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January 12, 2006
Eight days a week
FILM
Tim Burton and Johnny Depp, the Martin Scorcese and Robert De Niro of the weird-creepy set, team up once again for the stop-motion animated film The Corpse Bride. Set in 19th-century Europe, this is a lovely little fairy-tale in the tradition of the Brothers Grimm involving the macabre, a sense of danger and good, old-fashioned lessons in power of love and self-sacrifice.
Burton co-directs with Mike Johnson while Depp provides the voice (and visual model) for Victor, the sensitive son of a rich fishmonger’s son, whose marriage has been arranged to Victoria (Emily Watson), the daughter of destitute aristocrats. However, despite the contrived nature of the union (the fishmongers get to buy respectability while the aristocrats get some much needed cash in their coffers) Victor and Victoria find themselves falling in love.
But before the two can be married Victor wanders into an enchanted forest and happens to finds himself wedded to Emily (Helena Bonham Carter), the corpse bride, who, while certainly not from among the living (her skin tends to peel away and irritating little maggots have housed themselves in her brain), has a certain spectral sexiness to her. And when Emily takes Victor to the netherworld the film suddenly explodes into a riot of colour and joyful big-band music.
The land of the dead is certainly a more fun and interesting place than the “real” world which Burton and Johnson paint in dreary greys and shadows and cloak with sombre music. But, above-ground, Victoria pines away for her betrothed and Victor, despite his growing sympathy for Emily, still loves her as well. What is a poor living boy married to a dead woman to do?
Visually captivating and atmospheric and boasting top-notch animation and some neat little Danny Elfman (another frequent Burton collaborator) tunes, The Corpse Bride proves itself to be an enjoyable 77 minutes.—Khusro Mumtaz
OR
Considering Feroz Khan and Sanjay Khan’s track record of making quite a few exploitative and cheesy films (though there have been some better films like Qurbani and Dayavan along the way) I wasn’t expecting much from their brother Akbar Khan’s Taj Mahal – The Eternal Love Story in which Madame Nur Jehan’s grand-daughter Sonya Jehan makes her debut as Mumtaz Mahal. But, surprise, surprise, the movie turns out to be a fairly decent historical and certainly worth a look see.
Khan avoids the cheese and exploitation and deftly captures the court intrigues of the Mughal era. The history is mostly right and the battle scenes – always a tricky thing - are also quite well done. Khan is helped in no small measure by quite a good cast with Kabir Bedi (as the older Shah Jehan) and, in particular, Pooja Batra (as the Empress Nur Jehan) being the stand-outs while Sonya Jehan looks vey pretty and proves herself to be a competent actress. Manisha Koirala (as Shah Jehan’s dutiful daughter) and Arbaz Khan (as Aurangzeb) are also quite good though Zulfi Syed (as the younger Shah Jehan) is merely adequate.
The movie’s two real weaknesses are its uninspired songs (despite being the first original numbers by the maestro Naushad in many a year) and its lack of any shots of the real Taj Mahal. One test of a historical feature for me is whether it interests me enough to make me go look up my history books. Akbar Khan’s movie passed that test with flying colours.—K.M.
SINGLE
Las Vegas now has music to offer beyond Wayne Newton and Celine Dion. Quartet Panic! At the Disco is creating quite a stir with their innovative style and sound. Signed to Fall Out Boy’s Pete Wentz’s new Decaydance label, the boys combine the best of Eighties keyboards with true rebel-without-a-cause pop punk into their own unique groove.
Their debut album A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out is choc-a-bloc full of evidence of their passion and magic. Check out their recently released happenin’ second single London Beckoned Songs About Money Written By Machines. Without a doubt, it is one of the catchiest and most melodic songs of the past year. Heavily influenced by dance punk and in particular Blink-182 (they began their career as a cover band for Blink-182), Panic! At the Disco’s sound has gradually evolved into what is essentially an off-shoot of The Killers and Fall Out Boy.
It’s lead vocalist Brendan Urie’s voice, however, is what really makes Panic! At the Disco stand out. The nuances in his tone, the sensitivity in his vocals and the depth in some of the lyrics all enhance the otherwise formulaic songs about ex-girlfriends and the banality of the music industry into must-listen music. Added to that is the ingenious fusion of Vaudevillian piano, strings, and accordion, alongside powerhouse drum machines and synthesizers. It’s no surprise Panic! At the Dance Floor is creating a buzz, if not a panic, at dance floors around the globe.— T. U. Dawood
ALBUM
Moonlighter Bruce Willis met his musical Waterloo with The Return of Bruno. Miami Vice star Don Johnson suffered heartache from lack of sales of Heartbeat. Now, Oscar-winner Jamie Foxx will likely face a similar sorrow with his very predictable album Unpredictable.
Although Unpredictable is actually Foxx’s sophomore album – his first being 1994’s Peep This, which was made when he was a little known comic on In Living Color – in some ways it falls short of his first effort (and that was no Thriller). This time around, Foxx is a pure R&B crooner but his lyrics lack the heart and the depth of a truly great artist. For example, he sings I know you’re used to dinner and a movie/Why not be my dinner while makin’ a movie? Crude by clever – possibly. Tacky and tawdry – definitely! And that’s one of the more intelligent lines on the CD!
Despite production this time around by trendy Timbaland and cameos by Snoop Dogg, Ludacris and Mary J. Blige, Unpredictable is a rather forgettable disc. In fact, over the course of the 15 tracks, the music gets sadly quite predictable. Other than the Mary J. Blige duet Love Changes, most of the songs seem to blend into one another. Foxx may have won an Academy Award for playing Ray Charles, but he doesn’t seem to have been able to capture that great performer’s talent for creating unforgettable — and unpredictable — music.—T. U. D
TV
Spotlight is a 50-minute talk show covering different and unusual issues. Hosted by Mazhar Abbas, the programme focuses on current affairs as well as looks at events — high profile murders, unresolved mysteries, social issues, human rights problems etc. from a historical perspective. Four guests representing different viewpoints — including government, opposition and analytical representatives are present in every show. On HUM TV every Wednesday, at 10pm.—S.R.
FILM
In memory of George Best, the most gifted football player of Britain, the Goethe-Institut is showing a film on him on January 17 at 6pm on its premises. Filmed by the Germany filmmaker Halmut Costard during a league game played on 12th September, 1970, when Manchester United beat Coventry 2:0, Football as Never Before follows the progress of the game only through the actions and reactions of George Best and is a revelation of one player’s progress through a match as Best attempts to “read the game” and pace himself. Throughout, the cameras remain focussed on Best and the viewer can only guess what is happening on the pitch.—A.S
EXHIBITION
Lahore-based artist, Iqbal Hussain’s exhibition which opened at Canvas Gallery on January 5 will continue till January 20. Known for his depiction of Lahore’s Shahi Mohalla and its inhabitants, the exhibition also carries his landscapes.—A.S.
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Dawn, The Review, Haroon House, |
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