There are two polar views on the new biggest film of all time, James Cameron’s Avatar. The most popular is that it’s a life changing movie, with beautiful visuals, incredible special effects and a moving and inspiring story. Some people leave the cinema feeling depressed that life isn’t as beautiful as the movie.
Another point of view is that it’s an impressive technological achievement, but… And I am in this camp. Sure, the CGI effects are surprisingly convincing and the modeling of the aliens is probably better than we’ve seen before. …

Now in it’s six consecutive year, the Caprichos del Apolo, a discreet but no less admired series of concerts has begun in Barcelona. As always, the line up is diverse and challenging enough to satisfy the curiosity of the most restless and demanding music fan. This year brings a range of artists from different generations, styles and backgrounds – a choice that is as risky as the music is excellent.
The cycle began on January 3 and runs until March 16 with New Yorkers Yeasayer, who promise an interesting mix of …

The East Midlands of the United Kingdom have gained a new art gallery, in the shape of the new Nottingham Contemporary. It’s opening exhibition features both David Hockney, ‘England’s favorite painter’, and Frances Stark from Los Angeles.

 
Last week saw Primavera Club take over the music scenes in Barcelona and Madrid. There were concerts everyday, too many to manage! We went to as many as we could, and saw a nice range of bands.

Halloween means “All Hallow’s Eve”, derived from Old English, meaning “eve of all saints.” It refers to the night of Oct. 31, eve of the Feast of All Saints. However. like many Christian festivals, it was actually based on an older pagan one. It was believed on this day that spirits passed from this world to the next – and people had to protect themselves from the bad ones!
The modern day festival gained popularity especially in the US, where traditions such as “trick or treating” began. It has spread all …