RE:View: Things To Do In a Retirement Home Trailer Park When You're 29 and Unemployed

A frustratingly frequent piece of advice given to young writers is "Write what you know"; something that newcomer Aneurin Wright has taken to the next level with his debut graphic novel/memoir, as Things To Do tells the moving story of what happened to himself when he was 29 and Unemployed, looking after his father Neil in a Retirement Home Trailer Park.

Neil is sick. Emphysema ails him after a lifetime of cigarettes and stress. Nye (that's Wright himself) is his son, struggling to find work after graduating from art school and finds himself in a predicament -- to care for his imperfect father through his illness as per the rest of his family's wishes. So off he sets to spend the next number of months beside Neil in a trailer. Oh yeah, and Nye's a blue minotaur and Neil a blue rhino...

Whilst the majority of the other characters around them are human, this bizarre animal imagery is never addressed full on; we just sit there and take it. But the reasoning behind it is plentiful, with ideas as obvious as giving the book a more fantastical look in art direction and colouring (the blue, red, white and grey dominate the well drawn pages), to subtler narrative cores that pay off astronomically in the long run. As such a personal journey for this writer/artist, the cartoonish feel is essential so that it's visually more engaging and displays the distance set out between writer and experience. And thanks to the sharpness of the storytelling, it blends into the book with ease and style.

With this in mind, the 300 page book comes alive through three distinct acts, each with a good 12 or 13 chapters (varying in length) that bring Wright's comedic, dramatic, emotional or just plain imaginative chops to light. There are scenes so varied that one may consist of nothing else than Neil getting a sponge bath, while another shows Nye's frustration through a dream-like, crime fighting situation. Family, epiphanies, forgiveness, regret, anger and realisation: all major themes. When I say this book has everything, I mean it -- through the humanity of the story (it is true, after all) these things are so present and come from a very real, very first hand "I felt what you're feeling times 10" place, and that carries true in dialogue, imagery, pacing; EVERYTHING. 

Now things aren't all about the present, mind, as Wright consistently throws around the framing of time -- glimpses of childhood, patches of the recent past, even flashes of the imagination and the unruly subconscious of a man coming to terms with his Father's impending death. Admittedly jarring at first, but as the jumbled story progresses things shape out and we're given more fleshed out characters and relationships as a result, which is unimaginably important for the conclusion.

As if the book wasn't brilliant enough on all these other merits, Wright completely knocks obliterates it out of the (trailer) park within the last 80 pages with the most moving moments I've ever seen in the comic book/graphic novel medium. At this point, through the snivelling, heaving, sobs and streaming tears (seriously), you realise all this stuff -- the humourous touches, the flashbacks, the animal charactertures, every last minor detail -- has been plotted excruciatingly for the inevitable finale.

Jaw droppingly powerful.

At the heart of Things To Do lies almost what you'd call an everyday story of life, death and family. But through Nye's emotionally driven scope it transcends into something indescribably huge, human and heart wrenching and warming at the same time. It's in this way that Wright has captured the essence of how moving real life can be for everyone and everything in this world once put in the right story structure and imagery.

Now this is one of the best things I've read, medium regardless, in my life. And it's only his debut. I think that warrants a slogan...
Nye Wright: Future Talent, No Doubt.

ATR

RE:View: War Horse

First a children's novel in 1982, then a hit stage adaptation in 2007, and now a massive motion picture helmed by the generation's most iconic director, War Horse's rising commercial success is almost an exact parallel of the story it tells within its self. After being thrust into unfamiliar territory, far from its humbling roots, both the evolution of this tale's adaptations and its very own hero, Joey (a born and bred British horse) rise to their respective occasions and thrive throughout their new-found paths: both on a road lined with shining gold, if this year's award nominations are to go by. Because War Horse, in true Spielbergian style, is as classically retold as the day it was written - albeit with an even larger focus on tradition, emotion and all around heart.

   Young farm lad, Albert (newcomer, Jeremy Irvine, who proves to be quite the up-and-comer) is in a state of crisis when his home and family come into some serious financial problems, worsened further when his father buys a particularly strapping young horse, Joey. But the Albert and Joey phenomenally, and when Joey is sold on to serve the country in the Great War, Albert swiftly signs up to find him, leading them both into the terrifying scenarios of the First World War.

As Joey goes along his journey, his reigns are frequently swapped among the movie's supporting cast. Beginning with British cavalry men, played by rising British stars Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock) and Tom Hiddleston (Loki in Thor/Avengers), onto two German brothers, a sick French girl and her Grandfather, and ending up in No-Man's land, where two rival nation's morals are tested in a touching, humorous encounter worthy of applause.

   Throughout Joey's adventure, his faithful owner Albert pursues him, and the two's situations are mirrored in each others. With this narrative device in play, things could have become over done - the parallels between our protagonists made too obvious - but luckily, it maintains its beauty by becoming a subtle addition to the story arc, one that may not even be noticed until after leaving the cinema. This now subconscious link between them lets us in on more of a connection that eventually aids in the eye watering finale, which comes in a such a full-circle way that it's an actual challenge to keep that lump in your throat down.

Spielberg really hones in on the raw emotion of the dramatic scenes, giving each character stage a different flair in terms of tone and heart. When matched with John Williams' thriving score of wartime brass and some astounding woodwind, you've got a living, breathing beast of a film, packed to the brim with compelling moments that tug at the heart strings, even after the credits have rolled.

   Coupled with his regular cinematographer, Janusz Kaminski, Spielberg presents trench warfare and the battlefields of WWI with a sincere level of accuracy. While these scenes remain action-focused, they steer clear of intense blood and gore (Private Ryan, this is not) and instead linger on something more profound, with the actual genuine scare factor of these heightened with the urgency of the battle. And when the fighting is off screen, the time period still shows not just in terms of the story, but in the way a classic, 1940s war film would have been shot.

The gold brazened fields of Devon stand bright among the creative angles Kaminski takes with his photography, lending some of his most beautiful work to date with the tasteful scene transitions (ploughing fields into knit wear=genius) and the occasional clever cover up for death (a windmill craftily conceals an execution). It's this innovation in its storytelling that gives War Horse an edge over other companion based tear jerkers, because all the while our heroes are galivanting about in the forefront, these slight insinuations of a wider world where the reality is as grim as it gets, reminds us of how high the stakes are, and how this is very much rooted in history in an almost mythological way.

  With such a deep and moving tale, Spielberg shines, bringing the very same - if not higher - emotional notes that made his career what it is. It's epic, bold and emotive, yet doesn't shy away from some typical British humour, furthering the pure potential of enjoyment. Without over stepping the mark in melodrama, we're treated to an uplifting tale of charm, ultimately boiling down to a true study of the human spirit and all its vulnerabilities. Friendship has never been more poignant.

See it for Spielberg, see it for the History, see it for the magnificent visuals, and above all, see it for the beauty. This is an emotionally charged, highly driven piece of cinema, which gives as good as it gets. Spielberg delivers on a stunningly moving movie, with enough warmth to get you through the 146 minute runtime without the slightest regret. Blistering powerful: you will need tissues.

5/5 Stars

ATR

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Trailer Tuesday: The Last Airbender: The Legend of Korra

Signed poster from the Con

So you may remember the cartoon show (don't even mention the movie adaptation), Avatar: The Legend of Aang/The Last Airbender (depending on your region), which was about this world where people could "bend" the elements (fire, water, earth, air) and one person in every generation could bend all of them. This person was the Avatar and would unite the four nations of Earth, Fire, Water and Air and protect them in times of trouble. That series focussed on Aang, a 12 year old air-bender Avatar who had to stop the tyrannical rule of the Fire Nation and this time around we see 16 year-old Korra, 70 years after the original.

Here's a synopsis for the super-anticipated new series:

"The new series will take place 70 years after the end of the Avatar: The Last Airbender story arc, with all-new characters and settings. The protagonist of the new series, Korra, the next Avatar after Aang, is a hot-headed and rebellious young woman from the Southern Water Tribe who is "ready to take on the world".^[2] The series plans to follow Korra as she faces an anti-bender revolt while mastering the art of Airbending from Aang and Katara's son, Tenzin." - Avatar Wiki (I left the links in)

Trailer Tuesday: The Amazing Spider-Man

For today's Trailer Tuesday, I'm going to be mixing it up a bit and (with a lot of effort) posting at least 3 separate trailers with breakdowns! The majority will be coming straight from the San Diego Comic-Con, held last weekend, and will be from movies, TV and video games. To start us off we've got the Teaser for The Amazing Spider-Man, which was released alongside the theatrical debut of Captain America. Want a synopsis? You got it:

"In this reboot of the classic Spider-Man series, The Social Network's Andrew Garfield steps into the role of Spidey as we once more witness his incredible origin story of how he came by these strange spider powers. But with great power comes great responsibility, as Peter Parker will find out when he does battle with Rhys Ifans' Lizard, as well as wooing the glamourous Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone). Expect a moodier and darker take on the Spider-Man legend when it hits theatres, 3 July 2012." - Yeah, I wrote it. I apologise for the cheesiness... 

Okay, so here it is:

And the analysis:

• 0:15 - After a fly over of New York, we see a very young Peter and his Father, presumably just before his death. It would seem that the film's going to delve into the history of his parents, unlike the original Spider-Man films. 
• 0:30 - Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker in the present day now. I for one am looking forward to seeing Garfield in the role, and hopefully he'll be able to play the character in a way Tobey Maguire never could. I don't know about you, but Maguire never sold it for me. 
• 0:36 - Let the moodiness begin! Peter walks down a crowded High School corridor looking lonely while some creepy music plays. Note that he is in High School, and will be throughout the movie, giving us a chance to see a younger Spider-Man, which could add a coming-of-age element into the mix.
• 0:44 - And there's a shot of Peter in class, looking very distracted as he scribbles in his dark hoodie. Hopefully they're not going for an emo Spidey again like they tried in Spider-Man 3 and epically failed, what with it falling into an irrelevant, uncomfortable and all around misplaced scene... That's Gwen Stacy looking back at him by the way, who is the main love interest here. No MJ I'm afraid. (That's Mary Jane, not Jacko). 
• 0:59 - Peter turns up at the lab where Gwen works. Here comes the powers... Also, it would seem they're playing up the geeky nerd angle on Peter, with the glasses and the subsequent awkwardness. 
• 1:01 - Now here is the villain of the piece. Dr Kurt Connors aka Lizard. According to the reports from the footage shown at Comic-Con, the good Doctor only has one arm and while attempting to regrow it using reptilian stem-cells it all goes South, turning him into a huge Lizard. Hence the name. Refer to What The Fridge?!: Week Five for more details on that.
• 1:04-1:11 - "She told you not to touch anything!" Peter somehow finds his way to this dark testing room, where there seems to be some sort of experiment involving spider webs going on. Then, of course, a spider that's been altered in some way finds our hero and blesses/curses him with that fateful radioactive bite.
• 1:19 - Peter starts finding webbing coming out of his neck. A very different, perhaps more natural, discovery than how the first Spider-Man film handled it.
• 1:25 - My theory on this shot is that Peter is running from muggers/bullies and ends up discovering his new found acrobatic capabilities.
• 1:28 - He's even starting to catch flies! Looks like The Amazing Spider-Man is going to draw out the "freaked out by discovery of powers" thing for a while. It certainly has his Aunt Mae confused, this time played by screen legend Sally Field. And it should be pointed out that Martin Sheen is portraying Ben Parker, Peter's Unlce.
• 1:31 - Peter and Dr Connors meet up before the accident, suggesting that Connors is responsible for Peter's powers. 
• 1:35 - Peter looks to be either sowing his costume or threading out more web from his skin. He could even be working out his webshooters which have been confirmed for the movie. These are just contraptions put on his wrists to allow him to shoot webs, a part which the last films skipped over with the all-natural wrist shoots.
• 1:41 - It's a quick shot, but it's badass. Peter, in costume, sitting by a window. There's something very dark about that shot. 
• 1:44-2:17 - An epic first person sequence of Spidey free-running and swinging across the Manhattan sky-line. If you look at about 2:12 you can see the webshooter on the wrist as he shoots one out of it. And at the end we finally see a proper short of Peter in costume. Looks sleek and more poignant. This sort of Mirrors edge style sequence has me really wanting a FP Spider-Man game! Oh and the dialogue sounds awesome. "The secrets we keep and the ones that are kept from us." Mysterious, eh?
• 2:22 - Title and date. And although it doesn't say, I'm fairly sure it's 3D. See you next year Spidey.

Hows that for a trailer then? There's been a lot of mixed opinions on this film so far, with many criticising how a reboot of a franchise only a few years old is just too early. But honestly, the old Spidey's were getting stale towards the end, especially the "Let's bung in as many villains as we can for no good reason" 3rd film. So I say Horrah for this one, and can't wait to see how it turns out next July. 

ATR

What The Fridge?!: Week Five

Okay, so I found this while reading some stuff about The Amazing Spider-Man movie, including details on the villain, Lizard. One quick witted reader got on the comments right away with this belter of an image:

Funnily enough, the image was pretty much bang on to what the reporter was describing. Read for yourself over at io9.com, it's some pretty sweet tid-bits on the film.

Thanks to io9 commenter, JimmyDTU, who used to look like this, but thanks to a little luck and a lot of moisturiser, he's now gleaming!

ATR

The Morocco Trip: Part 1

Two days after arriving back from the sandy lands of Morocco, I've decided to share my travels with the world, or at least the small portion of it that reads DMb. So, as you may know, as part of a school geography trip, I (along with 30 classmates) jetted off to Northern Africa, specifically Morocco (no duh).  Here's a sort of commentary in pictures (and a few words) to guide you along my adventures. Enjoy!

On the plane over, easyJet no less. Pretty bumpy ride including one random hit of turbulence resembling that of a speed  hump. Didn't phase me though, and my ears stayed unusually unaffected by the changes in pressure. After about 3 hours we disembarked into the intense and humid Moroccan heat, before collecting luggage and changing money.  

This was the first coach journey, when we were all excited and happy, completely oblivious to how many hours we would end up lounging hopelessly in its not-so-comfortable warm embrace... However, Airport to Marrakech was a mere 20 minutes, giving us a chance to marvel at:

The wildlife...

The culture...

And the architecture...

There's still a lot more after the jump below!

What The Fridge?!: Week Three

Yep, that just happened...

Facing Fears: 5 Reasons Why Foxy Bingo Scares Me S***less

Queue the girly screaming...

Ever seen them pant-wettingly scary ads for bingo site, Foxy Bingo? You know the one with the big prick in a fox outfit making me crap myself and hide behind the sofa each time it comes on? Sure you do, it is the sponsor of The Jeremy Kyle Show after all. Well, nothing gives me the shivers more than them and I'm going to tell you why...

5. He Stalks Women
    Now if you can remember the very first Foxy Bingo advert, which aired in 2006 I believe, I think you'll agree with me that it was incredibly creepy. It included our mysterious fox walking round like he's some sort of rodent pimp, and following various women. Not only does he does he look like a Narnian-esque pervert, he actually slyly watches these unsuspecting women as they go about their daily business. At the end, a man comes up and asks why none of the women are talking, to which the fox replies: "They're saving their chat for Foxy Bingo.". More like you tore out their tongues for your twisted fantasies, you sick b*****d dog.

4. The Outfits
    If you watch this compilation, you may notice that EVERY SINGLE OUTFIT HE WEARS SCREAMS RAPIST. The creepy Hugh Hefner colour scheme not only gives serious vibes of sex offender, it also reminds me of a Scooby-Doo villain I'd once seen as a kid. Except it doesn't look like he just wants to scare those women... And he would've got away with it, if it weren't for those medaling TV censors!

I don't even... 

3. The Mannerisms
    I don't know how they do it, but Foxy looks frighteningly life-like. I'd commend the costume design people for it, if I didn't feel more like killing them for what they've set upon our screens. The ears twitch, the teeth scrape and the tail wags; It's just all too surreal for me. Add to that the way he dances like a 70's disco god and walks like a 1950's African American, and you've got yourself a deadly combination. Maybe he was made in an accidental radioactive leak and is now rising up to become king of the foxes to take over the world. Come to think of it,  there have been quite a few fox attacks in the past year... Especially on babies... Which should have been looked after by their mothers... Who are too busy playing bloody bingo online! My god, this thing's an evil genius!

2. The Voice
    Going back to the original ad specifically (because the recent Geordie Fox ads don't quite strike the same chord), and if you listen to the voice at the end, you may need to change your underwear. Imagine a mix between the voices of a Bond villain an a frog, thrown in with the sound of scraping chalk and you get a general idea of a tenth of the creepiness of his voice...

Worst. Children Entertainer. Ever.

1. The Nightmare
    Okay, so there's one main reason why Foxy makes my trousers go brown, and it's hard wired into the very depths of my thriving subconscious. It was sometime in 2006 when I was just a wee 10 year old. If my memory serves me correctly, my Dad had recently got The King Kong video game on PS2. After a marathon session of watching him play it (the selfish **** didn't give me a go...)*, I got a bit of a headache. I retired to my bed shortly after and found myself drifting off to the world of sleep. Until the Nightmare came.
    Dinosaurs and giant apes everywhere, fighting it out all over my brain. And here's the kicker. Up pops Mister Foxy (the original) in front of it all, frantically clawing toward me and scowling all kinds of stuff. I awoke just before I was subjected to whatever that dastardly fox wanted to do to me. Unfortunately though, whenever I closed my eyes there he was, like a video on loop. I couldn't escape it, no matter what I did...

* Sorry Dad...

 To this very day I'm still haunted by visions of that red headed deviant. Even normal foxes I find freaky now, which is ironic. If it weren't for that dream, my own subconscious, this kind of fear probably wouldn't be nearly as bad as it is. Funny that, how the real fear's only really in my mind... Anyway, thanks for reading if you did so, because it took me a lot of balls to trawl through those adverts to write it. Stay safe now.