“A Mighty Heart” is a Mighty Sad Movie

Re: # 32

ms saminsha,

........... i see that everyone has their own little axe to grind but i think you are getting a little silly about this `blackface` thing ........... would the movie have been any better if halle berry had played that role? ............ get off it !

p.s. as far as i am concerned, halle berry would have been okay too, i would still want to see her naked ........

RE: #20 by Love2love

I do not have your email address anymore.


This movie is really ``The Mariane Pearl Story``

as far as I could gather. It is getting killed at

the box office here in the USA and on that note

I have to partially agree with hamidm2.

(I cannot agree with him fully because I write

and post under my own name on CHOWK).

Ras

Re: # 33
[...halle berry would have been okay too, i would still want to see her naked ........ ]

Then watch ``monster ball`` ...

Ras,

It`s just another formula tear jerker .... pregnant mom-to-be ends up in a hostile and primitive land looking for her noble journalist husband abducted by forces of evil ... reminds me of another lemon (not neembu) called Flight 77 where the plot on cue flashed back to the pilot`s infant son every 5 minutes while the proud father was busy battling pirates in the air ... wow.

Re: # 33

hello hamid sahib. have you read the article?

It seems to me comments that serve to close down discussion rather than encourage participants to think thoughtfully are usually the refuge of the lazy. I know that some desis like to think of themselves as white, but I`m not one of them and the relevance of the erasure of race in this film exists on several levels. I`m sure in the blockbuster film adaption of Chowk.com, you`ll want to be played by Sir Ben Kingsley or even Aasif Maandvi and not Brad Pitt...as I know Arjun will be played by Kal Penn. :)

saminsha,

........ honestly, i tried to read the article but it just seems to be the usual sharptonian hand wringing and moaning over yet another non-issue ......... as far as i can see, mrs pearl is not really black and neither is halle berry or tiger woods (the best thai golfer in the world) ......... on the other hand, justice thomas and bill cosby are definitely black even though you might think otherwise ..............

..... unless race was fundamental to the plot of the movie, why does it matter ?............ since i haven`t seen the film i don`t know what you mean by the `relevance of the erasure of race` .......... african americans have many real issues that they need to address instead of wasting their time on who plays tawana brawley and rodney king in the movies ......... by the way, would you be happier if nicole richie had played mrs pearl.. or isn`t she black enough ?........

p.s. i want brad pitt to play me in the movies

Neembu, what are you views on Begum Nawazish Ali?

Re: # 39

kulharee,

..... since samina is not replying ............ i love begum nawazish ali - she is like a breath of fresh ............

Re: # 38

Hamid Sahib,

Mehr bani karkeh refer to me as Neembu. Apparently, my existence causes certain desi interactors such intense pain and nutsy faginism that they begin to bay like dogs, etc., shukrian.

So basically you have not read the article which is about how Hollywood has historically represented race and why that is relevant to this discussion. And not having read about this historical erasure and minstrelsy, you fail to see why a great number of Americans might take issue with the casting of Jolie as a bi racial French journalist. It seems that the interesting nuances of Daniel Pearl`s minority identity as an American Jewish son of Iraqi-Israeli heritage in Pakistan and Marianne`s darkness being perceived as South Asian by Pakistanis have escaped you as well. And so having basically scratched yourself during this paragraph, I am expected to respond to your red herring (note: Al Sharpton is an ineffective red herring) delivered in the form of Al Sharpton.

Hamid Mian, I really wonder how all of you men actually make money. Its absolutely criminal that you are entrusted with any decision beyond what flavor ice cream you`ll be having for dessert. :)

It is asd thing american and Indian press has used demise reporter to paint pakistan as a bod bed for terrorists and fellow terrorist type people and post graduate place for terrorism and that type of training.
Good partof thing is the wife of departed person always thanked pakistan and pakistani people and govt in supporting her while going through that sad things.
Some political type mentality type people Indoamerican , americans and jewish people taking misadvantage of situation is totally sad and deplorable who are taking political advantage than being nice to troubled people and really not good mentality.

Re: # 41

Neembu. It’s a sad day when the most horrific murder, committed by Muslims of an innocent journalist because he was a Jew, has been totally moved to a footnote status while some pseudo-intellectuals are arguing the merits of who plays the role of his widow in a movie. What a lovely state of intellectual affairs. Has anyone contacted Hollywood to see if they give a tiny amount of hoot about it?

Chowk staff should invite Mariane Pearl to comment on this article or write an article of her own. Hope she is alive and well.

Re: # 44
Good idea Einstein (they don’t call you Einstein for nuttin). I can just imagine Mariane Pearl give a piece of her mind to Neembu. She wanted Ms. Jolie to play her part, I don`t know what the big deal is.. considering that more than half of the Shakespearian actors at London Guild are non-whites (even a couple of Desis who have made a name playing “Romeo”).

````This is bigger than Mariane Pearl,`` says Todd Boyd, professor of critical studies at the USC School of Cinematic Arts.``

Look at the arrogance of this painchod. Mayvbe we can behead his son and have a discussion on which actor should play the part. Fricking acadamics need a kick up the backside.

Re: # 43

Kulharee Sahib,

Quite a telling notion that you perceive ``rendering visible`` all the people in this film adaptation of a historical tragedy as denying the criminal act itself. Or are you just grandstanding now?

What does it mean to render someone visible, whether they are Jewish, African or Pakistani? What does it mean when we are participate in our own dehumanization to the extent that we accept white actors and actresses ``be`` us in one of the most lucrative and influential entertainment industries in the world? Why are we so satisfied to occupy roles of villany to the extent that we cannot even find ourselves in our moments of courage and moral conscientiousness? I ask this because by Ras` account, the Pakistan that grieved with Pearl is not present in this film. And here we encounter yet another form erasure-our erasure of our authentic selves-the selves who are disturbed by the murder of Pearl.

If pointing out that desis need to stop being content with being the darkies in the background of Hollywood narratives of white heroism makes me Al Sharpton, I have news for you Tawana...and that is that you have been assaulted....

Re: # 46

Or maybe you can do us a big favor and recount for us adaptations of historical tragedies in which colonialized populations were just a colorful, dancing, singing, crying and murdering backdrop for white heroism?

Shall we bother waiting, O Fount Of Knowledge?