There’s a lot of expectation riding on this film. I’ll admit I was worried. Wes Anderson has made some incredible films and it’s a high benchmark to reach. But Moonrise Kingdom put all my worries to rest. It’s charming, beautifully shot and exceedingly funny.

Set in the ’60s, there’s a glow of love for the retro – the palette, the portable record player, the absurd scout uniforms. The pace is balanced and the character development understated. Little back story is given, usually in sharp bursts of hand-written letters. We meet the characters intent on their mission to hike an ancient trail. Sam is the all-prepared scout (rope, canvas, compass) and Suzy, the ill-prepared love of his life (Sunday school shoes, book-filled suitcase, kitten).

Co-written with Roman Coppola, the script is witty and astute. Suzy’s dysfunctional family operate around a mother (Frances McDormand) who uses a megaphone in the house and a father (Bill Murray) who chops wood aided by red wine. We witness complications through Suzy’s binoculars and a local meteorologist keeps us posted on the incoming storm. Between scout-battles and adult squabbles, the lovers’ hike across the island and their quest to stay together becomes more and more precarious.

In a star-laden cast, newcomers to Anderson’s films Ed Norton and Bruce Willis give touching and sensitive performances as scout camp master and police captain respectively. Both Suzy (Kara Hayward) and Sam (Jared Gilman) are outstanding. They look comfortable on camera but manage  the awkward timing of Anderson’s style. Both are engaging screen presences who give truth to a  wonderful story.

Despite the occasional less-than-special effects, this film meets the high standard of Anderson’s previous acclaimed films. The resolute protagonists of Moonrise Kingdom provide a purpose unlike the emotionally lost brothers of The Darjeeling Limited (2007) and the regretful Steve Zissou of The Life Aquatic (2004). The young lovers show more grit and determination than any of Anderson’s previous protagonists, bar perhaps Max Fischer of Rushmore (1998). This sense of purpose gives an enjoyable coherence and newly positive touch to Anderson’s characteristic journey of discovery, although there remains that typical tinge of tragedy.

Moonrise Kingdom has a beautiful atmosphere, striking cinematography and a pitch-perfect script.  It’s unmistakably Anderson in the best possible ways and for fans and newcomers alike, there’s a lot of laughs to be had.

Kat Dixon

The University Officer Training Corp (UOTC) is a regiment of the British military body that was developed to train university students, and according to a proud declaration on their website, the UOTC provides students the opportunity to challenge themselves in a military context, “by partaking in military exercises, adventurous training, community projects and expeditions both in the UK and overseas”. A programme that is designed to both challenge and develop an individual, a student’s time with the OTC is considered to be a three-year life lesson in how to push oneself to the limit and go beyond both their physical and mental capabilities.

Located in Beeston, the headquarters of the East Midland University’s Officer Training Corp (EMU OTC) trains university students from all over the east midlands and cadets from the University of Nottingham are joined by those studying at Trent, Leicester, De Montfort, Loughborough, Derby, Northampton and Lincoln. Interestingly, Nottingham consistently hosts the most cadets, providing 28% of the intake in the academic year 2010/2011. Metres away from Jubilee Campus resides the East Midland’s Reserve Forces and Cadets Association where Katy Steventon, former cadet and current Head of Communications, explains the programme’s mission. The aim of the EMUOTC is to “essentially develop the leadership potential of university students, whilst raising awareness of the Army’s ethos”. OTC members are classified as ‘Officer Cadets’, ‘Group B’ members of the Territorial Army (TA) and contrary to common opinion, “in no way are cadets ever deployed on operations”. Whilst the organisation does build an interest in career opportunities in the Army, the programme itself is purely for the development of students.

Aside from an impressive doctrine, curiosity persists in this enquiry; what motivates students to join the OTC? Interest in the military from a young age is a common trait amongst cadets, with junior organisations such as the Army Cadets Force providing these opportunities to 12-18 year olds.  Second year cadet Alex Hamilton, who studies Economics with Chinese, harboured an interest in the military from a young age. “I used to like physical challenges and a work-hard-play-hard attitude. I initially joined my school’s Combined Cadet Force and did quite well there. But I really got into it around the beginning of sixth form when I met some Royal Marines from my local base”.

There are over 47,000 young cadets training in 2012, many of whom go on to UOTC. Similarly, Tom Hutton, a second year History and American Studies student at Nottingham, was first motivated by “listening to grandparents’ stories” as a child. His interest was “fostered by four years spent in Air Cadets, where I was hooked from an early age”, kindling his incentive to join the OTC during his first year at Nottingham.

Second year Nottingham student Charlie joined the OTC for a different reason; “I was unsure whether to join the Army properly after university so I joined to make my mind up”, an incentive that Steventon also draws upon from her experiences as a cadet back in 2002: “A lot of the first year students we recruit often have an interest in the military and simply want a taster and the OTC is a great way to get that experience.” After joining in October 2011, Charlie plans to continue training until graduation, emphasising the flexibility of the programme.

Adrian Usher, a second year History student at University College London shares the decision-making motive but views it in a different light. “My motivations to join the military were quite nebulous; I had no idea what I was to do with my life…The forces provided a sort of clear-cut, simple framework.” Despite leaving after one year, Usher agrees with the development aspect of the organisation, because “it gave my life structure and easily defined goals.”

The structure of the programme run by the OTC is true to form in its declaration of self-development. Within a first year intake, the OTC will train around 140 students in weekly meetings that cater to the university sport timetable. Even though a high level of commitment is expected from cadets, it should not be at the expense of a student’s degree and the majority of training is kept within the academic calendar. Whilst Hamilton admits that it can prevent you from keeping on top of your work, “none of our training is compulsory as such… and I know that 9 times out of 10 I can catch up with work and still turn up for training.”

Within the first year, students will meet once a week. Training is mainly focused on the physical aspect of the military such as section tactics, shooting and map-reading skills; according to Hutton “it’s very hands-on”. Around 120 cadets will also take a syllabus-set exam from the Military Leadership Development Programme (MLDP) stage 1 at the end of their first year. One undeniably appealing aspect of the OTC for cadets who are committed to the military after university is payment for their training days; within first year, a cadet will receive a generous daily rate of pay of £37.40 and an annual bounty (an extra allowance offered by the Government to reward commitment) of £146 for a majority attendance of training weekends.

Parallel to a student’s degree, the OTC training progresses through second year but changes in focus. Now training in Alma Company, second year is essentially based on mental aptitude. Continuing to support students whilst training, the daily rate of pay increases to £44.60 and the bounty increases to £169. At least 60 students will progress to the second year of training, 40-50 of these taking the second year MLDP at stage 2 whilst aiming for the TA commissioning course at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, the home and heart of British military training. Currently in their second year, both Hutton and Hamilton plan to train within the military after graduation and both students are grateful for the “insight and fun” that the OTC has offered.

Hamilton plans to join the Royal Marines and train at the Commando Training Centre, Royal Marines in Lympstone, Devon, after spending a year in China. “OTC hasn’t pointed me down that path…but I’m very grateful for the experience it has afforded me. It will certainly help when it comes to learning it all again at Lympstone.”

Third year cadets are integrated into the authority structure of training 1st and 2nd year companies and the final increase in payment is now set to £62.08 a day and £205 for the annual bounty. Whilst preparing for ‘finals’ and the transfer to Sandhurst, a significant part of the third year cadet experience involves the organisation of the social events. With an annual dinner, summer cocktail party, Christmas ball, Halloween and Valentine’s parties and EMU association dinners, there is unanimous praise for the social aspect of the organisation. In the Beeston HQ, the Mess holds a large leather-bound book, filled with photographs of social gatherings that go back to a point when the unlabelled photographs are printed in sepia and black and white. When asked about her memories of socials, Steventon is endlessly enthusiastic; “The formal dinners and balls had a strict dress code and you’d be expected to maintain certain etiquette. The atmosphere wasn’t stuffy though because of the close bond with your peers and I hold some amazing memories from them.”

Additional opportunities after the third year of training are extensive. As well as the annual final training camp in Sennelarger, Germany, cadets are offered the chance to gain extra adventure training in sports such as skiing, climbing, scuba-diving, sailing and sky-diving in Egypt, Bolivia, France, California and Italy. Having travelled to Malta for ten days of scuba diving and skiing in Austria at Christmas, it’s no wonder Hutton praises the “exceptional” travel opportunities for cadets, enabling students to break out of the university bubble and take their experiences abroad.

So what have Nottingham’s cadets gained from their time so far? Naturally, personal development is the first thing that comes to Hamilton’s mind: “I think it’s easy to underestimate the effect that life in green has on you. It puts you out of your comfort zone so that you learn the value of discipline, integrity and teamwork and the confidence that you can cope with difficult situations.”  Interpersonal skills and relationships between people are also part of this development. Usher in particular, emphasises how “there were some really good sergeants in the core and some of the older cadets who I had so much respect for. I would fight alongside them any day.” Naturally, as Hutton points out, the training brings you closer to your peers, and “your relationship is brilliant with other officer cadets as some of the training is demanding so it creates bonds so much different from normal life”, later described as “comradey”.

Whilst it is evident that balancing military training with a relatively normal student life is not easy, it is impossible to deny that it is rewarding. The photo albums, numerous medals of bravery and the memories preserved at the headquarters almost generate a sense of envy. Indeed, the lessons learned are just as valuable, as Usher points out, “I miss a lot of things about the military. It instilled real virtues that I just don’t think we have in our highly individualistic and ‘grab all you can for yourself’ society. I’m talking about discipline, collective achievement, hard work and respect for community. These, I think, are things we lack today in society and we need them more than ever”.

It’s easy to understand the sense of satisfaction that a hard day’s work produces. But camping in thunderstorms, platoon tactics and physically gruelling training? Steventon presents it clearly: “You honestly, don’t think about it after; you forget the times that you were cold, hungry, soaked to the bone whilst climbing up a hill, carrying double your body weight in supplies. You laugh about it later with those who survived with you and that sense of accomplishment is unbeatable.”

Rosie Feenstra

IS: You oversaw British radio at the height of the Britpop phenomenon. Did you anticipate any of the bands you championed in their early days would go on to become giants of the industry?

MB: It wasn’t my work, first of all. It was the work of DJs, producers, the heads of music policy at the time. We wanted to get the best and most interesting new music onto the station. We were championing bands either long before commercial radio or that commercial radio wouldn’t touch. In fact, our argument for public funding was (and still should be) that it was a major public service. As long ago as the 1980s, Stuart Copeland [drummer for the Police] said there were two things that made British bands disproportionately successful: one was the social security system and the other was Radio 1. And so it was that kind of spirit that we wanted to rekindle – not the social security stuff but the platform for new artists!

[The record industry] felt we had become a less effective platform if the audience fell. But I think we ended up with an audience who were passionate about new music and they were the very people the artists and the record companies wanted to contact. We wanted to make a great radio station that was in touch with new music, but it had the side effect of creating careers for people.

IS: Of the talent you personally signed or assisted in signing, who are you most proud of? 

MB: [Laughs] I’m proud of lots of people for different reasons and it’s invidious to single any of them out. The one thing I do say when I’m asked this question is that the programme I’m most personally proud of having commissioned is ‘Blue Jam’ by Chris Morris – which was extraordinarily weird. It was like drifting in and out of nightmares and made you feel deeply uneasy. I had all kinds of terrible debates with myself and with him about whether it was acceptable broadcasting. But it was a brilliant use of the medium.

IS: If you look at that as a very experimental show and you look at, perhaps, some of the artists that John Peel recorded for the Peel Sessions, do you feel that today’s radio is safer by comparison? 

MB: I think it probably is. People in the BBC have a piece of rhetoric about the fact public funding allows you to be risk-taking and point to various things that they do they say are risk-taking. But we genuinely took risks and the proof of that is, we failed sometimes. I think you can only see that someone has taken risks when they have some dramatic failures as well as some dramatic successes. We put people on in particular parts of the day when they wouldn’t necessarily have been there. We took risks with the music too. I think that perhaps some of that heritage has gone to 6 Music rather than to other stations.

IS: Online subscription radio has been a soar-away success in the United States. Do you see the same happening here, or do you think British audiences are too used to the idea of radio as a free commodity?

MB: I don’t want to say definitively that it’s not going to happen in some form, but I think people just believe that it’s free and it’s going to come out of their set in some way or other without payment. Because of the size of the American population, you could get quite a large minority subscription base to make a success of it, whereas here the minorities might not be big enough. So it’s not something I foresee happening any time soon.

Izzy Scrimshire

Camilla Vallejo, 23, has led the protest movement as President of the National Confederation of Student Unions since last May. Vallejo, replaced as President by rival leftist Gabriel Boric in December, has gained international fame and support for the students’ cause. The key message heard across Chile is that “education has become a business rather than a right.”

Concerning their support, Ms. Vallejo said, “We believe this reveals something fundamental: that there is a global demand for the recovery and defence of the right to education”. This message rings true in Britain as the current tripling of tuition fees raises questions whether further education is now a privilege rather than a right of equal opportunity.

In Chile, innovative protests such as Kiss-a-thons, Thriller dances, hunger strikes and Cacerolazos (banging of household items in the street) as well as occupations of educational institutions have led to major changes to educational policies.

President Sebastian Pinera said, “This year we have the highest budget for education in Chilean history. One out of four pesos spent by the Chilean government is spent on education”. The government’s proposed 2012 budget has a $350 million increase for higher education, which will be directed to increase scholarships for students. In addition, the government has been forced to cut interest rates on student loans from 6.4% to just 2%. Interest rates in the UK stand at 3% plus inflation.

The main demand Chilean students have is to see an end to the ‘for-profit elementary schools’ created under Pinochet, which they argue reinforce inequalities, as only those who can afford it get the best education. But this year the UK government completely cut funds to the national Aim Higher Scheme, which aimed to widen participation in higher education by giving advice and guidance to young people from disadvantaged backgrounds.  With the new complicated loan applications, such cuts could not have come at a worse time.

Many think this situation stems from more deep-rooted social inequalities. Chilean student Gerado Celis said, “I think the whole problem behind this is the division and class separation that we have in this country”. Chilean unionists and pensioners have shown support for students and have created a united front against inequality in Chile. This attention to the cause has seen President Pinera’s approval ratings slump to just 26%.

However, many are now seeing the true costs of long occupations of schools and campuses over the year; with school openings being postponed by months due to vandalism, students face a seven-month lapse in studying. Meanwhile, some students who were involved in the protests have been unable to re-enrol at some schools in the City of Providence due to their behaviour in the demonstrations.

Some would argue that this is the price you have to pay. As Vallejo said “It is always the youth that make the first move”. If we want change, it is up to us to decide when we want it and what we want just as the Chileans are doing.

As the new term begins in Chile, many expect the protesters that have been quieter over the summer break to restart the movement and call for further demands that have not yet been met.

Kelsey Wilson

Chronicle was a huge hit in cinemas but how do you feel about how movies are now consumed – not just in cinemas but in all sorts of formats?

I kind of grew up with that. I grew up with home video. My dad taped every single movie and he had a closet full of films. I saw Kurosawa films, the French New Wave, Italian neo-realism on really crappy long-play VHS recordings, and that’s how I remember loving those movies. I honestly can’t say the movie theatre is the most important place to see a film because that’s not where I saw all my favorites. I still haven’t seen 2001: A Space Odyssey on the big screen, but I know it like the back of my hand. Today it’s a new world – a faster, more instantaneous world of media and entertainment so it makes sense people are going to see things on teeny screens or iPads or fantastic Blu-ray home theatre set-ups. It’s in the hands of modern filmmakers to accept that and approach the movies they make with it in mind. You can’t fight technology, and Blu-ray makes up for all the other things that p**s filmmakers off, like ‘You can’t watch a movie on an iPad’. My answer to that is ‘Yeah, but the Blu-ray is just as good as the theatrical experience’.

What were your influences when making Chronicle?

There were more weird influences that seeped into this movie than I could ever make a list of. Akira is one of my favorite movies of all time – the idea that you can begin a movie with a protagonist that everyone sympathizes with, and then at the end of the movie you see him completely lose control and in turn become the ultimate threat. There’s also the work of David Cronenberg and Stand By Me and Carrie. Werner Herzog’s Grizzly Man is another of my favourite movies and it was a real influence in terms of being a ‘found footage’ movie which has a beautiful handmade aesthetic to it. I’m also a huge fan of Alan Clark and Made In Britain is yet another of my favorite movies because of the way it objectively portrays this kid and his life and how he relates to other kids, the realism and the naturalistic dialogue, and the storyline is a haphazard sequence of events. There are so many influences on this movie – I’m a real movie guy.

The film goes from an intimate feel to a real epic…

That’s what we were aiming for, definitely. We set out with this idea for a three-act story and Max Landis [the scriptwriter] took it and made it into a fully-fledged screenplay. The idea was to have a film that opens up very grounded and seemingly stripped-down, then at the end it becomes this gigantic film, almost like a disaster movie, but the tone remains the same. The tone and the texture of the film never falls out of line with the first scene, which is just this kid turning on the camera in his room. All the effects and the look are as mundane as anything you would see in that bedroom.

This is your first film as a director. What were the challenges?

The most obvious thing is the big effects, making sure the ones you see without any obscure camera angles look 100% believable – not just good but realistic. The flying sequences were very challenging because there’s a lot to contend with there. I’ve never really seen ultra-realistic flying before so we wanted to make it look as believable as possible. We ended up creating these rigs with these visual effects geniuses in South Africa, which is where we shot the movie. We also worked very hard in post-production, right up until the last minute, on getting the effects right. The other thing which is a little less obvious, but I’d say more challenging than anything, is the dramatic portrayal of these characters – to not just make this a showy, visual effects-based movie but also to make it a movie where you care more about what’s going to happen to the characters than where’s the next scene we’re you’ll see some cool s**t happen. Working with this particular cast really helped because they’re amazing actors and were as committed to realizing that vision as I was and as Max was when he did the screenplay. They couldn’t just be great actors; they had to be the sort of people you just can’t get enough of on screen. They needed to feel familiar but like you’d never seen in a movie before – familiar as in relatable and likeable. Andrew is a character who goes very dark and is going to make you uncomfortable but you have to start out liking him and understanding him.

It’s an incredibly ambitious film for your debut. You must like a challenge?

Yeah I do. I guess I like to punish myself a little. There was no expectation tied to the film because it’s not based on anything, there are no big stars in it and I’m not a star director, so all the usual standards of quality and storytelling I really had to set for myself. It remained in my head until we wrapped production and had to figure out what to do with all the stuff we shot. It was a bit abstract trying to mush together all these ideas and genres and all the influences I brought to the table – to make it all translate into something that wasn’t obvious or show-off-y. I wanted the camerawork to be invisible even though there’s the telekinetic camera concept, which is a real filmmakers’ dream to have in a movie but the challenge is not to make it too cool. If you do people will notice it, and when they notice it too much it takes them out of the storytelling. We couldn’t be too cool, otherwise it would just feel like it was all about style.

Do you think the ‘found footage’ genre is here to stay or will it run its course?

I don’t know. It’s hard to say. I loved what Neill Blomkamp did with District 9 because he made what I believe to be the first successful mixed-media film in the mainstream. I think there’s a real future for documentary influences in narrative filmmaking because we live in such a reality-TV-saturated world. There are kids who will be graduating soon who were babies when American Idol, Big Brother and everything started. That language and aesthetic is now built in and it’s a real influence. We’ll probably see more filmmakers go that route, but as far as the horror gimmick is concerned you can only do that so many times because it’s just the same story.

Do you believe in telekinesis?

I believe in ghosts, I don’t know if I believe in God, but telekinesis is just a fantasy.

Or you hope it is..?

True. It’s great in the movies but you don’t want that out there in the real world.

When you say you believe in ghosts, have you encountered one?

I think I’ve felt one. I lived in a house which I later found out had been the site of a triple murder. I could be completely delusional in terms of sensing a presence in that place, but it makes it more fun to think it did happen.

There’s talk of you doing the next Fantastic Four film…

Nothing’s confirmed there, but I would love the opportunity to do a big film based around my favorite superheroes, that’s for sure.

——————————————-

If that interview has whetted your appetite, here’s your chance to win a copy of the film on Blu-ray. All you have to do is answer the following question to be in with a shot of winning one of 3 copies we have to give away.

Chronicle was the first feature from director Josh Trank, which Werner Herzog documentary does he claim influenced the film?

Send your answers to film@impactnottingham.com, or tweet them @impactfilm. The competition closes on Monday the 28th of May at 11.59pm, entries must be made before this deadline. Good luck!

Chronicle is out on Blu-ray and DVD on 28 May 2012, from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment.

——————————————-

T&Cs – The Prize is one copy of Chronicle on Blu-ray, there is no alternative. The competition closes on Monday the 28th of May at 11.59pm, entries after this date will not be counted. The winner will be chosen at random, our decision is final. Impact reserves the right to alter any of the above.

Kicking off at 5:15 p.m on a cold, grey day, Uni set out to avenge the hammering they received on the last outing. Kitted in traditional green against the questionable pink kit of Trent, it was a positive start for Uni in the opening minutes. The first ten minutes proved to be a slugging match, the early pressure coming from Trent, who dominated the possession early on and who forced the first chance while keeper Bates saved well from the striker. Tara Mani Lundie was in inspiring form and it was her outstanding midfield play which stifled Trent’s wave of attacks in the opening flurry. As Trent camped in Uni’s half for the opening twenty minutes, the best hope for nicking a goal coming from set pieces, with Smith just heading it wide.

Uni settled well into the contest; however, they lacked any real cutting edge in the first half, and Trent nearly took the lead when Bates made a mess of an easy cross. The 4-5-1 formation held strong, but Bradley continued to remain isolated, with Uni unable to really launch attacks. It looked like one way traffic at one stage; Trent was desperate for that opener and Uni was struggling to hold on.

After soaking up some serious Trent pressure, Uni began to create chances. Bradley had the chance of the half, forcing the Trent goalkeeper to pull off a great save after being put through by Smith and to find her follow up cleared off the line by a Trent defender.

The second half proved to be a largely scrappy affair, contested strongly in midfield. Lundie remained influential as Uni built on their late first half progress to take the game to Trent. Bradley, fabulous throughout the game, came close once more with a 30 yard shot that hit the post after being teed up by Smith. The breakthrough eventually arrived with a beautiful cross from a quickly taken free kick. The keeper fumbled it for Bradley to finally grab her goal, bundling it in from close range; cue wild celebrations from Uni’s dugout.

It set the game up for a dramatic finale as Trent surged forward in search of that equaliser. But Uni girls defended with great resilience, holding on for a famous 1-0 win over their rivals.

A great team performance, with special mention going to Lundie and Bradley, saw the side fighting all the way to the end and triumphing deservedly over a Trent side, who for all their tidy football, lacked any cutting edge. The celebrations were even sweeter for the girls as the win ensured that the University of Nottingham has officially won the Varsity series.

Matt Williams

To see our pictures of the Football matches, please ‘like’ our Varsity Facebook page. 

The story is simple. Set in an apartment complex in the slums of Jakarta, a SWAT team have been set the task to infiltrate the “safe house” where drug dealers, gangsters and murderers reside. Their objective is to arrest Tama (Ray Sahetapy), the most notorious of the bunch. But little do they know, it’s a trap! Narratively speaking,The Raid is barebones. Evans clearly hasn’t invested a considerable amount of time in the construction of a complex plot with rich characters and ground-breaking Indonesian dialogue. To be brutally honest, apart from the revelations during the course of its runtime, the film’s premise is pretty much summed up in the ‘Mission Briefing’ scene, or even in the title. Meanwhile the minor semblances of character development are conveyed in 2 minute introductions that loosely define each personality. For example, our hero Rama (Iko Uwais) gets a “suit up” montage and kisses his pregnant wife goodbye in the opening sequence. Similarly shallow, the villain Tama’s entrance is through his brutal execution of 4 men, which sets the tone for the entire film. Undeniably there’s not a lot of substance, and what is there is rather cliché. But that’s not the film’s paramount concern.

The Raid is first and foremost an action film, and this is where it undoubtably excels. Evans showcases some of the most impressive fight choreography of the last decade, in which every sequence attempts to surpass the previous one. The Indonesian martial arts of Pencak Silat is a breathtaking and brutal blend of bone-fracturing hits and sheer vigour, that constantly highlight the inadequacies of its mere mortal audience. Coupled with shootouts and some of cinema’s most intense knife-fights, The Raid is savage in its approach to astonish and entertain.

Alongside the stunt-team, a lot of credit has to go to cinematographer Matt Flannery and Evans himself in the general direction and editing of the film. While the “shaky-cam” approach unfortunately weaves its way into a few of the brawls, a range of camera angles and techniques bring a dynamic nature and flow to each segment. Meanwhile slow motion is thankfully limited to one-off moments and therefore allows the film to remain at its constant breakneck pace. The visual and audio composition of The Raid isn’t as artistically compelling, but manages to convey the film’s gritty and aggressive personality. The blank sets and enclosed locations frame and focus the action perfectly, while providing a bleak and surprisingly intimidating atmosphere. The audio design is exceptionally punchy and fearsome in its endeavour to make every punch and stab feel vicious and forceful. Simultaneously, the film’s score by Mike Shinoda and Joe Trapanese successfully captures the fast-paced nature of the onscreen violence, though it’s nothing particularly special.

Overall The Raid is a visceral, ferocious and highly entertaining piece of action cinema. Gareth Evans has created a film with a brutal temperament and with the sole aim of blowing the audience’s minds! If The Raid is to be judged on story, characters, and script then it would fall dramatically short. But as an action film, then without a doubt this is one of the best of the last decade.

Jack Singleton

The first sees a production crew, fronted by director Gael García Bernal and producer Luis Tosar, attempting to film the story of Christopher Columbus on location in Bolivia. The second follows an extra on the aforementioned film shoot named Daniel, who fronts a movement to stop the privatisation of water in his local town.

Both are interesting for respective reasons, but the real craft is in intertwining them effectively, which the film achieves with aplomb. They’re so utterly different that the presumption would be that the links would feel forced, but it’s a surprisingly smooth merger. The first story arch is self-reflexive – as films about filmmaking always are – and the second makes you think, as a result the combination is both entertaining and at least moderately potent. Ending it represented a particularly tricky task – the result is satisfying if not spectacular.

Some have suggested that Even the Rain is too blunt in its political commentary. I believe this is too simplistic an analysis. Yes, it presents a very straightforward idea of the oppressors and the oppressees, but it also makes a conscious effort to not offer any solutions. What Even the Rain is really about is the idea that nothing ever really changes, the oppressed remain oppressed and those in power remain ignorant in the belief that they are serving the greater good. Perhaps ultimately there is no answer, perhaps humanity is doomed to live out a cyclical existence of oppression and revolution, with one side occasionally displacing the other without ever solving any of the ingrained issues. The film made me believe that there will always be an underclass existing to fuel the needs of those in power, but that with figures like Daniel, there will always be dissenting voices. It offers few solutions, but how do you solve a problem like the greed of humanity?

Lush landscapes, strong performances across the board and an engaging plot, Even the Rain is a Spanish cinematic treat.

Tom Grater

Our incumbent president, Alex Corck-Adelman (‘Corky’), told Impact that he plans to “volunteer at the Olympics and Paralympic Games. I’m then hoping to do a ski season, and then coach football in the States next summer, ”I didn’t travel before Uni, so it will be nice to have a bit of a gap year that is totally different to this year — outdoors, no pressure, no responsibility. In terms of my career, I’m eventually hoping to either go into Corporate Social Responsibility, or the charity sector directly, possibly working in international development.” In light of these exciting plans, we decided to take a trip back in time, to see what presidents from the past have achieved since leaving office.

A significant number of former SU presidents have made their mark on services to the British government and society. Having left the role of SU president in 1931, Denis Follows pursued a career in the football industry, exercising the skills in diplomacy and efficient decision-making that had served him well as SU president. Despite being head of the intensely political structure of the SU, throughout his life, Follows defended sport against the encroachment of politics. As chair of the British Olympic Association, he defied the government’s move to boycott the Moscow Olympics, believing that sport should build bridges, rather than destroy them. An MBE in 1950 was the first of a long line of awards Follows received in light of his contribution to the industry, culminating in a knighthood in 1978.

Although Follows turned his back on his political experiences, Jeremy Browne, SU president 1992-1993, continued his political career. He is now MP for Taunton Deane, as well as being an “unsung hero of the coalition” as Minister of State in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. Although not partisan as president, he was an active member of the Liberal Democrats on campus. Browne told Impact that he hopes to return to Nottingham soon to see how we’re getting on.

A more traditional type of hero, 1951 president Francis Panton was a bomb disposal expert during the Second World War. This was the beginning of what would prove to be a lengthy and successful career within the Ministry of Defence. His time as president led him into the National Union of Students, where he was Vice-President upon graduating from Nottingham. His PhD in Chemistry from Nottingham qualified him in his role as nuclear weapons consultant during the Cold War. However, he also has a keen interest in archaeology, which he pursued in 1999 with a second PhD in History from the University of Kent.

Not all SU presidents left Nottingham behind, however, with 1954 president Daphne Franks devoting her time to setting up the Franks Scholarship. This award is given to graduate entry medicine Students showing interest in extra-curricular activities during their time at the University. In 1996, she was awarded an OBE for her work with the Thames Valley Police Authority, and continues to work with the Police Rehabilitation Trust.

There are also several former presidents who continued on to work in the media, despite their varying degrees at Nottingham. Joseph Harker, president from 1986-7, graduated from Nottingham with a degree in Chemical Engineering, and now works as the assistant comment editor for The Guardian. “I started my first job in journalism at The Voice newspaper, and I went there because campaigning was one of the things I had picked up during my year as student president. It gave me that drive to carry on, and I continued as a campaigning journalist at The Voice.” He praised his time as president and said how both the skills he developed in the role, and his work for Impact helped him break into the industry.  “Certainly getting into a lot of debates, public speaking and campaigning gave me a focus for when I left, and the fact that I wrote a column for Impact gave me my first taste of writing, and made it easier for me to get into journalism”. Harker was also one of the first ethnic minority presidents at Nottingham, and his campaigns for race equality continued on from his year as president into his first job. “I was also the first black president, and the two previous presidents were both women; Liz Jennett and Louise Wilson, so we felt that we were making progress and that times were changing.”

Student Union president from 1991-2, Daniel Korn, also works in the media, and is now the Senior Vice President and Head of Programming for the Discovery Channel in the UK and Western Europe. He described the president’s job as “challenging at times” but also “huge fun”, and added, “it exceeded all expectations and made it clear just what an important part of student life the Students’ Union (and the facilities it provided) was.”

Julian Waters is a third notable former president in the media. On leaving Nottingham after his year as president in 1980-1, Waters took a post as a sports reporter at the Trent FM radio station. He later moved to Capital Radio where he covered the 1992 European Championships, the 1992 Olympic Games and the 1994 World Cup. He then joined Sky Sports in 1994, and currently works as a reporter on Sky Soccer News and Soccer Weekend.

One of our most recent SU Presidents, Will Vickers, who was in office from 2010-2011, is starting his career in Operations Consulting with Deloitte this September. But how does the role set our Presidents up for their careers? In an interview with Impact, Vickers described how the “roles in themselves mean nothing; it’s what you do with them”. He believes that being SU President gives any job candidate fantastic experience to talk about in any interview situation, as it is “an overwhelming amount of responsibility for someone that age. The amount of experience you get is unparalleled.”

It seems then that the role of President can open many doors for future careers rather than sending one down a specific route. However, anyone running from a completely CV-building point of view is heading for a fall. Vickers added, “it’s not about what role you did, it’s about what you achieved in that role. The role itself is not enough. Running from a completely careerist point of view, it’s not going to get you a job. I never did it out of any desire to get a job; I did it out of a desire to be the SU President.”

The lifetime achievements of our previous SU Presidents are evidently numerous, but during that single year in office, it can be difficult to implement all the changes promised during elections. Our new President-elect Amos Teshuva has claimed that “a lot more can be done with the AU” with regards to inclusion, and is against the cutting of any sports teams; he also has strong views on student bus routes in Lenton.

However, previous SU President Harker reminded Impact that “in one year, there’s only so much you can do. I certainly made movements in everything that I’d hoped to do, but obviously there are some battles you can’t win just within one year. Essentially, there are only three meetings in that one year that you’ve got to make a major change, so there’s a limited amount you can actually do.”

Vickers agreed on this point, describing how “you don’t really know what the issues are until you get to see all the information behind the scenes, both from a Union and University perspective. A lot of the pledges that we all make are very practical things, but when you actually start you realise there’s not a lot of that which you can actually do, especially within a year. The real job itself turns out to be completely different. There are lots of other things that could be achieved, and were achieved.” So how realistic is it that Amos will be able to implement all of his pledges? The later lives of SU Presidents are as varied as their years in office, so we can only wait to see how Amos and our new SU Executive Committee fare in the next academic year.

Antonia Paget, Emily Tripp and Lorna Stone

The teams came out with enthusiasm after the interval, and the 2nd half saw both teams, with fatigued legs, slug it out. Alex Haynes, carrying a previous injury, was subbed off for Marko Popovic, a player who immediately increased the pace of the game with his incisive passing and solid tackling. The first 10 minutes of the 2nd half were scrappy to say the least, but the rest of the half was relatively uneventful, with a Trent defender tackling his own goalkeeper providing a rare highlight.

Unsurprisingly, the game went into extra time as neither team could land that knock-out blow in 90 minutes. It was evident from the last 5 minutes of regular time that players from both sides accepted the fact that this event was to mirror last years Varsity and be decided by another 30 minutes of play and possibility penalties. The prospect of penalties seemed to spur Trent on and, after gathering themselves very well in the 5 minute break, they counter-attacked with a long-range give-and-go, which was lethally buried into the back of Amos Teshuva’s net. In the 4th minute of extra time, a lofted through ball by Trent’s substitute number 9 down the right wing was beautifully curled in just in front of the defenders. The ball was agonisingly close to the outstretched feet of O’Neill and Stevan Popovic, but the Trent number 9 continued his run to finish off the move that he started. This seemed to typify Nottingham Trent during the match; in the final third they had a cutting-edge that Nottingham University regrettably lacked.

It was just not to be for Nottingham, who fought well and kept trying to play football. Despite the best efforts of Marko Popovic and Furman, who worked tirelessly and was justly voted the Man of the Match, the scrappy 10 minutes that followed Trent’s 2nd goal forced Uni to adopt a 2-3-5 for the last few minutes of extra time. The chances were there for Nottingham University to level and with a little more composure and luck on the day, the result could have been very different. Nonetheless, the chances came and went and, after Amos Teshuva came up for a last-minute free-kick into Trent’s box, the leading side closed the game out with a long range punt from 70 yards out. Needless to say, Trent’s third goal sealed the game with only 1 minute left to play; their fans jubilant, Uni’s fans dejected. The ref blew the whistle to signal the end of what was a brilliantly entertaining match. Uni players fell to the ground, battered and bruised, after giving all they had for 120 minutes of well-fought football. So, it wasn’t Uni’s day this year, but the team can rest assured that they did themselves no injustice, and were rewarded earlier in the year with promotion to the BUCS Premier division.

Michael Timbs

To see our pictures of the Football matches, please ‘like’ our Varsity Facebook page.