Return to Sander
Film: Prince of Persia – The sands of time, Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Gemma Arterton, Directed by: Mike Newell, Duration: 109 minutes, Rating: * * 1 /2

Usually, it is a film or a character from it that spawns a series of video games, but in this case it is the other way round. Prince of Persia, directed by Mike Newell, is a spin off of the game by the same name, which has been around for a decade and half now. Produced by Walt Disney, the action and adventure saga is meant to entertain adults as well but eventually ends up catering only to kids and teenagers.
The plot, which is set in Persia for obvious reasons, is a fairly simple one. King Sharaman has two children, and his brother (Ben Kinglsey) as his trusted aide. One day, he picks up a boy from the street and adopts him. Dastan (Jake Gyllenhaal) grows up to be a fierce warrior, who plays an important role when his brothers attack another city and take the Princess hostage (Gemma Arterton, doing a Clash of the Titans reprise, but more convincingly).
A turn of events leads to the King’s death and all fingers point at Dastan who escapes along with the princess. They are on the run, hunted by his brothers and uncle who are gunning for his head. The Prince then not only has to save his own life but find out his father’s real killer as well. Alfred Molina plays an ostrich racer in the desert and his character adds considerable life to the otherwise pedestrian proceedings.
Along with Disney, Jerry Bruckheimer’s name is also involved with the project and if you know who he is, you will also know what to expect from the film. It reminds you a lot of Stephen Summers’ The Mummy (1999), which was a fun ride compared to this one – all the wit, humour and adventure is missing.
While the CGI of the city looks good, the action lacks punch. Even today, Raiders of the Lost Ark has more spunk compared to this ‘extravaganza’. On the acting front, Jake Gyllenhaal dons the role of an action guy quite convincingly. Gemma Arterton makes quite an impact and the lead pair shares quite a good chemistry between them. Ben Kingsley is wasted in a role that could have played by any other Tom Dick or Harry. The actor you are most likely to remember is Alfred Molina who has a light role but performs it very well. Prince of Persia then is meant for juveniles.

Love At First Fight
Film: The Backup Plan, Cast: Jennifer Lopez, Alex O’ Loughlin , Directed by: Alan Poul
Duration: 102 minutes, Rating: * *
Considering the rarity with which Hollywood makes good romantic comedies these days, one is always weary about watching such movies. More often than not, they are utterly predictable and sentimentally sloppy, but yet they always find an audience albeit a miniscule one. The Back Up Plan, directed by debutante Alan Poul, who has been working with television for sometime now, is more or less a standard romcom, which you are unlikely to remember after a few weeks.
Zoe (Jennifer Lopez) is single woman and there is no man in her life. Since she wants to have a baby but cant find the right man, she decides to go to a fertility clinic for artificial insemination (“That make me sounds like a cow” she asserts) Just after the process has happened, she meets Stan (Alex O’Loughlin) a good looking cheese maker and they fight over a cab. After that, they meet again and he has no qualms about instantly showing his feelings.     
Once they are both in love, she has to break the news about her pregnancy. From there on, the story makes an arduous effort to move forward. Some predictable yet unconvincing moments happen and most of the ‘humour’ here revolves around childbirth and surely not everyone will find that funny. Apart from that, there isn’t much of wit barring the odd chuckle when Stan discusses kids with a stranger he meets in the park.
The problem with the film is that it lacks intensity. The love story is not that endearing and the length doesn’t help either. On the acting front, it has been a while Jennifer Lopez has acted in a decent film. Alex O’Loughlin will appeal to women especially with his shirt off and his acting is not bad either. The Back Up Plan then is recommend for suckers of romantic comedies only.