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REVIEWSPREVIEWS: Adaptation
Adaptation is an extremely engaging and pleasing movie that director Spike Jonez and writers Charlie and Donald Kaufman have cultivated into a fine work of art. Its major assets are its screenplay, slick direction and engrossing performances.
Screenwriter Charlie Kaufman (Nicholas Cage) is engulfed by insecurities, both in his career and his personal life, even after the success of his screenplay Being John Malkovich. He suffers from the worst condition any writer could ever experience and this happens to him when he is being hired to adapt The orchid thief as a screenplay for a movie. This non-fiction book is about a fanatical orchid horticulturist, John Laroche (Chris Cooper) written by Susan Orlean (Meryl Streep) which narrates his flower poaching adventures in Florida, but at the same time it is also about experiencing passion. While Charlie is working on this project, his twin brother Donald (also played by Nicholas Cage) decides to become a writer too. He comes up with a mind-blowing idea of a serial killer with a multiple personality disorder and luckily, Donald’s script sells immediately. This further frustrates Charlie. One fateful day, Charlie has a new inspiration and he decides to write the script about Laroche and Orleans the way he wants. From here, the story shapes up in a new way effecting all the four leading characters.
Adaptation is no doubt a very confusing and difficult movie. One might fail to understand the story in the first viewing. But looking at it the other way, this is also a very difficult script to write, direct and to act and not everyone could have done it the way the people related to the movie have. One actor who seems to be winning most of the laurels for his performance is Nicholas Cage. He plays identical twins who have completely different personalities, and after watching them on screen, one can easily distinguish between these two, and your solo guide is Cage’s superb skill of portraying them both. On the whole the movie, in a word, is fantastic. Potential viewers are advised to read a little about its background before going for it.—Azeem Haider
Anita and me
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The latest British Asian flick Anita and me, based on the best selling novel by Meera Syal, can be enjoyed both by kids and teenagers.As the daughter of the only Punjabi family in a small village in England in the early ‘70s, Meena (Chandeep Uppal) has a very confused character. She feels a little embarrassed by her family traditions as she cannot find anyone else in her village to do what her family does, but at the same time she enjoys herself in family gatherings. Anita Rutter (Anna Brewster) the most outrageous and sassy blonde in town, who runs a gang called “the wenches” comes across Meena. Meena starts idolizing her and tries very hard to be accepted as a good friend by Anita. Finally, she manages to win her attention and the duo become good friends.
But Meena now faces some new problems. She feels very insecure on the arrival of a baby brother and her mother insists that she not meet Anita again. The story takes another turn when some misunderstanding arises between the two friends and they are no longer on talking terms.
Like previous British Asian hits Bend it like Beckham and East is east, Anita and me is also popular in the UK. The performances of all the characters are good and both the new girls (Chandeep Uppal and Anna Brewster) manage to impress. But the film is slow at times and the period shown in the movie (the 1970s) also makes it difficult to relate with the characters. The film should be lauded for its humorous scenes, and the way in which the director has handled the character of a confused child borders on perfection.—A.H.
Deliver us from Eva
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Shakespeare goes African American in Deliver us from Eva, a fun, fresh tale of three men who pay a ladies man Ray (LL Cool J) $5,000 to romance their shrewish, interfering sister-in-law Eva (Gabrielle Union). Eva is a very jagged little pill. Bossy, derisive and condescending, she makes the Bard’s Kate look positively cordial. LL is perfectly cast as the suave, charming Casanova who sweeps her off her feet. Once Ray’s attraction becomes real — as it inevitably does in a Hollywood romance — the tale turns more Mills & Boon than classic literature.Rapper-actor LL, whose duet All I have with Jennifer Lopez is currently making radio waves, is billed on this movie by his real name (Ladies Love Cool) James Todd Smith. He effortlessly portrays the charmer and it’s not difficult to imagine uptight Union falling for him. Unfortunately, Union, best known for her teen flicks She’s all that and Bring it on, is more of an attitude than a person in this film. In order to convey the shrew, she’s all that and more! However, both leads have chemistry and a flick can’t go wrong when it’s loosely based on a Shakespearean plot. Still, when the overly contrived last third comes on, you might want to be “delivered” from Deliver us from Eva.—T. U. Dawood
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