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22 FiLM The Stag | 22nd May 2012 film@thestagsurrey.co.uk Review: Seconds Apart (2011) By Tiffany Tucker, Film Editor Usually before I watch a film, I’ve read a review or two before hand, or at least checked out the trailer. But I watched Seconds Apart (2011) on a complete whim, and I was glad that I hadn’t been swayed by bad reviews saying it was a cheaply made horror film with bad actors, which it was critiqued for. However, I found it highly refreshing and amusing, none of that Hollywood gore and conventional, annoyingly familiar antiques. I’m not even sure I would call it a Horror film exactly, more a thriller and suspense movie with touches of horror. Directed by Antonio Negret, the film starts off with a shocking game of Russian roulette by a group of high-school football players; without revealing the outcome, you’re left stunned and the ambiguity of the scene makes you want to watch more. The film is centred on two very sheepish, seemingly perfect teenage twin boys called Jonah and Seth (played by Edmund and Gary Entin). They appear to lead the faultless, idyllic life; however, as growing numbers of deaths start occurring at their high school, Detective Lampkin (Orlando Jones) becomes suspicious of the twins and sets about uncovering the truth. The apparent ‘suicides’ might not be as intentional as the audience first believes! The film isn’t amazing, but it’s very refreshing to see a cast of unfamiliar actors; Seconds Apart is more believable because the actors haven’t been in a dozen films beforehand. There are a few jumpy moments, nothing too graphic or gory. I was also impressed by the setting in a Catholic high-school, rather than the ordinary run-of-the-mill, clique-ridden depictions of high-schools we see in every teen-cast film. The juxtaposition between pure religion and dangers of evil in one setting also makes the film more sinister and disturbing. Overall, this film is worth the watch, it’s incredibly unknown (as I found it filtering through pages and pages of horror films online and only choose it because the title and cover photo looked interesting), and it’s a little gem I highly recommend. Will Smith: get back on our screen! By Candice Ritchie, Film Team After pondering over my DVD collection for a while and deciding to remind myself of the greatness of Seven Pounds, I became overwhelmed with a sudden longing for the superstar that is Mr Will Smith. Where has he been? Smith seems to have almost disappeared from our screens over the last few years. Known for classics such as Bad Boys, I Robot and the hugely successful Men in Black and its sequel, it comes as a shock that his last hit film was in 2008, the aforementioned emotional Seven Pounds. Some might say he has been overtaken in showbusiness by the ever-growing success of his son, Jaden, Review: 21 Jump Street (2012) By Candice Ritchie, Film Team When we think of Channing Tatum and his hit films, the ones which immediately spring to mind are the classic chick flicks: Dear John, Step Up and most recently, The Vow. However, we seem to forget that Channing can most certainly excel in action too, as he perfectly demonstrated in films such as The Eagle and Fighting. Now he adds another to that list: the hilarious action-comedy that is 21 Jump Street. Tatum stars alongside Jonah Hill (star of the hit comedy Superbad), as two members of the police force who are deemed to be underachieving in their work. Joining the force after graduation, Jenko (Tatum) and Schmidt (Hill) are still young and often mistaken for high-school students: the perfect pair for an undercover investigation in a school on Jump Street. Schmidt and Jenko are sent to intrude upon a drug ring that is supplying high-school students with synthetic drugs. The mission is simple: find the supply. After appearing as characters from opposing high-school cliques at the beginning of the film (Schmidt as the characteristic geek and Jenko as the popular jock), the way the two are thrown together and their resentment-turnedfriendship is extremely cliché and predictable. Nonetheless, a contrast to his usual young and glamorous female counterpart, Hill is refreshing as Tatum’s sidekick. The two bounce off each other brilliantly, and the comedy appears natural and unprovoked. The characters’ amateur knowledge within their work is embarrassing, but it is their cluelessness which provides the hilarity. When Jenko’s response to knowing the Miranda rights is that it begins with “you have the right to be an attorney”, we have to take a moment during our laughter to cringe. My main problem with this film was the trailer. Although it enticed me to go and watch the film, it definitely gave away many of the key comedy-highlights, and at many scenes I knew exactly what was coming. Nonetheless, it is still laugh-out-loud funny constantly. If you don’t go for any other reason, go and watch this film purely for the hilarious and perfectly-acted reaction of Schmidt and Jenko when they are forced to consume the drug themselves – this scene was most definitely the highlight of the film for me. Overall, 21 Jump Street is certainly the funniest film I’ve seen this year and definitely worth watching! On the other hand, if you’re as much of a fan of Mr Tatum as I am, you’ll go simply because you get to sit through 109 minutes of the gorgeous man himself. No complaints there… and daughter, Willow. With Jaden co-starring alongside him in his 2006 tear-jerker The Pursuit of Happiness and Willow accompanying him in thriller I Am Legend, Smith grasped the notion ‘keep your loved ones close’ with both hands. However, the famous offspring have gone on to have their own stardom in recent years, with Jaden appearing beside Jackie Chan in The Karate Kid and Willow gaining recognition in the music business with her catchy 2010 tune Whip My Hair. So what about Will? Smith is soon to be returning to our cinemas, and what film could be better to bounce back with than Men in Black 3. The first of the trilogy, Men in Black, grossed at a staggering $326,600,000 worldwide just five months after its release. The second instalment failed to disappoint, with a whopping $235,200,000 in less than two months. It’s inevitable then, that for the third addition, Men in Black 3 3D, fans will be overwhelmed with anticipation. Directed again by Barry Sonnenfeld, the film takes Agent J (Smith) back to the 1960s to try and save his partner, K, from an assassination that would change the course of history. Set for release on 25 th May 2012, the wait is nearly over! Currently filming for the 2013 release of After Earth, and with I, Robot 2, Bad Boys 3, and Hancock 2 all announced for the future, Smith looks set to remain on our screens for a long time coming! Phew!
Lit Editor: Alexandra Wilks | Copy Editor: Candice Ritchie Literature By Becky Richmond, Literature Team It’s a ‘dog-eat-dog’ world out there, or should I say, it’s a ‘word-eat-word’ world out there? Research has shown that there is a ‘Darwinian’ struggle for the survival of certain words. An international team of scientists, including scientists from the University of Boston and IMT Lucca, have followed the application of certain words over a 209-year period, from languages such as English, Spanish and Hebrew. The research found that there is a “drastic increase in the death rate of words”. Autocorrect and strict editing processes eliminate misspelled and nonsensical words which is how a lot of new words are born. A message from Alexandra: The Stag | 22 nd May 2012 I’ve had a brilliant time as Literature Editor of The Stag, it’s been a great year and I’ve had a wonderful team behind me. I leave this section in the very capable hands of Emily Smart, whose name you’ll no doubt recognize from these pages already. A massive thank you to all my lit girls: Rachel T, Rachel B, Sophie, Tessa, Becky W, Becky R and of course Emily. LiTERATURE 23 In conversation with Ben Hatch Ben Hatch, author and family man, talks to The Stag about his award winning book Are We Nearly There Yet? By Emily Smart, Literature Team The Stag: Hi Ben, to begin can you tell me a little about your novel Are We Nearly There Yet? Ben Hatch: It’s based on an 8000 mile road-trip my wife and two kids completed around Britain, where we tried to visit as many attractions as possible to research a guidebook. The story of our travels, that includes us being frightened by a ghost, Nazis, attacked by bats and all ending up in hospital, is set against the background of my dad’s declining health. Someone descried it as a memoir disguised as a travelogue that reads like a novel. But it’s also a comedy. I’m pleased to say it made John Cleese laugh. TS: Travelling 8000 miles in 140 days to ensure that you gave your readers an honest and thorough guide seems extremely dedicated but tough…was there ever a moment where you felt like turning the car around and driving home? BH: Many times. In particular, the day I took my daughter for a nature wee in a field of liver ordnance in Otterburn. There was a sign on the gate I didn’t see that read, ‘underneath a skull and crossbones: debris might explode and kill you’. It was the same day a live bat became However, it’s not only autocorrect that is preventing the growth of our language, words are being replaced: ‘Roentgenogram’ thus named after the discoverer of the x-ray has fallen out of use due to the introduction of ‘x-ray’ or ‘radiogram’. Thanks to the short, efficient and easy pronunciation of the new words, the old die out. More reasons as to why words die out are because they’re replaced due to global events, such as wars. ‘The Great War’ was pushed out of circulation in around 1939 as a war of equal proportions began, so now we simply learn it was once called the ‘Great War’. So find the words with low usage, invent new words, and let’s not let the English language die out, or become one dimensional. Keep English alive. trapped in our lodge in the Kielder Forest and starting flapping around causing such panic in the family; it was a bit like a closing scene from the Lost World. TS: After winning the Radio 2 award for Book of the Year does this encourage you to want to write again soon? BH: I am writing a follow book to Are We Nearly There Yet? called The Road to Rouen at the moment. It’s about a 10,000 mile road-trip around France. TS: Apart from travel writing, what genre of fiction interests you the most? BH: Contemporary fiction appeals to me most, though I do read other genres as well. I like a story that’s believable, that can hopefully move me and also make me laugh. TS: Lastly, with over 17,000 tweets and counting, do you feel that social networking sites have helped to promote your name and increase the readership of your book? BH: Definitely. I think it helps enormously. As well as being able to talk to other authors, it’s also an incredible way to directly reach out to readers. That’s never been available before. Thanks for the interview, Emily. The Death and Demise of Language © Calamity Meg
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