September 4, 2003

FILM
Hollywood’s never been known to be very faithful to the original source when transporting a literary text to the big screen, but you would think that it would be unimaginable to make a movie about Sinbad without including Baghdad, Basra, Khalifa Haroon al Rashid, or any of the familiar elements that make up the 1,001 Nights tales. However, the animated Sinbad: Legend Of The Seven Seas manages the impossible and removes all references to Middle East or Arabian/Muslim culture and replaces them with some quasi-Greek backdrop. Now Sinbad hails from Syracuse not Baghdad and whatever religion he may follow it certainly is not Islam. Maybe Donald Rumsfeld and Dick Cheney thought that having a movie with a Muslim heroic adventurer hailing from Baghdad would somehow have a negative impact on their own heroic efforts for peace in the Middle East and instructed the film’s producers accordingly.

Or perhaps the plan is to re-name Baghdad as Syracuse once the re-mapping of the Middle East is completed. Whatever the reason, the Sinbad in this movie is definitely not the Sinbad I grew up with — so why not just give him another name? However, having said all that, the movie itself is a whole lot of fun with action, adventure, thrills, humour, and some great animation. There are even variations on Sinbad’s adventures with the whale and the Roc. Too bad the movie sank at the box-office. Featuring the voices of Brad Pitt, Michelle Pfeiffer, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Joseph Fiennes.— Khusro Mumtaz

 

OR
Bad Boys II is a rude, crude, unintelligent (as in as dumb as George W.), loud, louder, loudest, and long — really, really, reaaaaaaalllly long at almost two-and-a-half hours but it felt even longer — movie. And did I mention it’s really, really LOUD? They pumped up the volume but forgot the content. It’s the kind of movie which even other dumb summer action flicks can look down upon. Will Smith and Martin Lawrence reprise their roles from the first Bad Boys movie as Miami cops and director Michael Bay is back as well but whereas the first movie had a rough charm this one has none. Some of the comedy scenes do get a laugh but they are more like stand-up routines rather than integral to the plot. I don’t expect much from dumb summer action movies but at least a semblance of a plot might be nice. — K.M

 

SINGLE
Ever since the release of smash single In Da Club, 50 Cents has been ruling the hip-hop world. His innovative use of grooves and backbeats is one of the most exciting things in the industry today. Now, with follow up single, 21 Questions, the IT-man shows his softer side. This tender, romantic number reveals his vulnerability and heart. The repetitive chorus echoes the star’s insecurities: “Girl...It’s easy to love me now,” he sings, “Would you love me if I was down and out?/Would you still have love for me?”

Whether he’s playing the mack or genuine, the silky background chords and the drop-down beat are so cool, you won’t even care. Handy Nate Dogg plays sidekick on this track, crooning the chorus in his signature style. Dirty Swift does the hook-laden production — supervised by Dr Dre — making 21 Questions very mainstream and substantially different from 50 Cents’ earlier, more underground work.

As you sing along to this catchy track, it’s clear 50 Cents is straight up hot. The single also has a cool, club remix that’s worth checkin’ out. Definitely a million dollar effort from the small change man. — T. U. Dawood

 

ALBUM
Adnan Sami is just getting bigger and bigger (please excuse the pun). This large-sized singer has such a wealth of talent that even though his latest CD Always Yours is a remix of his previous hit album Kabhi Tau Nazar Milao, it’s so original and fresh, it’s like a new body of work. A definite album for your collection, Always Yours is filled with gems. The “filmi” remix of Lift Karadey is currently ruling tapori charts, but even better is the smooth, silky new version of Barsaat. Once you listen to this cool saxophone spun single, you’ll find it hard to believe it’s the same vibe that was reggae inspired in the original and reggae versions!!!

There are also instrumental versions of Pyar Bina and Bheega Mausam. The former is even more melancholy once stripped of its vocals. With Kabhi Tau Nazar Milao, however, the vocals have been replaced by a flute. While this sounds a bit unwise, the result is actually pretty cool. Although it is fun to listen to the remixes, it only whets one’s appetite to hear Sami’s new original work when he releases his next album.— T. U. D

 

OR
Despite their relatively few great songs, Jane’s Addiction has a cult following that has been loyal throughout the years. However, objectively speaking, most of the time their cool name was sadly superior to their sound. Formed in LA in the mid-eighties, the quartet lucratively mixed up art-rock before they split up. Singer Perry Farrell then came up with the brilliant idea of the Lollapalooza festival — which was a smash hit— but didn’t do much else. Guitarist Dave Navarro, however, spent a token couple of years in the Red Hot Chili Peppers, before the band regrouped to make some green with a reunion tour eight years back. Now, the group has reunited for a proper comeback with their new album Strays.

Their third true Jane’s Addiction CD, Strays doesn’t stray far from their strategy of reclaiming their fame and success. Now managed by gurus Sanctuary, Jane’s Addiction really “brings it” to the tracks on this disc, particularly on singles Just Because and True Nature. These well-made anthemic songs recall U2 and are far more commercial than most of the band’s previous work. Additionally, ballad Everybody’s Friend is surprisingly quite good, and funky The Wrong Girl is also worth checking out. The strength of this CD might make listening to Jane’s Addiction soon become an addictive habit for us all. — T. U. D

 

WEBSITE
Alternative treatments are getting popular day by day. Music, dance, and colour therapies are among some of the most talked of treatments. The site www.colourtherapyhealing.com is a portal that colourfully describes almost every aspect of colour therapy and also lists some of its amazing facts. Colour has a profound effect on us at all levels; physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. We are in a world where colour dominates our lives, from reading signs on the road to identifying ripe fruit by its colour — yet we do not realize the importance of colours to certain internal parts of our body.

The site aims at explaining how some internal portions of body require certain kind of wavelengths of colours to function properly. Other than describing the nature of all the seven colours the site also highlights how some particular colours affect our moods for e.g., blue is calming, red can make us tense, and so on. From balancing our energy levels to attaining physical, emotional, or mental stability, or simply as a relaxation therapy, colour therapy can provide results.— Azeem Haider

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