Recap: June 2021

roundup

Jerry Seinfeld announced a movie about Pop-Tarts; Megan Boone left The Blacklist; the Foo Fighters went disco; and more news from the month of June

Film

- The road goes ever on and on for the Tolkien cinematic universe. Our nerdy hearts were thrilled when it was announced that another visit to Middle Earth is forthcoming. A new Lord of the Rings movie – an anime adventure titled The War of the Rohirrim that is set 250 years before the original trilogy – is officially in the works.

- Jerry Seinfeld is making a movie about the invention of the Pop-Tart ... is news that sounds made-up but strangely isn't.

- Here we were, thinking Lin-Manuel Miranda can do no wrong. Turns out, we were wrong. The film adaptation of his musical In the Heights ended up plagued by accusations of colourism, generating backlash for not featuring Afro-Latino performers in prominent roles and leading Miranda to issue an apology.

- Indiana Jones and the ravages of time? Harrison Ford injured his shoulder while rehearsing for a fight scene for the upcoming fifth Indy movie.

- John Boyega abruptly left the film Rebel Ridge mid-shoot. “Family reasons” were cited as the official explanation, although rumours quickly surfaced that he had “abandoned the project” for reasons including “his dissatisfaction with the script and his accommodations”.

- Issa Rae joined the voice cast of the Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse sequel. Which is good news because Issa Rae joining any project is always good news.

Television

- Megan Boone exited The Blacklist several seasons after our interest bid adieu to the show.

- After getting cancelled for speaking out against cancel culture amidst a racism controversy a few months ago, Chris Harrison officially departed from the Bachelor franchise.

- Barack and Michelle Obama announced We the People, their 10-episode Netflix animated series that will teach children about government.

- Bye bye Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist. The series was cancelled by NBC after just two season. Also canned: the Netflix series Grand Army, Jupiter’s Legacy, and Dad Stop Embarrassing Me!; Fox’s The Moodys; and NBC’s Manifest.

Music

- Time to dust off those flair pants and platform shoes: the Foo Fighters announced they are releasing a new album as disco alter-ego the Dee Gees. 

- UFO enthusiasts Angels and Airwaves sent a capsule into space to announce their new album, Lifeforms, and play an “out-of-this-world premiere” of the disc. If there’s an alien invasion anytime soon, we know who to blame.

- Noel Gallagher wants Michael Fassbender to portray him in a biopic. We approve of this casting choice and would like the film industry to get on it ASAP, please and thank you.

- The late Nipsey Hussle was honoured with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The 38 honourees this year also included DJ Khaled, Black Eyed Peas, Ashanti, Avril Lavigne, Francis Ford Coppola, Salma Hayek, Willem Dafoe, Michael B. Jordan, Tessa Thompson, Tracee Ellis Ross, Kenan Thompson, and Macaulay Culkin.

Stars

- Everyone sent love to Blink-182’s wonderful Mark Hoppus who revealed that he has cancer and is undergoing chemotherapy. 

- In a fiery testimony, Britney Spears tore her family and management a new one and asked for her 13-year conservatorship to end.

- Possible queerbaiting allegations and mouthing racist slurs? Yikes! The increasingly problematic Billie Eilish apologised for resurfaced videos, (in part) pleading ignorance and insisting she did not mean for her actions to cause hurt.

- Kanye West and Irina Shayk may or may not have become an item.

- Nick Cannon had several new reasons to celebrate Father’s Day this month. Two new members joined his rapidly expanding brood. The comedian welcomed twin sons – Zion Mixolydian and Zillion Heir – with DJ Abby De La Rosa, just six months after the birth of his daughter Powerful Queen with model Brittany Bell, who is also the mother of his son Golden. He, of course, has twins – Moroccan and Monroe – with singer Mariah Carey as well. And apparently he is now expecting a child – his seventh! – with model Alyssa Scott.

- Cody Simpson tried his hand at competitive swimming. He made it to the final of the Australian Olympic trials in the 100m butterfly but then finished in last place. Better luck next time?

- By Sameen Amer

Instep, The News on Sunday - 27th June, 2021 *

In the picture: Road Trip

short film review

The latest Digestive Showtime short film Road Trip goes down a worn-out path to arrive at its inevitable destination

Road Trip

Starring: Feroze Khan, Ahmed Majeed Agloria, Waliya Najib, Shees Sajjad Gul, Mehmood Aslam, and Nargis Rashid
Directed by: Sultan Ghani Afzal

The concept of the road trip has driven numerous films ever since the success of movies like It Happened One Night (1934) and Stagecoach (1939) fuelled its popularity almost a century ago. Plenty – some would argue too many – of mainstream Hollywood actors have gone on a cinematic road trip at one point or another, and even our local industry has dabbled in travelling from Karachi to Lahore and beyond. Filmmakers around the world have embraced the genre, but while the conceit has clearly shown no signs of waning in popularity, the concept needs an exceptional script or a creative turn (like the hidden camera angle of the recent Bad Trip or the robot uprising of the even more recent The Mitchells vs. the Machines), at this point, to really merit attention or praise.

Creativity, unfortunately, is in scant supply in the latest local attempt at a road movie, the short film Road Trip that is about as imaginative as its title.

Two estranged brothers are at the centre of this overlong short. The tale is told in the form of an anecdote being relayed by a father to his son.

Ayan (Feroze Khan), who has returned from London upon the news of his father’s illness, embarks on a long car ride with his younger brother, Hamza (Ahmed Majeed Agloria). How or why they have reunited before Ayan’s return to his family home where Hamza supposedly lives is not entirely clear, but the two are, at any rate, “forced to share a long ride across the country”. They, of course, eventually bond, as the film delivers the message that, well, family is important.

Along the way, they meet a group of vacationing ladies. Where that storyline heads will not surprise anyone who has ever seen a movie before.

The location and views, where they are allowed to shine, are beautiful. But a short film that is only half an hour in length has no excuse to drag, and that is what Road Trip does for several stretches. And while the acting is serviceable, something is distractingly off about the audio/dubbing which is perhaps, in part, what makes many of the exchanges feel forced or artificial.

And the point remains, ultimately, that the road movie doesn’t have to be pedestrian – everything doesn’t need to be tired or literal or obvious. You can deliver the same messages with more creativity and arrive at the same destination a lot more entertainingly. Just throw in a robot uprising or two, or at least hire writers who can make the journey convincing.

Rating: 2 out of 5

- By Sameen Amer

Instep, The News on Sunday - 27th July, 2021 *

The Croods: A New Age - more prehistoric fun

 movie review

The Croods: A New Age

Starring (voices): Nicolas Cage, Emma Stone, Ryan Reynolds, Catherine Keener, Clark Duke, Cloris Leachman, Peter Dinklage, Leslie Mann, and Kelly Marie Tran

Directed by: Joel Crawford

More than seven long years after they first ventured onto the big screen, The Croods are finally back with a new adventure. The prehistoric family went on a search for a new home in their 2013 outing and they now continue their journey in the sequel A New Age.

As the proceedings commence, we catch up with the Palaeolithic pack that includes stubborn patriarch Grug (voiced by Nicolas Cage), his wife Ugga (Catherine Keener), their rebellious teenage daughter Eep (Emma Stone), pre-teen son Thunk (Clark Duke), and youngest child Sandy (Kailey Crawford), as well as Ugga’s mother Gran (Cloris Leachman). 

Grug is still annoyed by Eep’s relationship with Guy (Ryan Reynolds) who wandered into their lives in the first film, and worried that the pack will split up.

A series of events lead the Croods to encounter the Bettermans – husband Phil (Peter Dinklage), wife Hope (Leslie Mann), and daughter Dawn (Kelly Marie Tran) – who live in a giant tree house and appear to be a couple of rungs up the evolutionary ladder.

At first seemingly friendly, the families soon begin to clash. But when a threat emerges that could impact both the households, the Croods and the Bettermans must put aside their differences and work together, learning lessons about unity along the way.

With many characters and way too many subplots, the proceedings quickly become quite chaotic. Luckily though, there is much fun to be had amidst this chaos. It’s an enjoyable adventure that delivers positive lessons and moments of mirth. That said, however, it doesn’t always work uniformly well for viewers of all ages. The slapstick humour is better suited for children than adults; on the other hand, Eep and Guy’s relationship drama isn’t likely to engage very young viewers.

Still, while it may not be a masterpiece, The Croods: A New Age will keep you entertained for an hour and a half, even if it doesn’t leave a very lasting impression.

The Croods: A New Age is rated PG by the MPAA.

- By Sameen Amer

Young World, Dawn - 26th June, 2021 *

PiFF 2021 – the power of women

talking movies

It is 4:00 pm on Sunday evening, the 13th of June. Five remarkable women – media mogul Sultana Siddiqui, journalist and activist/advocate Tasneem Ahmar, actor and entrepreneur Atiqa Odho, and actor-cum-filmmaker Sangeeta, along with their moderator Tazeen Hussain – are assembled at the Frere Hall in Karachi, the panellists of a seminar, awaiting the session’s commencement.

I am sitting in Lahore, streaming the event a thousand kilometres away. Isn’t technology wonderful!

It’s the third and final day of the 2021 Pakistan International Film Festival, or PiFF for short. Each day has seen panellists from the media industry come together to discuss various topics revolving around Pakistani cinema. The impending arrival of the tardy chief guest is all that’s holding up the start of the current day’s session.

*****

For the uninitiated, PiFF is an annual gathering held under the auspices of the Karachi Film Society (KFS) which itself is the brainchild of the aforementioned powerhouse that is Sultana Siddiqui. First conducted in 2018, the event offers workshops, seminars, and film screenings with the aim of highlighting Pakistan’s cinematic potential while empowering new artists and talent. It may have a ways to go before it reaches the level of its international counterparts, but the fledgling festival still has its sights set on strengthening the entertainment industry, bringing positive change, and showcasing local talent globally.

*****

After a year’s break on account of the coronavirus pandemic, PiFF has returned this year for its third outing with COVID safety precautions in effect. The three-day 2021 event has been dubbed the Women’s Edition, meant to celebrate, promote, and honour women and their contribution to Pakistani cinema. The topics under discuss, though, are wider in scope.

The first day of this year’s festival saw a seminar centred on the lack of growth of Pakistani films in the international market and the reasons and challenges behind this slow growth. The panellists – Omer H. Paracha, Sheikh Amjad Rasheed, Irfan Malik, and Selina Rashid – discussed the quality of films, low return on investment, the need to experiment with various genres, and upgrading technology and equipment. Senator Faisal Javed Khan, who is also the Chairman Senate Standing Committee on Information and Broadcasting, then voiced the need to present our own ideas to the world in our films, and pledged government support for the arts in his keynote speech.

Day two saw a panel discussion – featuring Javed Jabbar, Dr. Fouzia Saeed, Ameena Saiyid, Amin Hashwani, Dr. Farah Essa Zaidi, Duraid Qureshi, and Fizza Ali Meerza – on issues and challenges related to the industry post COVID-19, and also touched on the portrayal of women in Pakistani media, access of the lower and middle class to cinema, and the need to establish a digital entertainment platform. Fawad Chaudhry, the Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting, was on hand for the keynote this time which commented on the changing times and reiterated the government’s intention to lend a hand to the entertainment sector.

*****

It’s day three now, and we are waiting to hear from the panellists. The topic? “Gender stereotypes in media and what are women doing about it?” Some might find the wording a little iffy – putting the onus of responsibility on the women when it shouldn’t be – but you hope it’s nothing more than a (well-intentioned) faux pas.

Things finally get going after the belated arrival of Syed Sardar Ali Shah, the Minister for Culture, Tourism, and Antiquities.

Sultana Siddiqui – the President of KFS and the Hum Network – talks about entering the television industry at a time when very few women were in the field and subsequently helping bring other ladies to the industry. She is weary of how judgmental people are towards women but heartened by the fact that today it is a respected field for girls. Her aim is to portray issues and topics that change the mind-set of people. She also raises the importance of empowering girls, the need for more women in policy making, the change that women in power bring, and also says that the industry needs government facilitation.

Tasneem Ahmar – the founder and director of the Uks Research Center – says there is discrimination against women everywhere, including in the media and entertainment arenas. She also expresses frustration on the very limited range of topics – muhabbat, shadi, talak – in our dramas and hopes for change.

Actress and filmmaker Sangeeta, too, says she entered the film industry at a time when it wasn’t the norm for women, and how much she now appreciates the work of the youth. She also laments the backlash faced when dramas try to do something different.

Actress Atiqa Odho – who is, among other things, also the CEO of Odho Brand/Cosmetics and Odho Productions – speaks about butting heads with regulatory institutions and the censor board, and opines that PEMRA needs to change its mind-set, allow better content, and reassess their dos and don’ts. She also talks about the role of the entertainment industry in a country’s perception management and imaging, and the need to learn how to better market ourselves.

The ladies share their experiences, motivations, hopes, and frustrations. But all too quickly, the time runs out. The hour is up. A few questions with the audience – about the complete absence of film stars in Pakistan and the importance of writers – follow. Then Syed Sardar Ali Shah appreciates the efforts of the KFS team in organizing the event and creating meaningful dialogue, talks about the role of women in the history of entertainment, and assures his government’s support for the industry. As his speech ends, the seminar wraps up, and the stream comes to an end.

*****

The session may have only scratched the surface but it’s always good to see women in power raising their voices for what they believe in. And while we may not walk away from this seminar with any dazzling new insights, we are still left with the comfort that there are strong women who are trying to make things better. Good on them. And if their efforts bear fruit, it might be good for us too.

- By Sameen Amer

Instep, The News on Sunday - 20th June, 2021 *