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August 12, 2004
EIGHT DAYS A WEEK
FILM
Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy is basically a bunch of Saturday Night Live-type comedy skits with a barely serviceable plot stringing them together. Some of these “skits” are really funny (as in when four characters suddenly break into a capella version of that kitschy ‘70s classic Afternoon Delight, or a subtitled “conversation” between a dog and a bear) and many are not. But a few funny skits and a few chuckles here and a few giggles there do not a real movie make and this one relies a bit too much on guest stars (most of whom you will recognize but I won’t mention them here to ruin any surprises) dropping in to induce laughter and to keep the audience’s interest from flagging.
Will Ferrell (who also co-wrote the screenplay) is the star of the show and he plays yet another one of his slightly-removed-from-reality characters – here he is a polyester-wearing, chauvinistic 1970s local TV anchorman who finds himself smitten with the new addition to his news team which previously consisted of the amusingly named Champ Kind (David Koechner), Brick Tamland (Steve Carell), and Brian Fantana (Paul Rudd). The newcomer is roving reporter Veronica Corningstone (Christina Applegate). But Veronica is not interested in adding only “diversity” to the news – she wants to anchor it. A woman anchoring the news was something unheard of in the ‘70s. It complicates matters further when Veronica finds herself attracted to Ron. Anchorman is just about watchable but certainly not as funny (or charming) as Ferrel’s earlier effort Elf.
OR
Let’s see now – is any telling of the Arthurian legends complete without including the Holy Grail, Morgan Le Fay, Mordred, the sword in the stone, the illicit romance between Lancelot and Guinevere, and the Lady of the Lake, among a whole bunch of other stuff? Well, forget all that because you won’t find any of it in King Arthur, a “re-imagining” (forget all that stuff about recently discovered archaeological evidence about Arthur in the movie’s opening titles – that’s all bunk) of the legend by producer Jerry Bruckheimer (Top Gun), director Antoine Fuqua (Training Day) and writer David Franzoni (Gladiator).
So the Knights of the Round Table become supplanted pagan “Samaritans” (coming from somewhere around the Ukraine from what I could make out) indentured to the Holy Roman Empire for a period of 15 years and allied with the blue-painted Woads (think Braveheart) against the invading Saxons (think Orcs from The Lord Of The Rings). As the Romans depart England, the seven Knights (think Seven Samurai or The Magnificent Seven) led by Arthur (Clive Owen) stay and decide to take their stand. They are joined by Guinevere (Keira Knightley) (who in this day and age of political correctness is transformed from elegant queen to Xena-Warrior Princess clone) and by Merlin (transformed from Magician to shaman-esque leader of the Woads). The battle scenes that follow are actually quite good and the acting by most of the cast is pretty good but this just isn’t any Arthur I know and the Hollywood clichés that abound don’t help the movie much. King Arthur isn’t atrocious like the Richard Gere/Sean Connery-starring First Knight of a few years ago but there’s just no magic and Camelot is supposed to be magical in many different ways.
CLASSIC FILM
Wild Strawberries (1957) is writer/director Ingmar Bergman’s bittersweet psychological character study of an aging doctor Isak Borg (played by famed Swedish film-maker Victor Sjstrm) as he looks back on his life while driving to receive an honorary degree from his former university. During his journey he meets many characters including the young Sara (Bibi Andersson) who reminds him of another Sara whom he lost when he was very young, and a bickering married couple who reflect his own past disastrous marriage.
But slowly, a realization sets in for Borg that shutting himself off from the world and his family – including his son and daughter-in-law (Ingrid Thulin) – and from the little pleasures in life (like wild strawberries), has made him into a sort of walking corpse.
His gentle reawakening even in the twilight of his life makes for an atypical warm, reaffirming and accessible Bergman movie that was hugely influential on European cinema. In Swedish with English sub-titles. Available in Pakistan on DVD.
ALBUM
Two summers ago, there was one song ruling the Pakistani mehndi scene: Addicted by Truth Hurts, off her debut disc Truthfully Speaking. This brilliant mix of western rap and desi groove was an international sensation and truly addictive music. With mixed in vocals by Lata Mangeshkar, this fusion track helped popularize East-West mixes and open up the international music scene to such acts as Punjabi MC.
Originally a protégé of Dr. Dre, Hurts has since dumped the doctor and hooked up with ace songwriter and producer Raphael Saadiq. The result: pure magic. The wonder girl has just released her latest album Ready Now and fans who are anxious to know if there are any other inspired tracks this time around, won’t be disappointed. This CD is saturated with confidence and fun. More R&B than the hip-hop sounds of Truthfully Speaking, Ready Now runs a gamut of emotions as Hurts explores the craziness of love with impressive thoroughness. At all times, at the centre of these strong lyrics and chords is the artist’s powerful voice. She is pure Saving All My Love For You as a foolish lover on Knock Knock and at the other extreme, tough and independent on Lifetime. For fusion lovers, there are some Bollywood-inspired tracks that eerily echo some of Timbaland’s latest grooves. Ready Now is not as original as Truthfully Speaking, or more accurately Addictive on Truthfully Speaking, but it is a solid album that is an impressive sophomore effort.
The caterpillar has become a butterfly on this CD as Hurts proves how ready she is for stardom. —T. U. Dawood
SINGLE
After the Canadian teenager Avril Lavigne exploded onto the music scene with her debut album Let Go and its multiple hits, she was the perfect punk alternative to glamour girls Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera. Perpetually with “a guitar in one hand and a skateboard in another,” she personified teenage angst and unexpected maturity. The recent release of her sophomore album Under My Skin came with high expectations and a new, sexier look, but quality music just the same. Although there are a number of strong tracks on the CD, it’s her latest single (So Much For) My Happy Ending that’s by far the best song on the disc and one of the best singles out right now. With its bouncy chorus, addictive groove and timeless theme of disappointment and reality checks, this single is simply phat.
The infectious lyrics effectively capture the heartbreak of a seemingly “perfect” relationship going amiss: You were everything, everything that I wanted/We were meant to be, supposed to be, but we lost it/And all the memories, so close to me, just fade away/All this time you were pretending/So much for my happy ending. Lavigne’s music just keeps getting better. —T.U.D
WEBSITE
This website is for those English literature students and teachers who want guidance and reference material on famous classic novels. www.novelguide.com is a free source for such literary analysis. It provides extra educational matter for better understanding of classic and contemporary literature. Some of the most famous novels are featured on the homepage. Click on the ‘All books’ link and you will be redirected to the page where you can select your required novel from the list that contains novels by names and also by the authors’ names.
The website contains a detailed summary of each novel, act-wise, a detailed side view of the characters of the novel, metaphor analysis, a detailed analysis of the theme of the novel and the ten most illustrious quotations of that novel.
The website is updated each week with new additions of novels. A truly helpful website for those associated with literature. —S.M.Aamir
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