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Kaleem Aftab

Kaleem Aftab

Contributor
London
Kaleem is the author of an authorised biography of Spike Lee titled Spike Lee: That’s My Story and I’m Sticking To It. He selects films for the East End Film Festival and gives programming advice to festivals around the globe. He has been working as a freelance journalist specialising in Arab, European and American indie cinema since 1999.
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Articles

In Hana Makhmalbaf's film Buddha Collapsed Out of Shame , an eight-year-old girl tries to go to school and is terrorised by a group of boys.
Shooting through war

Film The poet, writer and filmmaker Hana Makhmalbaf talks about making movies in Afghanistan - and of directing her feature film debut aged 19.

October 02, 2008
Pay Off 2

There are plenty of guns, fast cars, and girls in skimpy clothes; sadly there is zero character development.

September 11, 2008
The fast and the dubious: Guillaume Lemay-Thivierge and Lucie Laurier burn rubber in vain.
Nitro

A car-chase romp in the vein of 2 Fast 2 Furious, but without the Hollywood budget to pull it off.

September 04, 2008
The actor Ben Kingsley is as busy as ever, starring in two new films, the coming-of-age story The Wackness and Elegy , based on a novel by Philip Roth.
Kingsley and I

Film With two new films about to arrive in cinemas and a new wife by his side, Sir Ben Kingsley shows no signs of slowing down.

September 04, 2008
François Cluzet and Kristin Scott Thomas smoulder in Guillaume Canet's romantic French thriller, based on Harlan Coben's 2001 novel.
Tell No One

As much a love letter as it is a thriller, proving that great acting can make an absurd plot gripping, says Kaleem Aftab.

August 28, 2008
Pretty woman: Emma Roberts, gifted with star charisma the equal of her aunt, Julia.
Wild Child

Not so much a wild child as a lost puppy. Kaleem Aftab gives poor marks to this Working Title production.

August 28, 2008
Belle-ucci: No acting performance could rescue this movie from mediocrity.
The Stone Council

Cinema review Monica Bellucci cuts her hair short and ditches the make-up in an attempt to show that she isn't just celluloid eye-candy.

August 20, 2008
Brendan Fraser (left) makes for a lacklustre star, especially when compared to James Mason in the original 1959 adaptation.
Journey to the Center of the Earth 3D

Cinema review The film's vapid 3D effects soon had me wishing I'd brought some rotten vegetables to throw back at the screen.

August 06, 2008
Jet Li plays the emperor in The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor , the third instalment of the series.
The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor

Cinema review The third outing of The Mummy sticks to a formula that has worked before.

August 06, 2008
The talented cast of rising comedic stars is wasted on Wolf's directorial debut.
Strange Wilderness

Cinema review This lame wildlife safari can at least claim to be environmentally friendly: all the jokes are recycled.

August 06, 2008
The director Mona Deeley founded the Zenith Foundation after September 11 as a counter to negative stereotypes about Arab culture.
Bafta travels east

Kaleem Aftab reports from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts in London, where the best in Arab cinema has just been showcased.

July 30, 2008
Guy Pearce disappears into the role of Harry Houdini in an otherwise forgettable romance.
Death Defying Acts

Cinema review Guy Pearce plays the performer Harry Houdini but there is no escaping the shackles of boredom in this turgid romance.

July 28, 2008
Feel the Noise features Omarion Grandberry.
Feel the Noise

Cinema review Fans of reggaeton and to a lesser extent hip-hop will find something to keep them watching.

July 23, 2008
Aaron Eckhart deserves credit for his role as Harvey Dent.
The Dark Knight

Cinema review Christopher Nolan's second stab at Batman is the best action film since Terminator 2.

July 23, 2008
Mike Myers stars in The Love Guru .
The Love Guru

Cinema review Watching this feels like you're being repeatedly dumped by the love of your life.

July 23, 2008
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