We told you so...thousands of pirated KINGDOM copies have flooded the Kuwaiti black market. I'm sure the Ministry of Information is ecstatic now that the Studio and Movie Exhibitors get no revenues, but the pirates get all the profit.
Check the 'Arab Times' article 'Pirates Ignore Kingdom Plea.'
The Saudi-based 'Arab News' newspaper has quoted 'Hilaliya' commenters, including This Lady Says, in an article by Rasheed Abou-Alsamh called "Banning 'The Kingdom' Is Counterproductive, Say Experts." [Link]
A Scene From 'The Kingdom' (Universal)
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An excerpt: |
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UPI reports the Hollywood action-thriller THE KINGDOM, which was shot in Abu Dhabi, starring Jamie Foxx and Jennifer Garner has been banned in Kuwait and Bahrain. It will, however, be shown uncut in the UAE, Qatar, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt and Oman. [Link]
An excerpt from the article:
I may not agree with the politics of the Al-Watan newspaper, nontheless, I have to admit that their new satellite station Al-Watan TV is one slick, efficient piece of programming with variety of shows covering various demographics. The promos and other related material between shows are also professional, well edited and scored - apparently they have a top notch team working behind the scenes as well.
An entertaining satirical show - which gives UAE's Al-Fareej a run for its money - is Bu Qatada And Bu Nabeel, a CGI comedy revolving around a Westernised Kuwaiti, a Bedouin and an Islamist. Kudos to any show that manages to both simultaneously highlight our differences and celebrate them, not to mention offer talented, creative Kuwaitis an opportunity to create such programs.
If I were Al-Rai TV I'd be very nervous now.
As far as KTV is concerned they have become irrelevant with a huge drop in advertising revenue this year due to competition.
The night before Ramadan was mellow...I wrote some emails, sent some SMS's and mentally prepared for the day ahead. Flicking through the channels I caught one of my favorite movies ALL THE PRESIDENT'S MEN on Future TV - a brilliant film concerning the Watergate break-in - it also offered me some nostalgia since the film is set in Washington DC (where I went to school and worked for many years). It's one of those movies that I can't stop watching whenever it pops up on TV (the others includes FORREST GUMP for some reason, don't ask).
Since yesterday was a Thursday (I had the day off), the first day of Ramadan was quite agreable, from a fasting point of view. As for the daily ritual, I like to break the fast with dates and water (it is Sunna from Our Prophet P.B.U.H.) and then have some soup. Following the soup, I pray the Maghbrib (Sunset) prayer and then continue with the Iftar meal (I cannot eat comfortably if I have prayer on my mind; additionally, it's best to pray when you're light and not lumbering and bloated).
Welcome To Living Hell
Following the meal, there is the post-Futuur ritual for millions of people in Kuwait (and the Arab world) where they swarm around the TV set and watch the programs that are either on KTV, Al-Rai or the other satellite stations. Yesterday, I watched an embarrasing train-wreck in the form of the "The Halima Boland Show" (the exact translation is "The Halima Boland Riddles"). Well it's a riddle to me how this show, which looked like it was shot in someone's basement with a Betacam managed to get on the air. I couldn't believe The National Bank of Kuwait would sponsor such an unimaginative and tedious show, it was unintentionally hilarious; people watched with their mouths open, unable to digest the creative tragedy that was unfolding on their screens, a perfect example of how not to stage and shoot a show - a show that contained a spoof of the Egyptian "Raya Wa Iskina" play, climaxing with musical numbers that looked like they were choreographed by a second-rate, washed-up Arabic-style-Moulin Rouge reject (if Kuwait had a Golden Turkey Award, this show would be a leading contender). Additionally, the supporting cast looked like they were hand-picked at the local fish-market. NBK sponsoring this show is like Chase Manhattan or HSBC sponsoring the television equivalent of PLAN NINE FROM OUTER SPACE.
If Kuwait thinks Halima Boland is our superstar, our equivalent of Julie Andrews, then we are doomed as a country, forever.
Update: I have been informed by several friends who have seen the film in Kuwait that the violence is practically intact and that censorship was kept to a minimum, thankfully.
I was looking forward to seeing Zack Snyder's hit '300' but I doubt I'll watch it in Kuwait (Dubai, yes, but not Kuwait). The film is rated R by the MPAA:
MPAA RATING
R, for graphic battle sequences throughout, some sexuality and nudity.
The R-rated '300' is rated '15' in Kuwait. The relatively harmless NORBIT, on the other hand, is PG-13 in the U.S. and rated '18' in Kuwait.
'300' will probably be slaughtered by Ministry of Information censors (no pun intended).
Families will probably bring in their children to the theatres.
I think I'll pass and wait for the DVD.
You know, once in a while I start thinking about the movies I grew up with (in my case the 1970s) and the popular culture (films, music, theatre, literature) one was surrounded with at the time.
For some reason I remembered this disturbing little thriller with Richard Burton and Lee Remick called THE MEDUSA TOUCH. I remember seeing it in 1979 at an in-house hotel cable service in London and was a big fan of the film at the time - it seemed like a bastard child of two genres: the horror film (i.e. THE OMEN) and disaster movies (i.e. EARTHQUAKE).
I managed to track down a trailer at You Tube. There are a couple of VHS tapes on Amazon, and two Australian Region 4 used DVDs that I are listed; it seems like a film that has gotten lost in time. The trailer makes the film seem quite dated; you know you are getting old when the shows or films you grew up with look like relics.
Do any of you ever remember seeing this?
(LINK)Ever since my father took me to a reissue of Charles Chaplin's MODERN TIMES at a cinema in Rome during the early 1970s, I have been a film aficionado and not only enjoy cinema but the movie palaces that I grew up with in Rome, Madrid and London.
What I find immensely sad is that a lot of the single-screen movie theatres I grew up with have either been converted to multiple screens or torn down altogether. The experience of sitting in a Stall or Balcony seat in a 1200 plus seat theater with a massive Cinerama-like curved screen, with ushers moving around selling popcorn, sweets and drinks inside the theater, is an experience I miss. Sure there are a a few of the large theaters left: Odeon Leicester Square, London, Uptown Cinema, Washington DC, among others, but they are few and far between now. Many of the theaters I enjoyed in London, such as the Odeon Haymarket, the Plaza Cinema, Rialto, among many, have also been torn down and/or replaced with much smaller cinemas (i.e. Warner West End, Odeon Marble Arch).
ODEON MARBLE ARCH
The Odeon Marble Arch had one of the best screens in London. During the 1960s it was refitted with a Dimension 150 screen capable of playing "Road Show" epics such as PATTON, HELLO DOLLY! IT'S A MAD, MAD, MAD WORLD and others films. I remember seeing many films in this theatre including HERBIE RIDES AGAIN (1976), A BRIDGE TOO FAR (1977), RETURN OF THE JEDI (1983), among many other films.
The Odeon Marble Arch. The year must be 1948 because A SONG IS BORN is playing.
Odeon Marble Arch (1967) The expensive Fox musical DR. DOOLITTLE playing on a Dimension 150 Screen.
The Odeon Marble Arch today. The 1 screen massive theater was turned into a multiplex with 5 screens.
ODEON SWISS COTTAGE
The proximity of this cinema to my granparent's home in London was a reason why I used to frequent this joint. The cinema went from one large screen to two screens and eventually to 5 screens (during the last few years). The concession area is still large but the small multiplexes are very disappointing.
Looking at some of these pictures, I can still visualize myself standing outside the foyer, inhaling the strong hot dog aroma, and anxiously awaiting the opening of the doors to films such as SHOUT AT THE DEVIL (1976) and THE LAND THAT TIME FORGOT (1975).
Odeon Swiss Cottage (1968). The Russian Best Foreign Language film (WAR AND PEACE) is playing in Two Parts.
The cinema today.
THE RIALTO
The Rialto is off Leicester Square (adjacent to 'Planet Hollywood). By the time I frequented this theatre in the 1970s it was showing B movies such as BLAZING MAGNUM (1976), THE STUD (1978) and THE BITCH (1979).
The Rialto (1949) (Photograph by Grenville Barret)
The Rialto (1964) (Photograph by Ken Roe)
The Rialto Today
THE PLAZA
One of my favorite cinemas in London was The Plaza, on lower Regent Street. It was a CIC (Paramount, Universal) cinema I remember watching films such as SMOKEY AND THE BANDIT, AIRPORT '77, STAR TREKs II - V, AIRPLANE! and many others. It was a multiplex, with two large theatres and three smaller ones (the larger ones had a red colored, plush interior). I remember they had a Baskin Robbins in the lobby. Unfortunately, the cinema is no longer there, having been replaced by a supermarket.
The Plaza during the early 1980s. TIME BANDITS, AIRPLANE and LIFE OF BRIAN are on the marquee.
THE ODEON HAYMARKET
The Odeon Haymarket was a one screen theater, located on a basement level, the corner of St. James Market, not too far from Leicester Square. It had a large screen and a an intimate ambience. I remember it also used to screen Buena Vista/Disney films such as FANTASIA and SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES. The theatre unfortunately has closed down as well.
The Odeon Haymarket circa 1962 (Posted by Ken Roe)
The inside of the Haymarket (Photograph Ken Roe)
A 1995 Haymarket interior photograph (Image by Bridget Smith)
The Haymarket after its closure (Photo by Ian Grundy)
Trust me, you don't want to see a Martin Scorcese movie in a Kuwaiti theatre. More embarrasing news, courtesy of The Ministry of Information via Contact Music:
"MARTIN SCORSESE's hit new film THE DEPARTED went through 21 cuts in Kuwait before film censors there agreed to release the film".
I've said this before and I will say this again: Kuwait needs a Rating system. Cut the sex, that's fine, but leave the language and violence and rate it "18" but don't butcher the film. Not all films are meant to be seen by both 5 year olds and adults.
By the way, I saw THE DEPARTED - uncut - and it is excellent, among Martin Scorcese 's best films.
Kuwait, 1982 (Photograph by Dennis Sylvester Hurd).
In the Robert Altman post I mentioned Farouq Abdel-Aziz, the host of Monday night's "Cine Club," and it got me a tad nostalgic about those days. So I thought it might be interesting to our older bloggers and readers to reminisce about those days.
The early 1980s in Kuwait would have been tough for today's young men and women: no satellite stations; no internet; no modern movie theatres with the latest releases; no Ipod; no fancy video games (although we did have the Sony Walkman and the Atari VCS).
The Kuwait National Cinema Company's theatres were in a decrepit condition (hardly anyone went to movies). There was a useless and idiotic boycott against major American studios and actors such as Paul Newman and Elizabeth Taylor and anyone else who performed in or supported Israel . KNCC screened low-budget Asian martial arts knock-offs and made for television movies. Once in a while you'd get a MAD MAX 2 or RAMBO, but those hits were few and far between.
The Kuwaiti soccer team was a hell of a team: 'Our Camel Was a Winner'.
The Kuwaiti theatre was bold, brash, original and hilarious (i.e. Bye Bye London, The Knights of The Stock Exchange - Fursan Al-Manakh).
Coca-Cola and Ford were not available here (due to the boycott). Pepsi was the norm everywhere, alongside Seven Up and Crush, and we drank them from the bottle.
Entertainment was relatively non-existent, unless you counted renting Salmiya's The Video Club's pirated films as "entertainment." We'd also occasionally visit the occasional 'Jukebox' concert that would play Salmiya Cinema - kids dancing and lip-synching to George Michael, Bananarama and Kajagoogoo (can you imagine such a concert occuring now in Kuwait?)
QUINCY
SHOGUN
I remember KTV2 - it was at its peak: SHOGUN, QUINCY, C.H.I.P.S., MAGNUM, among many other top of the line newer American shows of the time - language, violence and disturbing situations were not censored, only kisses and pornography. We were a much more liberal society in those days. Today the station is a shadow of what it once was, having been superseded by the likes of One, Dubai Television, MBC2, among many others.
C.H.I.P.S.
As far as fast-food or dining were concerned during the early to mid-1980s, I remember the Dairy Queen adjacent to Salhiya, and the trio of Mister Donut, (or was it Dunkin Donuts?), A&W and Swensons in Salmiya, as well as a Sizzler on the Sultan Center road. There was no McDonalds, Hungry Bunny(they came into the picture during the late 80s), Burger King or Arby's - Hardees was the King of Fast Food and Pizza Italia was the King of Pizzas. The Movenpick restaurant opposite Salhiya was also very popular.
The once-thriving Clubs like the 'Hunting and Equestrian Club' and the 'Gazelle Club' (Nadi Al-Ghazaal) were winding down in popularity. The Drive-In theatre was also a far cry from its 1970s heyday when it was the place to be. Those clubs were eclipsed by the Salmiya Sports Club (next to the Pearl Marzouq building) where people could swim, dance, learn martial arts and basically have a good time.
Flirting was done in a more low-key and civilized manner. Young men did not walk around in groups intimidating women or trying to drive them off the streets if they didn't acknowledge their interest.
There were more Westerners then. You could see them everywhere; they were a welcome sight. Kuwait was the destination in the Gulf for expatriates.
Private schools had mostly expatriate students, Kuwaitis were a minority. Now it's the reverse.
Even though we had no emissions laws or regulations, Kuwait seemed much less polluted in those days. I don't remember seeing any pinkish smog hovering over the city.
There was hardly any major traffic; you could drive from the Showbiz area in Salmiya towards the Marriot "Love Boat" Hotel at the end of the Gulf Road in less than 15 minutes. There were fewer deuce bags on the road.
What do you guys remember from the Kuwait of the 1980s that you would like to share?
Robert Altman, one of the most talented and prolific American Directors has passed on at 81 (LINK).
The first Altman film I recall seeing was BUFFALO BILL AND THE INDIANS at an upscale Madrid theatre in 1976. I was a big Paul Newman fan (having seen him in THE TOWERING INFERNO, HOMBRE and other classics) and a big fan of Westerns so I went to see the film expecting lots of gunslinging mayhem; surprisingly, the film was a bit more meditative, complex and darker than I expected - the Altman touch.
Interestingly enough, I just viewed Altman's final film A PRAIRIE HOME COMPANION a few days ago and enjoyed it (it might not be everyone's cup of tea). I recall checking out the DVD extra materials and really enjoyed the Altman interviews; he always comes across as a smart, sly, Southern gentleman.
Altman's westerns were thought-provoking and gritty (MCCABE AND MRS MILLER ) his comedies were as cynical as those of Billy Wilder (A WEDDING, M.A.S.H. CALIFORNIA SPLIT). He could tackle cartoon musicals (POPEYE), Depression-set crime dramas (THIEVES LIKE US), political dramas and satires (TANNER '88, SECRET HONOR); he was a versatile filmmaker.
Of course he will always be known as the director of the 'overlapping dialogue' movies, but he was a great director, adept at different genres (a la John Huston) and masterful with ensemble pieces. His first big hit was the hilarious, though-provoking comedy M.A.S.H. - which was also regarded by many as a parable of American involvement in Vietnam.
NASHVILLE is a classic of course but I also loved THE LONG GOODBYE, one of the finest, most cynical gumshoe movies ever made and a great look at the L.A. of the 70s. I recall seeing this film for the first time during the early 1980s during KTV 2's 'golden era' when Farouq Abdel-Aziz's 'Cine Club' was not to be missed every Monday night.
THE LONG GOODBYE is genius.
Elliot Gould effectively played a downbeat, cynical Philip Marlowe (a far cry from James Garner or Robert Mitchum's take on the character). Sterling Hayden was unbelieavably brilliant in the film and Director Mark Rydell (ON GOLDEN POND) played a nasty piece of work, brutal to the ladies. The film is a devilishly entertaining and smart look at private eye's tribulations in seemy 1970s L.A.
I still remember the final, shocking scene in GOODBYE, echoing both THE THIRD MAN and DIRTY HARRY 's climax - if you haven't seen this film you are in for a real treat.
Look at directors nowadays...how many will end up doing as many genres as a Huston or Altman and still do it with their own little trademarks and imprints *and* keep working well into their 80s making great flicks (i.e.GOSFORD PARK)? Very few.
Even though Altman was in his 80s, his death does not negate his loss to the world of cinema. He was a true original.
David Letterman, back with his former edge, getting tough and political with Fox's Bill O'Reilly on Iraq (LINK).
If I were Disney/Pixar I'd have sued. Not just for this.
But for ALADDIN, LITTLE MERMAID, THE LION KING and all the other Kuwaiti Disney ripoffs we've seen here throughout the years.
Expect the Kuwaiti children's theatre version of Pixar's CARS next year, played by rotund, bearded men in skimpy latex outfits with cardboard dashboards on their heads.
It is imperative that films such as UNITED 93 be seen in the Arab World - and especially in Kuwait - so that the "man on the street" can see first-hand how fanaticism and terror at the hands of some warped, demented criminals have overshadowed the true Islamic values of compassion, tolerance and the pursuit of peace (that the majority of the Arab and Muslim world embrace) and how it destroys innocent lives.
The Ministry of Information seems to conclude time and again that audiences cannot or should not handle films dealing with real life subjects matters such as Middle East fanaticism and corruption (SYRIANA), adultery, drugs, among other issues. They think 4 year olds should watch the same kinds of films an adult watches - they are one audience according to the Censorship Bureau.
I hope the Ministry of Information does not ban UNITED 93 or edit any major sequences. Nevertheless, expect the unexpected with them; they banned THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST (the only Gulf country to do so), DODGEBALL, BRIDGET JONES: EDGE OF REASON, BE COOL and a myriad of other films that should have never been banned. They also banned HELLBOY, a tongue-in-cheek comic book adaptation because it featured "a character from Hell."
UNIVERSAL PICTURES Official UNITED 93 site is here.
The Trailer is here.
