June 23, 2002

Made in heaven
If you believe in love or you are in love then My big fat Greek wedding is the movie for you. This romantic comedy is about a Greek-American wedding and all the ups and downs that go with it.

Struggling with her heritage and cultural identity, Toula (Nia Vardalos) a young Greek-American woman, encounters more problems as she finds herself falling in love. The dilemma is that the man she has lost her heart to is not a Greek. Toula’s father is a conservative restaurant-owner and it is his wish that all his children marry into Greek families. When he discovers that his favourite daughter plans to marry outside their community, he is enraged. The story from there develops a fast pace. Even the fact that Ian (Toula’s boyfriend) is a vegetarian, makes things difficult for the inseparable couple.

The movie’s message; marriages made in heaven can overcome all odds. An enjoyable movie for all ages. —N.M.

The Najavo code
Windtalkers focuses on two Navajo Indians who were recruited in the US Marines in 1942, and were trained by the military to use a secret code, based on their native language.

Before US forces are set to invade the Japanese island of Saipan in June of 1942, Marines Joe Enders (Nicholas Cage) and Ox Anderson (Christian Slater) are given special assignments. Their job is to protect the new codetalkers, Ben Yahzee (Adam Beach) and Charlie Whitehorse (Roger Willie). They are ordered to ensure their safety ‘at all costs’, and though it is not said, we are made to assume that both the soldiers are to be killed if captured by the enemy. And when battle appraches, Enders is faced with the rather predictable dilemma of deciding Yazee’s fate.

Windtalkers is inspired by true events but unfortunately, the film does not focus enough on the Navajo experience or the code, and instead places too much emphasis on Enders’ inner turmoil. Director John Woo pulls out every Navajo trait including ritualistic flute playing and mystical burials. The most interesting aspect of the film is the working of the code and watching it go into effect, from its boot-camp development stage to the language being used over the battle field radios to encode messages. With its rich subject matter, Windtalkers should have been a fascinating film, but director John Woo churns out the age old saga of how the white man had to deal with the Navajo in WWII, rather than the other way round. —H.Q.K.