Hollywood 2012

Posted on January 1, 2012 by Shariq Madani

Another year ends. Another year begins. Year after year, we are treated with another barrel-full of movies and, quite obviously, 2012 is no different (unless you believe in the whole Mayan end-of-the-world doomsday prophecy). The aim of this list is to sift through the heap and shortlist a selection of movies that will bring some sense to the release calendar. So here’s a list of movies to look forward to in 2012, one list to rule them all: action, comedy, drama, sci-fi, animated, super-hero and… Middle-Earth!

Note: All release dates mentioned are for the USA, for the sake of some order. They are also, owing to some random reason, subject to change. Continue reading →

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Sherlock

Posted on December 20, 2011 by Shariq Madani

Sherlock
Season 1 | BBC One | 2010
3 episodes

If the commercialism, crudity and the generally botched up characters in Hollywood’s latest Sherlock Holmes movies is putting you off, look no further than 2010′s 3-episode BBC series, aptly titled Sherlock. In an astute mix of the original stories and new writing, the series takes liberties but adheres to the main characters’ details making them easily identifiable and even respectable. Made with the elegance required of its lead character, the series exudes the crew’s love for the character, and the actors’ understanding of theirs. With Season 2 ready for broadcast on 1st Jan 2012 (just 3 episodes again), this is as good a time as any to indulge in this well-made series if you have not watched it already. Continue reading →

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5 Best Films of the Dubai Film Festival 2011

Posted on December 17, 2011 by Faizan Rashid

We’ll be frank – this year’s lineup of the Dubai International Film Festival left us a little less than enthusiastic. Compared to previous years, the good stuff had either been released before the fest (the Palme d’or winning Tree of Life) or had played at other regional festivals (including neighboring Abu Dhabi), but by the end of this 8th edition we were all telling ourselves just one thing – we just needed to be more patient and put our faith in the organizers. It may not have started out very strong, but as it progressed, each day brought its share of surprises, disappointments and some real exciting finds.

Below is our list of what we think were the best of the festival (at least from the set we saw anyway).

#1
This Is Not a Film
Jafar Panahi & Mojtaba Mirtahmasb | Iran | 2011
100 min

This Is Not a Film is both an honest title and an apt description of what directors Jafar Panahi and Mojtaba Mirtahmasb come up with when filming Panahi during a day at his residence following his 6 year prison sentence and a 20 year ban on filmmaking and travelling imposed by the Iranian government. Continue reading →

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Day 7 of the 2011 Dubai International Film Festival

Posted on December 15, 2011 by Shariq Madani

Shariq Madani at DIFF 2011
Daily Festival Report: 14th December 2011 (Day #7)

The last day of the film festival featured a gem from a debutante director and an average documentary by a master film-maker. It certainly could not have been more unpredictable than this! Continue reading →

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