Exit through the Gift Shop (2010) ****

Rated R for language

Release Date: 5 March 2010 (UK)

Cast:

Thierry Guetta aka Mr. Brainwash / MBW


Banksy as himself

Shepard Fairey as himself

Invader as himself

Rhys Ifans as narrator

A Banksy Film

For those who don’t know of Banksy and his work the first half of the movie will be a revelation, until tables turn. Shot like a documentary the film takes you on journey into the world of street art…but that’s just part of it.

Thierry Guetta an amateur obsessive reel buster, on his visit to France finds himself obsessed with his cousin’s (Space Invader) night time activities, he is of the pioneers in modern street art/graffiti; from there on the journey of this eccentric shop owner/French expat living in LA begins, and his filming atlast finds direction. He is consumed by his passion to film street artists and following them around the world, till he comes across Banksy’s art and eventually fate leads him to the man himself.

Guetta amused, fascinated and completely awed by Banksy follows him around until he wins his trust and manages to become his accomplice. What happens next you have to watch for yourself to find out, it’s best to leave it as a surprise. It’s a farce, a satire, a documentary and a story with a conscience… the title gives away the moral lesson to some extent if you have the depth to analyse it.

It is a riveting glimpse into the world of street art and the takeover of the art world by modern consumerism. Banksy with his film pulls yet another sly one on every one. Referred to as a ‘punkumentary’ it will keep you guessing: was it all true?

Official Website: http://www.banksyfilm.com/

Download 'Exit through the gift shop'

The Vampire Diaries(2009-2010****)

Vampires... you just can’t have enough of them, whether its the classic Bram Stoker stories or the contemporary Stephanie Meyer mania , vampire literature, movies and series seem to be everywhere these days.


Adapted from the L.J. Smith's book series and starring Nina Dobrev, Ian Somerhalder, Paul Wesley, Steven R. McQueen, Kayla Ewell, Michael Trevino, Zach Roerig, Candice Accola, and Sara Canning, among others.
The plot revolves around two Vampire brothers, Stefan and Damon Salvatore who battle for the heart of a mortal teenaged girl named Elena Gilbert.
The story begins when Elena and her brother Jeremy come to live with their aunt in the town of Mystic Falls, after the death of their parents in a car crash. While visiting her parents graves in the cemetery, she meets the new guy in school Stefan Salvatore. There is mutual attraction and after a couple of episode Elena and Stefan are a couple. Also it turns out that Elena is the reincarnation/or look alike of a 19th Century Vampire Katherine, who was the one who turned both of the Salvatore brothers into Vampires. Katherine along with the 27 other vampires of Mystic Falls were entombed by Elena and Jeremy’s great-great grandfather somewhere in the 19th century.
And while Stefan resents Katherine for turning him into a blood sucking abomination Damon is still in love with the evil Vamp who had had both the brothers enchanted with her beauty and charm.

The 1st season revolves around Damon’s resolve to bring Katherine back and Stefan’s struggle to stop Damon , since he knows the vampires will want revenge from the descendants of Mystic Falls elders.
Other main character in the series is Elena’s best friend Bonnie, who is a witch and has the power to lift the magic spell that has entombed the old Vampires. Another interesting character introduced later in the series is Alaric Salzmann a history teacher by profession but is also a vampire hunter of sorts. He moves to Mystic Falls in search of his wife, who was obsessed with vampires before her disapearence.

Like every other vampire series we have the mandatory good vampire and bad vampires here.
Paul Wesley as Stefan is our goody-two-shoes guy, the vampire with a conscience, who refuses to hunt humans. While evil brother Damon(played by Lost’s Ian Somerhalder) is the quintessential Bad vampire or rather the “actual” vampire with a lots of murderous charm and the disregard for human life’s worth.
Being vampires, Stefan and Damon of course have some special powers. For starters, turning into crows and being able to conjure up a creepy ground-covering fog. As for that pesky daylight thing, it's no problem as long as they wear a magic ring. Other than that the usual super strength and super speed. Oh and the power of persuasion-mind control that is.



One great thing about The Vampire Diaries is the pacing. The storyline moves at breakneck speed; a conflict is introduced one week, it is resolved the next and a new conflict crops up. Each storyline is suitably addressed in the hour, and as usual, new problems present themselves by the end.
Also new characters keep turning up throughout the series, and dying at the drop of a hat too. Which is a somewhat frustrating thing , since they ended up killing most of the good vampires and likable characters by the time season finale came. But it’s the fast paced-ever changing story line which kept me hooked to the season.

And the Stefan/Elena/Damon love triangle is entertaining as it is impossible to pick a favorite brother. Both brothers are completely likable and charming in their own ways. But the best part of the show is Somerhalder. He is just ridiculously entertaining as Damon, the sometime evil Salvatore brother. Damon has a bit of an advantage on poor Stefan, and it is so much fun to watch the snarky, obnoxious behavior Damon dishes out to everyone.

The Season 1 has finished airing so now is the time to catch up on all episodes of season 1 before The Vampire Diaries Return for a second season starting September 9.

to watch the show online click HERE
to download the show click HERE

A bit of House

House music is one of the genres of music that i enjoy listening to and often recommend to people who seem to enjoy my company. Personally, it makes certain activities more enjoyable for me, such as jogging, doing squats, dancing, relaxing(with the help of a certain herb) or just hanging out with friends. This track is a perfect example of what i believe to be a good track packed full with great songs, awesome beats and countless head nodding opportunities. Enjoy the track and leave your suggestions for what you think good music is.

Brooklyn Mood by slickmilk

Call For Donations

Flood Relief Fund




We are raising funds and keeping the donors updated with the latest developments. Assessment and identification has been done, the required items will be delivered and distributed among the flood victims by ourselves.



The first convoy leaves Lahore on THURSDAY, 19 AUGUST. The trucks are to be loaded by WEDNESDAY night.



In these testing times we as a nation should rise to the challenge and help our brothers and sisters in need.



Account Details:

Adnan liaqat

MCB Shadrah Branch Lahore

A/C# 0186199601000666



The following list of items will be purchased by your donation; you can also donate any of the following items. We have a storage site at 82-B GARDEN BLOCK GARDEN TOWN LAHORE.



A complete summary would be provided to donors at the end of the relief efforts. IF anyone wants to accompany us in the field they are welcome. For further details



According to our field workers these are some of the essential items required:

1. Tents

2. Bedspreads

3. Floor mattresses

4. Mosquito repellents

5. Candles and match boxes

6. Flashlights

7. Boats

8. Generators (REHABILITATION PHASE)

9. Water filtration plants (REHABILITATION PHASE)

10. Dewatering pumps

11. Blankets

12. Medicines

13. Medical equipment

14. Hygiene kits

15. food items





If you would like to contribute please contact:
Umar Adnan:
03218888877

Ibrahim Hasan Murad:
0300-8433364

Hussain Ali Durrani:
03314110280

Umar Syed:
03234910853

Catch a Chain (7th -8th August 2010) ***

B Production Presentation in Collaboration with Elysium Entertainment


Written by: Omair Farooq Nazir & Syed Ijlal Naqvi

Directed by: Waleed Zaidi & Sanwal Tariq

It’s not very often that you get to see an original script being staged (and I am excluding the Punjabi plays) in Lahore. For some reason the creative expression on stage is restricted to existing either Broadway hits or classic literature. Recently Lahore has seen its youth taking bolder steps, first with a recent Urdu play and now ‘Catch a Chain’.

A two act play written and directed entirely by these boys gets my points for effort. The story revolves around three inmates who are later joined by a fourth. Throughout the play the story of these inmates gradually unravels. While at the same time the abusive jailers (who by the way were female jailers in a male prison?) manhandle the prisoners, subjecting them to both verbal and physical abuse.

The aim of the play was portray “how different people react to change while in confinement, and how the system controlling them (prison/prisoners), chooses to deal with the influx of new criminals into already over flowing jails”. (Quoted from the brochure) Now here is my problem with the story line, the story of the prisoners unraveled smoothly but the purpose and the ending of the play wasn’t clear.

I am all for alternate theatre and creative expression, but in my opinion if the story was based on local prisons it would have held more weightage and would not of come off as a version of Green Mile/Shaw Shank Redemption/Prison Break. Especially in these trying times, if you are taking up social issues then they should be local rather than foreign bred, so that the majority of the audience can connect and understand what you are trying to say and leave with a message.

the set of catch a chain

Other than that the performance of the actors was very good. Waleed Akhtar Zaidi (also one of the directors) as William Conrad gave a brilliant performance. The set and lightings were exceptional. For first time play writers the performance and script deserves respect. So, way to go guys… keep up the good work.



P.S:

This seems to be my mantra of the late: focus on your own culture, we have a very rich cultural heritage, and some brilliant literature and plays which fit perfectly in our modern society, they can be used as an inspiration. And if you want to focus on social issues, trust me we have plenty of those too.

By the way it takes guts to stage originality and you guys have plenty of those. :)

Theatre in Lahore: Noises Off (5th- 9th August 2010) ****

A Production Illusions Presentation


Directed by Omair Rana

Here’s the thing with going to see a play with big names on the board, you can be sure of quality. A star cast with impeccable acting skills, add to that a dedicated production team Noises Off gave its audience a taste of quality theatre.

Michael Frayn’s Noises Off is considered to be the king of farce and has seen numerous re-enactments all over the world (face book noises off and you will see what I mean); in fact this is the second time it is being done in Lahore.

It’s a three act play with a play within a play, showing what goes on pre, post and during production on stage and back stage. I am not going to go into the details of the plot; it’s a well known script, if you are interested in reading the synopsis click: Noises Off (this link will give you a word by word synopsis given in the brochure of the play).

The cast included Ayesha Alam, who was absolutely brilliant, Ian Eldred known for his spontaneous performances on stage in numerous plays before this, was equally good in this one, then we have the one and only Omair Rana who is also the director of the play, he does a brilliant job as both director of the play and playing a director in the play. Salman Naseer and Mina Malik deserve a special mention, both of them were amazing! Mina as the reliable Belinda in the play is an equally reliable actor, her performance was so original that for a while you forget that its theatre and not real lives. Saad Masood as Selsdon kept the mood light. Other then the star cast what made the play unique was the set, for the first time in Pakistan we got to see an actually revolving set that does the whole 360 degrees! The front is the on stage and swishhh… it revolves and viola you have the backstage.

The fact that art director Ayesha Shuja and her team were able to create this baby and pull it off without it falling apart in my opinion deserves great respect.

The Revolving Stage

What is a review without criticism? So here’s the thing, the acting was amazing, the set was a creative masterpiece and the costumes by Aasia Sail fit the characters perfectly but the time it took to set the stage between acts was painstakingly long… what’s the point of having a revolving stage if you are going to take a good ten minutes to switch sides and set it up? An English farce of this caliber is hard for the audience to grasp in the first place, and if you have long breaks between acts people will lose concentration and interest. And that’s just what happened! The Tom & Jerry background music that played while the sets were being changed did not help the situation at all.

Other then that I recommend that all you theatre enthusiasts go see the play there are still three performances left, it’s not every day that we have good quality theatre being performed by individuals who actually love the art form and pour their heart and soul into the performance.

P.S:

I completely forgot to mention Madiha Saail and Group, Madeha’s soft melodious voice kept the audience entertained before the play began. The group is worth mentioning, for I loved their original song, the lyrics proved that the youth of this nation ‘does’ care. Keep up the good work guys.

We look forward to seeing more quality theatre from Production Illusions’ team, and hope that the next play will be more culturally in sync with our traditions. I loved Ian’s interview in Tribune on the subject, way to go!

Coke Studio-The Final Show down

August 1st saw the airing of Coke studio’s Final Episode : “Realisation”
Since the day also marks the countdown to Independence Day, it was no wonder that episode 5 followed the theme of patriotism and started with a cover of Madam Noor Jahan’s classic 60’s war song “AAe Wattan Kay Sajeelay Jawanon”


Amanat Ali Khan gave a very lackluster performance of Ae Wattan Kay Sajeelay Jawanon.
But no matter who sings it,the lyrics are so moving you cant help but feel good about your countrymen.Plus it is 1st august, when 14th is looming above your heads, you start liking the song even if it sounds like the ones you sang on the Defence Day Functions at school, with the school band providing the marching drum beats.
No credit for Amanat Ali here, he basically wasted two opportunities with a mediocrity that was Aisha and now this.



Next came the amazing Tina Sani with her rendition of Nawai Ne.
It was a blend of powerful vocals and various instruments.The very Folk inspired violin tune added to the song and the Flute provided the perfect buildup at the end of the song, merging well with Gumby’s drumming.


Sanam Marvi sang Manzil-e-Sufi.
A new find of Coke Studio, Sanam sings exceptionally well, even though her earlier rendition of Pritam wasn’t that great.She did show her talents in Huq-mujood and in Episode 5, does a pretty good job too.Although her voice came off hoarse in the beginning, overall the performance wasn’t bad.




Abida Parveen gave her third performance of this season with Soz-e-Ishq
She is the clear winner of this season. The true “living legend”.No matter how loud or horrible the house band plays, she does her job , holds her own ground and delivers!!
Simply Brilliant.



Rizwan and Muazzam performed Jana Jogi Dey Naal.
They sounded great and made you remember the great Ustad Nustrat Fateh Ali Khan.The song was full of energy ,and the different variations of vocals and sur they put in gelled well with the contemporary drums and guitar sound, fusion at its best!


Other than the performances,every singer of this season also gave their messages about their performances.Mostly they were about how they were showcasing unity through music and promoting Pakistan's Culture.


Even though Season three failed plenty of expectations, with too much hype and some very mediocre performances, it had its moments too.
Arif Lohar and Meesha’s collaboration of Alif Allah,Abida Parveen’s three amazing performances and Rizwan and Muazams qawalis provided magic for the ears this season.
And Tina Sani,Noori and Zeb and Haniya showed us what true composers can do. Noori's Hor ve Neevan ho and Zeb and Haniya's Bibi Sanam Janam was awesomely awwsome, best 'tunes' of the season.
While Amanat Ali, Karavan and E.P pretty much wasted their opportunity to showcase their songs.Meesha Shafi became a overnight sensation and ADP-Aunty Disco Project, (they have a very very loyal fan following in khi and lahore) have gained new fans too. Their Performance of Sultanat was fantastic!


PS:
Coke Studio over time has established it self as a platform of class and quality as far as contemporary and folk/cultural music goes. I think instead of just picking artists with illustrious backgrounds (mostly foreign desi returns), they should have a nation wide talent hunt not just from the major metropolis's of the country but at grass root level, to promote artist who would otherwise never get a chance and might end up being better then many being showcased on the show as 'young and upcoming talent'.

Coke Studio's Official Website.

Salt (2010) ***

Rating PG-13


Be ready for 100 minutes of extreme action which will leave you confused… yes confused, whatever happened in the end??? I don’t believe in ruining movies for others so I keep my reviews for the most part matter of fact and simple, but for this one, on the way back from the theatre we actually had an argument: did he die? (So as to not ruin it for you I will not mention who) If he didn’t then what was all the fuss about? A sequel I presume.

Evelyn Salt (Angelina Jolie) is a CIA agent who is also a Russian sleeper spy. The plot begins when a captured Russian agent during interrogation reveals Salt’s identity. From then on it’s a lot of crashing, bashing and then some more bashing (kick, punch, shoot: repeat). The first half of the movie will keep you guessing but then it falls flat. This is Kurt Wimmer’s (Law Abiding Citizen) second movie as screen writer, I for one expected the screen play to be better than his first attempt, but then again expectations tend to disappoint.

What kept the movie together was Jolie’s performance, other than that the plot was skimpy thin, the action scenes were horribly shot and the score of the movie was even worse. The movie had a Bourne Identity/Bond feel to it minus the depth. The nuclear war incident ‘day x’ which could have been played upon to give the movie some volume went by as if it were an ice cream truck passing by your street in winters: zero consequence.

All in all I won’t say it was a bad watch, it was action fluff, a popcorn flick. If you have time on your hands and money to spare go watch it, otherwise wait for it to show on TV, no sweat you won’t be missing much.

P.S:

Hey, Jolie if you are reading this please put on some weight! You look emaciated and extremely malnourished, isn’t Brad feeding you? It breaks my heart to see you looking so ill, and Philip Noyce (director) made you kick and punch so many men… hope you are ok… how are the kids?




Watch Trailer HERE
Official Website

Link for downloading movie online for free, or streaming live will be posted as soon as its available.

Despicable Me (2010)***

After the Hilarious action-comedy with Tina Fey in Date Night Steve Carell is back .
This time lending his voice to the super villainous character of Gru in Disney-Pixar’s latest animated offering “Despicable Me”.

Despicable Me is about Dr.Gru( Carell) a criminal mastermind with serious mommy-issues, who lives alone in a house built over his super secret lab that’s being run by hundreds of tiny yellow minions.
Gru feels that he is loosing his touch at villainy after a new, younger villain Vector( Jason Segal) surfaces. Vector has outdone Gru’s claim to fame by pulling off the biggest heist of the century.He stole the Pyramid of Giza.So Gru along with his mad scientist buddy Dr.Nefario (Russel Brand) concocts a scheme to steal something even bigger.
Gru, ladies and gentleman, plans to steal the Moon!

But for the completion of his scheme he need a loan from the Bank of Evil.And to secure that loan from bank, he needs a shrink ray which is being kept in a vault in Vector’s high security home.
After his failed attempt to steal the shrink ray,Gru realizes that the only way he can get into vector’s home is through three little orphan girls who are selling girl scout cookies.
So he adopt the girls only so they will serve his purpose, not realizing that the girls will succeed in melting his cold heart and turning him from Super Bad to Super Dad.


Steve Carell adapts a heavily accented voice and gives a good delivery that makes his evil character likable but his minions were the real jokers in the movie.
The little girls were just adorable, specially the two younger ones. The dialogue wasn’t hilarious but it is pretty funny at times. The story line was cute with a few very sweet-mushy moments and it ends with the regular happy ending.
Not the best animated movie of this year, but definitely recommended for modest laughs.

Watch trailer HERE.
Official Website

Funhouse- Pink (2008) *****

If you recently had your heart broken, this album will bring you to tears, such is the power of the eccentric pop/rock pink. Don’t believe me YouTube ‘Glitter in the Air’…watch her live performance at the Grammys 2010, phenomenal!


Many have called this her divorce album, whatever the case the album has eight super hit songs, in its first week it became the highest selling album worldwide. With heart wrenching lyrics sung out in pinks signature raspy voice the album is a super hit. Whether you know pinks history or not, you will be able to identify with many of the songs on the album; love, life, loss, tragedy, identity, self discovery…its all of it with a pop-rock melody and an occasional ballad.

The album kicks off with ‘So What’, it’s a trademark pink track: rebellious rock star attitude. Don’t mess with the rock star!! Up next is ‘Sober’, the song was conceived during a party at her place, where everybody was drunk except her ‘how do I feel so good sober?’ self discovery, understanding your fears and stepping forth and lastly how to be happy with all of that…know it.

‘I Don’t Believe You’, ‘Crystal Ball’ and ‘Glitter in the Air’ the three ballads on the album, quite honestly I don’t have the words to describe what I felt when I heard each one of them for the first time. According to the artist ‘Crystal Ball’ is her most prized number on the album, recorded in the first take, un-edited and mixed the song is raw emotion. ‘Glitter in the Air’ is my favorite song of the album (maybe because I am an emotional female :p) .

Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler does back up singing in ‘Mean’ .The title song ‘FunHouse’ is violent with provocative lyrics: rock and roll extreme!

Over all the album shows P!nk’s lyrical and melodic brilliance with heart thumping pop-rock beats and classic vocals. The lyrics question the world around us with songs like ‘Ave Mary’ and at the same time the album will give you softness that most of us don’t expect from the singularly unconventional P!nk.

PS:

I think Pink is vastly under rated, many of you will just ignore the songs just because its pink. Give it a shot, you won’t regret it.

Download the album for free

Bill Dance's classic bloopers

Bill Dance Outdoors is a fishing television series hosted by retired professional tournament angler Bill Dance. This collection of outtakes is funny, even if you know nothing about the show.

The Electric Daisy Carnival Auditions 2010

The Electric Daisy carnival is is an annual electronic dance festival held on the last weekend of June in Southern California, and it has also been held in Texas, Puerto Rico and Colorado. It truly is a awesome experience being there. The video above is of Nigel Ficke; an Australian 'dance academy graduate' hopeful, that came in for open casting and the video is kind of like a promo for the Festival which i found pretty unique to say the least. Enjoy !

The Greatest partiers in Film History

From 1978 to 2010...See the Greatest partiers in Film History HERE

Theatre in Lahore: Khatra-e-Jaan (22nd- 24th July 2010) ****

Day 1: House Full


Day 2: House Full

Day 3: YOU MUST GO SEE!

Theatre in Lahore is primarily divided into three categories: the traditional Punjabi (not for families), the Urdu artistic kind and finally the new breed of English plays. The last kind attracts a mass youth following; but the problem with these plays is that the culture they present isn’t ours, the language isn’t ours and finally over time they have become excessively similar to their Punjabi counterparts save for the language…amidst all this Khatra-e-Jaan is a welcome break. Talal Ali Jan (director) and Hell Box production with a team of young talented actors took Dr. Enver Sajjad’s script and turned it into an evening full of spirit and light hearted laughter. The best part about the play for me was that it was funny without the usual lewd comedy and actually had some moral worth.

The play is set in a typical ‘undroon shehr’ clinic, the story revolves around a greedy mal-practicing doctor who doesn’t have a degree and is responsible for the deaths of many. His daughter Bano is in love with her cousin Khalid a poor clerk, but Doctor Sahib is against their marriage. Majeed the dispenser at the clinic wants to one day become a doctor like his boss, through hit and trial to eventually win the hand of his love interest Naila, a small town girl.

The doctor one day on his return from a house call, throws one of his usual tantrums, gets rid of everyone and starts drinking, until lights flash and there is complete blackout, he presumes it’s just merely power failure until from amidst the audience a ghost steps forth and onto the stage. The ‘Ajnabee’ tells him that he is here to take him to hell; initially the doctor assumes he’s just a patient with dementia, but on his dispenser’s return he realizes although everyone can hear the ghost they can’t see him. The identity of the ‘Ajnabee’ is revealed towards the latter half of the play. During the course of the play you will be introduced to various other characters, each one of them funnier than the next.

The actors were a group of extremely talented youngsters, whose age you would not be able to guess until the curtain call and you will be surprised to say the least. Ajnabee played by fifteen year old Hamza Kamal gets the most laughs, what’s amazing is the fact that his improv of the original character is what drew most applause and appreciation. Majeed played by Farrukh for me was the strongest and most consistent character. Truth be told I wasn’t expecting much out of this play, in fact I was sure that it would be yet another typical wannabe angraiz comedy performed by a bunch of young bucks who don’t have a clue but I was amazed, the content and the performances far exceeded my expectations. Maie Haseena, Naila, Khalid, Bibi Majeeda, Muna, Bano, Ainak wala Baba and Maulvi as supporting characters were amazing. Talal and the rest of the Hell Box team you guys did a great job… two thumbs up!

P.S:

A little criticism is a must, what was missing were brochures…so, writing this review was a memory test as far as the cast and character names were concerned. Oh and a shout out to the hall management and security team: great crowd control!

Inception : The Review

With more twists and turns than a Brazilian soap opera (remember the days of Celeste dubbed in Urdu/Hindi on Star World?), Inception is one hell of a ride...

Written and directed by Christopher Nolan (Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, The Prestige) , Inception is a tour de force that defies any genre that you might try and place it in, and yet at the same time, bears an undeniable Nolan trademarks – suspense, dark comedy, and a plot that always keeps you guessing.

Unlike many other movies, Inception isn’t based on a series of books, or even a set of graphic novels – it’s a wholly unique offering, blending elements of science fiction, with dashes of fantasy, and a smattering of steampunk style.

Set in a world very much like our own, it tells the story of Dominic "Dom" Cobb (played by Leonardo DiCaprio) and his ragtag team of friends and accomplices who specialise in “subconscious security”, Leo enters the mind of his targets via dreams, stealing their most precious ideas, and selling them to the highest bidder (of course). That’s right. Not even your dreams are safe. Infact your dreams are downright dangerous and leave you very open to suggestion.

Needless to say, this particular type of security is very dangerous, and if you piss off the wrong people as our main man did, there are serious consequences – being separated from his children and the death of his wife in this case.

But an opportunity presents itself that could set everything right – if he successfully implants an idea in his targets mind (the process itself is called Inception), he and his children will be re-united once again.

It’s worth pointing out at this point that the plot is extremely rewarding to those who follow it. The many intricate delicate twists and turns will leave you wanting more, and is never, ever predictable and keep you wondering even after you have left the cinema.

Coke Studio-Episode 4

After a very promising start in episode 1 with amazing performances like Abida Perveen’s Ramooz-e-ishq and collaboration of Meesha Shafi and Arif Lohar in Alif Allah Chambay de boti, things have been going pretty downhill for coke studio.Unable to replicate the magic of episode 1, we had some very mediocre performances from E.P, Amanat Ali,Arieb Azhar and Sanam Marvi and even Noori.Along with some really good, if not great performances by Zeb and Haniya,A.D.P and Meesha and the Iconic Tina Sani.

Episode 4’s first act was Noori singing Hor Vi neevan ho

Recently Noori has been criticized a lot because of their monotonous lyrics, and some fans even demanded them to hire a new lyricist. But in 'Hor Vee Neevan ho' they redeemed themselves. Powerful poetry,good vocals and the dulcet sound of Veena, cast their magic on our ears. In a very interestingly composed track,one could feel the instruments dominate in the first half , in the second half the vocals reached the high and Ali Hamza’s voice mesmerizes the listener's ears.

Karavan gave a performance of Kesay mumkin hai.
The sound was good but the intro felt horribly ripped off.Giving you the feeling that you have heard it before.


Zeb and Haniya sang Nazaar Eyle
It was a pleasantly soothing melody.Even though I coudnt understand the lyrics,the song felt good.

Amanat Ali and Sanam Marvi’s did a pretty decent job on Haq Maujood
The medley of sufi songs gelled well with Amanat Ali’s Voice.After his mediocre cover of Aisha,this song did show his talents to the max.


Arif Lohar’s Performance of Mirza Sahiban was completely over the top,I was laughing throughout the performance,It was hilarious if not anything else.
Arif Lohar was allowed to go berserk when he could have given a much better version of mirza sahiban.The analogy he made about his name “lohar” and heavy metal music was just absurd! Was he trying to be a rockstar when he gave that frightening shriek in the end?i just don’t know.
Plus the “balle balle shawa shawa” backing vocals just made it a cross between rock, traditional folk music and mehndi/mayoon songs.

Invictus (2009) ****

Rating: PG-13


Dedicated to Ma’am Shoa

Sometimes a good dose of healthy vitamins can boost an ailing body when all other medications fail. That’s what I thought of Invictus… it re-invoked a spirit of patriotism which made me want to do something for my country and set aside all our differences and perhaps start over again.

The movie is a cross between a sports flick and a political biopic. It begins with a haphazardly put together montage of events that eventually led to Mandela (Morgan Freeman) becoming the president of post-apartheid South Africa. This is where the movie begins, Mandela has won the election but he is yet to win the hearts and the trust of his nation. The black-white divide could hazard the nation into succumbing to communal riots and eventually a civil war. But Mandela sets into motion a civil reform, which begins in his own office, overcoming the black distrust of the white and employing both as his body guards to symbolize the harmony he foresees within his nation. Running parallel is the story of Springboks the South African rugby team, Pienaar (Matt Damon) is the captain who is being forced to resign on account of his team’s pitiful performance. Mandela steps in calling to office Pienaar and motivating him and his team to win the 1995 Rugby world cup which incidentally is being held in South Africa. This is where the conflict arises, the black South Africans always cheered for the team playing against the Springboks, as it stood for everything Apartheid, from its color to its emblem besides they preferred football over rugby. And when the Springboks initially fail to win and the now black majority house votes for a change in the name and anthem of the team Mandela steps in despite being advised against it, to coax his party members to withdraw the amendment. The story of how Mandela coaxes his nation to greatness is something that kept me mesmerized making me believe anything is achievable when you set your mind to it.

Nelson Mandela himself said that only Freeman could portray him on screen. And Morgan Freeman as Nelson Mandela does an excellent job, bringing to screen emotions that only an actor of his caliber could of managed, supported by Matt Damon as Pienaar, the captain of the South African Rugby, which actually ends up being the reason the movie was what it was overcoming some really sloppy decisions on part of Clint Eastwood as the director and his editors. The movie is long and drags a little towards the end with the rugby match extending to a good half hour. But when you are telling the story of Mandela and you have Morgan Freeman playing him, there isn’t much chance of going wrong.

P.S.:

Mandela has come forth as one of the most inspirational leaders in recent history, bringing together a nation vastly divided. His journey to office is a story which seems unreal, from being a political activist who spent thirty years in prison at Roben Island to a leader who reformed South Africa. What I am about to say has nothing to do with the movie…it’s just what the movie did for me… it reminded me of what the greatness of a single man can do for a nation and it hit home. We need greatness individually and as a collective whole, so watch the movie…learn and act upon it, hoping to bring forth some radical changes for the betterment of our nation.

watch trailer HERE

Five Point Some One - What not to do at IIT - ***

Ok! So by now all of us have watched the movie "3 Idiots", haven't we? and most of us are in love with the movie and how well Amir Khan and Company have portrayed the life of an Engineering Student. But do we know that the story of "3 idiots" resembles alot with a novel named "Five Point Someone" written by Chetan Bhagat in 2004, an alumnus of IIT himself?

I happened to get my hands on this novel by chance, and after reading the first few pages I was pretty sure of the similarities between the novel and the recent Indian Blockbuster "3 Idiots". So I thought of dropping the novel as I had already seen the movie more than once, but then there were some variations between the two and curiosity made me read this novel to the very end.

The plot of this novel is based on 3 freshies in IIT (India's Premier Engineering Institute) Hari (the narrator of the story), Alok (the pessimist poor boy with paralyzed father and unmarried sister) and Ryan (the smart, handsome & creative boy). These 3 friends stick with each other through thick and thin, suck at exams and get GPA's around 5 out of 10, and thus get the name of Five Point Someones, ones who enter the system but do not belong to it. Rest of the plot you people know already.

So now let's come to the interesting part, the variations between "Five Point Someone" & "3-Idiots";

• Hari, who is hardly handsome and narrating the story, gets the chick (Neha, Daughter of Dean of Mechanical Engineering) and not the smart/creative Ryan.
  
  
• Alok, the poor fatso, is the artist in "Five Point Some One" not the narrator, as in the movie.
  
  
• Neha has both parents, no elder sister, she kisses Hari before the climax and there are no vacuum pulled babies (Thank God for that!)
  
  
• Venkat the crammer (The infamous Chattur in "3 Idiots") does not return to IIT to see who is more successful in life.

In other words, while watching the movie all the scenes that you didn't like and felt unreal to you were never a part of "Five Point Someone" and were included only to add the "Bollywood Masala". The producer of "3 Idiots" Vidhu Vinod Chopra claims that there is not even 10 % similarity in "Five Point Someone" and "3 Idiots". I strongly suggest to go through this entertaining novel and see for yourself if there is any similarity in the Super hit novel and the Super hit movie.

Shrek:The Final Chapter(2010)

Here’s a theory about movie franchises:
The first one is always a blockbuster hit, everyone loves it and cant get enough of it.(e.g Spderman,Ironman,Superman,Shrek, etc etc)
Second one is never as good as the first one but usually has a pretty decent storyline and since every fan is waiting for it, it works(Underworld2,spiderman2,Transformers,The Mummy Returns, etc )
The third one is the much awaited final chapter where you have to give a final ending and so most of the characters get killed off but the viewers are sent home satisfied that it was a fit ending (Spiderman3,X-men3,Pirates of the Caribbean3 , Star wars ep.VI etc)
Now what do you do when all the storylines are exhausted and and the characters dead!
You make a PREQUEL!!! And that’s one kind of movie that should have never been made at all(eg.Wolverine, The Scorpion King,Star warsI,II,III etc etc and soon to be made Spiderman too)

Still, Shrek movie-makers took the predictable path and made a “somewhat-prequel” for the fourth installment too.



Shrek:The Final Chapter starts with a scene of a time before Fiona has been rescued by Shrek .Her parents, desperate for a way to lift the curse off their daughter go to Rumpelstiltskin.He agrees to grant them a wish and make their worries go away, in exchange for the Kingdom of Far Far Away.
They are about to sign when the news of Fiona rescue comes and they don’t make the deal with Rumpelstiltskin.
So now Shrek is living in his swamp with three kids, Donkey and his hybrid family and Puss in boots ,Tired of his routine life, and wishing he could become a “real” Ogre once again
Rumpelstiltskin, who is mad that Shrek deprived him of the Kingdom of Far Far Away over hears Shrek’s desire to live just one day before all these things happens and tricks him into signing a deal with him.
Hence Alternate Universe/Prequel-ish movie:

Shrek has never been born, Fiona has never been rescued, Donkey and Dragon have never met, Puss in boots has let himself go and is now a Fat over pampered kitty!Without the boots and hat. And Queen Lillian and King Harold had signed the contract to make "all of their problems disappear", causing them to literally disappear.
Oh and Rumpelstiltskin is the King of Far Far Away living in the castle with plenty of Wizard of Oz-type disco dancing witches.

As an exit clause Shrek has until sunrise to find his true love:Warrior Fiona leading an Ogre Resistance to defeat Rumpelstiltskin, to make her fall in love with him and have that “true love’s kiss” which will make his contract null and void and give him his life back.
As Rumpelstiltskin says:
“How’s that for metaphysical paradox?”

And all that is happening because “Shrek didn’t knew what he had until its all gone”

Apart from the regular characters, the new additions are Rumpelstiltskin and Pied Piper, plenty of new ogres,and the witches.
As Fairytale endings go Shrek and Fiona fall in love AGAIN,Share the true love’s kiss all that yada yada and bring an end to a very unnecessary movie!

Trailer of the movie HERE

Killers(2010)**

The movie which got absolutely no hype and raked in Just $45.3M is ..well.. quite funny at times! Maybe it’s the fact that I saw Killers at a time when everyone, including my mind, was asleep, is making me say this: I enjoyed Killers!

Its is about Jen (Katherine Heigl), a newly-single twenty-something on vacation with her parents (Catherine O’Hara, Tom Selleck) who meets Spencer (Ashton Kutcher) and Bam! Falls in love with him.
Fast Forward a couple of years Jen and Spencer are living a life of Marital Bliss when suddenly Spencer’s Friend/Colleague turns out to be a assassin hired to kill him.
Jen learns the truth about Spencer that he is “a blah working for blah blah blah with a license to blah.” (That’s a direct quote from the movie incase you are wondering)
And Thus begins Killers-The movie.

Ok that doesn’t sounds so promising and we all know that’s the same storyline as Mr. and Mrs. Smith and Ashton and Katherine are no Brangelina!
Nevertheless, Jen and Spencer go on the run, while fellow cast members here and there keep turning up as villainous assassins. A few cool fight scenes thrown in between. A couple of funny moments with Jen’s alcoholic mother and over protective father, and a predictable happy ending.Not exactly an original plot here, but do watch for the Laughs.


Well thought I had good things to write for this movie but now that I am reflecting, I really don’t.
Watch the Trailer HERE, and judge for yourself if you want to kill time while watching Killers :P

The Last Airbender (2010) *

It pains me to say what I have to say about this movie… if you were a fan of Avatar the show on Nickelodeon (like me) than don’t bother with the movie, it will only frustrate and bring you to tears (for all the wrong reasons); and if you never saw the show, then you definitely shouldn’t bother, as you won’t understand what’s going on.


Before I move on to the plot, I have a question (or two) to the makers of the movie: why was everybody and everything so sad, dark and bleak? Did you actually bother seeing the TV show which millions of kids and adults alike around the world followed?

The basic story line is the same as book one of the TV show, the fire nation has taken over the world and the Avatar has disappeared until Katara (Noah Peltz) and Sakka (Jackson Rathbone) find Aang (Noah Ringer) the last air bender frozen outside their village. Both the siblings take it upon themselves to protect the Avatar who is destined to save the world and bring to an end the tyranny of the fire nation. The rest of the story is predictable but what made the TV show entertaining were the funny anecdotes and the chemistry between the characters, but in the movie the dialogue is missing, the acting is horrible and there is zero chemistry between the characters (maybe because they don’t know who they are supposed to be?). The only decent actor Dev Patel as prince Zuko has barely any dialogue. Aang is supposed to be a smart funny kid… but Noah Ringer looks like a sad depressed little boy, ok his martial arts skills were pretty good but the overall effect was not at all pleasing. None of the characters were believable and the bending… that was a joke! And what reallyyyy annoyed me was how they were pronouncing the names of the characters (Sakka is Sokka and so on)…you could at least get that right!

Ok so the acting was bad, you expect the story to pull the movie together or make it at least bearable but it seemed like chunks of scenes from the series (all 20 episodes) haphazardly put together and coming from someone as renowned as M. Night Shyamalan (6th sense) I for one definitely had higher expectations. The screen play, direction and CGI all of it was horrible to say the least.

watch trailer HERE

Knight and Day(2010)**

Two Stars!Yes That many stars for the biggest blockbuster to show...well atleast at our local cinemas this summer.
See Trailer:



Trailer is awesome,isnt it?
Makes you want to run to the cinema and watch the film.Plus it plays a Muse song in the background(Uprising-Amazing song,but then all muse songs are). How could I resist it?
Turned out, I could have resisted it! very easily too.

The Plot of the movie revolves around Tom Cruise character,Roy, a rogue C.I.A agent agent safeguarding a priceless battery...Yes, you heard that right: a BATTERY!
Ok well its a tiny battery created by wacky inventor Simon Feck (Dano) that is apparently "the first perpetual energy source since the sun." Tom C is saving it from unspecified foreign bad guys who speak immaculate English one minute,then lapse into "where iz deee batteree" when their cover is blown.
Joining Tom Cruise in this epic action/comedy is Peter Sarsgaard, Viola Davis, Paul Dano and Jordi Molla and ofcorse the Female lead,and the Bubbly blonde extrodinaire, Cameron Diaz as June Havens.

Throughout the movie the plot spins out of control with June and Roy getting tangled up in the whole saving-the-battery drama and keeps the viewers engrossed though banal dialogue and gun action thrown here and there.
The movie also keeps changing locations every fifteen minutes.So you get to see scenes shot in Boston! Salzburg! Seville! AND some un-named exotic islands.


The movie has everything that a summer blockbuster needs; car chases, motor cycle chases, gun battles, hand to hand fighting, exotic locales…Tom Cruise acts his usual annoying/charming self and Cameroz Diaz as the perfect damsel in distress who keeps getting herself into trouble and waiting for her “Knight” without any shiny Armour to rescue her.
Good for a one time watch.Will provide a few laughs here and there too, thanks to Cameron Diaz Ditzy blonde act.

Although the story line is full of action scenes , I guess the writers didn’t think us viewers deserved anything more than that; every time the good guy and the bubbly blonde are in a fix,he DRUGS her and then escapes...so we dont know how exactly he keeps escaping from high security safehouses because ,well,he drugged her when they got caught and when she wakes up, she is safe and sound after the ingenious escape.Which shows how clever the script was.Very convenient for the writers.
In the end the priceless battery somehow transforms into a bomb blowing up the bad guys helicopter in which they are escaping.
Bubbly blonde and Awesome agent get together and live happily ever after.
Oh wait did I just give away the ending?

Sorry,my bad, but you knew that already didn’t you? It’s a feel good movie.So it was supposed to end like that :P



P.S. Tom Cruise is OLD! Even that shirtless six-pack scene wouldn't make me drool over him.And thats just Sad!Mostly he looked like a creepy-middle-aged guy.So I guess Cameron D suited him just fine with all her own wrinkles.

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2010) ****

Rating: PG-13


Why did I watch the movie? Primarily because the hero (Jake Gyllenhaal) is adooraabbblleeee!!! And as a kid the wobbly acrobats of the prince on a 4.86 pc fascinated me. So here I am reviewing a movie which has been vastly under-rated by most critics. Fine the movie doesn’t completely follow the story from the video game…but then again what movie actually stays true to its inspiration? At the same time this one doesn’t go too far off… so all you prince of Persia fans can breathe easy.

Before you begin watching the epic adventures of the Prince of Persia, shed all your preconceived notions and be ready to be taken on a CGI aided action ride through the sands of time.

The story revolves around Dastan (Jake Gyllenhaal) adopted by the King of Persia from the streets of Nasaf. The action begins when Dastan over-riding the orders of his brothers Garsive (Toby Kebbell) and Tus (Richard Coyle) takes into his own hands the conquest of the Holy city of Alamut, only to find out that the motive behind the attack was false and fabricated in order to attain something far more valuable: the mystical dagger of Sands of Time. The princess Tamina (Gemma Arterton) of Alamut has vowed to protect the dagger, a gift from the gods, from falling into the wrong hands. Amidst this treason is committed and the King is murdered, the blame of which lands on Dastan. From there on begins the journey of the Prince and the Princess together to both protect the dagger and the world, and to clear Dastan’s name. What unfolds is a captivating story of treachery, deceit, romance and self discovery.

The movie is a whirlwind of high profile action and breath taking stunts. Disney productions in collaboration with director Mike Newell have brought forth a thoroughly entertaining epic adventure which is a must watch.

Prince of Persia Official Disney Website: http://adisney.go.com/disneypictures/princeofpersia/
Prince of Persia Film Official Movie Trailer HD

Spartacus: Blood and Sand - Season 1 ****

For Starters,’ Spartacus; Blood and Sand’ can be loosely termed as a cross between “Gladiator” and “300”, claimed by the producers to be ‘the boldest and bloodiest series’ to ever hit the TV screens, and lives true to the claims.

The plot of this tv series revolves around a thracian warrior who commits with Rome to fight against Getae (who used to strike their homes, rape women etc etc), later he goes against the Romans and is captured and is sent to Rome as a slave to be slaughtered by Gladiators in Blood Games. In a series of events, all other thracians fall yet one remains, killing all the gladiators in the arena & earning the title of “The one who defies death” and is given the name Spartacus.

The second major character enters in this point of series; He is Lentalus Baitiatus, the head of Ludus of Baitiatus, a school of gladiators. He sees Spartacus as a good investment and purchases him. The story moves ahead and Spartacus’s fame grew and he becomes the champion of Capua. The rest of the plot moves around the walls of Ludus of Baitiatus where friendships are made, Champions fall, nobles slaughtered, gladiators murdered. Infact one finds everything there; love, sex, jealousy,slaughter, treason, friendship, slavery, respect and death.

Generally the storyline of this series seems to be a bit weak and quite predictable, but here is where the cast and characters step up and do their part. The acting by the major characters is no less than fantastic and all of them do full justice with their characters. The major characters that stand out are Spartacus (The Thracian warrior turned Gladiator turned Champion of Cupua), Lentalus Baitiatus (Head of Ludus of Baitiatus, trying to make ends meet and entering the senate), Lucretia (Wife of Baitiatus, admires Crixus (another gladiator) and longs for a child), Crixus (Champion of Campua who lost his title, extends favor to lady of the ludas, loves Lucretia’s house slave), Ilithya (Wife of Glaber, who captured Spartacus and sold off his wife Sura) and Ashur (once a Gladiator, crippled by Crixus in the Arena, now handles accounts for the ludus)

With high volumes of blood rich action sequences and heavy dosage of soft porn within the series, one feels to be engrossed in these two but that’s not the case. With all the blood flowing on sand, gore curses and naked bodies making love constantly, the message shown is the roman way of life and roman thought process.

The series comprises of 13 episodes, the earlier episodes a bit difficult to digest, but once you have seen 3 episodes you are glued to this show. As for the next season, the shooting was scheduled to start months back was delayed by the news that the main lead Andy Whitfield (Spartacus) has contracted cancer. What a cliché, the person nicknamed as ‘The one who defies Death has cancer’. However, the producers taking advantage of time in hand and public demand have shot a 6 episode prequel to season 1, which doesn’t make sense to me at all but looking forward to it when it is aired.

A good series to have in the midst of non realistic gossip girls, entourages and other uptown crap. Great Sets, Beautiful woman, blood bathing warriors, Simply Awesome!

P.S. Viewers are kindly reminded to watch this series at their own risk and we further request not to get carried away and try any of the horrendous stuff showed in Spartacus Blood and Sand

Dorian Gray (2009) ****

Oscar Wilde’s ‘The picture of Dorian Gray’ (1890) comes to life yet again in Technicolor, bringing forth the horrors of a corrupt mortal soul in a society governed by vanity, lust and greed. (Sound familiar?)


The movie tells the story of a young beautiful man Dorian Gray (Ben Barnes) whose life changes drastically on his arrival in Victorian London, where he has inherited an estate left to him by his deceased grandfather. Dorian’s relationship with his grandfather unfolds gradually through a series of flashbacks throughout the movie, reflecting the torment he had to face as a child and the ongoing inner conflict of morality vs. corruption as he is led into a world of debauchery under the guidance of Henry Wotton (Colin Firth), a calculating amoral man. Dorian meets Henry through Basil Hallward (Ben Chaplin) an artist who in his obsession with Dorian’s beauty paints his best work: a portrait of Dorian. Captivated by his own good looks Dorian’s wishes for eternal youth, agreeing to sell his soul to the devil for it, his wish is granted. While the world around him grows old he is eternally young, pursuing a life preached to him by Wotton ‘fulfillment of the senses’. Throughout his escapades of lust, violence and moral degradation Dorian remains youth full, while the portrait Basil painted disfigures, revealing the reality of his soul. The story comes to a climax when Dorian finally finds true love, Lady Victoria (Emilia Fox) daughter of Henry Wotton.

Directed by Oliver Parker, the movie will take you on a dark-gothic surreal journey, which will leave you questioning the reality that surrounds us and our obsession with vanity. It’s a brilliant take on the original whether you watch it purely for entertainment purposes or leave with a lesson or two in toe.

watch trailer HERE