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Month: February 2013

Debate: Should Manchester vote for the inanimate carbon rod as NUS president?

Written by Mancunion on . Posted in Opinion.

Against – Nick Pringle, Manchester Student Union’s General Secretary 

In a few months time I’ll be going to NUS National Conference along with 10 others to represent students from The University of Manchester, and I’ll not be voting for any joke candidates. Next year’s president is likely to be a woman for the first time in a long time (and she may also be from further education) yet all anybody is talking about is some guy who is making Simpsons jokes.

You might not think it, but the NUS is actually quite important. Before Christmas when a student submitted an idea to an assembly to get Manchester SU to disaffiliate, students at the assembly voted overwhelmingly to remain in the national union. NUS’s impact affects not only students here in Manchester but nationally as our elected officers work for students in government meetings every day.  Cameron and his mates are pretty hard to work with as it is; I doubt some guy with a carbon rod is going to be any use in fighting to put money back into students pockets, or for fair access to education, for affordable housing or rigorous measures of quality in our universities. This candidate is a joke and anybody voting for the rod is too.

This year’s National President commissioned the largest ever piece of research into student finance in the UK – Pound in Your Pocket. With this information student officers like myself and the rest of the Manchester Exec Team up and down the country are now convincing their colleges and universities that students need more generous bursaries, cheaper courses and that institutions need to be paying far greater attention to student finances. Could an inanimate carbon rod commission such an important piece of research which would have a genuine impact on the lives of millions of students? I think not.

Postgraduate fees are steadily climbing at universities across the UK. There are no loans, not enough bursaries and a national crisis is looming. What NUS needs now is a President to take on the government over this issue before it’s too late. Do you want to do a masters when you graduate? Have you started looking at graduate schemes yet and realised how advantageous it would be if you had an MA after your name instead of a BA? Change doesn’t come from inanimate objects; it comes from passionate and pragmatic individuals with values and skills to create real change for students.

Anybody campaigning for “the rod” at NUS is undermining the work that NUS does, saying it could be done by an object from a cartoon. What we should really be talking about in this debate is what we want from our NUS, what sort of a future do we want our national union to be fighting for? There are some amazingly talented and passionate people running for the full time positions of NUS and to support an inanimate object is an insult to their hard work and delegitimizes the organisation as a whole. You may not think it, but people do pay attention to the NUS.

But the NUS isn’t perfect, and anybody who says so is deluded. There are a lot of ways the NUS can improve and become more relevant to students and less inward facing, and it’s getting better every year. I’ve been to more NUS events than  I care to remember, and I’ve seen the change as the organisation has stopped talking about itself and started talking about students. About real issues, and about things that affect all of us up and down the country.

NUS elections aren’t perfect either, and there are a few small things which could be done to improve them, but I’m yet to hear a better overall option for electing our national representatives. Delegates elected from every SU who go to conference get to see, hear and meet all the candidates and grill them on the issues that are relevant to students before voting on for them. Candidates have to work hard for their votes, to get their message out and work for weeks in advance of conference itself to be successful. It’s a rightfully rigorous process which gives the necessary scrutiny to ensure the highest calibre of candidates.

Should more students get involved in delegate elections on campus? Yes. Should more students get involved in the motions which are discussed at conference and the decisions that NUS makes? Yes. Should candidates for election have to reach out to more students and students unions? Yes.

Some people believe that every one of the 7 million student members of the NUS should get a vote in electing the national President and Vice Presidents. Do I think that? No. It’s already expensive enough for candidates without having to travel up and down the UK to meet 7 million voters, to build a campaign team on every campus and to get their message across. I know I’d rather see NUS spending money on lobbying, campaigning and empowering students to create real change.

To put the “One Member One Vote” idea into context, the total pool of voters would be larger than all of the people who can vote for the Mayor of London, or the total number of people who voted in the last Belgian Parliamentary elections.

So will I be voting for the carbon rod? No, of course not!

 

For – Arun Mehta, Computer Science postgraduate student 

ManchesterSU should back the inanimate carbon rod for the presidency of the NUS.  How many of the NUS presidential candidates do you know that won a worker’s safety ward at Springfield nuclear plant, flew into space with the legendary Buzz Aldrin and returned an American hero after jamming itself into the broken door lock of the space shuttle? But seriously, let’s face it, over recent years, the NUS has been largely irrelevant and unhelpful to students like you and me.

When I first started university in 2008, the hottest topic in the student community was anti-war, Israel/Palestine and various other important issues facing the world that the student body were passionate to talk about. I agreed with some, I disagreed with others but the national student discussion then was exciting. Sadly nowadays, these issues are confined and narrowed down only to the societies, the passive public forums and the occasional bake sale I see while I’m strolling down Oxford Road. Please don’t tell me about the constantly failing anti-tuition fee campaigns if you’re an undergraduate. You’re still paying £9k a year! Since then, rightly or wrongly, a sort of university nationalism has gripped the NUS over recent years. This has pushed these major issues aside, favouring the rhetoric of tinkering with the university clockwork rather than being the voice of change. However, this conversion of student political trends has left many students, like myself, disillusioned from student politics and has pushed them out of the big NUS discussion

Sen Ganesh was President of Imperial College Union in 2002, back then he said, “The NUS’s claim to be representative of students is not borne out by their work. The NUS is dominated by Labour students and this diminishes the ability to address student issues in an impartial fashion.” Those words still speak volumes when discussing the nature of the NUS today, with its political relationship with Mr Ed Milliband’s team. The NUS currently holds a reputation by some as being the springboard to a job within the Labour Party ranks. Such as the Labour MP Jack Straw, or former Labour Home Secretary Charles Clarke.

Some will say this is now all in the past, that the NUS has moved on, but what about the fairly recent NUS president Aaron Porter? Wasn’t he a delightful character?  After his time as president, Mr Porter ended up as a contributor for Labour’s education policy. Though to be fair, Porter is now an Education Consultant for Aaron Ross Porter Consultancy Ltd. He charges universities £125 an hour, and administers 10 day courses costing around £8500.

During the dying days of my studentship here in Manchester, the NUS had become an afterthought. Its relevancy shot and its existence largely forgotten. I urge Manchester SU’s delegates to back the inanimate carbon rod for president, because this inanimate object is probably a more suitable candidate then the humans running for this worn out, rusty Labour trampoline.

For – Becky Montacute, Mancunion Comment and Politics co-editor

Student politics today doesn’t talk about what students care about most. The NUS campaign for undergraduate fees but practically ignore the postgraduate fees and loans system, which is in much greater need for reform. It also pushes unpopular policies such as ‘no platform for fascists’, which closes down debate within universities, and has been disobeyed up and down the country by SUs wanting to encourage free speech (for instance, Leeds student paper not backing down on its decision to publish an interview with Nick Griffin).

The way that NUS president is elected currently doesn’t engage students in the election process. NUS delegates are elected at each institution, these delegates then go on to represent our SU and vote for president. Students are not engaged in these elections, and they typically have a very low turnout. Many students simply don’t understand this overly complicated system to elect the president, and so don’t vote. It also makes NUS president seem like a distant, far removed institution that they themselves have no hope of changing.

This leads to the same clique getting elected, the kind of  people typically seen in student politics. Mostly left wing, mostly in support of policies such as ‘no platform for fascists’, but not the same as the average student. They are the people who stand as NUS delegates, who vote for one another. The average student then doesn’t vote, thinking all the candidates are the same, and the cycle continues. This doesn’t engage students. If each presidential candidate had to have a national campaign to win votes, they would have to actually talk to students about their policies. If they support unpopular policies, they won’t get elected. To say the cost of this is too great, the scale of the election too large, implies that the work the NUS does is not important enough to be worth doing properly. Voting for the rod is a protest against this system, against all the candidates having the same policies. Because right now, they just don’t face the pressure needed for change from their student electorate.

 

 

Last orders for the Nanny State – the problem with minimum alcohol pricing

Written by Sam Dumitriu on . Posted in Opinion.

Minimum Unit Pricing is probably the most regressive, illiberal, and outright snobbish policy being debated by parliament today, yet it enjoys near universal political support from the NUS and the Labour party on the left, to the Tories on the right. The problem is, the support is based on junk science, state-funded lobbying and outright prejudice against the poorest. The policy of imposing a minimum price of 45p per unit of alcohol will nearly double the cost of a bottle of Sainsbury’s Basics Cider, put an extra 2 quid on a 70cl bottle of Vodka and will raise the price of a bottle of wine to around £4.20.

The policy claims to target heavy drinkers who binge on supermarket booze, although not heavy drinkers who binge on fine wine or whisky. Advocates claim evidence such as that from the Sheffield Alcohol Policy Model, which claims it will reduce alcohol related deaths by over 1000 per year.

This speculative model assumes that a minimum price of 50p will lead to a reduction in alcohol consumption of 6.7 percent, causing 3,060 fewer deaths per year. Yet between 2005 and 2010 weekly alcohol consumption declined by 20%, while alcohol related deaths were unchanged. Others might like to point to evidence from British Columbia, yet hospital admissions for alcohol overdoses since the policy’s introduction have increased by 18%.

The policy is also highly regressive, squeezing the pay packets of the poorest in our society and increasing inequality. As the wealthy and middle classes tend to buy alcohol that is already above the minimum price, this policy won’t affect them. The poorest however will be forced to either cutback on the drink or on spending elsewhere.

Economic analysis suggests that alcohol consumption is unresponsive to price changes; a 50% increase in the cost of cider won’t lead to a 50% fall in consumption. This means less money for keeping the heating on, cooking healthy food, and buying schoolbooks. The regressive nature of the policy could have the unintended consequence of harming public health.

The policy will hurt students, making the NUS’ support of it even more ponderous. With clubbing and drinking such an important part of student culture, an increase in the price of drinking will either lead to one of two things happening: students avoiding safer drinking environments like pubs and instead pre-drinking at home, or students purchasing black market booze. Gaff’s may have gone dry, but where there’s demand there’s supply. Again, this could make public health outcomes worse, the Government’s failure to investigate either of these possibilities is damning.

Advocates claim that this policy will shift drinking from supermarket booze to the safer drinking environment of the pub, where drunks are refused service. But a recent YouGov poll suggested the opposite will be true. Four out of ten respondents said it’ll lead them to drink less at the pub, while just 0.36% said they would drink more at the pub. The logic behind this is obvious: when a heavy drinker sees the cost of a can of Special Brew increase from £1 to £1.35, he isn’t going to rush down to the local and spend £3.50 on a pint of weaker beer.

Even if this policy could achieve its goals of reducing alcohol consumption through higher prices it would be wrong to do so. Drinkers already pay for the social cost of drinking through heavy taxes on alcohol (£1 on a £2.50 pint). The costs to the NHS and the police are more than met by the heavy taxes. The other costs associated with drinking, such as lower productivity and worse health outcomes are borne by the individual not society. Drinkers choose to drink in spite of the large costs because they consider the benefits to outweigh the costs.

Adults should be free to pursue their own happiness in whatever way they choose provided they do not burden others unfairly. Minimum Unit Pricing restricts your ability to do that, because the modern-day temperance lobby believes you’re making the wrong choice. The idea that the poor can’t decide what is best for themselves is a Victorian attitude that’s sadly back in fashion. We have councils forcing benefit claimants to go to the gym, the DWP investigating stopping jobseekers from spending their benefits on booze and fags and we have Minimum Unit Pricing, which attempts to price the poorest out of drinking.

To impose legislation that restricts choice like this represents a fundamental failure to treat people as equals. Suggesting that some people have less of a right to consume what they want should offend our liberal values, doubly so because of its basis in class. Minimum Unit Pricing won’t make the public healthier; it won’t help pubs and it won’t save the public money. It will make the poorest poorer and boost the illegal trade. It should be last orders for the nanny state.

Dominant England are Six Nations favourites

Written by Cal Millar on . Posted in Sport.

Playing in the world’s oldest rugby tournament means that the rivalries between the nations are some of the fiercest in the sport. Whatever the preconceptions about whether the best of Europe can match it with the giants of the southern hemisphere, these seven weeks have more passion, vibrance and nail-biting finales than can be found anywhere in the world of rugby; this, ladies and gents, is the Six Nations.

Form going into the tournament was mixed for the competitors. Wales, grand slam champions of last years competition, entered on a roll of seven consecutive defeats, but  Irish green had begun to bloom in the autumn with a hammering of Argentina. Scotland were under a new coach following three losses in the autumn, while Italy have enjoyed mixed fortunes of late but with encouraging performances at home.

France appeared strongest in Europe with three wins in November, including a crushing of Australia, and  England fell narrowly to South Africa and Australia before turning out “their best  performance of the professional era” to not only defeat, but blow away world champions New Zealand. All of this set up one of the most exciting Six Nations in living memory, with opinion divided everywhere on who would win and who would fall.

The hype was lived up to in emphatic style on the opening weekend as sixteen tries were scored between the three games. Ireland gave a performance of breathtaking efficiency and skill to take the game away from Wales by the 42nd minute as Irish talisman Brian O’Driscoll burrowed over to seal his comeback game with his 46th try for his country. They almost paid the price for complacency, however, as Wales fired up to win the second half 19-7, the 30-22 final score flattering them somewhat.

England, meanwhile, dominated every facet of the game and did not waver when Scotland grabbed an early counterattacking try to win comfortably at Twickenham, 38-18. But the story of the weekend was in Rome, where the Italians, heavily favoured to pick up the wooden spoon, lay siege to an inexplicably toothless France with titanic performances from captain Sergio Parisse and flyhalf Luciano Orquera to steal a historic 23-18 win- only their third ever over the french.

But their heroics couldn’t be replicated in Edinburgh, as Scotland opted to soak up Italian pressure and capatalise on counter-attacking opportunities. It worked only too well as the Italians were sunk 34-10. Meanwhile, in Paris, Wales were determined to get their campaign back on track, but as the match unfolded it seemed both teams were too afraid of failure to go for the win. The match was tied at 6-6 right up until the 71st minute when a delicate chip from Dan Biggar found George North who crashed through the challenge of Francois Trinh-Duc to score in the corner. Leigh Halfpenny added a penalty to make it 16-6 at the final whistle.

This meant that England and Ireland reached their clash in Dublin as the only undefeated teams of the tournament. The weather dictated that running rugby was not the order of the day, and England triumphed in an arm-wrestle in the rain to clinch their first victory in Dublin in the competition for ten years, 12-6.

The media hype surrounding an English grand slam will invariably follow but I doubt it will  affect this grounded unit with Stuart Lancaster the master revolutionary at the helm. This pundits verdict? France will beat Scotland and throw everything at England but ultimately be outmuscled. It is also down to them whether Ireland stays in the race; the Irish seem to have a mental block when it comes to France, but a win over them in Dublin, after another likely victory in Rome, would see them right back in contention.

How many horses are in the race at that stage will depend on Wales. Yes, Wales, the team that went from Grand Slam Champions to a run of eight successive losses have the potential to be king makers, if not kings themselves. You would fancy them to beat Scotland and Italy away, but Italy becomes twice the team with a home crowd behind them, as we saw against Australia and France, meaning a return to mediocrity for Wales could spell the Italians most memorable tournament yet.

If not, much could be made of England being the only one of the three to host Italy this year, who for their grit at home have a history of shipping points on the road- a points margin that might hand England their second title in three years if the red dragon awakens in Cardiff. Given France’s ability to pull startling form out of nowhere it’s a very hard call but I’m going for England to win (Grand Slam or not), followed by Ireland, Wales, France, Scotland and Italy. Ask me again next week, I’ll have changed my mind by then. After all, no tournament is quite so colourful, fiercely fought or unpredictable as the Six Nations!

Callum Millar gives weekly commentary and analysis on the Six Nations as part of the Sunday news show for FuseFM (1-3PM) along with pundits Jack Carmichael and Lizzie Rule.

Society Spotlight: Ip Man Wing Chun Kung Fu

Written by Rachel Heward on . Posted in Societies.

After some technical difficulties we finally got into the studio and wasted no time getting down to chatting about the unique style of Kung Fu that the Ip Man Wing Chun society practice.

Kate Bullivant and Alix Roberts asked former Chairman and Instructor, Oliver Von Herder, about the interesting history behind the Chinese Martial Art. He explained how ‘it was developed in secret about 250 years ago in the Shaolin temple. China was under occupation at the time and rebel monks wanted a style that was lethal and could be quickly taught to fighters. They supposedly put together the most effective techniques from all the styles in the temple. Today, the whole point of Wing Chun is to do away with any inefficient movement and to keep everything as simple and as direct as possible. It is this emphasis on technique over strength that makes Wing Chun so effective for street combat – its original founder was not a monk, but a nun. Wing Chun remained a secretive art for a long time and only a few people at a time ever knew about it, and this is common for a lot of styles of Kung Fu. It wasn’t until the 1950’s in Hong Kong that a Grandmaster called Ip Man began teaching it to the public. Ip Man taught a lot of people, including Bruce Lee. One problem with Wing Chun today is that a lot of people have positioned themselves as the head of their own variations of the style so there are a lot of “flavours” of Wing Chun. Unfortunately only about ten percent of these schools are any good, in my opinion. It is important to me to teach Wing Chun exactly as Ip Man taught it to Bruce Lee. We even go to Hong Kong each year and train with Ip Man’s son’.

Gemma Presky who was member of the society but has since graduated, also spoke to us and said that quite a few girls practice Ip Man Wing Chun, especially in comparison to other styles of Kung Fu. She said, as well as being a great work-out it is also a good self-defence skill to learn, and is fairly easy too as it doesn’t rely on strength. She also said that when practicing, full force isn’t applied anyway and you do not get hurt.

Ip Man Wing Chun relies on grounding the lower half of your body, providing a good solid base so you can use your hands freely. To demonstrate how powerful this technique is, I had a go at the stance that is to be adopted when practicing this kind of Wing Chun and found that it was hard to lose footing, even when strength was applied against me.

To give us a further idea of the unique style of Ip Man Wing Chun, Oliver and current Chairman Joseph Butler showed us the impressive “one inch punch”, which demonstrates a tremendous amount of force from a very short distance. In one move, Oliver was able to send Joseph flying across the studio with from just one inch away from his body. When asked how it felt Joseph said that he’s ‘had worse’. I was unconvinced.

The Ip Man Wing Chun society on Fuse FM

If you would like to have a go at Ip Man Wing Chun, they meet several times a week for different kinds of classes and any level of experience is welcome. The schedule and contact information can be found at manchesterstudentsunion.com/groups/ip-man-wing-chun-kung-fu.

Dead Space 3 ‘exploit’ allows gamers to get paid content for free

Written by Sam Dumitriu on . Posted in Games.

Dead Space 3’s in-game transaction system has been undermined by an exploit in the game that allowed players to access unlimited items. The in-game transaction system allowed gamers to unlock advanced weapons earlier than they otherwise would have in the game.

The system mirrors the in-game purchases in freemium games like Temple Run 2, where you can use real life money to get in-game currency. Unlike other paid DLC, no new content is added with the payments rather existing content is unlocked quicker.

Creating weapons in Dead Space 3 requires expending scrap materials. These items can be found in game, gathered by Isaac’s scavenger bots or purchased through the in-game transaction system. However, certain materials have been found to respawn infinitely. You could rapidly get the resources by entering and exiting a room over and over again. This made purchasing the materials through the micro-transaction system completely pointless, closing off one of the game’s revenue streams.

There has been debate over whether using the glitch was justified or counted as theft.

Intellectual property solicitor Sara Ludlam told the BBC “If you go into a baker’s to buy a bun and they give you the wrong change and you walk away knowing you have been given more change than you handed over in the first place, that’s theft,”

Other gamers might feel justified on the grounds that it’s no different to using cheat codes, long a fixture in video gaming. Others resent paying full price for a game without unlocking all its features.

Publisher EA issued a statement “We have no plans to issue a patch to change this aspect of the game,” said spokesman Jino Talens. “We encourage players to explore the game and discover the areas where resources respawn for free.”

Five great songs about food

Written by Ollie Cartwright on . Posted in News.

1. ‘Pizza You’ by Ray Gelato and the Giants of Jive, on Gelato Espresso

Singer and Pizza-phile Ray Gelato rejects everything from cannelloni to minestrone in his hard swinging search for a ‘Pizza You.’ ‘I’ve lost my appetite, don’t know what to do. Cos I just want a pizza you.’

2. ‘Hey Pete! Let’s Eat More Meat’ by Dizzy Gillespie, on Dizzy Gillespie Big Band

Do you have a love of meat that borders on obsessive? Do you have a persistently vegetarian friend? Is that friend called Pete? Then look no further for the perfect tool of persuasion.

3. ‘Combination Pizza Hut And Taco Bell’ by Das Racist

A heart-rending tale of two friends lost in a sea of fast food restaurants. Possibly a thinly veiled comment on the relentless spread of American multinationals.

4. ‘The Coffee Song’ by Frank Sinatra, on A Foggy Day

This harrowing account of Brazil’s descent into caffeinated addiction is sure to put you off your morning cup of Joe. You’ll be dismayed when you hear how, ‘a politicians daughter was accused of drinking water’ and promptly fined without even being given her day in court. Barbaric.

5. ‘Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off’ by Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong, on Ella and Louis Together

A disagreement over the weekly shop sees this couple pushed over the edge. A tragic situation but also a unparalleled lesson on how to pronounce those trickier food staples.

In conversation with: Simon Binns

Written by Mancunion on . Posted in News.

Simon Binns is one of our favourite food writers. With a history in business journalism, his opinions on food have a practical edge. He has worked for the BBC, Manchester Evening News and Manchester Confidential. He is very down to earth and funny; a pleasure to be around. He has seemingly reviewed, or at least eaten in, every Mancunian café, pub, restaurant, grill or eatery you could wish to. Settled in North Tea Power with brews in hand, we learnt many a thing about eating in this muddled city.

We began by discussing the most popular fare in Manchester – Simon tells us ‘inexplicably, the highest grossing restaurant in Manchester is Red Hot World Buffet, so work that one out. £140,000 a week, they say.’ And apparently, Red Hot are planning to double their capacity.

Jessica Hardiman: So what’s their secret?

Simon Binns: They do this really clever thing, they let you in, then make you stand next to a rope for about five minutes while they go and find you a seat, even though there’s 300. And so, everyone’s just looking at all this food, by the time you unleash them, they’re just rabid animals.

Emily Clark: Are Mancunians perhaps less discerning about food quality? The food in Red Hot isn’t the best…

SB: I don’t think they’re less discerning, it’s just not like London – a fine dining high concept thing with all the tourist footfall. There’s more people living in the city and you can afford to do it.

JH: Do you think the Michelin star suits Manchester? People here maybe want normal, hearty portions, don’t want to pay loads of money, are less interested in fashions?

SB: I think we do quite well for mid-market dining in Manchester, quite acceptable good restaurants. Some of the chains do well – Grill on the Alley, does what it does really well.

I think there’s still a little bit of a fear around fine dining, up north. Fine dining has come a long way in the last five years, it’s quite relaxed now. I don’t know if Manchester needs a Michelin star, and the pressure to keep it.

EC: Where are the worst experiences you’ve had – if you’re allowed to say?

SB: I’m not one for naming things, however, I feel no shame in saying that La Vina on Deansgate is where I’ve had one of the worst meals of my entire life, it made me feel quite sad really, and shocked. It’s the tapas place. It belongs to the same chain as La Tasca. It’s just horrible. But I’ve gotta say, I think the standard in Manchester is pretty high.

JH: So where are your favourite places to go?

SB: I really like Aumbry, but it’s not cheap. Room’s really good, never had a bad meal there. It depends what you’re into in Manchester – I’d have a burrito every day of my life if the doctor didn’t say I couldn’t. I think Pancho’s is really good in the Arndale food market if you want something cheap and quick.

EC: People always ask us where’s good to go for lunch. Where would you suggest?

SB: Grill on the Alley over the years has been the most reliable place. If you go to Chinatown, somewhere like Yuzu is good, Zouk off Oxford Road is the best Indian in Manchester for my money. I think you’ll probably see some good mid-market chains from London have a look at Manchester over the next 12 months. They’ll clean up. Like a good Thai restaurant concept.

EC: Oo, I’ve been to a good Thai restaurant in the middle of town somewhere – Chouphraya?

Oh yeah it’s alright, but last time I went there I had Yorkshire puddings from the buffet section. I’ve been to Thailand several times and I’ve never had a Yorkshire pudding there.

JH: What do you think about restaurants that create false hype? I don’t think it’s very imaginative, I don’t respond well to it.

SB: I’m with you on that one. I did a thing about the burger thing and obviously being a 36 year old man, everything drives me mad. The people who, 12 months ago, won’t eat a McDonald’s because it’s bad for them will happily walk into a burger bar, fork out 15 quid. Hot dogs are the next thing apparently. You know the hot dogs you buy from a tin, 10 for 99p, you’re gonna be paying £8.50 for them soon because someone’s put a bit of bacon on it and given it a funny name.

EC: We need to have something like Almost Famous without all the bullshit.

SB: That’s almost a restaurant concept in itself, Almost Famous without the bullshit; it’s a business plan. Oh no, that’s just McDonald’s actually.

There are a lot of restaurants in Manchester that are trying to do too much, I don’t really know what their key thing is. As much as Living Ventures get a rough ride for places like The Alchemist, Oast House, Australasia, Grill on the Alley – they’re all very different and the reason they do so well is all the individual brands do one different thing really well.

JH: So where’s good to drink?

SB: Wow, everywhere, anywhere, depends who you’re with. Manchester still has great pubs which are sort of the saviour of the city. It has inner city pubs – you go down the street, you’ve got The Vine and The City Arms, the Town Hall Tavern, The Temple – the graffiti in the toilets there is always wonderful, Peveril of the Peak; a vast variety of pubs. You could do a really good pub crawl of actual pubs in the city.

EC: What about cocktail places? I like Hula Tiki.

SB: Yeah Hula’s great, I’ve been there a lot, I like it down there, but Liar’s Club is great. But sometimes these cocktail bars are better on paper – when you go in and there’s 98 people ahead of you at the bar, all waiting for 6 Flaming Zombies and you just think, I could be here a while.

JH: It’s always the annoying sugary sickly ones that sell really well.

SB: Or the ones you can set fire to. I’m naturally cautious about drinks you can set fire to.

Find Simon’s food blog at eatdrinkmanchester.com

Dead Space 3

Written by Mancunion on . Posted in Games.

In 2008 the survival horror genre was rocked by the release of Dead Space. The story of Isaac Clarke, a seemingly mute engineer everyman abandoned on an rusting spaceship with great hoards of the reanimated crew, armed only with his wits and an welding tools. This combination of resourcefulness and helplessness made Dead Space a rare thing, a game that is simultaneously terrifying and rewarding.

Now we return to that bleak universe with the release of Dead Space 3. Much has changed, Isaac seems to have found not only his voice, but also a fair arsenal of weapons and abilities to send the Necromorphs back to the grave. The transition away from survival horror towards a more action-based experience has been natural. By the third game the player like Isaac, has had umpteen Necromorphs jump them from every angle and has learnt to scan likely entry points, dispatching the abominations with ruthless efficiency. This hardening of both player and character requires Dead Space 3 to bring something new to replace the desperation of the earlier titles.

The story and character development are brought to the fore more than in any of the other games. The player is invited to enter Isaac’s head as he is dragged back into a world he has been running from both physically and mentally. For the most part, this change in tone works, the story is epic in scale but tightly written and the voice acting is first class, allowing the player to easily slip into the world and characters.

Visually, Dead Space has always struck a nice balance between claustrophobic corridors and sweeping space vistas. But there was a particular space environment towards the start of the campaign that I simply had to stop playing and stare at for a minute, for me it rivals any scene presented to date.

The character models and interiors have the same attention to detail and realism that have always characterised the Dead Space series, bringing the visceral gore that players of the first two games will know and love.

As with the visuals, the sound is very effective, weapons are distinctive, as are the cries of different enemy types. I won’t tire of the sickening squelch when you finally put a Necromorph out of its misery with your boot.

The mechanics of the game are very similar to that of the previous titles, all the weapons are geared towards dismembering of the enemy, foes can be slowed and there are numerous physical manipulation puzzles scattered throughout the game. Notable changes include a system of customisation for weapons, which provides many opportunities for weirdness. My best moment was when I realised there was a secondary slot on the plasma cutter, in which I could put a plasma cutter. Thus the ‘Yo Dawg’ was born.

Perhaps the most daring part of Dead Space 3 is the inclusion of a ‘hop in – hop out’ cooperative mode where you can invite a friend to play with you at any time in the single player campaign and they will seamlessly slip into the game, not as a mute sidekick but as a full character, fundamentally changing the way the game is played. This is most obvious during scenes where Isaac is ranting and hallucinating at a wall, which is usually an unplayable cut scene turns into a desperate scramble for survival as the second player has to defend Isaac whist he freaks out. These changes make playing the cooperative mode a special experience without compromising the experience of people playing alone.

This cooperative mode has replaced the competitive multiplayer introduced in Dead Space 2. The loss of multiplayer was a small price to pay for one of the only examples of cooperative gameplay done right in a predominantly single player game.

Dead Space 3 is not a perfect game by any means, but it is a very chilling experience alone or with a friend that very occasionally completely blows you away.

Trailer:

Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance

Written by Jack Crutcher on . Posted in Games.

Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance comes out in February shouldering the pressure of being the first Metal Gear game released on both the Xbox 360 and PS3.

Revengeance is also the first Metal Gear game to stray away from the traditional canon of previous instalments in the series. Fans should not worry though because Metal Gear brainchild Hideo Kojima has had a heavy influence on the production ensuring this isn’t any old spin-off.

Set four years after Metal Gear Solid 4, the Sons of the Patriots system has been dismantled by a computer virus, however parts of the Parliamentary Corporations still remain a danger and as a result Private Military Companies have been mobilised to provide protection to VIP’s the world over; Raiden joins one of these companies so he can provide for his family. It’s not long before he’s in combat as cyborg assassins kidnap the Prime Minister; Raiden is left for dead by a cyborg named Samuel Rodriguez and the game follows Raiden’s quest for vengeance.

The Soliton radar and familiar alert systems make a return. One-button stealth kills and a codec system that allows Raiden to communicate with teammates also form an important part of the game’s functionality. A free sword mode has been introduced which lets you control the power and direction of your attacks rather than sticking with the conventional hack/ slash mode much of the game expects you to follow. DLC content can also be expected allowing the player to perform side missions with other characters who are not playable during the campaign. This should pad out the Story mode, which according to Famitsu comes in at around 6 to 8 hours. Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance will be released on February 22.

Trailer:

 

Katamari Damacy

Written by Robert Muirhead on . Posted in Games.

I can’t pretend to understand why Namco developed Katamari Damacy. Maybe they felt the West didn’t quite think Japan was odd enough. In any case, its novel mechanics, jazzy music and playful art style have been popular enough to spawn seven successors across multiple consoles. There’s literally nothing quite like it.

The game involves rolling an incomprehensibly adhesive ball – the Katamari – around everyday environments, sticking objects to it in order to become larger. Controlled by the two analog sticks, this is remarkably intuitive. It’s mechanically equivalent to pushing a trolley in real life. As the ball grows, more things are able to stick to it – given half an hour rolling about, you can expect to swallow up anything from paperclips to islands.

It’s mad. Be it through looking like the lovechild of Picasso and an anime artist, the insane justification for your actions, or the weird sounds objects make when added to your Katamari, the aim is to have incessant fun through absurdity. Being transported via rainbow to snatch up animals for the King of all Cosmos’ star building shenanigans is a normal affair. Imagine the sound and sight of a giant sphere of clutter rampaging through a herd of cuboid sheep – it’s as entertaining as it is bizarre.

With an open world to roll around, objectives are personal and of the moment. For example, the obvious response to knocking into an object you can’t grab is to bulk up and come back later for adhesive revenge. Instances like this chain together in such a way that there’s no need for secondary goals.

Katamari Damacy makes it easy to focus on its continuous novelty and humour. It’s more than a snowball simulator and, with newer versions on the latest generation of consoles is well worth picking up.

The Grill on the Alley

Written by Ben Walker on . Posted in Food & Drink.

Inconspicuously tucked away, The Grill on the Alley welcomes you with a 1950s-style bar, lots of dark wood, mirrors and endless bottles of liquor. When we arrived, live piano was twinkling from the basement space, which drifted through the building atmospherically.

A really unusual aperitif of orange rum warmed us through and set the tummy longing for lots of steak, which is the centre piece of this joint. I wanted and indeed expected high quality culinary skill, minimal interference with delicious ingredients, and for everything to be served simply and heartily.

Of course, like civilised ravenous punters, starters were necessary. Mussels came in an large, theatrical white dish, inside of which sat succulent molluscs and a very rich, deep sauce. The calamari was also cooked to juicy perfection, wrapped in light and crisp batter. Both dishes were served generously. The chicken liver pate was plated with a little more finesse, with cubes of Cumberland jelly, toast thins and micro herb decoration. The pate itself was deep and rich. These are all standard restaurant staples, but ours were executed well – with little fuss and loads of flavour.

With all good menus, starters should tantalise one’s appetite and the main should sate that more. The food must peak at the right time, and the chef’s menu-centrepiece is what you should be talking about the next day with all of your envious friends. We had the Chateaubriand, which fit the bill perfectly. A sharer for two, this prime fillet was absolutely unbelievable. It was without doubt the most tender and tasty steak I have eaten. We had it walked through a warm kitchen (blue), with a little caramelisation forming a light crust. Perfectly rested, there was no bleeding, just deep crimson melting magnificence.

Now, steak needs chips, crunchy sautéed greens and sauce. We were not disappointed. Chips thrice deep fried were perfect, with their imperious golden crunch protecting fluffy heaven. French beans sautéed in garlic butter contributed extra flavour and colour. The béarnaise sauce was moreish and buttery; it should become the new standard chip condiment.

After a starter each and one to share, three thick helpings of beef with its trimmings and a bottle of decent Cabernet-sauvignon, pudding was skipped. The selection did not inspire anyway,  and instead we chose cognac and espresso to round things off. I had an excellent evening, and shall certainly be returning.

Student Abroad: Why do women feel so much safer on the streets of Sweden?

Written by Alex Maxia on . Posted in Opinion.

Reclaim the Night highlights how unsafe women in Manchester can feel walking home at night alone, a huge contrast to the experience of women I’ve met on my study abroad in Uppsala, Sweden. As a student ambassador, one of the most recurrent questions from anxious parents of applicants who want to study in Manchester is “how safe is the city?” or “do you feel safe here?”. The answer for me at least is “yes”, although Manchester isn’t the safest place in the world, you have to get used to it. But when I talked to a Swede studying in the city I got quite a different answer. Patrik  studies at the University of Manchester, and goes as far as saying that Manchester is one of the places in which he feels most unsafe. Even when Patrick  traveled alone around South America he felt safer, as he could spot the ‘bad people’ from a mile. In Manchester, it’s much harder to know when you can feel safe.

Do people feel the same way in beautiful, ‘gender equal’, respectful Sweden? Beyond the world renowned stereotypes, what is the reality in everyday life? Many English exchange students commented on the way they feel safer going back home late at night here than they do back in the UK. Becky, a British University of Manchester student studying in Sweden, says that in Stockholm she has gone home late at night several times and never felt threatened. In Manchester, she says that she would never dare. When I asked her why, she told me that: “The police here are really in control of the situation, as soon as drunk people start to make some noise they would be approached immediately and asked to quieten down”.

Meg, who studies in Norwich but is on her semester abroad in Sweden, talks about a difference in culture. She explains how, even in clubs, Swedish guys’ behaviour towards women is “more respectful”. In England “episodes of semi-harassment are accepted as perfectly normal, especially if drunk”. Generally gender neutrality is considerably stronger than in England as can be seen by several customs in everyday life.

For example, when paying the bill in a restaurant, in a café or buying a drink in a club it doesn’t matter what your gender is. Everyone pays for themselves. A man would not be expected to always pay for a woman, they would take it in turns. At first I could not see how Swedes could find this normal, but speaking to Hannah from the south of Sweden,I saw how she struggles to imagine it any other way. She disagreed with “the European way of doing things”, as beyond being unfair it also puts two people on a different level, and the small “indebting” could subconsciously put a certain “pressure” on the woman.

Beyond the cultural traditions, and the almost total equality in employment rates (76. 1% women and 82% men), there is a considerable social difference between England and Sweden for example in higher employment rates, less class disparity, more people who’re highly educated (education is free from nursery to PhD level) and a more controlled ‘drinking culture’ (state monopoly on all alcoholic beverages above 3.5%). These are not necessarily determining factors, but they undoubtedly play an important role in shaping Swedish society.

But it’s not perfect. Government funded studies show that statistically 85% of Swedish women “worry about being potential victims of violence walking home at night” and 56% admit having experienced some form of sexual harassment.These figures refer to the youngest part of the population (between 18 and 24) that, always according to the study, are statistically at higher risk than older members of the population. As Patrik points out, people have different ideas of safety, and although he believes Sweden is extremely safe he knows some Swedes would disagree with him. This, he says, is partly due to higher standards and expectations. Out of all the exchange students I spoke to from various parts of the world, not one of them believes they have been to a safer country than Sweden.

A month in the country is not enough to understand how things truly are, but even in the first few days I noticed the way people trust each other. The more I live here in Uppsala, the more I realise how all the ordinary precautions that we follow in England to ‘stay safe’ are not at all normal. The constraints we put on our personal freedom can only be seen clearly when you  live without those constraints. In Sweden, it is really enjoyable living in a society without having to fear the strangers on the street; for everyone, but even more so for women.

 

5 songs in the field of: Breakups

Written by Rachel Bolland on . Posted in Music.

1. Frightened Rabbit – Keep Yourself Warm

Coming in the middle of Frightened Rabbit’s heart wrenching break up album, the line “It takes more than fucking someone you don’t know to keep yourself warm”, sums up that feeling of self loathing and doubt we all get after an ill-advised tryst.  Are those feelings really worth it?

2. Sharon Van Etten – A Crime

Another almost anti-love song, “To say the things I want to say to you would be a crime/To admit I’m still in love with you after all this time.” Everyone wonders if their ex is doing better than them after a break-up which always throws up the question, how long does it take to get over someone? How long is a piece of string?

3. Rilo Kiley – Portions for Foxes

Throuhout your life you’re always going to come across people who for your own mental and emotional well being you shouldn’t enter into any kind of romantic relationship with. But sometimes you just don’t care. This song sums those feelings up brilliantly. The temptation, the restraint and the moment when you just give in.

4. Caitlin Rose – Things Change

This is another absolutely heartbreaking one, but one that is also sensationally beautiful. Rose perfectly captures that ‘what-if’ feeling after a relationship comes to an end and that desperate desire to forget and move on while still being haunted by old memories. Were they the one? Will you ever feel like that again? (Answer: probably not/probably.)

5. Dry the River – No Rest

Peter Liddle’s pain during the chorus is one of the most effective summations of heartbreak you will ever hear. It’s not hard to imagine what happened when he sings the line “I loved you in the best way possible” encapsulates the confusion and hurt you feel after being dumped, that awful ‘how could you do this to me?’ feeling. Happy Valentines Day!

 

From the vault: Radiohead – Pablo Honey

Written by Alex Fenton on . Posted in Music.

Originally released: 22nd February 1993

Parlophone

Over the course of two decades, Radiohead have established themselves amongst the elite of the musical sphere. On their debut album ‘Pablo Honey’, they met with only modest acclaim, but the fundamentals of their future sound were laid. Whilst it was their later albums (namely Kid A and OK Computer) that propelled Radiohead to greater stardom, their roots still drew from the alternative sounds of The Smiths and U2.

With ‘Pablo Honey’, the world was arguably given just another alternative album, another to add to the seemingly endless production line.  However, the album hinted at their potential. It tempted us with the future favourite ‘Creep’ and teased us with the groove of ‘Ripcord’. Dubbed the ‘British Nirvana’, the foundations of their future experimentation were set; as NME put it, they would ‘blossom’ later on.

Though criticised as their weakest album, Pablo Honey was not without its gems. It had a raw simplicity, with the blunt lyrics of ‘Creep’ (‘I want you to notice, when I’m not around’) creating an effortlessly piercing track. The delicately picked notes of the verses were blown apart by Greenwood’s guitar in the chorus, with dead notes and distortion turning a seemingly steady beat into an anthem that punches through to the core. Upon the track’s re-release, ‘Creep’ would become a worldwide hit.

Sincere lyrics mixed with Thom Yorke’s distinctive vocal flair showed Radiohead’s potential from the outset, with his high pitched vocals creating a sensitive sadness that would endure on later albums. Other gems appeared in the form of ‘Stop Whispering’ and ‘Anyone Can Play Guitar’, where another rough guitar sound, paired with a pulsing bassline, had heads bobbing. Through the distortion, it’s almost as if they were scratching at the surface, itching for the sounds they would find on The Bends.The acoustic presence of ‘Thinking About You’ also showed a calmer side to their music and that they were not solely reliant upon their grunge-like production.

Pablo Honey was a rough debut, but on ‘Creep’, the band showed their potential as a future great. The album formed a base from which their future sounds would develop, as well as showing the world that anyone could play guitar, even a group of melancholy students. Twenty years on, Radiohead still owe much to their debut.

Live: NME Awards Tour 2013

Written by Samuel Ward on . Posted in Music.

8th February 2013

Academy 1

5/10

Having gained something of a legendary reputation as a star-studded catapult for up and coming bands, the NME Awards tour has given us the opportunity to see these bands play venues that you wouldn’t dream of after seeing them headline an arena a few years later. In 2000, Coldplay were the openers, as were Florence and the Machine in 2009. However, it’s not a guaranteed ticket – who the hell are Llama Farmers?

This year once again sees a bill filled with guitar bands and indie rockers with Django Django the only palate cleanser. Not necessarily a bad thing, but when Palma Violets play a set that sounds like any other supporting indie band around it’s a bit depressing. Whilst they did send the young crowd into a frenzy not normally associated with bands playing early slots, they sourly trundle through their set with the only highlight being NME’s ‘best’ song of 2012, ‘Best of Friends’.

Luckily, Miles Kane fills the gap with an energetic, hard-hitting set of anthems that gets everyone in the crowd moving. He’s got stage presence in abundance and charms the crowd from the off; combining some great new material with all the classics, he sets a good standard for Django Django, who now seem an odd choice for a headliner after Miles.

The headliners start by slowing things right down after Miles, but it never really picks up again. On the one hand, ‘Default’ sends everyone crazy with punchy beats and ‘Waveforms’ builds and flows brilliantly, but there’s obvious lulls elsewhere, and they’re nowhere near as established or engaging enough to be filling such a high-profile slot; they don’t look likely to follow in the footsteps of tour alumni like Arctic Monkeys and Everything Everything in spearheading a new musical generation. In fact, none of tonight’s acts do; Miles Kane, with a solo record and The Last Shadow Puppets under his belt, is by far the evening’s most experienced performer – and tonight, it showed.

Underwear as Outerwear

Written by Halee Wells on . Posted in Fashion & Beauty.

Debuting on catwalks in 2010, underwear as outerwear is certainly not for the fainthearted fashionistas out there. Don’t worry, we’re not talking about wandering between lectures flashing a thong over your leggings, this is about the more subtle fashion trend from the past few seasons. Whether it’s flaunting some cheeky stocking tights or going the whole hog in a corset body, you’ll be right on trend.

This isn’t such a new look though, A-List stars have been attempting to bring lingerie-chic to the limelight for some time now. From high fashion to mainstream, this trend has swooped across stages, music videos and TV shows, slowly creeping its way on to our high streets.

The trend branches right back to the 16th and 17th century where catching a glimpse of pretty undergarments became a style must. Although the modern take on underwear as outerwear has become a lot more risqué, with strong celebrity fashion statements, such as Britney garishly flashing her pink thong in the “I’m a slave for you” video or Madonna’s infamous cone bra. However you may not find such items gracing the high street, with 2013 taking a much more subtle feminine approach. With stunning embellished bralets and lacy tops, you can still rock the trend this year without looking like a walking Ann Summers ad.

 

necolebitchie.com

Past seasons have shown elaborate bra straps, gorgeous slips and a dramatic increase in the sales of ‘pasties’, also known as nipple tassels! But what is classy and what is downright trashy? Queuing for Sankeys in your underwear isn’t going to get you any fashion points. Think subtle colours such as black, nudes or soft pinks. Chiffon shirts will look great with a black bra underneath, or a splash of leather without looking too Anastasia Steele. Or if you haven’t made your mind up yet on this daring craze, look out for a simple bandage dress or suspender tights to complete your look. Bra-vo!

Live: The Pharcyde

Written by Thomas Short on . Posted in Music.

8th February 2013

Sound Control

8/10

Reunion shows are always a mixed affair for Hip Hop fans, as anyone who saw De La Soul’s disappointing set at last years’ Parklife will tell you, so the prospect of seeing The Pharcyde perform their mid-90s masterpiece, Bizarre Ride II, was a daunting one. With the news that founding members Imani and Bootie Brown would be absent from the tour, on paper tonight sounded like another example of has-been rappers chasing former glory, desperate to remind everyone of how great they were.

I needn’t have worried. Surviving MCs Fatlip and Tre more than compensated for the absence of their former band-mates in an evening that was all about giving fans what they wanted to hear. After a modest introduction, the keyboard hook from ‘Oh Shit’ sounded and they were off, trading schoolyard rhymes so infectiously that they soon had the crowd bellowing along to the song’s giddy refrain.

With any other act this comprehensive approach to performing a hip hop album would be dull, but The Pharcyde’s meticulous reproduction of each track was a reminder of just how great a recipe they discovered here. Producer J-Swift’s densely-layered beats sounded as vibrant as ever on the notoriously dodgy Sound Control system, while Tre’s goofy, highly melodic flow was a particular highlight on the Herbie Mann sampling ‘Otha Fish’ and cross-over anthem ‘Passing Me By’.

The tunes have barely aged, but the extent to which The Pharcyde are now reliant on a greying audience of former stoners and students was painfully obvious, rhapsodizing about weed before ‘Pack the Pipe’ or playing a clip by disgraced comedian Katt Williams for cheap laughs. Yet while the usual Rap-cliches were all present and correct, they  seemed to take on a different purpose in a band who are so candid and self-deprecating in their lyrics. After the emotional sucker punch of ‘Runnin’, their greatest hit from Labcabincalifornia, Tre demanded that the house lights be turned on so they could see the crowd. For most rappers this would be another opportunity for self-worship, but he merely seemed pleased that we were there at all. It was an oddly moving moment, proving that, done properly, reunion shows can be a worthwhile experience.

Live: Desaparecidos

Written by Ol Urwin on . Posted in Music.

10th February 2013

Academy 2

7/10

When Desaparecidos, Spanish for ‘the disappeared ones’, did a vanishing act all of their own eleven years ago, they left behind an album’s worth of jittery, stinging post-punk behind them that many fans probably thought they’d never see performed. Fronted by Bright Eyes’ Conor Oberst, Desaparecidos is what happens when Oberst puts down the copy of Don DeLillo and picks up a distortion pedal and leafs through a hand me down of A People’s History of the United States instead. In the current climate, it’s no surprise that their songs of socioeconomic woes ring truer than ever, and with their reformation, the band’s fans finally get to hear tunes about tax brackets, payment plans and suburban malaise. Wait, they’re better than they sound.

Given that the band hasn’t played live for almost 10 years, there isn’t much sense of occasion. What’s in its place is a collection of rough-hewn energetic punk rock and a brutally acerbic Oberst. “Here’s a song about buying shit you really don’t need” he states before launching into the third song of the set. Elsewhere, he prefaces rollicking new track ‘Backsell’ with “if you’re planning on being in the music industry, be prepared for a lot of fellatio”. Oberst is furious, hawking up globs of spit between lyrics, angry at an American Dream that’s still asleep. Conversely, the rest of the band couldn’t be any different; high fiving and joking around throughout the set. Musically though, they’re excellent, and the new material sits alongside old favourites with ease. ‘Greater Omaha’ sees the band and the crowd getting the closest to a frenzy for the whole set, while ‘Man and Wife, the Latter’, a tale of souring marriage, lulls the venue to serenity before splitting heads for its climax. A rousing cover of The Clash’s ‘Spanish Bombs’ and their own ‘Hole In One’ closes the set.

However, the night is not without fault. Specifically, ‘Man and Wife, the Former’ lost much of the festering anxiety the studio version simmers with, which was disappointing, as it’s one of their finest songs. Moreover, a sense of deflation seemed to cover some parts of the room. Perhaps portions of the crowd were dismayed by the change to the larger Academy 2 or the set’s short running time; nevertheless, the levels of excitement in the room were sadly not one a reunited band should command.

‘No’

Written by Sophie James on . Posted in Film.

I have been so excited for the release of No, and one look at its current track record will tell you why. Having won the Art Cinema Award at Cannes, No was nominated for Best Film at the 2012 London BFI Film Festival and is now up for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.

You should instantly recognise lead actor Gael García Bernal from Walter Salles’ breathtaking Motorcycle Diaries (2004). Leaving Che behind him, Bernal plays René Saavedra, an ad executive in charge of organizing an advertising campaign to overthrow the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet.

One of the much-talked about aspects of No is director Pablo Larraín’s choice of using a 1980’s U-matic video camera to capture the story. Immediately I was skeptical, naively assuming that this was a marketing technique in itself, firmly positioning No in the indie/art film genre and warding off any hopes for Academy Award success. But the way Larraín took his own “dated” footage and amalgamated it with real-life footage of police raids and political protests instantly transported us back to the 1980’s. The film almost took on the form of a documentary, transforming its tale of repression and terror into a visceral experience for the audience, immersing us in the story from beginning to end. Right up until the flip-chart style closing credits, we were never sure if we were in or out of the drama, in front of the cinema screen or with the ad campaigners behind the camera. This raw method of filmmaking brought home that all this really did happen. Before 1988, many Chileans were scared to even vote at all, whether that was for or against the dictatorship.

With such an influx of political dramas doing the rounds this awards season, we’re all in danger of becoming desensitized – what has this film got that the others haven’t? Unlike the clean-cut sleekness of Hollywood filmmaking evident in Lincoln or Zero Dark Thirty, Larraín has taken a well-timed risk, going against the grain to produce a film that will stand out not only for its cinematography, but for its raw and gritty portrayal of a real-life political event. No could well be the dark horse of this year’s Academy Awards – it’s certainly a definite yes from me!