Ed Sheeran

Last night I travelled to Manchester with two of my favourite people in the world to see Ed Sheeran, another of my favourite people, and he lived up to every expectation I had.

Whilst most gigs have a bit of a build up before the artist makes their dramatic entrance to the stage, Ed simply strolled on with his guitar and started playing. He opened with I'm A Mess, and it was absolutely amazing. There were no backing singers or band throughout the whole concert; it was literally just Ed and his guitar on that stage. Someone who can make such a beautiful sound all on his own must be extremely talented.

The fact that there was no band makes it sound like every song was just singing and acoustic chords. This is an incorrect presumption. As Ed uses a loop pedal, he manages to create a huge sound by layering different strumming patterns, harmonies and rhythms from hitting his guitar on top of each other. The whole effect is stunning and watching it is just wow.

My favourite of his performances was You Need Me, I Don't Need You, which was his first encore. It was so powerful, and hearing everyone rap along was amazing. He also did Thinking Out Loud, which is my absolute favourite of his songs, and it really was beautiful. He ended with Sing, getting the audience to sing the "woah-oh-ah-oh" bit for him. After he had walked off the stage we were all still singing that melody, and some of us even carried on after the lights came up.

The whole atmosphere was literally awesome. Everyone knew every word, and each song meant something different to each person. During The A Team, Ed asked everyone to wave the lights on their phones in the air, and the way the whole arena lit up was actually breath-taking. This happened during Thinking Out Loud, too. I nearly cried.

All in all, it was easily my favourite of all the concerts I've ever been too, and I would kill to be able to go again.

Heather out.
P.S. Sorry the photos are so crap. I tried to upload a video but the file was too big :(

The Maze Runner

This was one of my perceived "Hunger Games Rip-Offs" that I actually wanted to go and see. It was also, incidentally, probably the only film that I've been to see where I haven't read the book of it first. I don't think it mattered.

All in all, The Maze Runner was a complete success. It had a very original and intriguing idea. Yes, it followed a very popular teen dystopian formula, but what it put into that formula was new and exciting. The way the film was put together from the very first scene was captivating, and I really wanted to know what was going on. I also thought that the pacing was good, as there was never a moment when I felt frustrated at the characters' actions.

Of course, the denouement was completely guessable, but that wasn't where the thrill of this film was. It was in the surprisingly gritty, intense fight for survival that the Gladers were facing. It also presented an even more intriguing concept for the rest of the trilogy.

This film, however, did contain many annoying traits of teen films (not least the wannabe cool kids sitting in the cinema screen with us, putting us off the film at every available opportunity). These were things such as:

- People who have been living in an enclosed space for ages not ever having to cut their hair or shave, but the film making a point of how dirty they got because they couldn't wash.
- Certain characters' hair remaining gelled in the above circumstances, as well as while they are fighting weird creatures and running, falling, and being squashed by things.
- One specific character who is the "baddie" without much detailed characterisation or reasoning for their generally unpleasant nature.
- The main character being someone special, especially to the ONE AND ONLY female character who turns up later, "changing everything".

Plus, I am sure, many more...

However, that doesn't make it a bad film, it just makes something which could have been absolutely amazing into a solid, enjoyable film. Overall, it plays out like a cross between Lord of the Flies, The Hunger Games and a little dash of something else (Greek mythology?). One other positive that needs mentioning is that "English Litting" it (something Heather always tells me off for doing) was actually very interesting, presenting interesting questions and symbolisms. I am very much looking forward to this film's sequel, "The Scorch Trials", in 2016.

8/10

Doctor Who - In The Forest of the Night Review

I'd been looking forward to this one for a long time. Frank Cottrell-Boyce was one of my favourite authors as a child and he did a superb job with the London 2012 Olympic opening ceremony. When I heard that the idea for the episode was "invasion of the trees" I was even more excited. True to form, Cottrell-Boyce delivered a bold, beautiful piece which still fitted within the framework of Doctor Who.

It's been said before that Cottrell-Boyce is very good at writing for children as he knows how they talk to each other in real life. This was very apparent here with the interaction between the school children. Maebh's character was very well used and portrayed by the actress who played her, doing a very good job at being vulnerable and lovable.

The story this week was extremely poetic, perhaps a little bit too much so at times as the not-so-subtle references to fairy tales at times seemed like they were the main point behind the episode. That said, the lyrical narrative had a very powerful message that was child friendly but that also related to everybody.

A highlight for me was the scene between "Clara" (and if you've seen the next time trailer for next week you'll know why I've written her name in inverted commas) and the Doctor, where, in an inversion of the argument at the end of episode 7, the Doctor accepts responsibility for a crisis even when he is offered the chance to save himself. Cottrell-Boyce even turned some of the dialogue from "Kill the Moon" on its head, with great effect.

However, while the script was indeed strong, it has to be said that the atmosphere created in this episode is what made it so distinctive. The direction was beautiful and the episode looked amazing, but even stronger than this was the episode's soundtrack. In fact, I would go as far as to say that this week's music from Murray Gold is his best ever - as he really added to the overall "fairytale" feel of the episode.

This episode is not without its faults though. I can see the merit in having a lighter episode here, especially as its purpose was to be child friendly. However, at the end, the return of Maebh's sister didn't really make much sense. In fact, neither did the fact that Maebh's thoughts can change her surroundings. There was no actual monster or even well explained alien (just some invisible, unexplained floating blobs) and when it came to the trees being a shield rather than an enemy, it didn't take a genius to work that out from the minute the forest was described as fireproof.

In fact, this episode seemed to defy all logic at times, with none of the children remembering the old caretaker (all it would have taken was one line). And why were just two teachers, who happened to be Miss Oswald and Mr Pink (English and Maths teachers respectively) taking a group of children to a history museum? Moreover, why did the trees just vanish and where was the explanation for us forgetting about them?

That said, the episode was very enjoyable as well as very artistically devised and realised. I hope we see more of Mr Cottrell-Boyce.

8/10

Next week - the finale begins...

Fangirl

Last year I picked up Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell in Waterstone's; simply because it was set in the 80s, the cover art was beautiful, and it had a good review from John Green. After reading it, I easily placed it in the sought-after position of 'Heather's Favourite Book of All Time'. With my blossoming love of Rowell's writing style, I recently purchased another of her novels, Fangirl, and I was not disappointed.

Fangirl tells the story of Cather and Wren (the reason for their names is both sad and inspired), twin sisters who are heading off to college for the first time. Wren is excited to start going to parties and getting drunk, whereas Cath would much rather stay in her room and write fanfiction. I could really relate to Cath. No idea why.

Rowell's story-telling is, once again, captivating. Her characters are realistic and beautifully created, and the way they interact with each other is interesting and lively. I especially liked Reagan's sarcasm and Levi's charm, and I loved reading about Cath as we are so similar. The novel was an especially good read for me as it covers things that are also happening to myself, and that just made the read even more personal and enjoyable.

Basically I loved this book. It wasn't quite as magical as Eleanor and Park, but I think Rowell might be joining J.K. Rowling as one of my favourite authors.

If you like John Green, David Levithan and all that funny teen fiction, you will love Fangirl.

Next I will be reading The Shock Of The Fall by Nathan Filer. It isn't technically on my reading list, but it was leant to me, so I have to read it next. Those are the rules.

Heather out.

Doctor Who - Flatline Review

Again, I will start with a warning. This is probably going to be quite spoilery so don't read this unless you've seen the episode.

But gosh, where do I start? Such an original and well realised concept. I loved the pre title sequence, which was both scary and intriguing. As the episode moved on, not only was the story of the episode itself very well done but also it did very well in addressing the continuing relationships between Clara, Danny and the Doctor. The beginning felt a little slow, but probably only because of the "next time" trailer giving away too much, meaning that the sense of mystery wasn't there. For that reason I won't be deducting any points...

The idea of the Doctor being in a shrinking TARDIS was very clever, especially as it was apparently a late addition to the script for scheduling reasons. The only slight issue is that it was sort of apparent that they'd used all of the special effects money on the monsters rather than making the small TARDIS not look plastic, or indeed making the doorway of the TARDIS not look like it had been papered over to look like it had a smaller door. That said, the idea worked very well, as Clara becoming the Doctor highlighted very cleverly both characteristics of Clara and the Doctor. Unfortunately, this was treading very close to the realm of the show being self conscious again.

The above said, this was definitely the production and special effects teams' time to shine. Their work on the monsters was brilliant, and I enjoyed the A113 reference on the train (if you don't know what I'm talking about, go and watch every Pixar film ever and then Google it). The scene with the TARDIS returning to normal and the Doctor stepping out and epically defeating the enemy was very well done, with music and direction adding to the gravitas that Peter Capaldi always brings.

Now, let's talk about the end scene. Missy claims that she has "chosen" Clara. What could this mean? Well, remember the woman in the shop? If it weren't for her, Clara and the Doctor would never have met. Could it be that Missy knows that the Doctor's companions sometimes don't survive? Could it be that Missy was, even then, recruiting her for her "heaven"? I have a feeling the dilemma at the end of the series will be something along the lines of "Do I save the world and destroy this "heaven" which Clara is in, or do I save Clara and risk losing the world?"

The acting in this episode was tremendous, as was everything about it, really. It had just the right amount of humour and horror, and where there was humour, it was very funny. Despite its minor imperfections it was a nearly perfect episode. I was struggling to think about how to give this one points, as it was even better than last week's superb episode but not quite up to the standards of Listen. Alas, I think I have made up my mind.

Just a side note - my Dad seems to have made a good point about why this episode was set in Bristol. You know the famous graffitist Banksy whose work appears in Bristol, and then sometimes gets taken down by the council because it's not approved? There are definitely some parallels here. Just some food for thought - could Mathieson be BANKSY? (I joke, of course. Or do I...?)

9.75/10  (sorry, I had to)

Next week: The invasion of the forest puts humanity at risk. Also, Peppa Pig guest stars...

Doctor Who - Mummy on the Orient Express Review

It's just one after another with these amazing episodes. This series promised much and has definitely (almost always) delivered.

This episode sounds from its title like it could be a bit silly, or not up to much. But it delivered in many different, surprising ways. The direction gave it a very stylish and "vintage" feel which added nicely to the overall atmosphere, as did the music. But really, the strong point here was the writing. Jamie Mathieson made a cheap sounding idea into something complex, emotional and genuinely involving. He also handled the characterisation and the ongoing "feud" between the Doctor and Clara very well indeed. In fact, the episode's story and the bigger picture were seamlessly interwoven in a very effective way.

The mummy, or "Foretold" itself was a very clever idea and was very well realised. It might be one of the best looking monsters Doctor Who has ever had, and it certainly stopped the mummy from being the less good cousin of the vampire or zombie that Mathieson originally thought it might be.

It was nice to see Frank Skinner, who did a very good job. It was just a shame that Foxes' much publicised appearance only amounted to a very small cameo

I can't find anything wrong with this episode at all really, except apart from the mildly rushed ending, but it's not really anything to complain about. Judging by the idea behind next week's episode, Mathieson could definitely become a serious contender for becoming the next showrunner.


9.5/10

Next week - aliens that don't live in three dimensions are experimenting, and the Doctor is stuck in a tiny TARDIS.

Ben's September Favourites

It's me again. I don't seem to be able to stop myself. Also, brace yourselves. Some of this is going to be a little bit sad and nerdy.

Book
I have quite a lot of books that I will be reading this year because I have to. But that won't stop me enjoying them. One such example is The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood. This is a story set in a dystopian future where women are not even second class citizens, but are only there for a purpose. Offred is a Handmaid. Her only purpose in life is to give birth.

Despite how weird this might sound, it's a very interesting and well written book which is always questioning how our society works. I can't wait to write essays about it (!)

Film
September felt so long that I couldn't remember what I'd seen. So here's one I saw recently ish. It's The Double, directed by the IT Crowd's Richard Ayoade.  Simon James and James Simon look exactly the same, but are complete opposites. Based on a novel by Fyodor Dostoevsky, this film messes with your head a bit but is very interesting and dark. Jesse Eisenberg plays Simon and James very well and at times reminds me as Matt Smith in Doctor Who. Make no mistake, though, this film is far from light-hearted.

Song
Hard to choose songs from this band, as they're all so good, but Islands by Screaming Maldini has stayed in my head. It's full sound, powerful 5/4 pulse and general musical cleverness makes it really stand out from other songs I've had in my head (saying that, most Maldini songs do the same). It's really catchy, happy, poetic and unforgettable.

TV Show
I mean, you've probably guessed this one. It has to be Doctor Who. Apart from one episode, I've really liked this series so far. It's a great new starting place for people who haven't seen it before as well as satisfying the long term fans. It combines all the right aspects of old a new to create an exciting and original new set of episodes. My favourite so far is episode 4, Listen, the best 50 minutes of television for a long time.

App
This is going to sound so sad. But it has to be Office Lens for me. It's been really useful. I'm forever taking pictures of other people's work or notes off the board for homeworks, and Office Lens makes my life so much easier! It sharpens the text up to make it more readable and will turn it into a powerpoint or a word document with real typed out text and shapes for things like mind maps, saving me typing things up. And, as I have a Windows phone, I can just upload it to the cloud and print it off whenever I like. Pretty darn useful.

Album
Easily This is All Yours by alt-J. Yet again they bring us a brilliant collection of well written and produced songs which are incredibly good, but you can't put your finger on why. It creates a superb blend of atmospheric, melodic and epic sounds with poetic and puzzling lyrics. Gus Unger-Hamilton has a very strange vocal style, but this some just adds to its awesomeness. It proves my theory that all good things come from Leeds.

Whatever
This is the really nerdy one now. A key thing for me this past month has been Shostakovich's Symphony No 5 in D minor. I'm studying it for A Level music and the context of its composition is really fascinating. It was written in Stalin's Russia under pressure to conform to extreme nationalism, but Shostakovich really cleverly takes the absolute Michael out of Stalin all the way through. It's also a really good piece to listen to and I had the opportunity to play it recently, which was really fun.

Ciao.