More Bourne than Bond

Film: Quantum Of Solace

SHAKEN and stirred. Licensed to thrill. 00-Heaven. With those out of the way Daniel Craig takes up the mantle of 007 once more. And it’s a good thing he did, as Marc Forster’s Quantum of Solace hits the big screen with all the force of a bullet through a plate-glass window.

The film follows on directly from Casino Royale and sees Daniel Craig’s flawed and fallible hero seek revenge over the death of his traitorous lover, Vesper Lynd. Stronger than its predecessor, the film also heralds the return of some familiar faces – Jeffrey Wright as the CIA’s Felix Leiter and Giancarlo Giannini‘s shadowy Rene Mathis return to the fray.

Gemma Arterton as the very sixties, very naive Agent Fields is also a welcome addition. The realism returns too and Forster’s film sometimes feels more Bourne than Bond.

Through the interrogation of the elusive Mr. White, Bond discovers the organisation behind Vesper’s betrayal – ‘Quantum’. Allying himself with the official kick-ass Bond girl Camille (Olga Kurylenko) 007 begins his deeply personal vendetta.

Cue Mathieu Amalric as the emotionally driven environmentalist, Dominic Greene, stealing every scene his creepy face appears in as pure power play unfolds between the blurred lines of good and evil.

Don’t let the dark side fool you - at its heart Quantum is old-school Bond from an array of dazzling locations, fistfights and gun-play to the crazy scheme of stealing the world’s fresh water supply and the exotic forms of transport on land, sea, air and ice.

This is still a deep film – a rough, tense, character profile of a dangerous lone wolf. But it feels like a genuine 007 thrill-ride of a movie.

The evolution of 007 is complete. James Bond will return...

By Sam Steeple

Rewriting the script

Music: The Script + Gary Go @ Rock City

AS Danny from The Script aptly mused, in his sexy Irish brogue: “How the **** did we get everybody in here? Nottingham you’ve got a set of lungs on you! Best gig of the tour so far!”

This pretty much summed up the atmosphere at Rock City.

A couple of hours previous, as anticipation grew eclectic, an excited yet congenial mix of people could already be heard singing extracts from ‘The Man Who Can’t Be Moved’ whilst bustling for a good view of the stage.

First up, Gary Go - and though I’m a little prejudiced in general towards warm up bands, never expecting too much, I have to admit I was blown away.

Opening song ‘Open Arms’ was their best song of the evening. Starting out quietly and unassuming, it builds into a powerful and memorable tune with a chorus reminiscent of The Police classics.

Unfortunately the momentum soon lagged as less memorable, punchy songs followed but then mid-set they were back on form with ‘I am wonderful’ - a fantastic anthem.

I found myself singing along and actually buying into their mantra, thinking ‘I am wonderful!’ - at least until the end of the song.

Overall, Gary Go has tons of potential and the amiable, suit wearing lead singer (whom I would be proud to take to tea with my granny) really won me over. I say ‘Go Gary, Go!’

Now properly warmed up, the crowd was ecstatic to finally see The Script appear on stage.

Huge cheers followed as ‘Before the Worst’ played. With every lyric clearly heard, their namesake ‘The Script’ seemed fitting.

In typical style of all Irish greats, this prophetic and passionate group sang about everything from God and religion to love and despair. Though the crowd was most responsive their chart topping tracks such as ‘We Cry’, the best song by far was less known ‘Rusty Halo’.

This heavy metal, Metallica-sounding tune was a brave digression from the heartfelt ballad approach of ‘The Man Who Cant Be Moved’, which had made them such as household name.

In the end, I was surprised by how I much I liked this group. Lead vocalist Danny had charm and charisma and sparked a connection with the crowd with his witty banter. They really proved themselves as one of the few bands who pull off great rendition of their songs - live.

By Danyelle Parke

A chilling success

Theatre: Vertigo @ Nottingham Playhouse

THE spotlight was well and truly on the cast of the infamous Hitchcock thriller ‘Vertigo’.

Not only were there just four players, but also the quartet spent the majority of the performance pinned to the spot by soul-searching spotlights whilst the audience

were rooted to the edge of their seats.

The chilling performance embodied all the nerve-tangling elements of the story’s previous outings but clearly benefited from ruthless direction that stripped the play bare and left it feeling as clinical as the doctor’s surgery set.

The minimalist feel left the stage clear for the acting to shine as bright as the spotlights and the performances more than stood up to the rigours of a tight cast.

Phillipa Peak played the Femme Fatale dual-role to unsettling perfection and the eerie terror culminated in a fabulous bath-drowning scene worthy of being captured by Hitchcock’s own cameras.

There was little respite throughout the play, although the tension was sometimes weakened by the slightly tedious, albeit essential, narration in various points.

Ultimately this was a triumph of small theatre that showed that a handful of talented actors and some well-choreographed lighting can take a thrilling story and make it shine.

By Miriam Lewis

Bryn-ing with confidence

Music: Bryn Christopher @ Bodega Social Club

BRYN Christopher might not think himself much of a prophet, but he most certainly is on a ‘Quest’ up the charts, constantly ‘Smilin’ in the process.

The success of the Brummie’s first two singles means his first national headlining tour arrives at the Bodega on a

wave of expectation - dressed to kill in his trademark sharp suit and tie and ready to deliver an equally standout performance.

Bryn and his band of four have one uniting cause, an uncanny ability to fill the room with a sound so groovy you have no choice but to submit.

The quintet race through a triumphant set of uplifting contemporary funk sprinkled with the odd heart-felt ballad just to keep those dancing feet in check.

There’s no doubt that BC’s chops stand up to the live rigour and, if anything, are even more impressive live often out-jousting the raw energy of the music without ever sounding OTT.

Debut single ‘The Quest’ gets righteous fan approval and the crowd give Bryn and Co no choice but to answer their chants of an encore.

It seems strange to say, but the weakest song was a slightly lacklustre and sloppy version of recent hit ‘Smilin’ that brought a close to proceedings, but what Bryn proved tonight was far more important.

He is no one-hit-wonder. A whole album of catchy and vivid tunes entertained a satisfied audience, and will continue to put smiles on the faces of many more.

Lee makes it big

Comedy: Lee Evans @ Trent FM Arena

WHO is Lee Evans trying to kid?

His new tour that takes him up and down the country with his latest bag of comedy tricks is entitled ‘Big’ – begging the question, wasn’t the manically-sweaty stand-up already one of the biggest names in comedy?

He returned to the Trent FM Arena’s stage on the opening night of his tour refreshingly armed with a mind full of new material to strengthen his position as one of Britain’s top comic assets.

With topics ranging from pigeons to speed dating, Evans raced through a whole avalanche of laugh out loud stylings with his trademark enthusiasm of a five-year-old racing a tricycle down a hill.

Lee spews a continuous gaggle of jokes before a quick pit stop for a breather, and a less than discreet opportunity to wipe the plentiful sweat off his brow, before launching himself into his next humorous assault.

At the heart of his act though, and behind the over-zealous little boy routine, lies the heart of a man that really connects with his audience and comes across as the likable hero, leaving the audience eating out of his hand.

Throughout the show Lee is always keen to talk about his family, and after the final joke hit its target he was humble enough to meet and greet fans at the front of the arena.

Somewhere in the three-hour show Lee managed to throw in some of his wonderful piano-playing ability and built up to an amazing finale that left the crowd with no choice but to reward him with rapturous standing applause.

To see the ‘Big’ tour for yourself, keep your eyes open for Lee Evan’s upcoming live DVD of the show – released November 24.

A Psychological Rollercoaster

Film: The Dark Knight

SUPERHERO films aren’t what they used to be.

You used to be able to count on two hours of crude struggles between good and evil, and there would always be a clear victor.

The hero would be lofted on the shoulders of an ever-grateful city, the villains would be eradicated, their legacy quashed. Everything was black and white, and rarely was there any doubt that justice was done when the credits rolled.

Director, Christopher Nolan makes sure that under his watch the infamous Batman series has none of that, and The Dark Knight soars as a result.

Make no mistake, the cinematography plays a huge parts in keeping you on the edge of your seat. From the opening scene - a heist on a mob-owned bank, led by the Joker’s army of goons – there is a constant pulse of tension running through this film.

Moments of respite in the two and a half hour running time are rare, and often negated by an underlying fear of what lurks around the next cut scene.

However, the interplay between the film’s principle characters, and the internal struggles of Batman and Dent coupled with the focused insanity of Heath Ledger’s Joker, gives this film a depth beyond that of traditional superhero flicks.

The harder Batman tries to distance himself from the senseless ways of the Joker’s logic, the more he realises that they are a mirror image of each other, and may even need each other to justify their own existence.

There are enough high-octane action sequences to appeal to blood-thirsty action film lovers, but The Dark Knight ticks more film noir or psychological thriller boxes than simple thrillers.

You’d struggle to find a weak performance from any of the film’s cast. Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman offer the perfect antidote of charm to Christian Bale’s monotone portrayal of Bruce Wayne – but ultimately it’s when Ledger’s much-talked about performance that steals the show.

Robert Macpherson

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