Death of a King

He may not have invented the genre, but he certainly mastered it.

Michael Jackson was without doubt the greatest Pop musician of all time. These sentiments are being thrown around an awful lot right now and it's easy to assume that they are media driven exaggerations. However, along with these claims come the opportunity for everyone to individually appraise all of Jackson's work. Even a cursory glance at his back catalogue highlights a sublime collection of music. I really implore people to go back and listen to Jackson's music and recognise that these claims are far from exaggeration. He was a genius.

You can look at any of his individual albums and identify greatness. I believe you can even do this with individual songs. For me, Jackson's high point was Smooth Criminal. This song was one of the first that I ever truly loved and listened to religiously. The arrangement, lyrics and overall sound are simply timeless. Along with that, the full length video for the song still stands as one of the best ever made. This song and video epitomise what was great about Jackson: he had an amazing ear wrapped in an iconic flourish and style.

So was he the greatest Pop musician of all time? The greatest musical artist of all time? The inventor of the modern music video? Does it matter? The bottom line is that Micheal Jackson made a connection with millions of people all over the world. He transcended gender, age, race and religion and connected them all with a simple love of music. While we can attach any title we want to him, we must never forget the personal connection that we each had when we heard our favourite Jackson song.

He may not have owned a kingdom, but when he created this connection throughout the world he was certainly a king.

-The English Student

Transformers: Film Review

A new Transformers film arrives and the critic's claws come out once again. Are they justified?

A quick glance at Rotten Tomatoes will give anyone a clear picture of how Micheal Bay's latest film has been received. It seems like many people are naturally inclined to slate a film with his name attached. The memory of the first Transformers attempt along with his other big budget films and the (quite hilarious) parody in South Park force people to think bad equals bad. Let's face it, this perspective is not without a basis. Micheal Bay seems to have a serious problem with some aspects of film making. Most noticeably, the scripts and actors used in Bay films have been frequently and correctly identified as either sub-par, or mind numbingly terrible.

Unfortunately, the new Transformer is only marginally better than this usual terrible standard. Many of the characters seem to have grown into their roles but this is no substitute for being bad actors. In addition to this, the script is weak and at times painful to endure. Even if this script was acted well, the lack of any real character development or coherent plot is an inescapable weakness. To make matters worse, the film is simply too long to make these flaws excusable.

But for all of these problems, I would still recommend this film. If you go to see a Transformer film hoping to see amazing acting and a complex plot then you have willingly wasted your money. If however, you are looking for an exciting and visually stunning film then you are in for a treat. There was a point while watching Transformers when I realised that this was the best looking film I had ever seen. The graphics are simply phenomenal and that is enough for me to recommend that people see this in its full glory on the big screen.

Transformers is big, dumb and silly. But the one thing it does right, it does better than any film ever made - so go see it.

-The English Student

When the Right is Wrong

Any political view should be balanced, but I just cannot bring myself to respect the extreme right that is emerging in Europe.

In many countries outside Europe 'socialism' is a bad word. I personally believe that this is an inappropriate reaction to a system that has never been fully implemented anywhere in the world. Fascism and the extreme right have occupied the parallel position in Europe. Since the horrors of World War II Europeans have felt nervous about any developing far right movement. Unlike the position of socialism, I believe that this attitude to the extreme right is truly justified. Fascism was implemented, and it was atrocious.

Despite this natural abhorrence for any hint at fascism, increasingly extreme groups have made gains in the recent European Parliament elections. While the results have not destabilised the ruling European People's Party (who themselves are right orientated), the loss of seats for the main opposition party, the Party of European Socialists marks a movement away from the left. By itself, this is not surprising or worrying. After all, it is entirely healthy in a democracy to have shifts between opposition and government, left and right. However, a closer look at some of the parties making gains in this election highlights a much more unsettling development.

Most notably, the rise of the British National Party and the Dutch Freedom Party should terrify all equality supporting citizens. The BNP are synonymous with acts of racism and demands for border closure. Their party guidelines explicitly exclude people not born in the United Kingdom, regardless of citizen status. The Dutch Freedom Party shows equally disturbing patterns with their racially charged policies and anti-Islam film production. To have members of these parties affecting European Policy is a pattern that I hope will not be sustained in coming years.

The extreme right is wrong and nothing should induce us to give a mandate to these fascists.

-The English Student

The Fate of the Publishing Industry

Is print on the way out?

While taking courses centred entirely around literature it has become natural to wonder if literature will continue to develop in the printed form. There has been an exponential growth in electronic texts in recent years. Websites like Project Gutenberg have created a vast database of old texts that are past copyright. This collection is free for all to access and of a good quality. New texts are also becoming increasingly electronic and are offered at a low price for readers. With this new, open and cheap system it really seems like print has become outdated.

But price and availability are not the only factors we should take into consideration. There are many advantages to the printed form. Many people prefer the tactile pleasure of holding a book while reading. In addition to this, books have always been passed around and traded in their physical form and this is cheapened if someone can just download the same text. Finally, the tradition of publication is in danger and its historical significance should not simply be brushed aside for modern convenience.

However, electronic media do have one distinct advantage over print. In the same way that the Internet has wrested much power away from music record companies, the electronic text movement will create more freedom within literature. Publishing houses can no longer demand exacting themes or issues or manipulate readers into buying what they publish. Through electronic texts and blogging, every person who types can become a writer and gain an audience. Of course, this means that in generations to come a 'canon' of literature may not exist and the overall quality of literature will be questioned. But we should not limit the amount of literature out there to prevent this, we should just become better readers.

The publishing industry has its place and we should embrace it and we must also embrace the freedom offered by the electronic alternative.

-The English Student