abdullah-5

An excellent Yugoslav movie based on an equally worthy novel by the same name. (See the wikipedia entry for more details.) Vojislav Miric, Faruk Begolli and Abdurahman Shala give the performances of their lives. Beautifully filmed, the movie also serves as a useful, if oblique, insight into the "old" pre-1990 Yugoslavia and their cinema.

A must for anyone interested in Yugoslav culture and history.

This has got to be one of the greatest Indian movies you will ever see. Yes, some of the acting is over the top, the first 15 minutes of the film drag before the story kicks in and sure, some points are laboured for Western audiences. However, petty criticisms aside, I keep coming back to this flick year after year as my all time favourite Hindi language film (after Khuda Gawah perhaps). Karishma Kapoor in particular is a real treat to watch - beautiful and intelligent, and above all a very talented and convincing actress. I am genuinely curious that such a breathtakingly gorgeous lady did not make an effort to enter Hollywood or the English language movies at all. Perhaps the most outstanding feature of the movie is the fantastic music. Catchy and hypnotic to the point where you cannot really ever forget the main motifs and themes. I can guarantee that even if you don't like the film that much the song & dance numbers will either enchant or entrance. You will never in your lifetime forget the gypsy dance number. Forget the art house stuff and enjoy pure Bollywood at its best.

The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad is one of my all time favourite movies. Great cast, great villain, great script and just the right balance of absolutely fantastic Ray Harryhausen special effects (without being excessive or absurd - as in the ridiculous and completely unbelievable baboon who appears to star in the deeply inferior 'Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger', 1977).

Kerwyn Mathews stars as Sinbad minus the traditional beard, but compensates by showing off as much chest hair and his forearms as possible. Critics have describe him as a little wooden but I disagree. I thought he was just great for the part and plays it well. Its not Shakespeare after all. My three year old son still joins in shouting 'Parisa !' and 'Sakura !' whenever we watch this movie.

The gorgeous Katherine Grant is a beautiful Princess named Parisa (and not in a slightly sleazy, ever so tartish fashion that we see foisted on Caroline Munro in the 1974 'Golden Voyage of Sinbad').

Torin Thatcher, born in Bombay and therefore possibly the token 'Asian' in this flick, is absolutely marvelous as Sakura, the evil wizard or magician (it's never made quite clear what side of the fence he sits on, or why). He exudes evil even before it made clear that he's a resident baddie.

This is a really great family movie above all else. Everyone except the eternally idle, the immature and clinically over-cynical teenagers can sit through this and find something enjoyable - even the music and scenery (the caption reads: Bagdad, but in fact it's Granada, Spain). I might also add that it makes a very pleasant change to see a movie in English where the bloke who says 'Allah' in his sentences is not some dreadful caricatured half-mad terrorist looking to kill innocents. Its good to be able to sit down with the kids and watch a film that everyone likes for a change.

My only, only complaint with this film is the silly voice they have given the child-genie. Very unnecassary and distracting from an otherwise excellent piece of cinema viewing. Five stars or ten, whichever is highest.