that the mighty blimp of heavy metal still has a huge and most likely ever-increasing fan base. Indeed, the number of people from around the world who registered their names to win tickets for their one-off reunion show estimated to over one million, and doing a little research myself managed to find some of those tickets being auctioned off on the internet for well over a thousand pounds. Perhaps Jimmy Page was just being modest when he said he “hadn’t expected that sort of overwhelming demand”, but the point remains that this band has firmly cemented itself in the history of rock and roll, and, without undue exaggeration I think, the history of music as a whole. The sticker on the front of the case for "Mothership" reads: “The very best of Led Zeppelin remastered on 2 CDs”, and, sure enough, this is an ample collection of tracks for the fair-weather fan of Zeppelin, and if you’re not planning on becoming a die-hard Ledhead anytime soon (although I strongly recommend it) you can go no wrong with this. However, speaking as a Ledhead myself, there are some issues concerning this album that I would like to draw attention to. Firstly, "Mothership" is not the first album in the band’s catalogue to contain “the very best of Led Zeppelin”. The songs found on this album very closely mirror those of the joint albums “Early Days… the best of Led Zeppelin Vol. 1” (1999) and “Latter Days… the best of Vol. 2” (2000), and the track listings of those two albums incredibly resemble those of 1990’s Remasters double-CD set. Somewhere I can hear Mr Page’s eyes rolling back into dollar signs, accompanied by the faint sound of “ker-ching!” My other qualm is the use of the word ‘remastered’. Owning all of the original studio albums on CD - which are said to be digital remasters of the original vinyl editions themselves - I can find little sonic difference between the tracks on the original CD pressings and those on the greatest hits release. In fact, if anything has actually been done in relation to the mixing or production of these songs, I think it would only be Page himself who would be able to point out the issues, with the usual perfectionist musician’s pedantry. The songs themselves, though, are precious gems of rock and roll history. Not one of them would ever be omitted from any Zeppelin fan’s own personal canon of favourites, and the two CDs feature a good range of the band’s works, from the traditional hard rock of “Communication Breakdown” and “Rock And Roll”, to the bluest of blues found in tracks such as “Dazed And Confused” and “Since I’ve Been Loving You”, to the A-minor sensitivity of “Babe I’m Gonna Leave You” and “Stairway to Heaven”. So to treat this album with the appropriate respect and honesty, "Mothership" offers little to long-time fans of Led Zeppelin, unless you happen to be one of the die-hards who absolutely must own every official release. However for those who are yet to fully embrace the delights of Robert Plant’s screams and moans, to the backing track of Page’s undeniably fabulous six-string virtuosity, John Paul Jones’ understated bass playing, and John Bonham’s powerful triplets and splashy rhythms, go buy this album, and let "Mothership" shine in your CD collection as patronage to one of the greatest rock bands of all time.

Iain Banks

Tom Moody reviews Iain Banks' Dead Air.

I am a long-standing admirer of Iain Banks' science-fiction novels, (published under the name of Iain M. Banks) and was interested to see what I would make of one of his mainstream works of fiction. While his science-fiction efforts whisk you away to some unfathomably richly imagined and compelling corner of the galaxy, this novel takes place in a far more domestic setting: post 9/11 London. Banks uses the events of that fateful date as a canvas over which to paint his tale. The opening chapter takes place during a drug-fuelled party, where the central Character Ken Nott, a popular shock-jock, is having a great time chucking various items off his friend's balcony whilst cavorting with like-minded media-type-people. The festivities are abruptly brought to a halt when the party-goers start receiving calls on their mobiles: apparently something has just taken place in Manhattan involving planes and skyscrapers. 9/11 is seldom referred to after this opening chapter, and does not influence the plot in any direct way. We follow Ken as he goes about the normal business of his life, and Banks represents him as a not particularly likeable, but very believable protagonist. He becomes romantically involved with several women at the same time, recalls once having slept with his best friend's wife, and very nearly repeats the offence with the daughter. All the while, our hero cannot seem to stop himself from embarking on highly opinionated, idealistic political rants, not just on his radio show but in general discussion with his various friends and romantic interests, the most alluring and potentially dangerous of which is Celia, the exotic wife of a renowned gangster. hundreds of pages in, all that seems to have been accomplished is a number of mildly entertaining sub-plots detailing Ken's various attempts to achieve satisfaction in his love life, and to arrogantly force his oh-so-important political views onto as many people as possible; one particularly audacious stunt involving attacking a holocaust-denier on live television. But, thankfully, the consequences of his actions kick in just in time. He receives a number of violent threats and the sense of anxiety and danger is gradually and expertly notched up, until our man works himself into a nervous wreck and eventually gets himself into a real life-or-death scenario by making such a spectacularly stupid mistake that you really wonder if he deserves our sympathy in the climatic chapters. Despite the less-than-endearing and frequently idiotic nature of Ken Nott, 'Dead Air' is nonetheless a consistently gripping read; I couldn't wait to see how he would squirm his way out of his next increasingly disastrous predicament.

Upon its release in 2002, this novel was criticised for not dealing directly enough with the events of 9/11. Indeed, it can seem superficially that Banks has simply used the theme as a gimmicky selling point for the novel, which is, at its heart, a compulsively readable and intelligent thriller, though not one which has any powerful political message. However, Banks does a fantastic job of subtly conveying a convincing sense of post-9/11 angst in 'Dead Air', and tactfully uses his protagonist's opinions, and the periphery character's responses to them, as a way to engage in political discourse without too obviously putting over his own agenda. This, in hindsight, could be more effective and future-proof than expressing an overt gut-reaction. When compared to Bank's science-fiction works, though, of which 'Excession' and 'Look to Windward' are, in particular, two of the best books I have ever read, 'Dead Air' was a disappointment. It was not as creative, nowhere near as inspiring, and did not even serve as an equally powerful or relevant social commentary. Banks works at his best when given a blank and infinitely vast canvas for his imagination to work with, not when restricted to the reality of modern life

Plant and Krauss

Martin Hall admires the new Robert Plant and Alison Krauss album.

Why is it that when an artist releases something new, regardless to how phenomenal, gifted, or influential he or she may be; regardless to how inspirational, passionate and down right remarkable his or her back catalogue may be; why is it that artists’ new works are always judged against their previous masterpieces!?

As said on BBC Radio 2, ‘isn’t it strange that Robert Plant is releasing this album at the same times as he’s doing the Led Zeppelin stuff, it’s so different?’ I am afraid MR Radcliffe and, or Maconie, it is not a Led Zeppelin piece. Plant is an artist, a first-rate one at that, Robert Plant is not Led Zeppelin.

Plant’s latest album, a collaboration with Allison Krauss, blue grass fiddle player and singer extraordinaire, is awe-inspiring. These two artists, although a world apart in style, synthesize so exceptionally well together creating an unusual yet addictive and captivating sound.
‘Raising Sand’ hears Plant and Krauss, produced by T Bone Burnett, reworking and interpreting some of the best blues and blue grass songs of the 20th Century. We hear songs from such greats as Sam Phillips, Naomi Neville and the released single ‘Gone Gone Gone’ written by Phil and Don Everly.

Plant and Krauss’ current single ‘Gone Gone Gone (Done Moved On)’ is a powerful blues/rock interpretation of the Everly Brothers’ impressive track. It is a fantastic example of the strength in the combination of these two magnificent voices: Plant’s commanding and bold tone perfectly compliments Krauss’ soft and warm voice. The band really excels on this track creating a driving and controlling rhythm you will find it hard not to move to.

This album contains a host of what promises to be incredibly memorable music. ‘Sister Rosetta Goes Before Us’, a haunting and enchanting song, is one of the great gems of this album. It’s sinister and circus-esque tones are wonderful; this song creates a world in which you can disappear, evoking images and emotions abound.

‘Please Read the Letter’ is a reworking of Page and Pant’s song from their 1998 album ‘Walking into Clarksdale’. This song is beautifully sung once again yet comes with an extra something special in Krauss’ masterful touches of harmony.

A song which is an assured success, ‘Fortune Teller’ holds its own on this album, protruding as the most profound work here. Lyrically, Naomi Neville’s song is unparalleled; masterfully re-worked by Plant’s phenomenal voice this song stands out as one of the best I have heard in a very long time.

Unfortunately, every family has its Black Sheep, 'Through the Morning, Through the Night' claiming this title. This song simply does not belong on this album. If I was driving my pickup through the Bible belt, the red of my neck more sore than ever, looking longingly towards the evening's road kill supper, my track of choice may possibly evolve into said black sheep. However, this being said, the rest of the album then would not have been to my taste and I would have used the disk to frisbee at a nearby squirrel.

Nonetheless, the rest of the album in keeping with the success of the single, it certainly promises to please. This album is none too distant in sound from Plant’s previous work ‘Mighty Rearranger’ with his band Strange Sensation; drawing on Plant’s plentiful World Music influences, combined with a blues, blue grass streak to create a sound unlike any heard before: a blend of the modern and the worldly so expertly and successfully executed.

Long Way Down

Martin Hall reviews Long Way Down

As someone who was inspired by these explorers to raise some money for charity through expeditions myself, I can say that this book is not only a phenomenal read but a magnificent motivational tool making waves for Unicef, Riders for Health, the Children’s Hospice Association of Scotland and charities alike.

McGregor and Boorman’s latest adventure sees the two travel from John O’Groats, the northern most tip of Scotland to Cape Town, the southern most tip of South Africa.
Two men riding huge BMW R1200 GS Adventure motor bikes laden up to the gunwales followed by two Nissan 3.0 Litre Turbo Diesel Patrols across some of the most rugged and temperate terrain through the African continent; a book for the most intrepid of armchair explorers.
This thrilling and at times hilarious account of the pair’s travels is a heartfelt and touching piece commenting on the terrors of ex Child soldiers in Uganda, Mine Victims in Ethiopia and the Aids epidemic evident throughout Africa.

Social comment aside this is an extremely entertaining book. With Charley being pulled of a plane as a terrorist threat, Ewan barely making the trip altogether, being stoned by children throughout the African continent and almost being trampled by elephants, the Long Way Down is an encompassing book.

A shorter journey than their first, the Long Way Round, this book is every bit as exciting and more thrilling still, as the tag line proves to be true: Eighteen countries. Five shock absorbers. Two bikes. One amazing adventure...

Disappointingly, the book, as fantastic as it is, is somewhat ruined by the accompanying T.V series. For the Long Way Round I was an avid watcher, and consequently collector in buying the DVD. However, for the Long Way Down, the pair appear to have brought along the nanny crew. The mammoth 4X4s, never too far behind the bikes, have become a home base for the pair, carrying with them enough supplies to restock a large camping shop. This serves to utterly destroy the illusion that these two best friends are adventurous in any way. Ewan, accompanied by a member of his close family at most points throughout the trip even brings along his wife to slow down progress, drop her bike and wholly negate the whole concept of Two bikes. One amazing adventure...

The series reveals this mock ‘adventure’ to actually be, four bikes, two enormous mothering support crews, fifteen million camera men, enough electronics to fill Comet and enough camping equipment to form an elaborate palace of tented dwellings, running water and all; all falsely held together under the illusory concept of ‘adventure’.
Read the book, at least the truth is well veiled under well written prose. The T.V show however, serves merely as a break in the evening in which to make a sandwich.

L.A. Confidential

Martin Hall goes all noir on us with a piece about L.A. Confidential.

For decades, audiences have swarmed to the big screen to view these shadowy masterpieces. Creating careers for such greats as Cagney, Bogart, Edward G Robinson, Bacall and more, these films have now evolved into Neo-Noirs spawning the newly released L.A. Confidential (1997). But why is it that we still love these films after nearly 70 years in evolution?

Film Noir is not an easily definable genre as such. It is more a matter of tone and mood being generally pessimistic in and tone reflective in mood; A genre which works around a myriad of frameworks such as Docu Noir (The Enforcer 1976), Heist Noir (The Asphalt Jungle 1950), Amnesia Noir (The Long Wait 1954), Gangster Noir (High Sierra 1941), Woman-in-distress Noir (My Name Is Julia Ross 1945), and runaway Noir (You Only Live Once 1937) to name but a few. These numerous frameworks work around a similar character structure and cinematography making Film Noir more of an umbrella term than a specific genre description.

Conventionally, in a Film Noir the male character must choose between two women. The first, a devoted woman who is loyal and in love with him, the second the Femme Fatale. This Femme Fatale will use the male character for personal gain to help her achieve money or power.
Film Noirs make use of dark sets, single source lighting with copious shadows and the effective use of chiaroscuro. Single source lighting was preferred as a result of necessity as during WWII, film production was massively reduced and there was little finance within the Hollywood film industry to pay for equipment. And so in an attempt to reduce costing within the industry only one light source was used; this also hid the fact that a full set was not always constructed, another budgetary flaw.
Night scenes, which were hugely popular during the silent-era of film making, were impossible to effect due to the noisy and bulky equipment required. However, as technology advanced, it brought lighter cameras and greater creative possibilities for cinematographers.

The stylistics of Film Noir features was directly influenced by German expressionist cinema of the 20s and 30s. Characteristics such as montage, surreal settings, cantered camera angles and inventive cinematography were directly influenced by this movement. German films emphasised a character’s psychology and analysed their actions, looking more at what they were thinking such as in Fritz Lang’s M (1931). This expressionist approach to film making inaugurated the ‘Black’ style utilised by directors of the time and created a model for the coming Film Noir genre.

The majority of Film Noir motifs such as criminal content, tough male characters, costume and period echo the Hollywood gangster. It was during America’s post 1929 Depression – era in which most gangster Noirs were spawned, such as Little Caesar (1931) and The Public Enemy (1931). These films reflected the attitudes and trends of America and encompassed themes of the period at hand, organised crime, murder and corruption. Filmmakers presented contemporaneous themes within their films. As events such as Prohibition, Depression in America and eventually War were what were happening during the birth of this genre, the attitude of Film Noir became a sombre and pessimistic one.

With this influx of Gangster Noirs, there was an outcry from the Legion of Decency that the placing of this criminal iconography in the forefront of the public conscience was corruptive and would cause imitation. This led the evolution of Gangster Noirs in which actors typecast as gangsters reversed roles and portrayed the side of good. This is evident in ‘G’ Men (1935) for example, in which James Cagney plays the government official and not, as expected, the gangster.

During the 60s and 70’s there was a substantial decrease in the number of Film Noirs released due to the changing attitudes in film making. However, during the mid 80s, the early Noir Fiction novels were republished causing an eruption in the creation of modern Film Noirs known as Neo – Noirs. Thus films such as The Big Easy (1987) and Blood Simple (1985) were created. Some of these, such as L.A Confidential, retained the on-screen time period whereas most updated the genre and placed the film within modern day society. For example, Dirty Harry (1971), Clint Eastwood as a hardened cop in 1970’s America, nonetheless this is most certainly a Film Noir as it exhibits a degree of cynicism and pessimism and classic Gangster and Runaway Noir narrative characteristics.

So now, with our optimistic lifestyles and bright futures, why do we hark back to the past and look to crime for entertainment? Unlike the by gone days of classic Film Noirs, film makers today have no political view or standpoint but appear to be concerned with style and content. The Film Noir offers filmmakers a huge creative canvass upon which to paint their masterpiece. With its shady sets, expressionistic lighting and a 1950s’ aesthetic, L.A. Confidential is a smash. With a story line to match and a list of stars to impress, L.A Confidential promises to be a huge success.

The Film Noir genre is one, which has been pastiched and parodied myriad times over the years such as in Blade Runner (1982), an eclectic film drawing tremendously from Film Noir. This pastiche draws from the paradigms of Amnesia Noir and Runaway Noir but relies heavily also upon the conventions of Sci-Fi. Films such as Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988) successfully parodied Film Noir as Bob Hoskins and the comic character Roger made fun of its conventions.
With modern writers such as James Ellroy and Edward Bunker (Straight Time 1978) having their novels adapted for the screen, Film Noir, hosting a stylistic and thematic legacy, will continue to visit our screens for a long time to come.

Paul Reid

Helen Thomson goes retro with the painting of Paul Reid. And before you mention it, yes I know that isn't the painting she's talking about. But there isn't a picture of that one online.

Odysseus on the Island of Circe

Oil on Canvas, 2007

Retrospective Exhibition

Hull University Art Gallery 9th Nov- 7th Dec 2007

Paul Reid is without doubt one of the most talented artists to emerge out of Scotland in recent years. He deals with Greek myths as subjects and interprets them in a distinctly neo-classicist style, a style which, no doubt, many people will deem redundant. And although this style did die out for the most part towards the end of the 19th century, it doesn’t stop Reid’s work from being brilliant.

Odysseus on the Island of Circe forms the centrepiece to the current exhibition at Hull University Art Gallery, and an eye-catching centre it is. The composition immediately draws your attention, the sumptuous richness of the whole ensemble demonstrates the artists affinity for oil paints. The colours have a subtlety and strength not often combined in modern painting, with its tendency to over-simplify. The skin tone in particular, perhaps the most difficult thing to capture, is made up of hundreds of shades with often only minute differences between them. This attention to detail defines the muscles, the ribs and the veins of Odysseus and his men. The broad brush strokes give the bodies a smoothness and sheen that is very realistic, while the short strokes used for the fur of the lion’s mane makes it look practicably strokable.

The composition of this painting shows a group of characters mid-way through action, freeze-framed as it were. It is at once natural and contrived, with the figures laid out just slightly too conveniently, in order to suit the purpose of the painting. Yet the painting has the look of a photo, so as to feel the characters could start moving again if only you stand watching them for long enough.

It is not only the characters in the foreground that are magnificently depicted, but there is incredible attention to detail in the background. The props lying around the characters get as much attention as Odysseus and his men, resulting in fruit lying on the floor that looks edible, clothing, discarded by the now nude half-animals, lying creased and crumpled on the ground, a sword leant against a rock that glints with the polish of real metal. The foliage surrounding the scene is scarcely less perfect. The trees are depicted even down to the smallest branch, the leaves can be more or less distinguished from one another even far into the distance. Without a doubt Reid harks back to all that was best in neo-classical style.

There are very few points, really, on which I can criticise this painting. There was a slight problem that I noticed with Odysseus’ foot and lower right leg, but if I have to be that pedantic then he obviously hasn’t gone that far wrong. He shows remarkable skill in his painting, a skill that is not often exhibited in this world of modern art. To deem his style of painting redundant, as some have done, is grossly unfair. Surely, given the public’s love for things made in a style that went out years ago, it should be deemed retro.