Rock the Kasbah (2015)
A washed-up music producer finds one last shot at redemption with a golden-voiced young girl in Afghanistan. However, when jealousy gets the better of a disgruntled ex-boyfriend, he decides to oppose the young star with talent of his own.
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Slow pace in the most part of the movie.
Better Late Then Never
A very feeble attempt at affirmatie action
The film may be flawed, but its message is not.
Bill Murray almost always charms on screen with edgy comedic performances. (One exception is the much-touted "Groundhog Day," which this watcher thought was as annoying as a repetitive chorus in a pop song, a repetitive chorus in a pop song, as annoying.) But "Rock the Kasbah" is one of Murray's more charming films. In it, he plays a touring music manager who discovers a female daring to vocalize by herself in a cave in Afghanistan -- the law there forbids women from singing, so of course Murray represents her. Alongside this story, which is based on actual events, is a somewhat forced and perfunctory sub-plot involving guns, drugs and extortion; this is contrary to the theme of music saving the world and seems at odds with the theme of gender equality. Otherwise, this movie is a lot of fun. The bonus is Kate Hudson as a hooker who takes a break from her work to assist Murray in representing the Afghan woman. Her best line is "I fuc* like a mousekateer on crack" and the vitality she brings to her performance elipses any damage done by the thoroughly vapid Zooey Deschanel. A peace-train-rockin' soundtrack and sharp cinematography help buoy the uneven and interesting story.
NOT A DAMN THING, I couldn't get into this at all. It was just too far a stretch to put Murray into this role for me anyway. NOT A DAMN THING, I couldn't get into this at all. It was just too far a stretch to put Murray into this role for me anyway. NOT A DAMN THING, I couldn't get into this at all. It was just too far a stretch to put Murray into this role for me anyway. NOT A DAMN THING, I couldn't get into this at all. It was just too far a stretch to put Murray into this role for me anyway. NOT A DAMN THING, I couldn't get into this at all. It was just too far a stretch to put Murray into this role for me anyway. NOT A DAMN THING, I couldn't get into this at all. It was just too far a stretch to put Murray into this role for me anyway. NOT A DAMN THING, I couldn't get into this at all. It was just too far a stretch to put Murray into this role for me anyway. NOT A DAMN THING, I couldn't get into this at all. It was just too far a stretch to put Murray into this role for me anyway. NOT A DAMN THING, I couldn't get into this at all. It was just too far a stretch to put Murray into this role for me anyway.
I'm not going to lie and call it great cinema, but I found this movie endearing. The humor was off-beat in a good way and the cast performed very well all around. It also managed to convey some serious things without getting heavy handed.The talented and brave Salima Khan was an absolute joy, both to hear sing and to watch. Generally, the story and characters gave a rather Americanized view of Afghanistan, but the parts with her in them were spot on authentic in feel.Was I laughing out loud the whole film through? Not at all. But aside from some slow pacing I found it an enjoyable experience (would have loved to see more Zooey Deschanel though).
This film tells the story of an American rock band manager who goes to Afghanistan to tour his singer. However, the singer leaves the country unannounced, leaving him with no singer for the tour. He enlists the help of a local woman to appear on TV, hoping to make her a star."Rock the Kasbah" has a very slow pace and very uninteresting storyline. It takes an hour of screen time to get into the main theme, i.e. the Afghan woman. The story is full of cultural insensitivity, such as Bill Murray's character touching the local woman's shoulder to congratulate her success. In addition, he is simply forcing his own views and values onto another culture, violating almost every cultural rule and norm of the local country. His character is offensive in every way. Actually the film is offensive. It's one thing to break out of chains and realise one's potential, but it's another to disregard another culture's rule and norms to bring about a change that is not necessarily welcomed by the other culture.