Monthly Archives: June 2010

The Perversion of Empire {Carl Packman}

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We live in an age of bombast. Anyone who has seen Eddie Izzard’s show Circle will know of the skit he does about the word awesome, used so liberally now that even hot-dogs can be described as awesome, and of course if a hot-dog is considered awesome, what words will be available in our bank to describe the first landing on Mars, or our first sighting of Erkel.

Today the word empire and imperialism are used out of place, obscuring those original meanings. People go forth on these words particularly with regards to US and European ventures in the Middle East.

My own view is that it was unnecessary to be too instrumental in the creation of Afghan and Iraqi governments, not for the oversimplified reason that democracy building equals empire (it doesn’t) but because it was unnecessary in the war on terror (by and large a war against terror cells and factions). Regime change follows stripping the influence and power of those cells and ripping down the cash channels between neighbouring terror cells.

I opposed the Iraq war on the grounds that it was an own goal, and I still do, but the Taliban continues to forge power in northern provinces of Afghanistan and wields power by setting up fake checkpoints and unleashing suicide attacks. Reports back in 2009 suggest that families in Kunduz, a northern city in Afghanistan, and capital of the Kunduz Province, have been sending one son to join the Taliban in case militants take back control of that region again.

Fear pervades that region, and the Western troops ought to play a role in training Afghan forces to take power away from the hands of Taliban forces. Whatever ones view, that venture is not one of empire, and good reason too, because empire is over.

But one man who is not amused by the setting of the sun on the empire is Niall Ferguson – the man Michael Gove jumped up and down to clapping like an inebriated guinea fowl – empire apologist courted by the department of education.

Ferguson has been characterised as the Jamie Oliver of History, but this is not true, because as far as I can tell Oliver can at least tell his mange tout from his lady fingers.

In Ferguson’s opinion history is a discipline that won’t be jeopardised by strong opinion. Barely concealing his apologies for the British Empire, and criticising the American Empire for not being enough like the former, is one thing, but basic knowledge can remind you that history is at least the one subject where a relaxation of emotional attachment to a political ideology is vital.

In fact, the first lesson of relaying the objective facts lent to us by history is to leave agendas aside (they can obscure our understanding, and drag historical literature down to the level of chinese whispers).

Well this simply isn’t on the menu for Ferguson, who will now be in charge of deciding what goes in and what stays out of the curriculum of history for children (perhaps this is why the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority – a non department body – has been scrapped by the new coalition government).

Gove’s reason for allowing this is because he believes in traditional history teaching. We can guess what this means (Tudors, Saxons, Smurfs, Pingu etc) but is Ferguson the architect of traditional history, or is he to history what Mao was to the open society.

Gove uses the word tradition like some talk of empire today; perversely.

Retro Film Reviews: Ferris Bueller's Day Off

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Ladies and gentlemen, you are such a wonderful crowd, I’d like to
describe a little film for you. It’s one of my personal favorites and
I’d like to dedicate it to a young man who doesn’t think there’s
anything good about it.

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off is the fourth and finest of the John
Huges-directed teen comedies. Like its predecessors, the film is set
in the environs of a Midwestern high-school with an ensemble cast of
geeks, freaks and prom-queens; unlike its predecessors, Ferris takes a
less earnestly melodramatic and more worldly view, widening its scope
of reference from classrooms and hallways to the world beyond. The
film is less obsessed with the high-school caste system than Sixteen
Candles (and the Hughes-penned Pretty in Pink), less sentimental than
Breakfast Club, and less peurile than Weird Science. In its more adult
take on the teenage world, Ferris is also far funnier than any of the
earlier films.

Where Hughes’ earlier films were narrowly focussed on the cliques and
codes of early mid-teen life, Ferris examines the hopes and fears of
three friends (not a clique, but a genuine friendship group) about to
leave for college and, beyond that, adulthood. Where the concerns of
Hughes’ younger teenage characters in earlier films – popularity, peer
acceptance and a prom date – seem superficial and transient to adult
viewers now, the characters in Ferris worry about finding a role in
life and maintaining relationships over distance and time, far more
universal concerns that still resonate with this viewer.

Ferris the character is neither hero nor true antihero. He’s not a
jock, he’s not a brain, he’s not president of the drama society. He’s
a minor rebel, characterised by his principal as having an attitude
problem, but not a loner or an outcast – news of Ferris’s illness
(exaggerated by Chinese whispers throughout the course of the movie)
leads to horror throughout the student body, among whom he is
well-liked. He’s handy with a computer (although emphatically not a
nerd, contrasting him with Weird Science’s friendless-geek leads), and
clearly bright but wasting his potential. In other words, he’s an
average cocky 18-year-old Western male slacker, courting the attention
of his peers without being mature enough to realise his impending
responsibilities, the kind of character Bart Simpson would grow into
if he ever graduated grade school.

Ferris’s immature rebellion is not without aspiration, however –
school principal Roooney (the marvellous Jeffrey Jones), attempting to
track down the truants, goes to all the places in town he believes a
teenager would want to hang out – fast food diners and grungy
amusement arcades. Instead, the trio of Ferris, best friend Cameron
and cheerleader girlfriend Sloane “borrow” Cameron’s father’s 1961
Ferrari 250 GT California and drive to Chicago for a day of fine
dining, fine art, live sports and adventures with a street parade.
Rooney’s underestimation of Ferris’s aspirations gets him into scrapes
and costs him his quarry.

As well as its young-adult (rather than mid-teen) outlook and
extra-school Chicago setting, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off differs from
earlier Hughes outings in having a more playful relationship with the
viewer. Where The Breakfast Club’s characters stayed firmly within
their allocated spaces on screen, Ferris frequently breaks the fourth
wall to banter with the audience. One of the reasons we accept his
desire for a day off with sympathy is not just because he drives a
Ferrari and it looks cool, but because he takes us into his world,
sharing tips (“the key to faking out the parents is the clammy hands”)
and confiding in us the hopes and fears (“Sloane’s this bigger
problem”) that temper his front of cocky self-assurance. Hughes does
play with fourth-wall breaking in other movies, but typically in his
adult-led films (such as National Lampoon) rather than his teen
rite-de-passage items.

In addressing the viewer directly, Ferris also gives us access to the
fantasy that is his day off. “If you had access to a car like this,”
he asks us, “would you take it back right away? …Neither would I.”
We sympathise with Ferris because he does what we want to do. There’s
the Ferrari, of course (man, that car is beautiful), but there’s also
the audacious kidnap of Sloane from the school, his dealings with a
snooty (snooty?) snotty (snotty!) maitre d’, the jumping onstage to
sing “Twist and Shout” with a Bavarian band, the viewing a gallery
full of priceless artworks while The Dream Academy play a cover of
“Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want”. (OK, that last one is
maybe a thing we all could do tomorrow, I just wanted to drop my
favourite fact in somewhere). All of the above might look like the
antics of a self-satisfied little twerp if it weren’t for the
invitation to be part of the action.

And plus, the fourth-wall breaking business not only lets us inside
the head of a frustrated Midwestern teen forced to go through the
nonsense of a standard US education (Ben Stein’s scene really is
fantastic on this), but it gives us some great lines to enjoy into the
bargain. I can’t resist: “I mean, really, what’s the point? I’m not
European. I don’t plan on being European. So who gives a crap if
they’re socialists? They could be fascist anarchists, it still doesn’t
change the fact that I don’t own a car.”

In fact, Ferris is the film that has made the second-greatest impact
on my everyday vocabulary after Heathers. I mainly quote Jeannie – “Do
you know anything”, “Speaka da ENGLISH???” and “Go piss up a flagpole”
are personal favourites. I think Jennifer Grey gives a great
performance here, and it’s a much more fun character than that
mealy-mouthed Baby in Dirty Dancing. The neurotic Cameron is the
perfect foil for always-together Ferris, and is convincing both as a
character and as a loyal best friend – each supplies what the other
lacks.

Principal Rooney, as the authoritarian nemesis, can also be seen as
the yin to Ferris’s yang – he fears and perhaps secretly envies the
way Ferris appears to have control over the student body, the way he
himself would like to. “Last thing I need at this point in my career
is fifteen hundred Ferris Bueller disciples running around these
halls,” says Rooney. “He jeopardizes my ability to effectively govern
this student body.” Rooney’s secretary Grace helfpully spells out the
problem: “Well, makes you look like an ass is what he does, Ed.”

Really, though, that soul of the film lies in Matthew Broderick’s
fantastic central performance. The man may have taken over Broadway
since 1986 and won Tony Awards and whatnot, but he’ll be remembered by
a generation as the slightly spoiled, slightly rebellious,
slightly-cooler-than-the-rest-of-the-class-but-not-to-the-point-of-implausibility
graduating senior, and that comes down to a great interpretation of a
mature and well-written role.

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off is often billed as a teen comedy or a slice
of 80s nostalgia. With Sigue Sigue Sputnik on the soundtrack, it
certainly is the latter, and it admittedly is a comedy with teens in
it; but I also think it’s not limited to a teenage audience or to a
teenage worldview. It’s about friendship, love, and what you want to
do in life, and those are concerns not limited to the Reagan era or
the end of high-school. The film is populated by authentic characters
rather than stereotypes, dusted with musings on the nature of
existence without toppling into the melodramatic, scripted with
genuine warmth and acted by a great cast. But most importantly of all,
it is simply very funny.

By Lise Smith

Casting Call Pro Interview. Advice for actors and businesspeople.

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Catherine Balavage interviews Simon Dale from Casting Call Pro.

1) What was the idea behind the business?
We’d worked together in online recruitment for the film & tv industry for four years, working at The Production Base, a service for all those behind the camera (e.g. editors, camera operators, sound recordists, runners etc.), so we knew the industry. Chris’s sister was graduating from Mountview and was paying substantial subscriptions to a number of casting breakdown services. We realised that with our background and technical expertise this was an arena we could enter.
2) How did you make it a success
Crucially, we wanted to offer members more than a simple directory listing. With this in mind we built community elements in addition to the casting breakdowns – we wanted to bring the actors tools to help develop their career. Hence the directories of agencies, photographers, theatres, schools… and the community aspect to the site. Individuals, schools and companies are now using it to track and stay in touch with friends, alumni and old colleagues. We also offered a very different model to the other services out there in that we offer a completely free profile listing in the directory – which has helped us grow to our current size of 25,000+ members. We do have a premium subscription, but the profile listing is entirely free.
3) What mistakes do actors make?
Some have an inflated sense of their ‘right to perform’, perhaps down to ego, perhaps thinking that the mere fact of undergoing training entitles them to a lifetime of work. The harsh reality is that it’s a very competitive field whose daily currency is rejection. It’s hard to be seen for parts, harder still to be cast – that’s simple mathematics, there will always be a huge number of people up for the same part, many of whom will be talented. And so often (especially for commercials) it’s less about the depth of the acting talent and more about the surface look.
We hear about actors who breeze into an audition having done no preparation, no background research, not even having learned the lines they’ve been given. Sure, there will always be stories about people who stroll in, shoot from the hip and land the role. But you’re taking a huge risk if that’s your general modus operandi.
4) What advice can you give to actors?
Be proactive – don’t expect work to come to you. Try and find an agent if you don’t already have one. Network with people, attend industry events. Go to as many auditions as you can – it will help your technique and even if you’re not cast you are still in front of the casting directors. I have a friend who was up for a part two years ago – she didn’t get it, but the Casting Director contacted her eighteen months later with a role she thought she’d be perfect for. Difficult as it is, try and remain positive. Rejection day in day out is, inevitably, going to wear you down at some stage. Remember that you’ve chosen to enter an incredibly difficult profession, and that you might not be landing the roles may not be down to your acting talent. Keep the faith!
5) What advice can you give to other businesspeople?
Plan ahead. And plan ahead some more. Prepare your budget, make realistic forecasts. Bed yourself down for some lean times at the outset. We left well paid jobs to set up Casting Call Pro. We took huge risks and made personal sacrifices. We worked without salary and had to put in an awful lot of time and effort, not knowing if, further down the line, we would have a successful service (though of course we believed that we would, or we wouldn’t have taken the risks!). Look at the business holistically. As you grow, operating a business becomes so much more than running the core service that you set out with. You’ll need to learn about finances, PAYE, VAT, Corporation Tax… you’ll be interviewing and employing staff, running an office – all the while trying to run and expand your original business idea. For small companies (less than twenty employees) it probably won’t be feasible or necessary for you to hire HR staff or in-house accountants and lawyers – so you’ll be wearing many hats, office manager, bookkeeper, HR…
It’s likely that at some point in the first two years you will hit a low – financially or emotionally. You’re putting in all the work but not seeing the returns. These are absolutely pivotal times – most businesses fold within the first two years. If you retain your belief then you might turn the corner. We had to get different jobs to pay the bills, but we didn’t give up. And then we turned the corner and have never looked back.
6) What it the best thing an actor can do for their career?
Find an agent. Be proactive in trying to independently find and put themselves up for auditions (though do keep your agent informed). Train. See as much theatre, film and television as possible. Periodically reassess their career and drive – and, if necessary, give themselves a metaphoric shot in the arm to keep their spirits up. (Remember all the positives, your ambition, your passion – those things that first inspired you to get into acting.

7) What is the funniest casting you have ever had?
Among the strangest we’ve had are requests for actors to play pranks on bosses and ex-partners, as well as a over-zealous salesman who was offering an all-expenses-paid trip to Helsinki for anyone who was willing to impersonate his CEO at a client meeting the the real CEO couldn’t attend.
8 ) What do you thing of actor’s paying for casting director workshops?
It’s entirely up to the individual. Sessions with CDs seem to be on the increase. Research the company providing them, and the CD(s) themselves. What have they cast? These seminars and workshops can vary enormously – some being straightforward talks, panel discussions, Q&A, and even interactive sessions at which the actors perform a piece and receive feedback from the CDs. As with all these things (casting services included), ask friends and peers – what do others think of them?

9)  What is next for Casting Call Pro?
As ever, we’ll keep developing the service, building new features and adding new tools to try and help the actor and to better our service. Already we have expanded out from actors to create allied sites for dancers, stage crew, film crew etc. Watch this space!

Casting Call Pro is an excellent website for actors. Both of Frost Magazines editor are on it. To find out more and to join follow the link http://www.uk.castingcallpro.com/

TV Preview; Japan's Wild Secrets

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The typical image of modern Japan is one of a neon-lit, high-tech futuristic society crammed into skyscraper-strewn cities. Just a short way out from the bustling human hotspots lies a completely different country. Born of volcanic eruptions and comprising 6,852 individual islands, this other land is one of incredible variety and natural wonder. With habitats ranging from snowy mountains to sun-kissed beaches and subtropical paradises, these diverse landscapes are home to creatures including brown bears, raccoon dogs, fiddler crabs and the famous hot-spring-bathing macaque monkeys.
National Geographics Japan’s Wild Secrets is a beautifully shot wildlife documentary. Taking care not to re-tread already well covered ground, the programme skips through landscape after sequence after complex shots. There are plenty of time lapse for enthusiasts (a must with today’s wild life documentary) and for those who like facts and figures, they throw them at you like you’re probably taking notes.
Highlights included a Japanese Macac (also known as a Snow Monkey) pick a bit of sleep from the corner of its eye and after inspecting it, continues to eat it. And mud skippers’ suprising ability to look adorable even thought they’re gooey, spitting out mud and blinking like a parody of a person with mental illness. Even their attempts at looking threatening was cute.
The photography is stunning and inspirational but the end message is a familiar one. That of modern developments threatening the natural environment.
Catch the show on Nat Geo Wild; Tuesday 8th at 9pm

Are Computer Games the Future of Sport?

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We’ve been playing computer games for years but are they now about to become a spectator sport in their own right. Perhaps this is already the case. Computer game sports (E-sports) are big business in South Korea where matches are televised and whole stadiums are filled. The most popular game by far is the real time strategy game Starcraft. Despite being over 10 years old with outdated graphics the game continues to grow in popularity and there is no doubt the games are extremely entertaining. Since its release Starcraft has sold 11 million copies worldwide. Below is an example of an exciting rush game between top two current players in the world.

Now 12 years after the original and 4 years late Starcraft 2 the sequel is about to be launched. One of the main reasons Blizzard made the game was that it believed there could be huge potential in growing e-sports in the west. Will it take off? We will have to wait and see. Starcraft 2 is released worldwide on July 27.

by James Yardley

James Yardley on The Elusive Peace – An examination into the future of the Arab-Israeli conflict. Part 2.

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The Elusive Peace – An examination into the future of the Arab-Israeli conflict.

Part 2 – What are the internal divisions within Israel and how does this affect the chances of a future peace settlement with the Palestinians.

Israel

At first glance Israel appears a united country but when it comes to the question of the Palestinians, Israel is deeply divided. These divisions are exacerbated by Israel’s electoral system which is one of proportional representation. Israel has a wide range of different political parties. Many are very small special interest parties often campaigning on a single policy. The Israeli parliament, the Knesset is made up of 120 seats. To form a government a party needs to gain 61 seats. However because of the system of proportional representation no party ever forms a majority. In 2009 the largest party Kadima achieved only 22% of the vote gaining 28 seats. Miles short of the 61 needed for a majority.

Israeli governments tend to be a fragile coalition of various parties and as a result tend to be weak. Often the main body of a coalition may struggle to appease more radical elements. Unsurprisingly the average Israeli government has only lasted 25 months as inevitably elements within the coalition fall out with one another. A series of weak governments has made it difficult for an Israeli prime ministers to take decisive action regarding the Palestinian question.

An important point to consider in regard to the Palestinian question is that Israel is surprisingly only about 70% Jewish. There is a substantial and growing Arab minority making up around 20% of the population. There are two Israeli Arab political parties, United Arab List (4 seats) and Balad (3seats). Some commentators have speculated there is potential for internal conflict should this minority continue to grow. The strained situation is heightened by the fact that the Arab minority maintains very close ties with those in the occupied territories. There have already been incidents of rioting and unrest during the first intifada (1987-1993) and the second intifada (2000- ).

Many in Israel are also very much aware of this threat. This is illustrated by Yisrael Beiteinu, a secular nationalist party which uses the slogan, ‘no loyalty, no citizenship’ towards Israeli Arabs and is described by the Israeli media as ‘far right’. The party wants to create a new Palestinian state and then transfer areas of high Arab population in Israel to this new state in exchange for Jewish areas in the West Bank. Despite being a very new party founded in 1999, which initially only achieved 4 seats, it has now grown to be the third largest party in the Knesset gaining 15 seats in the 2009 general election. Israeli Arabs remain vehemently opposed to the idea. Israel has a much greater standard of living compared the occupied territories.

Likud (27 seats) the party of the current prime minister Netanyahu continue to oppose the creation of a Palestinian state and supports the building of more settlements within the West Bank. Shas (11seats) a religious party also tends to support this policy.

It has always been Likud’s policy to seek the whole land of Israel including in particular the areas of Judea and Samaria (the West Bank). They believe Israel has a right to own this land. This is why Israeli settlement building continues.

In the past their have been big internal divisions within the party and the country regarding the policy. This was most famously highlighted when Ariel Sharron (then prime minister and leader of Likud and previously known as the champion of the settlers) abandoned the policy and his party in 2005 forming a new centrist party (Kadima) in order to carry out a disengagement plan. Removing Israeli settlements from Palestinian areas in Gazza and some areas of the West Bank.

The withdrawal has been heavily criticised within Israel for many reasons and many view it as a failure given the Hamas rocket attacks from Gazza in 2008. Since the withdrawal Israeli public opinion has seen a large shift in support back towards the right. In the most recent elections Likud more than doubled its number of seats.

A combination of deep internal divisions and successive weak governments continue to contribute to the lack of progress regarding a settlement with the Palestinians. Although these are by no means the only or most important factors. In the next article we will examine the impact of internal Palestinian divisions on a future peace settlement.

by James Yardley

TV Preview: Aftermath – When the Earth stops spinning

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Fox and the National Geographic channel are having an apocalypse week. Nothing says optimism like the end of the world and death on a devastating scale and this is no exception. Our planet is spinning at 1,600 km per hour but this programme predicts what would happen if that spinning stopped. Imagining an Earth that ground to a halt within 5 years we’re told of terrifying scenarios and visions of death, destruction and suffering.

To begin with the differences wouldn’t seem so large, eventually they become so escalated that there seems no corner of the Earth left unscathed. We’re shown graphic death scene after another, corpses floating in an underwater London, ficticious news reports of the unfolding horror. After more terrifying visuals and descriptions of an “earth tearing itself inside out” those who havnt suffocated, drowned, frozen, burned, starved or died of insomnia related accidents either stay in safe places or set sail for new lands.

A boat full of oceanographer/models set sail on an arc to new land. And so begins a new race of beautiful model “settlers”, fishing, farming, watering pot plants, harnessing the power of the wind, only wearing beige and shivering because they never had the need of a jumper. Only the people who previously owned floor length puffer jackets are craggy looking.

Eventually the Earth grinds to a complete stop and the remaining humans are left huddling together like penguins as they spend six months of the year in darkness. I’m not sure why the Earth stopped spinning, this is never explained, but the result is entertaining.

Watch Aftermath – When the Earth stops spinning on the National Geographic and HD channel on 7th June at 9pm