Movie:: Disturbia

Hey,

I just saw a movie that I totally fell in love with: Disturbia. Disturbia is, for those with proper movie knowledge, an updated version of Hitchcock's classic Rear Window, where the protagonist is home-bound in his wheelchair because of his lg injury, and gets to see what's happening in his neighbors homes. Disturbia puts its main protagonist under home arrest for an entire three months. Seems like a dream come true for many, but now for Kale. Kale bides his time playing games, surfing the net, watching tv and pigging out, but then is drawn to his new neighbor hottie who just moved in next door. Using his binoculars, he spies on her, and eventually begins to spies in on his neighbor, including several kids who secretly watch porn on their tv and a neighbor who seems morose.

A series of events leads Kale to believe that there is s serial killer living next door, but who will believe him till he has evidence. So he gets his best friend Roland, and eventually the new hottie girl on the block in his shenanigans. One things to lead to another, where all three are convinced that the next door neighbor is a serial killer. But then it turns out to be a case of misunderstanding.

Is Kale really imagining thing having been inside the house for weeks? Or is there really a serial killer next door? I won't spoil the answers, because I think the movie needs to be seen to truly appreciate the concept. This movie is a heavy dose of psychological-thriller-suspense movie with a lot of unintended humour.

Disturbia also poses a serious question about society. When does a simple observation becomes an act of voyeurism? Is people-watching voyeurism? Is it wrong to watch into the neighbor's house, even if there seems to be a murder going on? Disturbia poses all these questions, and in today's age when everyone seems to be hooked onto YouTube, maybe we all have a voyeuristic tendency in us after all.

Mansur

Movie:: The Reaping

Hello friends,

Saw two movies within the last one week. One I really enjoyed, the other I somewhat enjoyed. Let's look at the one I didn't enjoy as much as I wanted to: The Reaping.

The Reaping is a Christian-Horror movie, something that I haven't seen for a long time. The premise of the movie sounded promising, and the suspense and build-up was amazing. The Reaping stars Hilary Swank (of Boys Dont Cry and Million Dollar Baby Oscars fame) as an ex-missionary, who now works as a professor who debunks religious miracles and explains them in scientific terms. I saw a little bit of myself in her, as I also like to look into all other possible scientific explanations of anything that claims to be a religious miracale. However, our heroine is called down to a small town in Loisiana, in the heart of the Bible Belt region to investigate a series of what the townspeople deem Biblical plagues, which includes river turning red with blood, locusts infection, boils and other plagues.

Our heroine is accompanied by her co-worker who is a strong Christian and has suffered for his faith, and yet does so in this small town. While investigating the river of blood, our heroine encounters a small girl, who is shunned by the townspeople. Certain events lead for our heroine to reassess her decision to renouce her faith, and seeks answers for the bizarre happenings around her. How she comes to term with her own disastrous history regarding faith forms the crux of the story. It's a great movie, but the ending was a let down. It turns into a typical Hollywood movie.

The direction is ace, with a very realistic feeling to the whole series of events. The suspense was top notch, with certain scary scenes (which freaked a friend of mine!), but like I said, the ending was a total wash-out and should have maintained a sense of realism for this movie to be truly creepy.

I give it a 3.5 out of 5.

I also have to wonder why a two-time Oscar for best actress has to work in movies like this...why aren't people giving her good scripts work with?

Mansur

Movie:: Provoked

Hey guys,

Last night we saw Provoked, starring Aishwarya Rai and Naveen Andrews (Sayid from Lost) I was not willing to go see this movie because of its nature (domestice abuse-- and tend to avoid movies dealing with such issues) but in a peculiar way, I was glad I went to see this one.

Ash plays Kiranjeet Ahluwalia, a Punjabi girl who comes to England having married her husband. Two kids later, all seems hunky dory for Kiran till that fateful night when her husband is burnt in his bed. Kiran is arrested and charged with attempted manslaughter and sent to prison. In prison, like the movie's tagline says, Kiran found her freedom.

There are a lot of good things going on for this movie.

1. Aishwarya did a very commendable job getting into the character and her transformation from a timid woman to a brave woman with her new found freedom was credible. This is the type of movie Aishwarya can excel in and not Dhoom 2 type movies. Her acting was controlled, under-stated and effective. We feel for her through every step of her way.

2. The supporting cast also excel in their own little ways, expecialy Radha and Ronnie.

3. The simplicity of the film made it all the more effective, as it was not filled with Hollywood cliches with over-powering orchestral music in every scene to highlight whatever emotions there are. The treatment of this movie is very much like Dead Man Walking.

4. My favorite thing in the movie was the 'parallelism' that ran throughout to show Kiran's life in home and prison, for example, when she steps into the prison cell for the first time, we intercut to her flashback of stepping into her new home as a married woman. In another case, when she is being served a meal in prison, we see her kids eating lunch at home. I loved this direction!

I would give this movie a 4 out of 5 only because I think the character of the husband was demonized. We don't know why he acts the way he acts. He was not human enough to gain any sympathy from us, but then again, this movie is based on a true story on this woman and it's her side of the story.

Mansur

Movie:: The Namesake

Hello everyone,

The Namesake is based on a great, emotional novel of the same name by Jhumpa Lahiri. Like all over immigrants coming to the United States to fit in, The Namesake tackles upon the idea of changing our names to fit in. Much is made of this in the movie, like it is in the book.

Seen primarily through the eyes of Ashima, who marries Ashok, and moves to New York City and immediately feels like a complete stranger. They make it through and have two kids, Gogol and Sonia. The kids grow up to be completely American in their mind-set and attitudes towards life, much to the chagrin of the parents. Gogol, just having graduated from high school, has an white girlfriend Maxine. Through their several trips back to India, Gogol gets a sense of where his actual roots are, and thus begins an awakening in him as to where he is really from and the origin of his name, which actually is the highlight of the movie.

The story of Ashima and Ashok was the most entertaining thing in the movie, as we get to walk along with them settling in New York City, dealing with the conveniences of life ("do you know we get gas 24 hours a day"). In contrast to their story, the story of Gogol and Maxine seem rushed through, although that's also quite entertaining. When a dramatic event takes place forcing Gogol to re-evaulate his identity and name, the rest of the movie falters and feels like as if the director just decided to wrap up the movie on the spot, which is a let down.

The movie does a good job of translating the book on to the screen, some parts even better than the book, but ultimately the book is a better deal than the movie. All actors have done a commendable job, especiall Tabu and Irrfan Khan, and credit ust be given to Kal Penn who has shown his ability to do some serious acting.

The identity of who we are and how we are defined by our name forms the crux of the movie as Gogol struggles with his name which others around him tease him for. I personally had issues with my name when growing up, but today, I realize that my name is not an accident but that I was meant to have it. Like Ashima says in the movie, "there are no accidents in life" and with that idea, I am convinced I was given the name Mansur because it means "victorious" and having to overcome the struggles in life, I am definitely the victorious one!

3 out of 5 for not being as deeply emotional as the book is.

Mansur

Movie:: 300

Hey friends,

300 is one of those movies which you either love or hate, depending on which age bracket you are. If I were a teenager with raging hormones, 300 would definitely have been my kind of movie, but as a guy in his late 20s, I was left desiring for more substance than just what I was delievered on screen.

300 is about the battle of Thermopylae, set in Greece in 480BC, where the Spartan army of just 300, led by Emperor Leonidas, fight off the advancing Persian army led by Xerxes. Leonidas is bound by custom and tradition to not fight, but he still persists and leads his men of just 300 to fend of what some historians say 20,000 men from the Persian side. The first question that went through my head was how could a mere 300 men fight off 20,000 men? Well, this movies proves it possible, and once the battle starts, you are entirely convinced that it's entirely possible for this to happen.

Let's get over with the good things first. No doubt 300 is one of the most stlyish film to come across the cinema screen. Since it's based on a graphic comic novel by Frank Miller, the makers of the movie attempt to get the same comic book feel on the big screen, with much success. The print is grainy in texture, the action scenes are graphic, full of gore and violence. The fight scene in itself is more like a work of art than the fight scene you would see in, for example, The Lord of the Rings. With Matrix-like action sequences, with slo-mo and then sudden movements, the violence is glorified and passed off as a piece of moving art, which is quite cool.

However, having said that, there are other things that let down this movie. Leonidas is played by a Scottish actor, and everytime he spoke I was reminded of Braveheart, and had to remind myself over and over this is Greeks versus Persians, not Scots versus Persians. Secondly, the story moved all over the place, not giving enough time to me to like the characters. Like I said, it was more about the style and not the substance. Comparisons arise between this movie and other movies like Troy, The Lord of the Rings, Alexander and in particular Gladiator as the end of 300 takes place in a barley field a la Gladiator, which is not a good thing because 300 cannot stand on its own.

A very well made movie, with enough action to please those seeking testosterone filled action. A movie to definitely see in the cinema given it's epic canvas sheet. 300 is let down by it's director and it's structure.

3 out of 5.

By the way, all those six-packs you see, they have been air-brushed in the movie, so don't be fooled by that!

Mansur

Babel

Hey,

I just saw Babel on the DVD tonight. Thankfully I didn't get to see it in the cinema for it would have been heavily censored this missing out on key points in the movie. The title of the movie Babel refers to the incident mentioned in the Bible, where arrogant people were attempting to build a massive tower to reach up to God, and God suddenly caused everyone to speak in different languages, thereby confusing everyone; Babel being the byword for miscommunication.

We follow several different stories.

A Moroccan buys a rifle gun and teaches his two sons how to use it to kill the jackals to avoid their goats being killed. While practising their aim, one of the boys accidentally shoots the tour bus.

An American couple with soured relationship are forced to spend time in a local Moroccan village where the wife is bleeding seriously. With no one to speak English fluently, the husband finds it a chore to get an ambulance to help save his wife.

While, over in Japan, a deaf-mute girl tries to lose her viriginity from as she learns to deal with the loss of her mother.

In the States, a Mexican nanny is forced to babysit the two kids, as her employer is unable to give her time off. The nanny wants to make it to Mexico for her son's wedding, and decides to take the two white kids into Mexico.

As we follow the stories of these people, we realize that the movie is taking us to a point where it will all inter-connect somehow. While the movie may be slow for some, I think it's one amazing movie to watch, especially as we can relate to some situations where our lack of cultural understanding and lack of knowldge of a foreign country can put us into unenviable situations. The acting is top notch and everyone seems very natural in their element. However, its the cinematography and the music that's the most wonderful thing about this movie.

Bable was nominated for Best Movie at th Oscars, and won several awards around the world at various film festivals. Make sure to check it out and just be aware of the heavy mature content.

Mansur

New Movies....

Hey friends,

I saw several movies that are worth watching. Don't have time to write out full reviews but should you get the time, make sure you can check them out.

The Queen
Truly a captivating and engrossing movie into the life of the Queen as the death of Princess Diana makes world headlines. Why the Queen behaved the way she did forms the crux of the movie. Certainly an oscar winning performance by Helen Mirren as the Queen, this movie moves at an interesting pace and gives you a glimpse into what life is like inside the Bickingham Palace.

Little Miss Sunshine
The story of a dysfunctional family of four, with a coke-addicted grandfather and a gay suicidal gay uncle, go on a road trip to make sure Olive gets a chance to participate at beauty pageant for little girls. En route, each member of the family gets to confront their issues and deal with them. Particularly moving was the son who has taken a vow of silence and ultimately discovers his fate has other options for him. Moving, funny and a hearth-warming film.

Kingdom Hospital
For those Stephen King fan who enjoy mini-series like It, Storm of the Century and The Shining, Kingdom Hospital is yet another one of Stephen King's mini-series. Taking place in a hospital that is situated above a fault line, mysterious events take place leading certain people from society to get admitted into the hospital. Little do they realize that they are being brought into the hospital deliberately as part of a bigger plan to help Mary escape from the horrific past.

Godsend
An older movie about cloning and how one doctor approach a grieving couple to give them a chance to have their son cloned. While the dad doesn't agree, he gives in to his wife's desire to have another son who looks like their previous son. The experiment goes fine, till the son approaches the same age he was killed. Something is wrong with the clone, and the parents begin to suspect the doctor had ulterior motives in cloning their son. Good movie to think about the ethical, moral and spiritual aspects of cloning.

More movie reviews to come soon.

Mansur

Movie :: Say Anything (80s)

Hey friends,

Last night I saw a movie Say Anything, which is one the classics from the 80s. I couldn't believe I missed this movie, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. Say Anything is an extremely simple movie with a massive impact. It's about Lloyd Dobler, who is an easy going, laid back high school guy who just graduated. He falls in love with Diane Court, who is a rich, intelligent girl living with her dad, often in her world as she is often alone. Lloyd is surprised, as is everyone around him, when Diane agrees to hang out with him and be his girlfriend. Of course, her father isn't too happy as he sees big dreams for his daughter who has just won the Reed Fellowship in England. How they pursue their relationship overcoming obstacles forms the crux of the movie, with a couple of twist.

The great about this movie is its simplicity. There are only three principal characters, and as simple it is, it's also very complex as the two main leads fall in love for the first time. The best thing in the movie was the song In Your Eyes by Peter Gabriel.

Mansur

Movie :: Turistas

Hey guys,

We saw Turistas last week, and for those not in the know, Turistas is the Brazilian word for Tourists. Turistas is a movie best billed as a mixture of Wolf Creek/ The Descent/ Hostel.

A bunch of backpackers riding a bus suddenly find themselves stranded on the roadside as the bus encounters an accident. They soon discover a beach down by the roadside and make their way towards it. Like the scene from the movie The Beach, these backpackers think they have found paradise, and meet up with other foreigners too. They ensue in drinking, partying and dancing all night, with a couple of backpackers getting a little too friendly with the local Brazilian women.

However, the next morning, our backpackers find themselves all alone, with all their belongings, passports, cash, cell phones stolen. They make their way towards the local town, where they some of their stolen items being worn by the kids. A chase ensues when Kiko, a local Brazilian guy tells these backpackers that he will take them to his uncle's house for rest and help.

In the meantime, we get to see the locals get to work, with one doctor telling his comrades that he wants these backpackers alive. We all know the what the doctor wants. Their organs!

While the movie starts off well, building up the tension, it fails to hold any attention from the viewers as the movie descends into a typical Hollywood flick, where the good guys beat out the bad guys and have a happy ending after all! Unlike Hostel, Wolf Creek and The Descent, Turistas plays it safe. I think the other major dissapointment was how the movie's main scene, which is a major shock element, was censored and that totally ruined it for everyone. I wanted to like this movie, because I like such kind of movies, but Turistas failed to cut it for me.

A good build up, good cinematography, especially the underwater caves scene, which was effective enough to make you gasp for air yourself, but let down by a typical ending which fails to leave any impression on the viewers.

Mansur

Movies :: The Prestige, Guru and Salaam-e-Ishq

Some new movies I have seen worth checking out.

The Prestige

With Michael Caine, Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman, with Scarelett Johansson in a small role, The Prestige is a movie that grips you from the beginning and doesn't let go till its over. The attraction of magicians performing magic, and the delight in knowing how the magic is performed was surely the high point for me in this movie. Bale and Jackman are two friends who start out in life as budding magicians, under the guidance of Caine. A freak accident while performing a magic trick leaves one of our magician's wife to die at the hands of the other magician. Thus, the two magician friends turn rival and try to upstage one another by performing more daring and complex tricks for the audiences, to the point where it soon becomes deadly. Since I love period movies set in London, I absolutely loved the 19th century Victorian London depicted in this movie. The acting is first rate, the sets, costumes all delicious but its the magic tricks that are the real stars of the movie. The twists at the end went one twist too far, but they certainly were twists! 4.5 out of 5.

Guru

Any movie by Mani Ratnam is guaranteed to be a different one (check out Roja, Bombay, Dil Se) and Guru is certainly a very highly enjoyable movie to watch. Guru is supposedly loosely based on an Indian man whose story was literally from rags to riches. Guru played here by Abhishek Bachchan is a young man who sets off to Turkey to make al iving, till he comes to a point in his life where he longs to return home and start a business there. His attitude being: I shouldnt have to work for the white man; I should be self sufficient. So he comes back home, starts up his own clothing manufacturing business, marries and settles in, till the media starts to pull him down on his unprecendented success. How Guru deals with the media, the negative influences on his work and comes out unhurt forms the basis of the rest of movie, with several deeply emotional scenes. It's a delight to watch a movie where it's all about the story and not about the stars. Acting was superb, the songs were amazing, and the story was awesome, straying away from the typical Bollywood movies. 4 out of 5.

Salaam-e-Ishq

Six love stories, all connected with one issue: Love. Although at first this movie may seem like a rehash of Love Actually, the only connection that Salaam-e-Ishq and Love Actually has is the premise of several love stories connecting at one point. All other comparisons should be left aside, because surprisingly Salaam-e-Ishq had great story lines of its own.

Couple 1: A struggling actress flies to Indian bumping into a man she made up to gain press attention
Couple 2: A married man, working in a senior executive position, with two kids and a lifeless marriage being attracted to a younger woman who is a dancer (shades of Shall We Dance? and American Beauty)
Couple 3: A couple in relationship, where the guy is afraid of committing to a marriage, much to the chagrin of his girlfriend
Couple 4: A journalist whose reporter wife is caught in an accident and loses her memory.
Couple 5: An Indian taxi driver who dreams of meeting his white girlfriend coming at the airport.
Couple 6: A Punjabi couple, where the guy is desperate to spend some time with his wife alone, but due to circumstances cannot.

The last couple are not connected, but the other five couple all interact with one another at one time or other in the movie. Different couples, different situations, different dilemmas and problems, and different outcomes. I loved two songs from this movie, the title song and the sad one. It's a long movie, about 3hours 40mins, but once it was over, it felt like such a short movie because it was highly enjoyable and watchable. 4 out 5.

Mansur

Several Movies

Hey friends,

Couple of new movies I saw recently.

Happy Feet
Don't watch this one, unless you wanna a penguin move his feet happily throughout the movie. While its technically brilliant, with great animations, the story line was very weak with quick jump in the plot. I thought it would be a similair movie to Ice Age but I was very wrong. With a stellar voice cast, including Robin Williams, Nicole Kidman, Elijah Wood among other, I am disappointed in this movie, despite all the critical acclaims and praise.

Hard Candy
Saw this on DVD. One amazing movie. A man in his mid 30s has an internet chat with a 14yr old. The 14yr old girl thinks the man is a peadophile who stalked and killed her good friend. She accepts his invitation to his place under the pretense that he will take modelling pictures of her. While that happens, she drugs him and when he wakes up, he is tied and bound while the girl looks for evidence. A cat and mouse game ensues, with every second full of tension as to whether who is innocent, who is guilty and one long scene will have all gusy cross their legs in anxiety.

Casino Royale
James Bond latest one. I thought the new actor Daniel Craig was all right. Being blue eyed blond hair didn't make a drastic change from the previous bonds, and Craig's acting abilities were adept. The movie opens up in black and white and it became obvious they were trying to transition the old bond to the new one so the blond hair blue eyes don't come as a shock. While there are amazing action set pieces (namely the construction site chase, sinking of building in Venice) the rest of the movie faltered here and there. The torture scene was a shocking one, all the more so as I was sitting with my dad watching the naked Bond getting his balls whacked.

Mansur

Movie:: Apocolypto

Hey friends,

If you watch one movie this winter, make sure its Mel Gibson's Apocolypto. I took interest in this movie after Gibson announced his new movie after completing The Passion of the Christ. Apocolytpo is based on the Mayan/ Incan civilization. Like who would watch a movie based on a dead civilization. I tell you, when I was watching this movie, I didn't feel like I was watching a movie, but ratehr felt like as I was transported to the Mayan civilzation and that all that happens on screen happened in reality.

The entire movie is shot in the local Mayan dialect with English subtitles, which is actually very effective, just like it was in The Passion of the Christ. Because everyone were speakig the local dialect, it made the film all the more realistic.

The movie follows the life of one man, who is separated from his pregnant wife and son as a rival tribe take the men and women hostage to their own territory. Where there are taken we don't know, but once we find out what their fate is, it's horrifying, so much so, four people left the cinema as their stomachs could probably not digest what was unfolding on the screen. While the captives are being faced with their new destiny, fate intercedes and sets our hero free from his destiny. He manages to escape all the while his enemies are after him. The rest of the movie is a ticking time bomb as he has to make it in time to save his family all the while escaping his enemies, and in the process realizes what his ultimate destiny in life is.

It's an amazing movie. It's a very provocative movie. You are forced to express your feelings, whether you are in awe, in shock, in suspence, in tears, in laughter, whatever it is, you are provoked. The suspense is very high. The reality factor is high. Not once do you think you are watching actors, but are immersed in the Mayan civilization. Check out the passion and energy of Jaguar Paw. Check out the determination of the mother seeking to save her sons. Check the young son giving hope to his mother. If you shed away the language, the culture, the customs, you see a love story at heart, and indeed a very touching one.

And with this movie, I am a huge Mel Gibson fan now!

Mansur

(Warning to those with weak of heart: the violence in this movie is ultra-realistic and gruesome, just like it was in The Passion of the Christ.)

Movie Recommendations

Hey friends,

Since I was away, and had lots of free time, I watched a bunch of movies I had missed otherwise at the theatres. So here are my recommended lsit of movies to watchout for.

1. Paradise Now
The fictional story of two Palestians life long friends, who are asked to blow themselves up in Israel as suicide bombers. A circumstanial miscalculations forces them to re-think their decision, with consequences unforseen. Amazing movie, with a lot to discuss and think over about the sticky issue of suicide bombers.

2. American Dreams
A satirical look at the American Idol alike competition, where the owner a la Simon Cowell figure, wants to bring in a change to his stratospherically popular show. He hires a seemingly bitchy otherwise innocent white American girl, enlists an Iraqi jihadist whose secret desire is to be a performer among others. The American president is asked to be a guest judge on the show. A certain change of direction in the life of one of the contestant changes the course of the whole show.

3. A Walk to Remember
The story of a religious girl in high school, who doesnt compromise on her beliefs in order to fit in. This sweet story, seen by many as a chick flick, is actually a nice one, with an encouraging lesson on to stand up for what you believe in. Bit too overly sentimental towards the end, but otherwise a great movie.

4. The 40-Year Old Virgin
Probably the last one to see this movie now. Highly enjoyable and a light comedy. Not entirely re-watchable for me as the "sex" talk got too repetitive. The issue of a 40 year old man being a virgin was over-highlighted and after a while it felt boring.

And the one movie that I wanted to like a lot but ended up hating a lot is

5. My Super Ex-Girlfriend
Uma Thurman stars as G-Girl, a super heroine who finally finds the right man for herself, only to get dumped later. She unleashes her super powers to get back at her ex-boyfriend. Silly, pointless, boring and over hyped up at release. Avoid at all costs.

Mansur

Movie:: An American Haunting

Hey friends,

Late night last night, I saw An American Haunting, which is a horror movie based on true events, as mentioned at the end of the movie. Were it not for the"based on true events" tagline, I would not have seen this movie otherwise.

An American Haunting is set in Tennessee, USA in the 1800s, and revolves around the Bell family. John Bell gets into a dispute with a local lady Kate Bates over land ownership and slavery, after which Kate tells John that she will get even with him, especially with his young daughter Betsy. Soon after, John experiences weird hallucinations, and Betsy is soon haunted by some unseen evil spiritual force, who lifts her up by her hair and slaps her arounds, and removes bed covers from her. Betsy's sister also witnesses the same events, as does the rest of the family. Professor Richard, who is Betsy's school teacher, is the skeptical one in this, trying to come up with rational explanations, but even he succumbs to becoming a believer. Eventually, the truth comes out on what's really happening, which leads to a death in the family.

The movie makes much noise about this case of haunting of being the only recorded in history where a spirit causes a death of a person, something which has never been witnessed or recorded before or since this particular case.

My comments.

First, this movie should not be compared to a far more superior movie called The Exorcism of Emily Rose. That movie and this movie are not related at all. That movie is about 'possession' and this movie is about 'haunting.' Two different things.

Secondly, I did some research on this movie, and it's apparently based on a legend of the Bell Witch, which also gave rise to the very popular The Blair Witch Project. The Legend of Bell Witch upon which this movie is based is a legend, and some people have declared it just that: a myth. Skeptics have debunked the various reasons for the happenings in the Bell House.

Thirdly, the movie moved too fast for me, and did not give me enough time to indulge myself in what could have been creepy atmosphere thrills. Most of the thrills were the kind where everything goes quiet, and then a sudden jolt of loud music, which turns out to be something silly.

Fourthly, while a well made movie, I think they could have done better. It wasn't scary at all, and felt more like a run of the mill movie. They could have indulged in more realism to really drive it home that this movie is based on real events, like they did with The Exorcism of Emily Rose.

Finally, while I may have some negative comments, this movie is not a bad one.

3 out of 5; not too bad, but not too good either.

Mansur

Movie:: Lady in the Water

Hey guys,

Last night I just watched one of the most original, highly creative movies in the longest of time: Lady in the Water. I know now why many people didn't like this movie and turned away from it. This movie is written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan, the guy who brought us The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable, Signs and The Village. All these aforementioned movies were highly successful, each one with a unique story line and a twist that completely changed your perspective of the movie.

However, with Lady in the Water, there is no twist to take you by surprise, but there is a very original and a very creative story. Cleveland Heep is the superintendent of The Cove, an apartment complex in Philadelphia. A new tenant, Mr. Farber, or 13-B, as known to others moves in, and from that day onwards Cleveland hears someone swimming at night at the pool. He finally sees that someone, who turns out to be a Narf, and her name is Story, who is actually a character from a bed time story. One of the other tenants' mother, who is a Chinese, knows the bed time story that her mother told her, and through her we get to know the bed time story. Story, the Narf, explains to Cleveland who she is and where she came from, and what needs to be done so she can be rescued. How Cleveland gathers the right people to form the right group in order to save Story forms the crux of the movie, much to the viewer's delight as the plot unfolds.

This is an adult fairy tale story, and it's just that. People expect for some supernatural element to come into force, or for a powerful twist to occur to explain the bizareness of the characters, but there is none of that, and once you realize that, you get to see what a powerful fairy tale story this is. Pre credits, we get to see the basis of this fairy tale story through series of drawings, which was a stroke of genius in my opinion. The other highlight of the movie was the supporting characters, especially the Chinese girl who provided all the right laughs.

One thing that was brought out from this movie was the under lying theme of "our purpose in this world," and as one of the characters says it, "one of the greatest thing one can know is one's purpose in this world." I thought that was a beautiful, because everyone in this world wants to know their purpose, what role they play, and once they know their purpose in this world, their life takes on a whole new meaning. The movie can get a bit slow for those who are expecting this movie to be like the earlier ones. To them I would say, go with an open and clear mind, and take this movie as it comes. Don't sit there trying to figure out what happens next, or to explain the events in your head.

This is a bed time story Shyamalan told his two daughters (now made into a movie) and we should listen this adult fairy tale story as told by him, just like you would listen to bed time stories told to you by your parents or grandparents.

Mansur