The Critique

Dir: Roger Donaldson Starring: Pierce Brosnan, Olga Kurylenko, Luke Bracet Dur: 108 mins Rating: 4.5/5 PG: An intimate scene, plenty of foul language, physical violence and destruction.   Peter Devereaux (Pierce Brosnan) is an ex-secret service agent, living a happy and peaceful life in Lausanne . All is well with the world until his old handler, Hanley () appears and presses him into taking up an important assignment. Hesitantly, he accepts and the next thing we know, Moscow ’s streets become a cat and mouse playfield. His assignment is compromised and he narrowly escapes with his life. In a bid to repair the damages incurred, he comes face-to-face with his old protégé, David Mason (Luke Bracet), who is now what Peter once was. In his attempt to act on the intel received from a Russian spy, Peter embarks on a dangerous trail that takes him into the underbelly of a huge conspiracy to acquire power and world domination. The stakes are high and quite a few egos are ...

Dir: Andy Fickman Starring: Billy Crystal, Bette Middler, Tom Everett Scott, Marisa Tomei, Bailee Madison, Joshua Rush and Kyle Breitkopf Dur: 105 mins Rating: 4.5/5 Comment: An excellent treat for the whole family. Parents and educators will find pertinent and practical issues addressed. The title itself is attractive and thought-provoking. Parenting today is becoming increasingly difficult, with rules, either social or legal for just about everything, ranging from how to talk to the kids and correct them to the manner in which they ought to be raised. Against this background, the film raises important questions and attempts to depict the challenges of child-rearing. Introducing you to Phil (Tom Everett Scott) and Alice (Marisa Tomei) Simmons’ family. A typical nuclear family consisting of a set of parents and 3 young kids. They have their share of troubles but seem to be living a happy and comfortable life, until Phil is awarded for an invention of his and is call...

Dir: Luc Besson Cast: Scarlett Johansson, Morgan Freeman Dur: 1 hr 25 mins Rating: 2.5/5 PG: Guidance advised for those below 13. A lot of violence is depicted. An innocent maiden is put in to the hands of a ruthless drug mafia, who use human beings to transport drugs in their bodies across international bodies. The drug being transported, CPH4, is dangerous for humans if consumed in large doses. Lucy (Scarlett Johansson) is coaxed by her friend, Richard (Pilou Asbak) to deliver a case to a drug lord. Against her wishes she goes and walks into a trap. Richard is killed and she is made a carrier of CPH4. Before being transported, she suffers physical abuse which causes the drug to spread in her body. Humans use about 20% or less of their brain capacity. Lucy, with the help of the drug gradually begins using more of her brain. It is interesting to ponder on this idea. What would life be? How would we live? Would it be better? With the increase in brain utility, her ca...

Dir:  Jon Favreau Cast: Jon Favreau, Sofia Vergara, Emjay Anthony, John Leguizamo Dur: 1 hr 40 mins Rating: 3/5 PG: Plenty of foul language used. I’ve seen lots of movies depicting particular professions but this was the first time I watched a film centred wholly on a chef. We all like to go to restaurants but very few of us, I suppose, know what goes on in the kitchen. Chef gives us a peek at the world of a professional cook. Carl Casper (Jon Favreau) is a brilliant chef, touted to be the next-best-thing. He’s great with his hands but is a bit deficient with his heart. Divorce and the pressure of running a kitchen have made him a bit touchy. He escapes his discomfort by losing himself in his work. We’ve heard the saying “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy”, and Carl has grown a bit dull. His weekly meetings with his son illustrate the emptiness he feels within. His life takes a turn when an infamous food blogger visits the restaurant he works in and writ...

Dir: Rob Cohen Cast: Josh Lucas, Jessica Biel, Jamie Foxx Dur: 1 hr 50 mins Rating: 3.5/5 PG: Occasional swearing. The film name doesn’t reveal much and you don’t really get the significance of the name until you are well into the movie. The movie encapsulates the dream of many a young boy, namely flying a jet at high speed and saving the world from impending disaster. The film embraces the idea of highly advanced technology and its use in warfare. It indicates a possible future of air warfare. Three stealth fighter jets are designed by the U.S and three of its best pilots are handling them. Ben (Josh Lucas), Kara (Jessica Biel) and Henry (Jamie Foxx) are an army (or rather air force) of three. Their missions are critical and delicate, with little scope for failure. Everything seems to be going on well, when a fourth plane is added to their squadron. This new plane is at the next level of air warfare. It is automatic with a machine for a brain. EDI is an experiment ...

Teachers are wonderful gifts to society. Some may contest this view, but I would resolutely stick to it, although conceding to the fact that all teachers are not so wonderful and many cause more harm than good. Nonetheless, teachers are important figures. This begs the question: Why are teachers important? Teachers, in many ways shape us into the persons we are today. The knowledge they impart to us and the way they relate to us help us and influence us in our quest for self-realization. Although many view teaching as a profession, I would side with those who see it as more than a profession-a vocation. What distinguishes a profession from a vocation is firstly, attitude. In a profession, the aim is to make money whereas in a vocation, the aim is to offer service, irrespective of the payment. Secondly, profession looks merely at what must be done or at the job description, whereas vocation looks beyond. It looks at how best and effectively the job can be done. It usually implies ...

With Open Hands , Henri Nouwen, New York : Ballantine Books, 1985, pp. 87. This book is a group effort of 25 theology students who helped Nouwen formulate his initial ideas. Lived experiences forms the background of the book and the insights emerge from such experiences and flow back into them. The book has 5 chapters consisting of experiences constituting a movement from ‘clenched fists’ to ‘open hands’. Prayer is not easy as anyone who prays will testify. It is a relationship wherein we allow the other to enter the deepest recesses of our being and this is very sensitive and sometimes even painful. The clenched fist imagery represents a resistance to the kind of relationship that prayer demands.  Surrendering ourselves to God in prayer is vital to unclench our fists but this cannot be fully achieved as behind every fist lies another one. Nonetheless, surrender brings with it a kind of freedom. Prayer takes on a whole new and significant meaning. Prayer is connected ...