X-Men: First Class

Running Time: 130mins

Director: Matthew Vaughan

Producers:  Gregory Goodman, Simon Kinberg, Lauren Shuler Donne, Bryan Singer.

First instalment of the newest Marvel trilogy, X-men: First Class sets the bar high for anything that is to follow.

The film begins during World War II and tells both the story of persecuted Jew, Erik Lehnsherr whose pain and anger unlocks his ability to manipulate all metals, and also the story of Charles Xavier who from the word go hosts a shelter for mutants.

Erik (Michael Fassbender of Inglourious Basterds) and Charles (James McAvoy from Wanted, Inside I’m Dancing), as a result of a chance meeting during the Cold War and a mutual rival, become companions and begin to put together the “First Class” of the X-men academy.

First Class takes the place of the series of X-men Origins, which can only be called a flop, and answers all the questions as to where the Magneto/Professor X rivalry came from, why different mutants chose their respective sides and of course why the great Charles Xavier has not got the use of the lower half of his body.

The plot unfolds along with the events of the Cold War and creates a different course of history to that which we learned about in school, however, they tie in perfectly together as the initial X-men series was written during that period.

53-year-old Kevin Bacon who plays the part of Sebastian Shaw, but in keeping with his character that absorbs power and hence does not age, looks as youthful as he did in Footloose back in 1984 and gives a fantastic performance as the source of Magneto’s anguish.

Clever cameo roles, which lasted such a short time that one would question if the actors even got paid for their appearances, from Hugh Jackman (Wolverine) and Rebecca Romijn (Mystique) brought unexpected smiles to my face. Even a film clip from President Kennedy's Thanksgiving address is included, however, it's a bit late for him to begin an acting career.

The acting, screenplay and special effects are up there with being the best out of all of the X-men films so much so that I did not want the film to end.

The only fault I can find with the film is a scene which was completely lifted from the Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde story; thankfully it was not enough to leave any lasting impression.

4/5

Bullshit killed the Party

Whilst taking a sneaking look at Facebook as I pretended to work like a Pole, or whoever it is work hard in this country these days, I saw a link to a David Guetta/50 Cent collaboration (So yes Mac if you read this it's you're fault I'm complaining at the moment).

Although it may only have been among commercial music fans but these names used to mean something. Guetta live is one thing, but some of the shit that he produces for radio should never see the light of day. This song samples Meet her at the Loveparade by Da Hool, a fantastic song about one of the best music festivals there has ever been, which sadly came to a tragic end last year. 50 Cent's input into the song is copied from Notorious B.I.G's 1994 hit Party and Bullshit. Two gems of tracks joined into one abomination.
Comments on Youtube suggest that Guetta did come out and say that "Party and Bullshit" was never supposed to be heard by the public...at least he's trying to keep some credibility.
But it's not just this song that has turned a quality piece of music into commercial tripe.

Beyoncé's newest celebration of female power and global domination raped Jamaican inspired duo Major Lazer's Pon De Floor leaving it weeping after the DJ's who once played it but now see it as damaged goods and lost just a little bit of respect for it. I'm sure if the Major was actually a real person he wouldn't stand for this sort of thing.

More to follow

Due to lack of interest, laziness, forgetfulness and on occasion business I haven't posted to this in over a year.
I could blame countless things; I was busy, I was tired, I was lazy, I was drunk. Although the real reason is I had f**k all to say.
I am now faced with being in front of a computer for the next 6 months looking up nonsense on the internet and as a result I have plenty to complain about.
So my TWO trusty followers as the title would suggest, there's More to follow...

Oxegen 10

With such hype at the moment about Europe’s largest music festival you would have to bury your head in the sand and think the world only stretches to the inside of your bedroom door not to realise that you should be robbing your granny to try and get tickets to Oxegen 10.
After the success of last year’s festival (I can only speak about last year as it was my first time attending) we can picture how extraordinary this year’s will be. The 09 line-up was in a word “UNreal”. The Killers, The Corona’s, 2manyDjs, Deadmau5, The Saw Doctors and many more made up the celebrity filled selection of acts that filled out the epic weekend. There were so many high profile acts that the only problem that faced the 80,000 strong attendees was choosing which acts to go to and which will have to be sacrificed.
This year however, the festival is taking on a whole new lease of life. Instead of the traditional Rock n’ Roll theme we now have an electro, techno and RnB weekend ahead of us. Acts like David Guetta, Fatboy Slim, Calvin Harris, The Prodigy, Faithless, Jay-Z and the eagerly awaited Eminem will be collaborating to form the most unbelievable string of concerts that you could only expect to see on an MTV awards night.
For such a line-up it is a small price to pay in €224.50. Tickets are on sale from Friday March 12th in Ticketmasters nationwide and all the details are to be found at http://www.oxegen.ie as well as the complete line-up which is being updated daily as the latest acts are being named.
I can’t even begin to imagine a better way to spend a weekend than sitting in a field taken over by music lovers from all over the country and even different parts of the world, sipping on a few cold ones (if you can find away to keep them cold) and enjoying the sunshine. Even if the weather does not favour us and it pours rain down from the heavens, as it tends to do in this country of ours, the fun will not stop. There is plenty of mud fights to be had, wet t-shirt competitions to participate in (if that’s what you’re into) and other activities which some may find themselves getting involved in around the grounds of the spectacular festival venue that is Punchestown Racecourse.
Essentials for surviving the weekend
• Wellies – I cannot stress how useful these are. Without them you would be like a cow in an ice-skating rink. The more colourful the better, pink polka dots are the most common so be creative.
• A pair of sunglasses – last year the craze was Kanye West glasses, this year my hot tip for you would be Aviators (preferably cheap knock-offs as they will be nicked on you) or else Calvin Harris style fly glasses which will require a bit of arts and crafts work but are totally worth it.
• Toilet paper – turns into gold-dust when you’re up there. Remember you are spending a weekend in a field and your diet will more than likely consist of curry chips.
• Alcohol and energy drinks – the alcohol is just to keep you in good humour for the weekend but brace yourself for a monstrous headache the day you come home. The energy drinks are just so that you have enough energy that you don’t spend the bones of €225 to sleep in a tent for the weekend.
• A visit to the Xbox live stage in the blue campsite on the Thursday if you go for the four day option to avoid the rush in the gates. This stage is dominated by tribute bands but cannot be beaten for pure adrenaline rush in the mosh pit.
• If you tend to be slightly faint-hearted stay away from the mosh pit.
• A wheelie bin to carry your belongings – believe me this is vital.
• And finally if you think you have it in you to stay 90 seconds on the bucking bronco at top level in the funfair, go for it. I made 2nd in all of Oxegen with that time so if you beat me let me know.
So if you find yourself looking for something to do to keep you entertained during the summer this is your solution. The 9th to the 12th of July should be free on your calendar, if you have a job book the weekend off, if like me you are in between occupations save every last copper penny you find beneath the couch and get yourself to Oxegen 10. It will be the weekend of a lifetime that you can’t afford to miss.
I strongly urge everyone to go!!!

Roll of journalism in 2010

Modern journalism began in 1885 a British journalist, WT Stead, uncovered a ring of child prostitution that prior to this the public had turned a blind eye to. As a result of this story the government was forced to bring in the Criminal Law Amendment Act, changing the female age of consent from 13 to 16.

Do journalists in 2010 have the same effect on the country? And if not why don’t they? In some recent cases it has been shown that even when a journalist does uncover a major scandal nothing happens about it. We have seen people like Bertie Ahern, Charlie Haughey and the Bailey Brothers swindle money from the country and cheat taxes but when this is shown to the people and the courts no punishment is handed down. All of these high profile people have impunity and effectively cannot be touched.

So should journalists continue to work this way in an attempt to bring about a change and have their work recognised? Or should they merely conform to the orthodox and concede to the inertia that we see in our society? Journalists should be urging people to ask questions of our state, government and society and forcing them to not take things as they are told. Look for the bigger picture in the small scandals we see every day and maybe they might be able to make a few well needed changes in our country.