update:
"It's a very Masala film". Those kids are too damn cute, btw.
Just in time for Oscars, we saw the "controversial" crowd-pleaser last night. I loved it. Boyle & Tandan tip their hats to Company, Maqbool and Salaam Bombay in visual and thematic cues but I thought Trainspotting may have been the biggest influence. You should go read moacir's excellent write-up.
- I have written here, before, of my love for Alberto Manguel's wondrous writing. His essay The exile's library, Guardian is just beautiful. "The story of the tireless wanderer haunted my dreams. I didn't feel his fate as a curse; I thought how wonderful it would be to travel alone and endlessly, to visit every country in the world and to meet all sorts of extraordinary people; above all, to be able to read any book that fell into your hands."
- Nick Cohen's The sordid legacy of the end of the empire fills you up on "Sir" Allen Stanford and his fake empire. "In June last year Sir Allen landed on the sacred turf of Lord's in a black helicopter bearing a crateful of dollars. The bills turned out to be replicas rather than the real McCoy, but the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) did not smell a rat. Sir Allen then appeared to make good on his promise to inject tens of millions into the game. He invited the England team to a high-stakes tournament in Antigua, a country he seemed to own." Pathetic, ECB, pathetic.
- Eric Hobsbawm's reflections on Victor Kiernan and Joseph Needham are a must-read.
- "An airstrike by the United States-led military coalition killed 13 civilians and 3 militants last Tuesday in western Afghanistan, not “up to 15 militants” as was initially claimed by American forces, military officials here said Saturday." - U.S. Concedes Afghan Attack Mainly Killed Civilians
- Finally, the wonderful Harper's Index is now on-line. Here is what they have indexed on Islam. Sample:
- "(12/98) Chances that a U.S. film with male Arab or Muslim characters depicts them as greedy, violent, or dishonest: 19 in 20
- (2/98) Chance that an American Muslim is of Arab descent: 1 in 5
And, also: Pakistan.
- (6/88) Percentage of all those killed or injured in terrorist bombings worldwide last year who were Pakistani: 45
COMMENTS
mlg | February 25, 2009
You're not kidding? Slumdog won you over? I thought for sure you'd see through this admittedly entertaining and well-made, but superficial, heavy-handed and dishonest. How disappointing! Oh well...
sepoy | February 25, 2009
It's a well-kept secret, but I am totally shallow and superficial...
Qalandar | February 25, 2009
Watch the portion beginning at the 4:23 mark: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0qH93lydpRg&feature=related
hassan | February 28, 2009
I don't plan to spend money on watching his movie but I will pay for anil kapoors shave and a haircut if he agrees to get one asap
thabet | March 02, 2009
Nick Cohen? He of pro-war left fame? Last man to be prattling on about empire.