Life of Mansour's Reviews

Movie:: Disturbia

2007-04-29T03:03:00.000-07:00

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

2007-04-29T02:52:00.000-07:00

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

2007-04-15T02:24:00.000-07:00

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

2007-04-02T01:05:00.000-07:00

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

2007-04-02T00:51:00.000-07:00

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

2007-03-21T04:24:00.000-07:00

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....

2007-03-20T06:34:00.000-07:00

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)

2007-02-19T01:59:00.000-08:00

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

2007-02-19T01:43:00.000-08:00

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

2007-02-01T00:54:00.000-08:00

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

2006-12-22T12:25:00.000-08:00

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

2006-12-22T12:04:00.000-08:00

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

2006-11-12T11:00:00.000-08:00

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

2006-09-17T01:42:00.000-07:00

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

2006-09-17T01:36:00.000-07:00

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

Movie: Monster House

2006-09-17T01:34:00.000-07:00

Hey friends,

Last night I saw Monster House. A kiddie movie you might say, but I say it was equally enjoyable for the adults, and may be a little to scary for the kiddies, for Monster House is not your typical animated film. Brought from Amblin Entertainment, Steven Spielberd and Robert Zemeckis co-produced this movie, and I absolutely loved it for I cannot remember enjoying a cartoon this much since Toy Story came out.

DJ, a 10 year old boy living in a quiet surburban house, is right across from Mr. Nebbercracker's house, which is a ghastly shaped monstrous looking house. DJ's parents are away for the weekend, while Chowder, DJ's goofy friend, comes over to DJ's place. Mr. Nebbercracker hates children and warns them to stay away from his lawn, for the lawn will devour anything and the house will eat the kids up. DJ and Chowder maintain a strict watch over the house after the babysitter's boyfriend is eaten alive. Jenny, a stiff upper lipped girl has her goodies eaten by the house, but is saved by DJ and Chowder. The policemen don't believe the kids, till they are eaten up by the house too. So, it's up to DJ, Chowder and Jenny to finally venture into the house and find out what's really happening.

There is something so 80s about this movie. It's a mix of The Goonies and The Explorers. The trio also reminded me of the Harry, Ron and Hermione from Harry Potter series. What I loved about this movie was how current everything was: DJ and Chowder fight over whether they are too big for trick or treating, the babysitter's a rebel with her boyfriend being a bigger rebel, DJ's dad is unable to say I love you to his own son, and DJ himself is finding himself going through puberty. In comes Jenny, and both boys hae these pre-teen emotions to go through. The animation, while not photo-realistic was real enough for me to forget I was watching an animated cartoon. So much attention has been paid to the details that everything seemed like a reality, and the characters have been so well fleshed out, they out performed some of the real live child actors. The biggest plus of this movie is the story which is a decent, engrossing one, which is rare for animated cartoons.

However, Monster House is an exception, and even towards the end we get an emotional, touching backstory that explains the events. I still cannot get over the final 1/3 of the movie, when the kids finally enter the house. It was a roller coaster ride of one event after another, and I truly wanted to scream out in delight as were the other "adults" in the cinema for such a hair raising entertainment.

Clearly, this one will be in my DVD collection

Mansur

Movie:: Click

2006-08-27T03:44:00.000-07:00

Hey people,

Last week I saw this movie called Click, which has Adam Sandler, Kate Beckinsale, ChristopherWalken, David Hasselhoff and Sean Astin. The movie must be good, I thought with a cast like that. Well, yes, it was a good movie and I enjoyed it, despite it sharing a Bruce Almighty-ish theme.

Adam Sandler is an over-worked architect (!) who has no time for his wife and two kids. He hasn't complete the treehouse he started for the kids, and now he doesn't have time to go camping with them. Even at the family barbecue he is on the phone with his boss, who offers him a lucrative deal to get him promoted in the company. Stressed out and tired from his family, he heads to Bed Bath and Beyond, where he sees a small door with the signboard saying Beyond. In goes our man, to meet with Walken, who gives Sandler a universal remote.

With this remote, Sandler can control the people and situation around him by pausin, rewinding, forwarding, muting and pausing them. He mutes his barking dog, fast forwards his wife's constant nagging, rewinds to his past to remember something for the present, and slo mo the sexy stuff. Everything seems to be going well, till the moment where the remote feeds into its memory the most repeated action by Sandler, and auitomatically fast forwards his life.

Sandler finds himself growing older and older, to the point where he sees his little kids all grown up and his wife leaving him for another man. Sandler becomes old enough to suffer medical complications and before we know it he is at the end of his life. At the cost of forwarding through his life, he realizes that he has missed out on quality time with his family, and wishes he could go back and spend more time with theminstead of making it big in his career.

Being a Sandler movie, this movie is not without the typical Sandler gags of farting and kicking in the groin parts, but surprisingly enough, barring those scenes, Sandler is actually playing an endearing man with emotions. One of my favorite scenes is when he rewinds to the part in his life where he ignores his ailing dad and tells him to leave. It was an emotional scene to see him rewind that part, and tell his dad, who is in a paused moment, that he loves him.

One other scene which got me thinking was when Sandler realizes that he can view any part of his life, and that reminded me of the Book that God keeps on our life. On Judgment Day, everything that we have done in our lives will be exposed, and as the Quran says, every little good and bad thing you have done, it will come out in the open. When seeing Sandler go through his past life, I realized there were some parts of my life that I would like to keep hidden and not re-visit, but wil have to one day.

Don't read too much into the movie- just enjoy it for what it is: a comedy about spending more time with your family because "family comes first!"

Mansur

Movie :: Silent Hill

2006-08-10T05:57:00.000-07:00

Hey friends,

On Monday night, at 1210am, I went to see a movie called Silent Hill. I hadn't heard much about this movie, except that it's based on a video game a la Final Fantasy, Resident Evil and Doom. Rarely do movies based on video games do well (remember Mario Bros, what a disaster!). But, reading lukewarm reviews to this movie made me want to see it, and in short, I was genuinely surprised at how good this movie turned out to be.

Sharon, the young daughter of Rose, suffers from sleepwalking and when she is in that state, she keeps on saying Silent Hill over and over, and so Rose, determined to help her daughter get better, takes her to Silent Hill. Silent Hill, which is now a ghost town, used to be a coal-mining town which had a disaster. However, some people claim that there are still fires burning beneath that town. A cop tries to stop Rose from taking her daughter to Silent Hill, but Rose refuses and speeds up, and just before they enter the town, a small girl crosses her path, leading Rose to crash her car. When she gets up, she sees her daughter is missing, and thus begins her search for missing kid in a creepy, eerie town called Silent Hill.

If you keep in mind that this movie is based on a video game concept, I think it's one of the better movies than Doom and Resident Evil. There are times in Silent Hill, when Rose is in a school or hotel, that you can sense you are in a video game, leading Rose from room to room picking up clues and fighting off the evil monsters. Silent Hill works as a creepy horror movie too, because very little CGI is used, and mainly real people, which gives it a more scary effect (remember the faceless nurses?)

The story line may get muddled up, but the creepy atmosphere and scary monsters, and great visuals and set up make up for the story line, which tries to make take into account the different dimensions/ time/ space concept. It worked for me. It did not work for others. A friend of mine wants to kill me after I had told how much I enjoyed this movie at the theatres.

Maybe it was because I watched it at the end of a tiring day when I was begging for some entertainment and this movie more than just made up for it. Also, the actress Radha Mitchell, who was superb in Pitch Black, does a commendable job here. And THAT ending..no one could see it coming!

Mansur

NEW Movies- Pirates 2 and Fast & the Furious 3

2006-07-22T03:12:00.000-07:00

Hey friends,

Saw two movies, both sequels, one good, another could have been better.

Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Dead Man's Chest was indeed a fun movie to watch. It wasn't a sequel in the traditional sense, but felt like as if the movie was continuing on from the first part. Usually, when you watch a sequel, you have the same characters, but you put them in different surroundings and basically try to repeat what made the first part a success, but in case of Pirates 2, it felt different, which probably made the movie more enjoyable. We get to meet Captain Kack Sparrow, Will Turner and Elizabeth, alongside newer characters. The basic plot line revolves around the search of a missing key which can unlock a hidden chest, in which is the dead's man "heart." Through series of swash buckling adventures, we see our heroes fighting off new set of villains, meeting a witch doctor en route, come face to face with Kraken, a sea monster, and bumping one main character off, all before coming to an abrupt ending, clearly leaving us wanting to see the third part eagerly. If you liked the first part, then you are sure to enjoy the second one. Just make sure you watch this movie with a fresh mind for its as long as 2.5 hours. My favorite scenes were some of the action sequences, especially the one on the huge spinning wheel!

Fast and the Furious 3: Tokyo Drift, the third part in the trilogy was a differnt story. Bringing in a new actor, who looks suspiciouly overly familair to the hero in the first part, seems like an attempt from the makers of this movie to re-create what they had in the first installment. The action begins with an intense car chase gone wrong in an American high school, whereafter our hero is sent to Tokyo Japan to stay with his dad. In Tokyo, he gets involved in the underworld car racing, or rather, "drifting," which is a procedure whereby the car drifts on the road, as if gliding. There were truly some amazing car racing/ drifting scenes that leaves you in awe of what one can do with a car, but in between the car chases, there is a story line too, which isn't really all that important. Our hero falls in love with the girlfriend of DK, Drift King, which sets off a series of explosive events, leading to a grand finale of car drifting amidst the mountain roads. By the way, watch out the surprise/ twist at the end, where our hero is beckoned to race someone..who turns out to be, well, I won't spoil the surprise.

Mansur

Movie :: Looking For Comedy in the Muslim World

2006-07-01T01:27:00.000-07:00

Hey friends,

An interesting movie to watch out for: Looking For Comedy in the Muslim World. It's one of those independent movie, and can also be categorised as a black comedy.

This movie stars Albert Brooks as himself, playing an out of work actor, hired by the US State Department on a commission to go to India and Pakistan to find out what makes the Muslims laugh. In a post 9/11 world, the US government seeks to understand the Muslims better, and one way they feel they can do that is to understand what makes the Muslims laugh and ligh-hearted.

So Albert sets off to India with two men for security, and what follows is his attempt to ask the people of India what makes them laugh. He hires someone to type a 500-page report to submit to the State Department at the end of the one month stay. Without much success, and the Indian public shunning his questions, he proceeds to organize a public Comedy Show, pretty much like the comedy clubs in the US. Fliers are published and its a full house. Despite his full out efforts at different kinds of jokes and improvisation, the public fails to laugh.

Being humiliated by less than enthusiastic audience, Albert's two security men have arranged for him to go to Pakistan across the border where there are several aspiring comedians who want to see Albert the comedian. So he goes to Pakistan illegally where he performs the same jokes to a much more receptive audience of Pakistani men who laugh at the jokes riotiously.

Once he comes back to India, we see that the officials at Indian government and Pakistani officials at the Pakistani embassy in India are made aware of a certain American in India, asking people questions and making an illegale trip across he border. Albert is asked to quickly leave India for his own safety. Once back home, little does he realize that monumental task he performed is not trying to figure out what makes the Muslims laugh but to escalate the tension between India and Pakistan.

This movie is a complete fiction, and quite an interesting one. My favorite scene was when Albert is in Pakistan and he is sharing jokes with the Pakistani men, and they laugh like crazy, as was I, yet the Indian would not understand the same jokes. It just got me thinking, do different cultures, born out of one country, share different sense of humor. I think it would. My other favortie scene(s) is when Albert walks into his office whereby he passes a large room where telephone operators are handling calls. You hear statements like "Thank you for calling Saks Fift Avenue. How may I direct your call?", "Thank you for calling The Gap," "This is the White House. How can I address your call?"

It's a light-hearted comedy and whether you like or hate Albert Brooks will also define whether you like or hate this movie.

Some may see the portrayal of the Indians as India-bashing, but I think given its a comedy movie, some leniency must be given. Of course, it works for the portrayals of the Pakistanis too. Hollywood will never be able to get it right when it comes to portraying Asian characters, unless handled by an Asian director. I mean, in one scene, a top Pakistani official general could not even pronounce the name of a Pakistani city properly. Why don't they research properly? The sub-plot of the Indian girl and her boyfriend loses momentum. There are slow bits in between, which somewhat tests your patience. But on the whole, it was an enjoyable movie, one to be seen with an open mind.

Mansur

Movie :: Reeker

2006-06-26T01:20:00.000-07:00

Hello friends,

Sometimes independent horror movies are scarier and better made than
the mainstream horror movies. Reeker is one such case, and having seen
The Omen 666 recently, the makers of Omen should have sought a lesson
from the makers of Reeker.

Reeker is one of those low budget, independent horror film that many
will not have heard about. I didn't know anything about it till it was
screened here. The movie may start off like any other horror movie,
but this one is actually quite well made.

Three guys (Jack, Trip and Nelson) and two girls (Gretchen and Cookie)
are on their way through a lone desert highway. Jack is blind, which
Trip finds out later. Trip himself has stolen a massive dose of
Ecstasy pill, and is somewhat on the run from the guy he stole from.
The second Gretchen finds out Trip has illegal amount of Ecstasy
pills, she stops the car and asks him to get out. Cookie takes the
opportunity to go to the toilet. Suddenly, the ground shakes with such
a force, as if a nuclear explosion has taken place. Jack, the blind
guy, can immediately sense that an earthquake on a scale of 5.12 has
taken place. They all pile up and get to the nearest motel, which
seems abandoned, where their car stops working. Trip begins to realize
something funny is going on. Soon, the guy from whom Trip had stole
the drug is on their case. During the night, a stranger passes by
looking for his wife. But something else is going on. They begin to
smell something funny. Cookie goes out, and she smells something and
she knows she is dead. Trip and Nelson also smell the weird smell and
they face directly with the Reeker!

Gretchen finds clues in the abandoned motel. She and Jack have to face
the Reeker too, but they can get away safely if they "fight" the
Reeker. How Gretchen and her blind friend Jack make an attempt to
escape forms the rest of the story.

However, the cool thing is that there is a massive twist at the end, a
la The Sixth Sense. You don't see it coming, and once the twist is
revealed do you realize why things happened the way they did. It's
actually a pretty clever horror movie. True to its genre, there
definitely some scenes that stood out and made you scared. The brief
opening scene is scary enough, with the sliced-in-half dog walking on
its two front legs!

Enough said!

Mansur

Movie :: Poseidon

2006-06-20T11:32:00.000-07:00

Hey friends,

A better movie I enjoyed was Poseidon, based on another classic The Poseidon Adventure. I wish the makers of The Omen 666 could learn something from the makers of Poseidon in how to remake classic movies.

Wolfgang Peterson, director of Poseidon, has also directed The Perfect Storm, another movie about boat in peril situation. Poseidon is a movie all about the special effects, and surprisingly enough, characters too. This movie is meaner and wilder than Titanic.

An ex-naval officer, a gay retired architect, an ex-fireman, his daughter and secret lover, a mother and her kid are the people who we follow as the massive cruise liner is capsized and turned upside down by a massive rogue wave. Once the boat is upside down, our heros have to make their way to the bottom of the ship, which now at the top. They have to cross an elevator shaft with disastrous consequences. They have to get across the atrium with more disastrous consequences. They have to go through ventilation shaft, only to find the other end is blocked and water rising fast rendering them blocked. They have to get through lot more and every situation is filled with tension and suspense. Several key characters die, which only makes you wonder who will survive because once you see someone you don't expect to die, you are left with confusion as to who will survive. Only when the movie end do you realize you have been holding your breath the whole time.

Poseidon is an experience, and as a disaster movie, it does require a high level of disbelief (how can a kid hold his breath for more such a long time?) We are introduced to our characters briefly enough for you to not love nor hate them. Over their journey to the top of the boat, you slowly begin to develop affection for these people and soon you don't want anyone to die, not even the kid!

However, this movie is not about logic or character study, but the real star of this movie is the special effects. The rogue wave, the cruise ship capsizing, the water breaking in flooding the ballroom, the tower of fire, the propellers etc. The effects made this movie believable and a lot of fun.

Watch it for the effects and no-brainer action movie and leave the movie completely satisfied.

Mansur
PS I always used to imagine walking on ceilings in my house as a kid. This movie is captures that essence to walk on celings!

Movie :: The Omen 666

2006-06-20T11:13:00.000-07:00

Hello friends,

I got to see The Omen 666 today. When I first heard about this movie, I was horrifed. Why should they mess up the original Omen (1970s)? The original one is a classic. Why the need to update it. Well, after watching the movie, it became clear that the makers of this movie only reason to remake a classic was because of the date 6th June 2006. In one word: crappy remake!

Clearly the newer version has been updated for the 21st Century. With the sightings of the three comets, teh Vatican is alerted to the fact that the Anti-Christ has been born. 9/11, Tsunami, Abu Ghraib Scandal, wars, famine etc are all shown as a beginning to the end of world events. In Rome, a baby is born to an American diplomat, Robert. We soon learn the baby dies. Instead, the priest offers another baby and the diplomat's wife, Kate, is not told about the adopted baby. Soon, things take a good turn for the family. They are transferred to London, and after a freak accident of another senior diplomat, Robert's position at the Embassy is elevated.

Things look good in London when a priest approaches Robert to tell him of the shocking truth about the adopted baby, whose mother he claims is a jackal. Robert refuses to believe the priest. Then, at Damien's 5th birthday party, the nanny commits suicide. A new nanny approaches the family seemingly from out of nowhere, who we learn is there to protect Damien. Kate and Damien's relationship becomes awkward and they grow apart. A photographer at the birthday had taken pictures of the nanny and of the priest at the embassy discovers something startling. Their deaths had been foreshadowed in the pictures. The priest is also eventually killed a la Final Destination style. Robert begins to seriously consider the idea that his adopted son may actually be the Anti-Christ. The rest of the movies follows his and the photographer's journey to Rome and Israel, where they find out how to kill the boy and prevent the world from the destruction by the anti-Christ.

I can clearly do a side by side comparison study of the old and new version but that's pointless because clearly the older one is still a classic, more creepy and more realistic. The newer one is made for the 90s. Fans of the older one will not like the new one, and people who haven't seen the old one may enjoy the new one.

However, having said all that, I did notice several changes that were welcome in the new one. One was the two dream sequence Kate has of her son. They were creepy in their own right, but took away from the realism of the movie. Secondly, the color red was used prominently to foreshadow something evil. Case in points:
1. a red balloon is seen floating in the sky, soon after the nanny commits suicide
2. kate is wearing a bright red robe in a white bathroom, soon after she sees a freak in her bathroom mirror
3. the priest sees a guy/ girl in a red overcoat run, as well as a red post box in london, as well as a by-stander with a red umbrella, soon after he is killed.
4. the photographer and robert pass by a musem with red banners, soon after the photographer is killed

There are several other "red" clues. To the more serious movie buffs, they will notice this idea of red has picked up straight from The Sixt Sense, where the color red was prominently to signify evil and good.

The Omen 666, although ok for the 90s, is certainly not a classic. The actors on their own are ok, but compared to Gregory Peck and Lee Rimmick in the older version, these new actors are quite pale.

At the end of it all, it does become obvious the movie was made clearly for the 6/6/06 date and not for any other reason. You cannot help but leave the cinema feeling they could have done a lot more!

I give it 2 out 5, for being an inferior version of a classic movie.

Mansur

Movie :: The Hills Have Eyes (2006)

2006-05-13T08:21:00.000-07:00

Hello friends,

A great movie to check out this week: The Hills Have Eyes (THHE). Wes Craven (A Nightmare on Elm Street, Scream) directed the original version, which was extremely freaky and scary in its own right. The 1970s version seems outdated now, especially with the effects. However, the new version takes the scary parts from the 70s version, amplifies it, notches up the fear factor, and brings it to the year 2006!

The premise of THHE has been copied and re-copied by countless horror movies, and THHE is the benchmark for the classic case of “people stranded in the middle of nowhere being preyed upon by evil forces” (see Deliverance, Wrong Turn, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Wolf Creek, The Blair Witch Project). However, what makes THHE ultra-creepy is the blurring of fact and fiction.

The credits in the beginning inform us about the countless nuclear explosions that the United States government conducted in the barren New Mexico desert. The inhabitants of the small mining town refused to leave their town thereby exposing themselves to nuclear radiation. Because of this, their children were born deformed (and deformed they were complete with missing fingers, enlarged skulls, webbed feet!) Black and white photographs and newspaper clippings all bear witness to the events that occurred in the 70s. Think about Chernobyl and you get the idea.

Enter the Carter family: dad, mom, son, daughters, son in law and the baby. On a routine stop at a lonesome gas pump, they encounter a typical gas attendant, complete with rotten teeth and cigar smoking. He informs the family of a short cut through the desert to California. Of course, we all know the family will take the short cut. However, a trap punctures their car and trailer and they are left stranded. One of them sees a light flashing across the hill. The sons sees one of his dogs ripped apart. They know someone is out there; the hills have eyes- they are not alone!

Tensions flares between the family members. Brother and sister are fighting. Dad and son in law don’t get along. The other daughter is stuck between her family and her husband. The wife is disapproving of her husband. However, all it takes for them to set aside their differences are a bunch of deformed human beings who terrorize the helpless family.

Out in the middle of nowhere, where no scream can be heard, the family is terrorized. One is crucified and burnt, another is shot in the head, a third is shot in the stomach, and the baby is...well, I won’t spoil the surprise.

THHE is a solid horror movie, very realistically made, and very believable, so much so, you want to know if the government did indeed mess up the inhabitants of this small mining town rendering them deformed. Once the terrifying attack takes place on the family we know there is no turning back, and are immediately pulled into this world of terror, fear, shock and ultimate gore. We also instantly realize that in the hands of these attackers, it is better to die instantly than to endure prolonged suffering and torture.

Once again, I saw the late show, where I was one of the few in the massive theatre, and walking back home alone at midnight was no fun. Once again, I could get to sleep, thinking about whether it is better to die quickly and get over it with your life or to fight back for your life enduring pain and torture.

Mansur

Movie :: A History of Violence

2006-05-13T08:18:00.000-07:00

Hey people,

When I first heard about A History of Violence (HoV), I thought it would be a documentary movie about violence and how it originated. I hesitated to watch the movie on dvd, but then, one lazy night, I popped the dvd in, and now I want to highly recommend the movie.

Tom Stall (Viggo Mortenson- Lord of the Rings) lives in small town Indiana with his wife (Maria Bello- The Cooler) and two kids. He runs a small diner and lives a very simple life (pretty much the way I want to live!) Two mobsters enter the diner, and from what we see at the beginning of the movie, these mobsters just go around killing people whomever they feel like. The waitress is threatened, and before the mobsters could do anything, Tom Stall, in a very precise and timely manner attacks the mobsters and saves the lives of the waitress and the customers. Overnight, Tom Stall becomes the all American hero.

A few days later, one-eyed Carl Fogarty (Ed Harris) comes in to the diner and talks to Tom Stall. Fogarty assumes he is talking to Joey Cusack. He tells Joey to go to Philadelphia to meet the boss there (John Hurt). Tom Stall denies he is Joey. His wife thinks Fogarty has mistaken her husband for someone else. However, Forgarty is so sure he is talking to Joey and even asks Tom to remember hard his past. Tom has no clue what Fogarty is talking about and asks him to leave.

Tom realizes that he has attracted the attention of a large circle of mobsters, since he killed two. Do the others want revenge and kill Tom Stall? We don’t know. Fogarty tells Tom’s wife to ask him of how he was able to single handedly kill two trained mobsters despite being a small-town family man. His wife starts to doubt her husband. How did a simple man like my husband manage to kill two men? Tom’s son, who is always picked on at school, at first resorts to non-violence to avoid confrontation, but after seeing his father attack two men, is led to believe that violence may be the answer to his problems.

It may sound off putting to some people, but this movie is so well made, stylishly shot, smooth and slick. The action scenes are as realistic as possible, thereby enhancing the realness of the movie. It’s not a documentary, nor is it filled with violence. At the core of this movie is a story about a man and his family and how their lives are changed when an outside claims that this man is not who he claims to be.

There is a huge mystery element to this story. Is Tom really Joey, or is it a case of mistake identity? What does Tom Stall eventually do? Does Fogarty drive a wedge between Tom and his wife? Does his wife still love him even though he is being called Joey by someone else now? What is the truth and who is Tom Stall really?

Mansur

Song:: Eye of the Tiger

2006-05-07T08:27:00.000-07:00

Eye of the Tiger by Survivor

Risin' up, back on the street
Did my time, took my chances
Went the distance
Now I'm back on my feet
Just a man and his will to survive
So many times, it happens too fast
You trade your passion for glory
Don't lose your grip on the dreams of the past
You must fight just to keep them alive

It's the Eye of the Tiger
It's the thrill of the fight
Risin' up to the challenge of our rivals
And the last known survivor stalks his prey in the night
And he's watching us all with the Eye of the Tiger

Face to face, out in the heat
Hangin' tough, stayin' hungry
They stack the odds
Still we take to the street
For the kill with the skill to survive

It's the Eye of the Tiger
It's the thrill of the fight
Risin' up to the challenge of our rivals
And the last known survivor stalks his prey in the night
And he's watching us all with the Eye of the Tiger

Risin' up straight to the top
Had the guts, got the glory
Went the distance
Now I'm not gonna stop
Just a man and his will to survive

It's the Eye of the Tiger
It's the thrill of the fight
Risin' up to the challenge of our rivals
And the last known survivor stalks his prey in the night
And he's watching us all with the Eye of the Tiger

The Eye of the Tiger
The Eye of the Tiger
The Eye of the Tiger
The Eye of the Tiger

Music:: Losing My Religion

2006-05-04T06:27:00.000-07:00

Oh, life is bigger
It's bigger than you
And you are not me
The lengths that I will go to
The distance in your eyes
Oh no, I've said too much
I set it up.

That's me in the corner
That's me in the spotlight
Losing my religion
Trying to keep up with you
And I don't know if I can do it
Oh no, I've said too much
I haven't said enough
I thought that I heard you laughing
I thought that I heard you sing
I think I thought I saw you try.

Every whisper
Of every waking hour I'm
Choosing my confessions
Trying to keep an eye on you
Like a hurt, lost and blinded fool
Oh no, I've said too much
I set it up

Consider this
Consider this
The hint of a century
Consider this
The slip that brought me
To my knees failed
What if all these fantasies
Come flailing around
Now, I've said too much
I thought that I heard you laughing
I thought that I heard you sing
I think I thought I saw you try.

But that was just a dream
That was just a dream.

That's me in the corner
That's me in the spotlight
Losing my religion
Trying to keep up with you
And I don't know if I can do it
Oh no, I've said too much
I haven't said enough
I thought that I heard you laughing
I thought that I heard you sing
I think I thought I saw you try.

But that was just a dream
Try, cry, why try
That was just a dream
Just a dream
Just a dream
Dream

--- REM

Song :: Sleeping With An Angel

2006-04-06T06:32:00.000-07:00

hey friends,

another favorite songs of mine...not more so because of the latter part of the ylyrics but because of the message of finding that someone special in your life and realizing that you are not worthy of being up to their level. Sometimes we do so much in life we dont know where we went wrong and why and start to feel weird when something good happens.

.....

I've been around, been in the lost and found.
Then I found myself a new love.
Thought it was just one more night on the town.
Then I realized I realized

I'm sleeping with an angel.
She makes me feel so good.
Sleeping with an angel.
I didn't know I could.
But I've done too many wrongs, sung too many songs,
To be sleeping with an angel, sleeping with an angel.

I've been in love, and I've seen it all fall apart.
I hurt so bad, and I hurt somebody real bad.
I didn't think I could ever feel love again.

And in your eyes I see the light of a million candles burning bright,
And in your eyes I see the light of a million candles burning bright.
My mother and my father were divorced, my father remarried,
My mother died alone and so angry.
Sometimes I feel shell-shocked like I've been through a war.

Wicked Game

2006-04-06T06:29:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite songs...means a lot to me because a certain female friend made me feel this way....

World was on fire, no-one could save me but you
It's strange what desire will make foolish people do
I'd never dreamed that I'd need somebody like you
No, I'd never dreamed that I'd need somebody like you
No, I don't wanna fall in love
this world is always gonna break your heart
No, I don't wanna fall in love
this world is always gonna break your heart
..with you
What a wicked game to play
To make me feel this way
What a wicked thing to do
To let me dream of you
What a wicked thing to say
You never felt this way
What a wicked thing you do
To make me dream of you
No, I don't wanna fall in love
this world is always gonna break your heart
No, I don't wanna fall in love
this world is always gonna break your heart
..with you
World was on fire, no-one could save me but you
It's strange what desire will make foolish people do
No, I never dreamed that I'd love somebody like you
I'll never dream that I lose somebody like you, no
Now I wanna fall in love
This world is always gonna break your heart
Now I wanna fall in lust
This world is always gonna break your heart
..with you
Nobody loves no-one

.....

Mansur

Movie:: The Pink Panther

2006-03-17T21:45:00.000-08:00

Hey guys,

I love Pink Panther, so much so I bought the 4 DVD Pink Panther cartoons box set. I grew up watching Pink Panther, and I would hum the trademark Pink Panther to make my baby sister sleep. So, it was with much excitement that I got to see The Pink Panther (2006) last night at the movie theatre. In one sentence: Pink Panther fulfilled my somewhat low expectations, but somehow fell short of what could have been a genuinely funny movie, possibly overshadowing the original version.

See the problem lies in where you expectations are. You raise your expectations and you leave the movie disappointed. You go in with low expectations, and you leave the movie happy. The problem with this movie is that you really enjoy the movie, that you wished they had put in the extra effort and elevate the movie to the level it really should be on.

The movie is more about Steve Martin’s acting rather than the thin story line. Martin tackles the role of the bumbling “village idiot” Inspector Clouseau. He nails the French accent extremely well, you actually enjoy watching him be a Frenchman. His partner Ponton, played by French actor Jean Reno, is underused here. Kevin Kline is also wasted here as the head of investigations department in Paris. Beyonce Knowles is also underused and it seems like as if they roped her in to raise the profile of the movie. *Spoiler alert* Clive Owen makes a short appearance as Double Agent 006, which actually is one the highlights of the movie.

The plot revolves around the mysterious killing of Guyant, the French football team manager, and the disappearance of the massive Pink Panther diamond from his finger. Suspects abound everywhere, from his fiancée Xania (Beyonce), to Bizu, the football player, to Yuri, the “trainer who trains.” In comes Inspector Clouseau to handle the case and grabs the media attention. In the meantime, Kevin Kline, heads the actual investigation, believing the killer would be diverted by Inspector Clouseau’s investigation.

No prizes to anyone who knows what happens at the end. There are some funny set pieces, with a lot of slapstick physical comedy. Martin makes most of the French accent, which at times gets somewhat repetitious. You just wish the rest of the movie were as funny as Steve Martin is.

And, oh yes, the famous Pink Panther tune is played to much amusement in the credits. Who in this world doesn’t know that tune?

3 out 5 for me. I am going to stick watching the cartoons!

Mansur

Movie:: Wolf Creek

2006-02-20T14:44:00.000-08:00

Wolf Creek was nearly an unheard of film. It’s an Australian film to say the least, so why pay attention to it? I hadn’t heard of this movie till I heard how it has been declared a hit upon its release. On top of that, it’s supposed to be a true horror story.

The movie does start off with the “based on true events” tag and that sets the mood for this gritty, ultra-realistic film. Wolf Creek details out the journey two Brit girls, alongside with their Australian male friend. They take a road trip to visit Wolf Creek, a site where a meteor had crashed leaving a vast crater behind. Once they get ready to leave from there, their car doesn’t work. Their watches stop working. A friendly Australian outbacker spots them and gives them a lift. Spending a night at his junkyard, while the friendly Australian is fixing their car, our three friends think they have made it through. When they get up the next day, we find Liz all bound and tied up. Her friend is screaming from the other shed. Their Australian friend is completely missing. Thus begins their descent into hell as they realize the friendly Australian is not so friendly after all. He is hell-bent on torturing the three young travelers. He will not let them escape, and even if they do, he will hunt them down like an animal. “The thrill is in the hunt!” so says the tagline for Wolf Creek.

Wolf Creek is not for the faint hearted, because it is an ultra realistic horror movie. There are no cheap scares. There are no demons or monsters. In the same vein as The Blair Witch Project, Wolf Creek uses the same kind of camera techniques so we are tagging along with the main characters. The movie spends a good 25-30 minutes familiarizing us with the three main leads, showing them on the beaches and clubbing, and that proves to be very effective because when these three people are in trouble, we are with them and want them to safe. We actually sympathize with them, which is a rare thing in a horror movie. We cringe in disgust when they are hurt or beaten. We look away as one is slapped on the face. We feel upset when one is stabbed. Why do these innocent people have to go through this?

The acting is so natural; it almost felt like as if you were watching their home videos. The chemistry between the three leads is so natural you are convinced these three actors are best of friends in reality. The movie has made great use the locations too, depicting the vast, huge outback area of Australia. Powerful images of showing one lone car driving amid a huge desert strike hard. You realize how helpless and lost one could be in such a huge desert.

The Australian outbacker who saves the young people from Wolf Creek site is probably the scariest thing here. How could such a friendly, helpful person turn out to be such a violent and sadistic person? It’s all too real and scary and makes you think about hitchhiking again. The director did a good job of not portraying the villain like a Freddy Kruger or Jason, where the audience actually supports the killer and not those who are being killed. The outbacker in Wolf Creek is a mean thing, and you are genuinely terrified of him. You don’t have any sympathy or support for him, and you wish so hard that the three people all run away from him. You realize that there are sick people out there who are lunatics and will do anything to hurt innocent people.

The ending was not quite what I expected. There were two small twists. However, the most disturbing thing at the end of it all was what we witnessed in the movie was actually based on true events, and we are told, “30,000 are missing each year. 90% are found within a month. 10% are never found.” Wolf Creek is about the 10% that are never found, and that is a scary thought.

Wolf Creek sets a high example of how a real horror movie should be made. Psycho made people scared of taking showers. Jaws made people scared of swimming in the ocean. Wolf Creek will scare you into not hitchhiking again!

Mansur

PS One thing of importance here is that the movie is set in 1999. Before any one jumps into questioning the lack of cell phones or internet, keep in mind in 1999, cell phones were not that popular. Also, being in the outback, there would be no coverage of any cellular network.

Movie:: Pride and Prejudice (2005)

2006-02-20T14:43:00.000-08:00

Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice have been turned into several movies, including an Indianized version in Bride and Prejudice. However, the latest version of Pride and Prejudice is no boring re-tread of the novel. It is in fact the closest to the book from all the previous versions I have seen, and that makes a big difference. What ever you are doing right now, stop, go watch this movie NOW!

From the beginning, it becomes clear that this movie belongs to Keira Knightley, who plays Elizabeth Bennet, the most vociferous from the five Bennet Sisters. It is through the eyes of Elizabeth, or Lizzie, we see the other stories unfold, namely the fate of her sisters. Knightley shines like a true star here, illuminating the screen, projecting her radiance right back to the last row in the hall. Too strong is her presence that the locations in the movie are not restricted to the dank interiors of 1800s England, filled with stuffy decorations and heavy drapes illuminated with candles, but rather outside in the majestic English countryside. Even the scenes inside the house focus a lot on what’s outside, for every shot from inside the house has a window. It’s all about the outdoors, for that symbolizes Lizzie’s strong and outdoor-sy persona.

We begin the movie with the arrival of Mr. Darcy, played by Matthew MacFadyen, who chooses to give Mr. Darcy a very masculine persona, as opposed to earlier depictions of him as a softie. There is a real chemistry between Lizze and Mr. Darcy, so much so, you want them to be together. I had goose bumps towards the end, when I wanted so badly for Lizzie and Mr. Darcy to be together. So impactful were their performances, Knightley got an Oscar nomination for her acting.

Pride and Prejudice of course deals the issue of how we develop first impressions of other people, and judge them. We become pride in not accepting our faults, and prejudiced against others and not seeing them in any other light. Lizzie is too proud of herself, and Mr. Darcy is prejudiced against Lizzie’s background. How they both transform into different human beings through a series of rendezvous ultimately forms the crux of the movie. There are loads of topics that can be raised from this movie, and I can tell you now that this version of Pride and Prejudice will be watched in every literature classroom all over the world.

There was something else in this movie that made it so likeable and relate-able to the audience today. Whether it was the stars, or the music, or simply the behavior patterns of the characters, there was just something that made the 1800s and 2006 connect. While watching the movie, my mind was simultaneously comparing it to the previous versions, when half way through I realize how superior this new version is, I simply stopped comparing.

My favorite scene in the movie clearly is towards the end, when Lizzie is waiting in the moors, with the sun rising. She spots Mr. Darcy walking from a distance, amidst the morning dew, and finally comes up to Lizzie. They both know they love each other but are too proud to admit it. Their pride eventually falls to the ground as they embrace one another.

If only real life were like this!

Mansur

Review:: Walk The Line

2006-02-20T14:42:00.000-08:00

Hands up if you know who Johnny Cash is! I wouldn’t be surprised if not many hands went up. I for one have heard about Cash, but never really bothered to know who he is. All I knew was that he was a Country music singer in the States, and apparently, he was very popular.

Walk The Line helped me know who Cash was and how he emerged to be one of the forefront leaders of Country Music in the States. Joaquin Phoenix (pronounced Waah-keen) takes on the personality of Johnny Cash in the movie, and he does an amazing transformation, getting every nuance, body language and style of speaking amazingly well. Reese Witherspoon does an even more amazing transformation to play June Carter Cash, Johnny’s wife. Gone are her famous blond locks, and in comes the dyed black hair complete with a southern accent. So amazing have been the two leads, they have garnered nominations and even an a Golden Globe Award for Witherspoon for acting.

A large part on whether you like this movie or not depend on how much interest you have in knowing more about the country music legend, and country music itself. Most of the movie focuses on the friendship and eventual love between Johnny and June. Johnny’s earlier life is shown as he grew up in Depression hit era in the United States. His brother passes away as a kid, and Johnny suffers torments from his father. We immediately cut to the point where we see a grown Cash leave his house to make it big in music industry. He eventually marries Vivian and has children.

While trying his luck at the local recording studio, the manager tells Cash that the no one wants to hear happy songs, but rather want to hear songs that come from his heart, about heartbreaks, tough life, hardships and overcoming them. Cash sings one of his own song, and that becomes an instant classic. Soon, he has made it big, is touring the country with his band and gets to meet other rockers like Elvis Presley. June Carter is also a budding country music singer and hers and Johnny Cash’s paths are crossed at a show. There is affection and appreciation, but both are married to other people.

Cash eventually stumbles and falls as he is involved in drugs, leading him to perform poorly at some of his concerts. June dislikes Cash’s attitudes, avoids him and also struggles with her own marital status. The only time they have any privacy of their own is when they are on stage performing a duet.

Cash’s lifestyle meddling with drugs eventually leads him to a low point in his life, at which point June Carter chooses to help him out. How she nurses him back to life eventually forms the rest of the story. A lot of people may comment that most of the story is focused on the relationship between the two, and I think that is what the makers of the movie attempted to show. Amazingly enough, the script of this movie was approved by Cash and June themselves back in 2003, right after which they passed away. So with their approval, the makers of this movie created a biopic of Cash.

The acting from both the lead actors is very strong. I was most impressed with Phoenix, who I remember fondly from Signs as Gibson’s younger brother, and Witherspoon, who I remember from Legally Blonde. Both the actors have done a complete change of acting
It’s impressive. Oh, and what would a film about a country singer be without country music? The songs are really great, each one an important one, especially “Jackson” signifying their moving on with their lives. I am not sure, but I think “Jackson” was one of their more popular duets. It is also my favorite song in the movie.

Great acting, amazing music, a strong story line makes Walk the Line one of the highly acclaimed movie of the year. I certainly learned a lot more about Johnny Cash, and how he Walk(ed) the (fine) Line between destruction and redemption.

Mansur

Movie:: The Chronicles of Narnia

2006-02-08T05:21:00.000-08:00

The Chronicles of Narnia encompasses a series of seven books penned by C.S Lewis. I had read the first of these series The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe collectively with my class in grade 7. It was no doubt a book filled with awe-inspiring scenes and situations that led us far away into an imaginary world; a world that I thought could not be replicated onto celluloid. BBC came out with a mini-series on the same books, and while they were a commendable series, they just did not click right. Till the movie version came out recently.

Andrew Adamson, who directed Shrek 2, directs the Chronicles of Narnia and while some may have questioned his foray into live action movie from an animated movie, I had a delightful time watching the movie. Those who hold these books to be sacred may not be quite yet satisfied with the treatment the book got on the big screen, but generally speaking, I think everyone will have a wonderful time.

The setting is WW2, where the four Pevensies children are relocated to the English countryside from London to escape the Blitz. Living with the “professor” at a rather large mansion proves boring for Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy, the youngest. During a game of hide and seek, Lucy stumbles upon a cloak covered wardrobe in the spare room. In an attempt to hide in the cupboard, she realizes that there is no back wall, and instead walks right into the snow filled world of Narnia.

She meets Mr. Tumnus, the fawn (human-goat), who explains to Lucy that the White Witch has control over Narnia, who has cast a spell of snow and ice for the last 100 years. Mr. Tumnus explains further that the arrival of four children, two sons of Adam and two daughters of Eve, will help Aslan, the talking lion, and his army defeat the Witch and restore peace in Narnia. Lucy goes back, and convinces other about Narnia, and how they all come to Narnia, meet Aslan and defeat the White Witch forms the crux of the story.

As we all know, C.S Lewis was a great friend of J.R.R Tolkien, who had written The Lord of the Rings, and it was Tolkien who convinced Lewis to write The Chronicles of Narnia. Some may see this movie as a family-friendly version of the Lord of the Rings. Narnia has all the ingredients that a fantasy epic would: grand scale epic settings, fawns, centaurs, mentaurs, flying horses, unicorn and an icy villain in the White Witch.

Lewis was also a devout Christian, and for those people who want to find it, will find Christian subtext in the movie. Aslan is Christ, who is killed and resurrected. The children are referred to as Sons of Adam and Daughters of Eve. However, the Christian subtext is not hammered into you head. It is subtle enough for some of us to merely glance over, while glaringly obvious to those who want it to be there.

The acting is consistently performed by all the child actors. Their acting actually gets better as the movie moves along, evidence of the decision to shoot the movie sequentially. Peter, the eldest boy, and Susan, the second eldest were somewhat weaker. Edmund, the third child, is the rebellious one, and his character had shades of gray making his character more interesting. Finally, a lot depended on Lucy, because it is through her we enter Narnia. Lucy did a fine job, neither being irritating nor overly sentimental. Tilda Swinton, of The Beach fame, portrays the White Witch with much aplomb and glee. She is delightful, and scary, as the Witch, using her powers to lure in Edmund with Turkish delight, and to turn others into icy stone.

Finally, I have to say that CG effects had me fooled this time. Aslan, the lion, voiced by Liam Neeson had so much grace, dignity and power. Half way through the movie, I had forgotten I was watching a CG-ed lion. The makers had me convinced that Aslan is a real lion. Save for a few shoddy CG work, over all, the movie has done a very commendable job of successfully integrating the effects into the movie, so they become a part of the movie and not stand out on its own. (The effects were done by the team in New Zealand, who also worked for The Lord of the Rings)

I enjoyed the movie immensely, primarily because I had read the book and so had fond memories of it. I am not sure however, if I will be the first in line to watch the sequels. Some may compare Narnia to The Lord of the Rings, but I think Narnia is solid enough to hold its own standing.

Mansur

Movie:: Crash

2006-02-08T05:19:00.000-08:00

After watching the movie Crash, I was provoked to think about the issue of racism. The movie made a statement that we all are racist to some degree. Some people may claim to be non-racist and all, but I think there is a little bit in each one of us that doesn’t understand a foreign culture or nationality and so disprove of it.

Crash is set over a period of 24 hours, and we follow about a dozen storylines. A rich white couple has their car stolen by two black guys. An Iranian family has their store mobbed, and goes to shoot the Hispanic guy who changed the lock on the door. A Portuguese- Peruvian woman has a run in with a Chinese, and is also having an affair with a black detective. A black man steals the car of another black man. A racist white cop fondles a black woman up her dress in front of her husband. Another white cop is in the making of being a racist prick.

Different people of different backgrounds are pitted against one another, to the point of them crashing into another, thereby changing their outlook on life. The movie has a stellar star cast including Sandra Bullock, Don Cheadle, Brendan Fraser, Thandie Newton, Matt Dillon, Ryan Phillipe and many others. This movie has also been nominated at the Oscars, and was also a winner at the Golden Globe awards.

Like I said in the beginning, this movie raises so many issues about racism. I could certainly relate to it, and have been in positions where I look at others with suspicion. A walk down East London with my mom and aunt, we were targeted by some white guys, who managed to thrown rotten tomatoes on my aunt. On a trip to New York, our car got stalled in Bronx, and we were scared thinking that the black guys will rob us. Sitting in a taxi here in Dubai, I am asked almost always if I am an Indian, and I get offended. There have been so many more moments, and this movie has made me reassess my thinking, and how I view others.

If anything, I am thankful for my recent trip for the Hajj, because that was one time when racism and differences were dropped and we celebrated the similarities and likeness with one another. If only the rest of the world were like that too.

Mansur

Movie:: Rang De Basanti

2006-02-03T07:06:00.000-08:00

Rang De Basanti (Colors of Spring)

For the first time in my life, I saw an Indian movie where I left the theatre talking about the theme more than the actors. It is not the case like that with Indian movies, where people usually leave talking about how great the actor was, how cool the cinematography was, or how amazing the music was. But with Rang De Basanti, I left more asking myself the questions the movie brought out.

The Plot

Rang De Basanti (RB) is seen through the eyes of Sue, a British documentary filmmaker who desires to make a documentary based on her grandfather’s diary, which he wrote when he served in India with the British regiment. Sue is touched by her grandfather’s words, as he describes how the freedom fighters, of which Bhagat Singh is one, refused to bow down to pressure to give themselves up. He saw in them a strong passion, a heartfelt conviction to stand for they believed in: freedom.

Sue’s bosses deny her the budget to carry out the film, and so she leave for India, where her Indian friend Sonia, helps her recruit five young guys to act in her movie. Though there is disappointment initially, Sue realizes she needed not have looked further than the circle of friends Sonia is in. Each of these guys, from Dil Jeet (DJ), Aslam, Sukhia, including Sonia, are all the partying kind of guys, hanging out at abandoned areas, singing, dancing and smoking the night away. These people are skeptical about acting in a movie about freedom fighters. They don’t know who they were, nor care to find out about them. But they still agree to act just to help Sue complete her documentary.

A certain tragedy in all their lives leads them to re-evaluate their beliefs and values, and forces them to see and appreciate the freedom fighters, because of whom they have independence and freedom today. Their lives are changed, and as we witness them go through the changes, we see them re-awakening to who they really are, and what their identity is really is.

My Views:
1. The acting from every single actor in this movie has been amazing. With an ensemble of four guys and two girls, each one of them held their own standing against one another. Usually, the star actor hogs all the limelight (think Shahrukh Khan) but here Aamir Khan becomes a part of the group, which is refreshing, because you are not focused on the star actor, but on the characters they are portraying. Sue, a British actress, speaks Hindi with such fluency, I am sure she will win over the viewers. Soha Ali Khan, of whom I had heard bad reviews, shone like a star here; in particular a crying of scene of hers was probably the most natural acting scene in the movie. The other guys held on their own, with each of them making their character distinct from each other. Aamir Khan once again proves his versatility, be it in Lagaan, Dil Chahta Hai, Mangal Pandey or RB, he is the best actor out there. (Well, I may be biased since he is my favorite actor anyways and I admire his guts to do versatile roles!) There are no one dimensional characters here. Each one of the actors here have a background, and their issues, and we get to see where they are coming from. Like DJ (Khan), we think he is a party-boy, who is hanging around in university still after graduating, but when he opens up to Sue, we realize where he is coming from: he is simply to afraid to go out into the real world. We understand their motives and reasons for behaving the way they do.

2. The music, by the incredible A.R Rahman, who is now working on the musical version for Lord of the Rings, has created music for this movie that accompanies it perfectly. It doesn’t hinder the narrative (like it did in Mangal Pandey), but rather carries the movie forward. I was on a bathroom break during one of the songs, as my friend told me there would be no break in the movie, and as soon as I came back in a hurry to not miss the movie, there was an immediate break! I don’t know what to say.

3. I am just impressed with all the technical stuff Bollywood comes out with. I for once completely forgot I was watching an Indian film, and was convinced this was a Hollywood film, which just happened to have Indian actors. I also love the smooth and slick transition from the old to the new, past to the present.

4. There are several interwoven themes in this movie, all of which have been handled with maturity. Credit goes to the director for what could have been a satirical, or non-believable movie, for making it a realistic movie. Issues and themes revolve around racial tension, corruption, decadent youth, freedom among others. I was left with lots of questions as I left the theatre - How do I change a system that is corrupt already? - What can I do on a personal level to bring about a change? - Do I sit around and do nothing because I know I cannot change the system? - What or who would I sacrifice my life for? - What does it mean to be free? - What does freedom mean to me?

RB is the first hit of the year 2006, and has made 1.08 millions dirhams in the first five says in UAE alone. It’s a fun-filled film with a deeper message at heart. See it as soon as you can, and be prepared to be blown away and left with a deeper appreciation of what it means to be who you are as a person.

Mansur

Movie:: The Exorcism of Emily Rose

2006-02-02T08:46:00.000-08:00

Hey friends,

[Keep in mind, this movie is based on true events.]

One of the biggest hits of the year 2005 was a small, unknown movie called The Exorcism of Emily Rose. Scary movies excite me, and so I waited with bated breath for this movie to release. The Exorcist (1977) is one of my all time favorite horror movies, and I stayed away from drawing comparison between these two movies.

The Exorcism of Emily Rose stars Laura Linney as Erin Bruner and Tom Wilkinson as Father Moore, and Jennifer Carpenter as Emily herself. Father Moore is accused of negligence of Emily’s health resulting in her death while performing the exorcism. Erin is called in to be Father Moore’s lawyer to defend him from the “people” who are prosecuting him. Thus begins the case trial, through which we get to hear about Emily Rose’ story, her possession and the eventual exorcism leading to her death.

The major attraction of this movie is that it is based on a true story; hence the reality of it strikes a chord in your heart. The prosecution teams argues that Emily Rose was not possessed but in fact afflicted with epileptic-psychotic disorder which made her see hallucinations, use dual voice from her vocal chords, manipulate her body, dilate her pupils so they turn black and so on. They argue that there is no such thing as demonic possession, and that Rose’s condition can all be explained through scientific reasoning and facts. However, Erin on the other hand, defends Father Moore by bringing in the supernatural arguments, making a case for possession as believed in by millions, perhaps billions of people. She even brings in an anthropologist as a witness, who explains that there are some people who are born “hyper-sensitive,” which allows them to experience connections with the supernatural. (At this point of the movie, I could only think about my cousin who told me how he would see jinns from his bedroom window.)

Erin herself is an agnostic whose views are changed as she comes to deal with the supernatural powers that are working against her. This movie is more about the trial, while we see Emily Rose’s story in flashback.

All the actors have given restrained and credible performances, and newcomer Carpenter as Rose is particularly terrifying as she conveys her descent into being possessed. I immensely enjoyed watching this movie, because it attempted to show demonic possession and exorcism from both the supernatural point of view and the scientific world’ point of view. Can we justify a person who one may claim to be demonically possessed in scientific terms? Just like in The Exorcist, the doctors try to understand the child’s condition, and through repeated tests fail to cure her of her disease and ultimately resort to exorcism.

I do believe in jinns, because the Quran talks about it, but what do I make of those people who claim to be possessed by jinns? Can their personality change be justified in scientific terms, or are they really possessed by jinns? I don’t know the answer, but this movie is a great starting point to address this issue. One other small thing. In the movie, as Erin Bruner starts the trial, she experiences sleepless nights, specifically at 3am. 3am, as Father Moore explains, is the demons’ witching hour, which is an inversion of 3pm, which is the time when Jesus Christ was supposedly killed on the cross. I just got thinking: do the jinns, or demons, try to attack us if we meddle with their world?

A friend I know attempted to start writing a book about jinns, and has put that on hold temporarily as she claims she feels some strange force working against her, almost as if it were trying to stop her. As Erin Bruner says in the movie, “the trial is not about facts. Its about possibilities.” When something is a fact, there is no room for doubt. And in our world, isn’t it just possible that jinns possess us?

Mansur

Book:: The DaVinci Code

2006-02-02T08:43:00.000-08:00

Hi all,

Over lunch at Chilis, the discussion veered towards The Da Vinci Code penned by Dan Brown. I had heard so much about it, but never really bothered to actually read it since I was not familiar with the works of Dan Brown. However, when the more controversial stuff in the book was being discussed, I was quite intrigued, and went ahead and purchased the book.

In one word: pulsating-mystery-thriller that makes you sit on the edge of your seat. I

t is so intriguing that as I was nearing towards the end before I left for my recent trip to Pakistan, and I forgot my book back in Dubai, I was actually getting frustrated. I was so anxious to come back and finish reading it!

So what’s the big deal about The Da Vinci Code?

Well, it’s a mystery thriller that starts of with the death of a curator at the Louvre Museum in Paris. The death of the curator is no ordinary one, but a murder. However the curator leaves a mysterious message/ code on his body: some symbols and a series of number. Sophie Neveau, a cryptologist, and also the granddaughter of the curator, arrives on the scene to assess the situation. Robert Langdon, an American detective, who happens to be in town, also arrives on the scene.

Thus begins the first steps of an adventure that leads them all over Europe to different locations, encountering various people, good and bad. The French police suspect Robert to be the murderer, and so Robert and Sophie are on the run.

I will not spoil any plot details for you, because the joy will be taken out from reading the novel. However, the interesting part is how our two detectives discover further clues using the previous clues, and stumble upon hidden messages in the painting and works of Leonardo Da Vinci, especially in the world famous painting Mona Lisa and The Last Supper. They come to discover of a secret society, the Priory of Sion, of which Da Vinci and other prominent philosophers and scientists are a part. The more controversial stuff that had led the world to talk about this book deals with the issue that Jesus and Mary Magdalene, the prostitute who Jesus forgave of her sins, are married, and this idea is supported by The Last Supper painting where supposedly one of the thirteen men is a woman, who could be Mary Magdalene, sitting on the right side of Jesus. The two detectives also manage to find clues leading them to the Holy Grail, which is historically known as the cup that held the blood of Jesus Christ. Look at the above picture. Is that person on the right side of Jesus a man or a woman? At the start of the book, the author makes a note about the factual evidence of the existent of a secret society known as the Priory of Sion.

The tricky thing is that the author, in my opinion, mixes facts with fiction, and it becomes quite difficult to separate the two. Following the release of this book, there came ten or so more books refuting the claims that Jesus and Mary were married. Don’t take the book too seriously, read it with an open mind, and be prepared for one huge mystery treasure hunt, filled with clues and new discoveries. The chapters are ridiculously short, and that should make the reading a lot easier.

The only mistake I did was to read it over a long period, and I should have read it in one go. The cool thing is that I recently saw the trailer for the movie, and it looks dark and creepy, yet very exciting. I will be the first in line for this movie as it releases in May 2006!

Verdict: 5 out of 5 for sheer brilliance in plotting, mystery factor and the high level of adrenaline and excitement as we follow the two detectives on an amazing journey.

Mansur

Movie:: King Kong (2005)

2006-02-02T08:39:00.000-08:00

Hello friends,

What do the words “King Kong” bring to mind? The 1933 black and white version where we see the mechanical King Kong atop the Empire State Building, clutching on to Ann Darrow, while fighting of the biplanes? Or does it remind you of the Universal Studios ride, where you experience King Kong shaking your tram as you get stuck in front of him? Whatever if reminds you of, I can promise you that the recent new release King Kong will give you a whole new perspective on who King Kong is!

Peter Jackson, the brilliant mind behind The Lord of the Rings trilogy, directs King Kong and I knew King Kong would also be a work of genius.

So, how was the movie?

I would say King Kong is one movie where the remake of the original is 100 times better. Many directors attempt to make remakes of old movies and fail miserably (remember Psycho and The Avengers?) King Kong actually takes the old movie, and infuses and embellishes it with more character, and given the special effects available today, enhances the characters and effects. Peter Jackson is a big fan of the movie, and so he made the new version out of his pure love and dedication for the movie, as opposed to those directors who have no genuine affection for subject matter.

Carl Denham (Jack Black, “Shallow Hal”) is a maverick filmmaker who is refused permission to make another movie after he fails to impresses his studio bosses. He seeks out a new actress for his new movie, which he plans to make without informing the bosses. Ann Darrow (Naomi Watts, “The Ring”), an actress, comes to her theatre one morning and realizes that the play has shut down rendering her unemployed. Out on the streets of New York, which by the way has been faithfully recreated into the 1920’s New York, Denham and Darrow have a chance encounter, and he convinces her to act in his new movie. The script-writer of the new movie, Jack Driscoll (Oscar winner Adrien Brody, “The Pianist”), is not convinced by the financing of the movie, and attempts to leave, but Denham maneuvers the situation that the three of them, alongside with the film crew and ship crew leave the dock. Denham proposes to shoot the new movie on an island, and mysteriously enough as they get lost, they come to what they call Skull Island, which is inhabited by human-sacrificing natives. Darrow is kidnapped by the natives and is offered to the beast on the island. Thus we get the first glimpse of the mighty beast himself, who snatches Darrow away and takes her away into the jungle. What follows is the attempt of the rest of the crew to rescue Darrow, as they battle various creatures and insects on the way, losing some members of the crew to the eventual rescue of Darrow. They bring King Kong back to New York and make money by using him on a Broadway show.

As in the old version, King Kong manages to escape and finds Darrow and climbs to the top of the Empire State Building, where we all know what happens.

So, how was the movie? In one word, brilliant!

It is more than an hour before we see King Kong make his entrance, and while the initial set up may seem slow to some, I think it was imperative to establish the human characters in order to understand their motives and reasons for their actions. A lot of people cannot fathom the concept of a woman falling in love with a huge ape. This movie establishes that concept so well, it becomes credible and believable to understand why she falls in love with King Kong. You see, Ann Darrow is a very sad person in reality. 1920’s New York is depressing, she is unemployed, she is hungry and she is asked by a friend to go to a nightclub and work as a stripper. She is hurt, and is extremely sad. When her meeting with Jack Driscoll does not go the way she expects to, she finds solace and company in King Kong with whom she establishes a rapport (like any person would with their pets!) Jack Driscoll is not able to express his love and affection to Ann Darrow, and that frustrates her, which is why she appreciates how King Kong plays with her, and keeps her in his hand, protecting her.

From an action movie, this turns into one of the biggest love story of the year. One particular scene of King Kong and Ann Darrow dancing on the frozen lake at Central Park is particularly romantic and heart-warming. By the time we come to the end, we have invested so much sympathy for King Kong that I guarantee you, not one heart will feel untouched by what happens. So how was King Kong himself? I tell you, the director has done a brilliant job of recreating a huge ape, which has a character of his own. Not for one second did I think that this was a digitally created ape, but was led to believe that King Kong was a real ape. The hand gestures, the body movements, and most importantly the facial expressions were awesome. One scene, where King Kong battles off three T-Rexes to save Ann Darrow, was amazing because after the battle, he looks away from Ann Farrow as she doesn’t say thanks to him. He also has a sense of humor.

This movie is already being considered for Best Direction and Best Special Effects at the Oscars. There are some moments in the middle of the movie where the effects look shabby, and some over-lapping is visible, but all the moments with King Kong helps you overcome the minor weak special effects. The effects were all done in New Zealand, and not in Hollywood, which may explain for the technicalities glitches in some special effects scenes. Verdict: 5 out of 5, for amazing effects, for credible story line, for one of the best created digital creature, for amazing set ups (King Kong and T-Rex battle, fighting off the planes atop the Empire State Building, the attack of the Spiders etc).

One of the best movies of the year! Bring out the DVD!

Mansur

Movie :: Salaam Namaste (Hindi)

2005-09-17T07:03:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone,

Last night a bunch of us went to see Salaam Namaste, which one of the highly anticipated movies releasing this year from Bollywood. When I came out of the theatres, I was highly disappointed. The movie had a great story, but could have been handled so much better. At times the movie was not sure what genre it wanted to be: an out and out comedy, a serious drama, a rom-com, or making a statement of the ethics and moral of the Indians living abroad. It seemed like as the director mashed in all the ingredients into one film, and this leaves the viewer confused what the movie is really about.

Nikhil, aka Nick, is an architect turned chef who now runs his own restaurant Nick of Time in Melbourne, Australia. Amber is a medical student, who supports her income as a radio jockey on the program salaam namaste. She is scheduled to interview Nick, but he doesn't show up and so she demeans Nick of Time, hurting the restaurant business. Nick and Amber fight over the phone for two days, and end up at the same wedding, where they realize three days later that they both had been fighting with one another earlier.

To cut it short, Nick and Amber don't want to commit to one another to any relationship, and so decide to move in together, but live in separate bedrooms, in order to get to know one another to see if they are compatible. After the initial tussles and fights, they eventually end up in the same bedroom, and spend too much time together.

One fine day, to complicate matters further, Amber finds out she is pregnant, and Nick asks her to abort the baby. So, they are again fight with one another, and drift apart. So the rest of the movie shows how they resolve their misunderstandings, sacrifice their dreams and beliefs and learn to be more tolerant of one another.

While the subject matter is very bold, what with Nick shown shirtless and in boxers for than half the movie as well a full lips on lips kissing scene by the lead actors, the way the story was messed about with was not fun. Typical stereotyped characters of South Indians and Bangladeshis were out of sync. A guest appearance towards the end was totally uncalled for and ruined the mood of the movie. One song (What's Going On?) should have been totally eliminated. Plus, a whole lot of inconsistencies were glaringly obvious (Nick is refused a bank loan for his restaurant, yet he goes on to buy a very expensive ring from a very expensive shop!!)

The one good thing about this movie was that there were no families involved and no in-laws involved- which is typical of Indian films. Instead, this movie is about two individuals and how they deal with certain obstacles in their lives. Mention also has to be made of two comic turns in this movie, who provided the necessary laughs, Ron, as Nick's friend, and the Evil Landlord. Indian movies are very slick and technically top-notch. Camera angles, music, costume design and all are done very well. But the script, story and the directions remains the most challenging part.

However, on the whole, Salaam Namaste was a golden opportunity wasted.

Having said that, if you enjoy senseless, brainless Indian movies, then you will enjoy this.

Mansur

Movie :: Red Eye

2005-09-17T06:50:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone,

I saw Red Eye over the weekend. I had been waiting a while for this movie to come out primarily for two reasons. One, it is directed by Wes Craven of Scream fame, and two, the premise.

Red Eye is about Lisa, a hotel managress, who bumps into Jackson, a sweet, charming man at the airport, where her flight to Miami is delayed. While waiting for her plane, Lisa and Jackson chat up over drinks. Unbeknownst to her, Jackson ends up being Lisa's seat-mate on the plane. Everything seems hunky dory, as Lisa is clearly seen to be enjoying Jackson's company. Lisa is an aviophobic and Jackson manages to distracts her by talking about her family.

While up in the air, Jackson asks Lisa to make a phone call to her hotel to change the room for one important political figure so Jackson's comrades can assassinate him. Otherwise, Lisa's dad will be killed!

It's an interesting premise. What would I have done if I were taken hostage in a plane. With limited opportunities and places to go to, I would be stuck. The sense of tension and claustrophobia is used to the full here. Lisa turns out to be no dumb girl, and eventually manages to think of her get away from Jackson.

It's a superb suspense movie, with no cheap effects, side kicks or implausible going on. Sure, there are a couple of goofs in the movie, but I think it should be over-looked. Coming from Wes Craven, we are supposed to take his movies as having a good time, and I was having a ball of a time with Lisa and Jackson on the plane.

The action is shifted to Lisa's home after touchdown, and the suspense continues to play on high. Lisa (Rachel McAdams- of The Wedding Crashers) is a competent actress, but I think she will be typecast eventually into playing these damsels in distress kind of roles. Jackson (Cillian Murphy- of 28 Days Later) did a tremendous job, of playing a charming man, and then an intense hostage taker. His chilling blue eyes and receding cheekbones made him look all the more creepy.

Watch it for fun. Don't over-analyze the movie, and just have a good time!

Mansur

Movie :: The Skeleton Key

2005-09-17T06:36:00.000-07:00

Hey you guys,

I had a bunch of movie reviews ready to be posted, so here they are.

The Skeleton Key is about Caroline (Kate Hudson) who is a nurse working as a hospice caretaker. She is called to work at a plantation deep south in New Orleans. Caroline is to look after Ben (John Hurt), who is paralyzed after "that incident" in the attic. Violet (Gena Rowlands), Ben's wife, is the other person living in the house. Caroline and Violet don't exactly hit it off initially but the friendship is strengthened with the help of Luke, the lawyer taking care of the real estate business.

In short I must say I enjoyed this movie immensely because of the way it was handled. The creepy atmosphere, the eeriness of the house, the music and the foreboding tension that creeps up to you. Caroline is given the skeleton key, which means she can open any doors to the house. However, there is one door in the attic which doesn't open, and Caroline's determination leads her into that room where she discover startling things.

Through her discoveries of what really happened in the attic, Caroline realizes, with the help of her friend Jill, that Hoodoo (not voodoo), a mysterious religion is practiced heavily here. So, in an attempt to to bring Ben out of his curse, she attempts to uncurse him through Hoodoo. "What I don't believe in, can't hurt me, right?" Well, fearing is believing! Caroline ends herself up more deeply than she ever wanted to.

The movie does pose an interesting question: can something you don't believe in hurt you still?

The ending is a very smart one, and will not leave you cheated. You don't know what's cleverer: the ending, or the twist. It's a smart, intelligent movie pretty much like The Others. I would watch this one again.

4 out of 5.

Mansur

Movie :: Closer

2005-08-20T18:53:00.000-07:00

Hi all,

I have probably seen the most intense, most reality based movie based on relationships. I have seen it before, but I watched it again last night because I think it speaks to me on different levels. The movie I am talking about is Closer.

It’s a very realistic and “real” movie based on emotions, feelings, truth and lying, and love and sex that can be found in relationships. Forget your usual rom-com movies; they are very stylized and over-romantic movies, stuff we know just doesn’t exist in real life. Rom-com movies are usually very fantasy-world based, where a few simple things happening to make the girl fall in love with the boy to the background music of some latest pop ballad. That’s not real life. Real life is what Closer is all about.

Dan (Jude Law) saves Alice (Portman) in a car accident and they are acquainted. They start dating and become involved in a relationship for months. Dan has written a book on Alice, and is having his headshots done by Anna (Roberts). Dan is immediately attracted to her, and during their photo sessions, he kisses and asks her to meet with her. Alice, who visits them there figures it all out but stays quiet about it. Dan, in a fit of denial about Anna rejecting his advances, talks to someone over the Internet chatroom and passes himself of as Anna. The unsuspecting person on the other side, Larry, falls for the prank and actually ends up at the aquarium, where he sees Anna the photographer. These two get acquainted and embark on a relationship and eventually marriage. However, Anna and Dan still have that spark from their brief fling earlier. The rest of the movie unfolds over the course of four years as these two sets of couples’ lives are entangled with one another, with various issues dealt with including deception, lying, honesty, sex and love.

What I loved about this movie was that it portrayed the emotions and feelings as I would imagine would occur in real life. It’s very raw and very true. There are only four people in this movie who have speaking lines, and so we are focused entirely on these four people. One of the underlying themes running is that of “being honest and lying.” One person lies to another, when the other person clearly knows he is being lied to. What should one do? Lie to save face and relationship, or be honest and hurt the other person? It’s a tricky situation, and sometimes we may think its easier to lie to save ourselves the embarrassment and all, but what if the truth is demanded? Would we say the truth at the cost of hurting the relationship?

Other issues I will not get into, but it was very clever movie on how men and women perceive relationships differently, and how those people getting into a relationship have to deal with everyday issues, and realize their newfound relationship is nothing like these teen rom-com movies would have you believe.

Mansur

Movie :: The Bourne Supremacy

2005-06-12T14:34:00.000-07:00

Hi friends,

My dad and I saw The Bourne Supremacy today, starring Matt Damon. If you remember, there was a movie called the Bourne Identity released several years ago. Well, The Bourne Supremacy is the second part.

Once the movie started playing, my dad and I were completely involved in the movie. Not a word was uttered. Right from the first scene, right down to the last one, it was pumped-up, adrenaline-rush, fuel-filled movie. It was also a very intelligent movie, not one of those brainless-no-nonsense action movie. Damon portrays Bourne, an assassin killer emplyed by the CIA, who suffers from amnesia. The movie picks off where it left off in the first part.

A botched CIA operations job in Berlin suddenly leads all roads to Bourne, and Bourne is on the run. Bourne tries to regain his memory of who he is and why he is a target. The CIA meanwhile try to capture Bourne. It's an awesome vat and mouse thriller/ suspense that spans from India, to Italy to Germany to the States. The action is continous. The suspense is high, and the ending is completely satisfying. Another thing with this movie is that it doesn not insult the inteligence of the viewers. All the sequences make sense and look completely plausible and real.

All right, I am off now.

Mansur

Movie :: Rosemary's Baby

2005-06-12T14:33:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone,

Last night, I watched a movie I had been dying to watch since I was young. It is reputedly one of the best horror movies ever made. It's called Rosemary's Baby, directed by Roman Polanski. I saw this DVD at a rock bottom price in the local supermarket, and decided to get it. I was in for a treat and was definitely scared. Rosemary and her new husband, Guy, move into a new apartment in New York, befriending an elderly couple who live near by. But when another girl in the block commits suicide, Rosemary starts getting more attention than she desires, from all the wrong people. And now with her (late) friend's warnings about witches in mind, she has a new problem - the protection of her forthcoming child. But it may not be the child that needs protection.

I am not going to spoil the ending, because the ending is the most shocking thing. Throughout the movie, I was with Rosemary and I would say out loud to her to do this or do that. I was rooting for her. That was the great thing about the movie: it involved me on a very personal level with the characters. Towards the end, I was literally on the edge of my seat because I wanted so much for Rosemary to do what I wanted her to do. What's also scary about this movie is that everything is so real. There is not a single second when I could say, thats impossible. Everything seemed so plausible and real. This stuff could happen.

This movie is not like any other cheap horror movies, like The Grudge, The Ring, Scream, Friday the 13th, Nightmare series, The Sixth Sense, The Blair Witch Project etc etc. I wish they would make more horror movies like this. Its real, and its scary. ('ll give you a small spoiler: Ro finds out later in the movie that her husband has made a deal with the neighbor, who practice witchcraft, to have a baby and then give it to them, so her husband can get the promises of resurrecting his failing acting career. You see, the whole idea of witchcraft in the movie seemed so normal. The director has you believing normally in the unnormal stuff!)

Mansur

Movie :: Open Water

2005-06-12T14:31:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone,

Ok, so one time my friend I went on this diving trip with a bunch of people off the coast of an island in Barabados. There were couple of more couples, honeymooners mostly, several single guys and girls and a family. I was really exicted about the driving trip. The workload of both me and my friend had overloaded us with stress and pain... and we both needed a break from the hectic schedule. A diving trip in the sunny ocean seemed just the right thing. The boat ride was amazing, and we immediately felt a sense of isolation- away from the hustle and bustle of the crazy chaotic world.

Once we got there, someone interrupted us and asked us if we saw his mask and snorkel and we said no. He was really upset and started cursing himself. This meant he will not be allowed to come into the water with the rest of the group. I noticed one of the crew member was taking a body count and saw how he had written a big 20 on his note pad. Soon we stopped at the spot, and everyone put on the diving suits and gas tank and jumped into the water. Guys and girls jumped in. The poor guy without the mask was sitting there alone. My friend and I had an amazing time underwater. Now, what happened is that one of the couples returned to the boat. The crew member marked 2 people returned. 18 more people to return. The man without the mask asked the woman if he could borrow hers, and she said ok. So this man quickly got into the diving suit and went with the woman's husband into the water. The crew member did not see this. So, when everyone returned to the boat, he counted 16 people who returned and then counted the last 2 as the man without the mask and the woman's husband. So he counted 20 and the boat left.

My friend and I suddenly noticed that we were the only ones underwater and quickly rose to the surface. No one was there. It was 930am. We gave each other company. 1045am. Where the heck is the boat. 130pm. Something stung my friend. In an instant, there was a huge fin right in front of us. Sharks. Panic ensues. We dont know what to do. One shark followed by two sharks. At night, there is a whole family of shark. We just bob up and down in the salty ocean water. My friend loses the gas tank because my friend is getting sick from bobbing up and down all day. My friend throws up. It attracts more fish. The next day, while we are still waiting for help, I feel a huge bite in right leg. It feels like as if someone drove three knives into my calves. It doesnt pain as much as I thought it would, but I felt the bite. My friend went down to see the bite, and came up back screaming: there are giant sharks everywhere. I panic. I cannot stay strong anymore. I give up.

So guys, none of that really happened to me. This synopsis is from a movie I watched last night. It is called Open Water, and it is based on true events. I will not spoil the ending for you. It is the least expected ending. Go watch it! Now! Butw atch it only if you dont plan on going into the ocean soon-- because this movie put me off from going into the oceans now...at least for the time being!

Mansur

Movie :: Mr. Holland's Opus

2005-06-12T14:30:00.000-07:00

Hi friends,

About a week ago I watched a movie called Mr. Holland's Opus, with Richard Dreyfuss. I am never into orchestra and classical music as such, but this movie got me. I was stuck with a lump in my throat and there is a personal reason for that.

The movie is about Mr. Holland who starts his new job as the music teacher in the 60s at the school. The movie spans about 30 years into his life of teaching the students. From the 60s to the 90s, we get to see how classical music becomes more of a challenge to teach. Mr. Holland is asked each year to prepare the music class to perform at the end of each school year, and with each passing year it becomes more difficult because the beauty and the meaning of classical music diminishes each year, as rock and roll and rap are introduced. But Mr. Holland is as obsessed with classical music as he was in the 60s. He goes out of his way to encourage the students to do their best. He helps one female student to learn to play the clarinet effectively. He helps one football player student to learn to play the drums for the marching band. He helps another student learn how to sing better for the school play. He is there to help his music students realize their dreams.

However, tragedy strikes when he and his wife realize that their son is born deaf. Mr. Holland is devastated. He had dreams of teaching his son music. His son cannot hear a single note of music. There is some tension in the married couple. Mr. Holland focuses his energy toward his students, not acknowledging his deaf son. His wife spends time with their son. But it is right before the end, where I became emotional. Mr. Holland, realizing that he has been neglecting his son for far too long, performs for the school, which includes students from the School of Deaf. His son is sitting there. The band starts to play, and Mr. Holland starts to sing. But when he starts to sing, he uses his hands to communicate to the deaf students. The scene was amazingly touching, it gave me goosebumps. I knew how much it would mean for the son to be able to connect with dad, and it was so awesome for the dad to connect to his son this way. After all, the song he sings is dedicated to his son.

I wont give the ending away, which is extremely touching and heartwarming, yet sad. Some people did not like the ending, but then if you pick the smallest of small details, no movie is perfect. Dreyfuss was nominated for Best Actor award in the Oscars. I think this is his best performance to date. Well, why was I so emotional at that one scene. Its because I am also 90% deaf and I know excatly how deaf people feel. For someone to touch out to the deaf people like Mr. Holland did, is the best gift one can get!

Mansur

Book :: Why Do People Hate America?

2005-06-12T14:28:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone,

I am reading this book which I saw someone reading on the London Underground back in 2003. I had meaning to get this book for a long time, and I finally found it in one of the local bookshop here. It was kind of hidden at the back of the shelf, over shadowed by the other huge books. I picked it up and it is amazing so far. It's called Why Do People Hate America?

I haven't finished it yet, but what I have read so far is very insightful and the authors don't delve too much into politics, but keep everything on a human level. They start off by talking about what the events of 9-11 meant to the American people, and then goes on in the following chapter, why the Americans think people hate them, and why the people hate American so much. But the interesting thing they point out is that the rest of the world has a very strong love-hate relationship with the United States of America. Countries like Iran and Iraq have a hate relationship with Americans, yet these very people watch American movies and listen to American music or even go to the States for universities or jobs! So that is something really interesting.

Even I don't agree with the American's foreign policies in the Middle East, or for that matter, anywhere else in the world, and yet I watch American movies, wear American branded clothes and eat Happy Meals from McDonalds.

It is quite a sensitive issue for all concerned. I know some people who are so vocal about America and say stuff like Death to America, and these very people have their kids studying in the US. How hypocritical. There are some people I know who rejoice when they hear American soldiers being killed in Iraq, and these very people buy all things Americans.

Anyway, this book has already given me an insight into all that the United States has been doing in the political arena. For sure we know that America thinks it is a Superpower, or as the book calls it, a Hyperpower. America thinks it can dictate the rest of the world.

Ok, I have four more chapters to read. You all have a nice day!

Mansur

Movie :: Super Size Me!

2005-06-12T14:27:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone,

I watched this movie again last night which I had seen earlier called Super Size Me! I was having a conversation with my brother who told me he has vowed to never take his daughter to McDonalds again. I asked him what's the big deal? Why target McDonald? Why not Burger King? Pizza Hut? Subways? I even told him that if I eat Biryani for a whole month for three meals, I would probably end up in the same situation as the guy in Super Size Me. So I watched the movie again last night, and man oh man, I am not eating McDonalds again! When I had read Fast Food Nation, which talks about all the unhealthy practices that takes place in making McDonald, I thought that was it: no more McDonalds, but I continued having it. Super Size Me is about Morgan, who is a relatively fit person, who embarks upon a one month diet of McDonalds' meals, three times a day. He has some rules: he will only super-size the meal if he is asked by the cashier and he has to have everything from the menu at least once.

I remember, back in 1998, when I started university, I had McDonald's at least four times a week for one whole semester, which is about 4-5 months! I mean, I literally had McDonald's sandwiches four times a week as my main meal (I don't eat fries at all and always take Diet coke). I had no other option: the cafeteria at my university would not serve dinners and everyone in my dorm block would go together to McDonalds! I can tell you two things: I gained weight fast and I started to suffer from acid indigestion and heartburn. I had to take medications for that, and once I reduced drastically my consumption of McDonalds, I found my health to be normal.

The movie talked about how the Cheese in McDonald's has some kind of ingredient which causes people to be addicted to the food. I tell you, we are not even half sure where the food comes from in McDonalds. One of my favorite food from McDonalds was Chicken Nuggets. The movie last night reminded me that Chicken Nuggets come from old chicken with unusually large breasts; those chicken are killed, processed in the machine, and the nuggets made from the breasts, which are then deep-fried, freezed and shipped all over the world! I fell sick in my stomach! Guys, if anything, fast food may seem to be great, but its all temporary. I refused to eat McDonalds today and have made a solemn oath to myself to not have McDonalds again!

Mansur

Movie :: The Ring Two

2005-06-12T14:25:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone,

I finally managed to see The Ring Two today. I was so unsure if I should watch it or not, and I think I wasted two hours of my life and 30Dirhams on this movie. I so felt like I was watching a re-make of the first part. The Ring, part one, was so much more tense and creepy. There was this sense of tension and suspense when we see that Rachel has only one week to live. There was that creepy, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday titles that showed up. There was the suspense of finding out who the girl is, and what the video is all about. The first scene where the two girls discuss the video was downright scary. In fact, the best thing about the first part was the clippings in the video and sheer horror shown in it.

However, in the second part, we only get to see the videotape once(not the video clippings) and later on, we see only glimpses of the video. It seemed like a re-hash of the first part! The movie had the same beginning-middle-end like the first part. In fact, the first scene in this movie was very pale in comparison to the first one. The similarity is used to the extent of even having the same male character, who Rachel enlists the help of, and having him face the same fate like that of the male character in the first part I felt like I was watching a re-make of the first part, which made the movie very predictable. There was some attempt to give the audience some back story as to who the girl is, but not much is shared with us. I can only think of one good scene which was executed well (the bathtub scene at Max's house). I was extremely disappointed from this movie. I know the original Japanese version has three parts, and I am only hoping that the third part of Hollywood's version would surpass this mediocre part two.

I also saw Constantine about two weeks ago, and four days after release, the UAE Committee removed the movie from the theatres. They want to censor the movie. So the same movie will be re-released this coming weekend. Apparently someone from the Dubai Municipality saw the movie and was offended with the depiction of the angel Gabriel in a negative light. So the movie will be censored now. This seems absurd, because Dubai re-released The Passion of the Christ, and the whole premise of that movie is not in terms with Islam's concept of the Crucifixion and yet that movie was left untouched! Disappointed in Ring Two!

Mansur

Movie :: Black

2005-06-12T14:22:00.000-07:00

Hi friends,

Imagine a world where you cannot see. You are immersed in total darkness. Then imagine you cannot hear anything; you are stone deaf. Imagine you were born this way. What would life be like for you? What would life be life be like for your parents? For your sibling? This is the premise of the movie Black, directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, who has made several other amazing movies, including one of my all time favorite, Khamoshi-The Musical. Bhansali has made an incredible movie, and has extracted outstanding performances from the lead characters in Black.

A short synopsis:
Michelle McNally, born to an Anglo-Indian family, is deaf and blind. She is a bright and intelligent girl and she lives in the world of black and this frustrates her because she desires to speak. Therefore, because of her frustration she becomes harsh and cruel on numerous events.Debraj Sahai is an alcoholic, a teacher to the deaf and blind children. The principal of the school believes in his ability and sends him to the McNally house to teach Michelle. Debraj's arrival at the McNally home is far from favorable, as he arrives intoxicated, annoyed and impolite.

On encountering Michelle, Debraj realizes that the only way to tackle her is to distress her, be violent at times and at the same time, show her the love.Debraj succeeds and Michelle amazingly learns her first word - Ma. But this is just the beginning. There are several battles to be won. His dreams of Michelle going to a college with students without any disability. But, at this stage, Debraj starts to suffer from Alzheimer. He slowly forgets everything including all words and their meanings. The roles are now reversed!

My Views:
If there is one Indian film to see this year, it should be Black. It has an amazing potential to be a cross-over film into Hollywood. There are no songs, no dancing around the trees, no love triangles, no obligatory villains, no cheap side-kick comedic scenes. Black is made pretty much like any Hollywood film. The dialogues are almost all in English. I usually don't watch a lot of Indian films, and I am glad I watched Black. I prefer watching these type of Indian film, instead of the usual dance-galores, brainless kind of films. Almost everything about this film is perfect, from acting, to music, to cinematography, to costume, to locales to everything else.

There was so much attention paid to the details, it made it a lot more fun to watch the movie. For example, when we first meet Michelle, she is in a house, where the surroundings are black. But when the teacher comes, and Michelle slowly opens up, the room is slowly filled with white light, signifying the transition made from darkness to light. Another subtly effect the director has used is the effect of snow in the film. Little things like this make a huge impact in the movie. Several issues are discussed as well: sibling rivalry, parents, what would other people say, student-teacher relationship, longing for love, and so on.

One of the question I had in mind was: how do you teach a student anything when the student is blind, deaf and cannot speak. The answer was given in the movie, and it made total sense.

Another great thing in the movie was how Mr. Sehai tells Michelle that 'black' is power and strength, and not evil and loneliness. The fact the Mr. Sehai takes the time to tell Michelle all the positive aspects of the color black was really interesting, since I always associated the color black with evil, darkness and scary stuff. The most touching part for me in the flm was how the young and old Michelle acted in film. I was convinced that the actress is actually blind and deaf, and all small nuances made a huge impact in the acting. The transformation the two main actors went through to portray the characters on screen is convincing enough to make me believe in the reality of the characters.

Black is not your regular Hindi film pot-boiler. It is actually a very different film, and at times I felt like as if I was watching an English film. I am very sure this movie will be nominated for Best Foreign film at the Oscars. I think there should be more Indian films like this, and Bollywood should do away with the escapist type of films, which are filled with lovey-dovey songs, overly-romaticized relationships, songs in Switzerland, one hero fighting of ten villains, fight scenes and all.

Mansur

Movie :: The Shawshank Redemption

2005-06-12T14:20:00.000-07:00

Hello all,

"Fear can hold you prisoner. Hope can set you free." What am I talking about? Thats the tagline from one of my favorite movie of all time: The Shawshank Redemption!

I remember it was back in 1995 when I got the movie on video. I was only watching it primarily because it is an adaption of the novella written by Stephen King. I wanted to see how well the adaptation is. In the process, I got much more that just a movie. I got a life lesson.

In short, the story is told from Red's (Morgan Freeman) point of view. He is convicted of a crime and is in prison, which is called Shawshank. Andy (Tim Robbins) is wrongly convicted of a crime and is also sent to the prison. He goes through a very difficult time intially, being beaten and raped, but then, as he talks to Red, ultiamtely says what forms the crux of the movie: you either get busy dying, or get busy living! At the time, I did not really pay much attention, but as I watched the movie several times more, I let that one line affect me more and more. Andy, who goes through a difficult time in prison, ultimately chooses to live his life, and not let all the unfortunate cirsumstances bog him down. Andy's actions affect Red, and Red ultimately finds himself, and realizes who he is as a person, and when he arrives at the parole office, he is freed after convincing the parole officers about his convictions and what he learned from his time in prison. It is the Shawshank prison where Red redeems himself.

What was heart-warming for me though was what the tag line says: FEAR can hold you prisoner, but, HOPE can set you free. I can let fear take control of me, and it can be fear of smallest of small things (like lizards and cockraoches) to public speaking, to presentations, to marriage to fear of death. But I can reverse my thinking, and instead of fear, can begin to hope. I can hope for a successful out come of public speaking, hope the jury likes my presentations, hope for a successful marriage and hope for a life in heaven in the afterlife. Once I begin to hope, I know there is personal freedom. I think like a new person, someone who is set free by the hope, and not captivated by fear.

This movie has become one of my favorite movie, because it is a great metaphor for how life should be lived. Plus it has one of the best twists in the movie, long before the Sixth Sense came out! The movie did not do too well when it came out on the theatres, and people shied away from it. Once it came out on video, it became a classic. Now it is one of the most watched movies. I would highly recommend you to watch it. If you have seen it, would love to know what you thought about it! :)

Mansur

Book :: The Kite Runner

2005-06-12T14:12:00.000-07:00

Hey,

Since I wrote down the books I have read, and am reading at present, I want to take this opportunity to talk to you about my favorite book so far: The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini.

This is a story of an Afghan man, Amir, who migrated to the US due to the damage done to his native country of Afghanistan. He writes about the time he was growing up in Kabul. His best friend was his servant’s son, Hassan. The title Kite Runner refers to Hassan, who is the best person in Kabul to run after the kite after Amir, who is an expert to fly kites, has cut it. Something devastating happens to Hassan, of which both Amir and Hassan have to bear the cruel circumstances. Their friendship is torn apart, are separated and totally changes their lives forever.

“Unfolding against Afghanistan’s destructive history, from the fall of the monarchy to the oppression of the Northern Alliance to the advent of the Taliban, The Kite Runner is the heartbreaking story of fathers and sons, friendship and betrayal, the casualties of fate, and the possibility of redemption.”

What touched me the most in this book were two things. One, the portrayal of the father-son relationship, which is often rocky and unfulfilled. The pain, and the desperate need of approval of his father, Amir has to live life knowing that his father is too busy for him. Two, the friendship between Amir and Hassan. Something devastating happens, and friends react differently to what one would expect and drift apart. The awesome thing is that although the relationships have been broken, there is redemption for Amir. He is able to give new life to the dead relationship.

The book starts off slow, because it takes time to establish the characters and to familiarize with the family members and the ritual of running for kites. Once that shocking incident happens, the book reads like a fast paced novel. I simply could not put it down and managed to finish it within two days. I wanted to know desperately what happens at the end. I wanted to know so much if Amir can redeem his past relationships. Of course, there are loads of shocks, surprises, twists and anti-climax occurring in the book that I could not see from afar. Highly recommended, and my favorite book of the year, so far!

Mansur

Movie :: Cube & Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

2005-06-12T07:10:00.000-07:00

Hi friends,

I watched two movies today, and funnily enough, both movies required me to make more use of my grey matter in my brain. One was called Cube, which is an independent Canadian sci-fi film, and the other one is called Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (don’t ask me what the title means!)

Cube, which has a cast of unknown actors, was the better of the two movies for me. It is a sci-fi, suspense film. It starts of by one man waking up in a room, which is a cube shaped. There are 6 doors leading off from each side of the room, all four walls, and ceiling and floor. He opens one, and proceeds to the next room. From the new room, he opens another door, and crash!bang!boom! He sets of the booby trap and is killed horribly. That is just a preview of what’s to come. We follow six more characters that all wake up in this room, with no previous recollection of how they got there. They are the Cop, Student, Doctor, Escape Artist, Mute and an Architect (!). They all try to figure out how to proceed to the next room, without entering one which has the booby traps. Each of them has a gift and they all put to use their gift to get out of the cube. For most of the time, you are sitting there wondering what the Cube is, will they ever get out and is the next room they enter a safe one!

Cube is a great movie, because it comments on how the social structure of the society is breaking down. The people argue and bicker, but at times do wonders when they work collectively. There are a lot of symbolisms in the movie, but it is interesting to know that there can be more than several interpretations to this movie. This movie came out in 1997, and somehow is not widely available on the market. If you get the chance, watch it, and be prepared to use your grey matter!

The other movie I watched is called Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, starring Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet. Carrey and Winslet play two characters that meet up in a subway train and decide to stay together. After a tumultuous relationship, Winslet enlist the services of Lacuna, who erase the memories Winslet has of Carrey and their relationship. Carrey meets up with Winslet again, and Winslet, not knowing who Carrey is, ignores him. Carrey is upset and he also proceeds to get the same procedure done. While at the time of his memories being erased of the girl he loved, he realizes that they shared a deeper passion, and in the midst of the procedure, realizes that he does not want to have her erased after all. The rest of the movie follows how the company is after Carrey’s memories, and how Carrey is fleeing from them to save his memories.

It is a heavy movie, no doubt, and we managed to get through the movie with the subtitles on. There are confusing scenes, where you don’t realize what’s happening. Having said that, I thought it was an interesting concept and got me thinking, is there any part of my memory that I would like to have erased? Maybe some sad incident or some unpleasant one in my life? But then, maybe that memory served a purpose in my life. I mean, lets say, I had a bad relationship with a girl in school. Would I want to erase that memory just because it makes me sad and angry—but then again, that particular memory serves a springboard for me to deal with such situation and emerging as a stronger person. Both movies were critically acclaimed, and have been widely watched. As for me, I am going to relax in my bubble bath now to drain away all the heavy thinking!

Take care,

Mansur

Book :: Life of Pi

2005-06-12T07:09:00.000-07:00

Hello friends,

When someone recommended me to read the Life of Pi, I kind of refused to do. I am not a big maths fan, and I was not in a mood to read something about that mystery Pi number used in trigonometry. However, at the bookshop, I saw the cover of the book and decided to read it. It is quite a fascinating cover. A small lifeboat, with a dark skinned boy curled up on side, and a Royal Bengal tiger on the other side of the boat, drifting on the ocean, surrounded with sharks underwater. Hmm, this doesn’t seem like anything to do with maths. I was not prepared for what I read in this book.

To make you comfortable, all you maths hater, Pi is actually a short nickname for the narrator of the story, whose real name is Piscine Molitor Patel. Pi is named after a swimming pool, which his father went to in France. Piscine is French for ‘pool.’ Pi is an Indian boy, who recounts his tumultuous childhood humorously. The highlight of his experiences is when he decides to be a Hindu, Christian and a Muslim, all at the same time. He attends the mosque on Fridays, temple on Saturdays and church on Sundays. It is so fascinating to know how Pi gets involved in all three religions, and one of the funniest passages in the book is when the Imam, Hindu priest and the Christian priest all end up at Pi’s parents house to convince them that their faith is the true one!

Pi also talks about his interest in Zoology and Religious Studies, which he double majored in at a university in Canada. He talks about the animal life, and connects the animal kingdom to how God made the animals and how they all co-relate and co-exist with one another! However, the highlight of the book, which forms the chunk of the book, is when the ship that Pi and his family are traveling in to Canada is shipwrecked, and Pi takes refuge in a lifeboat. Alongside with him on the boat are a hyena, a zebra (with a broken leg), a female orang-utan… and a 450-pound Royal Bengal tiger!

Short, and I mean short, summary: Pi is a student of zoology and religious studies, and his childhood was spent in India, where his father was the owner of a zoo. He recounts his experiences as he dabbles with religion and other spiritual matters. His family decides to emigrate to Canada, and so they sail on a ship with all the animals. The ship is wrecked, and Pi manages to get on a lifeboat, and with him several of the animals, the tiger being the most ferocious one. The rest of the book talks about his experiences on the boat, and I am not going to talk about anything else because you have to read it!! =)

I cannot tell you how much fun I had reading this book, When I finished it, I felt like as if I was right there with Pi on his shipwrecked lifeboat. I felt like as if I had just returned to my home after traveling with Pi on the raging seas. I could still smell the tiger’s breath, the salty waters, the smell emanating from dead animals, the sounds of waves crashing against the shore and Pi’s thoughts! Ultimately, I think what the writer wanted to convey through the story was that the world is obviously created by a Creator, and when you look at nature in it entirety, it is difficult to not believe that there is a God. Life of Pi is the winner of The Man Booker Prize 2002. I don’t know where I was when this book came out! I plan on reading it again and again!

Warmly,

Mansur

Movie :: The Woodsman

2005-06-12T07:07:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone,

The movie review for this week is: The Woodsman.

The Woodsman stars Kevin Bacon and his real-life wife Kyra Sedgwick. Bacon plays a pedophile that has been released from jail after 12 years. He starts work at a timber factory and is given a place to stay at, which is ironically opposite a children’s school He meets this woman at the work place and they embark on a dangerous love affair, and once he discloses why he was in jail, their love story takes a tumble. All the while, there is an officer who visits Bacon regularly to monitor his progress and all. Will the woman stay in his life? Will Bacon succumb to temptations? Will he be successfully treated of his sickness? Will the small schoolgirl he meets damage him and her?

This movie is not for the faint-hearted, or for the squeamish. The subject matter is such that its not comfortable viewing. The movie takes us into a mind of a pedophile and the struggles he undergoes. They are, after all, humans as well. Just because they do something which is not accepted by society does not mean they should cursed and banished. Bacon does a superb portrayal of a man stuck between his desires to be healed and temptations that draw him closer to some of the school kids. One scene, in particular, totally riveted me and I was so uncomfortable. Bacon sees this one girl, who goes to the local park/ woods to do some bird watching. Bacon follows her one day and they strike up a conversation. It is finally revealed that the girl gets no attention from her father, and so she enjoys Bacon’s company. Bacon finally asks the girl, “Would you like to sit on my lap?” I won’t tell you, because you have to see it to see the powerful drama. The whole set up is one disturbing, unsettling scene.

I think it was a great movie because it deals with a subject matter that is taboo, and yet pretty much existence. The acting is controlled, and well acted, and Bacon does a great job of drawing sympathy, as well as hatred, for the way the character thinks. We want for him to succeed and overcome his disease, yet we also hate him for what he does to little children. In the whole movie, there are no scenes between Bacon and any kids, save for one I mentioned above. This movie is not about pedophilia or abuse of children; it’s about what a pedophile goes through in his mind. It carefully draws a line between sympathizing and chastising Bacon’s character. We are not asked to show our support for him, yet we are not asked to shun him. We are simply asked to see who he is and the struggles he has to face. A brave, strong and well-intentioned movie.

Mansur

Movie :: The Village

2005-06-12T07:03:00.000-07:00

Hi friends,

The Village is probably the most misunderstood movie since it was released. It is directed by the same man who brought us The Sixth Sense and Unbreakable. I am not going to stop myself from revealing the twist in the movie because that is essential to my take on the movie.

The movie starts off in a village somewhere in rural America. People are dressed up in old colonial style clothes, and there is no sign of modern civilization. There are no telephones, televisions or even electricity. The people of the village eat together and they are basically a close-knit group of people. The rules and decisions are made by a group of elders who are in charge of the village. However, people are forbidden to venture beyond the village into the woods, because those “creatures” are there. These creatures are attracted to the color red, which is why all red berries and flowers are thrown away if they are seen anywhere in the village. These creatures sometimes enter the village, and everyone has to hide in their basement bunkers. The entire village is surrounded with fire-lit torches to prevent the “creatures” from entering.

To make a long story short, there are two men who love the same women, who is blind. One of the men shoots the other man out of jealousy. The man who shoots is also somewhat a looney. The man who is shot is the one who the girl loves. The girl decides to venture beyond the woods to go to some bigger town to get the medicines. So the girl’s father takes her to a secret shed and reveals to her * plot spoiler * there are no creatures. The girl’s father reveals to her that the looney man would actually disguise himself as the creature and try to scare the people so they wouldn’t go beyond the woods. The girl leave the village, encounters another ‘creature’ in the woods, which is killed and eventually reaches a boundary wall of some sorts. Once she is over the wall, we see a car coming. We suddenly realize, with intercuts between the girl and the elders back in the village that * plot spoiler * that these people are actually living in the 21st century.

It transpires that each of the Elders had someone close to them die or been through a tragedy of the worst sorts, so they decide to leave the modern civilization and live in a village, secluded and isolated from the rest of the world. For them, it was a return to innocence.

For one to appreciate this, one has to understand the motivation behind it. The director made this movie in response to the events of 9/11, where he felt that a lot of people were affected by such a huge tragedy, and would have liked to return to innocence. One could read deeper into the move by even comparing the group of Elders to Bush’s Cabinet. However, the director chooses to keep the movie personal and emotional, as opposed to political and brash.

I for one certainly enjoyed the movie the second time I watched it, since the first time I was confused with the twists in the movie and was like “is that it?” Once I saw it again, I appreciated the movie on a whole new level. I also long to escape the myriad distraction of modern civilizations. While I don’t deny the amazing benefits that modern inventions has given us, I would like to distance myself from it at the same time. I see so many people who are caught up in the rat race of trying to make the most money, to get the latest phone, to get the latest car, to follow the latest fashion, to attend the most talked about party and so on. If I don’t keep up with the Jones’ so to speak, I will be left behind. I want to relinquish my cell phone and just live on my landline phone. I want to relinquish my email and live on postal mail. But the situation is such that I am forced into keeping an email account and cell phone.

Don’t get me wrong. These inventions are great and beneficial as well, but I personally would like to do without it. I am sure some of you are thinking, gosh, what a hypocrite, since he is blogging on the Internet. Like I said, I am not against it, I just wish I did not have to live with it.

I remember growing up in Saudi; I had such an innocent childhood. People would be very neighborly, so much so, my brother and I would play with them on the roof of our building every singe day, despite the different ages, religious and racial backgrounds. I see kids today and I see kids glued to the TVs, music that they should not really be listening to, addicted to the internet, young boys and girls dressed up like teenagers and so on. Where is that innocence? Where is that time when people were neighborly? Where is that time when I would see kids playing out on the empty plots? Are we coming to an end of innocence of children or am I deceived? Which is why I love that movie Phenomenon, starring John Travolta. That movie is all about making a return to innocence, and then realizing that you cannot return to innocence without having to endure complications in life! That would have be in a completely different post. Anyhow I got off track, keep this perspective in mind, and maybe you would learn to appreciate the movie as well!

Mansur

Book :: Reading List

2005-06-12T06:59:00.000-07:00

Hey there,

When the year 2004 began, I had made one resolution. I had resolved to read more books. I planned on reading one book per week. That means that I should have read at least 32 books by now. However, I have read only about 27 books now, with more waiting to be picked up from my bookshelf. These are the ones I have read or have started reading it.

* In Progress
** Recommended
*** My Favorite Book So Far

Mansour’s Reading List:
1) A Child Called It--- Dave Pelzer**
2) The Lost Boy--- Dave Pelzer
3) A Man Named Dave--- Dave Pelzer 4) Help Yourself--- Dave Pelzer
5) God Has A Dream--- Desmond Tutu**
6) The Kite Runner--- Khaled Hosseini***
7) Life Of Pi--- Yann Martel***
8) House of Bush, House of Saud--- Craig Unger
9) Plan of Attack--- Bob Woodward
10) Bush At War--- Bob Woodward
11) Les Miserables--- Victor Hugo*
12) The Alchemist--- Paulo Coelho
13) Manual of the Warrior of Light--- Paulo Coelho
14) Brick Lane--- Monica Ali*
15) Don’t Sweat The Small Stuff--- Richard Carlson
16) Don’t Sweat The Small Stuff with Family--- Richard Carlson
17) The Five People You Meet In Heaven--- Mitch Albom**
18) The Bookseller of Kabul--- Anne Seirstad*
19) Living the 7 Habits--- Sean Covey
20) The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens--- Sean Covey
21) Sunni and Shiah Perspective on Islam--- Dr. Ahmad Salamah**
22) The Highway Code(I needed to know the rules of good driving, knowing that no one follows rules here in Jeddah!)
23) Stupid White Men--- Michael Moore**
24) Downsize This! --- Michael Moore
25) Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right--- Al Franken
26) Five Past Midnight in Bhopal--- Dominique LaPierre and Javier Moro
27) Desperately Seeking Paradise: Journeys of a Skeptical Muslim--- Ziauddin Sardar **

The following books are on my bookshelf and are waiting to be read:

1) To Kill a Mockingbird--- Harper Lee
2) Maps for Lost Lovers--- Nadeem Aslam
3) Traveling with Djinns--- Jamal Mahjoub
4) The Namesake--- Jhumpa Lahiri

If anyone of you have read a good book lately, please let me know. Click on the Make a Comment icon and just write the name of the book.

Thanks. Sincerely,

The Bookworm, Mansur

Music :: Freedom, Passion and Sacrifice

2005-06-12T06:57:00.000-07:00

Hi all,

there is a song by the Pakistani Sufi rock band Junoon that I really like to listen to. It was a song used for the movie, Jinnah. The song title is Azaadi, which means, "Freedom." "

Junoon se,
aur ishq se,
milti hai azaadi!

Qurbani ki bahon mein,
milti hai azaadi."

This means:

"With Passion, and with Love,
We get Freedom.
In the Arms of Sacrifice,
We get Freedom."

I listen to this song, because it talks about attaining Freedom, and although the song was used in the movie to convey the emotional, physical and spiritual struggle the Pakistanis went through to get a separate homeland from India, I think that the song can also be applied on a very personal level, to those who are seeking Freedom! With PASSION, LOVE, and SACRIFICE, can we get FREEDOM!

Yours singing away,

Mansur

Music :: Hero

2005-06-11T18:48:00.000-07:00

Hi friends,

One of my all time favorite songs by Mariah Carey. I know for sure there is a Hero in all of us; we just need to cultivate our souls and bring out the Hero in us. Hero doesnt mean, in the traditonal sense, someone rescuing others from the edge of the cliff. A hero can be someone who has made a huge difference in your life. Like, I have a certain Hero here in Sharjah; someone I look up to. He helps me in all the ways he can. When I am down he knows exactly how to get me up; and when I am up, he is there to share my happiness with me.

"There's a hero
If you look inside your heart
You don't have to be afraid
Of what you are

There's an answer
If you reach into your soul
And the sorrow that you know
Will melt away

And then a hero comes along
With the strength to carry on
And you cast your fears aside
And you know you can survive

So when you feel like hope is gone
Look inside you and be strong
And you'll finally see the truth
That a hero lies in you It's a long road

When you face the world alone
No one reaches out a hand
For you to hold
You can find love
If you search within yourself
And the emptiness you felt
Will disappear

Lord knows Dreams are hard to follow
But don't let anyone
Tear them away
Hold on
There will be tomorrow
In time You'll find the way"

Mansur

Movie :: The Lord of the Rings

2005-06-11T18:46:00.000-07:00

Hey friends,

I finished watching The Lord of the Rings last night and I was on an emotional high. I think, no matter what, you have to see the movie in its entirety. I took about 4-5 days top watch it. Each movie is spread over two discs, and so in all I watched 6 discs worth of movie. It is an experience not to be missed. This is what the movies are all about.

I was certainly transported to Middle Earth and I felt like I was with Mr. Frodo and Samwise Gamgee on their trip to Mordor Mountains to destroy the ring! I could not believe how involved I had become with the characters. I was sympathetic/ angry at Smeagol/ Gollum; I was desperate for Mr. Frodo to make it to Mount Mordor; I wanted Aragorn to be re-united with Arwen; I wanted Saruman to die; I wanted the four hobbits to get together! Having been with them for the whole journey, the ending was just so emotional, with Mr. Frodo leaving his group of friends.

If anything, watch the movie in its entirety-- its an expereince not to miss. If I can be picky there are three things that were bugging me:

1) Pippin, the hobbit, was just too annoying for me. The many times he makes a mistake, he just annoyed me a lot. I was beginning to get irritated from him.
2) Where does Legolas gets his endless supply of arrows? Everytime I see his backpack, he has about a handful, and yet he is continuing to shoot arrows as if the supply is endless?
3) At the end, Gandalf comes on an Eagle to lift Mr. Frodo and Samwise from the Mordor Mountain. Why didn't Gandalf lend his Eagle to Mr. Frodo at the beginning to take him to the mountain so Mr. Frodo could save all the walk?

However, despite that, my favorite scene in the movies were:

1) The Mines of Moria sequence (Part one)
2) The Battle at Helm's Deep (Part two) I was freaking out at the sequence with She-Lob, that huge spider. I was shaking and wincing at the scene. Gosh, I hate spiders and I could not imagine Mr. Frodo and Samwise dealing with that huge spider!

Mansur

Movie :: Phenomenon

2005-06-11T18:45:00.000-07:00

Hey you guys!

Since someone requested for me to write more about my favorite movies, I wanted to write about Phenomenon. Many many people who I know watched this movie, and they said that we fell asleep through the movie. They find it too serious, mundane, no excitement, bad soundtrack and plain boring! But to me, it is a movie that speaks out to me and I love it! Phenomenon was released in 1996 and it stars John Travolta, Forest Whitaker and Robert Duvall.

It is about this one simple man, George, who lives in a countryside. His best friend, Nate, is a farmer who fails miserably to grow healthy crops. In this town moves a woman, Lace, with two kids in tow, having left her husband. George tries his best to get to know Lace, but Lace refuses to meet any new men because she is still hurting from her previous relationship.

On George's birthday, as he stumbles out drunk after the party, he sees this bright light in the outer sky. Soon, the light draws closer and George is struck by this mysterious light. George is blinded for a few seconds and falls to the ground. Soon he re-enters the restaurant, and starts telling people about the light he saw. In the midst of it, he moves around the chess pieces that two people are playing and in one simple moves checkmates one player. No one in the restaurant believes George and think he is drunk. George goes home and is restless. He starts reading books. He starts inventing things. He can begins to predict earthquakes. He devises products to help his friend grow healthy crops. He also begins to understand the people around him.

But, despite George's ability to do great things, some people misunderstand him and try to move him away from themselves. Soon he is losing out on his friends and no one wants to be with George. In an accident, he hurts himself and sees the mysterious light disappear. Later in the hospital, he is told that he has brain tumor. I will not spoil the ending for you. Why I like this movie is because it speaks to me. In some ways, I can relate to George.

I used to be someone who would fail to understand things around me in this world. Living in Saudi Arabia, under such a sheltered and comfortable life, I had no idea of the big bad world out there. Once I left, I learnt new things and over the years developed myself into the person I am today. Sure there are some people who do not like the way I am, since I would not join with them in smoking, drinking and drugs, or share their passion for pornography. Because I choose to do this, the other people choose to not hang out with me. So anyways, I can go on and on about the whole thing, but I just wanted to let you know why I like the movie Phenomenon so much. Plus, it has one of the best songs, Change the World by Eric Clapton and one of my favorite love songs Crazy Love by Aaron Neville.

Ok guys, I am out of here!

Mansur

Book :: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

2005-06-11T18:44:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone,

Last night, I was up for two hours and finally finished reading the book The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon, who is a Britisher. It was a great read and a lot of fun as well.

Its about this 15 year old boy who is a super genius in maths, but very poor in understanding in other people and human relationships. His mother is dead and he is living with his father. One fine day, his neighbor's dog is killed with the garden fork. And our 15 year old boy sets out on a mission to discover who killed the dog. In the process, he stumbles upon other mysteries of his life! It is written in a very different way than a normal novel is written.

It is completely in first person, and reads more like a diary of the boy. It is a detective novel, but there are other elements interspersed as well. This book is also a winner of the Guardian Fiction award in the UK. It may seem like a kids book, but it clearly isn't when some of the charactrs use some swear words and some of the issues, like divorce and affairs are discussed. I would highly recommend it since it is a great and easy read, and you are unlikely to read another novel like this.

Take care you all,

Mansur

Music :: Pehla Nasha

2005-06-11T18:43:00.000-07:00

Hey all,

If anything, my favorite Indian movie is called Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikander. This movie was released back in the early 90s. I remember when I was having my mocks exams in the month of February. My uncle had made me listen to the song from the movie called Pehla Nasha (First Intoxication).

I simply fell in love with the song, and I would listen to it over and over again. So crazy I was over the song, I had this song playing back to back on a cassette on both sides. Once my mocks were over, I sat down and watched the movie. Towards the end of the movie, I was so engrossed into it, I felt like I was in the movie. When the end was over, I was just so amazed bythe whole experience of it: the truimph of the human spirit!

The song Pehla Nasha is unlike any other Indian song, and the picturization of the song is done superbly. I also remember for my Art Appreciation class in school, I showed my entire year the video for the song Pehla Nasha, knowing that half the class would not understand the language! It is a song I still listen today and have to yet to listen to another Indian song that is as good as this. In fact, I am listening to it right. I think this will be that one song which I will tell my children one day that Pehla Nasha is a classic! On top of that, this particular song reminds me a special friendship I had in school.

Mansur

Music :: Stuck On You

2005-06-11T18:42:00.000-07:00

Hi friends,

You know what?

There are certain songs that I listen to now, I am instantly transported back to when I was an innocent, naive little boy going to school. On my rough days, I wish I could be that little boy, living a sheltered life, with no worries of life. Hakuna Matata (if you dont know what this means, go watch The Lion King!)

A lot of the songs include: All night long, Careless whispers, Crazy for you, Hello, Thriller, Take on me, Time after time, We are the world, Don't worry be happy, Turn back the clock, Heaven is a place on earth, Man in the mirror, Right here waiting and so many others. However, the one that is guaranteed to take me back to my innocent days is a song by Lionel Richie called Stuck On You.

As childish as I may sound, I can begin to weep as soon as the first line is sung, because all the memories from my school days come back to my mind as if everything just happened yesterday. I am so thankful that I am able to have sweet memories from the past. I know I am talking like an old man, which I am certainly not, and as someone who is not married yet, I know I have many more memories to make.

Mansur
PS. Do any of you have that one song which can take you back many years in an instant?