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Day: 21 October 2013

Album: The Dismemberment Plan – Uncanny Valley

Written by Jack Winstanley on . Posted in Music.

Partisan Records

Released October 15th, 2013.

6.5/10

Back in 2011, after a session of trawling the internet for 90s post-hardcore bands, I stumbled upon the track Girl O’clock by The Dismemberment Plan. The track instantly struck a chord with my mid-teenage, angst-ridden self; Travis Morrison’s stuttered, awkward musings about his sexual frustrations paired with perhaps one of the tightest yet off kilter rhythm sections ever to grace rock was exactly the catharsis I needed. After buying the seminal Emergency and I vinyl reissue, The D-Plan went on to soundtrack my latter teenage years, so it’s easy to see why I might have difficulty accepting the harsh reality that their new release- the first since 2001’s Change may not be the glorious return of one of indie rock’s most intelligent bands.

Sonically, Uncanny Valley has much in common with Change featuring what some would call a more “mature” sound than their 90s discography. Perhaps the albums greatest strength lies in its focus on punchy, well-crafted pop songs. At less than 40 minutes, it doesn’t outstay its welcome, and ultimately it proves quite satisfying. The melodies are catchy, with the experimentalism downplayed in favour of simpler arrangements. The rhythm section is still as solid as ever, and many of the use of samples on tracks such as “Invisible” adds a welcome new dimension to the sound.

Fundamentally though, Uncanny Valley is missing the magic that made The Plan so notable. Travis’ vocal delivery is on form but he no longer has much to say, resorting to songs based on anecdotes about Brian Eno’s dad. Whilst the song writing is solid, and there are a few standouts bookending the album, the end result brings to mind latter day Weezer, having lost the energy and freedom of their previous material in exchange for a more plastic sound.

Uncanny Valley is by no stretch of the imagination a bad album; rather it is just a bit “meh” for lack of a better word. That being said, The Dismemberment Plan little else to prove, so perhaps it was foolish of me to expect Emergency and I part II. Rather, what they have produced is a solid set of new material that is fun to listen to and more crucially, should transfer well to their live shows.

 

Boy, 14, charged with sex attacks

Written by Jonathan Breen on . Posted in News.

A 14-year-old boy has been charged with a string of sexual assaults near the University of Manchester.

The teenager, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was due to appear before Manchester magistrates court this morning, charged with five counts of sexual assault.

Three of the incidents happened near the University campus.

Police investigating the crimes also arrested an 18-year-old man, who has been released on bail pending further investigation.

Det Chief Insp Colin Larkin said today, “I am extremely grateful to the public for all the calls we received this weekend after putting an appeal out for information in connection with these incidents.”

 

From the Vault: U2 – Achtung Baby

Written by Dan Whiteley on . Posted in Music.

How do you follow a landmark album of the 80s? With a landmark album of the 90s of course. In 1987 The Joshua Tree made U2 superstars, with its mix of painfully earnest themes and grand, expansive sound. After trying to repeat that success by taking the Americana angle to its nth degree on its follow up, the scatter-brained Rattle & Hum, they decided the only way to avoid musical stagnation was to go away and, as Bono put it, “dream it all up again.” The result was a dark, danceable, unabashedly kitschy record; Achtung Baby was the sound of four men chopping down The Joshua Tree for good.

Opening track ‘Zoo Station’ acts as U2 mark-II’s manifesto. “I’m ready for the laughing gas”, Bono howls, his once preachy bellow now distorted and fuzzy, “I’m ready to let go of the steering wheel”. With its grinding guitars and industrial beat, the song introduces listeners to the Zoo-era U2, a leather clad, wearing-sunglasses-indoors group of men who were ready to party, and do the most un-U2 of things – occasionally laugh at themselves.

Singles ‘Even Better Than The Real Thing’, ‘Mysterious Ways’ and ‘The Fly’ carry on in a similar vein: funky, futuristic pop tunes steeped in swagger and irony that showcase Bono’s newfound embracement of his rockstar image. ‘Who’s Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses’: a slow-burning torch song that’s as bitter as it is sweet, and mega-hit ‘One’ are about the only remnants of The Joshua Tree’s epic formula, with the rest of the songs leaning towards the trashy and throwaway.

The most deeply personal and melancholy record in the band’s canon, Achtung Baby is one of the few albums that manages to make you want to dance and mope at the same time; ‘Tryin’ To Throw Your Arms Around The World’ is the only light and breezy track here. The album’s climax, the closing trio of ‘Ultraviolet’, ‘Acrobat’ and ‘Love Is Blindness’, is one of the most spectacular in pop music, and serves to make sure the album doesn’t end on a happy note: they’re all ruminations on failed relationships inspired by The Edge’s personal life.

Achtung Baby gave the band their much-needed second wind, as well as a return to critical (and monumental commercial) success, and still stands as their creative high-water mark, an era-defining snapshot of the early 90s.

Album: Special Request – Soul Music

Written by Patrick Hinton on . Posted in Music.

Released 21st October

Houndstooth

8.5/10

Paul Woolford is currently on a very hot streak. He produced the biggest house anthem of the summer in ‘Untitled’ and has also recently released a string of original-topping remixes of already excellent tracks. Now, on Soul Music, Woolford airs his more formidable side, under his Special Request alias.

The album is deeply nostalgic for the sound of 90s raves, but at no point does it feel like a cheap throwback or a rehashing of the past. The jungle influence is at the forefront of most of the album, but Woolford modernises the material with streamlined production, and by throwing more instrumental flourishes into the mix. Opening track ‘Forbidden’ is driven by an aggressive bass line and crashing drum sounds reminiscent of the 90s era, but is also decorated by a serene harp-like strumming. ‘Undead’ is underpinned by piano chords akin to those heard in many of Paul Woolford’s recent house hits.

However, acting as Special Request gives the producer license to be a lot more boisterous and the rave spirit pervades Soul Music. In fact, it’s inescapable. This is due to features like ‘Soundboy Killer’ and ‘Hackney Parrot (Special Request VIP)’ sampling MCs from such events: “Can you please clear the stage? All you’re doing is jumping the records … so just get off the stage, get in the crowd and have a party”. It’s impressive how Woolford manages to utilise so many aspects related to consuming music in a live setting without them sounding ostentatious or out of place when listening alone in your room. A wheel back embedded into a song? Sure. Gun shots firing over a Lana Del Rey sample? Absolutely. It all fits into the context of this album which captures the hedonistic party atmosphere so excellently.

Indeed, the first time I listened to ‘Hackney Parrot (Special Request VIP)’ a delirious grin spread across my face and the words “so good” involuntarily escaped my lips. This is certainly a piece of music that impacted my soul. With Tessela being another producer presently crafting his productions with the crashing breakbeat sound, it’s unsurprising that a joining of forces between the two is the standout track of the album.

The album is very long, totalling 23 tracks across 2 CDs. However, artists such as Anthony Naples, Kassem Mosse and Anthony Shake Shakir provide remixes that diversify the sound, meaning it doesn’t stagnate.

Soul Music showcases an artist at the top of his game channelling and developing the sound of raves when they were becoming a phenomenon – it’s instantly classic.

Top 5: Halloween Costumes

Written by Ella Westall on . Posted in Fashion & Beauty.

1) ‘In the regular world, Halloween is when children dress up in costumes and beg for candy. In Girl World, Halloween is the one night a year when a girl can dress like a total slut and no other girls can say anything about it.’ Unless you’re Cady, of course. Her dead bride costume is a movie classic.

2)  ‘I told you Siamese cats, not Siamese twins!’ The twins’ Halloween-costume-gone-wrong in A Cinderella Story is probably not one you’d want to copy!

3) Georgia as an olive in Angus Thongs and Perfect Snogging. This is definitely one of the funniest fancy dress costumes we’ve seen!

4) Friends: Monica’s fancy dress party. The rabbit suit may be where the one obsession stems from: it’s definitely something special! And Monica’s Sindy in Grease-style catsuit is a classic.

5) And finally, Halloween film fancy dress at its best: Hocus Pocus. Sarah Jessica Parker is almost unrecognisable under those eyebrows! This would be so much fun to recreate for Halloween, especially the hair!

Interview With Jeremy Deller

Written by Mancunion on . Posted in Arts.

Hannah Summers with the help of Matilda Roberts and Maddy Hubbard (visiting from the Food and Drink section) interview Jeremy Deller about his upcoming exhibition, ‘All that is solid Melts into air’, kick started at last weekend’s Manchester Weekender at our city’s beloved Manchester Art Gallery. After giving us a tour of the exhibition, Deller indulges us with his thoughts on his exhibition and Manchester itself.

Your show focuses on how the industrial revolution has greatly influenced music, has it influenced art in the same way?

That’s a really difficult question. I mean [L. S.] Lowry is the main example, but it is more music that has been influenced by that environment. Lowry literally painted that world, even if it was a slight confection. He depicted it, whereas these musicians channelled it, it’s subtler.

Is the influence of industry still prevalent or is it something else affecting the music of today?

Dance music, maybe has [roots]. The digital revolution has obviously influenced music, in tonnes of ways, not least how it’s consumed, how people listen to it, how people share it, how it’s made. Dance music in the 80s, a lot of it was all made on computers.

Part of the exhibition shows scenes from an acid rave overlaid with audio from the mills.

That’s a very direct connection I’m making between the sounds of industry and digital music. Repetitions and beats [making mill sounds] but also those parties, in the North-East and North-West at least, took place in disused factories and warehouses, in former industrial spaces.

Do you think Manchester’s music scene has somewhat declined from then?

I don’t know much about the music scene but I’m sure some people would be very upset to hear you say that. I mean ‘Oasis’ might be the last huge band from Manchester. But ‘Take That’ are from Manchester, or around.

Quite a lot of your work focuses on Manchester, for example the ‘Procession’ in 2009, and your ‘History of Time’ which makes connections between different music scenes in Manchester, do you feel you’re drawn here or does it just happen?

No I am. I like being out of London. I’m from London, my parents are from London and I like not being in London, to see things slightly differently. [The Procession] was for the [Manchester International Festival] so it had to be. But I knew I could do something with Manchester like that, just because there is so much going on.

Did this exhibition start with Manchester or the Industrial Revolution?

The revolution came first but then they wanted to show it here. And it makes sense to have it here, especially this section. (Deller points out the intricate drawings and photographs of the ‘Scuttlers’ – gangs of young working-class Mancunian men.) And the audience is less cynical here. In London you see tonnes of stuff and people can get a bit blasé.

When you curate a show like this do you see the end result as almost an artwork in itself?

It can be. It might be, that’s not for me to say. It’s definitely a different kind of show, you wouldn’t get this show from a traditional curatorial perspective, there are some strange bits to it, there might be bits, that shouldn’t be here.

Do you approach curating in the same way you do creating your own work?

No, you just carry on the way you are and try not to think about it too much. It’s for other people to judge you.

Interview: Eats Everything

Written by Phoebe Clarke on . Posted in Music.

Few producers in the history of dance music have made such a rapid and far-reaching impact on the Electronic music scene as Eats Everything aka Daniel Pearce. We caught up with the larger-than-life beat maker in anticipation to the newest Electronic festival to storm the North-West, the Bugged Out Weekender.

Gobbling a path across clubland with unstoppable force, the Eats Everything sound has proved impossible to pigeon-hole with journalists and fans alike fighting tooth and nail to claim him as their own. “I suppose I’m harder to pigeonhole because I don’t really make tracks that sound the same as each other. I don’t have a signature sound per se, I just make music I like and hope that people enjoy it as much as I do.”

You can’t help but admire Eats’ determination and commitment to playing the music he believes in. His signature sound changes with the times whilst you will often find him playing anything from Disco to Jungle if you go to the right place.

“I’m not really into this 90’s house/garage stuff anymore” he muses, “that kind of died for me a year or so ago. I am really into techno again, which I used to be into when I was younger and have been incorporating a lot more of it into my sets of late.”

However, despite his high reputation among House-heads nationwide, it was only a this year that Dans brain child Edible came to fruition. How, I ask, did he manage to storm the scene so quickly? “Track ‘Entrance Song’ definitely gave me my big break” he answers, “but at the time I had no idea how successful it’d be”. I made it in the summer of 2010 and it was rejected by 5 or 6 labels before Pets picked it up in March 2011.” Similarly, the success came out of nowhere. “None of us had any idea just how big a track it would be. I think people are always on the look out for something new to latch on to and at that time that track may have been it. Who knows, but I am glad it worked!”

But the Eats Everything wave didn’t stop there, as the last twelve months have seen Eats win DJ Magazine’s ‘Best British DJ’ whilst becoming the first artist to have ever done two BBC Radio 1 Essential Mixes within the space of a year. “Although I produce, I’ve always seen myself as primarily a DJ.” Dan elaborates. “I have been DJing for 21 years and it’s the only thing I ever wanted to do. Production is just a tool to make it possible.”

This experience has earned Eats a reputation envied by many as one of the scene’s most on-point party starters as proved by last year’s off-the-cuff set with Claude Von Stroke in Ibiza. What started off as a casual lunchtime spin to 40 people finished nine hours later to a crowd at least ten times bigger. “I never plan sets, ever, I just go and see what the vibe of the party is and try and compliment it as much as possible.” The owner of this particular club then went on to say that in 10 years of living on Ibiza, he’d never witnessed a party flow so naturally. “I’ve hardly have had a bad gig in the last two years really! Playing at Bestival, the Amnesia Closing, Enter @ Space on the terrace, I’ve had so many great sets. I’m a very lucky chap.”

As the conversation draws to a close, I ask Dan when we’ll next be seeing him up North. “Well, next year I will be playing my third Bugged Out Weekender on 7-9th March. I love the music scene in the North, it’s a great place to party and DJ. Obviously the north was at the forefront of the early house and rave scene and it’s really right up there now with the clubs in Leeds, Manchester and Liverpool. There are so many respected DJ’s I’m looking forward to playing alongside at Bugged Out too.” Hosting many of the industry’s finest, the festival is quickly building up hype due to it’s return to the North and original spiritual home.

In terms of new material, “I just released a collaboration EP with Catz n Dogz which is out now on vinyl and digital and have a big project I am working on with Justin Martin throughout the whole of November”. We can’t wait to hear the edible results.

Click HERE for tickets to catch Eats Everything alongside other headliners at the Bugged Out Weekender that will take place at Pontins, Southport on the 7-9th March.

Elaine Feinstein: an unconventional life

Written by Paul Reilly on . Posted in Books.

I’m in the lift of The Midland Hotel, on my way up to the fifth floor to speak to the award-winning poet, novelist, playwright, biographer and translator Elaine Feinstein, for what will be the first interview I have ever conducted. As well as having had 16 collections of poetry, 15 novels, three Russian poetry translations, seven biographies, two collections of short stories and one memoir published, she has written for The Times, The Telegraph, The Guardian, The Sunday Times and The New York Review of Books.

Nervous doesn’t quite cover it.

Yet I needn’t have worried. As Feinstein graciously welcomes me into her hotel room (she is in town for the Manchester Literature Festival discussing her new book It Goes with the Territory: Memoirs of a Poet), her first concern is the room’s thermostat – it isn’t working, and the room is chilly. I suggest ringing down to reception, but she waves this idea away. “Never mind,” she says, smiling, “I’ll just leave my coat on.” I laugh at this unconventional solution, but as we sit down and she begins to talk about her new memoir, it becomes clear that unconventionality lies at the very heart of her career.

“The book examines what it has meant to my life to have spent so many years dedicated to poetry. Men are allowed to be withdrawn in a way that women usually can’t be, without putting some strain on their marriage and their role as wife and mother. I started much earlier than the feminist movement, when the idea of a woman dedicating her life to a literary career was quite outrageous”.

Being a woman wasn’t the only barrier Feinstein had to overcome as she made her way in the literary world.

“I’m Jewish, was brought up in Leicester so was provincial, and I’m a woman. So before I’d even started, I already had three strikes against me! But I was part of a kind of underground movement. While at Cambridge I edited a magazine called Prospect. I was a friend of Alan Ginsberg’s and published some of his poetry. I published Harold Pinter. I was part of a network of people who were interested in what was unusual. Also, Ted Hughes helped me in lots of ways.”

As well as being peppered with literary anecdotes, It Goes with the Territory is also about travel.

“I’ve travelled to the Arctic Circle, I explored the far-east when it was not really a traveller’s destination, Malaya, Indonesia, Singapore, I’ve led a very fortunate life.”

As my first ever interview draws to a close, I thank my host sincerely for her time.

“Not at all,” she says, “I’d like to read how you do, send me a copy will you?”

Despite my first interviewee being such a prominent figure in the literary world, I couldn’t have asked for a better one.

It Goes with the Territory: Memoirs of a Poet (Alma Books) is out now.

The American Adventure

Written by Ciara Kavanagh on . Posted in Lifestyle.

St Augustine once said “The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page”, and as time flew by I began to realise that I had yet to move from the first chapter of the world, having never left Europe.

I heard about the Work America program with BUNAC through a friend who completed the program in summer 2012. After seeing photographs of all his new friends and places he was visiting splashed all over Facebook, I knew I wanted to go to America too. Work America offered a great opportunity for me, to go to America alone and meet like-minded people, whilst earning money for travelling and experiencing American culture.

It took a lot for me to work up the courage to do it all by myself- travelling to America alone for the first time was a daunting experience- but looking back I don’t know what I was worried about. After applying to a range of jobs on the Job Zone, I was offered employment at Trimper’s Rides of Ocean City, an amusement park in a tourist town on the east coast. I willingly accepted and couldn’t wait for summer to begin.

I met and worked alongside lots of people; a mixture of Americans, Eastern Europeans, British and Irish Students. I first worked as a Games Cashier and then moved on to the Photo Emporium dressing people in old time clothing and photographing them. Living right above work was perfect and we all became really close really quickly, which meant I had a great social life outside of work.

Before I knew it the summer was nearly over. A group of us arranged to go travelling and we did a road trip down the east coast through the Blue Ridge Mountains and finished in Miami, then flying to New Orleans. I had the best time travelling and looking back, I loved every second of my summer; the only downside was that it all went by in the blink of an eye.

The best thing to have come out of the whole experience was meeting like-minded people who wanted to travel and do new things, but I’ve also added to my CV, improved my confidence, saw a different culture and travelled. All I can say is: what are you waiting for? Don’t miss the opportunity of a lifetime – to travel, experience diverse places, find new friends and make memories you’ll never want to forget.

Visit www.bunac.org for more information on Summer Camps, Work America, Internships USA and other work abroad programs.

Cornerhouse Pick of the Week: Le Week End

Written by George Bellamy on . Posted in Film.

Paris, the romantic location, is no stranger to the wistful idealism of cinema. Through the eyes of a cinematic lens, it’s a location where every apartment overlooks the Eiffel Tower, the streets are paved with fantastic low-key restaurants, and the water supply must be pumped with aphrodisiacs only the French could understand. The material reality however, is that the city is a bugger to manoeuvre, the cost of anything could potentially bankrupt you, it’s very easy to fall over cobblestones, and, well, it’s full of the French. Navigating the poles of romantic idealism and bitter cynicism from too much bad experience is the 30 year wedding anniversary of Jim Broadbent’s Nic and Lindsay Duncan’s Meg. From the start the film gives a sense of a relationship with deep history, that these two know each other inside-out, have a working routine together, though their ties are getting strained. With this tension the film follows a movement where their relationship goes through several possible breaking points as we follow their romantic routines oscillating radically between ecstasy and anger; endearments and abuse.

If you are fed up of films which illustrate the ennui of bourgeoisie twilight years, this may sound dull and cliché. I thought I had that fatigue, but instead found myself irresistibly drawn into the possibilities of these characters. This is down mainly to the acting, where the central couple shine in their respective roles; Broadbent can summon a wave of pathos through listening to an MP3 of Bob Dylan, whilst Lindsay Duncan carries the weight of years of frustration through her telling bursts of vitriol and mischief. Supporting them, is Jeff Goldblum , who, in a marvellous feat manages to create the performance of a man who you would immediately want to punch in the face, but wouldn’t as the next thing he had to say would probably be pretty funny.

The navigation of emotional poles of experience in stressed situations punctuates the film’s narrative. The characters are burdened with a frustrated history that is reaching boiling point, yet there is a lot of love invested too, allowing the film to simmer things down and let matters settle with a delicate touch. This almost feels like Mike Leigh’s answer to Breaking Bad, where the explosive situations carry the weight of middle-class anger at failed opportunities and neglected desires. Yet instead of cooking crystal meth in New Mexico, there is a return to the graceful textures of Parisian romance, where a delightful ode to Godard’s Bande à part manages to evoke enough whimsy to keep you entranced with the possibilities of human vitality in Paris, and not angry at the bill it leaves at the end.

EXCLUSIVE: Interview with the creators of Monsters University

Written by Robbie Davidson on . Posted in Film.

Robbie: At what point in the creation process did you decide to make a prequel rather than a sequel to Monsters Inc, as far as I know this is Pixar’s first prequel?

Dan Scanlon: I think really early on we just talked about ideas we wanted to do, as we wanted to make sure we had a great idea. And during the discussions we talked about the relationship between Mike and Sully which was something we loved from the first film, and in talking about that we decided that in order to explore that relationship further we would have to go back in time and watch how the relationship happened and that’s what really got us on the idea of a prequel. That, and then I think we got really excited about the idea of doing a college movie and having great big monster fun. That then really led to the story of Mike, a character who doesn’t get everything that he wants, which is something we haven’t seen in films very often and that’s what really got us excited about a movie prequel.

It’s funny you mention the university setting because when you think of films set at university there’s a certain level of sordid and raunchy behaviour which you wouldn’t see in a kids’ film. How do you reconcile the university setting with Pixar’s code of ethics?

Dan: What you talking about man (laughs) that’s not what my college experience was like. But you know we wanted that too and we realised as long as the characters are ruckus or wild or knocking things over and eating garbage that would sort of sub for any specifics.

 

You mentioned Mike, and I think that Mike is a more sympathetic character in this movie than he is in Monsters Inc. Was that a decision you made early on because he’s a younger character or because the movie is more focused on Mike, so you want to make him more likeable?

  Dan: It really came out of his story and we knew if we we’re really going to believe in his dream he couldn’t just be the wisecracking guy. He had to have a sincerity to him if we we’re going to believe in his dream. So we changed his character ever so slightly as he was the main character. But we’re all different fifteen years ago so it worked in that way.

 

Billy Crystal is a brilliant comedian and known for his improv. Does he improv when he’s doing his recording, and if he does, how much of that do you incorporate into the animation?  

Kori Rae: He definitely does and the hard part is that a lot of stuff is improved in sections we can’t really change. But we definitely use some of it in the film for sure. He’s such a great energy and he brought so much of that to his character and he did a great job of making Mike feel younger just by the energy that he has.

 

 Kori, what was the process of finding a new director after Pete Docter’s great work in the first film?

Kori: Well we knew Dan had been an integral part of the story team on both Cars and Toy Story 3, and we knew he had the right sensibility to tell this story. Pete Docter was still pretty involved in the film as executive producer and we’d meet with him every week and he was a really great support for Dan. It was really important that we had a director who had a really solid footing in story as we knew this was going to be a difficult story and it came with its own unique set of problems so Dan was an obvious choice knowing his background and sensibility.

 

 You mentioned the story and I wondered, after the revelations in Monsters Inc about the nature of ‘scarring’ and the fact that children’s’ laughter could power the city just as well, was there a risk that the premise of the new movie was undermined by the fact that they’re still trying to be ‘scarers’?

Dan: I think again, because it’s a prequel, we understand that concept and in the film we never show them really scare a child. We only see them scare the simulated children, so our hope was that since it was about his pursuit of this education that hopefully it would work.

 

I think it does work well. I have to ask about Helen Mirren’s casting. At what point did she come across as the ideal person to voice Dean Hardscrabble?  

Dan: Actually originally the character was male and we just kind of defaulted to that and then at some point we realised we had a really great opportunity to open up the Monsters world a little bit and have a really great female ‘scareer’. We knew we wanted her to be someone who was very well respected, she was someone who was very talented, and someone with a somewhat scary dry wit and the whole thing started coming to Helen, and how much we thought she embodied all those things. We thought she could add so much to the character and she absolutely did. The first session I spent the first two hours with her just trying different takes with her on the character and she showed up with ideas on the character and she was excited to try all sorts of stuff. It was really amazing. I’ll be honest, I was intimidated at first about working with somebody so talented, but boy within a few minutes of talking to her and working with her- she was just a joy and it was a great time.

© Pixar Post
Kori Rae and Dan Scanlon

As a student paper we’re interested to hear about your student experiences, how they informed your animation and whether you knew you wanted to be an animator and work at Pixar, or whether you had other ambitions?

Dan: I’d always liked drawing and film making and I went to college to study illustration and fine arts but animation was a part of it and was always an interest of mine.

 

I’ve got a cousin who’s an animator and he’s up in Scotland, and I wonder how does an animator in Scotland get the attention of a big animation company in California? Is it quite an international base you recruit from?

Dan: You know it’s about talent and no matter where it’s from and it’s all about practising your craft and getting as good as you can.

Kori: We recruit from all over the world so it is pretty international.

 

2014 will be a significant year as it will be the first year since 2005, I believe, that Pixar hasn’t released a film. Do you see it as a positive thing that you’ve stepped in to ensure the high quality of your movies continue?

Kori: For sure it was the right decision for the film. It just needed a little bit more time, a little bit more focus and bumping it a little bit is allowing us to do that. We know it has the potential to be an amazing film and it’s great that the extra time that will help us a little bit.

 

How long to these films take from the point of having the idea to the film being released? What is the time frame?

Kori: Around five years. Anywhere between four and six years. This one was just about five.

 

And at what point do start casting characters. Obviously you’ve got the main characters already, but what about the secondary characters?  

Kori: It kind of depends when in the process the characters get fleshed out, and the story is solid enough on the page that we know who they need to be and then we can start thinking about who might be appropriate for that role. It’s usually a year/year and a half years into production that you start thinking about that. You might have an idea sooner than that if there’s a substantial character.

 

 Dan, at what point the the creation process did you decide that you needed a bit more Steve Buscemi in this movie as we’re obviously very happy to hear his voice again?

Dan:  We loved him in the first film and the fun of a prequel is seeing how people were different and we loved the idea he would be this sort of sweet, naive guy, or seemingly so, and we knew we wanted to fit him into the story and he had to have a reason to be in the story. He worked as a nice mirror of what Mike could have become if Mike really was obsessed with fitting, in the way both of them are at the beginning of the movie, and could have gone down the wrong road.

 

What have you guys got lined up? Will there be a return for Mike and Sully in the future?

Kori: There’s no plan for that. Dan and I are going to go back this week and wrap up Monsters University and go into development and think of an original film idea.

 

And take a holiday?

Dan: Yeah exactly.

Dan, what have you got planned ahead. Are you going to go the route of other Pixar directors who have gone onto live action?

Dan: I’m very happy at Pixar and it’s a real privilege to carry on exploring things here. Animation is where I come from and I’m very happy with that.

 

Why is it do you think that directors from Pixar have gone on to do live action work? Do you think it’s a style of direction at Pixar which lends itself to live action direction?

Kori: Both are about telling great stories so there is an element of that but the medium has less to do with it than just the story. Folk learn how to tell great stories whilst working at Pixar.

In terms of sequels and prequels, there’s been more of them from Pixar in the last few years. How do you make the creative decision, or how is it made, that this film warrants a new story and this one works better as a stand alone film?  

Dan: There’s no real formula to it, it’s about when a good idea shows up. If a good idea doesn’t show up we really wouldn’t go down that path.

Kori: We have the luxury of having these films that have fantastic characters that we develop in the first of the films. So it’s truly a luxury to go back and re enter those worlds and go back to say Toy Story or Monsters or Nemo and get to tell these stories with these characters. We love that we do have these films that we can go back to if there’s a great idea.

 

 And finally, on that subject, what can you tell us about Finding Dory? How much of that is it borrowing from it’s past films or is it going in a very different direction?

Kori:  The truth is we don’t know. We’ve been away so long we’ve missed all the screenings and everything. We’re quite eager to find out what it’s about (laughs). I know it has Dory. Other than that we don’t know.

 

Pokémon X/Y

Written by Alasdair Preston on . Posted in Games.

By now, everyone and their mums already knows how Pokémon works. You take the role of a child irresponsibly thrust out into the big wide world on a quest to become the very best trainer in the land. On the way, you’ll encounter many, many wild and wonderful creatures that can be caught and used to battle, as well as the obligatory team of evil-doers hell-bent on ruining what seems to be a pretty sweet deal. It takes a special kind of nasty to live in a place where almost nobody has a job, kids can bunk off school to gallivant around the region and adorable yellow mice run around saying their own names and think “this isn’t good enough, I need to ruin it!”. Nobody likes that guy.

 

Many of our generation grew up with the first couple of games in the series, and will swear up and down that it peaked on the Gameboy Colour and 151 Pokémon are “more than enough”. These people have subsequently missed out on some of the very best games in the past decade. While it’s true that not all of the over 700 beasties are winners, there is so much diversity that no two teams are ever alike, and the strategy becomes way more in-depth. The latest incarnations of the series, X and Y, debuted on 3DS this month to overwhelmingly positive response. Indeed, the sixth generation of ‘mon has truly made huge progress.

 

Gone are the static battle animations and sprites of the past, replaced by glorious 3D models and more dynamic scenes. The overworld is clearer and more beautiful than ever before, and the new region of Kalos really comes alive on the 3DS screen. Many of the things that may have annoyed players in the past, such as repetitive cave sections and minor menu gripes, have been tweaked and revamped to not slow down the pace. The array of new Pokémon is smaller this time than in any previous generation, however it also brings in an entirely new feature: mega evolution. Monsters old and new now have a higher level of attainable transformation, giving a new lease of life to some and bringing others onto a whole new tier of awesome such as Mega Charizard X, finally a dragon type.

 

New ways of interacting with your partners add to the personal feel of the game. Novel training techniques and mini-games allow you to form more of a bond. That little bit of you that died every time your favourite Pokémon fainted in battle gets even more upset now than ever before. As ever, just beating the game takes many hours, and doing all the post-game extras many more. “Catching them all” could take years. Pokémon X and Y truly feel like a next generation upgrade to the famous franchise and, almost impossibly, outshine every other iteration of the games. Yes, even Red and Blue.

Battlefield 4 Preview

Written by Mancunion on . Posted in Games.

The Battlefield 4 beta is finally available now to download on PC, Play Station 3 and Xbox 360. With the new Frostbite 3 engine, “Levolution” and a brand new map, guns and vehicles, you can now try out the newest take on the Battlefield franchise. Let me give you the run down first. In the beta you gain access to the well-publicised map: Siege of Shanghai where the Americans battle the Chinese to take the famous city. The same arsenal is available to both sides ranging from pistols to anti vehicle weapons, from boats to helicopters.

The new Levolution introduces interactivity to your environment, from raising bollards under tanks, to taking down the central building completely. This mechanic allows for more flexibility in restricting movements and creating new routes to your tactical or aesthetic needs. Now for the bad news. The level isn’t so much destructible as it is merely more interactive, with exception given to toppling a skyscraper. Battlefield 3 gave you the option to blow up a wall and assault through an unexpected route, but in this beta, the building walls and route-determining objects are indestructible, turning what was the feature in Battlefield 3 to a gimmick in the beta. Having said that, I suspect this to be different in a more open map when the full game is released on the 29th October.

The gun play feels odd. The pacing doesn’t match between the handling of the gun and the pace of the fights. Your character’s speed encourages you to run around and assault, but you are also encouraged to stop and engage at longer ranges by the gun. In the Battlefield 3 all guns had a large enough overlapping effective range so that you are encouraged to stick together as different classes, a feature greatly emphasised by DICE. Battlefield 4 thins out the overlap and gives more extreme distinctiveness to each class of gun, hence splitting the classes apart. Their new take on vehicles on the other hand decreases the distinctiveness between different war machines making vehicle combat a messy affair. Sadly, but most importantly, the beta has its bug issues. A couple I’ve experienced ranged from irritating to game breaking. For example: draw distance of people and objects differ and so you can see the enemy before you can see the cover in front of him, leading you to shoot at his cover, exposing yourself. Others include: not being able to spawn, revives crashing the game, to random crashes due to punk buster.

All in all, this Battlefield 4 beta tells me that this isn’t so much the revolution of the series like BF3 was to 2 was to 1942, but is more of a speedy renewal. I personally find Battlefield 3 more fun, but that inertia might pass.

I am, I am, I am: Reflections on Sylvia Plath

Written by Olivia Stevens on . Posted in Books.

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of The Bell Jar, the Manchester Literature Festival turned its attention to the work of Sylvia Plath for an evening. The event was led by multi-award winning author Ali Smith and Manchester-based poet Jackie Kay.

Smith and Kay read poems spanning Plath’s career, starting with “The Disquieting Muses” and ending with “Edge”, the last poem she wrote before her death. They then read extracts from The Bell Jar, before taking questions from the audience.

The poems selected showcased Plath’s skills as a writer, and The Bell Jar extracts emphasized the black humour present in Plath’s work, which is not always recognised.

One of the most interesting parts of the event was to hear the impact that Plath had had on the two writers. Both talked of how Plath’s work had taught them that women could have a place in poetry. They spoke with huge adoration for Plath, with Kay mentioning her poem “Baby Lazarus”, an obvious homage to one of Plath’s most famous texts.

Equally interesting was Smith and Kay’s exploration of the mythology of Plath and the tendency to overemphasise the relation that her work has to her life. Both writers highlighted the tight structure and controlled forms of most of her poems to show that they were not simply a frenzied cry for help but beautiful artworks in their own right.

While I thoroughly enjoyed the event, I would have preferred to hear more from Smith and Kay about the effect Plath’s work had had, not only on their careers, but on them. It may have also been interesting to reflect on Plath’s legacy outside the literary world. However, the event was still a fascinating insight into the two writers as well as a wonderful chance to reflect on the brilliance of Plath’s work.

 

Top 5: Actors You Wish Were Your Dad

Written by Francesca Tyler on . Posted in Film.

Not everyone’s Dads are as great as these guys, so if you’re not a fan of yours, one of these may be more suitable.

5. Adam Sandler

This guy won’t normally come top of any lists but Big Daddy creates an exception that is a fatherly favourite. His parenting skills are questionable but who wouldn’t love poker games, swearing, and peeing on the street at 5 years old?

4. Hugh Laurie

It is normal to sound like your parents, so a lot of time should be spent with this Dad and his beautiful accent.

3. Morgan Freeman

This soothing voice of reason can look after you from the heavens or protect you in the old west. You can also be proud that he helped create racial harmony.  He is perfection.

2. Eugene Levy

Despite his obvious flaws, no one can help but love ‘Jim’s Dad.’ His innocence, his wisdom, and his beautiful eyebrows are all things to admire. It may take a few bonding sessions but you will grow to love him unlike the stern Jimmy Murtaugh. Might even bagsie a hot stepmum like Carmen Electra or Stiffler’s mom.

1. Liam Neeson

Many things are important in fatherhood but protection comes high up on the list. The smooth-talking Neeson can protect you from any harm with his skills and intelligence. When this isn’t necessary he can help your 12-year-old self to score your first girlfriend. Hero.

Preview: Kill Your Darlings

Written by Sarah Murray on . Posted in Film.

Kill Your Darlings, set to arrive in UK theatres in early December, comes riding on a wave of buzz that has been generated around the film since its premiere at Sundance last January. Critics are calling the movie ‘expressive, jazzy and ambitious,’ to which the taste of the film that we are given in the trailer is testament. Those of you who are already great fans of the Beat Generation, and the explosive literature they produced, may anticipate the release of the film more eagerly. However, anyone who is interested in stories that touch upon themes of sexual obsession, counterculture and death should be equally frantic for the film’s UK release.

Kill Your Darlings tells the story of the origins of the Beat Generation, an American literary movement that rose to prominence in the 1950’s. The Beats sought to challenge the rigid moral framework of America at that time, gripped in an ideological war against homosexuality and other ‘social vices,’ and subject to the witch hunt of perceived ‘dissidents’ by McCarthyism, whose primary target was artists like the Beats. As a certain infamous/comical poster from the period states: ‘Beware of artists: they mix with all classes of society and are therefore the most dangerous.’

The film stars Daniel Radcliffe as poet Allen Ginsberg in this biopic set on the Columbia Campus in the early 1940’s. In the film, Ginsberg falls hopelessly under the spell of his handsome and charismatic classmate Lucien Carr (Dane DeHaan, The Place beyond the Pines), who introduces him to fellow aspiring writers William Burroughs and Jack Kerouac. This is the genesis of the literary group that has come to be known as the Beat Generation, and the film documents Ginsberg’s creative and sexual awakening. However, David Kammerer’s (Michael C. Hall, Dexter) complete infatuation with Carr leads to his murder at the hands of his beloved, an act hinted at in the title of the film. Let’s hope the film does this remarkable true story the justice that recent cinematic renderings of the group, such as On the Road, did not.

Release Date: 6th December 

Catalyst: Contemporary Art and War

Written by Mancunion on . Posted in Arts.

Something that seems totally relevant in today’s culture is the impact of the media on our own perception of war. It’s graphic and invasive; on our TVs, computers, phones. Images of war are unfortunately commonplace and although they never lose significance, they become impersonal.

The exhibition ‘Catalyst: Contemporary Art and War’ held at the Imperial War Museum North runs from 12th October 2013 to 23rd February 2014. On display are 70 works of art from the IWM collection by 40 artists of various artistic mediums ranging from painting to installation to film. This is the second largest collection of modern British art, but ‘Catalyst’ is the first major exhibition of its kind as all the work has been produced since the First Gulf War.

The most interesting impression of the exhibition is the angle the curators have taken. The art is used to explain that it can fill in the gaps created by war journalism, which are surprisingly huge. It seems obvious but this exhibition couldn’t have been held in a more appropriate building. Designed by Daniel Libeskind and if you’ve seen it on the way to the Trafford Centre, it’s pretty hard to miss. Suitably dramatic and striking before you even reach the artwork, you get the sense of something profound and moving and according to the people at IWMN its striking three ‘shards’ ‘represent conflict on land, in water and in the air’.

The artistic response to conflict in the media age is critical in reminding us that the media is a big influence on our perception of conflict. Afterall, it’s the only way we know what’s happening without being caught in the fray. But we’re removed from personal experience, the people involved have their own account that needs to be shared and is there a greater way than, for instance, making a page of stamps for the individual British servicemen killed in the Iraq War? (Steve McQueen, ‘Queen and Country’,from 2007)? Or presenting a real estate agents’ window of houses destroyed in Gaza in an Israeli attack? (Taysir Batniji, ‘GH0809’, from 2009)?

One notably impressive work is not in fact influenced by contemporary warfare, but is instead an up-to-date reminder of the horror of WWII. This particular piece, ‘Border’ by Darren Almond (1999), is an interactive work made up of two road signs: an entrance sign in front of an exit sign representing ‘Oswiecim’ (Auschwitz). The small space between represents the site of some of the most horrific acts of World War Two. It may be representational but the effect of stepping between the signs truly is spine-chilling. And now the pitch to get you to go: it sounds like a trek, but it’s not, hop on the X50 and you’ll be there in a tick! It’s an adventure getting out of the Oxford Road/Piccadilly routes that we travel every day.

Catalyst is perhaps the most poignant exhibition you will see this year. No conceptual craziness or unmade beds here: what you see is what you get, and what you get is something moving, thought provoking g and entirely unique.

Islington Mill

Written by Jasper Llewellyn on . Posted in Arts.

Located a mere 5 minute walk from Salford city centre, Islington Mill nurtures some of Manchester’s most exciting new artistic and musical talent. Imagine an 8000 foot warehouse floor covered corner to corner with huge CMYK screen prints by artist Maurice Carlin (the Mill’s artistic director) who’s working on these prints live in the space with two webcams filming the entire process live, 24/7 for 3 whole months – pretty crazy! But from Islington Mill, you can’t really expect anything else.

 

The self-funded mill houses resident artists from all over of the globe, runs an academy for young artists alongside hosting some of the most talked about electronic music nights in Manchester- all in a giant ex-cotton spinning mill built in 1823! Guests have included Andy Stott, Baths and Traxx. Last year’s programme of arts events at the Mill was pretty eclectic with a combination of visual arts, music and performance. And this year’s no different! The Mill is currently housing a new piece from Bristol collective ‘WORKS|PROJECTS’ names ‘Plan For a Ruin’, a series of video, installation and mixed media works from various members of the collective, partially inspired by the Mill’s fifth attic floor. ‘Plan For a Ruin’ includes a video piece by David Wojtowycz, ‘The Lake’, which is a looped digital projection of a lighthouse. Although the camera is stationary in the projection, the subtle movements of the water on either side of the lighthouse and the slightly blurred image quality and dark edges of the shot create a strangely eerie piece. However, it is the electronically manipulated whistling that accompanies the video that truly completes this haunting piece, making the whole product an apt accompaniment to the Mill’s dingy fifth floor attic space.

 

Another one to look out for is Jen Wu’s ‘The Wall’ which is a piece of interactive visual art involving moving an eight metre brick wall with the help of the audience. Looking at Manchester’s rave and club scene and in particular the demolition of certain clubs, ‘The Wall’ asks us how to approach destruction and regeneration and what we can take from it – which might mean some free raves! So keep your eyes on this one.

In regards to music, the programme seems to be full of a complete mix of instruments, styles and performers. I am personally excited for the run of three gigs in mid-November starting with ‘Pharmakon’ (one to watch if you’re into sound design and machine noise), which takes place on November 19th followed by German ambient Jazz band ‘Bohren & der Club der Gore’ and, electronic artist ‘Baths’.

Contrary Corner: Why I’m not an “Iron Fan”

Written by Jackson Ball on . Posted in Film.

Within the superhero genre there is a shameless pretender; a sub-standard aspirant, posing as a much better product, and inexplicably it’s getting away with it. I am of course referring to the Iron Man trilogy.

First off, I want to make my stance very clear: the trilogy isn’t terrible, just supremely overrated. The first film is a perfectly average effort, with the second just below that mark. If you’re immediately distressed by those statements, let me throw some statistics your way…

Iron Man currently has an unfathomable 93% rating from critics on rottentomatoes.com. Not only is that a higher score than any of its singular-Avenger counterparts, but it’s actually higher than their excellent group effort in Joss Whedon’s Avengers Assemble. It also beats the scores of far-superior superhero debuts, including Batman Begins, Spider-Man and even Christopher Reeve’s Superman.

If the numbers aren’t enough, let’s look at ‘praise’ itself, the most paramount of which is usually Robert Downey Jr.’s brilliant ‘acting’. Do a little research into any of RDJ’s pre-Stark roles, or even into any real life interviews or appearances and it doesn’t take long to realise that it’s not great acting, its great casting. Robert Downey Jr. is Tony Stark; he’s snarky, he’s intelligent and he’s prone to vices and inner demons. I can’t imagine there is a substantial amount of ‘acting’ going on here.

Secondly, the villains are a massive issue. The Iron Man films have a huge problem when it comes to the antagonists. First there was the forgettable Obadiah Stane (Jeff Bridges), swiftly followed by the overly-cartoonish Whiplash (Mickey Rourke). It looked as though they’d finally rectified the problem in Iron Man 3 with a seemingly worthy villain, The Mandarin (Sir Ben Kingsley), but those of you who have seen the film will know they royally screwed it up.

Above all else though, the main persecutor for keeping the trilogy average is its total inability to produce anything remotely challenging to its audience. It’s all so fluffy and light it’s almost unbearable. It’s a cornerstone of the genre that a hero always has a ‘curse’. Batman lost his parents; Spider-Man lost Uncle Ben and so on. It’s these problems that allow us to emotionally respond to the character. In the comics, Tony Stark has a substantial ‘curse’ by way of alcoholism. This was considered too dark by the filmmakers and so quickly cut out, removing any substance to the character. What’s his great ‘curse’ now? Oh, he’s got a light bulb in his chest…

It is for these reasons that the Iron Man trilogy fails as both a genre film and an interesting source of story. It isn’t worth your time, let alone your praise.

Horoscopes – 21 October to 3 November

Written by Moya Crockett on . Posted in Lifestyle.

LIBRA (24 SEPTEMBER – 23 OCTOBER)

You’ve been seeing a lot of a certain someone recently. You notice them everywhere: in the supermarket, the library, the gym, da club… What’s the significance of this, you wonder? After some consultation with the stars, we can reveal: they’re stalking you.

SCORPIO (24 OCTOBER – 22 NOVEMBER)

You are always the first to ask life’s big questions. What is ‘clean’? What is ‘an equal distribution of basic household tasks’? Try occasionally taking the bins out, or you’ll soon be asking ‘What are friends?’ They’re what you used to call your housemates. Who now hate you.

SAGITTARIUS (23 NOVEMBER – 21 DECEMBER)

Your partying shows no signs of slowing down, even as the prospect of post−Reading Week deadlines rears its ugly head. Your mother always said that drugs and alcohol are never the answer, but she’s wrong. What if the question is, “Why will I fail my degree?”

CAPRICORN (22 DECEMBER – 20 JANUARY)

Questions have been running through your mind all week. “What am I to do with my life?” You will find it out, don’t worry! “How am I supposed to know what’s right?” You just gotta do it your way! You are not experiencing an existential crisis. These are Britney Spears lyrics.

AQUARIUS (21 JANUARY – 19 FEBRUARY)

Travel and adventure are on your mind this week, as you dream of jetting off to sunnier climes and getting away from it all. An encounter with a mysterious stranger will make this poss – no, I’m sorry, I can’t lie to you. Going home for Reading Week is as exciting as it gets.

PISCES (20 FEBRUARY – 20 MARCH)

Recently, something has been eating away at you. Have a deep think about what it might be. Issues with your parents? Unrequited love? The nagging feeling that your friends are talking about you behind your back? Or a massive tapeworm?

ARIES (21 MARCH – 20 APRIL)

This week, you decide it’s finally time to start acting like a real man. You obviously haven’t started quite yet, because you’re reading the horoscopes in the Lifestyle section. But you’ll get there eventually. Probably. Maybe.

TAURUS (21 APRIL – 21 MAY)

Thomas Jefferson, 3rd president of the United States, once said, “The glow of one warm thought is worth more to me than money.” With this in mind, you’ll finally check your bank balance this week, and realise Thomas Jefferson was a massive dick.

GEMINI (22 MAY – 21 JUNE)

You’ve always been highly in touch with your own emotions, and recently your life’s been even more fascinating than usual. However, be careful not to tip into all-out self-obsession. If nothing else, pretending to be interested in other people’s problems will make them more likely to sleep with you.

CANCER (22 JUNE – 22 JULY)

Judging by the movement of Jupiter’s moons, you should look forward to a short burst of blissful denial before bracing yourself for a dark period of struggle, rage, isolation and frustration. Don’t worry. It’s the natural cycle of essay-writing, and this too shall pass.

LEO (23 JULY – 22 AUGUST)

Health and wellbeing should be on your mind this week, as your hands begin to stiffen into what look more like a pair of claws. The stars think you might be spending too much time on your phone and laptop.

VIRGO (23 AUGUST – 23 SEPTEMBER)

This week, you’ll attract the attention of a bright, buzzy character, who’ll make a beeline for you as you wait for the bus. Unfortunately, it’s an actual bee. Maybe don’t wear that perfume anymore?

LIBRA (24 SEPTEMBER – 23 OCTOBER)

You’ve been seeing a lot of a certain someone recently. You notice them everywhere: in the supermarket, the library, the gym, da club… What’s the significance of this, you wonder? After some consultation with the stars, we can reveal: they’re stalking you.

SCORPIO (24 OCTOBER – 22 NOVEMBER)

You are always the first to ask life’s big questions. What is ‘clean’? What is ‘an equal distribution of basic household tasks’? Try occasionally taking the bins out, or you’ll soon be asking ‘What are friends?’ They’re what you used to call your housemates. Who now hate you.

SAGITTARIUS (23 NOVEMBER – 21 DECEMBER)

Your partying shows no signs of slowing down, even as the prospect of post−Reading Week deadlines rears its ugly head. Your mother always said that drugs and alcohol are never the answer, but she’s wrong. What if the question is, “Why will I fail my degree?”

CAPRICORN (22 DECEMBER – 20 JANUARY)

Questions have been running through your mind all week. “What am I to do with my life?” You will find it out, don’t worry! “How am I supposed to know what’s right?” You just gotta do it your way! You are not experiencing an existential crisis. These are Britney Spears lyrics.

AQUARIUS (21 JANUARY – 19 FEBRUARY)

Travel and adventure are on your mind this week, as you dream of jetting off to sunnier climes and getting away from it all. An encounter with a mysterious stranger will make this poss – no, I’m sorry, I can’t lie to you. Going home for Reading Week is as exciting as it gets.

PISCES (20 FEBRUARY – 20 MARCH)

Recently, something has been eating away at you. Have a deep think about what it might be. Issues with your parents? Unrequited love? The nagging feeling that your friends are talking about you behind your back? Or a massive tapeworm?

ARIES (21 MARCH – 20 APRIL)

This week, you decide it’s finally time to start acting like a real man. You obviously haven’t started quite yet, because you’re reading the horoscopes in the Lifestyle section. But you’ll get there eventually. Probably. Maybe.

TAURUS (21 APRIL – 21 MAY)

Thomas Jefferson, 3rd president of the United States, once said, “The glow of one warm thought is worth more to me than money.” With this in mind, you’ll finally check your bank balance this week, and realise Thomas Jefferson was a massive dick.

GEMINI (22 MAY – 21 JUNE)

You’ve always been highly in touch with your own emotions, and recently your life’s been even more fascinating than usual. However, be careful not to tip into all-out self-obsession. If nothing else, pretending to be interested in other people’s problems will make them more likely to sleep with you.

CANCER (22 JUNE – 22 JULY)

Judging by the movement of Jupiter’s moons, you should look forward to a short burst of blissful denial before bracing yourself for a dark period of struggle, rage, isolation and frustration. Don’t worry. It’s the natural cycle of essay-writing, and this too shall pass.

LEO (23 JULY – 22 AUGUST)

Health and wellbeing should be on your mind this week, as your hands begin to stiffen into what look more like a pair of claws. The stars think you might be spending too much time on your phone and laptop.

VIRGO (23 AUGUST – 23 SEPTEMBER)

This week, you’ll attract the attention of a bright, buzzy character, who’ll make a beeline for you as you wait for the bus. Unfortunately, it’s an actual bee. Maybe don’t wear that perfume anymore?