::more than somewhat::

Right from the start of my short belly dance life, I’ve focused on Am Cab and tribal conditioning and practically ignored Egyptian style. But if anyone thinks that means I would resist Ranya’s fabulous new collection of instructional DVDs in Egyptian styling, they can think again. As a matter of fact, I can already perform the beginner choreography on Modern Oriental, Bellydance Egyptian Style.

Well  can perform it because it’s not a difficult or complex choreo and it’s very tied into the music, so when you hear the accents, you can’t help remembering the moves you’re supposed to do. But whether I can perform the 2 minute choreography Egyptianly or not, is another matter. That nuancing is going to take awhile.

Modern Orietnal has two choreographies on it: a 2 minute beginner finale and a longer 7-minute embelished advanced choreography. The choreographies are set to Layalina and the Finale on Wash ya Wash Vol 4 by Yousry Sharif – who happens to be Ranya’s teacher.

In this preview, Ranya tells you about how Egyptian dancers have used and expressed themselves with Egyptian music. The clip may actually give the impression that the whole video is involved and complex and “talky”. Not so. This is really a big chunk of the introduction. When one third of the clip is left, Ranya tells you what you’ll find on the video.  I’ll say this: she definitely delivers on what is promised.

To begin at the beginning, Ranya first takes you through a detailed instruction (about 10 minutes of it) on posture and alignment, obviously with special emphasis on Egyptian style. Then you have a warm up combined with technique review. It’s a warm up, not a hardcore conditioning workout. I’d recommend that anyone who’s using this DVD go through it because you will become accostomed to the way Ranya moves and the terminology she uses. Anyway, you need to warm up and this is a gentle stretchy session of about 15 minutes.

Next thre’s a unique 2-minute section with lots of tips on working with the step combinations. Where should you focus, how do you use the beat and stay on it, how to get over getting confused with the left and right foot.

And this leads straight into an explanation of how we will work with the choreographies.

A demo (in training gear) begins our work with the Finale to Layalina. Ths is a charming and perky piece of music and I really like it. The instruction follows a familiar World Dance format – learn with explanations and then dance along twice with music.

Ranya is a good instructor. Just the right mix of everything,r eally. She is very thorough and tells you about all the details, particularly which muscles to use for this style and how to interpret the music. The detail would be a lot to take in if she weren’t so well-paced, so natural and vivacious. Even funny at various points. You instantly feel completely at ease with her. She has what I call good video presence: unself-conscious, relaxed and just like she’s talking to you and you only.

The Finale has 7 combinations. There are repeated patterns but the choreography doesn’t look repetitive. Can absolute beginners pick it up? Well, sure, probably. But it won’t look the same unless there’s been a few months of isolations. Nevertheless, no harm attempting it at all. If you need drills, there’s a segment of drills of movements from the choregraphy after the instruction. Recommended. If you’re not used to Egytpian, like me, you can do with repetitions of how to make circles and hip drops etc look way jucier and how to get the baladi bounce into it.

Ranya tells you all about the rhythms in the music as we go along and really makes it meaningful. Wonderful little choreography, in my opinion.

And then… we get to the meat of it all. The more advanced choreography. Same format, same detail. It’s just that this is a longer choreography and full of layers and detail and nuances. Ranya mentions that you can choose to develop your dance gradually with this choreography. It’s totally connected to the first choreography and some steps are the same but are made more complex now with decorations. Here you can see the inward moes and embellishments that make this dance different. After 14 combinations, we end up with the Finale, or the first choregraphy. But here the Finale is a little more layered and accented.

After the whole Layalina instruction, Ranya gives you an option for a veil entrance and she tells you how to modify movements to come in with the veil. Nice!

There are some tougher drills after this for the advanced learner. Six of the.

And finally, the Layalina performance in costume.

Ranya enjoys herself. And I think so will anyone who learns with her.

Tags: Belly dance videos by Mala
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What do you get when you throw into a Bollywood movie, a weak plot, a big bunch of Parsis and a total absence of songs? As it happens, you get absolute entertainment!

I hadn’t read about Little Zizou and not paid attention when they reviewed it on television, so I didn’t know what to expect. Was I glad that I just sort of went along! I was thoroughly tickled; and that’s more than I can say for most hindi movies. The film is about a little boy’s view of the people around him – all from the Parsi community. His mother died when he was born, his father is a pompous self-absorbed pig who ignores the existence of his sons, and his aunt and uncle are kind and warm but have their own troubles. And then there’s the little terror Liana, who can make his toes curl with her scowl. Stuff happens.

There are lots of familiar faces.

But none of that matters. There isn’t really a strong or unique story. What makes the movie delightful is its endearing Parsi-ness, the richness of each character, the dialogue, and the wonderful acting –if it was acting at all. It’s just one of those rare warm movies that puts a long lasting smile on your face.

Just a bunch of Parsis poking gentle fun at themselves.

Tags: Movies by Mala
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Sarah Skinner has not only been wrapping up the Luscious sequel “Love Potion” and earlier the Fantasy Bellydance performances video but also working on another DVD on deliciously slow moves, “Opulent Motion”. That, of course, is totally my kind of thing and I’m a huge admirer of Sarah’s after I saw her chiftitelli performance on the I Love Turkish video. Slowed down, Sarah is lyrical expressive, emotive, and decorates moves beautifully.

Her Seven Veils is also romantic and sensual. So, obviously, I was quite totally delighted to know that she will be teaching slow moves in her upcoming release.

I’m wondering how you managed to recover enough from Fantasy Bellydance and Love Potion enough to work on Opulent Motion…
Actually the Opulent Motion DVD has been in the oven for a long time. I was slowly gathering thoughts and ideas.

I had music created specifically for this dvd, music that I felt passionately about and with musicians that I have worked with in live performances, so we really were in tune with each others art. I also picked a few pieces of music that were already recorded. Finding slow music that speaks to you is always an important challenge.

The slow part of a performance is such a deeply emotional and individual experience it was really important to come up with a dvd that each person could walk away with something that was valuable to them specifically.
I needed to take my time mentally crafting such a delicious topic. Love Potion is a straightforward party! We drilled almost every day- what a blast! And I miss working on it with the girls now. Working on the two products at the same time satisfied both sides – the thoughtful and the party girl.

So, tell me about Opulent Motion. Is it a little like Autumn Ward’s
video? Does it have a lot of technique and basics?
OM Is approachable for many different skill levels.
There is a section dedicated to the ABCs of bellydance. So a beginner can approach it and have all the ingredients. But if you already know the basics you don’t have to sit through it to get the the meat you need, you can just right to the combos.

The next section is full of combinations!!!
Some combos focus on beautiful lines and shapes with simple shapes that everyone can grab on to. Some combos focus on accentuating the rhythm , some tell a story, some are simple and streamlined making it beautiful yet accessible to all levels, others are more challenging with layering and many moves. I wanted to provide an entire chocolate box of delicious candies that a dancer could pick out the movements that best suited their personality

Then I took all those lovely combination’s and put them into practice flows. So that the dancer could practice these moves and record them into their muscle memory allowing for easy recall during an improv performance with out having to think hard. There is a practice flow to each rhythm covered in the dvd.

What level of learner is this video aimed at?
Every time I see a dancer perform to slow music, her own personality and style comes out. From advanced to beginner no two dancers are the same when dancing slowly- it accesses something deep and personal. It is really quite magical.

This dvd has things accessible for the beginner and challenges them as they grow. It also has things for the more advanced dancer, and makes it easy for them to skip over the simpler things they already know. It also provides practice flows for those who just want to keep toned and dance along with another dancer without having to sit through instructions just to practice the movements- Jump in and start dancing!

Do you teach a choreography on this video?
I intentionally did not teach a choreography. I want each dancer to find their own inner voice with slow performance. I included some of my improv performances that show me drawing from the movements I taught. This allows for the concept of creating a structured improv and allowing the emotion of the moment to guide a dancer without proscribing something fixed.

I was very taken witht he beautiful chiftitelli you performed on your Turkish DVD. How do you engage your emotions so that they come through so strongly in the dance?
Music that inspires is a must. after that it is nice to have a concept that you then act out- so hear the music- see what visual story it is telling then act out that story.

Do you cover arm work in OM? The arms and hands need to be so eloquent in with slow dancing…
Yes- “poses” are covered- the entire body line and breath of that pose. picture perfect moments are always so memorable to the audience.

Tags: Belly dancer interviews by Mala
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A few months ago, I quite by chance discovered an album titled Nekyia Vol 1. That was when I discovered the global fusion group, Drumspyder. A mix of Middle East, Indian, jazz, gypsy and other elements, it was great for tribal fusion – and it was just great listening. I was thrilled when Drumspyder recently came out with a a Nekyia Vol 2. The group’s “Slinky” and “Firebird” particularly got me. I caught up with drummer, Scott Sterling, to ask him about their unsuual music:

Scott, if you were to describe your music in one word, what would it be? It’s tough picking one word, because global fusion artists usually like to string words together, like “Middle-Eastern-breakbeat-Afro-dub, mixed with shades of gypsy jazz and the kitchen sink”. But I have to say one word, it would be “rhythm”. I have always been primarily interested in rhythm: its connection with dance, its energetic and trance-inducing properties. I have been a drummer for most of my life, much longer than I have been into Middle Eastern percussion or global fusion music. Rhythm, drumming, and dance are the reasons that I play music.

I don’t suppose artists like to be slotted into categories, but how would you describe the two Nekyia albums?
They reflect the rhythms I was into at the time, Arabic but with a lot of Afro-Cuban and Brazilian influence, hence the two “Desert Sambas” and the clave-based rhythm of “El Gato Loco”. Also the inspiration of working with dancer Kristina Canizares (www.nekyiadance.com) who is accomplished at Samba and Cuban dance forms as well as bellydance, jazz and circus arts. It’s music that was meant primarily for choreography, composed with a stage show in mind, whereas the upcoming album will be more of an evenly split orientation between music for bellydance performance and tracks designed for DJs.

Do you mostly perform with the Nekyia dancers? Is your music exclusive to them?
The Nekyia isn’t active at the moment, but I still create music which Kristina and other former Nekyians, such as Summer Sahar, use in their performances. Some of these new pieces will be out on DVD in 2009, as well as last year’s  Nekyia work on HMCs “Tales of Desire”. Although I don’t technically have a contract of exclusivity with Kristina, she somehow seems to get her hands on my new tracks first!  

What are your own favorite tracks on Nekyia 1 and 2?
“Pure Catnip” started it all; it was the first original track I gave to Kristina for group choreography, back in 2005. I still think of it as the “signature piece” for the Nekyia, and it was always part of our live performances right through the end of 2008. “Desert Samba 1″ and “Slinky” are my other favorites from Vol. 1, and since they were also a staple of so many live shows, I just had to put the final extended mixes on Vol. 2. On Vol. 2, a couple of pieces are associated with some very memorable shows. “Firebird” is a remix of a piece I did for the Crucible production of Stravinsky’s “Firebird” ballet in Oakland, CA. The track was originally at a moment when the firebird dancer rides on stage in an actual ’79 Pontiac Firebird, complete with flames spewing out of the grill. “Desert Samba 2″ was one of the last Nekyia ensemble pieces, really hot choreography. For me, “Catnip”, “Slinky” and the two “Desert Sambas” are the tracks that sum up the Nekyia vibe.

What music bands do you admire a lot?
Mainly I admire the great drummers/percussionists like Mahmoud Fadl (Drummers of the Nile, Salamat) and Adam Rudolph, who has done some great fusion work with Hassan Hakmoun and wrote a book (“Pure Rhythm”) which I practice with constantly. I’m actually not sure what category I’m in besides “drummers”. They have always been my musical heroes no matter what the style of music. Then there are fellow fusion producers/DJs such as Jef Stott and David Starfire, who I have had the pleasure of playing with and watching their work develop – a great inspiration to me.

What music do you listen to a lot?
Mostly old and traditional stuff; that’s where there is so much to learn from. Classical Arabic music from Syria and Egypt, Morrocan Gnawa Music, North african music i general, Medieval European troubador songs and religious choral music…those are some things that I have in rotation. I’ve been rediscovering Medieval music lately, something that I used to listen to a lot in years past.

Am I imagining things or are there Indian traces in your music?
Yes, there are samples and instruments in there from India, and one of my favorite instruments these days is the harmonium, which has become associated with India and Pakistan, although it was actually invented in Europe. I work primarily in Middle Eastern and early European (modal) scales, but there enough similarities between the styles that they can be mixed, maybe adjusting a note here and there.

Have you ever been to India?
No, but I would like to. I haven’t been off the North American continent in the past few years except to Japan for a tour, and I’m dying to go to the Middle East and North Africa to study. There is in particular a Moroccan percussionist (Ali Alaoui) that I’d love to get some lessons from, but I would have to step up my study of Arabic, or perhaps learn French, because he teaches in that language also. India would be a whole different trip, but maybe it will happen someday.

Do you think we’re in a real age of global fusion?
Yes. Music is global fusion now and I love it. Whenever and wherever a new style of music comes up, someone, perhaps halfway around the globe, is listening, downloading it, remixing it, mutating it into something new. The accessibility and connectivity between different musical cultures at this time is amazing. I am very happy to be a musician in the 21st century.

What is your next album like?
It is going to be much more of a DJ album and music that I will be playing live solo (a combination of laptop beats and live percussion). But don’t worry, there is going to be plenty of material there for dancers– almost all of the tracks are going to be full of tabla breaks and rhythm changes, and there is going to be at least one new bellydance drum solo.

Tags: Belly dancer interviews by Mala
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… not because I got my gmail working, but because I received a package of World Dance videos that are nothing short of incredible. Ranya’s Baladi 2-disk set is amazingly conceptualized and has enough to do for months. Lovely stuff on taqsim, arm paths and improvisation in general. Her Modern Oriental is equally mouth watering.

Anasma’s 2-disk Bellydance Hip Hop Liquid fusion is stunning. Great warm up and conditioning program, isolations done like never before, and amazing drills. The hip hop part is equally fantastic. She manages to fuse the two genres like they were never apart.

Now the only problem is… do I continue work on Bellydance Rhythms, complete Luscious like I was doing, start properly with Autumn Ward’s video, get to the baladi and all the delightful nuances, go with the Egyptian and learn her choreographies, or do I head for the Anasma programme. Oh dear! Why do I have som many troubles in life!

For today, just looking through these DVDs has taken up my dance time. Particularly amazing job from WDNY.

Tags: Dance Diary by Mala
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Perhaps it serves me right for putting all my eggs in one basket. Almost all my mail was coming in to my main Gmail account. It still is, as a matter of fact, but I just can’t get to it.

Earlier today, I logged out of my gmail account and into another one of my accounts to check some news alerts I allow to collect there. I think it was around that time that I found I couldn’t get back into the account I use most. I didn’t get any error messages; not even a red wrong password alert. All I got was back to the login page. with a bit of a difference. My id is keyed in and there’s no “Remember me on this computer”. The password field was blank but every time I keyed that in, it would come back to the login page.

1. I went through all the “Can’t access your account” options. Reported it to Google, but well… who knows if they’ll get back.

2. I managed to get to the account settings and even reset my password. Ddin’t help

3. I still can log in and out of my GTalk, though not Picassa albums.

4. I tried to get into my main gmail account from other browsers, other pcs. Didn’t work. I cleared cache and temp and so on.

5. I can log into other gmail accounts from my pc.

6. Another person at the office seemed to report a similar problem. I didn’t see it myself though

So where oh where is my Gmail acocunt!

People will have to email me at mala at pobox dot com or mala at malabhargava dot com.

Tags: General by Mala
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What is the fuss about! For weeks all I’ve been hearing is Dev D, landmark movie hitting the silver screen and taking the world by storm. I’ve come late the party, but I’ve finally seen it and can safely say: this was a wasted two and a half hours. Phew!

This wasn’t just emotional attyachaar (torture) but audo-visual attryachaar. To sit tight and watch some complete loser get more and more pissed off with the world for no good reason was intolderable. A thoroughly dislikeable unpleasant arrogant character he was too. I can’t feel for him. I can’t feel for the silly women who chose to get mixed up with him. So what am I supposed to do throughout this film? Admire the sound mixing and camera work and casting and acting (which was pretty good)? Sorry, no can do. To top it all, there were 18 songlets to give you the impression that this story is going somewhere. Or just to keep you in your seats longer. I suspect it’s the latter.

You know how a dog shakes itself vigorously after a bath? That is exactly what I feel like doing after this movie. I want to shimmy hard enough to make sure every morsel of this experience drops off.

Tags: Movies by Mala
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When you talk to Michelle Joyce, it’s clear that she absolutely loves what she has chosen to do in life. She’s full of vitality and energy and is extremely productive and prolific. She has a huge amount of warmth for people, which helps her bring people together to work with her, and she has the most winning smile ever. I caught up with the busy dancer video producer to ask her about some of her upcoming DVDs.

Michelle, you have a whole lot of new DVDs coming up from Cheeky Girls. . Your fans are excited! Which of these projects excites you the most, right now?
I am just coming off the high of the last By Dancers For Dancers Show (it was March 1), so I am really excited about the upcoming performance DVDs.  I was backstage all night, so I didn’t get to see hardly anyone dancing.  I could only see their shadows against the back of the stage.

Now that I am editing it, I am having a great time.  It is the best performance footage we have captured yet.

I’m also really excited about Combination Nation…

Oh yes, I’m so curious about  Combination Nation… you have some 15 dancers featured. What is going to be like? A combination by each?
The day before the By Dancers For Dancers show we all went down to the studio and filmed this Combination Nation.  I wasn’t even sure what to expect because I only told the dancers to please come with 1-2 intermediate level combinations that are around 32 – 64 counts each.  I intentionally left it a bit loose so that the dancers could be as creative as they wanted.

We got a wide range of stuff, from bellydance-jazz fusion, to a Saiidi cane duet, to modern Egyptian, to traditional Raks Sharki.  It was so cool!  As the camerawoman, it was like taking mini workshops with all my favorite dancers.

You didn’t think it would be difficult to work with so many dancers for an instructional DVD?
I had worried about that a little before doing it.  Making an instructional DVD can be a very stressful and emotional experience.  Putting yourself out there is never easy and often times people can freeze up when they have to speak directly to a camera.

I try to make the set as friendly as possible and I try to be really mellow and supportive.  We didn’t allow any men on the set at all, which makes a difference.  I am the whole production crew.

Also, I try to only work with dancers who I either know, or who have a reputation as being easy going and professional.  So there was no drama at all.  The only thing that might have been frustrating for the dancers was all of the waiting around before their turn.  Some dancers didn’t want others watching them as they presented, so people were sort of locked in the dressing area for extended periods of time.  I felt a little bit like my father at my childhood slumber parties because I kept having to go to the dressing room to asking them to keep it down.  I don’t know what they were doing back there, but it sounded pretty fun!

Why not make Combination Nation a set, or even put the lot on one DVD?
Combination Nation is going to be a series.  It works perfectly to shoot it on the By Dancers For Dancers weekend… so there should be many more to come.  We have 4 hours of footage from the shoot we just did, plus we want to put some performances on there as extras, so it is simply too much for one disc.

Each disc will be about 2 hours of content and will be sold for $19.99.  A much, much better deal than similar DVDs on the market, which are both shorter and more expensive.

Sounds like a very good idea to me. Leveraging the For Dancers by Dancers set up and getting more out of it. What about Ballet for Belly Dancers. Who conceptualized that?
I did.  It started when I was an audition finalist for the Bellydance Superstars and Jillina told us all that we should be taking ballet every single day.  I hate ballet and I have started and stopped taking it at many times in my life.  I can always see how the strength and balance training helps my belly dancing, but I just wasn’t ever able to stick with it.  I always wished there was a Ballet for Belly Dancers class near me.

Once I saw that there was a general interest in the topic I started searching for the right instructor.  Brianna did a great job.

How has your own dancing changed since you went full time video producer?
Ugh, that is a touchy question.  I imagined myself practicing a lot more once I stopped working outside of the house.  I spend a lot of time in front of my computer editing and updating my websites, and not as much time dancing.  There is just so much to do!  I know of many professional dancers who feel the same way and talk with them about it all the time.  Promoting yourself takes a lot of time away from your dance.

All last year I filmed festivals in the Bay Area instead of dancing in them. That bummed me out. I think that I won’t film hardly any festivals this year and that I will try and put more focus on my dancing.  I am enrolled in a few dance classes at my local community college (jazz, ballet, and Broadway), which has helped me to start getting back on track.

The biggest thing that has changed for me is that I a now doing a lot of workshops.  More people know me from my DVDs now.  I love traveling and doing workshops…  it gives me motivation to work on my dance and is a wonderful opportunity to meet people.

You do much of the video-making work yourself, don’t you?
I actually do almost everything myself.  Obviously if I am in front of the camera then someone else is doing the filming, but for the most part I do all the filming, editing, box cover design, and website maintenance.  I sounds like it would be a giant pain to do all that, but I love doing it all.  It feels so good to be independent.  I am always in the process of taking online graphic design classes and stuff. I love not having to rely on anyone else to meet my deadline or being forced to give up artistic control.

Does your husband help you with it all?
A lot of people assume that because my husband is a TV producer that he does all the editing.  I do use him as an occasional sounding board, but  I really do all of it myself.

Well, how do you turn it around so fast, then?
How do I do it so fast?  I don’t really know.  I have a laptop and I got a lot of work done on airplanes this year.  I recently took a 17 hour flight (each way) to Australia, and got both of Nanna’s DVDs edited in the air!  Editing is always what takes the longest.  The shoot is usually just one or two days, but the editing can drag on for months.

And I hate the feeling of having projects half completed.  I can sit in front of my computer all night long to get something edited.  It is very easy to edit something that you have shot yourself.  I always do some mental editing while filming a DVD, then it is just a matter of sitting down and doing it.  If I wait for more than a day or two to start the editing, I won’t remember what I was planning to do and it takes way longer.

Do you work as a physical personal trainer? With all the shows, videos and promotional work you’re busy with?
No, I let my personal trainer license elapse.

Do you still do horseback gymnastics?
No, I haven’t been on a horse in 10 years.  It is such a rare sport that there aren’t many places where you can do it on a drop in basis, rather than being on a competitive team. I would love to do it again just to see if I still can!  Funny, I also learned that Summer Sahar (in the By Dancers For Dancers Series) was also into horseback gymnastics in high school.

What made you want to take up counseling?
I have always been very interested in women’s issues.  Even in high school I volunteered at a rape crisis center.  It is very rewarding work.  I have worked in domestic violence shelters, homeless shelters, in the foster care system, and at suicide crisis centers.  Then I started to burn out a bit.  It is very taxing work and it doesn’t pay much.  I started teaching Psychology at a local college, which was fun.  But when I got laid off from that job it seemed like the perfect time to go full speed ahead with Cheeky Girls.

When is Cheeky Girls coming up with the Taqsim video? And with whom?
Unknown – but I would like to do it as some point

Do you dance a lot of Turkish style? Considering you’ve lived there. and would you consider a Turkish style instructional video?
A few people have mentioned that they would like a Turkish instructional.  If I find the right instructor I would totally do it.  But that instructor isn’t me.  Even though I lived there for a bit, I don’t consider myself Turkish style.

Which of your videos are the most popular right now?
It is funny, but Perfect Hips has sold the most copies. That one was only thrown together with the extra footage from a long day of shooting (we did 4 DVDs in one day!).  It was just meant to me for the general public and I never expected it would do so well.

Pop, Lock and Shimmy is a close second and Drills x3 is third.  I am always tempted to re-shoot and re-release all of them.  As I do more DVDs, I learn more and get better.  I try to never look at DVDs I have already released for fear of seeing things that I would do differently now!

Though the Secrets of the Stage series isn’t a top seller, that is the one I am most proud of.

What are your plans for the rest of 2009?
I have 9 DVDs in the works (Combination Nation x2, Ballet for Belly Dancers, Nanna x2, By Dancers For Dancers x2, Vibrant Veil Work, and Combinography), so that should keep me busy.  I’m also going on a workshop tour of Australia in the summer, which should be really fun.

Tags: Belly dancer interviews by Mala
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Continuing with my World War II watching, I picked up an old movie, Charlotte Gray, starring Kate Blanchett. The film’s got plenty of scathing criticism. BBC said Kate Blanchett sleepwalked through the film.  The NYT said it was plagued by language problems: everyone except the Germans sound English as can be, including in France and things do get a bit confusing. But I still managed to stay with and enjoy the movie. If you can call any Nazi regeime movies enjoyable!

Charlotte Gray went to a party and happened to fall in love with a handsome young pilot, Peter Gregory. Sadly, the next thing you know, his plance was shot down over France. Charlotte goes to look for him, joining the French Reisistance in a Nazi-infested France. To me, what was totally implausible was how she went about looking so very suspiscious and as BBC put it “close to tears” at all times and never got caught while everyone else around her did. She helped blow up a train looked after two Jewish kids when their parents were carted off to a concentration camp and generally got involved in various bungled up resistance activities. She certainly had her guardian angel looking out for her!

Kate Blanchett’s performance was wonderful, in my book. The confusion, distress, pain – all of it was spelt out wordnessly across her very expressive face. Despite all its imperfections, the movie held my attention through and through.

Tags: Movies by Mala
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If it hadn’t been for embarassing similarities between Becky Bloomwood and me, I’d have stopped watching Confessions of a Shopaholic in five minutes flat. She’s a clueless journalist – I’m a clueless journalist. Well, media person. She shops beyond her means – I shop beyond my means. She has a green scarf – I have a green scarf. Same green, at that. We’re practically sisters!

Be that as it may, the film is a chcik-flick of the shrillest frilliest kind. If I were asked to describe it as a thing I’d say… pink fluffy hat. In fact, it reminds me a little of Legally Blonde except that blondie is more smart alecky and smart in a dumb way while our shopaholic is just plain dumb. But she knows how to look fairly distressed. And she’s pretty. Cute, as a matter of fact. But while I found Legally Blonde amusing enough, this film is tediously silly. Oh, it does have a message: don’t shop over the topo because love and friendship and so on is more important. Sad thing is, it’s being released smack in the middle of an economic depression when no one’s shopping.

Tags: Movies by Mala
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