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The-Social-Introvert
You can find me here:
https://www.reddit.com/user/The_Social_Introvert/
http://imdb2.freeforums.net/user/2077
https://letterboxd.com/SocialIntrovert/
https://www.youtube.com/c/TheCineRanter
My Polls:
1) Guess Who's Coming To Dinner?
2) Hollywood New Wave Actors
3) It's Neeson Season!
4) No More Sequels Please!
5) The Avengers vs The Dark Knight
6) Anderson vs Anderson vs Anderson
7) Best name for a new Die Hard movie
8) Stallone vs Willis vs Schwarzenegger
9) So you're stranded on a desert island...
10) And the Most Overrated Director of All Time is...
11) Favourite Quadrilogy Made by One Director?
12) Mad Max - Gibson vs Hardy
13) Your Favorite 90's Action Film?
14) Obi-Wan vs Obi-Wan
15) Your Favorite 80's Action Film?
16) Movies Made by Alternate Directors - Part 1
17) Movies Made by Alternate Directors - Part 2
18) Your Favorite 70's Action Film?
19) Your Favorite Ennio Morricone Western Soundtrack?
20) The Greatest Action Movie Director of All Time
21) Your Favorite Ennio Morricone Crime Soundtrack?
22) Your Favorite R-Rated Action Movie Of The 2000's?
23) Your Favorite Ennio Morricone Drama Soundtrack?
24) Your Favorite Ennio Morricone Horror Soundtrack?
25) Your Favorite PG-13 Rated Action Movie Of The 2000's?
26) Westerns: Classic vs Revisionist vs Spaghetti vs Modern
27) Django vs Django
28) Your Favorite Action Movie From 2010-2015?
29) John Carpenter vs Wes Craven
30) Daniel Day Lewis' Insane Method Acting
31) Robert De Niro's Insane Method Acting
32) Not-So Fantastic Four
33) The Curious Case of Guillermo Del Toro
34) Face-Off: The Halloween Trio
35) Face-Off: The Hateful Eight vs The Revenant vs Bone Tomahawk
36) There's Method in the Madness
37) Scream vs A Nightmare on Elm Street
38) So you're stranded on ANOTHER desert island...
39) Will These Movies Ever Be Made?
40) Star Wars Force Powers
41) Alternate Storylines for Famous Films
42) Directors that Need to be Punished by Law!
43) Face-Off: Marvel vs DC - Acting Pedigree
44) Oscars 2016: Best Actor in a Leading Role
45) Oscars 2016: Original Score
46) Your Favorite John Carpenter Movie?
47) Alternate Storylines for Famous Films - Part II
48) Creepiest Xenomorph type?
49) Most Iconic Scene from a Scorsese Movie?
50) BAFTA Awards 2016: Best Director
51) Alternate Storylines for Famous Films - James Bond Edition
52) If the World Ended Today... (2016 Edition)
53) Alternate Storylines for Famous Films - Part III
54) Most Iconic Scene from a Spielberg Movie?
55) Most Quotable Action Movie of All Time?
56) Face-Off: Scorsese's Top Four
57) Clash of the Titans
58) Most Quotable Gangster Movie of All Time?
59) Movie Directors Past Retirement Age
60) Movies Told from a Different Character's Perspective
61) So, Your Favorite Film is About to Get a Remake
62) Types of Movies You Wish They Made More Of
63) Star Wars Solo Movies
64) Face-Off: Angelina Jolie vs Brad Pitt
65) Face-off: Argo vs Fargo vs Cargo vs Key Largo
66) Face-Off: Jango Fett vs Boba Fett
67) What Movie Would You Show to an Alien...
68) Upcoming Sequels: 'Alien', 'Predator' or 'Blade Runner'?
69) Alternate Storylines for Famous Films - Part IV
70) Woo-Ping Yuen - Master of Action Cinema
71) Ennio Morricone vs Sergio Leone
72) Coolest Predator Design?
73) Movies That Were Disliked By Their Own Directors
74) Choose a Guardian. The Rest Will Try to Kill You - Sci-fi Edition
75) Best Movie You Discovered Thanks to IMDb?
76) BAFTA Awards 2017 - Special Visual Effects
77) BAFTA Awards 2017 - Best Cinematography
78) In Memory of John Hurt (1940-2017)
79) The Deadliest Action Stars
80) The Cure for Love is Marriage
81) Alternate Storylines for Famous Films - Part V
My Favourite Movie Directors:
1) Sergio Leone
2) Martin Scorsese
3) Stanley Kubrick
4) John Carpenter
5) Francis Ford Coppola
6) Alfred Hitchcock
7) Michael Mann
8) James Cameron
9) Sidney Lumet
10) Akira Kurosawa
TV Shows I Like or Own
My PSN
Ratings
Most Recently Rated
Lists
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Creepiest Xenomorph type?
Please note: Only creatures from the movies are included
See also: Coolest Predator Design?
Alternate Storylines for Famous Films - Part V
See PART 1 here
See PART 2 here
See PART 3 here
See PART 4 here
See the JAMES BOND EDITION here
See also:
What if Directors Made their Favorite (Weird) Movies?
What if these directors actually went on to remake these favorite movies of theirs, using the cliches and tropes that are usually associated with their own movies?
Which of the following remakes do you find the most interesting/amusing?
The Cure for Love is Marriage
Which of these films depicting a crumbling marriage do you find the most effective?
The Deadliest Action Stars
But as we all know, statistics aren't everything. Which action star do YOU think is the deadliest?
Worst Idea for an Inception Sequel
TV Series I Like/Own
Movies about Muslims
Which one of them is your favorite?
In Memory of John Hurt (1940-2017)
Which of his roles from popular films or TV series below is your favorite?
A Christian, a Muslim and a Jew walk into a bar...
Anyway, here is a list of movies that have characters of varying religions in prominent roles. Which one of them is your favorite?
Reviews
Meri Zaat Zarrae Benishan: Episode #1.5 (2010)
Meri Zaat Zarrae Benishan: Episode #1.5
Now that she's at her aunt's house, Sarah has an opportunity to dig deeper into her mother's past. Everyone she asks gets teary-eyed and walks out of the room, so she looks herself for clues, and finds shocking evidence that Arfeen and her mother were once married. Meanwhile, the flashback segments show Afreen who has travelled abroad to study, and his family's frustration (in particular his mother) at him phoning Saba constantly but showing almost complete disregard for his own family.
The series continues to give us a little piece of the cake at a time as what Sara begins to unravel in real time we are presented with in the past timeline. A little more information of Arfeen and Saba's past is detailed here but there isn't too much too report, aside from the already mentioned news that the two were once married.
Performances and direction were OK. A little below-par from the usual standards since Arfeen's mother and sisters at times delved too far into the Bond villain caricature trope and the music, which usually goes hand in hand with the images so well, was bombastic at times and over the top. It derailed scenes that should have been emotional whilst upping the cringe- factor. Aside from that it was a decent episode.
Taboo: Episode #1.1 (2017)
Taboo: Episode #1.1 (2017) - Review
From the creator of Peaky Blinders and Locke, Taboo concerns James Keziah Delaney, played by Tom Hardy at his creepy-weirdo best, who returns to 1814 London in order to claim a legacy left by his father after a mysterious 10 year absence spend in Africa. He finds himself at odds with the greedy East India Company, who want the land that Delaney has inherited, amid a war between the British and the Americans.
Episode 1 had an enigmatic and eerie atmosphere, personified by the spooky James Delaney who brings with him not only shovels and keys but a mysterious past. The question on all the characters' lips are "Is it true?" in references to numerous, freaky rumours about his activity in Africa. He's a most intriguing character who is shown to be haunted by actions he committed whilst working in the British army and in his time in Africa but is also well informed of the political climate and unwilling to let go of his inheritance. Heads are turned and knives are being sharpened by not only the East India Company but by Delaney's own half sister and her husband, a man who wants the contents of the will for himself. It is also revealed that James and his sister had adulterous relations.
Delaney works fast. Within the first episode he has already made a few enemies for himself and discovered that his father was poisoned into madness. Now he seeks revenge.
Al in all, I found the opener to this series to be very engaging and I'll definitely be continuing the series. Just one thing I want to talk about is the special effects and the cinematography. I thought the CGI was terrific. There's a lot of landscape and background shots of buildings and ships that don't stick out at all and they genuinely look real. They also don't draw attention to themselves; there's no cheap zooming-in of the CGI, which would only serve to distract the viewer and ruin immersion. Shows like Game of Thrones could learn from this.
Taboo: Episode #1.2 (2017)
Taboo: Episode #1.2 (2017) - Review
Delaney acts swiftly in making allies for himself. He acquires eyes and ears in the form of a whorehouse, partners himself with his father's old lawyer, initiates a spy network through the streets of London and settles all his father's financial debts. However, there's one debt still to be payed a widower of James' father has revealed herself, an appearance which would only serve to complicate the matters of James' inheritance, to which she is now owed half. Delaney seeks out a meeting with the President of the US through a spy he discovers, which shows just how lofty his ambition is. The East Indian Company makes a futile attempt on his life, but it leaves a wound.
Just as good as the opener of the show, this episode contains some terrific lines of dialogue and equally superb consume work. The acting is very good, especially by the powerhouse that is Tom Hardy. His character has an unnerving screen presence but is shown to be far more intelligent and well- informed than he seems. His only Achilles-heels seems to be his unsettling and almost supernatural visions of his former life which is still a mystery to us and a life which disturbs him greatly.
The Departed (2006)
I wanted to like it, but just couldn't bring myself to do so
The Departed is a remake of the two year old Hong Kong hit Infernal Affairs (a superior film in my opinion) and concerns an undercover cop (DiCaprio) in an Irish mob in Boston and a mole in the police force (Damon) who attempt to weed each other out before they themselves get caught.
Its 20 minutes into the film before any of this happens, or even the title appears for that matter. Before it does we get something of a prologue with Irish mobster Frank Costello (played by Jack Nicholson and based off of real life Irish mobster Whitey Bulger) narrating about his environment, the Knights of Columbus, JFK and black people. It's the only narration we get throughout the whole movie and immediately after the Rolling Stones' Gimmie Shelter is unleashed at full volume accompanied by short and slightly fragmented scenes of violence from Costello's heyday and DiCaprio and Damon's introduction into their fields of play in the film. It's all a bit disorderly and has an amateurish feel to it, as if someone told a random fan to make a short Scorsese movie and they proceeded to throw all the clichés at the screen DiCaprio, narrations, Gimmie Shelter, people getting shot in the back of the head, lengthy tracking shots, 'the whole nine yards' as police captain Queenan (played by Martin Sheen) would say.
If I was to find a rational explanation for the way the opening of the movie feels so detached from the rest of the film I'd say it's because the start of the film showcases an older time, a previous generation. It was a time more wild and animalistic where the only surviving character of that environment is Frank Costello. It reminds me of Gangs of New York and the opening battle sequence, where the only person to come through the endeavour was Bill the Butcher. Everyone else involved in the battle had either died when the film's main story happened or took their place in the new world of (somewhat) order and stability. It's why the Butcher sticks out so much in the movie. Not only because of the terrific and wild performance by Daniel Day Lewis, but because he is essentially a caveman in an insurance salesman's world and towards the end of the film even he knows he has no place in the new ever-changing America. Similarly, Jack Nicholson's Costello comes off as someone who belongs in a different time away from the tuxedos and police warrants. It's not only him though; many of the characters in The Departed come off as lions and wolves used to roaming the wild trapped in suits and behind wooden desks and piles of paperwork.
The jarring pacing of the film was a real problem for me. I had no sense of how much time had elapsed over the course of the movie and the one time a character had the chance to explain he merely shrugged "long time, long ****ing time" which I agreed with completely. With a runtime of 2 and a half hours the movie is unable to match the brisk pacing of, say, Casino or Goodfellas and instead comes across as a dozen or so clumsily put together scenes in which characters talk tedious topics to each other, with the odd frame of unadulterated violence garnished in. I'm serious while watching a Scorsese mob & cops film I was actually checking to see how long was left because I was so bored. There is no tension throughout the movie at all which made me unresponsive to scenes that were clearly meant to shock and awe. The dialogue is often vague and meaningless, and only of service when it is used to forward the plot. Take the scene between DiCaprio and Nicholson at the dinner, where they talk about DiCaprio's father, school, sadness
all until I thought to myself what the hell are they talking about? To which, to my amazement, DiCaprio responds by asking "what the **** are we talking about?!" Yikes!
The ambling and dreary nature of the movie might have been elevated by some decent acting. But despite the cast including Leonardo DiCaprio, Alec Baldwin, Matt Damon, Mark Wahlberg, Martin Sheen, Ray Winstone and Jack Nicholson it pains me to say the performances were shambolic: DiCaprio was shaking, shrieking and squirming so much that it made Costello look like an idiot for not realizing that he was the rat in his crew, Damon looked like an awkward schoolboy as the 'villain' of the picture, Sheen seemed to be attempting to say his lines without spitting out his fake teeth, Winstone decided that the shooting schedule was the best time to start experimenting with every accent known to man, and Wahlberg's profanity-fuelled, nostril-flared cop with little-man syndrome was so irritating that I hoped he would get shot in the head or thrown off a building. Ironically, he's the only major male character that survives the runtime. Nicholson was the best of the bunch, bringing weight to his role where his presence is felt throughout the whole movie in spite of him playing an extension of his Joker/R.P McMurphy characters. But even he, it seems, is somewhat sleepwalking his way through the film only waking up for the odd rat impersonation here and there. And nobody is buying that Boston accent for a second.
Editor Thelma Schoonmaker adopted a frantic style that didn't sit well with me. Some cuts ran for a spit second and we were constantly jumping from scene to scene, camera angle to camera angle. Maybe it was supposed to come off as sharp and gritty, but it just felt unprofessional and clunky. Maybe substituting Scorsese's coked up direction, which undermined any possible nail-biting from me, for a more subtle but equally stylish director would have been better. I always thought the plot to The Departed would fit snugly into Michael Mann's filmography.
Meri Zaat Zarrae Benishan: Episode #1.4 (2009)
Meri Zaat Zarrae Benishan Review: Episode #1.4
In the past, Arfeen's arrogance proves too much for his parents, and they agree to allow him to be wed to Saba. The two enjoy some conversations with each other, and Saba paints a picture of Arfeen, her first of a person. She becomes saddened when Afreen leaves Pakistan for a course. Saba's younger sister is very involved Arfeen and Saba's relationship, often expressing her distaste at Saba's constant remembrance of him when he is not present. We frequently cut to present times, where Saba's sister, now middle aged, phones Afreen wanting to speak to her niece, a (harshly-spoken) request that he denies. Meanwhile, Sara is introduced to members of her family that she has never seen before, including Afeen's two sisters. Sara is invited to stay with one of her aunties with the promise of showing her Saba's old home, a request that Afreen reluctantly accepts.
I'd like to start off by saying what exactly happened in the ending of episode 3? As stated in my last review, Afreen's family receives some devastating news and we cut to black before anything of note is revealed. But episode 4 acts like this scene never took place. So what was all that about? That's pretty weird. Maybe it'll be revealed later on but that's pretty poor editing and pretty much the only bad thing about the episode.
As she grows in confidence Sara is asking more and more questions, but is getting very little back from Afreen. No doubt part of her motivation to move in with her mother's relatives to get some answers. For some reason, though, I feel as though she's throwing herself into pit full of wolves. Since Arfeen and Saba's family are shown not to be on speaking terms, it makes the situation even more problematic for Afreen to have his niece in the hands of those who might not have the best of intentions.
Before Sara leaves for her relatives, Haider and her share a scene together in the garden. He essentially asks about what went on with her when she left the kitchen a couple of episodes back and she basically replies that she took offense to him speaking so openly about her and her mother on the phone to his friend. The two understand each other a little more by the scenes end and it would have been quite a decent scene too, had it not been concluded with a cheesy romantic stare- off between the two. And so concludes the director's effort in avoiding atypical Pakistani drama clichés. It was nice while it lasted.
Back to the past now, and Saba's sister is starting to become an intriguing character. She started off as just another female bit- part player like all the other cousins but her continued closeness to Afreen and Saba whilst the two are together, coupled with her thoughtlessness at expressing whatever is on her mind to her sister, suggests she could turn out to be quite a danger to the two, as is alluded to by her phone call to Afeen in the present day where her tone is resentful and her tongue: tough. However, in the past scenes her smiles behind Saba's back whenever Saba is joyful does suggest that she does want what's best for her sister's happiness. It seems something went awry along the way.
I think I've yet to mention the music in this series. It is great. There's a couple of short pieces, often sad and nostalgic - they are repeatedly played and they fit perfectly with the scenes that they accompany. The compositions really are class. Not to mention the main theme of the series which I couldn't get out of my head all day.
Josh (2013)
Competent but forgettable
Josh concerns a schoolteacher, Fatima, who goes in search of her missing nanny, Nusrat, in the village where the woman lives. It is eventually discovered that she has died after having been apparently run over by a car, but Fatima suspects foul play and has her fingers pointed at the village leader Khan. Meanwhile she attempts to reopen a food bank for children that used to be run by Nusrat, a function that directly takes away power from the ever-watching Khan. Slowly but surely she rallies the villagers in a crusade against the corrupt Khan and motivates them into standing up for themselves.
Now Josh is a competent film. It's not world changing but it does its job. Personally I feel the story does not have enough meat to it; it lacks a certain punch to make it fully connect with me. I know it's a true story and it's definitely one worth telling but maybe it would have been better as a TV special or something. I don't know. There just isn't enough oomph to it for me to call it a good film. It's decent, nothing more.
The acting is pretty good all round. There are no faults I find in any of the performances. The acting, unlike most modern Pakistani movies, doesn't feel 'movie-like' but realistic and nuanced. There's not a lot of exposition and more is implied than said or shown. For example there's a scene where Nusrat is being violated and it's unclear whether she's being tortured, raped or merely harassed. On its own it's a very disturbing scene, and part of its brilliance is the ambiguity of what these thugs are doing to her. The impact of the scene is lessened though near the end of the film where it is told to the audience through a news reporter that she was indeed raped. More on the ending later.
Director Iram Parveen Bilal did well to showcase the unsure tension- filled atmosphere of the village once the protagonist gets there. The cinematography is also very nice for the most part. Things are a tad formulaic during the sense in Fatima's home town with her privileged media friends.
Josh is a story about power, individualism and fighting the statues quo. At times it sides dangerously close into becoming a preachy girl-power fest but manages to keep on the rails. You get the idea when watching that Iram is making a commentary on the flaws of modern day Pakistan but, like the film itself, it's a competent message but not quite strong enough to be a heavy hitter. I did like the opening line though, something about the modern Muslim's prayers and deeds being present, but his heart absent.
By far the best thing about this movie was the character Gulsher. One of Khan's elite enforcers, he is shown to have a complicated relationship with Nusrtat. It's implied he used to be her student and she possibly even fed him with the food bank. He's torn between his respect for her and his loyalty to Khan. Once she dies he is deeply affected and remains distant and stressed throughout the remainder of the film. He even helps a kidnapped Fatima escape, in a sense. It's not clear whether he had any part in the beating and rape of Fatima.
Once element that does not work for me is the ending. Throughout the film Fatima attempts to use her friends in the media to point their cameras at Khan and his mafia-like control over the village, in order to push lawful sanctions and topple his regime. But just as the film builds steam with the political side it kind of just cuts to a couple of quick news reports telling us that Khan is going to be put away for a long time. And what's with Khan's son being shot accidentally by the rebel villagers who attempt to rescue Fatima after she gets kidnapped by Khans thugs? Unless that happened in real life I don't see what this adds to the movie, aside from serving as a distraction for the villains so Fatima can escape.
Meri Zaat Zarrae Benishan: Episode #1.3 (2009)
Meri Zaat Zarrae Benishan: Episode #1.3 Review
Taking place mostly in the past, we are invited to explore the roots of Arfeen and Saba's relationship. Arfeen's family's resolute stance on his marriage proposal is only matched by his stubbornness in the matter. He falls completely head-over-heels over her and goes out of his way to meet and converse with her. The two are shown to have great chemistry and enjoy each other's company amid the displeased neighbourhood. They are like two roses intertwined together surrounded by a barren land. It seems as though Arfeen's parents have reluctantly begin to accept his longing for Saba as a wife, but they are met with some visibly devastating news in the form of a cliff-hanger which concludes the episode. Meanwhile the wires between Haider and Sara have begun to spark.
The situation with the Afreen and his family is hazardous though not uncommon in Pakistani culture. The family wants the son to be married to a respectable girl of their choice OR the son wants to be married to a hubba-hubba girl of his choice BUT the son is being stubborn and wants his freedom OR the family won't budge. It's like this dilemma is a compulsory part of your upbringing if you are from the subcontinent. It can often lead to grudges and discord. It's a shame that the inception of marriage, one of the most beautiful things in Islam and in life itself, can often be done through disharmony. Afreen's case is such an example.
I have reasons to side with the family's view but I also have reasons to side with Arfeen's. I won't go into that since we'll be here all day but its worth noting that if these people were following the Sunnah that they preach so much, they wouldn't be in this situation.
Arfeen's mother irritates me slightly. I can't tell whether it's because of the actress or the character but I feel frustrated at her. Every time Arfeen says something, she repeats it by putting emphasis on every single syllable before unleashing her Malcom Tucker-like response whilst spinning her Tasbi a little faster (without actually reciting anything). He could say "Mum, I'd like a cheeseburger" and she'd be like "You want a cheeseburger?! Then go and get your cheeseburger just don't expect your mother to be here when you get back!" The character of the father, though not seen as much, appears much more restrained and his grief over the disobedience of his son seems realistic and, dare I say it, a tad touching.
The rest of the family play their part in acting superior and display their ignorance over the whole situation. After all, not a single one of them has acknowledged that Arfeen is in love with a woman. That's no small thing. Constantly cursing him over it is only going to strength his sense of unity with her because she'll be his only source of comfort.
Meri Zaat Zarrae Benishan: Episode #1.2 (2009)
Meri Zaat Zarrae Benishan: Episode #1.2 Review
Whilst Sara attempts to settle into the household and Arfeen continues mourning the death of Saba, the episode is dominated by flashbacks which begin to unveil the connection between all the main characters. We learn that Afreen and Saba first cousins, and the latter's extravagant and liberal nature caused her disrespect within the neighbourhood. She was a known as a 'haraab' woman, or bad seed, for her characteristics. However, it is these characteristics that caused Arfeen to fall in love with her, and he asked his parents for her hand in marriage. They defiantly refuse, to his anguish. Meanwhile Sara is ever-so-slightly getting closer to Arfeen's son, something that is picked up on by Haider's hot female neighbour who drops by to say hello to the new guest. Needless to say there was a clear underlying menace in her greeting, which was more of a way of saying "hands off; he's mine."
It's a decent episode that has laid down the foundations of future instalments to build on. As the flashbacks of the past are unravelled, the future beckons with both sets of stories just as interesting as each other. Saba's way of living is definitely a danger to her family's respect and is against the ways of Islam, but her relatives' arrogant attitudes and aura of superiority is unjustified. In reality, such attitudes only further alienate the person who already feels so different from her family.
In a rare light-hearted moment it was funny to see Arfeen drool all over Saba when she was working on some plants, but to the disgust of his aunts and sister. Later on, their deep conversation right in front of Arfeen's aunt may be a sign of their pure attraction for each other but the Aunt's irritated reaction is also understandable. After all, Saba did just plonk her backside down in front of a male guest and start chatting away whilst he was in discourse with his aunt. We have to remember what kind of culture and society that this family is shrouded in.
Back to the present day, and Sara's fear of someone being outside her room and her staying up in the dining room for 2 hours is a direct effect of loving a loved one who was also a protective figure. Her closeness with Haider is a sure sign of her, whether consciously or unknowingly, attempting to fill the shielding void left by Saba.
When Haider makes dinner for Sara, and she skives off after getting upset hearing Haider discussing on the phone with his neighbour about why Sara is here. He gets quite irritated by this and isn't afraid to show her this. I thought this was quite interesting, as it means at least Haider has gone past the level of fake nicey- niceyness and is telling it how it is, which again is a sign of closeness.
Meri Zaat Zarrae Benishan: Episode #1.1 (2009)
Meri Zaat Zarrae Benishan: Episode #1.1 Review
As part of my quest to improve the level of my Urdu, I've started the series 'Meri Zaat Zarrae Benishan' which translates to
well, I don't actually know what it translates to. Oh well that's why I'm here I guess.
The first episode opens with a man named Arfeen Abbas and his adolescent son Haider living a seemingly comfortable life. He gets a knock at the door and the servant informs him that a girl called Sara is awaiting him. The mention of the girls' name distresses him and he immediately rushes to the door. He greets her pensively and she hands him a letter. Visibly shaken after reading it, he asks her where a woman named Saba is, and she tells him that she died four days ago. Though shocked and lamented, Arfeen manages to regain his composure and after asking Sara her address the two go to her home and collect her belongings so that she can stay with him. Upon returning Arfeen introduces Sara to his son Haider and tells him of Saba's death. Haider seems a bit indifferent to Sara but treats her nicely. There's also an aunt or someone who's informed of Saba's death over the phone by Haider, who in turn tells her husband. It's worth noting that the three elders who are informed of Saba's death are extremely sad, naturally, but there also seems to be a hint of guilt in their mourning.
In terms of language, I found 'Meri Zaat' a little more difficult than the relatively easy 'Jawani Phir Nahi Ani' film that I watched and reviewed as the first part of my Urdu challenge. However, I think this is more to do with the fact that we are not supposed to know exactly who Saba and Sara are and what their relationship to the other characters are just yet. I kept scratching my head thinking 'Well why is everyone seemingly so guilty and who is this Saba?' but obviously we'll find out later.
Now onto the episode itself. I thought the acting all round was good. The grief shown by Arfeen felt natural and authentic and kudos to the directors for not making any of the scenes sappy and melodramatic. When Arfeena and Sara go to the latter's house, where Saba also lived, it is a very touching scene. Arfeen breaks down as he grabs Saba's slippers as they bring back memories of her. Each and every part of her home, including the compactness if it, amplifies his grief. It is a most moving scene, and done it a mature fashion. The scenes after this too were very well done Arfeen attempts to continue his day, having dinner with his son and making Sara feel welcome, all whilst getting teary-eyed every couple of hours or so until he retreats to his study. I think the show-makers did very well with showing how people react to a death. It all felt very real.
The actions of the son call for admiration too. He seems to be the cliché gym-going, headphone wearing young adult but at least after the news he chooses to stay at home instead of going to a function of some sort, and regularly goes to his father asking if he is OK and needs anything even kneeling down by his father's side. It's not much, but it makes a difference. I doubt you'd see many children act like this where I live.
The key player is likely going to be Sara, whom we know very little about at the moment.
And that's about it. 'Meri Zaat' has started off heartfelt and intriguing, and I look forward to continuing the series.
Planet Earth II: Jungles (2016)
"Jungles"
Planet Earth returns for another hour of beautiful images in ultra HD, this time focusing on glimpses in the world's jungles.
Though I'm not taking anything away from the brilliance of the series nor the sufficiency of the episode, "Jungles" does feel a step down from the previous two episodes, if only for the reason that they were so brilliant. Aside from one or two scenes, this episode doesn't show much that Attenborough hasn't already given us in other documentaries.
Notable segments from this installment include a cute spider monkey, a youngster, learning to climb and sway from tree to tree as her older siblings do, and then father coming to the rescue when she gets stuck. Charming stuff.
There was also a shocking segment which showed us dolphins in the jungle! That was really something. And a little creepy too just imagine your swaying though the depths of a waterlogged jungle and all of a sudden an entity spewing out water out of its blowhole. You'd have no idea that it was a dolphin of all things. It was interesting to see that in the Diaries segment the crew initially thought they were tracking a single dolphin, and it was only until they got a drone camera up in the air that they realized there was an entire school of them.
All in all a satisfying episode in an already-terrific series.
My Rating: 8/10









