Hullfire Online » Arts http://www.hullfire.com University of Hull Student Newspaper Sat, 08 Oct 2011 19:10:23 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 Film review: Skyline http://www.hullfire.com/2011/04/14/film-review-skyline/ http://www.hullfire.com/2011/04/14/film-review-skyline/#comments Thu, 14 Apr 2011 16:34:12 +0000 Online Editor http://www.hullfire.com/?p=2335 ]]> Skyline is The Brothers Strauses’ second film, since their 2007
effort Alien vs Predator: Requiem. Keeping with similar storylines of
popular alien invasion films such as Cloverfield, District 9 and last
year’s phenomenally successful Monsters, we see a modern city taken
over by strange and gargantuan creatures from outer space.
Jarrod and Elaine, played by Eric Balfour and Scottie Thompson
respectively, arrive in Los Angeles to stay with a friend, Terry, a
prominent entrepreneur played by Scrubs’ Donald Faison. Overnight,
aliens arrive in mass numbers possessing spectacular and evanescent
blue lights, attracting humans to their vessels and swallowing them
up. Jarrod, Elaine and Terry battle to live through this ordeal with
other survivors, while the outside world tries to combat with these
mysterious and apocalyptic extraterrestrials.
Within the first twenty minutes of Skyline it already feels like a
film that you’ve witnessed before. As mentioned, since the release of
J.J. Abrams produced, monster movie Cloverfield released back in the
summer of 2008 there has been a spate of alien invasion films filled
with jaw-dropping special effects and visceral action scenes. Skyline
has many of these and the SFX are undeniably impressive. Most
memorable is a nuclear missile ploughing into one of the
extraterrestrial space ships and leaving most of modern day L.A
destroyed.
As with many a blockbuster made these days far more is concentrated
on the aesthetics of the film and less on the character build up and
storyline. In fact, for some peculiar reason Skyline’s final act
continues into the end credits, which, is a vain attempt at trying to
push for some sort of sequel or continuation in a supposed franchise.
However while more successful films in this popular sub-genre have
used unknown actors to add fresh incentive to the verisimilitude of
their films, the makers of this film have used actors straight from
American television which lessens the film’s realism and
believability.
It comes as no surprise that Colin and Greg Strause, the brothers who
co-directed Skyline, have a background in special effects (and aliens)
which have propelled them both into the director’s chair, or two man
couch if you will. Their debut was the Aliens vs Predator sequel, AVP:
Requiem which was released in winter 2007. They both set up their own
visual effects company Hydraulx which was founded in 2002 and has gone
to provide effects for films such as 300, The Curious Case of Benjamin
Button and Avatar. Greg won a BAFTA for The Day After Tomorrow. The
Strauses’ therefore put all their background knowledge of visual
effects into Skyline culminating in over 800 effects shots in the
whole film. While this is indeed impressive it is at the same time
underwhelming. In the first act, when we are introduced to an array of
beautiful and extraordinary blue lights coming from the aliens, the
result is stimulating and visually arresting. Yet by the end of the
film the effects have been over worked and by the final act the film
feels numb and limps to a poor conclusion.
What is impressive about the film is its success financially: The
Brothers Strause and Hydraulx were able to make the film with a
production budget of $10 million and the film resonated with audiences
on it’s release in America in November 2010, bringing in $21 million
dollars domestically and $43 million in the foreign market. The
Strauses’ have cleverly thought about how to appeal to audiences,
selling it on being a high concept film, rather than a character
driven piece.
So Federico Fellini this is not, but Skyline clearly has a following
and will fit nicely into a TV channel’s schedule, post-pub on a Friday
night. Despite this, Skyline doesn’t hit the highs other films grouped
in its sub-genre, and its lack of flesh and emotion pays its price
after 90 minutes of messy, unapologetic and high octane action.

Skyline is released on DVD on the 21st March.

Sam Langan

]]> http://www.hullfire.com/2011/04/14/film-review-skyline/feed/ 0 Prose Before Woes http://www.hullfire.com/2011/04/14/prose-before-woes/ http://www.hullfire.com/2011/04/14/prose-before-woes/#comments Thu, 14 Apr 2011 16:32:27 +0000 Online Editor http://www.hullfire.com/?p=2333 ]]> Frequently heralded as ‘one of the greatest geniuses that ever
existed’, William Shakespeare is without question a literary legend.
However, his long winded and complex plays full of antiquated
language, obscure imagery and references do little to encourage me to
persevere in reading any of his plays from beginning to end, let alone
draw enjoyment from doing so.
Whilst I appreciate that comprehension of his narratives is not
something that will instantly dawn upon me, without investing time,
effort and a huge dose of concentration, I continue to struggle
through his work and inevitably give up. My typical Shakespearian
reading experience involves incessantly flipping forwards to the
‘helpful’ footnotes accompanying every other word, whilst constantly
turning back the pages to the prefacing cast list in order to keep
straight in my mind the characters and their relations to one another
–and just as I begin to separate the siblings from the lovers,
Shakespeare throws an incestuous spanner my way and confuses things
once more. So, when the task of watching fifteen cinematic
interpretations of Shakespeare’s works in ten days was levelled, I was
intrigued to discover if the experience would alter my opinion of him
and his legacy.
The very nature of the medium of cinema allows it the capability of
simplifying Shakespeare’s writing as it appears on the page primarily
through its ability to condense it down. The optimum film length lasts
approximately two hours, considerably shorter than the average run of
any Shakespearean play – as a consequence most interpretations
incorporate no more than thirty percent of the original material.
Typically, Shakespearean films tend to fall into three distinct
categories: faithful adaptations, liberal interpretations, and the
aptly entitled ‘offshoots’.  In terms of the former, Laurence
Olivier’s critically acclaimed films are emblematic. His definitive
production of Hamlet (1948), in particular it’s sheer performance
element, the addition of a simple prefatory summary (‘a man who could
not make up his mind’) and the offering of a fantastically atmospheric
musical underscore, served to emphasise the tension penetrating every
scene and really did help to enhance my understanding of the plot.
This being said, I still found myself becoming lost in the language
frequently throughout the film.
Liberal interpretations of Shakespeare are just as popular, with
directors choosing to approach his material from a particular angle or
cultural perspective. Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo and Juliet (1996) relocates
the Shakespearean story of star-crossed lovers from its Elizabethan
origins to the urban backdrop of Verona beach concentrating on a
fast-paced, punchy delivery. Trevor Nunn’s 1930’s set production of
the Merchant of Venice (2000) recreates the earlier theatrical run
prioritising a gambling theme, highlighting the prevalence of
transactions within the material. Bob Komar’s more recent offering
positions Measure for Measure (2007) within the contemporary setting
of the modern day British army foregrounding the violence and
questions concerning individual morality within the play. In all three
examples, the updated settings added renewed vigour to the material
and their individual slants granted me helpful ways to access the
material.
Finally there are those films that choose to run with a particular
plot line or theme located in an original work by Shakespeare, and are
thus inspired by, rather than adapted from his plays. Continuing the
so-called ‘teen-ing’ of Shakespeare sparked by the release of
Luhrmann’s Romeo and Juliet, typical examples are consistently churned
out by Hollywood, often rooting the issues Shakespeare chose as the
focus of his plays into the high-school setting: She’s the Man (2006)
as a variation on Twelfth Night, 10 things I Hate About You (1999) as
a remake inspired by The Taming of the Shrew, and even The Lion King
(1994) as a very basic spin off of Hamlet, are just a few examples.
Whilst I am not suggesting the current generation requires
Shakespearean writing to be simplified to the extent of a Disney
movie, these cinematic interpretations are in the very least making
Shakespeare more accessible to a modern audience.
So, after a week and a half of watching nothing but Shakespearean
films, I have realised that for all the complications of language,
Shakespeare’s topic choices are equally relevant today as they were
during the Elizabethan era. I was also surprised that given a little
assistance in the interpretation I am capable of understanding, and
dare I say it, enjoying the works of Shakespeare. I am not ashamed to
admit, however that at times I still remain perplexed by his work.

Holly Johnson

]]> http://www.hullfire.com/2011/04/14/prose-before-woes/feed/ 0 Women of Narnia: The Good, The Bad, and The Demonized. http://www.hullfire.com/2011/04/14/women-of-narnia-the-good-the-bad-and-the-demonized/ http://www.hullfire.com/2011/04/14/women-of-narnia-the-good-the-bad-and-the-demonized/#comments Thu, 14 Apr 2011 16:30:54 +0000 Online Editor http://www.hullfire.com/?p=2331 ]]> At first glance, the Narnia books do not seem to have a problem with
sexism or other gender issues.  To every boy that enters Narnia there
is a girl, and together they have adventures and save the day.  When
looking closer, however, we discover that the girls are not as
respected as they seem: they do not handle swords and are often spoken
to in disparaging and patronising ways.  Then of course there are the
villains, almost always female and sexualised.  Despite how positively
Lewis portrays the girlish heroines, it is apparent there is a
conflict of ideas in the books, reflecting Lewis’ own views on gender.
Born in 1898, Lewis grew up in a patriarchal and fairly misogynistic
society.  His original views on gender conformed to the societal
opinion: to him women and men operated in “different spheres”, a view
accepted not only by England at that time, but also supported by
Lewis’ interpretation of the Bible.  Despite his views, however, even
in his early writings Lewis seems to have been able to get into the
minds of women, often narrating from a female character’s point of
view, giving voice to her emotions.  Although ultimately the moral was
that women should either be married and docile or scholarly and
chaste, Lewis’ readership consisted mostly of women.  Later on in his
life Lewis’ view of women and their role seems to shift: after
marrying Joy Davidson and working with women at Oxford University,
Lewis’ opinion of women and their capabilities was significantly
improved.  Instead of his earlier ideas of hierarchy and male
dominance, especially within marriage, Lewis adopts a far more equal
view.  It was towards the end of his life, during his happy marriage,
that Lewis wrote the Narnia books, and this might explain the conflict
of ideas within them.
There is no denying that most of the female characters are written in
a positive fashion.  Lucy Pevensie is no doubt the hero of the books,
perhaps Lewis’ favourite.  She discovers Narnia, has strength of
spirit and belief, and symbolises innocence, purity and bravery.  Of
all the characters she is still the most famous one, and has the
greatest bond with Aslan, Lewis’ messianic embodiment of the Christian
faith.  Through her, Lewis reveals his view of all that is good about
the female character, and talks glowingly of her even in the other
books, such as The Horse and His Boy when she reigns as Queen.  It is
possible that to him Lucy symbolised Eve before she fell.  Lucy,
remaining chaste even when she grows up and returns to Narnia in The
Last Battle, does not experience this “fall”, and so perhaps for Lewis
was the ultimate woman.
Herein, however, lies the conflict.  As apparent in Narnia, women can
only be considered good characters if they are innocent and chaste.
The girls are either tomboyish and ready for adventure (eg: Jill Pole
and Aravis), or feminine, subservient, yet brave and valiant (eg:
Polly Plummer, who although feminine remains unmarried and chaste as
described in The Last Battle).  It is obvious how Lewis demonises
female sexuality through his two main villains: the White Witch and
The Lady of the Green Kirtle, the White Witch’s relative in The Silver
Chair.  The witches are independent and fully aware of their sexuality
and affect on men.  Both villains tempt male characters, Edmund by the
White Witch and Prince Rillian in The Silver Chair, causing their
downfall.  Edmund and Rillian cannot be free of this evil female
influence until they defeat their captors and gain independence (or in
Rillian’s case, dominance) once more.
It seems that with these characters, especially in The Silver Chair,
Lewis is not only demonising female sexuality, but also making a
comment about female dominance.  When captured by and enamoured with
The Lady of the Green Kirtle, Rillian is criticised by Jill Pole (the
heroine of the story) as being subservient.  She comments that in our
world we “don’t think much of men who are bossed about by their
wives”.  Lewis makes no hint that the opposite is preferable, but the
idea that wives should not challenge their husbands or have some
control in their relationship is obvious.  In The Silver Chair, Lewis
also makes the point that women should not hold positions of
influence: all the way through Jill and Eustace’s school, Experiment
House, has been shown to be a horrible place full of bullies and
lacking in Christian teaching.  At the end it is revealed that the
Head is a woman, who eventually finds her place in government.  This
seems to be a thinly veiled joke about government corruption, with
this altogether nasty women being perfect for a government job.
For Lewis, it seems that women are best when they are chaste and
equal to men, or when they imitate them.  Lucy, as Queen of Narnia, is
described as being “as good as a man, or at least as good as a boy”.
It does seem odd than even though she is a queen and hero in her own
right, she still has to be compared to a man to be revealed as strong.
Female characters who are not tomboyish but embrace their feminity
are often portrayed as foolish and weak: the adult Queen Susan falls
into this category, who is unable to judge people accurately and has
to be rescued by her younger brother Edmund from a forced marriage
(again in The Horse and His Boy).
Susan is the biggest problem when it comes to women as portrayed in
Narnia.  When we first see her in The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe
she is sensible and bossy but gentle and caring.  She is reluctant to
believe in Narnia until she sees it, and frequently suggests they
should go home.  Compared to Lucy she is less sympathetic: while Lucy
is imaginative Susan is practical, and often speaks in a patronising
fashion.  Early on, Susan is criticised for “trying to talk like
mother”.  It is obvious that she feels the need to protect and be in a
position of respect over her younger siblings, a characteristic
criticised throughout the books.  Although she uses her archery skills
to fight and becomes Queen of Narnia, when she returns in Prince
Caspian she is portrayed in a significantly less positive fashion: she
is starting to lose her faith and speaks more irritably, snapping at
Lucy.  Susan’s reluctance to believe Lucy’s confidence in Aslan in
Prince Caspian seems to be the beginning of the end for her as
ultimately, of all the children, she is not allowed to return to
Narnia in The Last Battle.
This is an odd decision by Lewis: why would he choose to upset his
readers, especially as forbidding Susan to return takes up less than a
page of the book and is not connected to the plot?  This is something
that has been much debated and criticised.  When first reading the
passage, it seems as if Lewis is again demonising female sexuality, as
Susan is older, independent, and described as liking “lipstick”.  She
has fallen prey to vanity and the typical feminine desire to be a
certain age: “she wasted her [childhood] trying to be the age she is
now, and she’ll waste the rest of her life trying to stay that age”.
Another interpretation is that he meant Susan to be a cautionary tale
not to abandon one’s family in favour of a superficial life: Susan now
cares only about “invitations”.  From what we saw of Susan’s practical
nature in The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, and reluctance to
believe in Prince Caspian, it seems that Lewis meant Susan to be
unable to return because she lost her faith.  She calls Narnia a
“game” whenever her siblings try to get her to talk about it.  If Lucy
is Eve without the fall, Susan is definitely Eve fallen, her loss of
faith synonymous with feminine weakness and vanity.
In Narnia, Lewis demonstrates the views of a man believing in the
worth of women, and also in some sort of gender equality.  After all,
the Pevensie girls are seen as equal enough to their brothers to reign
with them, and throughout the books the girls’ opinion and feelings
are rarely dismissed.  Despite this, the ideas that female sexuality
is dangerous, and that men should ultimately be in charge are apparent
in the books, even if Lewis did not intend them to be.  Perhaps then,
the books should be approached with caution: of course the subtle
sexism is not going to corrupt young readers, and the books are
obviously wonderful for children, but they should be accompanied with
explanation.

]]> http://www.hullfire.com/2011/04/14/women-of-narnia-the-good-the-bad-and-the-demonized/feed/ 0 Up http://www.hullfire.com/2010/03/27/up/ http://www.hullfire.com/2010/03/27/up/#comments Sat, 27 Mar 2010 16:57:19 +0000 Online Editor http://www.hullfire.com/?p=1387 ]]> The acclaimed, Oscar nominated animation from writer/director Pete Docter is now out on DVD after its massive success at the box office last year.

Up is one of those films that tugs at the heartstrings from the off. The film begins with a summary of the life of lead character, Carl Fredricksen (voiced by seasoned pro Edward Asner), starting with his first encounter with childhood sweet-heart Ellie before leading on to his apt misadventure with a young wilderness explorer. Their adventure sees them fly away to the jungles of South America where they comes across Dug the Golden Retriever (voiced by Bob Peterson) and Kevin the giant bird.

Up is a really wonderful story with some funny dogs providing belly laughs. This film is well suited to youngsters and adults alike as it has very broad appeal with such a touching, yet at times outrageous plot.

The DVD has a special short film ‘Dug’s Special Mission’, as well as commentary, a documentary and an alternate scene.

Even if you do not particularly like animated films, this one should still do the trick. And if you do, then you will love it, as this is undoubtedly one of the greatest animations of all time: an instant classic.

Andrew M. Ward

]]> http://www.hullfire.com/2010/03/27/up/feed/ 0 The Lovely Bones http://www.hullfire.com/2010/03/27/the-lovely-bones/ http://www.hullfire.com/2010/03/27/the-lovely-bones/#comments Sat, 27 Mar 2010 16:55:39 +0000 Online Editor http://www.hullfire.com/?p=1381 ]]> For those who have read the outstanding bestseller by Alice Sebold that this film was adapted from, you will find yourself quite disappointed with this interpretation. The basic story is that of a raped and murdered 14-year-old girl called Susie, narrating her life and the experiences of her family before and after her murder. The creepy guy next door did it, but is very good at clearing his tracks and is ultimately not really pressured over the killing until toward the end of the picture. Although directed by the brilliant Peter Jackson and with Mark Wahlberg and Susan Sarandon making appearances, this really does not live up to the book. The relationships between the murdered girl and her family were not really developed enough, nor that of her boyfriend, friends, or anyone in fact. If you have read the book, do not have too high hopes as you will feel let down.
Andrew M. Ward

]]> http://www.hullfire.com/2010/03/27/the-lovely-bones/feed/ 0 Heavens To Murgatroyd http://www.hullfire.com/2010/03/27/heavens-to-murgatroyd/ http://www.hullfire.com/2010/03/27/heavens-to-murgatroyd/#comments Sat, 27 Mar 2010 16:51:18 +0000 Online Editor http://www.hullfire.com/?p=1373 ]]> Cowering in a corner whilst being tormented by the ghosts of my ancestors was hardly the way I’d expected to begin an interview with the director of Hull’s Gilbert & Sullivan Society (HUGSS). It must just be what happens when you sit in on a rehearsal of this year’s G&S show: Ruddigore; or, The Witch’s Curse.

It was an experience – being surrounded by men jabbing fingers at me and generally tormenting me – that gave extra weight to what the show’s director, Lucy Thomson-Smith, later told me about how keen the Society is on including in their activities anybody who’s interested. ‘I feel like it’s always been quite a welcoming group. You know, if you can’t sing, you can’t dance, you can’t act – we don’t care, come and join us! We’ll just have fun with it.’

That’s not to say that the cast can’t sing, dance or act – just that it isn’t necessarily a priority of HUGSS. As Thomson-Smith says, ‘it’s always nice within the chorus that we have this interesting mix of people who are different ages and doing different courses and who have different abilities’, and one of the challenges of HUGSS is working with a cast that doesn’t necessarily have vast theatrical or musical experience.

The same is true of the show’s principal roles. One of the more experienced principals is Rory Oliver, the leader of those men doing the tormenting earlier on. Near the beginning of the second half, he belts out the song that Thomson-Smith regards as the script’s ‘high point’ – he certainly did it justice in the tiny rehearsal space in the Larkin building. ‘The Night’s High Noon is this fantastic song about the ghosts coming to life and enjoying themselves at night’, which is crucial to the plot of Ruddigore.

Oliver plays the leader of the ancestors of the new Baronet of Ruddigore, Ruthven Murgatroyd, whose family line is cursed in such a way that means he has to commit a crime every day or be subject to more of the torments I endured in rehearsal. Understandably, Murgatroyd isn’t happy about this family curse and does his best to get around it. This being a Gilbert & Sullivan show, there are several couples running around trying to get married to each other, before changing their minds and wanting to marry someone else. As Thomson-Smith explains the plot to me, I can see what she means when she says that this is ‘a parody of Victorian melodrama, and it’s Gilbert and Sullivan’s opportunity to poke fun at that’.

Unlike previous HUGSS shows Ruddigore is far from the most well-known of G&S works. In a way, that’s why Thomson-Smith has chosen to do it. ‘A lot of G&S societies’ she tells me, ‘tend to revolve around the same productions. That’s because everybody loves Pirates [HUGSS 2009 and 2005], Iolanthe [HUGSS 2008], HMS Pinafore [HUGSS 2007 and 2003] and The Mikado [HUGSS 2006].’ HUGSS last performed Ruddigore in 1997. Far from being daunted, Thomson-Smith is excited because, ‘it’s got two fantastic songs in it already, and the more I looked into it, I thought ‘this has got some really good songs in, it’s got some really good creative opportunities to run with’.

Among those opportunities is the style she’s chosen for Ruddigore. Following on from the last two HUGSS shows (‘very successful, innovative productions [that] decided to do something different and non-traditional’), Thomson-Smith has put her own mark on the show. Believing that ‘doing G&S as G&S doesn’t work any more; it doesn’t pull in an audience’, she has exploited the fact that Ruddigore is ‘quite gothic, it’s got a scary edge but it’s a dark comedy’ and has taken an appropriate inspiration: Tim Burton.

Burton’s work ties in especially well with the show’s professional bridesmaids (‘corpse bride figures…decaying and falling apart.’) and a ‘nervous and unassuming’ male lead. ‘Using a Tim Burton inspiration really, really works well with this and lends a modern edge to a traditional production’.

But above all, for Thomson-Smith ‘HUGSS has always been about enthusiasm and the passion; people always want to turn up and want to have fun and they enjoy doing it – and I think that really comes across in the production’.

Ruddigore; or, The Witch’s Curse ran in Middleton Hall on the 3rd, 5th and 6th of March at 7:30pm. Tickets were £6 for an adult, with £4 concessions.

Richard T. Watson

My sincerest apologies to Lucy, Richard, HUGGS, and Hullfire’s readers for the magazine’s lateness. Although at time of going to print the performance was two days away, the edition will not appear until the run has concluded.

—Ed.

]]> http://www.hullfire.com/2010/03/27/heavens-to-murgatroyd/feed/ 0 The Third Dimension http://www.hullfire.com/2010/03/27/the-third-dimension/ http://www.hullfire.com/2010/03/27/the-third-dimension/#comments Sat, 27 Mar 2010 16:50:29 +0000 Online Editor http://www.hullfire.com/?p=1371 ]]> 3D cinema was once a rare novelty, something used to attract people to a worn out franchise with nothing new left to offer. Older 3D films such as Freddy’s Dead (Nightmare on Elm Street 6) and Jaws 3D are usually cited as examples of films using 3D as a cheap gimmick. However attitudes have changed, 3D is now looked on with awe and people see the idea of 3D films as generally exciting. This is proved by Avatar making £1.15 billion at the box office and becoming the biggest-grossing film to date, and the release schedule being dominated by 3D films.

When you say 3D most people immediately think of the red and blue paper glasses. This is known as the anaglyph system. This was invented in 1850 and first used in a cinema in 1915. The system relies on one red and one blue image being shown at the same time but 2 and a half inches apart horizontally. The filters on the glasses mean each eye picks up one image and the brain forms this into 3D. This system does have its issues: it can make the images hard to see, especially during fast sections, and many people experience headaches from it.

Now, however, the technology has changed to “digital” 3D. In this method two projectors are used and each displays its own image. These are run through a polarising filter (like the coloured film in the glasses but transparent in this case) which is mounted in front of the projector, the brain then stitches these images together to create the 3D image. This has many advantages: it does not distort the original image and it does not cause headaches. However its disadvantage is that the system requires an expensive specialist projector and thus is only available in certain large systems. Also this form of 3D cannot be carried onto the DVD version, forcing the film to be recoloured to use the anaglyph system for the home release.

The new technology coupled with the general advance in special effects means 3D is becoming easier and cheaper and thus studios are using it more, especially in animation where its bright colours make the imaging easy.

3D continues to develop and many see the next milestone as being 3D television. So far Sony, LG and Panasonic have announced 3D screens and some are commercially available in Japan. Content will be arriving soon with some saying the first 3D channel will be available in June 2010.

In the end 3D will live and die on its content, the reason for the recent success is more to do with the films themselves; directors are using the format in ways that help the audience to immerse themselves in the plot and 3D is now seen as a helpful tool rather than a simple gimmick. While this attitude prevails we will see many, many more 3D films in the coming years.

Jonathon Greenall

]]> http://www.hullfire.com/2010/03/27/the-third-dimension/feed/ 0 The Big Sleep http://www.hullfire.com/2008/11/01/the-big-sleep/ http://www.hullfire.com/2008/11/01/the-big-sleep/#comments Sat, 01 Nov 2008 10:54:46 +0000 Online Editor http://www.hullfire.com/?p=490 ]]> If you’re a fan of the detective genre than you may already know about Raymond Chandler’s The Big Sleep. If not, and a classic detective story is what you’re after, then this could be what you’ve been looking for. The novel follows a Los Angeles private investigator, Phillip Marlowe, as he searches to discover who is blackmailing the dying General Sternwood and his two wild daughters, whose lives are far from sheltered.
What Chandler brings to the table is a mixture of detective work, guns, drugs, women and gambling which sounds like all the action you would want in a book; except that much of the excitement is lost through Marlowe’s too-cool attitude.
For anyone who f nds themselves interested in the film noir style of detection this book is definitely
for you, but be warned – this is no modern day CSI-styled story, but is more about the grunt work of the 1940s PI.

Jonni Manning

]]> http://www.hullfire.com/2008/11/01/the-big-sleep/feed/ 0 A Streetcar Named Desire http://www.hullfire.com/2008/11/01/a-streetcar-named-desire/ http://www.hullfire.com/2008/11/01/a-streetcar-named-desire/#comments Sat, 01 Nov 2008 10:36:16 +0000 Online Editor http://www.hullfire.com/?p=481 ]]> —Alexander Haigh reviews Drama Society’s take on Tennessee Williams

Sceptical in the ways of the theatre critic, I entered the Lawns Centre to watch this Drama Society production. As is always the way with theatre (in my opinion) I go feeling reluctant and leave uplifted. The show was fantastic, featuring some amazing comic and dramatic acting.
However, the venue itself was a disaster. The Lawns is just not the place to put on a play. Where I was sitting during the show, I had to contend with the annoying light of the sound and lighting technicians. Not specifically their fault obviously, but it occasionally brought me back to reality when I’d rather have stayed in the show’s atmosphere.
The actors showed some real professionalism and class, keeping me entertained and amused for the whole
three or so hours. There was the occasional slip-up or loss of concentration, but rather  few and far between. I was particularly impressed with Steve Marsden playing the part of Stanley, whom I thought was
fantastic throughout. Having said this, I was impressed with all the actors, and it did in fact surpass some professional productions I’ve seen in my time. One stumbling block at the end was the curtain call – I felt that it wasn’t rehearsed, and it seemed very clumsy after all the fantastic acting. It might be only a bow,
but it’s the last thing your audience will see and I always think it’s important.
The directors Vicky Allen and Andrew Corless are to be commended, having to deal with a change of venue and performance dates, let alone creating the production itself. They are to be congratulated; they put on a show they can really be proud of.
Overall, I had a really enjoyable evening. There was some real attention to detail, in particular during the interval, there was some jazz music being sung which added some variety and made the interval a part of the show. I’m happy to say although it was my first Drama Society event; it will not be my last.

Alexander Haigh

]]> http://www.hullfire.com/2008/11/01/a-streetcar-named-desire/feed/ 0 Hamlet http://www.hullfire.com/2008/11/01/hamlet/ http://www.hullfire.com/2008/11/01/hamlet/#comments Sat, 01 Nov 2008 10:31:06 +0000 Online Editor http://www.hullfire.com/?p=485 ]]> David Tennant injects life and laughter into the character of Hamlet, rarely seen in other versions of this intense play, as the seriousness of the subject matter often detracts from the funny and sardonic
lines of the obstinate Prince. Tennant relishes every aspect of the complexities of the progressively brooding Hamlet as he spirals into uncertain madness and sympathetic yet comical depression,
making his breakdown all the more poignant. Alongside the talented Patrick Stewart, who plays a stern and ominously opportunistic Claudius, the pair demonstrate the explosive danger of both the private and public war of the play, reflected by the cracked mirrored backdrop. After seeing the ghost of his father, the former King of Denmark, Hamlet must avenge his father’s death by killing his uncle Claudius, his apparent murderer and now King. As Hamlet tries to prove Claudius’ guilt by feigning insanity he
gives Claudius reason and occasion to plot his downfall.
Hamlet plays in repertoire at Stratford-Upon-Avon until 15 November before moving to London from 3 December to 10 January.

Julie Visgandis

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