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Day: 10 November 2017

The rise of the AfD proves that Germany isn’t immune from right-wing populism

Written by Jake Dunn on . Posted in Opinion.

Germany is divided, the two largest parties licking their wounds and removing the daggers from their backs. Both received their worst political performances since 1949.

The Alternative for Germany (AfD), a right-wing, nationalist, Eurosceptic and anti-Islam party, won 12.6 per cent of the national vote, making it the first openly nationalist party to cross the 5 per cent threshold to enter the Bundestag since the mid-1950s.

This has alarmed many in the German political establishment, who since the foundation of the West German Federal Republic in 1949, have made a show of rejecting German nationalism for obvious historical reasons. Germany enters a new phase of politics, and this will have profound consequences for all aspects of life in Germany. The country now moves into a period of uncertainty that is completely unique in the post-war era.

When Angela Merkel took the decision to allow almost 1 million refugees to enter Germany in 2015, she thought it would make Germany the ‘humanitarian superpower’ of Europe and the world, the first of its kind. However, despite this effort and belief she faced huge backlashes from the German public and members of her own Christian Democratic Union, who fiercely began to urge Merkel to impose quotas on refugees entering the country.

Refugee centres were being burnt down and huge waves of anti-immigration and Islam protests emerged across the nation, especially in the former Communist East Germany. Many felt that the German political establishment was too out of touch, and that this was finally shown by the handling of the refugee crisis; taken with the feeling of being left behind by German re-unification in the 1990s, this created the ideal melting pot for the AFD to help them thrive at the next federal election in 2017.

After months of pressure, Merkel toughened her stance against refugees, but by then the political damage was done. When Merkel took that decision to allow 1 million refugees into Germany, she opened a flood-gate of right wing nationalist sentiments and views that were lurking beneath the political landscape of Germany, something many once thought was impossible.

In two state elections in 2015, the residents of the former East Germany propelled the AfD into second place with over 20 per cent of the vote, citing the handling of the immigration issue as their main issue in the election.

As the polls closed on 24th of September, it was clear that Angela Merkel was going to be re-elected as Chancellor, however the polls also showed something else: the AfD had come third and surpassed expectations. With 12.6 per cent of the national vote they stormed to a clear third place, coming in second place in four Eastern states and first in the state of Saxony with 27 per cent, compared to the CDU’s 26.9 per cent.

While the CDU/CSU were victorious, they gained just 32 per cent of the vote combined, losing over 8 per cent of the vote from the 2013 Federal election. The Social Democratic Party lost 5 per cent of the vote, giving them their worst election result in the party’s history, just winning 20 per cent of the national vote.

The AfD gained 7.9 per cent of the national vote, a huge swing, giving it 94 seats in the Bundestag. While Merkel will take her place in history, she suffered a bittersweet victory, and this result showed Germany is not an exception when it comes to the emerging populist wave sweeping through the democratic world.

What is next for German politics? German society is divided: in just four years, the CDU/CSU and SPD have gone from having a combined 67.2 per cent share of the vote to having 53.4 per cent, with the four minor parties gaining ground in this most recent election. This can be seen simply by the size of the Bundestag itself: it now has 709 members. That is an increase of 111 since 2013, due to Germany’s complex voting system.

Whether Germans like it or not, the AFD are now a major force in German politics, and have a strong and established support base in the East.

The AfD has attracted voters from all established parties in Germany, and if mainstream parties want to win back their votes the best way to do so is listen to people’s opinions and not just ignore them — that is what Germany’s consensus style of politics is built upon. For Germany to cope with the surging populist movement, this consensus style of politics must be used to discuss issues with the AfD.

Merkel has launched coalition talks with the Greens and Free Democrats to attempt to form a so called ‘Jamaica coalition’ — a combination never tried at a federal coalition.

The fact that Merkel is having to try to band together these parties shows how divided and fragmented the country is. Already, the talks seem to be challenging, with the resurgent Free Democratic Party fighting tooth and nail with both the CDU and Greens for control of the Finance ministry, after a four-year absence from the Bundestag. While this might make the situation more difficult, a new three-way party coalition between three ideologically different parties is the best way to deal with Germany’s fragmented political landscape.

Meanwhile the SPD, moving into opposition to recover and distance themselves from Merkel and her previous ‘Grand Coalition’, will serve as a buffer between the government and the AfD.

German politicians now need to accept the new reality, that the AfD is here to stay as a force within German politics; their policies on immigration and the EU have attracted over 5 million votes, it is not fair to try and ignore or dismiss them, as frankly it will own make their movement stronger.

It is now time, for Angela Merkel to use the consensus style of politics that has governed Germany for most of it’s post war democratic history — a failure to do so will only fuel the rise of the AfD and their Islamophobic policies.

Is this the beginning of the end for Ferrari in F1?

Written by James Gill on . Posted in Sport.

Since Formula One began in 1950, Ferrari has been the only team to compete every single year. The incredible passion, perhaps more aptly described as an obsession, Enzo Ferrari had for motor racing is the driving force behind that.

The only reason ‘il Commendatore’ began manufacturing road cars was to fund his aspirations on the track, and even then he did it with such reluctance. 67 years on and the Scuderia are the most successful team in history, winning 15 driver’s championships and 16 constructor’s championships, no other team comes close.

After his death in 1988 it all changed. No longer is Ferrari a powerhouse of the track with a side arm of producing supercars. The F1 team is now nothing more than elaborate brand advertising, and unless something changes, they may walk away from the scene altogether.

Sergio Marchionne, the Ferrari President is well aware of how pivotal his team is to the economic viability of the sport. “Unless we find a set of circumstances the results of which are beneficial to the maintenance of the brand, and the marketplace, and to the strengthening of the unique position for Ferrari, Ferrari will not play.”

These remarks came after a recent announcement about the direction the F1 will take the car engines from the 2021 season. The aim is to reduce cost and improve noise but ultimately to level out the playing field. Ferrari’s issues obviously don’t stem solely from this; it has been brewing for a long, long time. The change in the engines is the catalyst. They believe that their brand and relevance outweighs that of F1 as a whole, and whether or not you believe that to be true their threat is very real, and very dangerous.

The new owners of F1, Liberty Media, announced that they will reduce the amount of annual prize money Ferrari receives. Currently there is a guaranteed annual prize of $100 million before a single race has even begun. This doesn’t include the money for each race and for their position in the overall standings.

Libery’s chief executive Greg Maffei said “If you’re Ferrari, you have enormous sponsorship revenue that goes directly to you. That’s going to be impacted more positively by great races. So thinking about balancing the team payments, so they’re a little more balanced and creates more fairness, has to be weighted, in Ferrari’s mind, I would expect, by the fact that creating a great platform helps out sponsorship revenue, too, so there’s a give-and-take.”

It could be argued that if the Scuderia break away, Formula One may fall into obscurity. The multi-billion dollar industry that Bernie Ecclestone has worked so tirelessly since the 1970’s to create could become just another average branch of motorsport. Ferrari’s iconic red race cars exude class and style, their historical legacy gives another dimension to the sport and viewers may switch of without them.

This isn’t the first time Ferrari, or even Marchionne has raised their displeasure but there is a difference this time, and Ecclestone knows it. A strategic meeting was called on 7th November with each team, the FIA and the Formula One Group all present.

“They [Ferrari] don’t want budget caps and all that”, Ecclestone told The Independent, “they want to spend what they can afford to spend and I’ve always said the same thing. If people can’t spend they have to go.”

“If there are then only three or four teams something would have to be done but until that actually happens nobody is going to do anything.”

Ecclestone hints at a larger issue than simply Ferrari alone. Don’t have budget caps and see the smaller teams drop out, have one and see the bigger teams get frustrated and perhaps leave. They are walking a tightrope, and everything is in a fine balance. Lean to far one way and the everything could come crashing down.

Marchionne suggested that leaving F1 would be a great idea financially, saying it would be “totally beneficial to the profit”, adding “the board would be celebrating here until the cows come home.” This says a lot about how Ferrari feel about their motor racing past, that it should stay just that.

Enzo Ferrari once said that “the most important victory is the one that is yet to arrive.” The greatest race that has ever taken place in F1 is going on right now, off the track, and if, when the dust settles, Ferrari has walked away, the fire of his passion, Ecclestone’s passion, and that of millions of fans will be extinguished.

Review: Zouk Teabar and Grill

Written by Samuel Pigott on . Posted in Food & Drink.

Zouk is a restaurant following the trend of bench seating, dim lighting and modern décor. The menu follows a somewhat more modern theme as well, although it remains very much in line with what one would expect from an Indian restaurant trying to set itself apart from others and yet failing entirely to do so. The standard collection of meals are available, with just a sprinkling of unique curries and the option of an Indian shawarma or an entire leg of lamb setting it apart slightly.

It must be said that potentially the overwhelming point that stuck in the mind after dining at Zouk was the poor service received, possibly due to a small number of staff serving a very large restaurant. I ordered poppadoms which sadly never arrived, and starters which arrived cold. The flavour of both starters, chicken imlee and tava lamb, was very good, but their temperature was a real shame. The plum and tamarind chutney accompanying the chicken imlee was a particular highlight at this stage though, and it being cool didn’t detract from it flavour.

Fortunately the main courses, a lamb “railway” curry and a chicken saag, were fantastic. The chicken saag was brilliant, with the delicious flavour of fresh fenugreek coming through alongside a slight spice. The railway curry, slow-cooked lamb shanks in a rich tomato sauce, fell from the bone just using the back of a spoon, and the sauce carried an excellent level of spice expertly blended with yoghurt. Both curries complimented one another perfectly, particularly with the addition of a couple of bottles of cobra and a very good peshwari naan.

I may go as far as to say that the curries on offer at Zouk could well be the best I have had in Manchester, however the service received may well be the worst. The staff were cold and blunt, bordering on rude, which left a slightly sour taste in the mouth; a real shame given that the main course left such a fantastic one! As a result of this, recommending Zouk is a funny one. One can expect a remarkably good curry, but do not expect it to be served with a smile.

Live Review: Jamiroquai

Written by Jack Greeney on . Posted in Music.

Thursday 2nd November, Manchester Arena

British funk band Jamiroquai performed the first date of their arena tour in Manchester on the 2nd of November. There was surely a personal touch involved: singer Jay Kay was born in Stratford and holds childhood memories nearby.

The tour arrives following the release of Automaton, their first studio album for seven years. The record follows the well-loved Jamiroquai lyrical theme of social critique and human’s relationship with the artificial — a sure farcry to international hit ‘Virtual Insanity’ released 20 years prior.

The great live performances on album tours unleash with a song they are confident will excite the crowd before introducing novel tracks. It is therefore baffling why so many bands so frequently choose to debut songs to an audience nowhere close to warmed up, as Jamiroquai did in this instance with an indifferent ‘Shake It On’.

The eponymous album track too, shortly afterwards, was uninspiring in performance, not at all living up to the vivid if interminable studio recording. The next group of songs, making up the majority of the first half of the show, were further largely forgettable. Too often, Kay did not even attempt the high notes for which he has been so revered for throughout his career, opting instead for more achievable mid-range octaves with considerably less effect. This was particularly disappointing — at times the injection of that energy was sorely lacking.

With the second half came some of classic Jamiroquai jams and yet there were plenty obvious downfalls even here. ‘Space Cowboy’ was severely deficient of the crunching bass slams of its verses — although the chorus was still great, it would be near impossible to butcher. The calmer, slower rehash of ‘Emergency on Planet Earth’ lacked all the pace, urgency, and exigency that made the studio release so brilliant and so in touch with its lyrical subject matter.

There were certainly upsides, too. ‘(Don’t) Give Hate a Chance’ commemorated the location of the Manchester Arena bombings earlier this year, its first live performance since 2006, well performed and unquestionably pertinent. ‘Cloud 9’, off the new album, was well-received by the audience.

There was also a turnaround in the latter stages to a strong finish: ‘Runaway’ had its superb, punchy bass-line smacked out; ‘Canned Heat’, always a favourite, was a true bop; and ‘Virtual Insanity’, with its slammed piano chords and exasperated vocals, was a great closing piece. It was a shame the one-song encore, ‘Supersonic’, was virtually unknown to the audience. It wasn’t worth them coming back out for really.

Photo: Jack Greeney

Unfortunately there are a myriad other underwhelming aspects to mention. Visual effects were rudimentary and limited, not making use at all of the wealth of features you’d expect from an arena show. Kay’s famous shining electronic hat was great, of course, but did not at all match with his plain grey-green tracksuit.

Of course, Kay is the one who the crowds came out to see and hear, but at times the vocals were far too loud in the mix. Many fan favourites were stark absences, ‘When You Gonna Learn’, ‘Too Young to Die’, ‘Deeper Underground’ among others all missing. And finally — perhaps most crucially — to note with utmost respect and personal admiration — Jay Kay was, at times, almost physically unfit to perform. Hands on knees panting a third of the way through the show level unfit.

Perhaps all this can be put down to complacency. Their many years of fame will sell out arenas regardless. It will not, however, live up to fans’ expectations. On the whole, it was a discouraging performance. Jay Kay is lucky he’s such a good writer in the studio because it pulled some songs through, but it was not a show you would buy a ticket to expect.

Photo: Jack Greeney

3/10

The rise of pre-order culture

Written by Jeremy Bijl on . Posted in Games.

In recent years, games publishers have adopted a number of duplicitous, admittedly ingenious, tactics for milking every last penny out of the cash cow that is the games industry. However, there is one that has remained unashamedly audacious and aggressively marketed throughout its life: the pre-order.

There are two facets to the pre-order: the game itself, and the plethora of editions and bonuses that can be bought alongside it.

Pre-ordering the game itself may seem fairly innocuous, and once upon a time it probably was. It doesn’t really make sense to pay full price for a product of which the quality is inherently not guaranteed, but you will pay for a game and get a game, right?

Well, yes, but we are living in a post-Aliens: Colonial Marines world; a post-Star Wars: Battlefront world; a post-No Man’s Sky world. Game publishers have shown time and time again that they are more than happy to advertise aggressively, create a massive amount of hype, and cash in on the profit before releasing a game that is mediocre at best; a false-advertising lawsuit at worst. My point is, paying for a game that you’ll get is not the same as getting the game you paid for.

This is a practice more or less restricted to the gaming industry, which is bizarre because they are never sold out. I cannot recall a single occasion on which I have been unable to procure a game (except The Weakest Link on PS2 about a decade later) after its release.

Nonetheless, we are now living in a climate in which publishers have made it acceptable to ‘buy before you try’.

This generation, however, has seen the rise of not just the pre-order, but the pre-order bonus. You will have seen this, no doubt. Almost every game now is carted out with a gold, collector’s, deluxe, limited, or some similar edition, often in a tiered system costing up to £200. Ubisoft were even so bold as to release an $799.99 ‘Dawn of the Creed Legendary Edition’ of Assassins Creed: Origins.

The worst thing is that the added ‘value’ is usually made up of discounted microtransactions (an objectively worthless in-game currency), nominal amounts of unessential in-game content, and, most often, tat.

And it is tat: statues, posters, guides, maps, clothing, cards, concept art, soundtracks, badges, cards – and that’s just in Watch Dogs. These are things that are do not not enrich the experience of the game, but create the illusion of value by offering an array of nebulous paraphernalia and using it to make the shoddy ‘standard edition’, by association, seem inadequate by highlighting the negation of that extra content.

Gamestop perhaps best demonstrated this in their recent promo for Origins, in which the gameplay was interrupted by this trite message: ‘sorry. The bonus mission is blocked. Unless you pre-order’.

The thing is, the ‘bonus mission’ is already made, which means games companies are working on content they can monetise further before the game is even released. The mission is not ‘bonus’ – it has been actively sectioned off from the rest of the game in order to flog more pre-orders.

The clamour for pre-orders on behalf of developers and publishers is not likely to change any time soon: it means they do not have to take risks on underestimating sales figures or the game reviewing negatively.

Admittedly, its hardly a crisis right now. However, it’s the same old pattern that the industry has tended to follow: anti-consumer practices creep in inch by inch, and slowly become more and more noxious as they erode the fabric of the game from the inside.

Look at loot boxes. Back in 2009, they were restricted more or less exclusively to mobile games and just starting to creep into the ‘pack’ system of FIFA 09. 8 years on, and they saturate the games market to the extent that entire ‘AAA’ games are built around this system to such an extent that it is starting to compromise the quality of the games itself.

Profit is the primary means of community feedback for games companies, and every pre-order encourages publishers to get bolder and more avaricious with every new instalment. Look at the recent Call of Duty: WWII, where you can pre-order a map pack that was made before the game was even released.

As consumers, we do not have to buy into the hysteria whipped up by the increasingly desperate marketing of the games industry. Every purchase is choice, whether in the supermarket or the steam store, and conscientious consumerism is the only way to halt the progressive normalisation of pre-order culture.

HOME Cinema Preview: 10th November

Written by James Gill on . Posted in Film.

Films opening at HOME this week:

The Florida Project

Directed by Sean Baker — Rated 15

Sean Baker’s follow-up to the astonishing Tangerines is another lucid, brilliantly realised portrait of life on the margins. The Florida Project tells the story of a precocious six-year-old and her rag-tag group of close friends whose summer break is filled with childhood wonder, possibility and a sense of adventure, while their parents and the adults around them struggle with hard times. A synthesis of Mark Twain, Gummo and Andrea Arnold’s American Honey, this is a bold, visionary work.

Click here to book tickets

Felicite

Directed by Alain Gomis — Rated 12A

A gritty, music-infused drama about a Kinshasa bar singer who comes out of her emotional shell after a brush with misfortune, the fourth feature from French-Senegalese director Alain Gomis (Tey) was one of the standout features at the 2017 Berlin Film Festival. Initially grounded firmly in realism, the film gradually morphs into a dreamlike mood piece and, eventually, a tentative romance.

Click here to book tickets

Kaleidoscope

Directed by Rupert Jones — Rated 15

The title of this tense, unsettling and atmospheric psychological chiller couldn’t be more apt, with debut British director Rupert Jones creating a dizzying nightmare that looks slightly different with each twist and turn. Toby Jones is typically terrific as Carl, a single man whose attempt to live a carefully ordered existence is upset by visitors he can’t easily control (Sinead Matthews as a pushy date; Anne Reid as Carl’s mother). Shades of Polanski’s Repulsion and, following on from our opening night, Hitchcock’s Psycho colour Jones’ story, creating a tightly wound and unpredictable tale with a fascinating character at its centre.

Click here t0 book tickets

Marjorie Prime

Directed by Michael Almereyda — Rated 12A

What would we remember and what would we forget if we could choose? In a near future, 86-year-old Marjorie (Lois Smith) has conversations with a hologram that resembles her dead husband and has been programmed to share Marjorie’s past with her. A fascinating film about identity and memory, love and loss from director Michael Almereyda.

Click here to book tickets

 

Films continuing this week:

The Death of Stalin

Directed by Armando Iannucci — Rated 15

Based on the graphic novel The Death Of Stalin by Fabien Nury and Thierry Robin, writer and director Armando Iannucci’s (Veep, The Thick of It) acerbic satire is set in the days following the Russian leader’s stroke in 1953 as his core team of ministers tussle for control. An all-star cast includes Steve Buscemi, Simon Russell Beale, Paddy Considine, Rupert Friend, Jason Isaacs, and Olga Kurylenko.

Click here to book tickets

Call Me By Your Name

Directed by Luca Guadagnino — Rated 15

It’s the summer of 1983 in northern Italy, and Elio Perlman (Chalamet), a 17-year-old American-Italian, spends his days in his family’s seventeenth-century villa lazily transcribing music and flirting with his friend, Marzia.

One day Oliver (Armie Hammer, Free Fire), a charming, 24-year-old American scholar working on his doctorate, arrives as the annual summer intern tasked with helping Elio’s father (Stuhlbarg), an eminent professor.

Amid the sun-drenched splendour of this sensual setting, Elio and Oliver discover the heady beauty of awakening desire over the course of a fateful summer. The latest film by Luca Guadagnino (I Am Love) is sensuously adapted from the novel by André Aciman.

Click here to book tickets

Sorcerer

Directed by William Friedkin — Rated 15

William Friedkin’s remake of Clouzot’s Wages of Fear has acquired a sizeable reputation after having been marginalised on release.

Four desperate renegades, led by Roy Scheider, reuniting with the director after a public falling out following not being cast in The Exorcist, from different parts of the globe agree to risk their lives transporting gallons of nitroglycerin across dangerous South American jungle.

The equal of the original, the film has been restored for its 40th anniversary and, augmented by the Tangerine Dream score, is essential big screen viewing.

Click here to book tickets

The Killing of a Sacred Dear

Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos — Rated 15

Steven (Farrell), an eminent cardiothoracic surgeon is married to Anna (Kidman), a respected ophthalmologist. They are well off and live a happy and healthy family life with their two children, Kim and Bob.

Their lives take a darker turn when Martin (Keoghan), a fatherless youth with whom Steven has a strained friendship ingratiates himself further into the lives of the family.

Lanthimos’s follow-up to The Lobster is a brilliantly realised, Kubrickian look at human behaviour.

Click here to book tickets

 

Special events this week:

11th November — Coin Locker Girl

Directed by Han Jun-hee — Rated 18

As a newborn, ‘Il-young’ is abandoned in a subway station locker and eight years later, she is sold to the godmother of a Chinatown gang. Coin Locker Girl is a story of two women who have found their own ways to survive in a cruel, harsh world.

Click here to book tickets

11th November — The First Lap

Directed by Kim Dae-hwan — Rated 12A

Kim Daehwan’s film explores generational conflict within a contemporary love story in thrilling forensic detail. Twenty-somethings Su-hyeon and Ji-young live together
in financial and emotional insecurity. When Ji-young tells Su-hyeon that she may be pregnant, pressure mounts on them to either commit or split up.

Click here to book tickets

12th November — The Day of the Jackal + Discussion

Directed by Fred Zinnemann — Rated 15

A UK-France co-production, Fred Zinnemann’s legendary film explores the attempts of a right-wing paramilitary group to assassinate French President General De Gaulle following the independence of Algeria. Boasting a career-defining performance from Edward Fox and replete with many political twists and turns, The Day of the Jackal is one of the best thrillers of the 1970s.

This screening will be followed by a post-screening discussion with Roy Stafford, Freelance Film Educator.

Click here to book tickets

12th November — The Merciless

Directed by Byun Sung-hyun — Rated 18

Whether inside prison or out, ruthless gangster Jae-ho and his new young protégé Hyun-soo struggle to trust each other in a world of endless double-dealing and betrayal. Reminiscent of Tarantino, this is also a moody neo-noir, all existential musings, rain-swept treachery and savagery just out of shot.

Click here to book tickets

13th November — The Essential Link: The Story of Wilfrid Israel + Discussion

Directed by Jonatan Nir — Rating TBA

Despite taking an integral role in the Kindertransport and working in partnership with the British intelligence, Wilfrid Israel is a forgotten hero. This fascinating documentary explores not only Israel’s remarkable rescue operations but also the reasons they had been kept secret for so long.

This screening will be followed by a panel discussion with Ruth Barnett and Dr Jean-Marc Dreyfus, chaired by Dr Bobby Garson.

Click here to book tickets

14th November — One Nite in Mongkok

Rated 15

A hitman from the Chinese mainland, Lai Fu, is hired to avenge the death of a Hong Kong crime lord’s son, but the police are onto him from the start. Hidden in the dense streets of Mong Kok, Lai Fu works to complete his contract.

Click here to book tickets

14th — 16th November — Manchester Animation Festival

Manchester Animation Festival is the UK’s largest Animation Festival dedicated celebration of the animated art form.

Hosted at HOME in Manchester, the festival brings one of the UK’s biggest animation hubs together and invites the international community to join us to delight in all things animated.

Animation is everywhere, from the smallest smart phone screen to the largest cinematic projection. Manchester Animation Festival unites artists, practitioners, students and enthusiasts and all those in between to savour the many and varied achievements of the animated form.

If you’re an animation insider or just want to see something unique, you don’t have to be an animation boffin to join us for animated short competitions, feature films, retrospective screenings, workshops, networking events, panel discussions, masterclasses and screen talks from the industry’s finest over three packed days.

Click here for more information!

 

Review: Tibetan Kitchen, Chorlton

Written by Joe Taylor on . Posted in Food & Drink.

I have never been to Tibet, nor do I really know anything about Tibetan culture, aside from the quintessentials: Sherpas, the Dalai Lama, Free Tibet.

Tibetan Kitchen in Chorlton is a small joint set-up by owners Sonny and Jane that opened its restaurant doors back in 2014, having spent nearly 8 years as a small “yak van” touring markets and festivals selling Momo, a traditional Tibetan steamed dumpling, to the hungry populace. They found that little was known about the Tibetan dish and so on they went shouting, “Momo!” and warming the insides of famished wanderers—I know because I had heard the distant call each year at End of The Road, and each year I listened for it once more.

The inside of the restaurant is small, unpretentious and errs on the fast food side to dining, with a hotplate of pre-cooked curries and a couple of big rice cookers slightly further back. Everything in Tibetan Kitchen is reasonably priced, to the point where you wonder whether they actually make any money, or if it’s just an exercise in kindness—having been given “free Momo for you!” almost every time I ordered at the festival by a smiling Sonny, it really wouldn’t be out of the realms of possibility.

I ordered a selection of vegetarian curries (£6.50 for three) along with white rice: Ngo Khatsa (spinach and chickpea), butternut squash and paneer, and a dahl, before adding on three vegetable Momo for good measure. My dining companions ordered a similar selection, swapping the paneer dish for Phing Sha, a Tibetan Beef and Potato Stew. Although you order at the hotplate, they bring the food over to you in two sittings: Momo first, followed by the curries. We made our way a seating area consisting of just three small tables and a few benches arranged so that you face other diners.

We had some complimentary Chai tea while we waited, whetting our appetites before the Momo arrived with Sonny’s “addictive” chilli sauce. This was a sauce well known to me, having sought it out to warm up on cold Dorset evenings. Aside from working as a protective barrier against any pretentiousness that may be floating in the ether, the chilli sauce is partially crunchy, almost like a thick oil that is an oh so wonderful companion to the soft chewy outer flesh of a Momo, and a compliment to the flavour of either the vegetables or beef inside.

Soon after we were served our curries: they were big portions served on a single white plate, very simple, very homely. The spinach and chickpea curry was cosy and full of flavour with a lovely texture due to the chickpeas adding a satisfying soft crunch. The dahl and the butternut squash curries were also tasty, and added variety to a plate that might have been slightly plain had I just got a single curry portion, and my dining companions admitted to preferring the vegetable dishes to their meat ones—a success for the fight against global warming, hurrah!

We left happy and full, and with some change jangling round in our pockets. Tibetan Kitchen, I thank you.

Review: Jigsaw

Written by Jamie McEvoy on . Posted in Film.

After 2004’s Saw — a commendably inventive and gripping horror/thriller directed by James Wan — six sequels were released in as many years. The scenario of a group of sinners forced to repent to avoid gruesome deaths was rehashed time and time again, leaving the concept completely exhausted.

2010’s Saw: The Final Chapter brought 3D into the fray in an attempt to introduce some fresh allure into the franchise. Yet, despite James Cameron’s insistence that three dimensional film is the future of cinema, it surprised very few when for the sixth time the sequel failed to live up to its original predecessor.

There was a glimmer of hope when Jigsaw was announced. Seven years had passed since the last movie in the series, and although admittedly having very low expectations, I could not help but think that Lionsgate would have spent this intermission to find the right directorial and writing team to try and evoke the same success which the original Saw oozed with.

Sadly, this was not the case. The plot remains a carbon copy of its preceding films — several strangers wake up to find themselves trapped in some kind of twisted game. In order to survive the sadistic trials they have been thrust into, the victims must pay some form of sacrifice — usually a loss of a limb or killing a fellow hostage — and confess their crimes.

The host of their grisly contest is hosted by John Kramer, AKA the Jigsaw Killer — a figure who has been presumed dead for ten years.  After corpses are found with his signature — a jigsaw puzzle piece — detectives Halloran and Keith Hunt begin to fear that the psychopath has returned from the grave, and a race against time ensues for the pair to track down Kramer before he strikes again.

James Wan’s 2004 film held its cards very close to its chest. Saw’s shocking finale presented a surprising and satisfying twist, whilst the characters were sympathetic and developed despite the lack of exposition.

On the other end of the spectrum, Jigsaw’s plot is unbelievably predictable and its characters are increasingly dislikeable, not aided by hammy acting throughout from its cast. The void left by Danny Glover’s protagonist is still looming large 13 years down the line, with Callum Keith Rennie and Matt Passmore failing to provide worthy foils of Tobin Bell’s Jigsaw.

The one admirable trait which the Spierig Brothers’ sequel possesses is its evident desire to respect and pay homage to the original. However, much akin to Ridley Scott’s gargantuan disappointment Alien: Covenant earlier this year, throughout the film ‘homage’ slips into blatant recycling — the ending especially.

The mischievously sinister ‘Hello Zepp’ track which has become the theme of the franchise returns once again, but has somewhat lost its potency since the ending of James Wan’s opening act of the series.

Fans of the series won’t be too disappointed, with just enough throw-back material to induce fond nostalgia in certain scenes, yet there is nothing compelling enough or new to entertain casual Saw or horror aficionados. Even the gory and gruesome deaths have been toned down to some extent, yet the film’s blood-spattered climax will satisfy audiences expecting the morbidly macabre.

Jigsaw shows good intent, but woeful execution.  Saw is most definitely a game we no longer want to play.

1/5

Review: Breathe

Written by James Gill on . Posted in Film.

Andy Serkis is renowned for his acting in films such as The Lord of the Rings and King Kong, but he takes a step back with Breathe. His first directorial effort, it is starkly contrasted with the performance capture-heavy films he has previously been involved with. Regardless, this is a very impressive debut and shows Serkis has plenty more to offer.

Serkis delves into polio for second time after his role as Ian Dury in Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll. Now behind the camera, he tells the incredible true story of the man who sparked a change in the way the disabled were treated, from prisoners to the free. Andrew Garfield plays that man, Robin, an ever-jolly 28 year old who seemingly has it all; a beautiful wife in Diana (Claire Foy), a child on the way, a great job in the thriving African tea business and a large social circle.

His life is turned upside down when, whilst working in Kenya, he contracts polio, a disease all but wiped out in the Western World two years prior with the widespread use of Jonas Salk’s remarkable vaccine. Polio, for those unaware, paralyses the body from the neck down, with sufferers unable to breathe without apparatus. Garfield channels an entire body’s acting through just his head in a marvellous portrayal with Robin’s real life wife noting that he “even had the twinkle in his eye.”

The first act takes us on a breakneck journey, introducing us to Robin and every character and event that will influence the remaining running time of the film. This furious pace inhibits the emotional connection with Robin’s suffering, the scenes showing his depression and wishing for death initially after he receives the disease should tug at the heartstrings but if it wasn’t for Garfield’s performance, it would have fallen entirely flat.

Thankfully the pace slows to a cantor from here on in. Diana, refusing to let her husband die locked away from the world, decides to break him out, much to the fury of the doctor who shouts “he’ll be dead in two weeks!” With the effort of a merry band of friends Robin moves to an idyllic country house where he can enjoy the peace of the country, except for the ever-present wheeze of his respirator.

All the while the risk of suffocating is mere minutes away, shown when their yappy dog knocks the plug from the socket. Robin tries to shout for help but without air in his lungs nothing comes out. He can hear Diana in the next room with their son saying playfully ‘Where’s Daddy?’ while he suffocates unbeknownst to her. When she finally enters the room and sees, horrified, an unconscious Robin, she plugs the ventilator back in and after a nervous few seconds he springs back to life. Garfield is sublime in this scene, the increasing desperation in his eyes with every moment that passes is haunting.

Now settled in the country, Robin decides he wants to travel freely, not tied to an extension cord, and here lies the point of massive historical significance. An entrepreneurial friend designs and builds what is essentially a wheel chair featuring a mobile, battery powered respiratory unit. This contraption allows Robin to live a free life; to go where he wants to go.

There is a heartwarming scene where Robin, Diana, their adult son and friends travel to Spain. The respirator’s electrics become fried whilst driving down a rural country road and they have to take turns hand operating a smaller respirator while the original maker flies over to fix it. During the wait a mass of locals come and by the time he arrives there is music playing, people dancing and an all round jolly time. Not one of them was scared of Robin’s appearance, if anything they liked him more.

Before the invention of the mobile wheelchair, people with disabilities were locked away in hospitals with an ‘out of sight, out of mind approach’. Polio will never allow you to live a normal life, but because of Robin Cavendish and his determined wife Diana, sufferers could live a happy one. Serkis captures the magic and charm of Robin’s extraordinary life — a life he well and truly lived.

3/5