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Star Trek rocks!

I am an avid fan of Star Trek Next Gen, Voyager, DS9 and Enterprise I loved the original series, but was never as keen a fan as I was of newer stuff. So I was both unsure and excited about the new film and how it could be reborn by Lost creator J.J Abrams nearly a decade into the 21st century.

For those who haven’t boldly gone the cinema yet the movie is a prequel that begins before Spock and Captain Kirk first met but spins it in an innovative and gritty way. I don’t want to give it away but instead of telling a story where we can expect it's outcome they have completely reinvented Star Trek.

Setting the scene with young versions of Kirk and Spock the film shows Kirk as less cheesy and more gritty with a James Dean style and major attitude struggling to find his way in the world. The young Spock is similarly afflicted as he struggles to cope with his Vulcan/Human heritage. Bones is brilliant, Uhura is ‘as fit as’ and of course Simon Pegg as Scotty injects a massive dose of humour into the film, if a little late on.

Visually the film is stunning, the CGI is quite simply spot on setting a benchmark for not only further Star Trek movies but to other blockbuster movies. Set design is clean and precise, the cinematography style has a lot of lens flares and color shifts that again gives off a futuristic style yet doesn't polish it to the point of being tacky.

The action scenes are awesome and fast paced. I loved the Sky dive from space onto a drilling platform, then Sulu pulls out a Samurai sword that extended out like a light saber, ace! I also had to smile at the random guy in the red shirt who you just knew was going to buy it!

With J.J Abrams in the director's chair there is a young, new and dare I say it ‘sexy’ cast that are boldly going to go where no one has gone before.

While it's always a bit risky tinkering with a much loved piece of science fiction, J.J Abrams appears to have kept longstanding fans happy whilst introducing Trek virgins to the Star Trek universe by creating the first Star Trek for everyone. In my opinion he may just well have produced one of the best prequels of all time.

Steve Cooper

Recruitment Agencies need to adapt to survive recession

As a Linked In user I was reading the discussion about recruitment agencies needing to adapt to survive the recession.

Our stand on this at SCR is to continue to supply a first rate recruitment consultancy service, where we understand the needs and requirements of our clients. We are empathizing with our clients who are struggling through recession themselves. We are offering free help and advice to our clients with regard to redundancies including find work for any of their redundant staff. For those that are recruiting we are only presenting fully interviewed candidates (portfolios assessed where needed) who match the exact brief given. We have reduced our recruitment fee's and offer a further prompt payment reduction, please call for details.

In the current climate, we are only able to assist candidates with backgrounds and experience that exactly match the general requirements of our clients. We are unable to help candidates with limited experience or those looking for a career change. We meet our candidates face to face in a full registration interview, offering feedback to improve CV, portfolio's or interview techniques. We take a proactive approach to find new opportunities for those candidates we register.

In the Discussion there was talk about a CV service, where I assume candidates post CV's which are forwarded directly to companies without a sifting process for a reduced fee. I can see no benefit in this to anyone. As a candidate you'd have no control over your CV and to whom it was sent including all of your personal information and it could go to your current employer. As a client you'd be inundated with e-mails and calls from unsuitable candidates as people try to spread their job searches, this is based on the numbers we are dealing with on a daily basis. It would be a nightmare for all concerned. I'm interested to hear if anyone has any comments on this scenario

We are all highly experienced Recruitment Consultants in the Creative/Marketing sectors, who are hoping this high level of service along with our expertise will see us through the recession.

Ann Downs

ann@stevecooper-crs.co.uk