eightyseven

*Originally posted on Panic Dots.*

Each year in film, while the big blockbusters are storming through the collective consciousness with all the subtlety of a terminator in a Sarah Connor shop, there are a few unsung heroes that slip past unnoticed by most, and, like a celluloid equivalent of Kyle Reese, steal our hearts and leave a lasting impression.

Terrible analogies aside, many great films get overlooked because they haven’t got the Hollywood marketing clout of Michael Bay or James Cameron, or because they are not in English but are foreign with subtitles.

As any self respecting film snob will tell you, the indie and foreign offerings are often better than the mainstream hits, and over the next few months I’m going to extol the virtues of some of my favourite lesser-known and under-appreciated movies. First up is an absolute gem; the 2005 German film Die fetten Jahre sind vorbei, or The Edukators to you and me.

Set in Berlin, Hans Weingartner’s film follows The Edukators, three young anti-capitalist activists – waitress Jule (Julia Jentsch), her boyfriend Peter (Stipe Erceg), and his best friend Jan (Daniel Brühl) – who unwillingly (and almost unwittingly) kidnap a wealthy businessman, Mr Hardenberg (Burghart Klaußner), after they are caught breaking into his home.

In the midst of this not inconsiderable drama, Jan and Jule fall in love, and the revelation of their affair further unhinges the already edgy Peter. The romantic tension bubbles and simmers beneath the surface as the trio discuss the potential fate of their captive, although their options are somewhat limited – take him home to his family and take the rap, or kill him and go into hiding.

The three leads put in great performances and the photography is excellent. The hand held aesthetic feeds into the theme of the film well, and makes the subtly acted scenes feel all the more personal and honest. The predictably indie soundtrack is perhaps not particularly exciting but it fits well enough and is certainly easy to listen to.

If you are or have ever been an idealist, The Edukators will resonate with you. If you have ever done something foolish in a moment of rebellion, even more so. But most importantly, if you are a film lover, you should go watch this great film now.

Activision, the games publisher behind the critically acclaimed and best selling Call of Duty series, announced in a press release today that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, the sixth game in the series, not only broke every sales record for anything ever, but in fact also heralded the second coming of Jesus Christ.

The news comes just hours after reports began flooding in that Sony’s free online gaming service, PSN, had crashed due to the sheer volume of Jesus on the network. Microsoft’s Xbox Live subscription service held up significantly better under the strain but many gamers outside the US have complained that it can sometimes take upwards of 5 minutes to find a lag free saviour.

The game’s creative strategist, Robert Bowling, told NotRealNews, “All of us at Infinity Ward and Activison were confident that we had a fantastic game with Modern Warfare 2, but we were all still quite surprised when three kings and a large crowd of shepherds invited us to the Stable Inn shortly after the launch and told us that the multiplayer component of the game was so good that it had actually prompted the return of the Messiah.”

Videogame activists and aetheist groups were quick to criticise the move, claiming that it “reinforces religious beliefs in young, impressionable gamers”. Notable aetheism advocate, Richard Dawkins, gave a statement regarding the announcement. He said, “Children are not being shown the consequences of religion. We need to teach them that in real life, when you get crucified, you don’t just restart from the last checkpoint.”

Gaming industry analyst Michael Pachter believes that we will see more publishers partnering with prominent religious icons in 2010. EA is currently believed to be in talks with Buddha over reincarnating it’s floundering Need For Speed series as a game that people actually like.

Activision also announced today that they are considering a new “collection plate” weekly payment model for future releases in the Call of Duty series. More specifics and a pricing structure are thought to be forthcoming in the new year, with many expecting the service to adopt a “pay what you can” approach.

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[I love writing satire.]

A recent message to all the members of the Facebook group ‘Laverys Lovers’ has called for entries to a contest to design posters, flyers and other artwork for Lavery’s Bar’s new music night, Musicology.

The prize? A £50 bar tab for Lavery’s Bar.

Here is the original Facebook message:

Hi All
here’s a chance for any budding designers out there to have your design printed up for Laverys Flyers / Posters and other promotional material, and get a £50 bar tab to boot!!!

As from September The Whole Fandango is morphing into Musicology with Select Student Sounds. Anyone interested should e.mail me at gregz@laverysbelfast.com for full details on what should be included on the flyer.

Greg

I’m a little annoyed to see my favourite bar jumping on the spec work/crowd-sourcing bandwagon, and with such a small prize.

What do you think? Is this a legitimate competition? Is spec work fair to designers?

If you disagree with spec work I would urge you to get in touch with Greg at gregz@laverysbelfast.com and let him know how you feel. I already have.