You may know Weezer from one of their breakout hits; ‘Beverly Hills’, ‘Buddy Holly’ or even ‘Pork and Beans’ which pokes fun at internet culture. Apart from these few singles, the band has only really made it big in the States. Can their latest album ‘Hurley’ do any better over here?
BY MATTHEW ROBB
Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg star as two less than respected New York Police detectives who couldn’t be any more mismatched, but decide to team up to clean up the streets – with some hilarious results. However, although it sounds like the writers have came up with comedy gold unfortunately this is not the case. In a recent review of the film, the London magazine Time Out praised ‘The Other Guys’ as being a contender for comedy of the year. If this is the case, don’t expect the next four months to deliver another ‘Hangover’ or ‘Knocked Up,’ as Adam McKay, director of cult comedy classic ‘Anchorman,’ brings us an ultimately disappointing film with gags more silly than funny and a limited amount of original dialogue.
BY GABRIEL DORAN
For one of modern metal’s leading lights, the decision to depart from his comfort zone and dive into the world of electrical and orchestral accompaniments would represent a bold step in the development in their music. However, for Serj Tankian, the paradox in the album’s title Imperfect Harmonies is not just a clever figure of speech, but representative of the two very different strands of music which run throughout the album, but never truly gel together to surpass, or indeed match any of Tankian’s earlier works.
BY SEAN ASHFORD
The QFT screening of ‘Tamara Drew’ saw nearly every seat filled with great expectations, and afterwards attendees were treated to a conversation with Derry/Londonderry’s finest Bronagh Gallagher. Led by BBC TV favourite Maggie Taggart, Bronagh was more than delighted to discuss her past roles, her acting career highs and lows and answer questions from the audience.
BY LAURA SHEARER
The loved by many, little known by many more, graphic novel ‘Tamara Drew’ is brought to life with the lovely Gemma Arterton in the role of the title character. The story comes from a Guardian newspaper strip and so the film contains a more intellectual angle of comedy than normal. Based in a small town in the English countryside it’s very easy to see it’s critical relation to the beloved radio programme ‘The Archers’, and as a fellow critic recently commented, it’s like that but with sex and violence. In other words, ‘Tamara Drew’ is a really absorbing melodrama with lots of gossip factor, and that’s what the original comic intended.
BY LAURA SHEARER
A single and shared Northern Ireland education system must be the way forward, former NI Secretary Peter Hain told The Gown. Mr Hain responded to First Minister Peter Robinson’s recent description of the Northern Ireland education system as a “benign form of apartheid” by stating that an end to segregated schooling can be justified “on social grounds and grounds of breaking down divisions.” Hain’s comments came prior to his appearance at the Ulster Bank Belfast Festival at Queen’s where he spoke on the life of Nelson Mandela and of his own experiences as an anti-apartheid campaigner.
BY CONNOR DALY
Few bands have had such fickle infatuations with commercial recognition as the Manic Street Preachers. Using only the writings of tragic ex-guitarist’s Richie Edwards as lyrics on last year’s Journal for Plague Lovers, the Manics, were for one last time, a 4-piece: The end result was a sprawling criticism of the human condition, their most musically accomplished album in years, but by no means an album tailored for wholesome, chart-topping acclaim.
BY CHRIS JOHNSON