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| Saturday, November 07, 2009, Zi`qad 18, 1430 A.H | |
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A
smart, gritty sci-fi fable which needed to cut deeper and an
action-adventure film District
9 District 9 is a short,
smart science-fiction adventure tale which is occasionally disturbing and
which provokes a thought or two The similarities to any bigoted/racist society are kind of obvious and the parallels run even deeper for South Africa with its recent apartheid past. There was even a District 6 where the "coloureds" of Cape Town lived until they were forced from their homes and the language of the "prawns" includes clicking sounds just like that of the Bantu, one of South Africa's largest tribes. Trouble is that Blomkamp doesn't really go beyond the obvious. The feeling persists that despite the movie's visual stylings and the director's attention to detail Blomkamp doesn't do enough with the material, doesn't dig deep enough. The film also leaves many questions unanswered about the aliens. But perhaps we'll get more of that in the sequel (the film ends on a note just begging for a follow-up) and with the world-wide success of the movie we are now almost guaranteed a District 10. Cut to chase: Gritty, raw and clever - smart science-fiction but could have, should have been even smarter. Blue Lara Dutta should sue the producers of this bomb. After all, what's the point of looking this good (and, boy, does she look good, showing off her tanned and toned physique to maximum effect) if the film's going to be so bad. Plus, Katrina Kaif, who is only supposed to be doing a cameo anyway, has more lines than her. I don't necessarily dislike action-adventure films but even action flicks need wit, energy and flair along with the big explosions and car (in this case, motor-cycle) chases. Blue has none of these ingredients. By comparison, the first Dhoom got the mixture right (however, the less said about the sequel the better). The plot is ridiculous and much too straightforward (the so-called "twist" at the end can be seen coming from a mile off); the acting atrocious (I don't blame Ms. Dutta because she's not actually required to do any acting here - and, yes, as regular readers may recall I am not objective at all when it comes to the former Ms. Universe) with Akshay Kumar, Sanjay Dutt and Zayed Khan, our intrepid trio of heroes out in search of a sunken treasure off the Bahaman coast, all competing (or so it seems) to see who wins the worst actor award; the music (despite A.R. Rahman wielding the baton or Kylie Minogue in a charmless item number) isn't anything to write home about; and even the action scenes lack fizz. Some wonderful undersea photography is hardly any consolation. Cut to chase: This underwater adventure sinks almost without a trace. Email:
Kmumtaz1@hotmail.com; Web: khusromumtaz.wordpress.com |
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It may have brought
forward an identity crisis of its own when the festival came to a rather
unplanned end this April, but the At the press conference to launch the Festival, CAP's president Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy said that true to the spirit of resilient Karachiites, they have "come up with a festival that will be bigger and better than before." Joining Sharmeen on stage were Sheema Kirmani, Amean J, Omar Bilal Akhtar of Aunty Disco Project and a representative from Stillwaters Publishing. Sheema Kirmani put the festival into perspective – particularly for critics of social events going ahead in times of war – by drawing from the examples of Lebanon and Palestine "where art and performances went ahead despite civil war and fighting - it's important to keep your sanity." So what's on the bill? For one - all the events are free! There are a number of exhibits and talks that revisit Pakistan's history. And if political history isn't up your alley, there's plenty of stuff to take your mind off the current state of the country: a exhibit of film posters from the sixties as well as three film screenings (including the classic Waheed Murad film Armaan) and literary evening organized in collaboration with Stillwaters Publishing. The event brings together six authors including Fehmida Riaz, Mohammed Hanif and Musharraf Ali Farooqui who will be reading from works that have inspired them. And for Karachiites starved for live music: Laal will be performing after the literary evening, while Noori, Fuzon, Aunty Disco Project and Taal Karisma will close the festival with a concert. Chinoy announced that there are a number of surprise artists slated to perform and this will be a musical collaboration that will include the Oral History Project that CAP has been working on. It all sounds tremendously exciting, and in times like these when we begin to look inwards to wonder whether we can ever learn from the mistakes and successes of our past, the Shanaakht Festival comes at an all-too-apt time. – Saba Imtiaz Photo by Naqeeb ur Rehman |
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Fashion Focus Saba Imtiaz
Verdict: Very chic, very cool, very now. Rizwanullah Verdict: Fashion's new rock star has arrived.
Verdict: Breathtaking. Worth every bit of the standing ovation Ather and Sabeen received. |
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