Kiefer Sutherland nervous to act in 24 again

The character changed Sutherland’s life in many ways, but as an actor, it’s something that he grabbed in a very serious way. PHOTO: FILE

LOS ANGELES: 

Actor Kiefer Sutherland is back as Counter Terrorist Unit agent Jack Bauer in the popular US TV series 24. He says despite playing the role for eight seasons, he was nervous about stepping back into the character’s shoes.

“I was nervous… Yeah, I mean there was something about accomplishing the eight seasons and… it’s a complicated answer, there is never a single season that Howard Gordon (who has conceptualised and co-produced 24) and I ever felt was perfect, which was what made us really interested in coming back with something we felt we got better and better at,” he said.

“But there was a sense of accomplishment when we completed the eight episodes. And we felt that they were all very solid.”

Sutherland also said the character changed his life in many ways, but as an actor, it’s something that he grabbed in a very serious way.

“So there’s always the hope of, well yeah, okay, let’s do it. But no, having said yes and I said yes almost immediately. I said do you really feel strongly about this idea? And he said, ‘I do, I think it can be unbelievably exciting and doing the 12 episodes will give me latitude as a storyteller that I’ve never had before with the 24 episodes’. So I said yes quite quickly,” he said in a statement.

Sutherland says the show will remain topical. “I don’t know if it’s going to be as uniquely or even freakishly current as it would be given the nine months’ span of when someone writes something to that. And that’s not something we’re really trying to chase I just can’t help but notice that for four or five years it was doing that.

“But it absolutely will be topical. We’re dealing with issues; everything from US drones to torture procedures, to people’s culpability within the context of working for the government and how they behave and what they do,” he said. 

Movie review: Jinn - fear factor

With its weak script and lazy execution, Jinn evokes the wrong kind of horror.

People in Pakistan had many reasons to be excited about Jinn. For one, the Hollywood flick has two Pakistani-Americans in dominant roles: actor Faran Tahir, who has some A-list Hollywood movies and television dramas such as Iron Man, Star Trek, Escape Plan and Grey’s Anatomy to his credit, and writer-director Ajmal Zaheer Ahmad. To top the hype, the trailers also promised the viewers a sleek and stylish cinematic experience. But none of that lasts once the opening credits start rolling.

As the title suggests, the film is based on jinns, the supernatural beings whose existence has been dealt with repeatedly in local dramas and books but is a relatively unexplored subject in Hollywood.

The film revolves around a Michigan-based couple, Shawn (Dominic Rains) who is an automotive designer, and his wife Jasmine (Serinda Swan). Life is good until Shawn receives a mysterious message, warning him of a curse that has afflicted his family for generations. Having lost his parents as a child, Shawn has no prior knowledge of this and dismisses it as a hoax until strange things begin to happen.

Thereon, Shawn seeks help from the priest, Father Westhoff (William Atherton), the supernatural Gabriel (Ray Park) and Shawn’s estranged uncle Ali (Faran Tahir), who is also a psychological patient, in order to beat the jinns at their own sinister game.

Ultimately, however, Shawn must rely on the speed of his latest creation, the ‘Firebreather’ (a car specifically designed by the director for the film), and his own ‘inner prowess’ to protect his family and save the world.

There are some genuinely creepy moments, but those are ruined by romance, and the romance is, in turn, ruined by the cheesiness of some of the characters and dialogues. The film would have been better served if it was dealing with just one genre and doing it well, instead of fumbling through all.

The production value is very high — complete with sleek camera shots, expensive special effects, ample fighting and driving stunts. But this, and the movie’s novel premise, cannot make up for a lacklustre script and lazy storytelling. One time, for example, a sacred knife works but other times it doesn’t; the jinn exhibits fantastic powers in some scenes but he seems to forget about them in the others.

The character development is also poor and the actors fail to engage the viewer. Dominic Rains, as the protagonist of the movie, is rather stiff and well-known actors such as Faran Tahir and William Atherton do not shine much in their unexpectedly small roles either. Ray Park, playing a good supernatural force, is also wasted with a very brief martial arts performance and a slow-motion fight scene.

The final credits hint at a Jinn sequel, but given how this installment failed to develop a strong supernatural belief into a compelling narrative, the film does not merit a follow-up.

The ‘weigh’ to a healthy lifestyle By

Jack Silvanus has been working as a trainer in Lahore for six years and he feels that the level of awareness regarding personal health has increased a great deal. PHOTO: PUBLICITY

LAHORE: 

These days, social events in the city can’t do without at least one mention of a new diet regime or workout plan that people are trending towards. ‘I am on the General Motors (GM) Diet’, ‘I do not eat anything after 7:00pm’ and ‘I am doing a banana cleanse’ are some of the statements you will hear in almost every gathering you go to.

In an age when your personal trainer is your best friend, The Express Tribune sits with Jack Silvanus of Sukh Chan to discuss workout trends in the city and what has motivated people to jump on the fitness bandwagon.

Silvanus, who has been working as a trainer in the city for six years, feels that the level of awareness regarding personal health has increased a great deal. “There is a restaurant in every corner [in Lahore] and people in the city particularly enjoy eating rich food, but now they have realised the worth of investing in their bodies,” he says. His claim to fame is not only his personal training skills but also his classes titled ‘Hour of Power’ and ‘Fitness 4 by 4’, which take place at the Sukh Chan Wellness Club.

According to him, there are two main periods during which the number of clients increases tenfold. The first is right before summer holidays because people want to get into shape before leaving for a vacation and the second is the wedding season.

As the wedding season looms, many people hit the gym as part of their attempt to spruce up for the events. “The biggest problem I face with people [in Lahore] is that when a particular event is coming up, be it a wedding or holiday, people become dedicated to their workout regimes and diet plans, but as soon as the wedding or holiday is over, they stop,” says Jack. “This lack of consistency poses a huge problem because your body reacts differently and as your metabolism slows down you tend to gain weight faster.”

Silvanus suggests that one should have breakfast like a king and dinner like a pauper. “If you are an early riser, then have banana or green tea and start your day with a workout. Then, eat a hearty breakfast,” he recommends. “If you are trying to lose weight, opt for a sandwich with greens and avoid carbohydrates for dinner,” he adds.

For middle-aged people, Silvanus recommends cardio exercises to get the heart active. “Even if you are just going for a walk in the park or a light jog, add some yoga stretches in your routine to get the added cardiovascular movement.”

Silvanus shares that the fashion industry in Pakistan has played a major role in urging people to work out and get into shape. “80 per cent of my clients are women and fashion has played an integral role in getting them to exercise,” he says. “With designer wear readily available now, women want to look good in the clothes they wear and keep up with the trends of the fashion industry.”

These days, another fad that has surfaced is the emergence of concentrated workout regimes such as the ‘30 Day Challenge’ and ‘Lose 20 in 20’. The internet is brimming with these regimes and certain gyms have also, started offering these short-term commando courses to get people in shape. “Since these regimes are concentrated, people are more inclined towards enrolling in and following them, which leads to great results,” explains Jack.

Although he is a proponent of such health regimens, he highlights a downside to them: “After the specified time is over, people do not carry on. The workout does not become a part of their routine. Working out has to be a part of your life and not just a short course.”

For newbies, Silvanus suggests personal training for the sole purpose of understanding what your body requires from the workout and how to exercise wisely.

Vipul Shah on his upcoming film Holiday

The filmmaker produced hits like Singh Is Kinng and highly-acclaimed film Force. PHOTO: FILE

MUMBAI: 

He juggles two different roles but Vipul Shah believes in doing one thing at a time. If he dons the director’s hat, his focus is on his craft and as a producer, he ensures he doesn’t get in the way of his directors.

“If I am producing, I enjoy it the most, when I am a director, then I can’t think of any production work,” Shah said to a query about juggling his “roles” during an interview.

“When I am producing, I don’t think of becoming a director. None of my directors, who have worked with me, will complain that I chew their brains or interfere in their job.

“My job as a producer is very different. A director is the mother of the film… who creates it and a producer is the father who runs the entire show. I enjoy both,” said the director and producer of Namastey London and Waqt: The Race Against Time.

The filmmaker also produced hits like Singh Is Kinng and highly-acclaimed film Force, helmed respectively by Anees Bazmee and Nishikant Kamat.

But despite tasting successes, he feels that a producer’s job is “thankless”.

“Yes, it is a thankless job in a way,” Shah said. “It’s not just about the producer, everybody who works behind the curtains to a certain extent has a thankless job because people want to see who is in front of the camera.”

“People within my team know what I contribute to a film and as long as they are happy with me, I am done with being a producer. At the end of the day what matters is that your team should understand and appreciate what you are doing,” he added.

When it comes to the team, Shah has enjoyed a formidable long stint with Bollywood star Akshay Kumar, who has featured in all his directorial ventures except for London Dreams.

He describes their journey as “fantastic”. The duo have teamed up once again for forthcoming terrorism-based action thriller Holiday  — A Soldier Is Never Off Duty and takes pride in saying that this is their “sixth film together and that four out of five films have been successful”.

“As long as you are making better films together, you feel like working together again and again. My relationship with Akshay has reached a stage where we constantly want to do better work together. It has become stronger by the day,” added the filmmaker.

Shah’s retro drama Action Replay with Akshay had backfired, but in his defense the filmmaker argues that “nobody can have a 100 percent track record and I am no different”.

“Be it Raj Kapoor or the greatest of the great people  — they have given flops. The effort should be to learn from the mistakes and move ahead and make successful films. London Dreams was not a flop, it was an average film.

“Action Replay was the only film that didn’t do well. After that I did Force and Commando, which were hits. It’s part and parcel of your life and I think the audience loves me as producer, director or whatever,” he added.

Releasing Friday, Holiday… may be on terrorism, but it is different from the other films from the genre as director A.R. Murugadoss’ narrative focuses on sleeper cells and how quietly they merge into their target society before unleashing havoc.

Shah says the film’s team is very “solid” and the story is engrossing.

“The basic story is a very intelligent thriller based on sleeper cells. We all know that India is a terror-affected country and it’s because of the network of the sleeper cells, which plans the possibility of attacks to be carried out,” he said.

“These sleeper cells are so merged within our society they could be anybody — your neighbour, my driver, watchman. You can’t find out who sleeper cells are because they are so silent about what they do and that becomes the most dangerous form of terrorism because you don’t know the enemy and how to find them,” he said. 

Maleficent casts $70 million spell over box office, halts X-Men uprising

Produced for $180 million, Maleficent received mixed reviews but opened strongly with $4.2 million. PHOTO: FILE

LOS ANGELES: Maleficent, Walt Disney’s special-effects laden take on Sleeping Beauty’s wicked fairy godmother, captivated moviegoers, collecting $70 million in ticket sales to win the North American weekend box office stakes.

The movie starring Angelina Jolie as the black-robed villain finished far ahead of last week’s winner, X-Men: Days of Future Past, which took $32.6 million at US and Canadian theaters.

Seth MacFarlane’s western comedy A Million Ways to Die in the West was third with $17.1 million for the three days from Friday to Sunday, according to box office tracking firm Rentrak.

Produced for $180 million, Maleficent received mixed reviews but opened strongly with $4.2 million on Thursday night and conjured up more than 80 percent of advance ticket sales for the weekend, according to movie ticketing site Fandango.

The film is the latest in a line of reimagined classics, following Alice in Wonderland in 2010 and Oz the Great and Powerful in 2013. Industry experts forecast the film would open with $55 million, according to the movie site Box Office Mojo. “We’re very excited with this start,” said Dave Hollis, head of distribution for Walt Disney Studios, noting it hoped for an opening of around $60 million. Maleficent took in another $100 at overseas box offices.

Hollis said momentum built through weekend on positive word of mouth. With schools beginning to let out and a “general absence of family product in this marketplace,” Disney was optimistic for the film continuing its strong performance.

X-Men: Days of Future Past, with Hugh Jackman and Patrick Stewart in the seventh installment based on the Marvel Comic series, has collected more than $162 million in sales in domestic theaters since its May 23 release and has generated $500 million worldwide in just two weeks, distributor Fox said.

A Million Ways to Die in the West, MacFarlane’s second time directing a live action film after his 2012 hit Ted about a foul-mouthed toy bear, disappointed in its opening weekend.

Studio and industry projections had anticipated a haul of about $20 million to $25 million for the modestly budgeted ($40 million) film which stars MacFarlane along with Charlize Theron, Liam Neeson, Sarah Silverman and Neil Patrick Harris. The film received tepid reviews with only 33 percent of 128 critics giving it a “fresh” rating on the Rotten Tomatoes site.

Godzilla, the latest installment of the 60-year-old series about a giant lizard, was fourth with $12.2 million. Made for $160 million, the special effects infused film has generated $175 million domestically since it was released on May 16.

Blended, a romantic comedy pairing Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore in their third film, was fifth with $8.4 million. They play single parents stuck at a resort in Africa. X-Men: Days of Future Past was distributed by Fox, a unit of Twenty-First Century Fox. Universal, a unit of Comcast, released A Million Ways to Die in the West. Godzilla and Blended were distributed by Warner Brothers, a unit of Time Warner. 

Gauri Khan launches her signature line in Dubai

Gauri Khan says there will be no limit to the possibilities of the extension of her brand. PHOTO: FILE

MUMBAI: While superstar Shahrukh Khan is celebrating his win in IPL, his wife Gauri Khan launched her signature line in Dubai this week. Khan, exhibiting keen interest in interior design, had earlier partnered with Hrithik Roshan’s estranged wife Sussanne for her furniture store The Charcoal Company. This time Gauri introduced her new project under the international design and architecture firm The First Ferry.

The First Ferry, which also operates in London, Singapore and New York, will be entertaining home, restaurant, spa decors, offices and retail space. Gauri further plans on to extend her line of furniture and chandeliers by consulting on yacht and landscape interiors.

“I might design jewellery, bags and shoes under my signature line a year from now,” Khan said on the launch ceremony. “I have a dream for this signature line and design is my passion. There will be no limit to the possibilities of the extension of my brand with The First Ferry because the future plans are all drawn out with a clear vision.”

Recently Gauri Khan established her own interior design store in Mumbai, The Design Cell but this she has claimed that a portion earned from this new brand will contribute to The Gauri Khan Foundation as well, reported The National

Alia Bhatt aspiring to be a Yash Raj heroine

The whole point of the collection is how Yash Chopra would display his heroines so it has fusion of romance, elegance and glamour. PHOTO: FILE

Actor Alia Bhatt, who hit the big screen with film Student of the Year in 2012, has now expressed a desire to join the ranks of famous Bollywood superstars such as Kajol, Madhuri and Katrina by acting in a Yash Raj film, according to the Deccan Chronicle.

At the store launch of Diva’ni, a Bollywood inspired fashion line presented by Yash Raj Films which serves as the first of its kind, Alia spoke about the store’s collection and her own wish to be a part of the Yash Raj industry. “Everyone aspires to be a Yash Raj heroine. I would love to be a Yash Raj heroine…I haven’t reached there but hopefully I will one day,” she said.

The aim of the store Diva’ni, a collaborative effort of the Yash Raj production house with famous sari brand Karol Bagh Saree House (KBSH), is to reflect how the late Yash Chopra portrayed the leading ladies in his films, who were a major force in the fashion industry in terms of fan following.

“The whole point of this collection was how Yashji would display all his heroines so it has fusion of romance, elegance, glamour and all of that. Whatever outfit I like I will pick that up,” Alia said when speaking about the line.

The 21-year-old star is excited about the release of her upcoming movie Humpty Sharma ki Dhulania with co-star Varun Dhawan, which reportedly pays a tribute to India’s most famous cinematic love stories. “It is not straight out from Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge,” Alia commented on her next release. “We are paying a tribute to all major love stories. When we talk about love stories, the first thing that comes to our mind is DDLJ, it was an epic love story. It is a filmy love story.”