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Reviewspreviews
The West Wing
The West Wing is more than your ordinary series. The show was originally supposed to be about Rob Lowe’s character, Sam Seaborn, but it was the president that everybody wanted to watch. This doesn’t mean that there aren't any exciting characters on this show — in fact this show is probably more character-driven than any other shows around.
Martin Sheen stars as Josiah ‘Jed’ Bartlet, the president of the United States. This is not the first time Sheen has portrayed a US president, but after seeing him in this role, you will not forget this particular portrayal. Bradley Whitford’s character, Josh Lyman, is fast-talking and very outspoken. Toby Ziegler personifies pessimism in a quirky way as Richard Schiff does a brilliant job on that character. Alison Janney stars as the White House Press Secretary and she too has her funny and confused character moments. Chief of staff Leo McGarry (the late John Spencer), often helps president Bartlet tackle many difficult political issues, and is also his best friend.
At the very heart of the show is the original American philosophy: the power of reason will bring about the solution to every problem. Granted that doesn't happen in real life, it’s good to know that the idea can work ‘fictionally.’ And that’s what The West Wing does — it gives us hope. The first season’s DVD box set comes with commentaries and deleted scenes, and although this isn’t enough for regular box sets, the show more than makes up for the lack of special features. A definite must-have.
— Khaver Siddiqi
The Last SamuraiThe Last Samurai is a Samurai epic set in19th century Japan, where Tom Cruise plays Nathan Algren, an American Civil War veteran who is hired to train the country’s first army in the art of modern warfare. Directed by Edward Zwick, it is based on a story by John Logan and also features Ken Watanabe as Katsumoto.
During one of the epic battles between the army and the ancient imperial Samurai, Algren is captured but finds himself unexpectedly influenced by his encounters with the Samurai, which places him in the wake of the Meiji Restoration in the empire of Japan between 1876 and 1877. He sympathises with the Samurai, adopts the Samurai code and finally switches sides for a climactic battle that places his honour to the ultimate test.
Impressive in all aspects of its production and getting nominated for two Oscars, The Last Samurai is a contemporary of The Gladiator and was released in a two-disc must-buy edition recently, which features bonuses such as audio commentary, deleted scenes, the original theatrical trailer and documentaries like The History Channel’s History vs. Hollywood: The Last Samura’ and Edward Zwick: Director’s Video Journal, which take the viewers behind the scenes through the eyes of the director. — Omair Alavi
Cheaper by the Dozen 2Steve Martin and Bonnie Hunt return with their 12 children in tow, without any improvement and with a lot of head on collision with disaster in Cheaper by the Dozen 2.
Tom Baker, engulfed in the empty nest syndrome, packs off the whole family together on a last lakeside family vacation to spend quality time together before the older ones leave home.
The tranquility of the vacation is disrupted by Tom’s old arch rival, Jack (Eugene Levy), who, with eight children of his own and his young wife, Sarina (Carmen Electra) is the richer, more disciplined neighbour. Naturally, Tom doesn’t want Jack anywhere near him or his family.
As the competitive side gets the best of Tom and Jack, it forces their families in an overzealous training regiment to show the other down — with their eyes clearly fixed on the family championship. Adding fuel to the fire, two of the baker kids, Charlie and Sarah (Tom Welling and Alyson Stone) can’t resist fraternising with the enemy to the blatant displeasure of the fathers.
This is a film filled with old jokes and painful slapstick situations which can barely make viewers stay awake. But otherwise it does fulfill the need for that certain imbecility which is somehow a prerequisite for a film like this. — Farheen Jawaid
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