The Unfulfilled Legacy of Nelson Mandela

On Thursday 5 December 2013, Nelson Mandela passed away peacefully at his home in Johannesberg. The world mourns the loss of the most prominent figurehead of freedom and equality of modern times, and South Africa mourns the passing of a father figure.
Mandela, of course, achieved an historic feat: causing the transition of his country from a white-minority-led government to a proper democracy. He protested against the system of the time and, as a result, was imprisoned by the government for 27 years for his 'crimes', during which time he suffered incredible hardships. He became the symbol of all those fighting to end apartheid, a symbol who eventually caused the upheaval that allowed him to walk free once more. He then went on to serve for several years as the President of South Africa, endeavouring to ensure that every single person in the country's population, black or white, was treated fairly and accorded the same rights as one another. He remains one of the greatest figures of our time, and he will be missed. But now that he is gone, it is inevitable that a single question will be raised: how far does South Africa still have to go in order to fully achieve his dream of equality?

It is a legitimate query. Mandela may have spearheaded the movement that paved the way for a system built to grant equal rights to all, but that doesn't mean that all that was dreamed has actually happened. Sure, there are far more native South Africans in positions of power than there ever would have been if not for his actions, the black population as a whole is better off, and his story has inspired countless people- and will continue to do so for many generations- but that doesn't explain why so many of the white population still live inside their gated communities, whilst thousands of people still wander around outside with little more than a plastic bag to their name. It hasn't helped all the poor black children still living on the streets or in slums. I know it sounds harsh but, if apartheid had truly been ended, there would be just as many white children out there, sleeping in alleyways and wondering when their next meal would be.

When Mandela started on that 'long walk to freedom' that would eventually land him in the seat of power, his vision of equality for all was just that- a vision. A hope, a pipe-dream, something about which you thought "It'd be good if that happened". And now, so many years later, and despite the many positive changes that have undeniably come about due to his actions, it still has much the same status- although there has been significant progress in dismantling the political and social aspects of apartheid, the wealth gap and mindsets of much of the white minority remain largely unchanged. Bureaucracy, finances and logistics have gotten in the way of a brilliant man's beautiful dream that really should have come to full fruition. And that's terrible.

Nelson Mandela will be remembered as a great humanitarian, a strong and caring leader, and a shining beacon for all those who are oppressed and without hope. Rest In Peace.

Leave The Haters Alone!

Please don't tell me this is a thing.

Please don't say that homophobia exists on the internet. This cannot be! You must be joking! The cake is a lie!

By now, you've probably heard about Tom Daley's 'coming out' video, wherein he says that- although he "still fancies girls"- he is currently dating another man, and he's happy. Now, if the internet has taught us anything (apart from the fact that sneezing pandas are god damn adorable), it's that some people can't bear the idea of someone else being happy, to the point where they feel the need to physically type out their indignation into a 140-character text box. This is dumb. If you are one of these people, you are dumb. Go away.

And yet, as dumb as the situation may be- and it is very dumb- it was hardly unanticipated, was it now? Homophobia, racism and other such unpleasantries are rife on comments pages across the web. Apparently intelligent human beings post blogs about how homosexuality is 'unnatural', or how females should be forever subservient to their 'superior' male counterparts. It's a thing guys.

Senseless hatred is a thing.

Of course, all these idiots spewing foul vitriol at Tom Daley are misguided and stupid and terrible and disgusting. The way this guy was born is no reason to insult him. It's abhorrent that people can be so ignorant. Duh. But come on, we knew this would happen- it always does. The sequence is always the same:

1 - Prominent public figure reveals personal revelation,
2 - Stupid people make hateful remarks about said revelation,
3 - Intelligent people make hateful remarks towards the stupid people because they are stupid,

Aaaaaand nothing gets resolved. The public figure is still what they said they are, the stupid people still believe their hateful remarks, and the world's just that little bit angrier at itself. It's an exercise in futility.

Do you remember the advice that teachers always gave you in primary school about bullying? You know, the whole "ignore them and they'll go away" charade that never works? Well, I really think that it's our best shot at dissuading the haters.
Just leave them alone. Leave them in their chatrooms, to shout away at each other until their keyboards are hoarse. Don't waste your time on them- you've got more important things to worry about, like who got knocked out on X Factor or why your hair won't go the way it did last week.

Sure, haters suck. But that doesn't mean you have to give them something to suck on.


[Subject inspired by fellow blogger Floraidh- read her blog here.]

Pacific Rim: Big Robots, Big Aliens, Big Fun

I just want to start by saying this: I will always be a fan of giant CGI robots. There has never been, and never will be, a film involving them that won’t leave me feeling like a hyper nine-year-old. And if you don’t believe me, then here’s the proof: unlike an overwhelming percentage of the population, I found all three Transformers movies highly enjoyable. Although that could also be because I’ve had a love for the entire franchise since I was seven.

Point is, there was never a possibility that I wasn’t going to like Pacific Rim. I mean, come on- it’s a film about robots twatting monsters in the face. The only way it couldn’t have earned its place in my heart was if all the monsters turned out to be sparkly Robert Pattinson in a suit. So what will follow is a very biased review from a person that could not have not enjoyed this movie. And yes, that does make sense.

Pacific Rim follows the story of Raleigh Becket (Charlie Hunnam), a pilot of one of the massive fighting machines called ‘Jaegers’, which were created by humanity to fend off the attacks of huge aliens (called ‘Kaiju’) that emerge from an underwater portal located on- you got it- the Pacific Rim. Jaegers are controlled by two pilots, whose minds are connected through the machine’s computers (voiced by Ellen McLain, who also voiced the homicidal robot GlaDos in the Portal videogame series) through ‘neural drifting’, in order to perform more coordinated movements. Becket originally piloted the Gipsy Danger Jaeger with his brother Yancy (Diego Klattenhoff), but when he’s killed during a Kaiju fight off the shore of Alaska- which also heavily damages the Gipsy Danger- Becket just manages to pilot the Jaeger to the mainland before collapsing.

Five years later, and the Jaeger program is being shut down as it struggles to cope with the Kaiju, which appear to be adapting to fight the humans every time they come through the portal. As a last resort, Commander Pentecost (Idris Elba)- the officer presiding over the Jaeger program- finds Becket in Alaska, and brings him to Hong Kong, where the machines will take on their final mission: protecting the city as its defensive wall is finished. Here he meets the pilots of the three other Jaegers still in working order- Herc and Chuck Hansen (Max Martini and Robert Kazinsky) of the Striker Eureka, the Wei Tang triplets (Charles, Lance and Mark Luu) of the three-armed Crimson Typhoon, and Lt.s Kaidanovsky (Robert Maillet and Heather Doerksen) of the oldest surviving Jaeger, Cherno Alpha. He also meets Newton Geiszler (Charlie Day) and Hermann Gottlieb (Burn Gorman), two scientists working with Kaiju brains to try and understand them better. Becket also finds his new co-pilot for the rebuilt Gypsy Danger in Mako Mori (Rinko Kikuchi), Pentecost’s adopted daughter. Then, as the Jaegers are deployed to fight two new Kaiju, and Newton tries to find a whole Kaiju brain to drift with (with the help of black-market dealer Hannibal Chau, played by Ron Perlman)… well, some robots twat some monsters in the face.

Now, this may all sound like your generic smash’n’crash sci-fi film. And, to a large extent, it is. The Jaegers and Kaiju are gloriously detailed and realistic, and the fights are exciting and extended. There’s explosions and missiles and aliens crushing large cities. 

And yet there’s also a level of emotion you wouldn’t expect from such a film- perhaps it’s the acting talent of Elba, Hunnam and Kikuchi, who form the beating heart of the story. Or maybe it’s because Guillermo del Torro directed the film; I got the feeling that if, say, Michael Bay or J.J. Abrams had been in charge, then that emotional aspect wouldn’t have been there. But there it was, and it was refreshing.

If I had to find one gripe with Pacific Rim, it would be that the Geiszler/Gottlieb pairing, which is quite obviously intended to be humorous, does rather fall flat on its face in that respect. Indeed, they are the characters which feel the least… fleshed-out, believable- nothing to do with the acting, more the way they’re written.

Oh, and a lot of people talk way too fast in this film, which is quite frustrating when they’re explaining what will turn out to be a crucial plot point.

And the music and sound effects very nearly drown out the dialogue in places, which creates the same issue. 

Also, some lines- particularly in the latter half of the film- are so cheesy you could grate them up and serve them on a pizza.

… Okay, so there are a few issues with Pacific Rim. But I’m going to completely disregard all of them, because I bloody loved this film. As I knew I would. 

It delivered everything I wanted from it, and everything I expected from a film of this type. It was essentially Transformers vs. Godzilla- and what’s not to like about that?

If you want a film with tearjerking moments and passionate exchanges of romantic feelings, then this movie is not what you’re looking for. You’re probably better off renting Pride and Prejudice on Netflix or something.

But if you want big robots, big aliens and big fun, then Pacific Rim is definitely the film for you.

Dance Music? I'll Dance On Its Grave

My dad should not be allowed access to popular culture. This is because it's super embarrassing because, when he hears current expressions, he tries to trot them out in casual conversation... usually in front of my friends. He'll be asking me what a 'twerk' is next. 
Another reason is because he doesn't like a lot of it. Nightclubs are excessively loud and pointless. Modern films aren't half as good as old ones. The Ford Anglia is more attractive than the Ferrari Enzo. Most of these I disagree with him on, wholeheartedly so... except the nightclubs bit.
Now, don't get me wrong, I'm fine with most of their key aspects- I've got no issue with a little partial nudity- but I do get a little angry at what passes for music in such places.

The thing is, I have an annoyingly broad music taste.
"But Fraser," I hear you exclaim, "how can liking most genres of music be an annoyance?" Well, my dear questioner, the problem is twofold.

Firstly, whenever someone asks me what kind of music I like, I can't answer. I used to be able to, back in the days when my MP3 player almost exclusively contained rock bands such as Green Day or Linkin Park (I say 'almost' because I also had Mika on there- say what you want, Happy Ending is a beautiful song). But now, when my iPod's collection ranges from Adele to Slipknot to Daft Punk to Ed Sheeran to a band that sings exclusively about Doctor Who, with several gigabytes of indie musicians in between, it'd be entirely incorrect to answer "Oh, just rock really". I therefore have to resort to the fairly pathetic response of "a bit of everything", which says nothing about me at all- except that I am decidedly indecisive- and anyway, it's still quite a big lie.

This leads me on to the second issue. I am now more open to any and all types of music than I was before; I no longer shun an artist if they've never screamed into a microphone. And yet... now and then I still find groups or artists that don't fit into my musical world order. Some examples from recent times are One Direction, Justin Bieber, Swedish House Mafia and Nicki Minaj. It's nothing to do with them as human beings- I'm sure they're lovely people (although Bieber needs to get the hell over himself)- but I just don't like the music they create. And the biggest pimple on the visage of audio entertainment, my biggest musical bugbear of all, is modern mainstream dance music.

'Dance', 'Jungle', 'House', 'D&B'- categorise it how you will, it just doesn't appeal to me. The closest I've strayed towards it is dubstep, and I think that's purely because it sounds a bit like a Transformer. But any other sub-genre of dance music, with its monotonous synth beat loops, insanely boring melodies and apparent lack of lyrics and artistry of any worth- or, come to think of it, any talent at all- will either give me an aneurism or send me into a coma. Or, if it's David Guetta, both.

You want to know how people who make popular dance music (I'm not going to call them artists) manage to put so many tracks on every album? It's because they take ten minutes to create. Show me a Cascada song, and I'll show you a song that a six-year-old could knock up on Garageband. Places like Ibiza, as exciting as the nightlife and alcohol and sexual promiscuity may appear, would give you a headache within the first twenty seconds after you stepped off the plane.

Now, I can't expect people who run nightclubs to start playing Genesis on Friday nights. They'd probably have to Google who Genesis is. But what I can do is try and alter your personal playlist, to include some higher quality, less... terrible songs. So, here is my imaginatively titled 'Alternative And Definitely Not Dance Summer Playlist':

1. Tell Where I Lie - Fossil Collective
A duo based in York, Fossil Collective craft folky beauty which works perfectly with sunny weather. Best enjoyed on walks in the forest.

2. Dear - Keaton Henson
If you like being relaxed, and also maybe a little depressed, then you're going to love Keaton. 'Dear' may not be the happiest 43 minutes you'll ever spend, but it'll be a 43 minutes you'll want to have again and again. 

3. Cruiser EP - Cruiser
A little-known American band, Cruiser's Beach Boys-esque feel will have you wanting to take up surfing. Even though you'd probably be terrible at it.

4. Priorities - Don Broco
Want no-frills, funk-infused rock with a dash of swagger? Give Priorities a listen. You'll be dancing round your room for weeks. 

5. Atomic - Labrinth
A free EP released last year, these five tracks feature collaborations from Devlin, Wretch 32, Ed Sheeran and Plan B, among others. Perfect for parties.

I think you'll find these albums enjoyable, original and worth your purchasing. And you know what? If you don't, if they're just not your cup of tea, then just remember this: they're certainly a whole lot better than whatever latest compendium of crap Ministry of Sound has found down the back of the sofa.

Back To The Future

In its infinite wisdom, Sky Movies decided to show Demolition Man a few nights ago. It starred Sylvester Stallone as a tough New York cop who, for some unfathomable reason,  is cryogenically frozen for a crime he didn’t commit. Then, at an indeterminate point in the future, he is defrosted so that he can dash about, punching bad guys in the face.
It was by no means a great film, but nonetheless it’ll no doubt be snapped up for a remake pretty soon. Because remakes are seemingly Hollywood’s main source of income nowadays.
Now, don’t get me wrong, remakes are all well and good- in small amounts. But the DVD shelves in HMV (God rest its soul) are now so choc full of them that it’s really quite hard to find a film that wasn’t made before, or is a sequel or prequel, or based on a TV series or a book. It can be annoying to see a film that, in essence, you’ve seen before. But is it really all that bad?

The problem, as I see it, is that a lot of these ideas, these once-upon-a-time blockbusters, are just… not that good. Let’s take a gander through the world of soon-to-be/recently made films, shall we?

We start with Triplets, the unnecessary sequel to the 1988 film Twins, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito. The premise here is that their wooden, and decidedly non-identical, characters discover that they have a long-lost triplet, played by Eddie Murphy.
But of course. Who else?

Next up is A Good Day To Die Hard, which, as you may have guessed, is not quite an original idea. Made 6 years after the fourth installment, and a whole 25 years after the first,  this is a franchise that has been bled dry of any interest that could’ve surrounded its February 2013 release date.

Then there’s Horrid Henry: The Movie, which is the film adaptation of the books that make Mein Kampf look exciting.
And don’t even get me started on the Twilight series. I’ll have an aneurism.

If Hollywood is going to nick a pre-existing idea and jazz it up with fancy CGI, can’t it at least have the decency to pick a concept that was successful when it was first created? It can be done, and sometimes to spectacular effect. 2012 alone was full of so many films, based on an already established franchise, that rocked the socks off anyone who saw them. Even the seventh American Pie film was alright, and we’ll just ignore that reboot of The Three Stooges.
Oh, you didn’t know that they remade The Three Stooges? 
...Yeah, no-one else did either.

Of course, the main motive behind all these remakes is money. Filmmakers need funds to continue making movies, so they commission remakes which, with minimal effort spent, pull in a hefty audience desperate to feed the hulking Hollywood giant with their hard-earned cash.
And yet said giant doesn’t seem to realise that, with just a bit more love, care and attention, they could take a pre-existing idea and create not just a huge, muscular cage-fighter of a remake, but a huge, muscular cage-fighter with a sensitive side, who sometimes wears pink, and plays chess in the park. This is a film which would not just bust blocks, but crush them into tiny little pieces, scoop up said pieces and throw them in an incinerator. It would pull in enough money to pay off the American deficit three times over, with still enough left over to buy Belgium. 

It would be an amazing film.

One such film is The Avengers: the highest-grossing film of last year, earning Marvel over 1.5 billion dollars, making it the third-highest grossing film ever. Universally enjoyed by all who watched it. Brilliantly written characters, an unexpected level of wit  and amazing special effects made it into a prime example of the film industry doing justice to a pre-existing concept.
If only all sequels and remakes treated their source material with such respect.

At the end of the day, no matter what I say here, Hollywood’s just going to keep churning out remakes. And I don’t know if it’s an especially bad thing. Sure, they may be unoriginal, and sometimes insulting to their first incarnation, but they still deliver what, at the end of the day, we go to the cinema for: a couple of hours of escape from the worries of the real world. And some of them are really rather good- forget that they’re based on age-old franchises and you’ll enjoy yourself even more.

And with that, I shall take my leave- I’ve promised myself I’d spend some time on a screenplay I’m writing. It’s about a student who’s bitten by a spider and develops superpowers. It’s all my own work, and I think it’s going to turn out rather well.