October 21, 2004

FILM
I really wanted to like Wimbledon, I really did. I love tennis; I think Paul Bettany (Master And Commander, A Beautiful Mind) is a pretty likable and interesting actor; Kirsten Dunst (Spider-Man, Bring It On) can have her moments; and despite my cynicism I’m as big a sucker for a good romantic comedy as anybody else. Put them all together and Wimbledon should have scored an ace (sorry, couldn’t resist). But, unfortunately, the movie just turned out to be a combination of clichés and not terribly exciting sporting scenes.

Bettany does a decent riff on Hugh Grant’s patented mumbling, self-effacing Brit as Peter Colt, a fading tennis star playing his last Wimbledon who falls in love with rising American brat, Lizzie Bradbury (Dunst). They have an only-in-the-movies meet cute in a hotel room and romance blooms and Peter’s passion for the game is re-ignited through his passion for the nubile American, though Lizzie seems to want to keep it strictly casual. Will Peter do the impossible and win Wimbledon and win the lady’s hand as well?

What follows is fairly predictable – including meeting Peter’s slightly odd and barmy parents (Bridget Jones anyone?) and brother – and is not helped by the fact that the on-court scenes are just not shot very believably, though Bettany makes himself look like a decent player. Wimbledon’s not terrible – it’s just that it’s not very good either.—Khushro Mumtaz

OR
To the credit of Wicker Park, a romantic thriller (if there is such a beast), half an hour in to it I had no idea where it was going – and that’s saying a lot for this jaded reviewer. The movie (a remake of the French movie, L’Appartement), about a missing girl (Dianne Kruger) and a man (Josh Hartnett) who’s obsessed with finding her seemed to me be somewhat in the same vein as Otto Preminger’s classic, Laura, which had me intrigued.

But once the pieces started to fall into place I discovered that the movie relied on so many coincidences and all the people saying and doing such stupid things that I really couldn’t care at all what happened to them and to their dim-witted lives and even dimmer-witted romantic entanglements. At least the movie doesn’t have a Fatal Attraction-type hack ‘em slash ‘em sort of ending so that’s some relief. The most interesting aspect of the film (to me) was the odd fact that its two leading ladies – Kruger and Rose Byrne – were both in Troy, this summer’s Wolfgang Petersen/Brad Pitt epic.—K.M.

CLASSIC FILM
My Fair Lady (1964) is one of the all-time great movie musicals. I first saw this movie as a little tot when my mother took me to see it at the old Taj cinema in PECHS, and I absolutely loved it and I still find it captivating every time I see it. It’s a movie guaranteed to make you smile.

George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion was first turned into a musical for Broadway by the famed team of Alan Jay Lerner (lyricist) and Frederick Loewe (composer) where it proved to be a smash. Warner Bros. then decided to bring it to the big screen and kept Rex Harrison in the role of Professor Henry Higgins (after Cary Grant turned down the role) but cast the more bankable Audrey Hepburn as Eliza Doolittle instead of Julie Andrews who had originated the role on stage. While Marnie Nixon (who was also the “voice” for Natalie Wood in West Side Story) did the actual singing for the leading lady, Hepburn was otherwise brilliant in the role as was the rest of the superb cast, particularly Stanley Holloway as Eliza’s father. Each song in the movie is an instant classic and the soundtrack should be in every music lover’s collection.

The movie won eight Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Director (George Cukor), and Best Actor (Harrison). Ironically, Julie Andrews won the Best Actress Oscar the same year for her screen debut in Mary Poppins. Available on DVD in Pakistan.—K.M.

SINGLE
Forget Punjabi M.C. The desi crossover artist that is taking the West by storm is Punjabi Hit Squad, the UK quartet from London’s Southall area who are credited with starting the desi-crossover musical movement in the West. The Squad had been Djing clubs and promoting desi music in England for eons before releasing their first album Punjabi Hit Squad: The Album, followed by their sophomore disc The Streets. The club favourite track off The Streets was Hai Hai. Released in the UK earlier this year, this smash single has now begun to make waves our side.

Fans of Bally Sagoo will recognize this track from a few years back when it was sung by Satwinder Bitti and was the star feature on DJ Kenz’s Bootlegged album on Sagoo’s Ishq label. Bitti’s vocals worked well with the catchy tune and the track was soon a smash. Now, Punjabi Hit Squad have remixed it into their signature East-West mixing style.

For example, it begins Mis-teeq-like with the intro Miss Scandalous can you handle this/Panjabi hit squad making you high before transitioning into the desi groove, Hai hai ni legeya sada dil Mirza and the effective bridge Hai Hai, mar gai mar gai/Hai hai ni legeya sada dil Mirza/Mar gai mar gai ni legeya sada dil Mirza. Rap then takes over as we hear: So I step in the joint with style and finesse/Dressed in designer just looking my best/Versace Armani iceberg or guess/Gucci envy, they smell so fresh. Fusion rules as rap and hip-hop are brilliantly blended both “desi beats.” With infectious tracks like this, there is no stopping the Squad.—T. U. Dawood

ALBUM
Brian Wilson has always been lauded as a musical genius, but even die-hard fans admit his glory days are long over. As the heart of one of the top bands from the sixties, the Beach Boys, in the eighties his legend became just that, a legend, as his two daughters Wendy and Carnie teamed up with Chynna Phillips with success that may not have paralleled the Beach Boys but was impressive nonetheless. Quietly, Wilson continued to record music, but nothing that caused this famous surfer any waves.

However, with the release of the SMiLE, long-time Beach Boys fans really have a reason to beam. Unlike Wilson’s last effort Gettin’ In Over My Head, which sank so quickly, many people never even knew it was released, this latest CD could be the ultimate ride the Beach boy has been waiting for. Wilson has reworked singles, song fragments and alternative versions in an absent-minded professor fashion. Some critics are comparing it to the Beatles’ legendary Sgt. Pepper album. While I think that comparison is overly ambitious, it is true SMiLE is a must-have for any fan’s collection and excitingly and appropriately brings together Wilson’s musical career.

Although Wilson’s voice has unquestionably changed – it is deeper and coarser today – it adds a bittersweet edge to the teeny bopper original sounds that is actually quite poignant and at times heart-breaking. Just as today’s generation does not possess the innocence of the Beach Boys’ sixties, his music has been updated for modern times.—T.U.D

WEBSITE
Plants lend a cozy touch to the interiors. But plant decoration and garden management is not as easy as it appears to be. The site www.homeandgardenlife.com is a comprehensive outlet, which is steered towards guiding you on nursery, managing your garden, crop plantations, commercial plantations and homegrown crops.

The first section to click is My Garden? This huge site, which deals with issues like giving shapes, designs and different patterns to your home garden like vertical, triangular etc. It further guides you to select the right kind of plants for your garden in different seasons and every else related to proper maintenance of the soil, which is the most essential thing to do in order to make your plants remain healthy and alive. The site also teaches you step by step the vegetable plantations. Vegetables such as potatoes, tomatoes and lemon trees etc can be easily grown in your home (if space allows) with very fruitful results. The explanation is quite straightforward and is complimented with illustrations to help you understand the techniques properly. Other than this, the selection of right kind of plants and pots for interiors is also given. Tips on how to protect your plants and crop from various pests and diseases are also included in the site.—Azeem Haider