Wednesday 29 October 2014

Interstellar - out of this world?


So, Christopher Nolan's epic 3 + hour film Interstellar will be hitting a cinema near you soon. It sounds like the standard golden age science fiction with big themes (end of the world) and heavy musings on the meaning of family.

The question is, though I am sure it will be beautiful and the special effects will be grand... will the writers have been given enough to allow us to care about the characters? 

3 hours isn't enough to get to know or care about characters if the focus of the script will be on "big themes". Will the characters be allowed to show some agency, or will they be there to service the script? As much as I love 2001, for example, I have often thought that the characters were left blank in order for the big ideas to have more time. 

Have you seen a film with big ideas that had time to develop characters that are quirky, imperfect but still ones we can identify with? Or is that best left to grand space operas like Babylon 5, where the characters are given time and space to develop?

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Image source: Interstellar official website http://www.interstellar-movie.com/

Wednesday 8 October 2014

The Big Draw

Do not fail, as you go on, to draw something every day, for no matter how little it is, it will be well worth while, and it will do you a world of good. Cennino Cennini

The Big Draw, the worlds biggest drawing festival has begun! There are many free or cheap activities happening around the world, between 01 October and 02 November

Image credit: Rcastillon
The festival exists to encourage people to draw, and if you look on the website there are any number of sensible reasons why. They talk about the economy, promoting visual literacy and efficiency.

But what else? Because it's fun. It's self expression. It's something that you can choose to do, in the way that you want to. Because.... 

That's why. Does it need to have a reason? 

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Image sourced from Morguefile

Friday 3 October 2014

The Spirit of my Dream

The fabulous second Rochester literature festival continues with a night at the theatre. Three of Medway's finest playwrights share with you an evening to remember

Image credit: 17%
Inspired by Byron’s poem ‘The Dream’, Maggie Drury, Sam Fentiman-Hall and Sarah Hehir, have collaborated to create an evening of new plays with a somewhat fantastical theme.

More information about the plays, the writers and the venue are available on the Rochester litfest website here

Date:Saturday, 04 October at 7pm
Venue: Chatham grammar school for boys
Tickets: available on eventbrite