GupShup Forums - World Entertainment

Kurban

aminas — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:08:05 GMT

Has anyone seen the movie yet? I am going in an hour time, Loving the songs :jano

And Cant wait to see New moon tomorow, Weekend is gona be good :@:

Channel 4: The Family

coolmunda — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:58:16 GMT

A British Indian family opens its doors to viewers in a major new eight-part observational series, documenting the universal themes of family life. The Grewals are a fun-loving and lively family with three generations all living under one roof. For two months they were filmed by cameras placed in every part of their house during the most dramatic and exciting months of their lives. Highlights of the series include the birth of a new baby and a big wedding.

World's Strictest Parents- Lebanon

coolmunda — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:52:32 GMT

Two wayward British teenagers experience strict parenting on the other side of the world, as 17-year-old college dropout Debbie from Carlisle and 17-year-old wannabe rock star Daniel from Leeds travel to Lebanon.

Who watched it?

Bad_Lieutenant(2 of the 2 movies I want to watch)

Monk — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:21:18 GMT

The Blind Side(1 of 2 movies I am going to watch)

Monk — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:19:35 GMT

Sean Connery Ditches Retirement to Play ... a Skateboarding Veterinarian?

GSBot — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 14:58:01 GMT

http://www.blogcdn.com/www.cinematic...an-connery.jpgGood actors never really retire, they just find new and easier ways to work. Sean Connery loudly proclaimed his intention to retire from the silver screen, but he's decided to make a bit of a return. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Connery will lend his voice to the CGI animated movie Sir Billi, an independent film created by husband-and-wife team Sascha and Tessa Hartmann. Connery is an executive producer on the project, and has been heavily involved with its production.

The movie will have Connery playing "a retired, skateboarding veterinarian" who rescues an illegal fugitive who just happens to be a beaver. (I now wish this could cross over into The Beaver.) The Hartmanns have been working on the project for five years, and it's now set for a 2010 release.
The final touch is apparently a Shirley Bassey tune, and THR reports that she's signed up to record a song titled The Guardian of the Highlands for the film. Let me repeat that: Bassey singing a song called The Guardian of the Highlands. It's now my favorite song of all time, and I haven't even heard it.

So, if you've been lying awake wondering what Connery has been up to, now you know. He's been overseeing a charming Scottish cartoon, and lending his slurry brogue to a skateboarding veterinarian. But I don't this heralds a return to acting -- remember, Connery was able to literally phone in this performance and head back to the golf course, enjoying the fruits of retirement.

Dulha Mil Gaya

2gd2btrue — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 04:27:18 GMT

Imran Khan Singer

dooriyan — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:42:13 GMT

Do you guys like his songs and his style? Hey anyone know any information about his shows? Is he touring the states? What category of singing would you put him in? I like his song amplifier.

Rumor Police: 'Batman 3' News and McAdams Not in 'Spider-Man 4'

GSBot — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 19:30:01 GMT

http://www.blogcdn.com/www.cinematic...rachel-(2).jpg

Obviously folks can't handle not knowing anything about the next Batman film because once some random person mentions anything having to do with the movie, the entire online blogging world jumps, squirms and runs out the door with a story. The latest, so you're all caught up to date, is that some anonymous source told the Batman on Film fansite that Warner Bros. and Christopher Nolan would be making a decision regarding Nolan's participation in the next film by January. Some claim he's already signed on to direct, but last we heard he wasn't. Regardless, Batman on Film does make a good point in saying that it's probably in Warners best interests to make an announcement prior to Nolan doing press for Inception since he's bound to be inundated with Batman-related questions. Will it by January? Who knows. Either way you're most likely not going to see a new Batman movie in theaters before 2012, so take a chill pill and let's wait this thing out.

In other news, guess who's not going to be playing Black Cat in Spider-Man 4? Yup, Rachel McAdams has officially denied claims that she's up for the role. She told Entertainment Weekly, "That's a total rumor, I have to say. I was hanging out in Toronto the other day and someone came up to me and said, 'I just heard you're doing Spider-Man 4.' And I said, 'Really? No one told me!' It's not true." A rep for Sony Pictures concurs: "It's an Internet rumor, as so many things are these days."

Then again, even if she was circling the part, her lips would be sealed, so are we really any closer to finding out the real truth? Probably not. But at least you're clued in to the latest goings-on.

OMG OMG.....

Malika12 — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 03:57:15 GMT

NEW MOON is coming out this THURS!!!

So excited to see Taylor...man he's soooo cute!!!!

Sorry I just had to get that out of my system!! :P

Tum Mily A.K.A Biwi ho to eesi

Monk — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 12:11:51 GMT

Kind of a real life movie.
Saif's sister plays a loyal GF/fiancee. Nice work.
I don't think such girls exist any more.

Barack Obama�s Inaugural Address

AKfour seven — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 17:25:49 GMT

I stand here today humbled by the task before bawwgt com]dofus kamas, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our bawwgt com]cheap dofus kamas I thank President bawwgt com]dofus power leveling for his service to bawwgt com]buy dofus kamas, as well as the generosity and cooperation he has shown throughout this transition

Son of a lion

Zakk — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 16:16:50 GMT

A labour of love finally showing on cinema..

Newsline Blog Archive Interview: Benjamin Gilmour

By Talib Qizilbash 11 November 2009 73 Views No Comment
Son of a Lion opened in UK cinemas on November 6. While the story revolves around a young Pashtun boy in Pakistan�s northwest, it incorporates themes that are universal. The young boy, Niaz Afridi, is born into a weapons-making family in Darra Adam Khel, a place where family, tradition and the gun are the pillars of society. But he wants to carve his own path: instead of following in his father�s footsteps and joining the gun-making business, he wants an education. It�s something he�ll have to fight for.

The movie is being released at a time of intense international interest in Pakistan and its Pashtun-dominated tribal areas. It is unsurprising then that the setting and the story behind the making of the film are generating just as much attention as the film itself. The film�s director, Benjamin Gilmour, is an Australian who had no strong ties to the tribal areas before he decided to go in 2004. After arriving, he soon realised that his script wasn�t right. The locals told him so and made �the story their own.� But in doing so, they had to hide Benjamin and his camera from almost everybody. Newsline spoke to Gilmour after he reached London for the UK premiere of his debut feature film.

Benjamin Gilmour filming Son of a Lion on location in Pakistan. Photo: Courtesy sonofalion.com

Why Pakistan and not Afghanistan for a story like this? In 2004 and 2005 the international news was all on Afghanistan and Iraq, Pakistan was still mostly on the periphery of the western media, unlike today?

Pakistan has held a great fascination for me since I first visited in 2001. It was love at first sight, I suppose. The people of Pakistan, their generosity, kindness, and hospitality is what differentiates it from most Western countries where people tend to be fixated with individualism, greed and material wealth. On my first visit to Peshawar, a man told me he kept his shop open only long enough to get enough money to feed his family that night. Then he�d close up and go spend his time with his kids. Quite simply, the values of people I met in Pakistan impressed me. As for filming there, it was precisely because the media focus was not on Pakistan that I saw the need to tell a Pakistani story. People now know how significant Pakistan�s role is, and has been, in influencing events in Afghanistan.

Who facilitated your journey? You didn�t just show up in the NWFP, did you?

Although the Pashtuns are famous for their hospitality and sheltering guests, it�s pretty impossible to just show up in the NWFP as a Westerner and expect the people to open up, given their impression of foreigners in these times. Thanks to the damage done by Predator drones and US sponsorship of the Pakistani Army, Pathans are very wary of outsiders and their true motives. So, via some references, the cousin of the brother of the son of the father of the uncle of somebody, as is often the chain of links, came through. Afridis and Shinwaris in Darra Adam Khel and the surrounding towns assisted and protected me.

Where did the character of Niaz Afridi come from?

Niaz was based on a boy I had met in Darra, the arms manufacturing township in FATA, who was working on an AK47 when I first met him in 2001. At that time tourists could easily go to Darra and pay locals for the experience of shooting machine guns into the mountainside.

I was interested in the complex issue of child labour and particularly the juxtaposition of innocence and destruction contained in the image of a child holding a gun.

Young people, no matter what culture or nationality, often have a tug-of-war with their parents about the directions of their lives, especially in choosing professions (and often spouses too). But can you talk a bit about this universal theme: is it something that you also had to personally struggle with? Did you struggle against traditionalist parents?

Not at all. I agree it is a universal story, parents putting pressure on their children, which can lead to many problems as the child reaches adulthood. But it never happened to me, at least not that I am conscious of. My parents quite simply wanted me to be happy. In saying that, many of my schoolmates have been emotionally scarred by the idea that they were never good enough for their parents. In many parts of Asia where traditional cultures are clashing with very liberal Western ways of life, we see an additional strain on the parent-youth relationship. It�s a big turning point and many Pakistani expat families in Australia, UK and Europe, as you know struggle, with this.

Was it easy to get the local Pushtuns to trust you?

No, not really. It took hundreds of cups of tea and constant interrogation as to my motives until they realised I was doing something in their interest. Once they were convinced I was out to break the Pashtun and Muslim stereotypes propagated by governments and media in the West, they were behind me 100% and Son of a Lion became their film in a sense.

Did they have their own message for the world?

Son of a Lion is their message to the world. I mean, although I came to Pakistan with a script, it was soon abandoned and we started from scratch. I gave my cast full freedom to build the story and improvise dialogue. Their message to the world is this: we are not terrorists; we are peace-loving people who desperately desire progress. But this progress has been denied them; they have been kept poor, even manipulated by forces that wish to use them as pawns in dubious agendas. As a result of this poverty and manipulation, extremism has flourished. Radical elements in their midst have given the good Pashtun majority a bad reputation, which is unfair and hardly helpful. By casting all Pashtuns in the same light we isolate the entire ethnic group. This will not help them or us. Instead, Pashtuns need to be made part of their own progress, we need to nurture them and build them. Only when the taste of progress is on their lips and hope for their children in their hearts, only then will the tribes be inclined to ward off miscreants who shelter among them.

Photo: Courtesy sonofalion.com

You said, �I gave my cast full freedom to build the story.� Can you provide some examples?

The script for the feature film I originally went to Pakistan to make was ridiculed by the locals I wanted to work with, and only then did I realise I would need to begin again, allowing the Pashtuns I was working with to take control of the story. What Britain and US and their allies are only now coming to realise in Southern Afghanistan is that Pashtuns cannot be �directed.� My film making experience with them proved the same. None of them would deliver a line they were not happy with. So I gave it over to them. They built the story, with my assistance, and they improvised extensively. Many say the film feels like a documentary, even though it is acted. This effect came about no only because of the way it was shot, but because of the naturalistic way in which the actors worked.

Let�s talk about that. You have received great feedback about the natural performances of the cast. How did you cast the film?

Auditions were not possible, as they would have involved exposing our mission. So our cast was taken from a small number of families in the collaborating clans. For the most part, we got some unexpectedly brilliant performances from non-professional actors.

What about communication? How did you manage to communicate with and direct your cast?

Many of the actors were illiterate and did not speak English, so this was tough. I mean, communication is inherent to directing. What usually happened was that I work-shopped the scene with Niaz, the lead actor, who spoke excellent English. He would then, in turn, discuss the scene with the other actors in Pashto. Calling cut after an exchange of dialogue was always hit and miss as I was never sure what they were talking about, whether in fact they were giving me the exchange I wanted or just talking about the weather. Only back in Sydney after the translation was done did we see that they had, for the most part, delivered what was needed to make the story work.

You said, �Exposing our mission,� earlier. Besides the locals, the government and its agencies get quite suspicious of foreigners roaming the country, and especially in the war-torn tribal areas. What kind of opposition and encounters did you face from the government, army or intelligence agencies?

Because there is little transparency about the activities of the Pakistani government I am quite cynical about the limitations set on journalists, especially given the fact that writers and filmmakers visiting the tribal belt have to be escorted by the ISPR, the public relations wing of the army. So I never bothered applying for a permit because I knew I would be denied one. Wherever restrictions are placed on journalists anywhere in the world, I always wonder what governments have to hide. My Pashtun contacts in Waziristan and Swat suggest there is plenty.

In what conditions did you film this movie, can you talk about the time frame in which you were there and what was going on at the time?

In 2005 and 2006/7 when this film was shot, there were barely any suicide attacks anywhere. The army was only just conducting occasional operations in FATA and Musharraf was, allegedly, trying to negotiate with militants. Journalists were compared to terrorists, out to undermine Pakistan, which is an absurd idea. Of course, Musharraf�s paranoia about control escalated to his consideration of the judiciary in the same light, which was his ultimate undoing. In these conditions, the film was made in secret. I grew a large beard, stitched up camera gear in an old sackcloth and dressed in shalwar kameez. Things were getting tense and I think this film was made just in time. There is certainly no way anyone can get into FATA now.

How dangerous was filming . . . can you talk about any �close calls�?

We tried to avoid close calls, but there were a few. Once, I was on the back of a motorbike heading up to the mountain to shoot an establishing shot when we were stopped by a roadblock and they saw my camera wrapped in a chaddar. The soldier almost fired off a round from his AK47 in panic; he couldn�t believe what he had discovered. But the Afridis with me dropped some important names, some cousins and brothers in commanding army positions and the boom gate opened. The most dangerous aspect of filmmaking I think was the fact we were using live ammunition as opposed to �blanks� used in Hollywood.

Any emotional scars from being in such a tough, tense environment for so long?

Absolutely. I came back from Pakistan a paranoid mess, but I have now totally recovered. When you�re looking over your shoulder and seeing villains in shadows for eight months, it takes its toll. I can only imagine how the shell-shocked Pashtuns of the NWFP feel after 700 or more of innocent tribesmen, women and children have been killed by hellfire missiles fired from un-manned drones. The psychological damage of these war crimes by the USA on the population cannot be underestimated. When I think of this, I know my experience is nothing compared to that faced by many in FATA right now.

What stereotypes did you go in with, and were any shattered through this process?

I try not to buy into stereotypes and I did not know what to expect from Pathans when I first went. In fact the film was my reaction to stereotypes of these people propagated by others in the first place. For example, in Lahore I was told over and over again to watch out for the �vicious Pashtuns.� I was told they would cut my throat and pour my blood on their rice to eat. It was absurd. Stereotyping of Pashtuns is, I found, most severe in other provinces of Pakistan, more so than in the West. It often verged on downright racism. It is weird to think that as a foreigner I may have a more accurate view of Pashtuns, their culture and their character than most Pakistanis do. But I can understand the tensions in view of the fact the largest concentration of Punjabis in the FATA right now are wearing military fatigues. This has naturally provoked a defensive response from Pashtuns living there, unfortunately adding to the misconceptions.

What is your relationship with the people you worked with like now and are you maintaining your ties?

After months living with Pathans, working on a peace-building project like this and enjoying their company and culture, life-long friendships were formed. So yes, we keep in touch.

What about showing your film to those who helped make it, the locals from Darra Adam Khel, when will they get their chance, or have they already?

Those involved in the filmmaking have seen it and I�m told some of them watch it every day. For the most part is has been widely appreciated by locals who relish in a little Pashtun nationalism at this time when they are facing unprecedented threats to their culture and way of life.

You don�t have a background in film. How did you get into this?

My background is in emergency medicine, but I think there is a clear link between this and my filmmaking. Raised with a sense of justice, when I see the underdog suffering, that�s when I react. It is my hope that this film inspires other to do the same, to find ways in which to bring humanity together, to foster understanding between people and not propagate divisions. The Pashtuns are people with feelings who desperately desire peace and well-being. If we help them achieve this goal instead of isolating them, the rest of Pakistan and the world would be very surprised by the positive outcome. Our weapons in the war against extremism and violence need to be social and economic development, health services and welfare. We need to embrace and nurture the Pashtuns and listen to their grievances. While we are killing them and making them homeless, peace will never be achieved. As a medical practitioner I have learnt

2012

Sheeda Pistol — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 03:44:29 GMT

If you went and saw the movie today (or yesterday), leave your reviews and rating here.

out of 5 stars, how many does it get?

Review: 2012

GSBot — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 13:58:02 GMT

http://www.blogcdn.com/www.cinematic...1258088506.jpg

The most common retort one gets when talking negatively of a film clearly intended to be consumed with a tub of popcorn and a brain switch in the off position is "Why can't you just enjoy the movie?" And I get that. I am the kind of viewer who can absolutely just sit back and let sights and sounds wash over them. But what some fail to understand is that even with the brain turned off, even with disbelief firmly suspended, some movies stink so ferociously that the stench wafts off of the screen, snapping even the most resistant critic to full alertness like a slap in the face by a glove spiked with smelling salts.

2012 is not immune to analysis simply because it is an openly absurd movie. Sure, it's about the end of the world taking place three years from now. Sure, it features some astounding special effects. Sure, it is in every way, shape, and form a popcorn tub movie. And sure, you know from the trailer alone whether or not you're game for yet another disaster porn movie from The Day After Tomorrow and Independence Day director Roland Emmerich. But what the willing don't inherently know, and this is the most crucial piece of information one can be equipped with before hand, is that 2012 is 158 minutes long.

Granted, one would expect the end of the world to take more than 90 minutes, but the biggest failing of 2012 is that it barely has enough story to span half an hour, yet alone two more beyond that. Sign up for all the California-sinking, supervolcano-erupting mayhem you want, but what you're signing up for comes packaged with banal, one-dimensional characters who are only ever allowed to spew groan-inducing dialogue like so many fireballs from a, well, supervolcano. And considering the spectacle is unfortunately a fraction of the length, the audience is given more than enough time to wonder how so much mediocrity came to be from such talented people.

Continue reading Review: 2012