RMB
Movies:
Saving Mr. Banks
Over the course of 20 years, Walt Disney tried to secure the rights to Mary Poppins. Saving Mr. Banks follows the events of 1961 that eventually led to the creation. After running out of money, P. L. Travers (Emma Thompson), the author of Mary Poppins who is steadfast in her dismissal of any filmic adaptation of her deeply personal story, is reluctantly forced to consider Disney’s offer. What follows is a massive charm offensive by Walt himself along with a host of assistants in one last attempt to purchase the rights. What could easily be a plain story is elevated greatly by brilliant performances from the two leads who lend wit and charisma to a battle of creative differences and clashing cultures. The film unravels the back-story and real life people on whom the book was based. However, there is an excessive use of flashbacks; the film, at times, held the audience’s hand too much and seemed not to trust in its own subtlety. Emma Thompson’s performance is the highlight of the film with her portrayal of Travers oozing wit and intelligence; a true joy to watch. It’s fascinating to wonder what may have become of such a historic film if either party had not fought so hard for their own personal visions. Ewan Colledge
Frozen
Based on Hans Christian Anderson’s, The Snow Queen, Frozen is the latest offering from Disney’s digital animation studio and is set to be a firm Christmas favourite. Princess Elsa, gifted with icy magical powers, is forced to flee the kingdom of Arendelle after her powers are revealed. As a child learning to deal with her gift, Elsa injured her sister Anna, who, as a result, had to have her knowledge and memories of her sister’s powers erased to save her life. Now, in an attempt to save both her sister and her kingdom, Anna must overcome her isolation, and, along with a cohort of comedy accomplices, journey across what has to be one of the most stunning landscapes Disney ever produced. The snow animation is truly stunning. It’s clear that the time and effort put in to making realistic snow has paid off with the whole world becoming exquisitely beautiful and adsorbing. The musical numbers are provided by some of the industry’s greats and are performed wonderfully. It’s clear to see that Disney stepped up their game greatly since John Lasater joined them from Pixar. The man, seemingly, has no equal when it comes to digital animation. Not to be missed is Get A Horse! the short that precedes the feature and nearly upstages the main event. Expect laughs throughout from an excellent cast and a story which manages to avoid being a wholly predictable affair; one of Disney’s best in recent memory. Ewan Colledge
The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug
Many were shocked when Peter Jackson announced that The Hobbit was going to be split into three separate films, citing the fact that the book, being many times shorter than the Lord Of The Rings, couldn’t possibly warrant three movies. Fans’ fears were confirmed when the first in the proposed trilogy fell flat, running long and overdrawn with other problems, such as the new high frame rate used to shoot the picture. However, now with part two, Jackson’s decision is starting to make sense, slightly. The film joins Bilbo, Gandalf and the 13 Dwarfs as they head off into Mirkwood, onto Laketown and eventually to Ereborn; the lost Dwarf Kingdom hidden in the Lonely Mountain conquered by the dragon Smaug. The film tries its best to accommodate for new viewers but to be honest, you really should see the films in order. Along the way, there is a host of adventures and tangential side quests. With such a rich story full of lore, it is clear that the director could stretch this book out to whatever length he desired. Starting off at a fast pace, eschewing the painful inertia of the first movie, The Hobbit manages to keep moving for almost the full, near three hour, running time. Performances are strong throughout with Martin Freeman’s bemused and fumbling style of acting perfectly suited to playing Bilbo, and Benedict Cumberbatch lends his wonderfully smoldering and menacing voice to Smaug. With humour and action throughout, fans are sure to love it. Dawa Tshering
Hunger Games: Catching Fire
After a failed rebellion against The Capital, The Districts are forced to annually sacrifice children, or rather Tributes, to The Hunger Games; a fight to the death for the entertainment and supplication of the public. During the first film, Katniss Everdeen volunteers as tribute in place of her sister, who, along with Peeta Mellark, form District 12’s sacrifice. After surviving until the last two competitors, Katniss and Peeta, in front of the world, choose to take their own lives rather than kill each other leading to the government hastily crowning them joint champions. Catching Fire now rejoins the cast as they deal with repercussions of their victory. By beating the totalitarian government literally at its own game, Katniss has become a symbol of hope and rebellion. The powers that be have created their own worst enemy, and, as such, want her destroyed. They propose a Quarter Quell, choosing tributes from the surviving champions in an attempt to break Katniss in front of her people. Catching Fire deals with a dark subject matter for a young audience not permitted to see gore. As such, the film struggles in a similar manner to the first with the hyperviolent story contrasting with a near bloodless representation of combat. The movie owes a lot to the Japanese film, Battle Royal, which, with a similar subject mater, shows a no holds barred account of the violence. The movie improves on its predecessor in both tone and drama whilst, for the most part, avoiding just repeating the first film. Andy Harrop
Books:
Li Na: My Life
Li Na
Penguin Books
This recently released English translation of Chinese professional tennis player Li Na’s autobiography, is about more than just her impressive tennis career. It is an emotional story of how this young girl from Wuhan, China, fought from her earliest years to become the mature adult she is now. After playing tennis purely because her parents told her to do so, Li Na began to appreciate the sport after years of practice. Following her two year break from the sport, due to medical complications, she came back in 2004 determined to win. Since becoming a professional player in 1999, she has spent her life living away from home, travelling from one continent to another and training six days a week, however, always by her side is husband, Jiang Shan. Li Na became famous in her late twenties when she won the celebrated French Open at Roland Garros in Paris in 2011 and became the first Asian player to win a Grand Slam singles title. Today, she is ranked number three in the world and her wish is to see tennis flourish in China as a result. Li Na successfully brings the reader with her on a journey through the events of her life, the contradictory feelings she has toward tennis and the unpleasant sides of fame. The autobiography tells her remarkable and empowering story of ups and downs with a touch of humour and modesty that makes this book a fun and easy to read story. Claire d’Ursel
An Astronaut’s Guide To Life On Earth
Chris Hadfield
Random House
If you have been anywhere near the Internet over the past year, you will have, no doubt, come across a Canadian astronaut who is slowly taking over the world wide web. Be it through social media, television appearances or viral videos, Commander Chris Hadfield has done more to promote an interest in space flight than possibly any other person since the Apollo missions. An Astronaut’s Guide To Life On Earth functions as a biography-cum-memoir that aims to communicate Hadfield’s philosophy on life, the universe and everything. His musings span a great deal of topics but focus on teaching you how thinking like an astronaut can help you in everyday life. Taking you through his years of training all the way to his most recent space adventures and stardom, the anecdotes and stories that fill this book try to explain how Hadfeild has been able to succeed in life. Depending somewhat on your own disposition, these accomplishments may either make you weep with a sense of underachievement or be uplifting and inspirational. Whichever way you take it, it can’t be denied that his outlook is insightful. “See, a funny thing happened on the way to space: I learned how to live better and more happily here on Earth.” The book is unusual, perhaps jumbled, but each story is so enthralling and compelling it will leave you desperate for more. How much of the advice you actually take on is entirely up to you. Dawa Tshering
Records:
Because The Internet
Childish Gambino
Donald Glover: comedian, writer, actor, stand-up and most importantly for us, rapper, returns with his latest album. Working under the moniker of Childish Gambino (derived from a Wu-Tang Clan name generator website), Glover’s previous releases have been plagued with a need to justify himself as a rapper. Sick Boi, his debut album, played as if he was testing the waters to see if he would be taken seriously. This developed into a series of records more preoccupied with trying to justify themselves rather that produce convincing rap. It’s a relief therefore, to see that this insecurity has been reined in somewhat. The scope of this album is wildly ambitious, launched across a multitude of media including a screenplay and installation in New York. Whilst this is all good, it means that the album is hard to decipher on its own. The improvement in Glover’s skill as a rapper is apparent throughout, yet the lyrics, though often witty and insightful, are still dogged in places by cringy lines. Album production is stellar with some excellent input from a series of collaborators unlike previous albums, which suffered from overzealous use of guest artists. Arrogant and lively, Because The Internet shows a growth in confidence that has allowed Glover to work on finding his own true voice. When all its elements line up, it’s clear to see the potential of the album, however, these moments are too few. It will be exciting to see where Glover takes his work in the future. Dawa Tshering
Black Panties
R. Kelly
During his career, R Kelly has released ten studio albums, sold over 54 million records worldwide and has been accused of rape over two dozen times. The so-called king of R’n’B is back with his latest album Black Panties, another sexually explicit record from one of recent history’s most suspect celebrities. It seems that the public’s memory for R Kelly’s sordid past has faded in the 15 years since the story first broke, with the uncovering of tapes of the accused having sex with, and then urinating into the mouth of, a 14 or 15 year old girl. A slew of charges followed, but it is apparent that a systematic misuse of power, fame and wealth, combined towards the tapes being dismissed and the rape cases never making it to court. Black Panties is a fine R’n’B album but listeners must ask themselves how far they are willing to compromise their morals to be entertained. Some celebrities, such as Elvis, seem to reach such heights of success that their deviancies are seemingly excused which is disgusting and should not be allowed to happen again. Jim DeRogatis, the journalist who originally broke the story and has been covering it throughout has sadly concluded, “The saddest fact I’ve learnt is nobody matters less in our society than young black women.” If you wish to receive some honest entertainment from R Kelly, just follow the colossally misjudged #AskRKelly PR disaster on Twitter. Andy Harrop
