Labaki's latest is as sweet as Caramel

Caramel (2007) - dir. Nadine Labaki - 4 stars

Nadine Labaki's Caramel leaves a sentimental, sweet and nostalgic aftertaste, so satisfying and familiar. What's amazing is that the viewer successfully connects with and cares for each character even though the film doesn't go to excessive lengths to explain its characters, judge them or take them too seriously. Maybe that's the winning formula for Labaki's feature.

The film is really a cross-section of the lives of a few friends from the same neighborhood, mainly focusing on four ladies who work at a beauty parlor. The 'problems' these friends face may seem mundane as they're very universal issues that have been dealt with in films for decades, but the presentation and handling of these issues within the film are spectacular, as Labani takes a lighter approach to exploring them. As the film is set in Lebanon, I was also curious to see if Labaki would try and tackle the local political situation. She carefully circles around politics and mainly deals with the successful coexistence of Christianity and Islam within the same community.

I can't write about this film without mentioning its beautiful women as they carry the whole weight of the film. They gain the respect, sympathy and adoration of the viewer easily. These women are towers of patience, love, strength, understanding and much more. It feels like Labaki adapted the footprint of the Sex and the City phenomenon to her local environment and expanded upon it. It works extremely well as these women stand by each other for everything.

Caramel doesn't fail to lift one's spirits as well as bring tears to one's eyes at the same time, especially with the emotional soundtrack playing in the background. It's a very human film that I would recommend to anyone.

Indy's whip still works!

Indiana Jones 4 - 4,5 stars

Having just got back from a preview screening of the latest installment of Indiana Jones, I can't contain my excitement and adrenaline levels! It was exhilarating - so much fun that I might consider seeing it again. Kudos to the Spielberg-Lucas duo and of course to the one-and-only Harrison Ford and Cate Blanchett.

The adventure this time revolves around a crystal skull and its powers. The mysterious skull takes Indy to South America, reunites him with some old friends, reveals a few surprises and leaves him face to face with his new rival - Irina Spalko, played by Blanchett. Frankly, Blanchett makes the perfect villain for this installment with her Siberian blue eyes, angular face, and dark, black, straight-cut bob; a villain worthy for Indy's come-back. Ford himself hasn't lost any of his charm as Indy is back as we've always known him. The plot breathes of endless adventure and the fantastic end proves to be larger than life, but perhaps a bit unresolved. A little appendix will also answer fans' long-awaited questions regarding the future of the series. All in all though, Spielberg has created a worthy successor to the series.

I forewarn anyone who I might be meeting in the next few weeks as I will be humming the Indy tune for some time and dreaming of becoming an archaeologist. So, you should see the film too so we can hum it together and go on an adventure to Egypt or Peru or somewhere where we can dig out mysterious artifacts! Yea!

"Listening Post" transcends voyeurism to art

Thumbs Up!
I recently got the chance to see Listening Post, the media installation by Mark Hansen and Ben Rubin, at the Science Museum. It got me thinking about the human need to connect and how the 21st century men try and connect via the cyber-space. Is it counter-productive or more efficient? As someone who uses chat and social networks, I'm not sure what the answer is...

To begin with, the piece is a technological marvel with 200 electronic screens designed in a big, curved grid backed up by algorithms that analyze real-time IRC chat data to compose a symphony with movements. The cool factor is that the symphony is different every time as it consists of real-time chat data. It also creates a sense of rush as you're eavesdropping on people's conversations. I must admit that one of the reasons I had decided to see this installation was because of its voyeurism aspect.

One of the sections is titled "I AM," and it puts together phrases starting with "I am" that are typed within the last two hours. The display of the phrases/words is accompanied by synthetic voices reading them out loud. The synthetic voices are so neutral (mind you, they don't sound blank like regular computer voices, but they just sound normal, bereft of any implication or emotion). The surround sound setup with the voices and the ambient music create an eerie atmosphere where anonymous people are reaching out for communication. What the viewer is left with is wondering whether or not the hand was met halfway by another...

I would highly recommend anyone to see the installation as it is thought-provoking, enjoyable, fresh and contemplative. I rarely enjoy art installations as I think most of them don't have any artistic merit, but this one deserves some credits.