Movie Review: National Treasure - Book of Secrets

I have seen only two movies of Nicholas Cage and I liked one (Con Air) and hated the other (Leaving Las Vegas). Since I didn’t have too much interest in his movies, I was not too sure what to expect when my friends dragged me to watch National Treasure II – Book of Secrets. But I was pleasantly surprised by the mature handling of the plot and the excellent screenplay in this movie. Cage fitted his role as Ben Gates, an archaeologist and treasure hunter very well and done complete justice. His bickering parents (Jon Voight and Helen Mirren), best friend IT whiz Justin Bartha, and girlfriend Diane Kruger have done their bit to make the movie engrossing and at times very funny too. The bad guy, played by Ed Harris actually helps Cage unearth an ancient City of Gold hidden right under Mount Rushmore.

The movie starts off with the bad guy accusing Ben Gates’ ancestors of having a hand in the plot of assassinate Abraham Lincoln and then one thing leads to the other and becomes a grand global adventure. Nicholas Cage travels at will to anywhere to everywhere and gets access to anything under the sun. He steals a wooden scroll from the Queen’s desk in the Buckingham Palace, rifles through the American president’s desk in Oval office and swipes the brown diary from the Library of Congress too! And the wonder of all wonders is that he never gets caught. Sounds too fancy, doesn’t it?

The plot of the movie is somewhat like an amalgamation of few of the older movies. Some of the clues to find the treasure are surely some adaptation and modifications of the clues in the 1969 movie Mackenna’s Gold. The high tech stuff which Bartha so slickly uses to give Cage the access to every security ridden place on this earth including the Buckingham Palace and White House look somewhat similar to the ones in The Italian Job (2003).

But then some adaptations and good performances and of course great locations make National Treasure: Book of Secrets a highly entertaining movie and worth your money. But let me warn you, it is definitely not worth watching more than once.

Book Review: Gullah Culture in America

Exploring an ancient culture in modern America
Gullah Culture in America by Wilbur Cross; Price: $49.95; Praeger Publishers; 270 pp.

The United States of America has emerged as the sole superpower of the 21st century. The continent-sized nation has impacted its presence and power upon the rest of the world with its economic, technological and military superiority. Popular perception about America across the world is that of a multicultural, prosperous and hardworking society, with little interest in history, environment or cultural heritage. While it is largely true there are several initiatives from the government as well as by private individuals and foundations aimed at preserving ancient culture. One such example is the excellent efforts of The Penn Center, based in the island of St. Helena off the coast of South Carolina in the direction of preserving and documenting the history, heritage, religion, cuisine, medicine and prayer practices of the Gullah and Geeche Culture. The members of this ancient African-American culture trace their origins and ancestry to Sierra Leone and other parts of West Africa.

In an attempt to make the excellent work of The Penn Center known to people in America and also to introduce the Gullah culture veteran journalist Wilbur Cross has written the book Gullah Culture in America (GCA), in which he efficiently chronicles the history of Gullah culture and how it has impacted itself upon American nation, particularly in the southern seaboard states. “The Gullah people are the descendants of African ethnic groups who arrived in America as early as the late seventeenth century, and were forced to work on plantations in South Carolina and later Georgia. They were from many tribes including the Mandingo, Bamana, Wolog, Fula, Temne, Mende, Vai, Akan, Ewe, Bakongo and Kimbundu. The mixture of languages from Africa, combined with English, resulted in a creole language that eventually came to be known as Gullah,” writes the author of this well-researched treatise on an ancient culture.

Cross a veteran journalist and former editor of Life magazine has authored or co-authored over 50 books in his career has taken pains to do indepth research and portray the intricacies of the Gullah culture in his book. Spread over 12 well written chapters GCA starts with a foreword by Emory Shaw Campbell, executive director emeritus of the Penn Center. “Although thousands of articles and hundreds of books have been written on discoveries of Native American cultures and Indian lore, the Gullah-Geeche culture has been almost totally overlooked,” rues Campbell in the foreword commending that the GCA is one of the few well written books on the subject.

This book explores the Gullah culture's direct link to Africa, via the sea islands of the American southeast right from the days when Gullahs came into the contact with the western world during the height of the American Civil War through some missionaries who travelled to St. Helena Island, South Carolina, to establish a small institution called Penn School to help freed slaves learn how to read and write. According to Cross this was the first interaction between Gullahs and White Americans who noticed that most of the islanders spoke a language that was only part English, combined with expressions and idioms, often spoken in a melodious, euphonic manner, accompanied by distinctive practices in religion, work, dancing, greetings, and the arts.

The other chapters of the GCA explore various facets of the Gullah culture. The chapter titled ‘Hallelujah!’ talks about the religious practices of Gullahs, which they kept alive despite persecution by their masters. Chapter four titled ‘Growing up Gullah’ profiles several accomplished individuals who spent large part of their childhood in the southern islands isolated from modern America. “Many a Gullah person has risen from the most humble origins in neighborhoods in the poorer parts of town to successful careers in music, the arts, business and other callings. One fine example is that of Anita Singleton, who carried the procedure one step further by actually using her simple beginnings as the theme for her road to success,” writes Cross. Anita Singleton went on to become a popular radio host with a huge fan following for her one-woman show on PBS (Public Broadcasting Service) known as ‘Tales from the Land of Gullah’.

According to Cross even today, there are more than 300,000 Gullah people, many of whom speak little or no English, living in the remoter areas of the sea islands of St. Helena, Edisto, Coosay, Ossabaw, Sapelo, Daufuskie, and Cumberland. If not for this book, this unique and colorful culture would have remained hidden away in the remote pockets of America. The book is not only a treatise on the history of Gullah, but takes the reader behind the scenes of Gullah culture today to show what it's like to grow up, live, and celebrate in this remarkable and uniquely American community.

Cut to the Indian scenario where several such minority cultures are dieing a slow death thanks to rapid modernisation and urbanisation across the country we need people like Wilbur Cross to research, record and publish papers and books on these cultures. There are many such tribes and groups such as Chenchus of Andhra Pradesh, Ilagas of Karnataka etc, whose culture need to be researched and documented urgently.

Indiscriminate Killing and Skin Show

I went to this movie expecting some grand action sequences as the posters and promotions promised. I was pretty certain that Ram Gopala Verma would have done a good job producing an action movie with new and debutant hero and heroine. But was I disappointed??? No I was thoroughly shocked... apalled... aghast... taken aback.... I don’t have the right words to express my disappointment.

The storyline of the movie is pretty much the same.. boy meets girl... falls in love.. enter the villain baying for the girl’s body and then the boy intervenes and beats him up. Then follows the villain ganging up his brood together and following the hero and heroine baying for the hero’s blood and the herione’s body. There is some good music and photography in these sections....

The most sickening part of the movie is perhaps the ugly, sometimes obscene, vulger and totally irrelevant skin show of the heroine. Perhaps that is what it takes for a debutant female artiste to make it big in Bollywood..... especially when working with RGV. We can recall... how Urmila exposed in Rangeela... and made it big soon after... but here the heroine came, exposed and went away to be forgotten forever...

The move is a good time pass for those who want to while away two and a half hours doing nothing... and it is good for couples who want to get cozy in the dark corners of a theatre as the halls will be hardly full.... To put the movie in one perspective it is good for those who like to watch raunchy item songs with the heroine shaking a leg and more and gyrating to some vague tune while the gals can enjoy a good show of James’ rippling muscles.

Book Review: A Hike for Mike

Journey towards suicide prevention

A Hike for Mike: An Uplifting Adventure Across the Sierra Nevada for Depression Awareness by Jeff Alt; Dreams Shared Publications; Price: $14.95; 198 pp.

For footloose and fancy free outdoor enthusiasts trekking/hiking through inaccessible wilderness is the ultimate way to explore the world’s hidden wonders in its most pristine form. Walking through tangles of green forest, traversing hill and dales, fording every stream in hidden valleys provides rushes of adrenalin, which packaged five-star holidays can never match. Hardcore hiking enthusiasts swear that hiking through lonely woods rejuvenate mind, body and soul beyond compare. Although long cross-country treks sound thrilling and adventurous it’s useful to bear in mind that they require great reserves of energy, stamina, and the ability to lead a life bereft of the modern urban comforts which one is so used to.

These psychological and emotionally rejuvenative aspects of hiking has been endorsed and well highlighted by Jeff Alt, a motivational speaker, seasoned hiker, speech pathologist, teacher in his latest book A Hike for Mike. Alt, the author of award winning hiking travelogue A Walk for Sunshine, records his journey through the famous 218-mile John Muir Trail in California. The hike and this is dedicated to the memory of his brother-in-law, Mike, who committed suicide due to depression. Throughout the book which is a daily dairy recording of his and his wife’s experiences during the 21-day hike, Alt educates the people he meets about the seriousness of depression.

The book starts off with a foreword by Dr. Jerry Reed, executive director of Suicide Prevention Action Network, USA. “This is a story about the courage of Beth and Jeff Alt, who became survivors after losing Beth’s brother Mike to suicide. They were determined, like many of the 180,000 who lose a loved one to suicide each other, to do what they could to help other families learn about depression and the terrible toll of suicide,” writes Reed in praise of the couple’s efforts in helping prevent suicide due to depression. Dr. Reed further states that 31,000 Americans commit suicide every year, while another 650,000 individuals make attempt on their lives.

The couple decides to undertake this hike to combat their own grief following the tragic death of Beth's brother, Mike Richards. They decide to dedicate the trek to Mike and raise awareness about the deadly illness that depression is. Mike suffered from untreated depression and committed suicide.

“Research shows that walking and hiking are actually beneficial to people, not just for the obvious reasons, but for fighting depression. It actually increases the antidepressant chemicals in the brain, and so does being out in the sunshine and fresh air,” writes Alt explaining the rationale behind their choice to hike one of the most challenging trails in the US.

The John Muir Trail begins in the Yosemite Valley and goes up Mt. Whitney, at 14,494 feet, the highest mountain in the lower 48 states of the US and Alt’s travelogue flows smoothly into 24 chapters, the last of which titled ‘Depression: Get the facts’ is wholly dedicated to educate readers about the facts, information and resources to combat depression. During the course of the book the author gives a graphic and detailed description of the rugged John Muir Trail (JMT), which passes through California’s Sierra Nevada mountain range. The JMT starts off at the Happy Isles at a modest elevation of 4,035 ft. and ends at Lone Pine beside Mt. Whitney, (14,496 ft), the entire trail experiences sudden and extreme temperature swings, lightening and thunder storms, flash floods, bear and mountain lion attacks.

Through his lucid and chatty style of writing Alt makes the reader experience the adventure, pains, fears, wonderment, and appreciation for nature’s beauty as the couple travel through the wilderness of Sierra Nevada. A vast amount of detail is subtly integrated with the story and dialogue and one can easily know what to expect on the JMT after reading this book. “The John Muir Trail is speckled with glacial lakes and wilderness that are untouched by roads and most other civilized amenities. The trail wanders through deep canyons, around cold blue lakes and under sunny skies. It is most rugged and arguably some of the prettiest terrains,” writes Alt describing the JMT in the first chapter of the book.

The importance of right preparation in order to make cross-country hiking enjoyable and mishap-free, trekkers need to be well-equipped. A Hike for Mike clearly illustrates the amount of planning that goes on to make a successful hike through the wilderness. The author’s list of must-haves includes sturdy and comfortable backpacks, special hiking clothing including underwear, warm sleeping bags, portable water filter, alpine tent, cutlery, food, toiletries, etc. Comfortable hiking boots and a first-aid kit are also a sine qua non. This book was released on September 10, 2005, which is also marked as the World Suicide Prevention Day.

Though Alt has extensively hiked along the numerous mountains within the US, his obvious lack of experience and exposure to the global scenario is revealed in the book. He talks about the mere 14,496 ft tall Mt. Whitney as a great challenge and speaks about altitude sickness at 9,000 ft altitude. Cut to Indian scenario we have a full fledged city with a commercial airport operating at 11,500 ft and there are villages where thousands of people live permanently at higher altitudes. At 14,500 ft in Sikkim, the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute's base camp has been established where potatoes are grown year after year during summer months. If someone unaware of the heights of the Himalayan towns and villages and roads were to read this book, they would be taken by the authors writings and misled. Altitude sickness should not affect healthy and physically fit individuals till about 13-14,000 ft asl and Alt and his wife are marathon runners.

While the book is well written and has an absorbing narration, it could have done with better editing and proof reading. There are numerous irritating typographical errors which makes one wonder about the quality of publishing.

The story of Santa Claus family

Review of Movie: Fred Claus (2007)
Director: David Dobkin
Cast: Vince Vaughn, Paul Giamatti, John Michael Higgins, Miranda Richardson and others

Santa Claus is one of the most famous characters associated with Christmas across the world, but nothing is said about his parents, siblings and family life. Converting this into a story telling opportunity, director David Dobkin has made a movie about Fred Claus, elder brother of Santa Claus. Now don’t go into spirituality, god, etc, etc. This is a movie and a very heartwarming one at that.

The story starts with the birth of younger brother for Fred. Like any other doting big brother Fred loves his younger brother and tries hard to make him happy. But the younger brother Nicholas is just too perfect and Fred is never able to live up to the example set by the former. While Nicholas (Santa) grows up to be a role model of giving and love, Fred becomes the opposite, a smooth-talking marketing person who almost always runs out of luck and money.

At a loss to worm his way out of a crisis Fred turns to his brother who agrees to help much to the annoyance of his wife. But he places a condition, that Fred has to come to North Pole and earn the money he needs by working in Santa’s Toy Factory. Reluctantly Fred agrees, for he needs the money and goes to North Pole. The rest of the movie is about how Santa Claus operates and decides which kids to give gifts on Christmas day.

Then there is the cold and calculating business executive who arrives from headquarters with the sole intention of closing down Santa Claus’ operations. The rest of the story is all about how Fred dons the role of Santa Claus and delivers the toys to all the children across the world and saves the toy factory from closure.

The movie is a typical feel good movie with no great trappings. Performances by the central cast is mediocre and the cinematography is above average. The story could have been lot better produced if family confrontations and Fred’s romantic interludes were composed better.

Watch the trailer