22nd October 2008
Hannah Mackenzie In dramatic terms the boy-meets-girl and falls in love formula is familiar and staid. In Good Dick Glasgow-born Marianna Palka (writer, director and actress) takes a departure from her previous work, which includes ‘For My American Friends,’ a documentary on Maryhill, to reinvent a dull genre. The film documents a dejected girl (Palka) ...
22nd October 2008
Louise Ogden Call me old-fashioned, but when a film is labelled a comedy, I expect it to be funny. And I’m not talking about laugh-a-minute, side-splitting humour- although that’s always a plus- but a couple of good, memorable comedy sequences that stick with you, however fleetingly. Such scenes are sorely missed in ‘The Rocker’, the ...
22nd October 2008
Emily McQueen-Govan I had high hopes for this film, expecting something perhaps resembling the Jason Bourne films in narration and style. Instead, Eagle Eye focuses entirely on set pieces and car chases over plot and character development. Shia LaBeouf – yes, him again – stars as Jerry Shaw, a slacker who, after the sudden death ...
22nd October 2008
Ben Freeman In days of old, the fashion industry spent trillions of pennies developing its collections, solely targeted at the female of the species. Men were generally ignored as they have not traditionally been as dedicated to the art of dressing since the days of Beau Brummell, pioneer of men’s fashion in the 19th century. ...
22nd October 2008
Claire Strickett They don’t quite spell it out for you, but it’s clear enough – at Cafezique, the focus is on the food. Everything about it screams casual, the atmosphere falling somewhere between café and gastropub. It’s a tiny place that manages to err on just the right side of cosy, while the welcome is ...
22nd October 2008
Gerry McKeever kicks back with Roots Manuva Roots treads the imaginary tightrope of success with a flair few can claim to posses. Somehow, he has nestled into the hearts of a huge number of fans in the UK and worldwide, yet managed to retain an image of being edgy and underground. His unmistakable hip-hop cool ...
22nd October 2008
Lewis Porteous Since Franz Ferdinand hijacked it for marketing purposes, the term ‘art rock’ has become synonymous with impotent posturing; the genre of choice for musicians who favour style over substance and real ideas. When British Sea Power’s debut album emerged in 2003, they seemed the antithesis of these lightweight imposters, a fully conceptualised unit ...
22nd October 2008
Oisín Kealy Mr Scruff is the nom de plume of one Andy Carthy, and by all accounts a title that has become synonymous with marathon DJ sets of outstanding quality. Here on his first release of new material since Trouser Jazz in 2002, he returns a little more relaxed but with the same playful sound ...
22nd October 2008
Laura Cernis Famed as one of the most magical performances of the last century, Live At Carnegie Hall documents one of only two concerts Buena Vista Social Club ever played as a full ensemble. It is a beautiful, irresistible album; capturing the exuberance and nostalgia the collective celebrated so well. From the opening sway of ...
22nd October 2008
Harry Akehurst Running quietly alongside the new academic year is 2008-09’s Music in the University programme, a series of concerts from high-profile performers, both classical and contemporary. If it sounds like some musty anachronism then you should read on – actually, it’s quite something. On the 25th of September the Edinburgh and Alba string quartets ...
