Unit 1.1: Harry Potter and The Half Blood Prince

Harry Potter And The Half Blood Prince Film Review

When I went to see this film at the cinema, I knew it would be worthwhile. So far, all the Harry Potter films have been brilliant, especially the earliest ones. Each film seems darker and more grown up than the last, with more disturbing moments, visual effects and wizard action. But is this a good thing? Lets find out…

Firstly, I would like to point out that the latest Harry Potter film features spectacular special effects and wand fights, but I can also regrettably say that they were in quite small supply. Although there isn’t exactly no action at all in the film, I expected, especially towards the end, a little bit more thrilling sorcery.

This aside, the acting was top notch as usual for a Harry Potter film, the plot was strong, but perhaps not as strong as some of the previous films, and the cinematography was stunning, with some scenes posing darker environments, and others shedding fabulous light on the screen.

A few matches of quidditch helped to boost up the film in my expectations, as these matches are always thrilling and exciting. Added love interest, but not as much as some people say there is, with Ron the centre of attention this time around. When Ron falls for another girl, Hermione becomes jealous and is at loggerheads with this girl every time she sees her.

WARNING: THIS NEXT SECTION CONTAINS SPOILERS

The death of Dumbledore came of no surprise to me, as I clearly remember the event from the Half Blood Prince book. This scene was well done, with Dumbledore falling from a great height to the ground below. Shortly afterwards, the dark wizards and witches suddenly disappear for some reason, and the wizards and witches at Hogwarts raise their wands as a salute for their fallen headmaster. The death mark sign in the sky (I must say, it did look rather effective) is vanquished and Hogwarts is left at peace, for now…

END SECTION

Overall the film is great, well acted, with a compelling plot and brilliant cinematography, but perhaps I expected something more…

8/10

Unit 1.1: Salford Museum and Art Gallery Review

Salford Museum And Art Gallery Review

I went to visit this museum on the same day I visited The Lowry, and must say that Salford Museum and Art Gallery was far superior. While the two may be roughly similar in size, Salford Museum had its very own remade Victorian Street, some large valuable paintings and even a musical Quiffs, Riffs and Tiffs section! The Lowry had about a hundred pictures, a twenty minute video, a brief dancing section and an also rather short upstairs exhibition. I’m sure you can at least guess now why I preferred Salford Museum.

Firstly, lets talk about the paintings section of the museum. Once you have entered the museum and walked up the stairs past some small but rather interesting modern artworks, you will notice a room to your left. This is the first of two medium sized rooms covering two very different but fascinating topics- paintings and music. Once inside the room, you will no doubt notice about 25 brilliant and rather large paintings, some pottery and rather fine furniture. Don’t just think that this section is for adults though, as there are plenty of activities for children too, including replicas of olden day’s hats to try on and some activity sheets to keep them busy.

Moving on into the second room, the Quiffs, Riffs and Tiffs musical section, you will find that your surroundings have changed dramatically. The paintings have been replaced with a fascinating collection of memorabilia spanning the decades.The pottery replaced with album art covers and photographs, and the fine furniture with a rather large juke box and a piano. The exhibit starts with the 1950’s and ends with the 2000’s with lots of colourful album art, gold discs, a teddy boy outfit and a juke box also adds to the musical feeling with songs from bands spanning from the 50’s all the way to modern day.

Finally, downstairs the Lark Hill Place or Victorian Street is an enchanting attraction, with original shop fronts and some authentic noises to add to the effect. Children will love this part, as it contains plenty of Victorian style costumes they can try on. There’s a horse drawn carriage at the far end, the Blue Lion pub and a chemists shop window. The street has apparently been used for filming television programmes.

Overall: A genuinely worthwhile and interesting place which tries it’s hardest to keep the adults and children happy. A great morning out for the whole family especially the Quiffs Riffs and Tiffs if like me you’re interested in music.

8.5/10

By Patrick Johnson 10S1

Unit 1.1: National Media Museum Review

National Media Museum Review

I must admit, this wasn’t the first time I had visited the National Media museum. About two years ago, I went on a school trip to the museum with the Turton media club. I could not remember much about the outing, only that it was an exciting and wholly worthwhile experience, which ventured into quite a few aspects of film, television and media. I also felt that the first time I went, I did not fully explore all the areas of the museum and only spent time on some of the higher upper floors instead of spending equal time on them all.

I must say that, for anyone, even people who may not be that interested in the media, this museum is a spectacular day out. It’s immense exhibits demonstrated on each floor are fascinating, my favourites being “the Kodak Gallery”, “Experience TV and TV Heaven” and the “Animation Gallery”.

Although a lot of the museum is hands-on experience, just as much is about looking and learning about things as well. For example, while most of the brilliant TV Heaven section encourages you to take part in various activities, eg. being the key reader in a news broadcast and super imposing yourself against a blue screen to create your image on different backgrounds, the equally compelling “Don McCullin: In England” gallery is more a visual experience which includes black and white photographs and an interesting video about both the photographs and Don McCullin himself.

Although I did not see the IMAX movie showing Harry Potter And The Half Blood Prince this time, I did see a rather stunning Egyptian documentary on screen the first time I came and remember it quite clearly as an awesome experience.

I did, however attend a guided “insight” tour, around the three million items the museum holds behind closed doors, including the world’s most important photographic collection and the largest collection of TV technology and cinematography in the country. I saw different sized cameras and other objects from past years in various rooms such as the “Large Object” and the “Small Object” rooms. Some very early sixties televisions, and a few of the earliest games and game consoles/computers

plus an excellent tour guide curator, all helped to make the tour even better.

Café food was good, with a quite wide selection and buffet type of routine. There was also a picnic section for people who had brought their own lunches.

Overall, a brilliant and entirely worthwhile experience suitable for anyone no matter how interested in the subject:

9/10

Patrick Johnson 9S1

Unit 1.1: Lowry Gallery Review

Lowry Gallery Review

When I entered the Lowry gallery, I expected there to be tons and tons of information, paintings and other interesting things to do concerning the artist. Instead, the gallery contained about a handful of what I had expected, and was quite a great deal smaller than what I imagined it to be…

Don’t get me wrong, the gallery was very interesting and informative about the artist. The dancing section didn’t do much for me either, but I can appreciate how it could seem interesting to certain people. There were seemingly fun and enjoyable activities to do with balance etc, and films, which showed you what dancers, needed to do to dance properly.

Speaking of films, there was a twenty-minute film on in a separate section to the gallery about Lowry himself. It was very interesting, with quotes from narrators and Lowry himself and studied various aspects of his work, eg that following his mother’s death, he became quite depressed and painted pictures to keep his mind off mourning for her.

I found some of his pictures quite disturbing, especially the “cripples” painting, which depicted characters with disabilities such as a man with a hook for a hand, and another man without legs wheeling around in some sort of bizarre trolley. I did like most of his paintings though, as the designs seemed simple, yet effective.

An upstairs section proved short, but relatively interesting with some different artistic ideas. Downstairs from that, there were wonderful viewing points of the canal with chairs to sit down on. I wasn’t very keen on the modern art in that section, though.

Overall enjoyable and interesting, but short (about an hour and a half to look round it all) and a bit disappointing in size.

Overall:

6.5/10

By Patrick Johnson 9S1

Unit 1.1: Imperial War Museum North Review

Imperial War Museum North Review

When some people think of history museums, or most museums for that matter, they instantly think, “ boring ”. A long, tiring and uninteresting, perhaps even pathetic way to spend a day, which could, regrettably be so much better. But this is not the case for the Imperial War Museum North.

Firstly, you might be interested to know that the museum is a very strange building indeed. Set out to represent broken shards of the earth shattered by war and conflict, it is a rather lets say, unusual design, but none the less visually impressive and eye catching. The entrance is also rather strange, as it is not obvious where it is. The three shards are Air, Earth and Water, representing war in the air, on land and at sea. The architect Daniel Libeskind was the designer.

As you reach the air shard and walk into the entrance you will notice a lift at the bottom, which will take you up to the viewing point. I should warn you that, if you’re scared of heights it is probably best if you do not look upwards while you are in this shard, as the very top of the building is visible surrounded by metal poles all the way down, and this may put you off the viewing experience slightly.

I must admit that, I myself am quite afraid of heights, but nether the less, entered the lift. I was rather shocked to notice that, the lift shook rather noticeably on ascent but to my relief, it did not have glass windows or a glass floor! When it reached the viewing point, I was surprised yet again that we weren’t as high up as I expected. I walked now, quite relaxed towards the viewing platform and looked out. Everything was fine until I looked down...

Anyway, that’s enough about that. The other two shards were the water shard (an eating area) and the earth shard. The actual museum part was split up into two parts, both fantastic and equally as interesting. The smaller one was filled with prisoner of war (or POW) information, artefacts and activities. The artefacts were fascinating including a wooden horse (remember The Great Escape?) and a reconstructed plane made out of prisoners’ sheets .

The larger section contained plenty of helpful facts and information, whilst keeping younger people entertained with hands on activities. Regular videos ingeniously projected onto almost all of the white painted walls were an extra treat and helped to simplify the information for those who don’t have time to or don’t want to read all the text. Various model exhibits such as a Harrier jump-jet and a Russian Tank are also featured in this section.

A guided tour was also brilliantly informative, explaining the meaning of the building’s structure. The gift shop was very well stocked and overall it was a very interesting and enjoyable trip, with added bonuses in the viewing point, guided tour, and projected films.

9/10.

Unit 1.1: Terminator Salvation Review

Terminator Salvation Film Review

When I went to see this film, at first I did not know what to expect. Although Arnold Schwarzenegger has been replaced by another actor, I knew that Christian Bale is usually reliable in his choice of films, so I decided to go along with it…

For starters, if you aren’t keen on special effects, almost non- stop violence and a quite basic plot, turn away now. This is most definitely not the film for you. Although I did enjoy the action bits, they became rather tiresome, and I felt as if I longed for something of a bit more complex plot towards the end of the film.

That said, the acting is quite good. As usual, Christian Bale plays a solemn, dead serious character, and the terminator quite similar. I wouldn’t say that, although the film is set in a dark, depressing environment, it is a particularly depressing film. The action is fast paced and in actual fact, keeps the film alive even if it is sometimes too often.

Overall, a sturdy film with good acting and loads of action, but a bit of a failure when it comes to a complex plot. Only really for a certain type of audience: male!

7.5/10

Unit 1.1: District 9 Review

District 9 Review

Before I ventured out to watch District 9, I had read a couple of reviews on the film stating that it was excellent. The Daily Mail Friday review, gave it five stars out of five, more than any other movie in the past month or two. After seeing it, I thought that five stars were slightly generous. The film incorporates originality, good acting, a decent plot,blood and gore, as well as many other aspects to attempt to satisfy its viewers…

The film starts off, to my surprise, as a documentary style news broadcast, concerning recent events which include a large alien mothership hovering over Johannesburg, and the place suddenly being inhabited by aliens. When I say aliens, what I actually mean is ten foot prawns from a distant galaxy!

New tents are set up in a camp not far away from the mothership for the aliens to inhabit, in an area now called district 9.

The problem is, that, the aliens do not wish to correspond with the authorities and instead, decide to roam freely around the more slum like parts of Johannesburg. The main character in the film goes with the news team and some armed forces, to try and reason with, or if not, kill the aliens.

The first third of the film therefore acts as a sort of documentary stating events as they have already happened. People who want to see action in this part of the film will be somewhat disappointed, although it is interesting, and does a great job in explaining the plot and filling you in on the main character.

Unfortunately for him, the main character is involved in an accident and his arm subsequently begins to transform more and more into a prawn’s arm as the film progresses. He is sick quite frequently, until his friends and family take him to seek help for his condition.

This “help” involves him being forced against his own will to fire alien weapons activated only by a prawn’s touch. After the medical staff decide that all they need from this now inhuman being is his heart, the main character decides that he has had enough. He breaks free from their clutches and becomes a fugitive, hunted down by the authorities and talked about everywhere, even on the radio and TV. News.

By this time the film is about half way through. Before the medical incident, there hasn’t been much action at all (which will no doubt disappoint action cravers visibly, but not everyone else), save a few small shootouts and scrambles.

Now, the action happens more frequently, with our hero having to take refuge in the slum houses inhabited by the aliens, where he forms a bond with one of them and the prawn promises to cure him.

Shortly after this, the last third of the film is the most explosive, action packed, visually impressive and emotional part, with some quite large shootouts. Finally an extended and fantastic final shootout will fully satisfy the action fans. Eventually the ending enables you to care about the characters fates, and discover the nature of the prawns is not bloodthirsty or violent, but instead harmless and kind. They do not wish to harm anyone, but only act in self-defence against the seemingly cruel and ruthless humans.

Strong acting talent, especially by the lead also boosts the film and remains faithful to the end, as does many other aspects including direction, cinematography etc.

As for violence, although there is only some violence in the film, the violence is quite strong and graphic, resulting in blood splatter from most of the deaths. The medical scenes and the transformation of the man’s arm are also quite intense and disturbing, but these exist primarily in the middle of the film. There is quite a lot of strong language, which becomes rather persistent, as well.

Overall, the first two thirds of the film were good, but the last third appears the most effective and truly makes the film that extra mile better. Very good acting, a decent plot, pleasant cinematography and a sense of originality also make District 9 enjoyable.

8.5/10

Unit 1.1: t:mac Art Show Review 2009

T:mac Art Show Review 2009

The t:mac Art Show 09 was indeed spellbinding. It offered a unique and immense collection of stunning, classic artwork, including fine art textiles, 3D studies, photography and graphic design, all spanning a wide variety of completely original wonderful ideas, produced by GCSE and A level students.

Photography was a key element infused in almost all the visual masterpieces on display, and could be seen besides some of the drawings as a valuable and fascinating insight into the making of these brilliant, almost exact copies.

Of course, not everybody would fully appreciate all the artwork on show, but I must insist that there was ultimately a section for everyone. No one could pass by the exhibits and not stop or pause momentarily, to gaze engagingly towards at least one piece of artwork, all the exhibits being on show daily from 9am-5pm. for public viewing, from 23-25 September.

I must say, that I personally was impressed with most of the artwork on show as it was all designed with a strong creative instinct, bursting with tons of thoughtful ideas. Some particularly arty and well-dictated comic strip ideas, fixated on communism in Russia, caught my attention straight away as they honestly looked exactly like something you would buy from a comic book store!

Exact copies of human faces from photographs amazed me instantly, for the detail was perfect, and instantly recognisable, this being a gift possessed by truly talented artists to be admired by future generations. Much better than all this new fangled modern art in my opinion, but thankfully not much of that was presented.

Sea life, featuring crabs and intricate looking shells were also shown, as well as copies of roller coasters and theme park rides. These only further helped to impress me as I wandered round the vast and intense collection of artwork.

I was amazed, astonished and awestruck by the quality of all the work on show. Congratulations to all the students involved and I can’t wait to see the t:mac Art Show 2010!

Paddy Johnson 10S1

Unit 1.1: Classical Concert Review

I haven't posted anything for a while, but that's because nothing particularly interesting has happened recently (except a concert I've been to, see below). I usually watch a film a week, but have been rather busy these last few weeks, and just watched TV instead.

The concert was very entertaining, with a rather small orchestra led by an energetic, enthusiastic Russian conductor. I went with my mum and uncle, and as you have already guessed, this wasn't a rock concert, but instead a thoroughly memorising and equally as brilliant classical concert. The highlight of the show was a brief, but nether the less impressive solo by famous trumpeter Alison Balsom. To my amazement, she wandered onto stage without any music whatsoever and proceeded to play the piece from memory!

I also play trumpet and am currently working at grade four, but have still got some work to do before I'm as good as her!

Patrick Johnson 11S1

Unit 1.1: List Of Local Features In Bolton

List Of Newspapers In Bolton:

Bolton News

Bolton Independent (online)

List Of Radio Stations In Bolton:

Bolton FM

Tower FM (107.4)

Local Provider Of TV Programmes Bolton:

Granada

Video/ Audio Producers In Bolton:

Video:

Apple Video Facilities

Micron Video Productions LTD

Spectrum Communications

Saxon Video Productions

Unizarre Film And TV Productions

Freshview Productions

FTL Imageworks

Braph LTD

Micron Video Productions LTD

Kalton Video Facilities

Valesaro Motion Pictures

Laser

Digital Video Communications

C21 Video

Dwf Video

Neon Creations

TV and Video Direct

GlassCanyon Productions

Pixelgrafix

Venture Tv

Absolute Media

Appletape Video Production

Bolton Tv

Bolton Video Centre

Deane Video Centre

Eye To Eye Video & TV

I M Television Services

J & B Televsion

Micron Video

Patel Video

Roadrummer Video

Video Clinic

Viewvision

Audio

GPSmusic

Photographers

Alison Naylor

Harrow Photography

A & M Photography

Gary Taylor

Mark Whittaker Photography

Eden Photography

Bishops Rock Property Ltd

The Heather B Studio

Quality Image

Ct Images

Westbridge Developments Ltd

Gordon Moon

Pleasant Homes

Provence

Booth Estates Ltd

C T B Photo

Engleford

Manor Kay & Foley

David Smith

Lydia Taylor Jones Photography

Newton Park Ltd

Whitefield Brownfield Ltd

Simon Francis

Olan Mills

Mark Bryne Photographer

Patrick Johnson 11S1

Unit 1.1: Northwest Museum Scene Homework

M.E.N Arena (Manchester Evening News Arena)

The M.E.N Arena opened in 1995, and is able to seat a maximum of 23,000 people. It cost £52 million to build, and is one of the largest, and busiest arenas in Europe.

It was originally constructed to feature in both the 1996, and 2000 Summer Olympics. However, when the Olympics was decidedly set in both Atlanta and Sydney, the arena was used as a sports and music venue, and still is to this date.

It attracts over one million visitors per year, and was named ‘International Venue Of The Year” in 2002 by Pollstar, and has been nominated for the award an unrivalled nine consecutive times.

M.O.S.I (Museum of Science and Industry)

The Museum Of Science And Industry was first opened in 1969 under the name of North Western Museum of Science and Industry and located temporarily on Grosvenor Street in Chorlton On Medlock. However, when The Greater Manchester Council purchashed the earliest part of the former Liverpool Road Station from British Rail in 1978, the museum was effectively moved to this site in 1983 and expanded over the whole station.

It is dedicated to the development of science, technology and industry and the city’s contributions to those areas. The museum also takes you through on a journey through the various sights, sounds and smells of Manchester’s heritage.

Octagon Theatre

Constructed with a budget of £95,000 raised by public donations, the Octagon Theatre was opened on 27^th November 1967 by HRH Princess Margaret, and welcomes over 150,000 people a year to watch the performances held there.

The theatre was extended to include a studio theatre in 1987, and renamed The Bill Naughton Studio Theatre, after Bolton’s most famous playwright in 1994. It’s other theatre, the main auditorium, features seats which surround the performance area in an octagonal shape, hence the theatre’s name.

The Theatre produces seven professional theatre productions each year, and also hosts touring shows, children’s plays and stand up comedy.

Lowry Gallery

The gallery structure was designed by famous architect Michael Wilford. Building began in April 1997, and was complete and open to the public by 28^th April 2000. It was officially opened on 12^th October 2000 by Queen Elizabeth the second.

The Gallery includes two main theatres, and gallery spaces exhibiting the works of L.S Lowry. The Lyric Theatre also features the largest stage in the UK outside London’s West End.

Imperial War Museum North

This museum was designed by architect Daniel Libeskind and opened in July 2002. The building’s design resembles the elements of earth, water and air represented in three different shards. These ideas symbolise the globe shattered by conflict. Altogether, the museum cost £28.5 million to build.

The museum regularly presents different exhibitions and displays, with talks, tours and performances. Furthermore, a “big picture show” is projected off several walls, floors and even visitors themselves to create an educational, but interesting and entertaining surrounding experience. The museum is also family orientated, with various activities to make it enjoyable for younger people as well.

Patrick Johnson 11S1