A 14-year-old boy faces charges of rape and robbery after a 19-year-old woman was attacked in Cowley last Saturday. The boy cannot be named for legal reasons.Thames Valley Police charged the boy with two counts of rape and one count of robbery, all relating to last Saturday’s attack in a park between the John Allen Centre and Cleveland Drive in Cowley.The boy appeared at Oxford Magistrates’ Court yesterday morning for a hearing and was remanded in custody. His next scheduled court appearance will be on Wednesday.

Lucie Whitehouse’s debut novel, The House at Midnight, is certainly written with the commercial market in mind, but beneath the lengthy descriptions and clichés which threaten to saturate the pages, a gripping storyline emerges which dramatises the complications of leaving youth and accepting adulthood. 
The novel revolves around a tight-knit group of Oxford graduates, one of whom, Lucas, has inherited ‘a Cotswold stone-pilestone’ from his uncle who recently committed suicide. The group gathers at the house for New Year’s Eve where the narrator, Jo, immediately senses something sinister and oppressive about the atmosphere of the grand house. Predictably, the house, and the economic inequality it introduces, unbalances the social dynamic, and there follows a series of relationships, affairs and heart-breaks which lead to the dissolution of the group. 
The opening line of the novel, ‘Even now, I can remember the first time I saw the house as clearly as if there were a video of it playing in my head’ should prepare the reader for the lack of subtlety that afflicts the book. The apolitical characters lack depth and are accordingly hard to warm to. Characterisations: ‘We hated sports, especially the team varieties, and loved indie music, which we listened to all the time’ and ‘Lucas, wearing a black corduroy jacket that gave him an air of the Left Bank’ do nothing to elevate the characters above social stereotypes. The indulgence of abundant glaring classical allusion, insertions of Ancient Greek proverbs such as ‘μεγαν αγαν – nothing in excess’ and superfluously detailed page-long descriptions of classical paintings, suggest that Whitehouse has not wholly left her Oxford days behind. With the book centered around an impressive house and a small group of friends from an elite university, it seeks association with The Great Gatsby or Bridsehead Revisited, but transparent references such as ‘the wind might have been blowing across Oxfordshire but Long Island Sound and Jay Gatsby might have stepped away just a moment before’ refuse the refinement of such established classics.  
Although hardly an intellectual tour de force, the dramas which the group endures make for an exciting page-turner as Whitehouse imbues familiar Oxbridge aspirations with a Gothic doom. Jo’s disillusionment at the frustration of her unfulfilled ambitions lends the novel a personal poignancy, realising some of the fears that haunt the average undergraduate. The gang’s lust, obsession, ambition and sheer desperation suck the reader into the mysterious melodrama. It’s probably worth a read as an escapist distraction from the less grandiose realities of the average coffee and ink stained Oxford experience.  
by Francesca Angelini 
The House at Midnight was published in January by Bloomsbury, £12.99 (hardback)

A 19-year-old woman was sexually attacked in Cowley on Sunday while making her way home alone. At about half-past eight the victim, who is not believed to be a student, was walking along Between Towns Road when a man grabbed her and took her into a nearby park.After the attack, the man forced the woman to a nearby cash point and forced her to withdraw cash. She was able to alert the door staff of the William Morris pub, who then called the police, but the attacker escaped before police arrived.According to police, the offender was wearing a dark jumper with multi-coloured horizontal stripes and a baseball cap at the time of the attack. He is also said to have been riding a silver bicycle.Police have arrested a 16-year-old man on suspicion of rape and robbery, who is currently in police custody.Detective Sergeant Russell Simpson, who is handling the case, said, “We are keen to speak to anyone who saw or heard anything. If you have any information, no matter how insignificant you may think it is, please contact me.”Police describe the woman as having been left “extremely shaken” by the incident.Detective Simpson also made a special appeal to key witnesses. He said, "There were two, young Asian men near the park at the time that saw the silver bike on the pavement. They may have information to help the police with their enquiries and I urge them to come forward. There was also a man, aged in his sixties who was outside the kebab shop who may have seen the offender cycle away and I would appeal to him to contact the police.”The incident comes only two weeks after the apparently unrelated attack on an Oxford student on Marston Road.Louise Randall, OUSU Welfare Officer urged students to stay safe at night. She said, “This horrible attack should be a reminder to students to take extra care of their personal safety at night.“While Oxford is generally a safe city for students, it is very concerning that an attack such as this should have occurred. In light of this incident we are reminding students to look after themselves and each other by being vigilant and taking all necessary precautions.”Randall recommended that students never walk home alone and that they make use of the OUSU Safety Bus when travelling late at night. She also suggested that students should consider carrying rape alarms, which are available from OUSU from as little as £1.60 and free from some college welfare executives.The OUSU Safety Bus is a service provided in conjunction with Oxford Brookes Students' Union and is intended to ensure that students are able to get home safely. It will pick students up from any location within the Oxford Ring road and take them home for a donation of £1. The University chose not to comment on the individual incident but said they would urge any student who needs support in the aftermath of a crime or another traumatic experience to use Oxford's welfare support system at college, University or OUSU level.Any witnesses should contact Det Sgt Russell Simpson via 0845 8 505 505. If you do not wish to speak to police or give your name you can call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
Information on student safety is available in the Proctors' handbook.For the Safety Bus ring 07714 445 050 between 9pm and 3am Monday – Saturday and 9pm – 1am on Sunday.
by Nadya Thorman

15th FebFILM4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days (15) Ultimate Picture Palace 1800
Azur & Asmar: The Princes Quest (U) Phoenix  1345, 1700, 2015
The Bucket List (12A) Odeon George St. 1415, 1700, 2000
Cloverfield (15) Odeon George St. 1400, 1630, 1900, 2115
Definitely Maybe (12A) Odeon George St. 1435, 1715, 2015
John Carpenter’s The Thing (18) Ultimate Picture Palace 1100
Jumper (12A) Odeon Magdalen St. 1300, 1530, 1800, 2030
Juno (12A) Odeon George St 1330, 1600, 1830, 2100 Phoenix 1245, 1445, 1645, 1900, 2110
The Kite Runner (12A) Ultimate Picture Palace 2030
National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets (PG) Odeon George St. 1430, 1730, 2030
No Country for Old Men (15) Odeon Magdalen St. 1400, 1700, 2000
Penelope (U) Odeon George St 1230
Sweeney Todd (18) Odeon George St. 1800, 2045
There Will Be Blood (15) Phoenix 1345, 1700, 2015
The Water Horse (PG) Odeon George St 1245, 1515MUSICThe Plugs & Arrows Bands Purple Turtle 1900
Alvin Roy Swing/jazz Chester Arms 2100
Chantelle Pike Wheatsheaf 2000
A Ghost Devotion, Keshco, Acacia, Ben Constanduros Unsigned Night Jericho Tavern 2000
Alex Smoke Electro  Cellar 2100

STAGECelebration Burton Taylor 193
Cloudcuckooland North Wall Arts Centre 1400, 1830
Stomp New Theatre 1730, 2030
This Is Our Youth Moser, Wadham 1930
Timon of Athens Burton Taylor 2130
The Turn of the Screw Hertford Chapel 2000

OTHEREnglish Delft Lunchtime gallery talk Randolph Gallery, Ashmolean 1315
Dr Kenworthy-Browne Miracles or Coincidences? Okinaga Rm, Wadham 2000

16th Feb
FILM4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days (15) Ultimate Picture Palace 1800
Azur & Asmar: The Princes Quest (U) Phoenix  1115
The Bucket List (12A) Odeon George St. 1415, 1700, 2000
Cloverfield (15) Odeon George St. 1145, 1400, 1630, 1900, 2115
Definitely Maybe (12A) Odeon George St. 1435, 1715, 2015
John Carpenter’s The Thing (18) Ultimate Picture Palace 1100
Jumper (12A) Odeon Magdalen St. 1300, 1530, 1800, 2030
Juno (12A) Odeon George St 1330, 1600, 1830, 2100 Phoenix 1200, 1530, 2000
The Kite Runner (12A) Ultimate Picture Palace 1530, 2030
National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets (PG) Odeon George St. 1130, 1430, 1730, 2030
No Country for Old Men (15) Odeon Magdalen St. 1400, 1700, 2000
Penelope (U) Odeon George St 1230
Sweeney Todd (18) Odeon George St. 1800, 2045
There Will Be Blood (15) Phoenix 1430, 1745, 2100
The Water Horse (PG) Odeon George St 1245, 1515

MUSICQueen’s College Recital Queen’s College Chapel 1315
David Rees-Williams Trio Classical J du Pre 2000
OUO Sibelius, Nielsen Sheldonian 2000
Tallis Barker Piano: Chopin, Beethoven, Haydn Holywell Music Room 1930
OCMF Valentine’s Celebration Piano, inc. Faure, Grieig J du Pre 1030
Merton Chapel Choir in Concert Finzi, Williams, Jenkins Merton College Chapel 1930
The Glitches Carling Academy 1900
Mondo Cada Rock Purple Turtle 1900
Paradise Island Post-punk Wheatsheaf 2000
Witches Rock Cellar 2100
Them Is Me Ex-Reef/Lady Sovereign/Bassment Jaxx Jericho Tavern 2000

STAGECelebration Burton Taylor 1930
Cloudcuckooland North Wall Arts Centre 1400, 1830
Stomp New Theatre 1430, 1930
This Is Our Youth Moser, Wadham 1400, 1930
Timon of Athens Burton Taylor 2130

OTHERGrand Viennese Valentine’s Ball Oxford Town Hall, 2030

 
17th Feb
 
FILM4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days (15) Ultimate Picture Palace 1730
Azur & Asmar: The Princes Quest (U) Phoenix  1115
The Bucket List (12A) Odeon George St. 1415, 1700, 2000
Cloverfield (15) Odeon George St. 1145, 1400, 1630, 1900, 2115
Definitely Maybe (12A) Odeon George St. 1435, 1715, 2015
John Carpenter’s The Thing (18) Ultimate Picture Palace 2230
Jumper (12A) Odeon Magdalen St. 1300, 1530, 1800, 2030
Juno (12A) Odeon George St 1330, 1600, 1830, 2100 Phoenix 1245, 1445, 1645, 1900, 2110
The Kite Runner (12A) Ultimate Picture Palace 2000
Lightning Over Water (15) Phoenix  1100
National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets (PG) Odeon George St. 1130, 1430, 1730, 2030
No Country for Old Men (15) Odeon Magdalen St. 1400, 1700, 2000
Penelope (U) Odeon George St 1230
Sweeney Todd (18) Odeon George St. 1800, 2045
There Will Be Blood (15) Phoenix 1345, 1700, 2015
Three Colours: White (15) Ultimate Picture Palace 1530
The Water Horse (PG) Odeon George St 1245, 1515

MUSICRosefield & Dussek Cello & Piano: Beethoven, Chopin Holywell Music Room 1115
The Lizzie Newbery Jazz Trio Cape of Good Hope 1900
The Cribs, Joe Lean, Does It Offend You, Yeah?, The Ting Tings Shockwaves NME Tour Carling Academy Zodiac 1900STAGE
The Ministry of Mirth Wheatsheaf 2000
This Is Our Youth Moser, Wadham 1400, 1930

OTHER
Dr Jim Bennett The Solar Microscope Museum of the History of Science 1430

 
18th FebFILM4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days (15) Ultimate Picture Palace 1830
Azur & Asmar: The Princes Quest (U) Phoenix  1115
The Bucket List (12A) Odeon George St. 1415, 1700, 2000
Cloverfield (15) Odeon George St. 1145, 1400, 1630, 1900, 2115
Definitely Maybe (12A) Odeon George St. 1435, 1715, 2015
John Carpenter’s The Thing (18) Ultimate Picture Palace 2300
Jumper (12A) Odeon Magdalen St. 1300, 1530, 1800, 2030
Juno (12A) Odeon George St 1330, 1600, 1830, 2100 Phoenix 1245, 1445, 1645, 1900, 2110
The Kite Runner (12A) Ultimate Picture Palace 1400
National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets (PG) Odeon George St. 1130, 1430, 1730, 2030
No Country for Old Men (15) Odeon Magdalen St. 1400, 1700, 2000
Penelope (U) Odeon George St 1230
Sweeney Todd (18) Odeon George St. 1800, 2045
There Will Be Blood (15) Phoenix 1345, 1700, 2015
Three Colours: White (15) Ultimate Picture Palace 1900, 2100
The Water Horse (PG) Odeon George St 1245, 1515STAGEThe Oxford Imps Improvised comedy. Wheatsheaf 2000
Free Beer Show TBC + support. Cellar Bar 2115

19th Feb
 
FILM4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days (15) Ultimate Picture Palace 2040
Azur & Asmar: The Princes Quest (U) Phoenix  1115
The Bucket List (12A) Odeon George St. 1415, 1700, 2000
Cloverfield (15) Odeon George St. 1145, 1400, 1630, 1900, 2115
Definitely Maybe (12A) Odeon George St. 1435, 1715, 2015
Jumper (12A) Odeon Magdalen St. 1300, 1530, 1800, 2030
Juno (12A) Odeon George St 1330, 1600, 1830, 2100 Phoenix 1245, 1445, 1645, 1900, 2110
The Kite Runner (12A) Ultimate Picture Palace 1800
National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets (PG) Odeon George St. 1130, 1430, 1730, 2030
No Country for Old Men (15) Odeon Magdalen St. 1400, 1700
Once (15) Odeon Magdalen St. 2000
Penelope (U) Odeon George St 1230
Sweeney Todd (18) Odeon George St. 1800, 2045
There Will Be Blood (15) Phoenix 1345, 1700, 2015
Three Colours: White (15) Ultimate Picture Palace 1900, 2100
The Water Horse (PG) Odeon George St 1245, 1515

MUSICOxford Sinfonia Eroica Beethoven, Mozart, Weber University Church of St Mary 2000
Hot Chip Carling Academy 1900
Harry Angel Goth Poppers Wheatsheaf 2000
STAGEA Couple of Cold Ones OUDS New Writing Festival Burton Taylor 2130
The Night of the Iguana O’Reilly, Keble 1930
Quills OFS 1930
‘Tis Pity She’s A Whore Moser, Wadham 1930
Tom’s a-cold OUDS New Writing Festival Burton Taylor 1930

OTHERThe Devil’s Doctor Philip Ball talks about Paracelsus Museum of the History of Science 1900
John Taverner: A Medieval Musician Tim Porter Ashmolean 1400

 
20th Feb
 FILM4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days (15) Ultimate Picture Palace 2040
Azur & Asmar: The Princes Quest (U) Phoenix  1115
Be Kind Rewind (12A) Odeon George St. 1200
The Bucket List (12A) Odeon George St. 1415, 1700, 2000
Cloverfield (15) Odeon George St. 1145, 1400, 1630, 1900, 2115
Definitely Maybe (12A) Odeon George St. 1435, 1715, 2015
Jumper (12A) Odeon Magdalen St. 1300, 1530, 1800, 2030
Juno (12A) Odeon George St 1330, 1600, 1830, 2100 Phoenix 1445, 1645, 1900, 2110
The Kite Runner (12A) Ultimate Picture Palace 1800
National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets (PG) Odeon George St. 1130, 1430, 1730, 2030
No Country for Old Men (15) Odeon Magdalen St. 1400, 1700, 2000
Once (15) Odeon Magdalen St. 2000
Penelope (U) Odeon George St 1230
Sweeney Todd (18) Odeon George St. 1800, 2045
There Will Be Blood (15) Phoenix 1345, 1700, 2015
The Water Horse (PG) Odeon George St 1245, 1515

MUSICOrgan Recital Queen’s College 1310
Acoustic Sessions Purple Turtle 1900
 
STAGE

The Night of the Iguana O’Reilly, Keble 1930
Now And Only OUDS New Writing Festival Burton Taylor 2130
Quills OFS 1930
‘Tis Pity She’s A Whore Moser, Wadham 1930
Three Sons OUDS New Writing Festival Burton Taylor 1930
The Turn of the Screw Hertford Chapel 2000

OTHERStanley Hauerwas: Pentecost Amnesty International lecture Holywell Music Room 1730
Professor Alex Potts Art and Life: Theatre of Happenings University Museum of Natural History 1700
Professor Simon Deakin The Tanner Lectures on Human Values Said Business School 1700

 
21st Feb 
 FILM4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days (15) Ultimate Picture Palace 2040
Azur & Asmar: The Princes Quest (U) Phoenix  1115
Be Kind Rewind (12A) Odeon George St. 1200
The Bucket List (12A) Odeon George St. 1415, 1700, 2000
Cloverfield (15) Odeon George St. 1145, 1400, 1630, 1900, 2115
Definitely Maybe (12A) Odeon George St. 1435, 1715, 2015
Jumper (12A) Odeon Magdalen St. 1300, 1530, 1800, 2030
Juno (12A) Odeon George St 1330, 1600, 1830, 2100 Phoenix 1245, 1445, 1645, 1900, 2110
The Kite Runner (12A) Ultimate Picture Palace 1800
National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets (PG) Odeon George St. 1130, 1430, 1730, 2030
No Country for Old Men (15) Odeon Magdalen St. 1400, 1700, 2000
Once (15) Odeon Magdalen St. 2000
Penelope (U) Odeon George St 1230
Sweeney Todd (18) Odeon George St. 1800, 2045
There Will Be Blood (15) Phoenix 1345, 1700, 2015
The Water Horse (PG) Odeon George St 1245, 1515

MUSICQueen’s College Recital Faure Requiem Queen’s College Chapel 2015
St Hilda’s Lunchtime Recital J du Pre 1315
Mark Lockheart of Polar Bear fame Spin @ The Wheatsheaf 2100
Sandi Thom Zodiac 1900
Metronomy Bar @ Carling Academy 1900
White Sunday Indie Jericho Tavern 2000
October Game Alt. Rock Cellar 2000 STAGE
A Couple of Cold Ones OUDS New Writing Festival Burton Taylor 2130
The Night of the Iguana O’Reilly, Keble 1930
Omid Djalili New Theatre 2000
Quills OFS 1930
‘Tis Pity She’s A Whore Moser, Wadham 1930
Tom’s a-cold OUDS New Writing Festival Burton Taylor 1930
OTHERDebate: Freedom of Belief, Freedom from Belief Amnesty International lecture Holywell Music Room 1730
Professor Simon Deakin The Tanner Lectures on Human Values Said Business School 1700
Equal Rights 4 Non-Religious? Oxford Town Hall 1900

Senior officials at Oxford Central Mosque are revising their previous plans to broadcast the call to prayer from its minaret via loudspeakers.The mosque in Manzil Way off Cowley Road, currently has a short-wave radio transmitter to send out the two-minute call to prayer, “adhan,” direct to the homes of worshippers, of whom about 100 have purchased receivers.A new management committee has been elected at the mosque to ensure that a “proper consultation” takes place with the mosque’s neighbours.Secretary General Altaf Hussain told the Oxford Mail, "The issue of using loudspeakers is being reviewed and we would like to make it very clear a proper consultation will be held and only after that any final decision will be made.”"There is no limit to the amount of time the consultation may take, because there is no rush and at the moment there is no need also,” he said. "But we will be getting in touch with our neighbourhood to give them a chance to air their views. Those who hold views against the matter will be respected."The Rev Adam Romanis, vicar of SS Mary and John Church, in Cowley Road, the nearest church to the mosque, said he believed the issue had been blown out of proportion.He went on to state that the mosque is a neighbour of the church, and that he liked the idea of a mutual dialogue between the two institutions.He said, "I like that idea of each of us, on either side of the Cowley Road, each standing for what we stand for, which in many ways is the same thing, and in others which is different and distinct.”"I have got a lot of sympathy with the idea, although I think there are questions that need to be thought about carefully before it went ahead," he added.

Family and friends of Tsz Fok, the cyclist killed on his bike outside the Kings Arms, have expressed their anger that the driver of the truck that ran him over will not be jailed.Trevor Ashworth, 31, was given a £500 fine and banned from driving for eight months last Thursday after District Judge Brian Loosley delivered a verdict of careless driving.The Worcester College student died in April last year after his bike was hit by Ashworth’s refuse lorry at the junction of Broad Street and Parks Road.Speaking outside Wantage Magistrates’ Court, family friend Htun Aye said he felt Ashworth should have been jailed. He said, “My personal feelings are he should have got a custodial sentence.He added, “Tsz’s family are not coping very well. They are still devastated and find it very difficult at this time. He did not deliberately set out to kill Tsz, but unfortunately, it is a matter of fact that a young character – a person whose life was just starting – has been taken.”Summing up, Judge Loosley said Ashworth should have known his mirror was not adjusted properly, a factor which resulted in the driver not having a clear view as he turned left. However he also added that Fok was not blameless as he should have waited for Ashworth to turn before he set off from the traffic lights.Cycling organisations also condemned the verdict. In an article in the Oxford Mail, James Styring, Chairman of Oxford cycling campaign group Cyclox, said, “This seems to most an extraordinarily light sentence, which sends out the message that life is cheap. A heavier fine may force drivers to take more notice of the condition of their  vehicles before driving.”A third year Worcester student said, “I feel sympathy for almost everyone involved and don’t necessarily think a prison sentence would be appropriate for the driver. But I do think that £500 is an insultingly small sum to make up for a life lost – it would probably have been better for the judge not to give a fine at all.”Speaking after the verdict Worcester JCR President Maanas Jain said, “Clearly the driver is upset and deeply regrets his actions, but that of course does in no way excuse them. In a perfect world it might be possible to shift the blame of one man’s death on to another’s shoulders and in some cases we as a society are absolutely right to do so.” He added, “This is obviously a very difficult time for Tsz’s family and the students of Worcester. Emotions are still very raw from the tragic event… Many in the JCR are keen to look forwards and to celebrate his great life rather than becoming diverted by the legal wranglings that have surrounded the event in recent weeks.Last Saturday more than 200 people attended a memorial service held in honour of Tsz, at St Barnabas and St Paul’s Church in Jericho.

It’s that time of year again. As expected, the writer’s strike was resolved, by coincidence, just in time to finalise the occasion of the 80th Academy Awards ceremony in its normal format. So all of the anticipation and coverage that surrounds the ceremony – the best, and worst speeches, the unfortunate actresses who turn up in matching dresses, the academy’s traditional surprise decision – will be present again come 23 February. Like the Oscars or not, they are now unquestionably the world’s foremost awards ceremony. We preview them here.

BEST FILM
Atonement
Juno
Michael Clayton
No Country For Old Men
There Will Be Blood
BEST DIRECTOR
Julian Schnabel, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Jason Reitman, Juno
Tony Gilroy, Michael Clayton
Joel & Ethan Coen, No Country For Old Men
Paul Thomas Anderson, There Will Be Blood
BEST ACTOR
George Clooney, Michael Clayton
Daniel Day-Lewis, There Will Be Blood
Johnny Depp, Sweeney Todd
Tommy Lee Jones, In the Valley of Elah
Viggo Mortensen, Eastern Promises
BEST ACTRESS
Cate Blanchett, Elizabeth: The Golden Age
Julie Christie, Away From Her
Laura Linney, The Savages
Marion Cotillard, La Vie en Rose
Ellen Page, Juno
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Casey Affleck, The Assassination of Jesse James
Javier Bardem, No Country For Old Men
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Charlie Wilson’s War
Hal Holbrook, Into the Wild
Tom Wilkinson, Michael Clayton
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Cate Blanchett, I’m Not There
Ruby Dee, American Gangster
Saoirse Ronan, Atonement
Amy Ryan, Gone Baby Gone
Tilda Swinton, Michael Clayton

Pure Class…
Jack Orlik defends the Academy AwardsTry to go a year, even a month, without mentioning, hearing or reading the word ‘Oscar’. Bet you couldn’t do it. Even Trappist monks love films. Yet the Oscars seem to be under almost constant fire by the press and populace as a whole: here we see a ceremony designed to boost the egos of all those in the ‘movie-biz’, something entirely false and apparently based barely on how good a film actually is. Nonetheless, while it may all seem a little overboard, there’s undeniable glamour (even excitement?) with the red carpet, priceless dresses and gold statuettes. The Oscars do more than provide an imaginary platform for the overpaid and overexposed. Categories exist for almost every aspect of a movie’s production and nearly anything that may be projected ‘for our viewing pleasure’: Animated Short Film, Documentary and even Sound Mixing get a look in beyond the Actors and Actresses in Leading Roles (who doesn’t enjoy a few capital letters?) The enclosed voting concept allows the celluloid universe to be shot open for new stars, while more seasoned filmmakers are also frequently honoured. However cynical you want to be, those in the film business do work incredibly hard to entertain huge numbers of people. If a showy, world-famous event is how they want to congratulate their colleagues, who are we to stop them?
…or fool's gold
Ben Williams on the fatuous OscarsEver wondered why a barrage of good films are packed into January and February? It’s because of the Oscars. Film studios are so desperate to reap the extra profits gleaned from academy recognition that they wait to release their best films until just before the ceremony to ensure they receive maximum attention. Three of this year’s best picture nominees were released in the last month, whilst throughout the long summer we were treated to the delights of Bruce Willis looking too old to save the world, Sylvester Stallone looking old enough to save on a bus pass, and wishing that Orlando Bloom was that old so that he might retire sooner. And when the Oscars finally do arrive, the ridiculous rules and favouritism of the judges ensures that the most deserving rarely win. France’s wonderful The Diving Bell and the Butterfly missed out because it had the nerve to compete for Best Picture rather than Best Foreign Language Film. That foreign films should be excluded from that category, like some lesser art form, is inexplicable in itself. And because the academy loves George Clooney as though every voter were a middle-aged woman, the mediocre Michael Clayton is up for best film. And just to reaffirm their ineptitude, the Academy has rewarded Norbit’s repulsive, fat-suit humour with a best make-up nomination. That’s no surprise really.

Death of the critic? Tim Sherwin thinks not.At the end of 2006, readers of Time Magazine were presented with a metallic, mirrored surface under the headline ‘Time Person the Year 2006.’ It transpired that the winner was ‘You!!’ The move was met with a mixture of delight and contempt; a huge debate was sparked across the States about the title that had in the past been held by the Queen (1952), two popes (1962, 1994), and Mahatma Gandhi (1930). Some thought their decision represented the increasingly potent means of expression and influence ordinary people are gaining in the computer era. Others just thought it was tacky.Tacky or not, accurate or not, the choice highlights a current crisis in the world of criticism. The internet is heralded as the ultimate democratic medium. There are thousands of web sites on which it is not only possible to read dozens of different opinions of books, films, music etc, but through which it is supremely easy to add your own voice to the debate. When we decide to see a film, we no longer have to resort to the newspaper to discover information. We certainly don’t have to resort to a hefty encyclopaedia to enlighten us about general knowledge – and last minute tute queries. The information is already out there, easily accessible. Evidence even shows that the average margin for error on Wikipedia is only slightly higher than in the Encyclopaedia Britannica, since its rigorous programme of self-editing has rectified many of its teething problems. As the internet becomes a more acceptable medium to more people, critics – amateurs with laptops – are taking over from ‘Critics’ – professionals with notepad and pen. So these Critics, with a capital ‘C’, must be dead, or at least dying.But that is far from the case. Every major newspaper, every major magazine has its store of professional Critics, whether they are analysing books, movies, TV, or any other cultural phenomenon. Indeed when James Wood, a highly respected and feared literary Critic, moved from The New Republic to The New Yorker earlier this year, he seized the headlines. He is kingmaker in the American literary world: a big fish in a big pond. And what he says makes waves. The ability of any Critic to seize such publicity is revealing in itself. Yet the case of Wood doesn’t highlight the position of the Critic, so much as reinforce something we are continually told about our era. It is the era of celebrity.Successful criticism seems to come mainly from famous Critics and writers. In this sphere, as in any other, big names sell. Thus we find publications on criticism from Orhan Pamuk (Other Colours), who has recently cashed in on the fame from his Nobel prize and the controversy surrounding his being charged with insulting the nation of Turkey. V.S. Naipaul’s recent work A Writer’s People, an acerbic and highly opinionated deconstruction of the books that shaped him as an author, was guaranteed success with his huge fanbase. The same is true of the American John Updike, a critic and novelist who churns out books at an alarming rate, and his latest work of general criticism, Due Considerations. What all these works have in common is the fame of the author, and the breadth of their scope. Rather than focusing on a single work or genre, they aim to criticise widely. To give us an impression, not only of what the author is deconstructing, but of the author himself. By getting to know about our top authors’ and thinkers’ opinions on diverse topics, we feel we are getting to know about them. They are a glorified form of autobiography. They appeal to our desire to know more about these great names, but coyly, through their favourite works of art: the heavy-weight equivalent of the celebrity exposé. So to find true criticism we may need to look beyond what Naipaul read growing up in Trinidad, or what Clapton listened to the first time he got high, and delve into the back sections of newspapers and magazines. The culture section, in fact. How self-referential.What we find here is the same in miniature. We recognise fewer of the names, although Critics like A.S. Byatt do crop up from time to time, but the focus on the self, on the Critic, remains. Considering the power they wield concerning the success or failure of a new play or album, much of what is written tells us more about the reviewer than about what is reviewed. ‘I thought’, ‘I noticed’, ‘How I reacted’. The reviewers in print media more often than not follow the patterns set by more glorified authors. That is, after all, what most of them want to become. Big names. So maybe the democratic, or at least technocratic, vision of internet criticism is safer and more accurate, as well as cheaper and more accessible. It is very often the case in newspapers and magazines that the ego of the Critic overwhelms the criticism.But here we see the failure of internet criticism too. It is true that there is a certain amount of democracy. Anyone, actually anyone – and there are some crazy opinions out there – can add to the debate. And shape it too, as we famously saw with Snakes on a Plane, and the publicity hype surrounding Cloverfield. In both these films the producers decided, rather than to create something and see how people react, to find out what was wanted, and make that. The Critics, in the case of Snakes on a Plane, weren’t impressed, perhaps feeling that their territory was being encroached upon, but the critics, who had helped shape the finished product, were delighted. And they came out to support their baby in droves. But the reason that people write on these websites, that people want to become critics, is the same as that of their more dignified brethren. They think their opinion matters. We all do. We all want somebody to read what we are writing, care, and have their own thoughts and opinions modified. The only difference, with the increasing globalisation of media, is that more people can do it, and we can’t always know with what authority they are speaking. That is the danger, and the promise, of the technological age.In his Nobel Lecture, the Russian poet Joseph Brodsky said that reading is ‘the conversation of a writer with a reader, a conversation, I repeat, that is very private, excluding all others – if you will, mutually misanthropic.’ The same may be said of any cultural enterprise. Even in a theatre or cinema, surrounded by people, or on the dance floor at a gig, buffetted by sweaty fans, the final result, the ultimate communion, can only exist between you and the play, the film, the music. And the only way someone can change your mind is to present their own feelings and impressions of the same experience – their own internal, ‘mutually misanthropic’ communion – and try and affect what you think. In this way art, any art, is at once an intensely misanthropic enterprise, one which requires beyond anything a ‘self’, and a supremely humane enterprise, in which you not only connect with the author, screenwriter, or musician, but everyone who has ever engaged with the same piece of art, and everyone who ever will.From this impulse, then, stems the desire to become a critic. This combination of self-obsession, that there is only really you and the object of your criticism, and of the desire to connect with other people, to spread your views and help underline the merits and failings of what you are talking about, is the spark that lights the fire under any aspiring Critic, or critic. All the internet has done is to allow more people to do this more often. It hasn’t fundamentally changed the nature of the game, from the scholarly disputes over Virgil in the first century AD to the café-house debates and rise of literary magazines in 18th Century London salons. We still want to read critics. And we often turn back to the ones we know and recognise, from magazines we read and books we love. The internet has widened the pool from which we can draw, but our love of familiarity, and our need to connect and debate the arts which we care about, means that critics, and Critics, will never die.

It’s difficult to pin down exactly what it is about Yorkshire teens One Night Only that has led them to receive some quite considerable recommendations. Tipped by Jo Whiley as ones to watch in 2008, the band must be disappointed with reviews of Started a Fire, featuring such epithets as ‘rather boring’ and ‘harmless.’ Such critiques form a damning verdict for any young band in the face of much cooler competition from their peers, the likes of nu-rave wannabes Good Shoes and Pull Tiger Tail!

However, whilst flagship track ‘Just for Tonight’ is not quite the ‘epic, balls-out indie rock’ that its promoters would have us believe, its opening bars are undoubtedly catchy and you can begin to understand the low-level hype that still surrounds them. Chris Moyles’ comparison between this and ‘Ashes’ by Embrace is probably the best I can think of, with the anthemic ‘Just for Tonight’ and ‘He’s There’ being the best examples of the album’s characteristic indie pop.

Debut single ‘You and Me’ shows a quirkier, jauntier side that is echoed in ‘He’s There’ and just about discernable in ‘It’s About Time’, but doesn’t quite go far enough. Unfortunately, the record then plods through a couple of bog-standard indie ballads; ‘Time’ and ‘Sweet Sugar’ (‘you are my C6H12O6’), which exist only as poorly-written filler.

Started a Fire contains a couple of interesting, catchy tracks that do a good job of putting keys and synths into the mix and will set a few feet tapping. George Craig undoubtedly has a good voice and his band some degree of talent, but it’s not quite come together in this repetitive and on the whole indifferent debut. Yet there remains a potential that may be worth watching.by Benjamin Ives