October 13, 2002

Banger sisters

When the world of an aging groupie who can’t forget the past, collides with the world of her ex-best friend and partner-in-crime, both learn the value of living for the moment. The Banger Sisters is a piece of light fluff which gives you a chance to see what happened to those ‘60s and ‘70s groupies years after their rock and roll days are over.

Does that uninhibited spirit ever really go away? For Suzette (Goldie Hawn), not a chance. She’s one hard-partying, old-time groupie who never really gave up the life but simply eased into a different pair of skin-tight pants. When she gets fired from her bartending job, however, Suzette is forced to do some soul-searching — and figure out a way to get some cash. Her solution? Go to Arizona and look up her old pal Vinnie (Susan Sarandon), whom she hasn’t seen in 20 years. Suzette has a way of changing a person’s perspective and eventually reminds Vinnie how much fun life can be, while Vinnie shows Suzette how it may be time to finally grow up.

With a story about aging rock groupies who come back together again, The Banger Sisters won’t be bringing in the teenagers but will definitely appeal to the older lot. —Hafsa Khan

The four feathers

Indian director Shekher Kapur’s The Four Feathers has failed to rise to expectations. A movie set in the desert starring people with British accents, may seem like a sure bet in the office Oscar pool, but its execution shows how sadly overdone it is.

Meet a group of jolly lads who are about to be shipped off to Sudan to fight for the Queen and country. Lieutenant Harry Faversham (Heath Ledger) is a chicken—in the cowardly sense—and when he resigns his commission with the British army on the eve of his regiment’s departure for Sudan, his friends and fiancee give him four white feathers to tell him they know he’s a coward. Thirty minutes into the film we don’t know exactly why Harry is afraid to go to war or why the British are in Sudan in the first place. Two long hours later we still remain in the dark. We do, however, see Harry trot off to the Sudan to overcome the shame of his cowardice, pose as an Arab and try to protect the members of his former regiment in secret. We see Harry protect an enslaved native princess from the overseer’s whip. We see him save lives in the film’s big battle scene, where the British, greatly outnumbered, fight bravely and with necessary stiff upper lip against the “Mohammedan fanatics” who set upon them in true Braveheart fashion. In short, it is chivalry personafied to a sickening extent.

The Four Feathers is an adaptation of a drama. It has been remade no less than five times for the big screen (1915, 1921, 1929, 1939 and 2002) and at least once for TV (1977), and this latest version does nothing to capture our imagination. Last but not the least this movie leaves a lot of questions unanswered for the viewers. —Nazia Mirza

Stealing Harvard

Trust Tom Green and his productions to outmatch any sick Hollywood saga. Remember Freddie got fingered and Road Trip; those movies were really sick. Anyway, he seems to be making up for his ‘mistakes’ with Stealing Harvard which is a touch better than the rest.

John Issacs stars as Joe, who along with his girlfriend Adriana has just finished saving 30,000 dollars for a new house, which the couple is hoping to buy for their upcoming marriage. Disaster strikes Joe in the most awkward way. Joe’s only niece, Melanie has just been granted admission in Harvard University. As exciting as it may sound, there is only one problem — the girl’s funding is short by only, yes, 30,000 dollars and with no other person to look out for her, Joe must get the money one way or another. He can’t touch the savings because that would break Adriana’s heart, so he turns to Duff (Tom Green) who always has one brilliant plan or another that gets his friends out of trouble. The only advice he can give to Joe is to steal the money. The fun begins with the duo’s various attempts to get their hands on the moolah.

Stealing Harvard could have been more interesting but it’s still watchable. —Khurram Anis

Barbershop

Sometimes a comedy that doesn’t feature well-known comedians turns out to be a much better fare than what one usually gets from the likes of Jim Carrey and Eddie Murphy. Barbershop is one such flick that has you laughing with its refreshingly witty style.

Ice Cube, a guy more well-known for his action roles, is at the centre of the comic action in Barbershop. He plays Calvin, the owner of a small barbershop which has its crowd of regulars who come to the place more for the gossip and homely ambiance than for a haircut. The crowd is made up of odd characters who add the real spice to the story, but their world is turned upside down when Calvin sells this shop to a crafty man. Calvin wants to make it big in the world of showbiz, not as a movie star but as the owner of a recording studio that will hit the jackpot by introducing some new talent.

But Calvin soon realizes that he has made a mistake by selling off his old business and his misses his old pals. And with the new owner all set to turn the old barbershop into a hip nightclub, Calvin and the gang of quaint customers plot to get the shop back into their hands.

Rather than focusing on a single actor or slapstick action to generate the laughs, Barbershop makes use of witty and smart one-liners to tickle your funny bone. And the lack of any major actors in the cast just doesn’t bother you. The movie shows how you can still come up with wholesome entertainment on a small budget. — Ambreen Arshad