J.J. Abrams on TED

I saw this video on TED with JJ Abrams of Lost. I had grown up with a similar lifestyle, with a fascination of making things in a very similar way to JJ Abrams. I'm already a fan of his because of Lost and the epic movie Cloverfield, so I just had to post this video of him talking at TED.

Sweeney Todd coming on Christmas

A brutal and gruesome musical, Sweeney Todd is hitting theaters this Christmas. The movie is based on the musical and is directed by Tim Burton. It features good old Johnny Depp and a huge cast that includes Sacha Baron Cohen, the actor who plays Borat.

The story revolves around Sweeny Todd (Depp), who is betrayed by the judicial system and loses his wife and child to the judge who had prosecuted him. On his return, he plans his revenge and becomes a murderous barber. This sickly story somehow tickles my fancy, probably because it deals with vengeance. I've been waiting for it's release for quite a while, so you know where I'll be the night it comes out. =)

Here's the trailer for you:

The Pakistani Movies that are making a Stir

When you think about movies, you usually think about Hollywood, or even Bollywood for that matter. However, there are a couple of movies that are making a stir around the world and in Pakistan.

Khuda ke Liye (In the name of God)



This is a movie produced, written and directed by Shoaib Mansoor, one of the most famous director in Pakistan. The plot involves a Pakistani student (Shaan), who finds himself at the wrong place and at the wrong time. After the fall of the twin towers during the tragedy of 9/11, Shaan's character is arrested. The other protagonist is played by Imaan Ali who is a British Pakistani girl and wants to marry a Non Muslim, she is shipped off to the homeland.

A lot of people have been anticipating this movie chiefly because it is a Shoaib Mansoor production. However, from the trailers I've seen and from what I've heard so far, this is probably going to be Mansoor's worst work. Since there aren't any worthwhile places to go and see the movie in Islamabad, I guess I'll be seeing it when it comes out on DVD. I'll be surprised if it's any good.


Zibakhana: Hell's Ground



Zibahkhana means slaughterhouse in Urdu, but the English title, for some unknown reason, is Hell's Ground. This is probably Pakistan's first big horror movie and has been given cheers world wide. Unlike typical Bollywood/Lollywood movies, this movie has more of a western touch instead of just being a Hollywood ripoff.

The movie took just 4 weeks to make and a budget which according to Time Magazine "makes The Blair Witch Project look like a Hollywood Bankbuster". The movie is a production by Omar Ali Khan who is the owner of Hotspot, a cafe and popular meeting spot in Islamabad. The main cast comprises of school going teenagers instead of more prominent actors from the Pakistani movie scene. It features the typical gore and zombies that you'll find in most Western horror flicks with a more Pakistani touch.

If I had to choose between the two, I'd definitely vouch for Zibahkhana, unlike the former, Zibakhana is less cliched and a more original work compared to most Pakistani movies and television shows. And face it, the zombies just look really cool. Reminds me of my school days when people would talk about this tree at Hotspot with a leaf that had some sort of palpitation and would move repeatedly.

Ratatouille!

Ratatouille is a Disney movie that came out last month and was in my list of movies to watch summer. Unlike most movies these days, where the trailer/teaser is usually better than the movie itself, Ratatouille turned out to be pretty good, probably one of the best movies of the year so far.

The movie's main theme is that "Anyone can cook" and involves the relationship between a farm rat Rémy and a janitor in a restaurant named Alfredo Linguini. Rémy knows how to cook, whereas Alfredo only creates a mess of things. It is Rémy's keen sense of smell and his love for gourmet food that makes Alfredo into a supposedly famous cook in Paris, the Mecca of culinary enthusiasts. The movie incorporates several other themes like male dominance in restaurant kitchens and family relationships.

Pixar, like always, seems to come on top when it comes to the animation in the movie. Even though the cast of the movie is not as well known as most big movies in Hollywood these days; however, it is worth a watch. According to Tom Brooks, from the BBC show Talking Movies, it may be an Oscar winner; Rotten Tomatoes also boasts it to be the best movie of the year so far.

Surf's Up Dude!

Penguins, like superheroes, seem to be the "in thing" in Hollywood right now. The penguins first conquered us with March of the Penguins, after which we got to watch Happy Feet; this summer not only do we have a surfing superhero movie, but also surfing penguins in Surf's up (imdb, rottentomatoes).

Surf's Up is an animated movie that appeals to both kids and adults. It is presented like NBC's sitcom, The Office, a camera crew interviewing a bunch of penguin surfers, in particular a young surfer named Cody (voice by Shia LaBeouf). He is inspired by the greatest surfer in penguin history, Big Z (voice by Jeff Bridges), and persues his dreams by entering a surfing competition.

The movie reminds me of North Shore (1989), which has a similar premise. However, even though the two movies might have similarities, Surf's Up delivers well. It is packed with some really good humor and awesome animation, and is one of the better movies of this summer (so far).

Summer Movies I'd like to see

There are quite a few really cool movies coming out that I'd really like to see this summer. So far, I've been pretty disappointed with Spiderman 3 and The Pirates of the Caribbean, and I heard that Shrek The Third isn't that awesome either.

So what movies are we talking about now?

• Ratatouille (June 29 2007)
  

• Fantastic Four: The Rise of the Silver Surfer (June 15 2007)
  

• Transformers (July 4 2007)

• The Simpsons Movie - (July 27 2007)

Other movies that are already in the theaters and I'd like to see would be:

• Crazy Love (Rotten Tomatoes: 78%; Cream of the Crop: 86%)
  

• Knocked Up (Rotten Tomatoes: 91%; Cream of the Crop: 97%)

• Mr. Brooks (Rotten Tomatoes: 55%; Cream of the Crop: 48%)

• Surf's Up (Rotten Tomatoes: 76%; Cream of the Crop: 81%)

Ocean's 13 has been doing good in the box office, grabbing around about $37 million last weekend. Rotten Tomatoes gives it a 68%, where as the cream of the crop give it a 57%, so I guess it probably isn't that bad either.