syedasherimam Reviews

Jinnah (1998)

Top quality stuff for the first time from Pakistan!

[26 June 2000]

Jinnah was more than a mere politician. He was the most important phenomenon in the history of the Muslims of India. He almost single handedly changed the course of history and created one of the greatest Muslim countries of the world; Pakistan. And he did that without shedding a drop of blood throughout the movement of freedom. He did that through his sheer will power and political genius. ‘Jinnah the Movie' is tribute to this great personality of the previous century.

The film took a long time in making and was surrounded with all sorts of rumors and controversies, but the end product is definitely very impressive. Its narration is quite different from the usual biopics. Instead of telling a usual birth to death story ‘Jinnah the Movie' takes a different approach. It travels back and forth in time highlighting important events in Jinnah's life that helps the viewer understand Jinnah the person and Jinnah the leader. Although the deviation from the traditional technique of storytelling gives ‘Jinnah the Movie' an artistic touch but it becomes rather hard for a commoner to grasp the story line. In a country whose literacy rate isn't something to be proud of, the producers probably should have stuck to the usual methods but they took a brave risk by taking an alternative route. They preferred artistic values to the commercial success and they should be appreciated for that.

Editing and art direction are the highlights of ‘Jinnah'. Camera work is brilliant and some of the shots reflect the director's command in his field. Production quality is way above any sub continent film and almost equals the standard of any Hollywood production. The producers deserve a pat on the back for creating such high quality production with a shoe string budget. Christopher Lee gives probably the best performance of his life and Shashi Kapoor deserves special applaud for working in a film that negates many of the India's political beliefs. Maria Aitken as Edwina and Shireen Shah as Fatima Jinnah play their roles perfectly. But Richard Lintern as young Jinnah was most impressive of the whole lot. His performance is really top class and his portrayal of Jinnah was as close to life as possible. A host of actors from Pakistan television have also performed in minor roles although the pick of them is Talat Hussain who shines in his cameo appearance.

All in all ‘Jinnah the Movie' is a tribute to the great leader who, though called snobbish and arrogant, was respected by all his contemporaries for his integrity and honesty. The film answers many questions related to Jinnah, Pakistan and its creation and one must admit that it does that without damaging the artistic quality of the film. Irrespective of its box office performance and the number of awards it garners ‘Jinnah the Movie' is the most important chapter in the history of Pakistani cinema.

East Is East (1999)

In one word: Pathetic!

[18 May 2000]

Being a Pakistani, I was pretty geared up when I heard about a film about Pakistani people, though I had my reservation knowing that it was a British film, and I was probably the first customer to rent `East is East' when it arrived to a video rental store near my house. And boy was I disappointed!

I've very rarely found British comedy films exciting and ‘East is East' is no exception. The last one I saw was Blue Juice and it was even worse than this. Why Britain continues to produce amazing actors and actresses (Anthony Hopkins, Sean Connery, Hugh Grant, Emma Thompson, Kate Winslet etc.) and fail to produce great filmmakers is beyond my comprehension.

`East and East' could have very easily been an engaging sentimental drama about a Pakistani immigrant and his family trying to cope in a foreign culture. But instead it is an obscene and vulgar comedy that makes mockery of Pakistanis in particular and muslims in general. All the characters that belonged to Pakistan, be it George Khan, Mr. Shah or all those Pakis George meet in Bradford (or is it Bradistan?) were stupid, ill mannered and devoid of any common sense. If that was not enough, they all were cruelly ignorant to the feelings of their families. Character of Om Puri (George Khan) is very uni-dimesional. He is, ignorant, cruel, violent and doesn't seem to give a damn about anyone of his family. Never once do we see him talking nicely to anyone of his seven kids. Minnah was the only daughter among six sons, that should have made at least her an apple of his eye, or like many other of their misconceptions about Islam and Pakistan, the filmmakers thought that all Pakisatnis think less of their daughters than their sons? Throughout the film we hear that he wants the good for his children and never once does he talks politely to them? And was he blind or something to marry his oh-so handsome sons with such ugly looking girls? What was the director's message? That if u grow up in a Pakistani environment like Mr. Shah's daughter's did, u turn up like that?

One more thing, in the wedding sequence at the beginning of the film, we hear `Allah Ho' played in the background. It was my first experience of hearing a mystical song on a wedding! Even the most radical families of Pakistan tends to sing certain traditional wedding songs and George's family was from Punjab where they have probably thousands of songs for this particular occasion only. Lack of knowledge Mr. Director? Or was it your unfathomable British sense of humor?

The only commendable thing about the film is acting. Everybody has given a decent performance and it is useless to elaborate on how great an actor Om Puri is! The accent, the language, the facial expression were simply superb. I wish if only it had been for a better film.

`East is East' is disappointing in every sense and to know that it has been rated as one of the finest British comedies ever made only suggests the standard of the British cinema.

The Hurricane (1999)

Uncle Oscar, meet Denzel Washington! (Again)

[1 February 2000]

I always thought that there aren't many Afro American actors better than Denzel Washington, after watching Hurricane I believe there aren't many white one's either. In this brilliant film, which in my opinion is the best this year, Denzel gives the most beautiful performance of his career yet. It's simply superb.

To be honest, I hadn't heard of Hurricane before Denzel got a well-deserved best actor award at Golden Globe. The award made me curious and I rented it last night and boy, what an experience that was! I just couldn't take my eyes of the screen for a fraction of a second. I knew I was watching a masterpiece, five minutes into it. It had been a long time since I have seen a movie that has touched my heart in the way Hurricane did. It made me realize just how much pain Rubin Carter, or any wrongly accused person for that matter, would have felt. And still, I fully believe in what Denzel says to Deborah Unger `You just can't understand how I feel ‘cause you've never been in the prison'

The movie is filled with scenes that would melt your heart and bring tears to your eyes. The one I found truly exceptional was the one when a convict Hemmings' mother comes to see him in prison and is told that his son is in lock up so she can't see him. The look on that lady's face would stay in my mind for a long time. Full marks to Norman Jewison.

The supporting cast has performed really well but the star of the show is definitely Washington. If he doesn't get an Oscar for this one the case wouldn't be much different than that of the fight that Hurricane lost because of judges' biased decision. And the only thing then we might say won't be much different from what the commentator said on that match, i.e. `the judges must have been watching some other fight.'

Any Given Sunday (1999)

They are the warriors and it's a war!

[28 January 2000]

Oliver Stone is a very unconventional director and Any Given Sunday is a very conventional movie. But this doesn't means that it isn't good. In fact, it is one of the best sports movies I've ever seen, even though I am not much into American football. Therefore, the major attraction for me, was definitely the presence of a star cast in an Oliver Stone film. To see Al Pacino (one of the world's best actors) and Cameron Diaz (one of the world' s most beautiful girls) together with a supporting cast of stalwarts as Dennis Quaid and James Fox, is more than a dream come true. And each of them has performed very well. Al is great as usual; his short speeches before, after and in the middle of the game can make the blood rush in your veins. Cameron was always a great looker but shows that given a chance she's worth while actress too.

The cinematography is Oliver Stone's trademark. Five minutes into the film and any film junkie can tell that this flick is directed by Stone. The game scenes are great; the tension, the excitement, the jubilation, the dejection are all so real that one can almost touch it.

The portrayals of all the characters related to the game seem to emphasize on just one point: the players are more than mere sportsmen; they are warriors, the gladiators in the ring to fight till one of the fighters die. To drive home the analogy to Roman gladiators, Stone even shows a glimpse of Ben Hur on Pacino's TV.

When I earlier said its conventional, I meant that the movie progresses in a predictable manner and one expects more than the oft repeated last second finish from a director of Stone's caliber. I think, what I really missed, were the characters like ones we saw in U turn and Natural Born Killers (which is, by the way, one of my all time favorites, particularly because of the back ground score by late Nusrat Fateh Ali, Pakistan's leading vocalist). Characters that are more than superficial and have a deep dark side that one thinks one sees but doesn't.

However, Any Given Sunday is still a very good film and a must for all sports and film buffs alike.

Piece of advice: Do leave the theatre till the credits end, it still is an Oliver Stone film!

The Blair Witch Project (1999)

IT DOESN'T GET BETTER THAN THIS!

[3 January 2000]

Probably the best horror flick ever made other than Exorcist. The Blair witch project brings out the fear that was buried down deep inside me. It made me feel the same way I felt during watching all those creepy ‘Nightmare on Elm's Street' movies when I was a kid. I never thought that any movie could make those hairs at the back of my neck rise again. But how wrong I was? Although I was unlucky not to have an opportunity to watch this movie on big screen but still this one has struck me with full force. The idea to make a horror flick like a documentary gone haywire was so ingenious and yet so simple that one wonders why didn't somebody else thought about it earlier. But isn't that how all great things are? The cinematography is simply superb and Oscar worthy. Hats off to the whole idea of making a horror movie without any gory scenes. Its amazing how such trivial things as piled up rocks and twigs in particular shapes can make one shiver with fear. It will be difficult to top this one.

The Sixth Sense (1999)

THE END!!!!!!!!

[8/10 · 3 January 2000]

It happened to me when I watched The Usual Suspects and Carlito's way and Shawshank Redemption. And it happened to me when I saw The Sixth Sense. I was lying flat on my back and sat up straight when it happened. If I could've seen my own face I can bet I would have never looked more bewildered than that moment. To me sixth sense was a good movie with superb acting and great direction five minutes before it ended. After those five minutes it transformed into a classic worthy of an Oscar nomination. It definitely has one of the best ends ever in the cinematic history.

Bruce Willis has taken a leap from being a good actor to being a great one. His talents were utilized to hilt by the debutante director M. Night Shyamalan. Bruce has proven that there is much more in him than we saw in action flicks like Die Hard series and Last Boy Scout. It will be unfair not to nominate him for the Oscar. There haven't been too many performances better than his, this year. But of course the revelation is Haley Joel Osment. He has given a gem of a performance so early in his career. The fear, the confusion, the lack of confidence, was portrayed in a manner that cannot be faulted. Its amazing how someone so young can firstly understand, and then deliver such a complex character. Full marks to him for giving probably the best juvenile performance ever. (Apologies to all those Home Alone lovers) And finally lets talk about M. Night Shyamalan. There could be no better way to start a career. He has made an ideal first move in what should be a long shining career. He knows his job well but most importantly one can't help feeling that this is a film made by someone who has thought, ate, slept this one for ages. It must have been really close to his heart and it shows. Lets keep our fingers crossed that he won't be a one-film wonder.

The Story of Us (1999)

IT'S SIMPLY AMAZING!!!

[6/10 · 12 December 1999]

Two of the most celebrated Hollywood stars come together in this brilliant movie about a family life gone wrong. Bruce Willis and Michelle Pfeiffer give very convincing performances to portray the characters of Ben and Katie Jordan, a married couple that have, somehow through trivial matters of daily life, drifted apart from each other. In fact, the only thing that seems to keep them together is their kids, or a love that does exist, but is in a dormant phase right now. So when they separate after the children go away for a summer camp, each have sometime to sit and ponder over what went wrong and thus enlightening us with their past lives through flash backs. And then you feel heartbroken for the couple who started what seemed to be one of the most romantic lives together, ended up with screaming and shouting on matters so unimportant that you would hardly remember later. Katie starts to suspect that Ben is having an affair and Ben is angry that Katie has no time for him anymore. So the only direction this marriage was heading towards is downwards and the hill is pretty steep. But then as they try to finish of what to them has become a pain in the neck, they realize that they still love each other very much. But none of them wants to be the one to say it loud. In fact, Ben does tries to on a couple of occasions to talk their differences out but somehow it ends up making things worse. The final nail that's driven in the coffin is that Katie starts seeing a cooking class mate, nothing serious, but enough to make Ben realize that it just might be over between them.

A word or two about the performances. Both of the lead stars have done a superb job, although you might feel that Michelle is a notch or two better than Bruce. But then I might have been smitten by her breathtaking beauty. She is really into her character, an average American housewife, with loads of domestic troubles. And Bruce, what a year he is having! First it was that brilliant performance in 'The Sixth Sense' and now this. He has proved that he is an actor par excellence and has the tendency to put up a great show whenever given an opportunity.

End of Days (1999)

Arnie faces the final challenge of the millenium

[12 December 1999]

Arnold Schwarzenneger is back. And after thrashing all the bad guys, be it in past (Conan series), present (Eraser, True Lies) or future (T1, T2), the only one seemed to have left was the devil himself. So Arnie comes face to face with the Satan in his latest flick titled "The End of Days". A typical Arnold movie loaded with brilliant sfx and thrilling action. Another millenium movie however, (God! how many more do we have to see!) with the idea that the Satan will be coming to earth looking for his bride who could bear him his son so the evil legacy can continue. But till we have Arnie among us no such evil plans can materialize, could they? So its again up to the muscular shoulders of Arnold Schwarzzeneger to bear the burden of saving this world. And he carries out his job quite aptly. A word or two about performance. Arnold is his usual self but the guy who is really becoming a good actor pretty fast is Gabriel Byrne. The man delivers his good as the Satan and carries out a particular look through out the movie that can convince you that this man isn't good. One more thing that I've found out I don't share with Arnold (other than physique, of course) is his appetite. To me the most memorable scene of the movie is Arnie's breakfast. Beats the Rocky's raw egg at four in the morning.

The Bone Collector (1999)

a good one!

[2 December 1999]

A well made movie. Denzel is superb as usual and Angelina shines in her first major role other than Hackers. The resemblance to 'The silence of the lambs' is obviously there but then that has become a norm in all serial killer movies, hasn't it? Philip Noyce offers some brilliant shots but over n' all this one isn't as good as his previous ones, especially those of Jack Ryan series.

The Bachelor (1999)

chris finally comes of age

[2 December 1999]

Finally we see a movie that Chris O'Donnell can claim to be his all the way. A great comedy that had me laughing all through it except for the end, which could have been better. It really looked pretty stupid ........ But other than that it was a good one that had it's moments. This one might take Chris and Renee Zellweger a long way ahead in their respective careers.