District 9

I wasn't really sure when I saw the trailer for this film, it looked weird and confusing, but I thought that some of the best films I've seen are a bit odd, so why not give it a go. I'm glad I did as I do believe it's one of the best films I've seen this year.

When the orignial film based on the Halo video game series fell through, Peter Jackson gave director Neill Blomkamp $30 million to do with as he wished. The end result was District 9. This is a film about aliens yes, but it doesn't have that usual sci-fi feel to it. Alternating between standard third person camera work to documentary style gave this a very real and believable feel. Not once did I find myself thinking, oh this would never happen, because it felt like if aliens did come to earth, it would probably play out like this.

If you saw the trailer for this film, you might have noticed an alien talking about how he/she wasn't allowed to leave. But why? This becomes the general enigma and therefore backbone to this story. The aliens arrived in a spaceship and landed just above Johannesburg in South Africa in 1990. The MNU (Multi-National United) put the aliens into an area away from the main city, called district 9, but when things become tense between the people of Johannesburg and the aliens 20 years later, the MNU set up a scheme to move the aliens far away from any human civilisation. This is where the main character, Wikus (Sharlto Copley) makes his appearence, as the man in 'control' of moving the aliens. I was really suprised that this was his first acting role as he played the part perfectly. He really got you to empathise with his character and provided the comedy also.

But don't be fooled, this isn't for the lighthearted. It's full of explosions of buildings and people, finding my eyes covered for a lot of it. But nevertheless, through the cracks in my fingers I could tell this was an original, suspense filled film. With so many films out now, it's inspiring that people are still thinking of original and captivating storylines for us all to enjoy.

And if you want to know why the aliens aren't allowed to leave...then go and see the film!

102 minutes that changed...the world

This is actually a documentary that aired on channel 4 about a week ago. It was different to all the others I've seen on 9/11 as it went through the event in real time, i.e. the catastrophy lasted 102 minutes back in 2001 and we saw all 102 minutes of it in this documentary. It wasn't professional footage however, just ordinary people's video's and what they captured that day. This will sound stupid, but it seemed more realistic than the others I'd seen, it's like you were there with them, rather than just watching it.

It sounds awful, but I was glued to the TV screen, I found it captivating. There was one particular piece of footage that shocked me; a young man showing us around the lobby of the North Trade Centre after the South one had collapsed. Knowing what was going to happen but not exactly when made this hard to watch. My friend and I were literally screaming at the TV when we saw firefighters walking towards the North Trade Centre right before it collapsed.

It was an awful thing that happened and this documentary was shocking to watch, but compelling at the same time. It made you realise the amount of devestation it caused at what real people were doing and thinking at that time.

Computer Arts Projects' Cover (Aug Issue)

I love every front cover of Arts Projects that comes through my door, but I was particularly inspired by this one. From this view you would probably think it's been hand rendered somehow, but no, it's been carefully constructed out of paper and then shot with a camera. If there's one thing I can say about the creator of this piece, they definately have patience. If you look at the rest of Yulia Brodskaya's work then you'll realise this isn't just a one off either.

This particular design has actually been made from previous issues of the magazine, as you will notice from the writing on the cubed pieces. I like how she cleverly ties Arts Projects in this way. I also like the way she cut holes into the sides of the letters to create the light reflections inside, it gives the design more depth. There is also the paper gradients she uses, which sets the tone quite nicely.

St. Ives Tate

Having been to Cornwall and staying in St. Ives, I had to visit the Tate. They had an option for free entry after a certain time on a Friday, so being a poor student I decided this would be the best idea. Unfortunately I have to say, I'm glad I didn't have to pay any money as it wouldn't have been worth it. The architecture of this building is brilliant, it stands out but blends seemingly into it's surroundings. However I felt let down by the lack of content inside. I remember coming out of the gallery thinking, is that it. I realise it's not like the Met in New York with never ending space, but I still felt a little let down. They could have utilised the space better in order to fit more in. Also I didn't understand why they had chosen the artists that were in there, perhaps it's me being too subjective, but I didn't see anything I liked.

All in all, it was slightly disappointing, but you can't deny that this is a brilliantly designed building.

500 Days of Summer...

As soon as I saw the poster for this film, I knew I had to see it. It looked funny and romantic, but quirky also. It was certainly all these things and more.

Tom, played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt (famous for his role in 3rd rock from the sun) automatically falls for Summer (Zooey Deschanel), but does she feel the same? We see how Tom and Summer's relationship grows and changes throughout the 500 days. This film can be descirbed as a romantic comedy, but one with a twist. It doesn't follow that boring narrative that all others feel they have to abide by in order to be successfull. There's a non-linear structure present that is made less confusing by the numbered days. It flicks from say the 100th day, to the 350th day and then back to the 60th day, which makes for a very interesting narrative that keeps you on your toes.

This might ruin the ending (sorry!) but it doesn't end how you'd expect. However still finishes in a way you can walk out of the cinema smiling, which I like. Films either end the way you don't want them to, to be different, which is disappointing, or end like all the others making them predictable. This had a different and refreshing feel to it.

I was particularly impressed with the interesting techniques the director/editor used, for example, the split screen that occurs towards the end of the film. It depicted what Tom wanted to happen, and what actually happened (i.e. reality) side by side, which I thought was quite clever and really intrigued the eye.

Overall I would recommend this film to anyone who wants to see an offbeat romantic comedy, something a bit different. It isn't for everyone (as I learned from the girl next to me walking out of the cinema) but I really enjoyed it.

Just the other part of Eden?

When visiting The Eden Project, there's one part that you don't usually hear about. This is the Core, otherwise known as Eden's education centre. Just like the biomes, I was really impressed with the architecture of the building. It actually tells you inside all about how it's actually one of the most sustainable buildings in the world having been designed on nature. Obviously the most striking feature is the roof, made from an intricate web of curved timberbeams. It's actually based on the fibonacci sequence (a pattern found in many natural forms). I read inside that the idea here was to mimic the way daisys work together to create a base for insects to land. After last year's course in Design Theory, I found learning about the architechture really interesting.

Which biome was your favourite?

After five years of visiting the South West of England, I finally managed to visit The Eden Project. Of course, what better day to visit than when hurricane Bill was making his last appearance. Unfortunately the rest of Cornwall had the exact same idea. I feel that if it wasn't as busy I would have enjoyed it more. But no matter how many people you have to share a biome with, you can't ignore the amount of time and effort that must have gone into this place.

Both the rainforest and mediterranean biome had their own appeal. The bigger and more grand rainforest biome certainly leaves an impression. But I have to say I think the little details made it interesting, for example, all the drawings on the walls (see above).

In saying that, the architechture of Eden is definetely what you come here to see. I was strangely in awe of the way some of the triangles opened and closed to moderate the temperature within the biome (see above). This really did show me that Eden isn't just a big greenhouse.