Adil Najam
We are in the process of making some important changes here at ATP and I thought this picture captured very well the mood of these changes. A mood of accomplishment; and of possibly having sown some seeds that might just take root if the conditions are right.
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Regular readers would remember that from the beginning the goal has been to turn ATP into a team-blog (here). When I first started the blog on June 11, I was not sure anyone would even come to visit. Today, just over two months (68 days) into the experiment, this is the 158th post and we have had over 60,000 visits. In many practical ways Guest Posters but even more so for the active discussion from all of you.
Now its time to take the next step.
Please welcome Bilal Zuberi and Owais Mughal who are joining me in the day-to-day management and editing of ATP.
Most of you are, of course, very familiar with both Bilal (on Naii, on Ishtiaq Ahmed and Inspector Jamshed, on Mueen Akhter, and on The Greeing of Pakistan) and Owais (on Goth Alla-Bino, on Chai, on Fountain Pens, and on Rickshaws) who have been been regular and frequent posters of ATP. They have already been very active on ATP and now kindly agreed to take on major responsibilities in its management. They will, I am confident, bring even greater variety and diversity to ATP.
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We will, of course, continue to have Guest Posts from the wonderful bloggers who have been contributing in the past and, hopefully, from more new ones. I believe that these have been a central element of how ATP has developed and we want to continue on this path. I would like to thank all who have been contributing Guest Posters and also invite our readers to consider contributing Guest Posts (see here).
Unfortunately, none of the above means that I will disappear. Getting rid of me will not be that easy. I am having too much fun doing this to let go. While you will see a little less of me (as I actually start doing work for those who pay my salary), you will probably still see more than you want to; at least for a little while longer.
And, finally, about the photograph at the top of this post. Titled ‘The Farmer’ it is part of the portfolio of Razaq Vance. Razaq sahib is in the same profession as me – a teacher – but is immensely more talented and his photographs always leave me entirely mesmerized. I plan to do a proper feature on his photography soon, but along with Umair Ghani (where work we presented on ATP here and here), Razaq Vance captures the grandeur of life in rural Punjab like few others. Thank you Razaq Sahib.
[By the way, the second post I did with Umair's photogrpahs - about the rural-urban divide in Pakistan - was one of my most favorite posts on ATP; both because of the topic and becasue of his photographs].
Korean War epic is universal tale
Deseret News (Salt Lake City) February 20, 2005 | Chris Hicks Deseret Morning News Here’s a trio of newly released DVDs for fans of foreign-language films, led by a compelling Korean War picture. here newly released dvds
– “Tae Guk Gi: The Brotherhood of War” (Sony, 2004; R for violence, language; $28.96, two discs). This epic Korean production won a number of that country’s film awards and set box-office records, and it’s easy to see why.
The story is a universal tale of two brothers forced to go to war, with both of them being profoundly changed by the experience.
The film begins and ends with a wraparound sequence in the modern day, as an elderly gentleman receives a phone call about the discovery of a skeleton, which proves to be his brother’s remains on an old battleground that is now an archaeological site. This prompts memories of his youth to come flooding back.
Most of the 2 1/2-hour film is told in an extended flashback that begins in 1950, as we meet Jin-tae (Jang Dong-gun), the hard-working older brother, who has happily sacrificed a great deal to help his younger brother, Jin-seok (Won Bin), get into college.
But when North Korea invades the south, the brothers are forced into the army — literally torn from the arms of their family — along with every other male ages 18- 30. The brothers manage to stay together, but they almost immediately find themselves in battle. And, as the months pass, the war changes them in dramatic and wildly unexpected ways that will alter their relationship forever.
Because of the brutal war imagery here — and it is brutal — the film has been compared to “Saving Private Ryan.” But it reminded me more of the films of Sam Peckinpah and Samuel Fuller. Despite the politics and obvious anti-war stance, however, what stuck with me was how well the characters were developed, and the striking performances.
It’s not perfect, but it is moving and occasionally disturbing.
Extras: Widescreen, Korean with optional subtitles (English, French), making-of featurettes, multi-angle storyboards, photo gallery, chapters.
– “Sympathy for the Underdog” (HVE, 1971; not rated but has violence, sex, language; $24.95). Here’s another violent Japanese gangster flick from the early 1970s, directed with his usual flair by Kinji Fukasaku (“The Yakuza Papers,” “Graveyard of Honor,” the Japanese segments of “Tora! Tora! Tora!”).
This one follows an aged Yakuza boss (Koji Tsuruta) who gets out of prison after 10 years and finds that his code of honor is lost on the modern corporate gangs that have taken over Tokyo. So he pulls together his old gang and begins a new business, taking over the whiskey trade in Okinawa. Naturally, this doesn’t sit well with his rivals, and, ultimately, there is a showdown. here newly released dvds
As with many of these films, this is sort of an Old West formula re-formatted for gangster-ridden Tokyo, and it’s an entertaining chapter in the spate of gang movies that came out of Japan during this period.
Extras: Widescreen, in Japanese with optional English subtitles, interviews, filmography, trailers, essay, chapters.
– “Fall Guy” (HVE, 1982; not rated but has violence, nudity, language; $24.95). In general, I quite enjoy Japanese cinema, but I’ve always had a hard time with Japanese comedy. Not that I’ve seen that many, but those that have come my way have seemed excessively harsh, even crude. And though they are successful in Japan, I’m not sure the humor translates very well to the West.
That’s true again with this film (also directed by Fukasaku) about a geeky sycophant, a member of a movie superstar’s entourage, who is pushed into marrying the star’s pregnant girlfriend. So he seeks out employment as a stunt man and soon finds that the more dangerous the stunt, the more money he’s paid. As you might expect, the stunts get more and more life-threatening, and the stuntman gets more and more banged up.
It’s not hard to understand the gags involving the ridiculously vain movie star or his rivalry with an up-and-comer. Anyone who’s ever seen “Entertainment Tonight” will chuckle at that stuff. But the star’s treatment of his girlfriend became way too dark for me.
Extras: Widescreen, in Japanese with optional English subtitles, interviews, filmography, trailers, chapters.
Chris Hicks Deseret Morning News
Great pictures here. Beautifully done. And good to get a snapshot of this site’s history. (Some of the links are broken).