Men In Black: International will leave you wishing to be neuralysed

movie review

Men in Black: International

Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Tessa Thompson, Rebecca Ferguson, Kumail Nanjiani, Rafe Spall, Laurent Bourgeois, Larry Bourgeois, Emma Thompson, and Liam Neeson

Directed by: F. Gary Gray

The 2019 summer movie season isn’t going quite the way film buffs would have hoped. The big budget cinematic offerings so far have mostly been subpar, with very few intriguing exceptions. Men in Black: International, unfortunately, isn’t one of those exciting outliers.

The lacklustre spin-off of the MIB series shifts the setting from the U.S. to the U.K. branch of the galaxy-defending organization but doesn’t bother to bring anything new or even slightly interesting to the franchise.

Molly (Tessa Thompson), who witnessed the Men in Black in action when she was a child, manages to track down the MIB headquarters in New York nearly two decades later. She asks organization head, Agent O (Emma Thompson), to recruit her to the agency, whereupon she is given a probationary position and sent to the London branch which is headed by Agent High T (Liam Neeson). There she manages to team up with Agent H (Chris Hemsworth) and finds herself trying to ward off an alien threat while figuring out if there is a mole in the organization.

Things unfold unexcitingly, predictably, banally. There isn’t an ounce of creativity anywhere in the plot. It’s infuriatingly easy to tell from the very start what the supposed twist will ultimately be. 

It’s a storyline as stale as its lead pairing. We’ve already seen Hemsworth and Thompson together in the significantly more fun Avengers series, and the filmmakers probably assumed it would be financially astute to team the two up again and borrow some of Marvel’s mammoth appeal in the process. But this time around the pair have been burdened with a script so lacklustre that it ends up reflecting negatively on their acting talent. Hemsworth’s presence seems limited mostly to smirking and looking good in a suit, while Thompson’s performance doesn’t merit building a whole franchise around her.

Even supporting actors as experienced as Thompson and Neeson can’t insert much life into this damp-squib of a film. And with Kumail Nanjiani’s grating alien sidekick character Pawny, the MIB series now has its own equivalent of Jar Jar Binks. Joy.

The charm of the original MIB trilogy – which itself faltered with its second instalment before correcting course somewhat with its final piece – is nowhere to be found here. The special effects may be impressive, but the action is dull, the tension is lacking, and the humour doesn’t hit the mark. Basically MIB:I is just very unnecessary. The movie only manages to make you miss Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones; the fact that the original duo don’t even make a cameo here is a downright disappointment.

MIB:I is shiny on the surface and completely vacant underneath. It feels like director F. Gary Gray and his team have tried to play it safe by imitating the original series but have failed to account for the fact that sticking to well-worn lanes leads to destinations that are unexciting and generic, which is pretty much the opposite of what science fiction should be.

Returning to the amusing sci-fi world of Men in Black could have been so much fun with some cool new ideas and a better script. Instead we have ended up with a movie that is likely to leave viewers wishing to be neuralysed in order to forget they were subjected to this banal retread. Then again, with a film this unmemorable, who even needs a neuralyser?

Rating: 1.5 out of 5

- Sameen Amer

The Express Tribune Blog - 28th June, 2019 *

The Secret Life of Pets 2 - a disjointed sequel struggling to find a reason to exist

movie review

The Secret Life of Pets 2

Starring: Patton Oswalt, Eric Stonestreet, Kevin Hart, Jenny Slate, Tiffany Haddish, Lake Bell, Nick Kroll, Dana Carvey, Ellie Kemper, Chris Renaud, Hannibal Buress, Bobby Moynihan, and Harrison Ford

Directed by: Chris Renaud

Tagline: They still have their secrets.

The financial success of a movie pretty much guarantees that a sequel will eventually pop up, as the studios eagerly try to milk any and every cash cow they can lay their hands on. But not all films actually merit or deserve a sequel. The Secret Life of Pets, for instance, clearly didn’t.

The 2016 animated adventure – a peek at what pets get up to when their owners aren’t home – was no masterpiece, but it did rake in a lot of money. Illumination unsurprisingly decided to give the film a follow-up, even though it seems like they really didn’t have a coherent plot for the sequel.

The Secret Life of Pets 2 puts together a handful of uninspired subplots and tries to pass them off as a feature film.

Dogs Max (voiced by Patton Oswalt, replacing the disgraced Louis C.K. who voiced the character in the original) and Duke (Eric Stonestreet) – whose owner, Katie (Ellie Kemper), has married and had a child, Liam – go on a road trip to a farm where a tough sheepdog, Rooster (Harrison Ford), helps Max overcome his fears.

Meanwhile … Max’s friend Gidget (Jenny Slate) loses Max’s favourite toy, Busy Bee, and has to infiltrate a group of felines by pretending to be a cat – after receiving training from tabby Chloe (Lake Bell) – in order to get the toy back.

Meanwhile, meanwhile … rabbit Snowball (Kevin Hart), who thinks he is a superhero, helps Shih Tzu Daisy (Tiffany Haddish) rescue a mistreated tiger, Hu, from a travelling circus.

The characters go off on their own for much of the film, each of their subplots keeping them occupied in their separate arcs for far too long. The result is a disjointed, uneven movie that feels like it is struggling to find a reason to exist.

Some of its detours work better than others. The standout here is Chloe training Gidget to be cat-like; it isn’t executed with the level of competence and spark that would make it an instant classic, but the segment actually manages to deliver a few laughs.

There is some cuteness and charm as well as some zany antics, and of course there are a couple of (clumsily delivered) lessons to be learned along the way, but it’s a mix that will only manage to entertain very young children. The movie isn’t clever enough to strike a chord with an even slightly older demographic, let alone the parents of said youngsters who have probably experienced the same ideas delivered through far superior vehicles, like Pixar’s Finding Nemo and the Toy Story franchise, for instance.

The film’s energetic, spirited voice cast does seem to be trying their best to bring some joy to the proceedings, but there isn’t much they can do with an unexciting script burdened with standard, dull plot points.

The Secret Life of Pets 2 is about as unnecessary as a sequel can get. The film plays like a group of shorts forced together into a one and a half hour movie, each segment akin to an episode of a television cartoon show. Focusing on any one of its treads might have yielded better results. It’s so disappointing to see Illumination trying to build uncreative franchises instead of exploring newer, more inspired ideas. Both the talent involved with this project and its audience deserve better than this.

Rating: 2 out of 5

- Sameen Amer

The Express Tribune Blog - 24th June, 2019 *

In the picture - Beightburn and Pokémon Detective Pikachu

movie reviews

Brightburn puts an intriguingly dark spin on a well-known superhero origin tale; Detective Pikachu takes viewers on a fun fantasy romp

Brightburn

Starring: Elizabeth Banks, David Denman, Jackson A. Dunn, Matt Jones, Meredith Hagner, and Gregory Alan Williams

Directed by: David Yarovesky

Tagline: He’s not here to save the world.

A familiar superhero origin story takes a sinister turn in Brightburn, a horror thriller that reimagines a classic tale through a dark lens.

When a spaceship carrying an infant crash-lands on the farm of Tori (Elizabeth Banks) and Kyle Breyer (David Denman), the couple adopt the alien baby boy, name him Brandon, and hide the truth about his past.

As Brandon (Jackson A. Dunn) turns 12, his dormant spaceship awakens and starts communicating with him, altering his personality and revealing his superhuman abilities. His parents attribute his unruly behaviour to puberty, but as things become more disturbing, those around him start to realize that something is wrong with Brandon. 

Directed by David Yarovesky and shaped by the Gunn family – James Gunn served as a producer, while his brother Brian and cousin Mark wrote the screenplay – the movie basically plays with the idea of an evil Superman, exploring what would have happened if Clark Kent had turned out to be a supervillain instead of a superhero. It’s an intriguing premise, and while the storyline isn’t quite as intricate or inventive as one would have hoped, the plot – and a standout performance by Banks – still manages to keep you invested in the fate of its characters and interested in what will transpire till the end. 

The titular character isn’t as well-crafted as he could have been. The filmmakers don’t shed enough light on Brandon’s motivation or why he is being given the directive to “take the world”. Delving a little deeper into his background could have made the plot more solid. And while this horror film isn’t exactly scary, there are a couple of brutal, gory death scenes that are definitely not for the squeamish.

Ultimately, Brightburn may not be as rewarding as you’d wish, but the project still makes good use of its modest budget and is fascinating enough to merit a viewing.

Rating: 3 out of 5

*****

Pokémon Detective Pikachu

Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Justice Smith, Kathryn Newton, Suki Waterhouse, Omar Chaparro, Chris Geere, Ken Watanabe, and Bill Nighy

Directed by: Rob Letterman

The Pokémon franchise gets its first live action big screen entry in the shape of Detective Pikachu, a pleasant adventure in a zany fantasy world that is sure to excite fans of its source material.

Set in Ryme City – a place where humans and Pokémon live together as equals – the film follows the story of Tim Goodman (Justice Smith), a young man whose estranged father, Harry, appears to have died in a car crash. While visiting his dad’s apartment to collect his assets, Tim finds a mysterious vial containing a suspicious gas and then comes across an amnesiac Pikachu (voiced by Ryan Reynolds) who, it turns out, was Harry’s Pokémon partner.

Tim reluctantly teams up with the talking Pikachu to investigate the circumstances around Harry’s disappearance, and – with the help of inquisitive junior reporter Lucy (Kathryn Newton) – ends up uncovering a conspiracy that could put the future of the metropolis at risk.

The plot may be a tad convoluted and the villain’s plan is a bit absurd, but despite its missteps, Detective Pikachu still manages to take viewers on an entertaining, amusing journey. The character of Pikachu is downright adorable, and while Ryan Reynolds may not seem like the best choice to voice the character, the casting actually works really well; the actor’s delivery and comedic timing are an absolute asset, and make the proceedings a lot more fun.

As a film, Detective Pikachu has a few issues. Beyond the setting, there isn’t anything particularly creative here, and the basic plot is fairly standard. Plus there are some pacing problems, and the action is more chaotic than exciting. But the movie does capture the spirit of its bizarre world and manages to be an entertaining summer adventure that shows just why the Pokémon universe is such a fun place to visit.

Rating: 3 out of 5

- By Sameen Amer

Instep, The News on Sunday - 23rd June, 2019 *

The youth of Abida Parveen

cover story: interview

At the age of three – that is, the age at which many of us were still learning how to spell our own names – Abida Parveen had already found her calling: music. She was intently listening to music when she was a child, performing by the time she was six, and subsequently rose to global fame. Now, nearly six decades into her career, she is not only a voice that every Pakistani is familiar with but also one of the most celebrated Sufi singers in the world.

“I could not even think of any other career apart from music,” she tells Us Magazine. “As Hazrat Ali (r.a.) stated, ‘what’s meant for you will never miss you’. Music was meant for me right from day one; that’s why it struck such a powerful chord with me, for which I am extremely grateful to Almighty Allah.”

The legendary singer credits both divine guidance and familial predilection for inspiring her to delve into Sufi music. “It is God’s blessing and miracle. As I grew up, my attention and interest towards Buzurgaan-e-Deen grew more and more. My walid sahab was my inspiration. Auliya-e-Karaam (Sufi saints) were always a topic of discussion in our household,” she says. “Mein kaheen aur ja hi nahi sakti thi,” she reiterates.

Her first composition was a ghazal called ‘Aandhi Chali To Naqsh-e-Kaf-e-Pa Nahi Mila’ (written by Mustafa Zaidi) and she has, since then, composed hundreds of kalaams.

When she looks at today’s youngsters, she is impressed by their connection to God. “Every person has a spiritual connection with Allah. The new generation has a very strong ability to form a link with God. This connection develops itself, because of the power of Allah and the power of kalaam.”

In an exclusive interview with Us, Abida Parveen looks back at her own childhood and teenage years and reminisces about her youth.

Date of birth and star

20th February 1954. Aquarius.

The best thing about being a teenager was 

The innocence in childhood was the best thing. Even now I am impressed and inspired by the innocence of children.

The worst thing about being a teenager was 

Nobody used to play with me and I used to hate it when they would say we are going back home.

I was always listening to

Music! By the age of 3, I was deeply in love with music. This was the age for playing, but instead I always used to listen to my father singing.

I was glued to the T.V. for 

Little House on the Prairie. I still remember it. I used to wait for it like anything. I still remember the characters and the village that was shown. 

My favourite movie was 

I was around 20 when my father told me to watch Dilip Kumar sahab’s film Aan. We got the VCR on rent and saw it. I was so fascinated by his acting and how deeply he had acted in that character.

My favourite actor was 

Muhammad Ali sahab and Nadeem sahab.

My favourite book was 

I have always loved reading Abyaat of Hazrat Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai (r.a.) My father, being a singer, always made me sit with him and listen to his conversations with learned people.

My room walls carried the posters of 

I never had any posters in my room.

My closet was full of

Papers and my Eid clothes. I would always wait for Eid and would look at my Eid shopping a hundred times!

My friends were 

Nobody. Yes, that’s a fact. The children never used to play with me at all and I would get so angry at them.

I started cutting papers in my room since nobody used to play with me. The only friend I had in school was Subhan. She used to be with me in class 5.

What hurt me the most was 

When my parents used to go away, they would leave me behind with my phuppi amma. I used to miss them so dearly that I would go back to my place, sit on the doorstep, and cry for hours for my parents. That hurt me a lot.

My dream was to become 

My dream was always to become an artist.

Relations with siblings were 

I was the only child of my parents.

Relationship with parents was

Amazing! I used to have an amazing relationship with my parents. I was more attached to my father. I would sit with him for long hours so often that he used to scold me to go out and play with children outside.

My school was

Really good. There were all male teachers in the school. When my first programme came on air on the radio, all my teachers praised me with flowers at school. They were very proud of me. At the end of the school day, when school time was almost over and we had packed our bags, one of my teachers would tell me to stand up and sing; then I would sing in the class too.

Ragging at college/university was

There was this boy who was quite tall. When school time was over, everybody would run out of the class, and that tall boy would stand by the classroom door with one of his legs stretched outwards. As we would run out, all of us would stumble. 

My favourite food/dish was

My mother used to make delicious food. Karailay gosht, beh qeema, bhindi – I loved to eat them. My mother would cook one dish daily. It was usually too hot in the kitchen. I would ask her to come out of the kitchen, but she would always say “nahi beta, khana nigah say banta hai”.

I learned that 

I have learned that life goes on. My parents taught me humbleness and started the journey of music. We have come in this world to learn. One should be like a faqeer who would keep searching, searching for good things and Allah Himself helps His mankind to find the good.

- Sameen Amer

Us Magazine, The News International - 21st June, 2019 *

Murder Mystery - an unexceptional, unmemorable summer movie

movie review

Murder Mystery

Starring: Adam Sandler, Jennifer Aniston, Luke Evans, Gemma Arterton, Adeel Akhtar, and Terence Stamp

Directed by: Kyle Newacheck

Tagline: First class problems. Second class detectives.

After starring together in 2011’s Just Go With It, Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston have reunited for another comedy outing. But instead of going the big screen route this time around, they have chosen to bring their adventure to the smallest of small screens. Available on a smartphone – or laptop if you so prefer – near you is the duo’s new film Murder Mystery, the tale of a getaway gone awry that is now streaming on Netflix.

Created in the image of the many mystery movies before it, only with a more comedic slant, the project focuses on a couple that goes to Europe on a vacation and ends up getting embroiled in a murder investigation.

Police officer Nick Spitz (Sandler) and hairdresser Audrey (Aniston) have been married for 15 years, but they have yet to go on the honeymoon that the would-be detective promised his mystery-novel-obsessed wife when they wed. When Audrey confronts him, a strapped-for-cash Nick pretends he was planning the trip as a surprise, and then puts together a low budget bus tour of Europe.

But on the flight to Spain, Audrey ends up befriending a rich Englishman, Charles (Luke Evans), who invites the pair to a party on his family’s yacht celebrating his elderly uncle Malcolm’s (Terence Stamp) wedding to Charles’ former fianceé Suzi (Shiori Kutsuna). 

With close family members and friends – including Malcolm’s disappointing son (David Walliams); a famous actress (Gemma Arterton); a Spanish Formula One driver (Luis Gerardo Méndez); and a one-eyed Namibian colonel (John Kani) – in attendance, Malcolm berates the gathering and announces that he is cutting them all out of his inheritance and leaving his massive fortune to his new wife.

It doesn’t come as a shock then that the old man is soon murdered. Anyone who was present could be the killer, but stereotypical French inspector Laurent Delacroix (Dany Boon) sees the Spitzs as the prime suspects.

It is then up to the American couple to figure out who actually committed the murder and clear their own names.

Like a comedic take on Murder on the Orient Express – a reference at the end affirms this connection – Murder Mystery ambles along amicably enough while occasionally making fun of its genre. But the proceedings aren’t quite as exciting as one would have hoped. The film spins a very typical mystery, and doesn’t really manage to establish its stakes or create a sense of excitement.

While it may, on the whole, be competently – if unexceptionally – made, the project basically struggles with inventiveness. There is nothing particularly distinctive about Kyle Newacheck’s direction. James Vanderbilt’s script doesn’t deliver anything beyond a few chuckles and is rarely laugh-out-loud funny.

Neither a hilariously silly romp, nor a sharp parody, the film relies mostly on the camaraderie of its leads to keep viewers invested. To their credit, the actors are well-suited for their roles and make sure that the movie remains watchable even when the plot isn’t exactly riveting. Aniston in particular is as charming as ever, although the film does leave you wishing the vehicle has made better use of the actress’s considerable comedic talents. 

Built on a well-worn genre that is perfect for parody, Murder Mystery had the potential to really dig in and come up with something amusing and interesting. Instead it waddles down a typical mystery path and offers nothing new. This is, ultimately, an unexceptional, unmemorable summer movie, but thanks to the talents of its cast, it is still a pleasant enough way to while away a lazy summer evening.

Rating: 2.5 out of 5

- Sameen Amer

The Express Tribune Blog - 18th June, 2019 *

Frozen II - prepare to be enchanted by some more musical magic this winter

trailer review

Just when we finally managed to get ‘Let It Go’ out of our heads, Disney has decided to unleash another instalment of Frozen, and the trailer for the upcoming sequel suggests that the past isn’t quite in the past anymore.

History, in fact, appears to be of some importance in Frozen II, the much anticipated sequel that continues the tale of Queen Elsa (Idina Menzel) and Princess Anna (Kristen Bell), the feisty sisters from the Kingdom of Arendelle who won our hearts in 2013 when the original adventure – which was inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale ‘The Snow Queen’ – arrived in cinemas and triumphed at the box office.

This time around, it looks like Elsa will have to venture into enchanted lands and journey into the unknown in what appears to be a dark, dramatic adventure. “The past is not what it seems,” our heroine is told in the trailer. “You must find the truth.”

The quest for said truth is evidently perilous, at least according to this short preview, which makes the new film seem more grim and sombre than its predecessor. Elsa appears to be battling a raging ocean and facing a mysterious threat. Anna too seems to be on a dangerous journey. Ominous magical horses make an appearance. And we are given the sense that the fate of the world relies on Elsa’s powers.

We see no evidence of merriment in this melancholy trailer, but hopefully it won’t all be doom and gloom. Snowman Olaf (Josh Gad) is back, hopefully with some comic relief or at least some more irresistible adorableness, as is reindeer Sven and his owner and Anna’s love interest Kristoff (Jonathan Groff). 

Much of the filmmaking team behind the first movie – including directors Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee – is returning for the sequel as well. Also – and perhaps most importantly – the brilliant Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez will once again lend their songwriting magic to the franchise, which means there is sure to be another anthem that kids can put on repeat for the next couple of years. Commiserations, in advance, to all parents of young children!

Disney may not be best known for its sequels, but it’s a safe bet that the studio will make every effort to please (merchandise buying) fans with this continuation of its billion dollar franchise. This is, after all, the follow-up to the highest-grossing animated film of all time. (And the studio obviously has a lot of merchandise to sell.)

Prepare to be enchanted by some more musical magic this winter, as Frozen II arrives in cinema on 22 November 2019.

- Sameen Amer

The Express Tribune Blog - 15th June, 2019 *

Netflix special: shows you can watch amidst a sea of options

netflix reviews

In It’s Bruno!, there is enough passion, charm, and oddball characters to amuse viewers; fans of the more loud and silly SNL sketches in particular might enjoy I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson; while The Unauthorized Bash Brothers Experience is a ridiculous combination of utterly random ideas

It’s Bruno!

Starring: Solvan Naim, Rob Morgan, and Shakira Barrera

Created by: Solvan Naim

A dog lover and his canine companion take centre stage in It’s Bruno!, a quirky web series that follows a man and his four legged friend as they go about their lives.

Series creator Solvan Naim stars as the protagonist, Malcolm, a man from Brooklyn whose love for his puggle, Bruno (played by Naim’s actual dog), keeps leading him into absurd adventures. The show comes in the form of eight short episodes of zany antics, often with only a sliver of a story holding it all together. Malcolm navigates romance, dodges dognappers, gets into a fierce rivalry with another dog owner, and tries to find a way to take Bruno into a supermarket that doesn’t allow dogs, all while amusing and charming viewers.

This is the kind of show that you’re likely to simultaneously find both ridiculous and stupidly funny. And if you’re a dog person, then you’ll probably find It’s Bruno troublingly relatable.

There isn’t heaps of depth or vast character development here, but there is enough passion and charm in this short series and its oddball characters to keep you interested in the tale of a devoted dog owner and his pet. It may not be the kind of show that will inspire you to subscribe to Netflix, but it’s worth a look-see if you are a member of the streaming service.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

*****

I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson

Starring: Tim Robinson

Created by: Zach Kanin and Tim Robinson

Directed by: Alice Mathias and Akiva Schaffer

Saturday Night Light alum Tim Robinson takes his comedy to Netflix in the sketch series I Think You Should Leave, a collection of skits that often take things to the absurd extreme.

The content is basically similar to SNL sketches (unsurprisingly some of the shorts are in fact SNL rejects) but with stronger language. Most sketches start in a normal, often pleasant setting but then things quickly escalate into some form of human madness. 

Robinson mostly plays with clever ideas, although some work better than others. An airplane sketch featuring the terrific Will Forte is a highlight. Other former SNL members and several actors – like Sam Richardon, Vanessa Bayer, Cecily Strong, Steven Yeun, Andy Samberg, Fred Willard, and Tim Heidecker – also show up during different clips.

You’re likely to get different mileage out of the various sketches, and ultimately how funny you find any of this will purely come down to a matter of taste. Fans of the more loud and silly SNL sketches in particular might enjoy this series.

Rating: 3 out of 5

*****

The Unauthorized Bash Brothers Experience

Starring: Andy Samberg, Akiva Schaffer, and Jorma Taccone

Directed by: Mike Diva and Akiva Schaffer

It’s hard not to be fascinated by the minds that came up with The Unauthorized Bash Brothers Experience, a ridiculous combination of utterly random ideas, the mere existence of which is amusing in itself.

Billed as a “visual poem”, The Lonely Island’s Netflix special is presented as a rap album made by baseball players Jose Canseco (portrayed by Andy Samberg) and Mark McGwire (Akiva Schaffer) in the 1980s when the pair was known as the Bash Brothers.

The 30 minute special reimagines the sportsmen as a Beastie Boys-like outfit performing a Lemonade-esque visual album about steroids and father issues, loaded with baseball references and featuring appearances by the likes of Maya Rudolph, Jenny Slate, and Hannah Simone, as well as a standout Sterling K. Brown who appears as singer Sia. The third member of the trio, Jorma Taccone, plays various different characters.

The comedy rap group mock the Bash Brothers, spoof Beyoncé’s 2016 visual album, and indulge in general silliness as they make their way through this pseudo concept set. There are some delightful moments here, and even some skilled rapping (‘Let’s Bash’).

Not everyone will vibe with The Lonely Island’s over-the-top style of humour, but if you’ve enjoyed the trio’s work in the past, then you might want to give this special a try. And if you’ve always wanted a parody visual record based on two steroid-fuelled baseball players from the ‘80s, then, well, here you are.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

- Sameen Amer

Instep Today, The News International - 15th June, 2019 *

Artemis - one giant leap in the wrong direction for Andy Weir

book review

Book: Artemis

Author: Andy Weir

The massive success of a debut project may propel its creator to global stardom but it can also have some side effects. Operating under the shadow of an acclaimed first effort while struggling to meet its standards thenceforth can have its downsides, an idea that is conveniently illustrated by the phenomenon of the sophomore slump.

Artemis appears to be Andy Weir’s sophomore slump.

The American writer’s first novel, The Martian - story of an astronaut stranded alone on Mars - was one of the most exciting, interesting, and compelling science fiction adventures of recent years.

Unfortunately … exciting, interesting, and compelling are three of the things that its predecessor, Artemis, is not.

Weir shoots for the Moon with his second novel, stationing the proceedings on Earth’s satellite where a lunar city serves as the centre of the action. 

The protagonist is Jazz Bashara, a porter and smuggler of Saudi origin who moved to Artemis, the city on the Moon, when she was 6. Now in her 20s, she has established a reputation for drinking and sleeping around, having given up her religion, much to the disappointment of her welder father, Ammar, who is a devout Muslim.

When an underhanded businessman offers her the chance to make a fortune by sabotaging a rival company, she hatches an outlandish plan to carry out the job. But her scheme doesn’t go quite as planned, and she ends up running into a conspiracy that could have dire consequences.

Admittedly, the setting – the Moon! – is quite fascinating and it is fun to read about the lunar city and what it might be like to actually live on the lunar surface. Plus Weir is clearly adept at weaving science into his tales. All that, sadly, is undercut by a convoluted plot that is just plain ludicrous when it isn’t busy being preposterous.

It also doesn’t help that Jazz is about as irritating as a protagonist can be. A grown woman with the personality of a teenage boy, she seems immature, lazy, unnecessarily profane, amoral, and the opposite of bright. We’re repeatedly told that Jazz is very intelligent but she never bothers to actually demonstrate said intelligence at any point. She is meant to be witty but her attempts at humour are groan-worthy.

And why should we care about the fate of a reckless smuggler-turned-saboteur? Weir doesn’t venture an explanation. The Martian was a triumph because Mark Watney was working against astronomical odds, struggling for survival. Jazz, on the other hand, is trying to make a quick buck by destroying someone else’s property, causing extensive damage, and putting hundreds of lives at risk. All that – even if seen under the light of the absurd conspiracy – does not make her someone to root for.

Weir tries to create a multi-cultural society, but instead of coming up with something smart, he keeps stumbling on stereotypes. Parts of his characterizations are cringe-worthy; others are downright offensive. Everyone appears to have been given a nationality, religion, and sexual orientation seemingly at random. The supporting characters seem like they are diverse just for diversity’s sake.

There are plot points that ultimately don’t go anywhere. The pacing is off. The dialogues seem forced and unnatural.

Artemis is one giant leap in the wrong direction for Andy Weir. But what’s most frustrating about the book is that it could actually have been very interesting. At its core, there really is a fascinating idea – colonizing the Moon and all its wonderful, messy outcomes. Had this premise not been paired with an unsatisfying caper featuring a grating heroine, we might have landed on a tale that wasn’t this disappointing.

- Sameen Amer

The Express Tribune Blog - 14th June, 2019 *

Aladdin - all spectacle, no heart

movie review

Aladdin

Starring: Will Smith, Mena Massoud, Naomi Scott, Marwan Kenzari, Navid Negahban, Nasim Pedrad, and Billy Magnussen

Directed by: Guy Ritchie

Disney has been busy churning out live action remakes of its animated classics, and these revisits have been earning tonnes of money despite the fact that they invariably fail to elevate the original material in any significant way.

The studio’s latest remake is Aladdin, a live action adaptation of the beloved 1992 animated film of the same name. 

And does it exceed or even match the joy of the original?

No. No, it does not.

The storyline is all too familiar. 

With his pet monkey and partner in crime, Abu, by his side, Aladdin (Mena Massoud) – a street urchin and petty thief – meets and falls for a woman who turns out to be Jasmine (Naomi Scott), the princess of Agrabah. The feisty Jasmine isn’t impressed with the kind of royal suitors that she is expected to marry, and is yearning for positive change in her kingdom.

Meanwhile, the wicked Grant Vizier, Jafar (Marwan Kenzari) – who wants to overthrow Jasmine’s father and become the Sultan himself – convinces Aladdin to retrieve a magic lamp hidden in a cave, offering him riches in return. But things don’t go quite as planned. When Aladdin rubs the lamp and unwittingly summons the Genie (Will Smith) who lives inside, the powerful Genie grants him three wishes.

Aladdin must figure out how to win Jasmine’s heart and defeat the power hungry Jafar while making the best use of his three wishes along the way.

The plot is mostly faithful to the original with only a few minor changes – Jasmine now wants the throne, and the Genie has a love interest – that don’t alter the story too dramatically. It is hard to deny the nostalgic draw of this project. Those who grew up with the animated Aladdin will surely find themselves emotionally drawn towards this remake. And there are a lot of familiar elements and colourful spectacle here that fans of the original will enjoy.

But as a movie, this project does falter on many counts. Director Guy Ritchie doesn’t do anything particularly inventive with the material. And the filmmakers’ decision to muddles up Arabian and Indian aesthetics is disconcerting. A Western view of the Eastern world that conflates different cultures as well as makes the suggestion that people of colour are interchangeable seems downright problematic.

Scott, who tries a little too hard throughout the film, in particular, sticks out. Her looks, outfits, and performance are more in tune with Bollywood than “Arabian Nights”. It also doesn’t help that her character is given a new, standard pop song, ‘Speechless’, the style of which simply feels out of place in the musical.

Also, the CGI isn’t exactly stellar. Jafar’s pet parrot, Iago, isn’t particularly well rendered. Abu isn’t as adorable as he should be either. And the effects used to turn Smith into the swirling Genie are, at times, a little odd.

Smith’s Genie, however, is also the movie’s MVP. The actor gives a charismatic performance in the role, and the film doesn’t really come to life till he finally appears on screen. Smith doesn’t try to imitate the incomparable Robin Williams and manages to make the part his own while honouring the legacy of the original.

Some of the film’s casting choices work better than others. On one hand, Massoud makes a charming Aladdin; on the other, Kenzari is woefully miscast as Jafar. As a result, Aladdin is disappointingly uneven. 

The new Aladdin had a tough predecessor to follow, and it simply isn’t as vibrant or joyous as its 1992 counterpart; nor does it do anything creative enough to justify its existence. Like all of Disney’s live action adaptations so far, this one too leaves us wishing that they had done something original instead. Sure the studio is making bucket-loads of money, but they have yet again failed to deliver the exciting, imaginative cinematic experience that the audience deserves.

Rating: 2.5 out of 5

- Sameen Amer

The Express Tribune Blog - 11th June, 2019 *

Abida Parveen's son Sarang Latif pays tribute to her legacy in a new web series

interview

Sarang Latif has been blessed with the chance to view the Pakistani music industry from a very unique vantage point. The youngest offspring of legendary Sufi singer Abida Parveen and renowned Radio Pakistan producer Ghulam Hussain Sheikh, Sarang was born into a family with deep ties to the musical realm. It was inevitable then that he’d be drawn into the world of music as well, a journey he started in 2013 as a producer; he has since worked with various artists and multinational companies. Now he is pouring his passion for the craft into a new project, Bazm e Rang, which is all set to premiere on Eid-ul-Fitr this year.

Conceived, directed, and produced by Sarang himself, the venture takes the shape of a series of songs which are being released online and feature his mother as the main artist. The set will find Abida Parveen performing her tracks both as a solo artist and in collaboration with other renowned singers.

The idea for the project was born out of admiration for Abida Parveen’s music. “Ammi has done more than 138 albums, MashaAllah,” Sarang gushes, “and I had always wanted to experiment with her music. I had been planning Bazm e Rang for the last five to six years but just couldn’t put together all the pieces of the puzzle until now. I guess there’s a time for everything!”

The first chapter of Bazm e Rang will begin airing in June, and will comprise of ten songs, one of which will be unveiled at a time. Kicking things off will be the track ‘Parda Dari’ featuring Atif Aslam. Other names that will lend their vocals to upcoming releases include Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, Waqar Ehsan, Jabir Abbas, Khurram Waqar, Qasim Azhar, and the band Khamaaj.

“I wanted different renowned music artists to collaborate with Ammi, singing her very own compositions,” says Sarang. “Unfortunately, what most people still don’t know is that 99% of the kalaams that my mother has sung in her entire life were composed by her, and she has set a world record for having composed hundreds of kalaams.”

A quest to revisit those kalams and see them in a new light as well as the chance to create new songs led to the production of the web series. The words of celebrated ancient poets and Sufis will form the basis of the songs. “Ammi has selected poetry by the likes of Hazrat Bedam Shah Warsi r.a, Hazrat Shah Niaz Barelvi r.a, Hazrat Baba Bulleh Shah r.a, Hazrat Baba Zaheen Shah Taji r.a, Hazrat Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai r.a, Hazrat Amir Khusro r.a, Hazrat Maulana Rumi r.a, Hazrat Moinuddin Chishti r.a, Faiz Ahmad Faiz sahab, Gulzar sahab, Hazrat Ghalib, and Sabir Zafar sahab. Amanat Ali and myself have arranged the music for the whole project.”

The series really was a labour of love for the producer who says he took the initiative all on his own, and made the whole thing without any sponsors whatsoever. Unable to find the appropriate venue for filming the performances, Sarang, along with his wife Shireen Benazir Bijarani, came up with the idea of building the set at his own studio hall. The production was handled by his friends at Placid Films, who “understood the concept really well and worked extremely hard at odd times” to make the series happen.

The songs are being released online not just because of the high expenses that would have been required to release the set on television, but because the producer feels that “people are more into YouTubing and Facebooking rather than watching TV, so it felt more appropriate to release it online so that people can watch it whenever they want.”

Sarang says that working on the project was a remarkable experience, not just for himself but clearly for everyone else who was part of the team as well. “There are many memorable incidents that happened during the project, but the one that touched my heart the most was during a shoot, when Ammi was singing. One of the cameramen, Tayyab, left his camera unintentionally and started listening to her, forgetting his job totally and then all of a sudden everybody noticed him sitting down without his camera, lost in Ammi’s soulful voice.”

The impact of Abida Parveen’s voice is something Sarang has been experiencing first hand since he was a child. “When she used to do rehearsals at home, Ammi’s voice used to give me goosebumps. I always tried to sit beside her to watch her rehearse, as that would give me some sort of satisfaction that can’t be expressed in words.” And what was it like growing up with the legendary singer as his mother? “Ammi was always strict and really busy, but it was always inspiring to see her work so hard,” he recalls. “Her passion and dedication towards her work along with my father used to have a great positive impact on me and I would always think that one day I would also be working like her with passion.”

As the first set of songs awaits its release, Sarang has already started working on the second chapter of Bazm e Rang. He wants the project to “cater to people of all ages – teenagers, middle-aged, and even old people” and “act as therapy for the mind, body, and soul”. And he hopes that the project will help him honour his mother. “With this platform, I would like to express my gratitude to my mother and say to her that I am truly proud of her. She is my source of inspiration, she is the only reason behind Bazm e Rang. I thank Allah for blessing me with such an amazing mother.”

- Sameen Amer

Images, Dawn - 8th June, 2019 *

In the picture: horror special - The Curse of La Llorona and Us

movie reviews

The Curse of La Llorona is too generic to make an impact; Us spins a fascinating yarn but struggles with plausibility

The Curse of La Llorona

Starring: Linda Cardellini, Roman Christou, Jaynee-Lynne Kinchen, Raymond Cruz, Patricia Velásquez, Marisol Ramirez, and Sean Patrick Thomas

Directed by: Michael Chaves

Tagline: She wants your children.

A Mexican folklore comes to cinematic life in The Curse of La Llorona, a fairly standard horror flick that fails to make the most of its creepy premise.

Offered as the sixth instalment in The Conjuring universe, the supernatural thriller stars Linda Cardellini as a social worker who, while pursuing a child endangerment case, ends up facing an evil spirit.

Anna (Cardellini), a single mother of two young children – son Chris (Roman Christou) and daughter Samantha (Jaynee-Lynne Kinchen) – is assigned the task to investigate the case of her client Patricia Alvarez (Patricia Velásquez), who appears to have locked up her two sons. An attempt to help the boys goes awfully awry, revealing the presence of a supernatural entity that subsequently decides to target Anna’s own children. Anna must figure out how to defeat the malevolent being in order to save her family and survive this ordeal.

The Curse of La Llorona is built on an intriguing legend with a lot of potential for spooky storytelling, but the film doesn’t quite manage to capitalize on the eeriness of its myth. Instead, it all unfolds like a typical horror episode and leads to a predictable, unexciting ending; there are no surprising twists and turns along the way. From the standard ghost-like appearance of the titular La Llorona to the film’s overreliance on startling jump scares, the movie repeatedly falters and fails to offer anything exceptional.

Cardellini is fairly good in the lead role, as is the supporting cast in their respective parts. But the actors simply don’t have any strong, thrilling material to work with. The viewer never fears for the characters or feels any sort of dread over their predicament despite the fact that they’re basically being chased by a demon.

Pretty much everything about the project is too generic to really make an impression. Michael Chaves does display the occasional stylistic flair in his directorial debut, but he generally plays it too safe. As a result, the film is neither scary, nor memorable, and is ultimately just a waste of what could have been a compelling scenario.

Rating: 2 out of 5

*****

Us 

Starring: Lupita Nyong'o, Winston Duke, Shahadi Wright Joseph, Evan Alex, Elisabeth Moss, and Tim Heidecker

Written and directed by: Jordan Peele

Tagline: We are our own worst enemy.

It’s almost surprising how well the horror genre suits Jordan Peele. The comedian-turned-director made quite a mark with Get Out in 2017, and he continues to impress with his second offering, Us.

The film tells the story of a family whose vacation takes a nightmarish turn when their doppelgängers suddenly show up.

Adelaide (a fantastic Lupita Nyong’o), her husband Gabe (Winston Duke), and children Zora (Shahadi Wright Joseph) and Jason (Evan Alex) visit their family’s lake house for a holiday. But Adelaide is apprehensive about a trip to the beach, since she encountered a doppelgänger of herself in the area when she was a child.

Her fears are realized when doppelgängers of the whole family – dressed in red jumpsuits and brandishing golden scissors (guaranteed to be the go-to look this Halloween) – show up at the house and start terrorizing the occupants.

Peele creates an intense environment and a creepy ambience that immediately sucks viewers in and confronts them with the sheer horror of the situation. Plus he skilfully uses the plot to comment on classism, shedding light on the plight of the marginalized.

The premise, however, works better on a metaphorical level than on a realistic one, since it really doesn’t hold up to even minor scrutiny. The implausible elements get more distracting the more we delve into the film’s universe, where the ideas are intriguing but the mechanics are never fully explained. A twist at the end just raises more questions which detract from the ending’s emotional impact.

The cast though is absolutely stellar. Nyong'o in particular is so terrific that her performance leaves you hoping she’ll get some attention this award season.

On the whole, this intense thriller benefits from its interesting ideas, fascinating visuals, and the remarkable acting of its fantastic cast. Its first half is stronger than its seconds, but Peele’s filmmaking is impressive throughout. And while it may leave us with some questions that we wish it would have answered, Us still makes for a fairly rewarding ride.

Rating: 3 out of 5

- Sameen Amer

Instep, The News on Sunday - 2nd June, 2019 *