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Warhorse

Stephen Spielberg’s family epic is an old-fashioned story about Joey the horse’s life set against the background of a world entrenched in war.

Based upon the best-selling novel, War Horse is a very episodic movie, with the plot chopped up into chapters that lead into each other effectively, with Joey as the central protagonist.

Serving up some terrifying scenes of war, there has been speculation the movie perhaps deserves more than its 12 rating but Spielberg never lingers too long on the horror and handles the large set pieces with his usual aplomb.

At over 2 hours long (War Horse clocks in at 147 minutes) it might not be the best movie for youngsters to watch but it does see its director at the top of his game and is a satisfying piece of modern cinema.

A great one to curl up on the sofa with on a wet weekend.

Ren Harvieu

Although she sounds like an exotic French export, Ren Harvieu in fact hails from Salford and becomes the latest big voice singer to release an album.

In what has become a competitive market with so many talented female artists now emerging onto the music scene, Ren Harvieu is certainly blessed with a powerful and versatile voice, putting her very much at the forefront of women in music to watch.

With an album full of big tunes able to take full advantage of her talent, this might not be the most original collection of material but it is well-written and the type of retro pop-soul that is both popular and engaging and makes our musical recommendation of the week.

Gabby Young & Other Animals – The Band Called Out For More

Gabby Young is not your conventional artist; you get a sense of that the moment you see the red-haired British singer and her band, made up of brass, banjo and accordion.

When she first burst onto the scene in 2010, critics were generally impressed by her debut release and the energetic live performances that accompanied it.

The Band Called Out For More is written by Gabby and her partner Stephen Ellis and is a colourful, avant-garde sound that is unlike anything currently out there is the popular music scene.

With nods to everything from music hall to burlesque and influences that can be clearly traced back to the likes of Imogen Heap and Joanna Newsom, this might not be a sound to suit every ear but if you’re looking for originality then you’d be hard pressed to find anything better.

Sorcery

Sorcery is a Playstation exclusive made to take advantage of Sony’s painfully underexposed Move controller.

You take the form of Finn, a young sorcerer apprentice who must use his newly acquired magic skills as he travels deep into the heart of the Faerie Kingdom. Along the way, Finn must master various types of magic – arcane, earth, ice, fire, wind and lightning – in order to stay alive and progress to the title of sorcerer.

Players use the Move controller as a wand to cast spells and attack advancing enemies as they progress through this heavily magic infused title.

What Sorcery does demonstrate is just how accurate and enjoyably interactive the whole Move experience can be, something that I maintain puts it streets ahead of the Kinect alternative served up by Xbox.

You get a real sense of involvement with this title and the responsiveness is fast and impressive. It is also appealing to both adults and children, even though my 13-year-old nephew was probably more likely to carry the campaign through to its conclusion than I was.

Sorcery comes highly recommended, especially for fans of Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings and is another example of just what a great piece of kit the Sony Move controller really is when it is imaginatively employed.

George R Vaughan

Women Talking has a copy of War Horse up for grabs on Blu Ray for one lucky subscriber.

To enter simply answer the following question:

Who was the author of the original book War Horse?

Send your answers to competitions@womentalking.co.uk ensuring you place the words War Horse in the subject header and also include your unique Women Talking username with the submission.

This competition is only open to subscribers and any entry without a valid username will not be accepted.

This competition has now closed.

Posted Sat, 04/28/2012 - 15:15 by George Vaughan