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Reviews Previews
The Interpreter
Like the obvious jump cuts during Nicole Kidman’s first dialogue with Sean Penn, where any keen-eyed spectator can notice Ms Kidman’s evened-out locks sometime covering her right eye, while sometimes not, The Interpreter, engulfed in its own adventurousness to be a Hitchcockian thriller, sans wit, is an excursion into raillery. A wasted opportunity credited by a who’s who of Hollywood, where frenetic people on cell phones and three-piece suits confront political possibilities.
The movie is inflated with enough discrepancies to fill an entire floor of the UN building, which is cinematographed with an alluring cleanliness of antiseptic third-world decision-making, with Kidman’s solitude being the only beacon of light, capable of addressing the problems in Africa, where she is from.
In the film’s opening sequence Kidman’s character, an interpreter armed with an African American accent, who is also a whiz at depicting accurate Ku (a language spoken in a fictitious African country, Motobo) overhears a whispered plot to assassinate the saviour–turned–genocidal leader of the country, who is about to address the UN General Assembly in New York City. When she relates this to the authorities, we get to meet Tobin Keller (Penn) a US federal agent, who himself is thrust into a role of impassive furrowed looks and a flimsy background story.
Sydney Pollack’s handling of the situation is between adequacy and apathy, often utilizing elements of a breakneck–paced script to make up for its chasm of inconsistencies.—M. Kamran Jawaid
Mind Your Language
British serial Mind Your Language, the first and only sitcom with a cosmopolitan cast, is now out on DVD. It starred the late Barry Evans as Jeremy Brown, who teaches English at a college of further education to a handful of foreign nationals, who can barely speak a word of the language between them. It was a worldwide cult hit primarily because of its simplicity, filled with laughter at every minute and mayhem ruling the scenario.
And what else can one expect from a class, which has students with a variety of problems! There’s a German lady who seems to think she is the best in the class; a Greek who says ‘sheeps’ when he means ship; a Spaniard who loves to be the teacher’s pet and the class jester at the same time; an Indian lady who knits sweaters in school and speaks Hindi in English class; a Chinese woman who follows Chairman Mao and his teachings; a Japanese who believes Japan is the most advanced nation in the world; an Italian who loves to cook and impress the female students; an Indian Sikh who fails to even fail; a French beauty who flirts at all times, even with the mild-mannered Mr Brown, and a Pakistani who might seem dumb but is in fact the smartest of the idiotic lot, thanks to his Urdu-medium English and simple nature! The cast isn’t complete without the mention of Miss Courtney, the night-school principal who makes Mr Brown’s life miserable.
The Best of Mind Your Language is available on DVD for the first time in the series’ 27-year-old history. It contains 14 of the best episodes from the serial’s first season. The 4-DVD box set is available everywhere and is a must-see for all those who range between 10-70 years of age, as it has a lot to offer from ‘Jolly Good’, ‘A Thousand Apologies’, ‘Porfabor’ and best of all … ‘Professori’! —Omair Alavi
Hitch
Hitch is probably Will Smith’s best comedy performance to date and along with his other recent hit I, Robot, it is bound to help him further climb the ladder on the Hollywood ‘A’ list.
Alex ‘Hitch’ Hitchens (Will Smith) is a “date doctor” who helps guys woo the ladies of their dreams through carefully planned moves and date manoeuvres. Hitch’s latest client is Albert (Kevin James), a klutzy accountant with a huge crush on millionaire celeb Allegra Cole (Amber Valletta). Albert enlists Hitch’s help to get cozy with Allegra because he realizes she may otherwise be well out of his league. Hitch guides Albert through a series of dates with Allegra, ultimately culminating in love between the two.
On the personal front, Hitch is besotted by gossip columnist Sara Melas (Eva Mendes) and applies every trick in his book to sweep her off her feet. However, Sara goes ballistic when she finds out that Hitch is actually New York’s famous date doctor. Does she eventually come around and do they finally patch up their relationship?
While Hitch is generally an enjoyable flick, its last quarter qualifies as the weakest, with artists appearing to have run out of dialogues. That said, it initially spends just the right amount of time in building up characters. Will Smith’s amusing cracks put the movie in pleasantly light gear. Smith and Mendes successfully spark intimate chemistry in every frame like an olive and a toothpick and are almost perfectly cast for the respective roles. All in all, Hitch is a crowd-pleaser and a romantic comedy you shouldn’t miss.—Taimur Saleem
Music Box
Rock the block
One-and-a-half years ago Karan Johar entered the film industry and not only dropped three box office hits but also three ‘universal’ blockbusters: Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham and Kal Ho Na Ho. This time he’s back with a bang with Kaal, written and directed by rookie Soham Shah. Though this is a ‘songless’ thriller, the soundtrack still rocks (only one song is featured in the film).
The album starts with Tauba Tauba sung by Sunidhi Chauhan, Riche Sharma, Sonu Nigam and Kunal Gangawalla. This Hindi-cum-Punjabi song with bits of rap is sure to set the music charts on fire. If one thought that this is one hell of an item song, think again. Kaal Dhamaal, the actual item number of the movie, features the sultry Malaika Arora-Khan and Bollywood baadshah Shahrukh Khan. The song and its title complement each other fairly well. The song comes in three versions. The first being the original and the other two being the Jungle Mix and the Tiger Mix, which is bound to roar itself on top of the music charts. Out of all three, the Jungle Mix is the best. Kunal Gangawalla has clearly come a long way since Murder.
If you thought Pretty Woman in Kal Ho Na Ho was a great adaptation of Roy Orbison’s English version well, here is another. This time it’s Survivor’s Eye of the Tiger from the ‘80s hit film Rocky, which leads to Kailash Kher’s Man Teriya Ve. This track completes the list and gives you one great party album.
The intentions of Karan Johar and Soham Shah are quite clear: they are here to entertain the masses and set the dance floor on fire. This combo of Indian, Punjabi, English rap and Sufi music should rule the music charts for the foreseeable future. Apart from this there is a surprise: the Dharma Mix. A compilation of all the Dharma hits from Kuch Kuch Hota Hai to Kal Ho Na Ho in one song. If you thought remixes were bad, think again. Where else will you get all your favourite songs in one?
The music of Kaal falls into the sane genre as Dhoom and Musafir, but is better and somewhat catchier. If you prefer soft, romantic tunes, this one’s not for you. But it’s a must have for all the party-goers out there and those who love fusion. On the whole this is one rocking album.
—Zoha Tapia
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