March 11, 2004

FILM
House Of Sand And Fog, based on the best-seller by Andre Dubus II, is a devastatingly sad movie in which many lives are caught in a maelstrom set in motion by a bureaucratic mistake and compounded by human frailties and character faults. Kathy (Jennifer Connelly), a recovering alcoholic whose husband has left her, has her house taken away from her by the State of California for non-payment of business taxes even though she’s never owned a business. She needs the house as a means of hanging on to her identity and to the memory of her father who left the property to her and her brother. However, Iranian emigre Massoud Bahrami (Ben Kingsley), an ex-air force Colonel and formerly of the Shah’s inner coterie, buys the Northern California beach-view property in an auction before the State can rectify its mistake. He needs the house as a means of restoring his family’s pride and fading wealth and to secure a comfortable future for his wife, Naderah (Shohreh Aghdashloo) and his son, Esmail (Jonathan Ahdout). Both Kathy and Massoud now have an equal moral claim on the house but which one will budge? We cannot take sides because there is no simple answer to the quandary and we understand and sympathise with both characters and their very human weaknesses. Complicating matters even further is the presence of Deputy Sheriff Lester Burdon (Ron Eldard) who at first appears to be Kathy’s saviour knight but turns out to be perhaps the weakest character of them all. This is a heart-breaking movie full of subtleties and layers about flawed people caught in events spiralling increasingly out of their control. The performances are uniformly brilliant and Kingsley (Best Actor) and Aghadashloo (Best Supporting Actress) have been rewarded with Oscar nominations. Connelly is as good (if not better) and in my opinion deserved a nomination herself.— Khusro Mumtaz

 

OR
If you need a frothy pick-me-up (and you will after watching House Of Sand And Fog) then let me recommend Love Actually as the ideal cheerer-upper. First-time director Richard Curtis has written quite a few successful romantic comedies (Four Weddings And A Funeral, Notting Hill, Bridget Jones’ Diary) and now he goes behind the camera as well for this latest effort that follows about a dozen different love stories (many of them barely connected) to give us an idea about the many different facets of love — including its bittersweet nature. Some of the stories are less successful than others (which is quite understandable considering their sheer number) and many romantic comedy cliches abound but there’s enough here that works quite well indeed so that you’ll be smiling through most of the movie. The large cast is generally quite excellent but the stand-outs are Hugh Grant as a bachelor Prime Minister of England, Laura Linney as a shy, self-sacrificing office-worker with a crush on a colleague, Emma Thompson as a housewife with a potentially unfaithful husband, and Billy Nighy (who almost steals the movie) as an aging rocker on the comeback trail. Others in the cast include Colin Firth, Alan Rickman, Keira Knightley, Billy Bob Thornton and Liam Neeson. — K.M

 

CLASSIC FILM
Guru Dutt was responsible for three of the best movies ever to come out of mainstream Hindi/Urdu Indian cinema. Following Pyasa (1957) and Kaagaz Ke Phool (1959) came Sahib, Bibi Aur Ghulam (1962), the best and most complete movie of the three. Based on Bimal Mitra’s Bengali novel, it takes a searing look at the misogynistic decadence of India’s pre-partition feudal elite. Beautifully photographed in black & white and boasting a stunning performance from Meena Kumari as the neglected Choti Bahu of the feudal household where Bhootnath (Guru Dutt) comes to work, SBG is a touching, layered work. It also features absolutely brilliant songs by composer Hemant Kumar and lyricist Shakeel Badayuni. Dutt’s frequent screen-writing collaborator Abrar Alvi was given official credit for directing but by most accounts it was Guru Dutt himself who guided the movie. Available in video shops and on DVD/VCD n Pakistan. —K.M

 

SINGLE
Kylie Minogue’s latest single Red Blooded Woman from her new Body Language CD is so steamy even the windows of her car at the beginning of the video are fogged up. From the first beat, the track will have you hooked and in no time humming along to the chorus.

Unlike her previous release the disappointing and near comatose Slow, Red Blooded Woman has Minogue’s signature perfect combination of infectious tune and sexy lyrics. It’s far more provocative than the simple Can’t Get You Out of My Head and Locomotion for which she is most famous!

With numerous costume changes (even one that takes place in the steamy car), Minogue underscores that she still has in spades that Boom Boom Britney Spears proudly sings and brags about. — T. U. Dawood

 

ALBUM
The “sweetest” band in the world — the Sugababes — go sophisticated on their third album Three. Mutya, Keisha and Heidi still possess an uncanny ability to create a chart-topping hit with seemingly minimal effort.

First single Hole In The Head is a wildly addictive, sassy track that is quintessential ‘babes. The video is on constant airplay and the track was a wise choice for first single. Other noteworthy songs on the album include the Round Round-like hip-shaker In The Middle, and the bootleg Whatever Makes You Happy that samples effectively from the Sly Fox classic Let’s Go All The Way.

Three also features some melancholy, moody numbers including Too Lost In You and Caught In a Moment. While these songs are OK, they lack the punch of their funkier, sassier singles. The babelicious candy girls find more success on their funk rock track We Could Have It All which features some killer backbeats and the innovative part funky, part sweet upbeat single Twisted.

Despite being a more “grown-up” sound and an impressive effort, this third CD features no runaway tunes. Even the phat Hole In The Head is no Freak Like Me. Hence, the ‘babes are sweet but they won’t give you a toothache. — T. U. D

 

WEBSITE
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