Little Fockers
Director: Paul Weitz
Starring: Ben Stiller, Robert De Niro, Owen Wilson, Teri Polo, Blythe Danner, Jessica Alba, Dustin Hoffman, Barbra Streisand
***
A third movie about the adventures of Greg "Gaylord" Focker (Ben Stiller) may seem somewhat like overkill, but the opportunity to get such big names all in one film must have been too big for the studios to pass up. This time round Greg is facing the responsibilities of being a father to twins and the pressure of providing for them takes it's toll. Greg subsequently moonlights as a pharmaceutical rep alongside an attractive colleague (Jessica Alba), prompting his controlling ex-CIA father-in-law Jack (Robert De Niro) to believe he is cheating on his daughter Pam (Teri Polo). The plot is slight but provides just enough laughs to get you by, and is really just an excuse to revisit the characters. Humming along nicely, it's a studio comedy through and through, with so many adept comedy talents involved that it's hard not to find at least the odd joke funny. The film has more than its fair share of misfires - Harvey Keitel's baffling appearance as a lazy builder, and Dustin Hoffman's scenes were clearly added at the last minute (after a lengthy dispute with the studio). However, Stiller and an on-form Owen Wilson (returning as Pam's new-age ex Kevin) carry the film between them. A surprise package is Alba, playing the air-head party girl with so much enthusiasm that it almost blots out the memory of her recent terrible performances (almost). In what is surely the last of the series, the director Paul Weitz (stepping in for regular helmer Jay Roach) safely steers us to a conclusion quickly, meaning the tired jokes are recycled out one last time before they outstay their welcome. Not up to the high standards set by the first two films, but without a doubt a funny and diverting holiday comedy.
Open Season 3
Director: Cody Cameron
Starring (voices of): Mike Epps, Joel McHale, Matthew J Munn, Gina Torres.
*
Who'd have thought the 2006 movie Open Season, which was a moderate success but not exactly a hit, would spawn a second sequel? Open Season 3 sees the entire voice cast return from the second film, as the focus shifts to lovable grizzly bear Boog (voiced by Mike Epps). Tired of life in the forest, he trades places with a lazy circus bear (Matthew J Munn), who tricks him and traps Boog in the circus. It's up to his loyal friend Elliot (Joel McHale) to save him. Anyway you look at it, the film lacks in anything even resembling originality. The jokes, which even in the first film were low-brow, are now downright inane, and the story plods along even given the relatively brisk running time. The support cast have their moments (Gina Torres adds a shred of interest as Boog's love interest) but generally, given the dull story, it reverts to the very base comedy upon which the series has come to rely. Epps and McHale were drafted in for Open Season 2 in the absence of the original lead voices, Martin Lawrence and Ashton Kutcher, who presumably learnt their lesson the first time round. These new leads suck all the life out of the characters, particularly Epps with his passionless monotone, substituting Lawrence's laid-back style for a voice performance that feels very laboured. McHale is all energy as Elliot and while this makes for a slightly more interesting character, he doesn't really have the charm of Kutcher. A tedious and unoriginal film, there's little imagination and even less ingenuity on behalf of the filmmakers. Clearly using a semi-recognised brand to produce needless sequels ad nauseam, the replacement cast and almost laughable animation make for a film that has few to no distinguishing features, other than its obvious low quality.
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Read more from Aya Iskandarani
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
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The five pillars of Islam
MATCH INFO
Inter Milan 2 (Vecino 65', Barella 83')
Verona 1 (Verre 19' pen)
COPA DEL REY
Semi-final, first leg
Barcelona 1 (Malcom 57')
Real Madrid (Vazquez 6')
Second leg, February 27
Tips for used car buyers
- Choose cars with GCC specifications
- Get a service history for cars less than five years old
- Don’t go cheap on the inspection
- Check for oil leaks
- Do a Google search on the standard problems for your car model
- Do your due diligence. Get a transfer of ownership done at an official RTA centre
- Check the vehicle’s condition. You don’t want to buy a car that’s a good deal but ends up costing you Dh10,000 in repairs every month
- Validate warranty and service contracts with the relevant agency and and make sure they are valid when ownership is transferred
- If you are planning to sell the car soon, buy one with a good resale value. The two most popular cars in the UAE are black or white in colour and other colours are harder to sell
Tarek Kabrit, chief executive of Seez, and Imad Hammad, chief executive and co-founder of CarSwitch.com
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
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Coming soon
Torno Subito by Massimo Bottura
When the W Dubai – The Palm hotel opens at the end of this year, one of the highlights will be Massimo Bottura’s new restaurant, Torno Subito, which promises “to take guests on a journey back to 1960s Italy”. It is the three Michelinstarred chef’s first venture in Dubai and should be every bit as ambitious as you would expect from the man whose restaurant in Italy, Osteria Francescana, was crowned number one in this year’s list of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants.
Akira Back Dubai
Another exciting opening at the W Dubai – The Palm hotel is South Korean chef Akira Back’s new restaurant, which will continue to showcase some of the finest Asian food in the world. Back, whose Seoul restaurant, Dosa, won a Michelin star last year, describes his menu as, “an innovative Japanese cuisine prepared with a Korean accent”.
Dinner by Heston Blumenthal
The highly experimental chef, whose dishes are as much about spectacle as taste, opens his first restaurant in Dubai next year. Housed at The Royal Atlantis Resort & Residences, Dinner by Heston Blumenthal will feature contemporary twists on recipes that date back to the 1300s, including goats’ milk cheesecake. Always remember with a Blumenthal dish: nothing is quite as it seems.
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The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)