Heart of the delighted spring,
A poet’s fascination, the season,
Dances in the rain, in the cold,
Till the clouds befell on the splendid sun

Love is not love, which lies when
Chance finds. Or deceits the one you
Love. But she bore, for her flock
Silent, acquitted, naïve

Days passed by and years
Too, Then sorrow to prolong-
No more was needed
For he broke my soul, wrung
My heart. Why Should I be
Dismayed?

My dear, my love,
Men don’t change. Forgetful,
Ignorant of their sins. A wounded
Struggle, A compassionate heart
I could, but leave him to his fate.

..

As the stars fade out, to a
Shadowless moon,
Looped in the loops of her hair,
A daughter, a mother of twins,
She is the season of a new dawn.

By Blessin Varkey

Cast: Chris Pine; Zachary Quinto; Karl Urban; Benedict Cumberbatch; Zoe Saldana; Simon Pegg; Anton Yelchin; John Cho; Alice Eve; Peter Weller; Bruce Greenwood

Director: J.J. Abrams

Screenwriters: Roberto Orci; Alex Kurtzman; Damon Lindelof

Running Time: 133 Minutes

Plot

Captain James Kirk (Pine) and his crew are called back to Earth when Kirk violates the Prime Directive saving Spock whilst on a mission.  As he is being disciplined by high-ranking Star Fleet officers it is discovered that one of their own, Commander John Harrison, (Cumberbatch) has attacked a secret compound in London, following this up with a fierce attack on a meeting of the high command and posing a serious threat to the Star Fleet and the well-being of the universe itself. Kirk, together with his partner in crime Spock (Quinto) and the rest of Kirk’s crew are sent out to deal with Harrison once and for all. The USS Enterprise is as powerful as it’s ever been, but is that enough to stop an elusive and unknown enemy?

Stare at this for longer than 10 seconds and his face will never leave your head. Honestly.

Review

J.J. Abrams (Super 8; Mission: Impossible III) is slowly but surely monopolising power of the powerhouse sci-fi franchises since he helmed Star Trek in 2009. Now, with this second installment of the reboot of an age-old title and the incoming continuation of another in the shape of Star Wars Episode VII he has taken a lot of responsibility in his hands with a massive chance of it all blowing up in his face. Luckily he’s cleared the minefield as far as Star Trek is concerned, with both critics and fans taking to the first and now the second installment very well indeed. As far as I’m concerned, Star Trek Into Darkness has a claim to being the best scripted and best directed sci-fi film of the past few years, definitely a few notches up from the inept writing for the Star Wars prequel trilogy, which seems like an obligatory comparison since the two series are bound to enter a sort of combat, with hardcore fans on each side yelling mildly offensive insults at each other and sipping vengefully on their orange juice.

The Trek fans can delight in the fact that their main man Chris Pine (Rise of the Guardians) has a heck of a lot more acting ability than a certain Hayden ‘walking plank’ Christensen of decidedly wooden-faced Star Wars fame. Pine’s Kirk and William Shatner’s Kirk do have their differences, but this film and the last one will, I think, have completely convinced everyone that he’s perfect for the role. His blandness in many of the dreary romcoms he has regularly shown his more than reluctant face in is nowhere to be seen here, and his Kirk is full of passion and humanity, with a pallet of facial expressions and emotion that shows that Pine really can act. For me, the highlight of the film is Zachary Quinto (Margin Call) whose turn as Spock is even more involving than in the first film, and really well performed. Spock’s progression through the film is great to see, and Quinto succeeds in bringing out the very same dedication to the cause that Leonard Nimoy did for so many years. Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock) is never a disappointment, and he suits sinister roles perfectly just by virtue of his facial expression. Having stolen the trailers with a number of very memorable lines, Cumberbatch doesn’t quite steal that amount of limelight in the full film, but he’s still great fun to watch.

The writing, done by the trio of Orci, Kurtzman and Lindelof is very sharp on the whole and regularly amusing, but there are a number of different sections that are overplayed and almost entirely redundant. Insistence on romance, despite previous Trek backstory, does detract from the more interesting work the film does, especially when it feels so haphazard, and though I had various grievances with an ending sequence that pulls out every possible trick in the book, the team provide a well-paced thrillride that’s definitely worth the few mis-steps.

Abrams has without doubt also made a fantastic visual spectacle here, working with cinematographer Dan Mindel to stun the eyes with some dazzling sequences and mesmeric effects. While over-reliance on effects by no means makes a film (see Transformers and Avatar for ample examples of this) it definitely adds to the whole science-fiction experience when the material on screen is also so refreshingly good. Abrams films are also generally extremely well edited, and this film is definitely no exception also, as it flows from scene to scene with grace, never boring or sticking around too long to stall the action. It’s beautifully judged.

Star Trek Into Darkness has everything it needs to have and a bit more, and is guaranteed to thrill die-hard fans, fans of the films and even newcomers, garnering more fans for the Trek universe in the process. With no restriction on where they can go from here, it’s easy to see these actors and the story continuing on in to future films, and there definitely isn’t any reason why not as long as the current blend of nostalgia and new artistic freedom with the material are maintained. Indeed, it’s so damn enjoyable that Simon Pegg (Paul) can be forgiven his hilarious Scottish accent for pure comic value, and och, that’s saying something. Promising times for Abrams indeed.

8/10

So, Julian Smith.

Julian Smith started his channel in 2009, and rose to fame with his video ’25 Things I Hate About Facebook’. The channel has been cleared up since then, because I’m almost positive that ’25 Things’ wasn’t his first video ever, but the channel doesn’t have any videos prior to that date. ’25 Things’ was a parody of the note sensation that was sweeping Facebook at the time, and it brings up a lot of glitches and annoying ticks Facebook had in 2009 (some they still have now, come to think of it). Anyway, he was on Tyra because of it, the American chat show that appears to be a cross between a milder version of Jeremy Kyle and David Letterman. He’s visited Facebook, worked with charities, done a few series, and on.

He’s a director, primarily, married with two cats and a dog in California. He does act in a few of his videos, but that seems mainly because the best person to convey his wacky ideas and awesome sense of humour is, well, himself. He does have other people in the videos, of course, but they seem to be friends and acquaintances. They do the job really well. The finished products tend to be slick and professional for YouTube sketches, almost as though Julian Smith is too good for YouTube.

Of course, nothing’s too good for YouTube.

He’s also part of papertown, a production company based in Los Angeles. They’ve worked with big, big names and brands, like Nike and Sony, so YouTube seems to have do a world of good for Julian Smith. It’s got that edge of indie to it, slightly off-the-wall and weird, perfect music video taste. I think some members of the production team have also previously appeared in some of his videos, like ‘Malk’.

There’s a small amount of videos on Smith’s channel, partly due to the content. It’s not a vlog, the videos aren’t regular and reliable at all, and so there’s approximately 50 videos on the channel at the moment; the most recent one is over an hour long, and the general consensus on the comments is that it’s to be his last one. Possibly, he plans to go onto bigger and greater things than YouTube, like so many of the people who have outgrown the Internet springboard.

Still, the quality of the videos is outstanding, and almost second-to-none.

Personally, it is second-to-none.

There’s less and less about Smith floating around on the Internet these days, perhaps because he’s managed to get a tighter leash on how much know-how gets out about him (take a tip, celebrities on gossip rags with nothing better to do with your time – this is how you do it), so his videos probably do the talking for him. Take ‘Everything’s Okay Now’. It’s weird, as in, it shouldn’t be as funny and awkward as it is, but because the directing and producing is gorgeous, the content of the actual video stands out like a sore thumb (spoilers: a couple shout at each other all the time, even when they’re complimenting each other). That’s what his channel boils down to. He’s a strangely attractive man doing stranger things with his face.

I adore Julian Smith. I watched his channels before the big clean-up, and so some of my favourites (the update where he beat-boxes, scratching his trousers to make the disc-scratching sound) have vanished into the ether. But, you know what? That’s absolutely fine, because instead, videos like ‘Reservation’ and ‘Lottery’ are there instead. They’re perfect for short bursts of off-the-wall humour, enough to break up the monotony of daily life.

Smith is a great example of YouTube success, of launching himself into the world using YouTube as a platform. There’s other success stories on YouTube, from Charlie McDonald to Psy (for different reasons, clearly), but Julian Smith is a great example. It’s inspiring to us, in a generation where trying to find your own path, rather than stalking someone else’s, is encouraged.

Rating: 4 thumbs out of 5 – it’s a shame about the big clean-up and the fact he’s probably finished, but it doesn’t stop the other videos being shamelessly brilliant.

Favourite Video: ‘Trees Hate You’ (but best line would be ‘Son, you’re adopted’ from ‘Reading Lips’).

(Featured image courtesy of iosham1 on DeviantArt)

Right?

What transpired wasn’t his fault. Holmfirth is a stereotypical North English village – really quaint, I may go there again in the future – and there had been a football match earlier on that day. I don’t like to tarnish with the same brush, but the majority of the crowd stood on the floor directly in front of the stage were men older than eighteen and younger than forty-five. The hall itself is quite small, meaning that the particular area in front of the stage was cramped with elbows.

Before Miles Kane came on stage, after the supporting act, a group of slightly inebriated drinkers started chanting. My friend reliably informed me that it was a football chant, and that it was custom for people to change the words slightly to suit the context. He also told me which team the chant was from; I can’t really remember, considering it was so loud.

Now that, for me, is okay. It’s not particularly pleasant, but it did create the appropriate atmosphere for such a gathering. I did wish they had stopped; the answering chants from down the front indicate that section of the crowd – the cramped elbow space where those types were – had been riled up from the beginning. I wish they hadn’t.

Two and a half songs in, Miles Kane received a glass beer bottle to the forehead.

This is terrible and quite shocking. It is not appropriate behaviour for a concert; it is not appropriate behaviour anywhere. It’s not polite to go throwing glass objects at dangerous places like people’s heads. The lump that formed was genuinely terrifying. The swearing that followed the hit was quite colourful; in this instance, I am on the side of Miles Kane. He was well within his rights to curse at us. Nonetheless, he left the stage, accompanied by the band, and security guards were scanning the crowd for the perpetrator.

Mistake number two? No one owned up. Throwing things at concerts is par for the course, I understand, beer spraying over the crowd is to be expected. Throwing glass is dangerous, but again, in the excitement of the moment, it’s comprehensible. Not okay by any stretch of the imagination, but it could be passed off easily as an adrenaline rush. The hit to the head was a mistake, but in the event of an accident, you own up. It’s polite, and frankly, I didn’t want to be in the same room as whoever refused to own up to  mistake. Maybe, the perpetrator was scared, sure, but they should have owned up.

The crowd got rowdy, demanding the removal of the thrower. The techies got on the sound system, and said that Miles Kane would return to the stage in approximately ten minutes. That, to me, was fine; they had to ensure he was safe and not suffering from concussion. I have never seen someone throw up over a microphone before, but I imagine it to be Pitch Perfect-esque, unpleasant and slightly orange. Apparently, though, that wasn’t okay for someone behind me. A beer was thrown – this time, in a plastic cup – and a guy started pushing his way to where the glass bottle had been chucked from. He was shouting and cursing at the top of his lungs. Then, I thought nothing of it, just some angry man.

Ten seconds later, a fight had broken out.

Let me reiterate: the concert was in a small village hall, probably used historically for local productions of Agatha Christie murders and Oh, What A Lovely War. There was the upstairs balcony, and standing room only on the floor in front of the stage. There were two bars in the building, plus several pubs in the village outside. The front, where the glass was thrown from, was packed. I could not have gotten any closer to the front than I was, and I was standing right near the back. As it transpires, I would not have wanted to get any closer.

Luckily, a space cleared around the fight, and my friend managed to drag me upstairs before something could happen. This was my first fight, and it was a little hypnotizing to watch, which isn’t the best thing to admit, but it’s true. I could understand the fight that had happened, in a way, because people were frustrated and slightly drunk, and that is the instinctual way that drunk frustrations manifest.

What I don’t understand is that those who were fighting were not thrown out.

We knew who did it. The man was in a very distinctive jacket, and he was quite loud, so it wasn’t that he didn’t draw enough attention to himself. The security guards would have seen him. There could be no conceivable way that he was not identified. I even saw him get a talking to afterwards, for crying out loud, they clearly went up to him and told him to stop. But they did not throw him out.

To me, there is no excuse for that. The thrower of the glass bottle wasn’t thrown out, because they were – and are – unknown. You can’t throw out a group of people for one person’s mistake, it’s not fair. They’ve paid for the tickets, they’ve waited this long (through an admittedly dodgy support act), they should get to see Miles Kane. The person who didn’t own up is at fault.

But this, they knew who it was, and he still got to enjoy the wonder that is Miles Kane live. He shouldn’t have had that privilege.  He violated the rights and responsibilities of an audience, he endangered the man he fought and others around him, albeit drunk and disorderly, but in the streets, he would have suffered the appropriate consequences. He instigated unsocial conduct, potentially dangerous conduct, and security saw him do it. Yet he was allowed to watch the rest of the evening.

There has to be some satisfactory reasoning as to why he wasn’t reprimanded in a satisfactory manner. Perhaps, I am overreacting. Perhaps, this is a usual occurrence for a concert. Perhaps, I am not aware of the ways of the audience.

Personally, I find that unlikely.

Aston Villa vs Chelsea (12:45)

Aston Villa have completed what looks like being a great escape from relegation with two fantastic back to back wins against fellow struggling sides Norwich and Sunderland. The confidence of their young side should be sky high now, and I fully expect them to take the game to Chelsea in this the only game on Saturday. Chelsea will be looking to this game to pick up 3 points that would practically guarantee them Champions League football next season, and anything other than a win will put massive pressure on their side in their final game against high-flying Everton.

Prediction: 2-2

Sunday 12th May 2013

Stoke vs Tottenham (13:30)

Tottenham here have a chance to propel themselves into the top 4, at the expense of bitter rivals Arsenal who have a tough game against a struggling Wigan side on Tuesday. Stoke are safe from relegation so might not have much intensity about their performance, so despite their great run of 7 points from their last 3 games, I expect Tottenham to get a convincing win.

Prediction: 0-3

Everton vs West Ham (15:00)

This will be Everton’s first game after hearing that their current manager David Moyes will be taking over as Man Utd boss at the end of the season. It will be interesting to see how the players will react in their last 2 games, where 2 points will guarantee them 6th, and where 6 points and results going their way will give them 5th. West Ham’s away from is abysmal and Everton have lost only one game at home, so it is pretty clear who the favourites are here.

Prediction: 2-0

Fulham vs Liverpool (15:00)

It is very unlikely Liverpool will place anywhere other than 7th this season but they will still aim to finish on a positive note. The away side will be ruing  not converting any of their 4 draws in their last 5 games into wins, but will have to forget about this now. Fulham have the potential to cause Liverpool problems but their home form this season has been far from solid and this coupled with 4 losses in a row gives Liverpool a rather large edge in this game.

Prediction: 1-2

Norwich vs West Brom (15:00)

Norwich are one win away from safety and will be targeting this home game as the one to give them Premier League survival. Both teams have won and followed it up with 2 losses in a row in their last 3 games, so any points will probably be well received. Norwich have a solid home form that based on games lost at home would put them in the top half, and West Brom’s losses away would put them in the bottom half. Despite this I expect West Brom to come out victorious.

Prediction: 1-2

QPR vs Newcastle (15:00)

The only thing QPR can aim for is to not finish bottom of the league and a home game against the team in 17th looks like the perfect fixture to pick up an elusive 3 points. QPR usually only pick up points at home via draws and Newcastle have the second most draws away from home all season, so a draw looks the most likely.

Prediction: 1-1

Sunderland vs Southampton (15:00)

15th vs 14th respectively here in a game that will see the winner safe from relegation. Sunderland have picked up 7 points from their last 4 games, compared to Southampton’s 2, so the home team are definitely the most inform of the two. Based on goals scored at Sunderland this game should finish 1-1, but I don’t believe Southampton have enough in them to score at all.

Prediction: 1-0

Man Utd vs Swansea (16:00)

Sir Alex Ferguson’s penultimate Premier League game in charge of Man Utd, and his last at Old Trafford. I believe Man Utd will give the fans and Sir Alex a massive performance to allow him to go out with a real bang. Swansea have won only one of their last 8 games, which for the team in 9th is pretty poor, but a win here against the odds could see them rise up to 8th.

Prediction: 5-1

Tuesday 14th May 2013

Arsenal vs Wigan (19:45)

Wigan really need to get a point at least out of this game, otherwise staying up is going to rely on a lot of factors and results. Arsenal have 7 wins in their last 10 games and are in a massive 3 way battle to finish in two top 4 places. This should on paper be a relatively easy game for Arsenal, but Wigan will definitely not just roll over for the home side, and I expect this to be a hard-fought encounter.

Prediction: 2-1

Reading vs Man City (20:00)

One more point for Man City guarantees them 2nd place, and Reading definitely won’t deny them that. Reading’s main aim in this game will be trying to limit the number of goals Man City score. Reading have managed a draw and a win in their last two games, but that will be the only highlight to the end of their season as they prepare to face life back in the Championship.

Prediction: 1-4

Image courtesy of Craww

Nathan Scatcherd: Firstly, what inspired you to make art, and how long have you been doing it for?

Craww: I’ve always felt the need to express myself creatively in some form or another. I drew all the time as a kid and eventually pursued a career in graphic design. Eventual frustrations with trying to be creative in a commercial environment led me to quit and pursue art full time. That was about 4 years ago.

NS: Your work has a fairly dark, gothic vibe. Do you feel that your art is some kind of exorcism; a way of releasing tensions and anxieties?

C: I’m not sure about it being an exorcism, but it’s certainly an expression. Not in a literal way, dealing or reacting to any specific issues, but inevitably themes and moods stem from how I feel at any particular point. I do find I zone out when I paint, it can be very therapeutic and a great escape when things aren’t so good. At least it is when the art is going well, when it isn’t it’s a nightmare!

NS: How important would you say living in Sheffield is to your work? Do you think if you lived elsewhere your art would be particularly different, and if so, how?

C: Not at all to be honest. I love Sheffield, it’s a great place to live and I enjoy the access to the Peak District that it offers, but It has had no direct influence on what I’m painting. I imagine if I lived somewhere where it didn’t rain all the time my paintings might be a little less dark though…

Image courtesy of Craww

NS: Which artists do you personally draw inspiration from? Are there any local artists whose work you particularly admire?

C: I always struggle with this question! There’s a bunch of artists that inspire me, too many to mention. From contemporary artists such as James Jean and Greg “Craola” Simkins through graffiti artists like Herakut, to John Singer Sargent. Comic book artists like Bill Sienkiwicz too. There’s just sooo much great art that makes me want to get off my ass and paint. Locally, I have a lot of respect for Sheffield stalwarts like Phlegm and Kid Acne.

NS: Do you prefer digital work or paint? What are the benefits and hindrances of either method, for you?

C: Paint. When I got back into art after spending years as a graphic designer, working digitally was a natural way to go and it was a great way to experiment with ideas. As I’ve grown more confident I have to say I prefer the organic nature of physical painting. Accidental drips, splashes and brush stroke all feel more personal to me and add to the feel of a piece in a way that I’ve not been able to replicate digitally.

Image courtesy of Craww

NS: Your stuff strikes me as having a slight David Lynch quality; there appears to be a theme of some strange kind of beauty in the darkness. Do you watch a lot of films, and if so, how important are they in influencing your visual style? Any favourite directors?

C: I do watch a lot of films, but I’m not a film buff and couldn’t name any favourite directors. I find I consume a lot of visual stimulus, films are just one form and favourites change on a daily basis.

NS: What advice would you give aspiring young artists? 

C: Paint, draw, create. All day every day. Don’t wait for “the big idea”. Do something, anything is valid and no matter how bad you think it is, it’s good. Because it’s a step closer to finding your own voice. Don’t beat yourself up over what other artists are doing, or have done. You’ll never be as good as the people you look up to, but focus on creating with honesty and passion and your work will find it’s own audience. Get used to being broke. All of the above is easier to say than do.

NS: Finally, what have you got planned for 2013? 

C: I’ve just been part of a show at CAVE Gallery in LA and I’m working towards a show in San Francisco in October. In between, there are a couple of themed group shows in the UK and some projects that are under wraps for now! Other than that, I’ll be drawing, doodling, trying to improve as an artist, riding my mountain bike and drinking tea/sipping gin as usual.

Image courtesy of Craww

For more of Craww’s art check out his website or if you like find him on Facebook and/or Instagram

My aim is to try and introduce – or at the very least, compile a convenient list of videos, channels and playlists that are well worth our time.

This week? The VlogBrothers.

John and Hank Green have been posting videos since January the 1st, 2007, which is quite a while ago now. I don’t exactly know how many videos there are on there, but there are a good number of them.

Hank Green is a musician and entrepreneur, which translates as “man with epic ideas”. John Green is more famously the author of great books, such as ‘The Fault In Our Stars’ and ‘Looking For Alaska’, where a box of tissues is always advised. The project started when both brothers decided to only talk to each other through the medium of vlogs (video blogs – regular videos on mundane things), and spawned from there, when they continued to post videos.

The types of videos posted on there are eclectic, and can be described best as a mixture of sociology knowledge, economics lessons, current affairs and nerding out. To give you an example, a recent video was posted by Hank answering some of Google’s most commonly asked questions about the psychotic behaviour currently being displayed by North Korea. It sparked off a whole bunch of debates in the comment box, quite intelligent ones for YouTube.

The Greens also have variations of other projects, some branching off from the VlogBrothers channel. Crash Course is a channel where the brothers post various videos about certain subjects; Hank does Ecology while John does Literature, and vice versa. The World History ones are really interesting, helped me for background knowledge on the History A Level front; the graphics are really pretty, too, done by Thought Café, and they’re all doodles of relevant and awesome things. There’s the Brain Scoop, where dead things are in fridges and stuff. But also, probably my favourite ‘show-like’ project on YouTube: The Lizzie Bennet Diaries. These are 100 vlogs documenting a modern-day Lizzie Bennet (‘Pride and Prejudice’, if you didn’t get it).

Then there are the Nerdfighters. Nerdfighters are the Greens’ loyal watchers and fans, but they are also so much more than that. They have a saying, that they are here to help ‘decrease world suck’. On the Nerdfighters website, there are a bunch of discussion forums and smaller projects that mean that out there in the big wide world, there are people dedicated to raising money and awareness for worthy causes. There’s the Project For Awesome, where videos are made and money is raised for charities, and the charity with the most votes gets the money, or some of the money – the rules got changed this year.

DFTBA is their saying, which is ‘Don’t Forget To Be Awesome’. There’s an actual website for DFTBA, which sells stuff like independent records and fan-made products, where the fans get the credit and some of the money (John explained it all in a video – the Greens end up explaining a lot in videos to us).

So, that’s them.

The reason why I adore the Greens is because their videos are informative and clear and often really, really funny. I understand what they’re explaining to me, and if someone asks me about it, I don’t even have to explain what I’m saying to them. I can direct them straight over to VlogBrothers.

The Greens are also proving that just because they have the ability to influence and reach out to a whole load of people, doesn’t mean they’re taking that power for granted. They are managing to do a whole load of awesome good things for worthwhile causes and people who need the skills and money we have more than we do. They do a lot, rallying the Internet into action, which is a feat in itself, because the reason we fall to the Internet is to avoid action in the first place.

My Rating: 5 thumbs out of 5 (these guys are some of the best people on YouTube – it doesn’t hurt that I bawled like I baby reading TFIOS)

Favourite Video: Because there’s two of them:

Hank – ‘Human Sexuality Is Complicated…’

John – ‘Hitler And Sex!’

Cast: Robert Downey Jr; Gwyneth Paltrow; Ben Kingsley; Don Cheadle; Guy Pearce; Jon Favreau; Rebecca Hall; James Bridge Dale

Director: Shane Black

Screenwriter: Drew Pearce; Shane Black

Running Time: 130 Minutes

Plot

In 1999, Tony Stark (Downey Jr) is approached by Aldrich Killian (Pearce) while at a New Years Eve party to become a partner in his new think tank/company named Advanced Idea Mechanics. Stark, in his usual manner, casually rebuffs him unaware of the consequences this would have in the future. Having put the party and his date, Maya Hansen (Hall) long behind him, Stark has returned to building Iron Man suits, which have vastly increased in numbers since he uses the process of creating them as a distraction from the harrowing events of The Avengers. Meanwhile, a terrorist styling himself as the Mandarin (Kingsley) is causing havoc with American interests both in the Middle East and on the mainland, and it seems inevitable that Stark will get involved again. Together with old friend Colonel James Rhodes (Cheadle), Stark sets out to protect the world again, but is this a step too far?

Dissatisfied with his current pay packet, this suit decided to take on a job advertising sofas. I’m sure there’s a sale now on.

Review

The success of Joss Whedon’s Avengers Assemble/The Avengers has cemented Marvel’s dominance in the superhero stakes, and with DC’s recent tentative attempts to get their own superhero gathering going stumbling every few metres, Iron Man 3 marks the beginning of ‘phase two’ of all the staple Marvel film franchises, eventually leading to Avengers 2/Reassembling the Avengers/We Probably Need More Avenging Now. While the ensemble film was a perfect example of how to make a consistently entertaining superhero film, Marvel’s standalone films like Thor and Captain America had various problems in my book, and even Iron Man 2 relied heavily on acting chemistry to carry it through, so what was really needed here is a return to the high-intensity fun that The Avengers (I’m calling it this now, if you have a problem then contact…someone who cares) had, rather than an over-reliance on patriotic sentiment or superhero cliche, which can be enjoyable in small but manageable doses. Shane Black (Kiss Kiss Bang Bang) is tasked with this job, taking over from Jon Favreau as the man shouting the orders for the third adventure of that Adonis of loveable twats, Tony Stark. Having been very cautious about a trailer that sported a generic, if terrifically voiced villain (Ben Kingsley has never failed, regardless of film quality) and various shots of star-spangled banners, I can happily say that Iron Man 3 cements the suited caperer as my favourite of all of those involved in the various avenging that took place last year.

Robert Downey Jr (Sherlock Holmes; Tropic Thunder) slips the Stark mold on like an old favourite suit, and he’s his usual sarcastic, edgy, neurotic and brilliantly amusing self from the start. This mixed in with a little extra character development since Tony is now suffering from panic attacks as a result of harrowing past events makes for very interesting viewing, and once again shows that Downey Jr is perfectly suited to the role. He’s counterbalanced by Gwyneth Paltrow (Shakespeare in Love; The Royal Tenenbaums) whose role as Pepper Potts isn’t as witty as in previous films, but definitely does show another side to her character. Ty Simpkins (Insidious) is another who is given this pretty difficult role, and the young actor is as convincing as he can be with a character who is so laden with accidental, entirely coincidental benefits for Stark  as if we need to be reminded every quarter of an hour that this is indeed a superhero film. Nevertheless, the bits with Stark and the clever techno-kid are regularly amusing if nothing else, and this is enough to forget the ridiculousness of the plot thread. Just about.

All the old favourite characters make a return, with Don Cheadle (The Guard; Crash) returning as Colonel James Rhodes and former director Jon Favreau (Swingers; Made) returning as Stark’s bodyguard Happy Hogan, and their development does, by and large, make for more amusing and interesting stuff. The introduction of ‘The Iron Patriot’ sounds cheesy, and the film acknowledges this several times, but in the context of the film it works well enough for you to forget about the ridiculous connotations. Guy Pearce (Memento; Lawless) and Ben Kingsley (Gandhi; Sexy Beast) make a good villainous pair, both well versed in the art. My preconceptions about the Mandarin proved unfounded and Aldrich Killian is a perfectly suitable villain, albeit with a predictable backstory, but the casting for both characters is close to perfect.

Shane Black and Drew Pearce make a good job of the writing, which is snappy and very funny, blending action, drama and comedy with an almost perfect mix. The film attempts to play with various tropes which is to its credit, and never really has a lull, even including some jaw-dropping moments that are practically scientifically impossible. Black can be happy with his output here, and it’ll be interesting to see if he does another superhero film in future.

Iron Man 3 is by turns exciting, clever, amusing and even sports a twist anyone could be proud of, showcasing Marvel at their best once more. Hopefully the rest of this second ‘phase’ will progress in an equally high quality manner, and it certainly puts you in the mood for the next one, which features a certain hammer-wielding Norse god whose greatest achievement is arguably having a day of the week named after him. As for Downey Jr, I personally hope he returns to the role, at least for the second Avengers movie, since I can’t imagine anyone else being anywhere near as entertaining in the role. It looks like he will be returning so for now all fears are allayed, but if not, I’m sure Shia LaBeouf’s waiting by the phone. No, really. Shia’s your man.

8/10

That was our photo set for this week, we’ll be back next time with more. If you’d like to join our photography team, feel free to get in touch with us in a comment, or via email, Facebook or Twitter – we’d love to hear from you! Feel free to post thematic suggestions too! We like a challenge.

Employers Want It All

People today have a much freer access to further education than ever before, and as a result employers are generally expecting us to be extensively educated. It’s common for young people to study for many years before attempting to integrate into professional work environments.

The irony is that the same companies that expect young people to come equipped with all sorts of qualifications are also expecting them to have considerable professional working experience.

In turn, universities have adapted their learning programmes to prepare their students for the expectations of potential employers, preparing them to face some tough competition.

Most universities now incorporate professional work experience as a course requirement. The idea is to combine theory and hands-on practical tasks, so that students will be better prepared for the job market after they graduate. These programmes go by many names: internships, work placements or even training courses, but they essentially mean the same thing. Active work experiences which will help facilitate an easier transition between university and the employment market.

My Placement Experiences

I’m a French student and have recently graduated from a two year technical degree in Business and a Bachelors degree in Applied Foreign Languages. To respond to the high expectations of employers, I decided last year to undertake my first placement in an international French business school as an International Relations Assistant.

This experience provided me with the opportunity to refine my organisational skills, and confronted me with the reality that internships were essential for gaining as much practical experience as possible.

That’s why this year, to complete my Master’s degree in Marketing and Foreign Languages, I decided to undertake a second placement – abroad this time. I am now a Web-Marketing Intern on Bristol-based Strategy Internet Marketing’s work experience scheme.

Thanks to this internship I am putting into practice everything that I’ve learnt so far and more. I’m gaining valuable technical experience directly applicable to web-marketing, search engine optimization and a whole host of tools and techniques used every day within the industry.

This is a really rich experience and I know that it will significantly increase my employment opportunities as a result!

Why You Should Do a Placement Too

From my personal point of view, pursuing placement opportunities as part of your course of study has plenty of advantages;

• They represent a substantial and accessible source of valuable experience.
• Students can finish their studies with professional experience related to their degree, doubling their chances of landing a relevant job.
• Students aren’t ‘losing time’ – by graduation age they’re equipped and ready to enter the world of work!
• It is an enriching experience that significantly enhances your CV in the eyes of employers.
• Students can start to build up their own professional network of contacts.
• Students will get a good idea of what employment is actually like. More importantly, it affords you a better idea as to whether this career path is really what you want.

Internships are a fantastic way for inexperienced students to gain a valuable insight into a professional working environment.

If you are a student, and have the opportunity to undertake some sort of professional work experience, you shouldn’t hesitate for a second. Make the most of it!