The Kite Runner (2007)

Here’s a fantastic movie called ‘The Kite Runner’. You can tell it’s fantastic straightaway because it’s banned somewhere. In this case, in Afghanistan where it was set and filmed. Apparantly, they didn’t like the movie showing real tensions that exist in the country. Welp, like they say, ignorance is bliss, and I guess the Afghans take that seriously. I dunno.

It was first released as a novel by Khaled Hosseini in 2003 before being adapted into a film of the same name.

Tis all very sad and touching and what not. I shalln’t ruin any of the plot of it for you, but basically it is about the rightings of wrongs from your past. It features some very talented young actors from Afghanistan that portray the characters flawlessly and realistically.

After the movie was released, the child actors got threatened and bullied of course, because a lot of people are crazy and narrow minded, while others can’t differentiate reality from a movie. Sadly, Zekeria Ebrahimi, the boy playing the lead, Amir, in the movie declared after receiving death threats, that he wished he had never made the movie. Don’t blame him of course, but it’s a sad situation all the same.

Zekeria Ebrahimi and Ahmad Mahmidzada (he plays child Hassan) were paid $17,500 each, and Ali Dinesh (Sohrab) $13,700; some argue that they were underpaid. No kidding. Especially when the job came with perks like death threats. Luckily, Paramount relocated all of them to Dubai, then the United Arab Emirates for safety purposes and also agreed to take full responsibility for the boys’ living expenses until adulthood, an estimated 500,000 dollars each.

No one ever mentions Elham Ehsas (the kid that plays the bad guy Assef) though. I mean surely he must have had a bit of a rough ride after the movie debuted? I mean just coz he was a jerk in the movie doesn’t mean he’s a bad guy in real life! Unless he is of course. Oh, he’s also supposed to be blonde and blue eyed mini Hitler in the book because his mother is German (which is why he is Aryan, not why he is a Nazi), but he isn’t blonde in the movie. Just thought I’ld mention that!

Wow, I just wrote a whole movie review without telling you a thing about the movie! Better see it for yourself.

GOOD MOVIE! Watch ‘THE KITE RUNNER’ here!



Terry Pratchett and Alzheimer’s

I love Terry Pratchett. He is most definitely and without a doubt my absolute favourite author in the world EVER! If you’ve never heard about the Discworld series, then you haven’t lived I tell you! HAVEN’T LIVED!! ARGH!!!

And he has Alzheimer’s, diagnosed in August 2007. IT’S SO DEPRESSING!!! I NEVER EVEN GOT TO GO TO A BOOK SIGNING!!! :(:(:(:( He has stated quite flippantly and rather bravely however, that there is still time “for at least a few more books yet”, and while that is fantastical, tisn’t the point really. The man is so freaking cool he even managed to give a speech to the Alzheimer’s Research Trust that raised a few laughs and chuckles, while he was donating 1 million dollars to the cause.

Here’s a video (part 1 and 2) of his speech, where he talks about his condition, visiting the lands of Dementia and Mania, Lara Croff’s Buttocks, Eating the Back End of Moles and Dirty Charlie the Crack Dealer.

You can read the transcript of his speech here, and visit his site here, as well as donate to “The Alzheimer’s Research Trust UK” or make a tax-free donation to the “Alzheimer’s Association (of America)” through his site.

To read more about Terry Pratchett, the best writer in the world, you can read about him on his wikipedia entry here.

I cannae believe it :(:( SIGH!!!!!!!!! FIGHTING dammit! X(