Anant Singh continues his film truimphs as he launches his latest work

His new film is making waves ahead of the Cannes Film Festival already, only a sign that it will become as popular as time goes on, leading to its theatrical release.

More Than Just A Game, the film about the inspirational story of organized football played among prisoners on Robben Island had a screening at House Of Lords in London last week (12 May 2009), hosted by Baroness Jan Royall, the Leader of the House and Chief Whip Lord Bassett, with producer Anant Singh and co-producer Lord Ted Rowlands in attendance. Lord Rowlands who is a Member of the House, facilitated the screening. Also present was Prof Chuck Korr, author of the book, More Than Just A Game: Soccer vs Apartheid. The screening ended with a thunderous spontaneous applause from the assembled audience. More Than Just A Game stars Presley Chweneyagae (Tsotsi), Wright Ngubeni (Generations, Rythm City), Tshepo Maseko (Isidingo) and is directed by Junaid Ahmed.

The event is significant as Jan Royall is a senior member of the Labour Party which strongly supported the struggle against apartheid and the sports boycott against South Africa. The screening of the film was also a tribute to the anti-apartheid movement and the many activists who made huge personal sacrifices in their fight against apartheid, especially those who were incarcerated on Robben Island. In his address to the audience, Lord Rowlands paid special tribute and thanked Tony Suze, Mark Shinners, Lizo Sitoto, Marcus Solomon and Sedick Isaacs – the five men on whose real life story More Than Just A Game is based – who also sent notes which Lord Rowlands read to the audience.

Among the high profile guests in attendance were anti-apartheid activist, Lord Bob Hughes; sport and human rights activist, Lord Richard Faulkner who was charged with revitalizing football in the United Kingdom in the early 1980s; Joint Parliamentary Committee on Human Rights member and UNICEF Trustee, Baroness Whitaker and North Wales member of the House, Betty Williams; BBC Film’s Carol Sennett who announced that the film will be broadcast on BBC’s main television channel as a lead-up to the 2010 FIFA World Cup and Danny Goldman of Sony Pictures Entertainment which is the worldwide distributor of the film. Also in attendance were a host of people that were involved in the anti-apartheid movement and football in the United Kingdom.

Producer Anant Singh commented,

“I am delighted with the fantastic reaction to the film at the House Of Lords, especially that the audience was moved and impressed by our little film about football on Robben Island. It was truly an amazing experience have More Than Just A Game screen in the House of Lords. I am especially pleased that a number of those in attendance were involved in the anti-apartheid movement and football, and made a special effort to be there.”

Singh now heads off to the Cannes Film Festival where the film will be marketed and screened to international buyers. The film will be rolled out internationally in the run-up to the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.

In the picture: Co-producer, Lord Ted Rowlands and Producer, Anant Singh at the House of Lords, London.

Obsessed has qualities of a great thriller

Finally, I got to see the highly anticipated movie, Obsessed, where Beyonce doesn't sing and attempts to show a different side to her acting career. Although I'm not fully convinced of her as a good actor yet, she did somewhat hold her own on this thriller that she actually executive-produced.

Some of the things that had created the hype was the fight scene between Beyonce's character and that of Ali Larter's. It was worth every high-praise it received as it was the hottest I've ever seen between two hot women in a movie, probably and arguably the hottest part of the movie. British actor Idris Elba (who is very popular with the ladies - each and every woman I have had a discussion with about this movie says they'll see it just for him, lol) was also one of the main attractions for me to see this movie as he has been consistent with each and every project he's done, and I wanted to see how he would fair in this one. Maybe the fact that he gushed all over Beyonce on every interview he did whilst promoting the movie also planted a seed of interest, resulting in me wanting to see their chemistry on screen. It was therefore easy to believe in that aspect of their roles because everything seemed to flow smoothly.

Obsessed has all the trimmings of a great thriller, from the juicy and pacy storyline, to the sterling performances from the likes of Idris Elba (who made his name big with his stint of the crime drama series The Wire) and Ali Larter (mostly known for her role on the supernatural series Heroes), as well as the supporting cast. As I've mentioned before, Beyonce was good on Obsessed, much better than we've seen her before, but still lacks the flair that comes with the art of acting.

Obsessed will be released at Ster Kinekor cinemas nationwide on the 19th of June 2009. Be sure to check it out. It's entertaining, funny, and also informative on a lot of universal issues.

Joe Nina sizzles at the launch of his new album

Awesome music and great food were the order of the day last Friday when Joe Nina launched his latest album, Unchained. When I received an invite a few weeks ago, I didn't even know he had a new album out, which really assisted my decision in attending the event. I've always been fascinated by his vocals on any track that he sings in, since his early kwaito days.

It was a treat to see performing live such legends like Mpharanyana, Babsy Mlangeni, Steve Kekana and even Nana Coyote (Coyote and Kekana being Nina's very good friends that teamed up together for an outfit called Trio a few years ago). Their respective talents are still undisputed, hence managing to still sound great after all this time, whether tackling new music or sailing through their old and timeless gems.

To make the event extra special, we were served an array of traditional foods earlier in the evening, meals including samp and imfino, mogodu, pap, chicken feet, etc. Actually, Gallo has always prided themselves in treating their guests to such, thus showing their pride in our rich and amazing culture. The same can be said for the diverse musical genres encompassed in their versatile artist catalogue.

I haven't listened to Joe Nina's new album, Unchained, but judging from that evening, I can assure you that it's hot. It should be at stores already, so go and get your own copy.

Star Trek to resonates with the fans of the franchise

I cannot say I remember the full story in the Star Trek series because I watched it sporadically when I was growing up. I wasn't even a huge fan of the series or the genre for that matter, but I have to admit that I enjoyed both the latest soon-to-be-released silver-screen adaptation by director JJ Abrams.

One of the reasons I anticipated watching the movie was the fact that they brought back the black character of Uhura, played this time by rising star Zoe Saldana. Another draw-card, in terms of actors, was Zachary Quinto, who has impressed me with his convincing demeanor in the supernatural drama series Heroes. A surprising addition to the cast was that of Tyler Perry as one of the Admirals. It was a bit wierd seeing him in such a role because of his portrayal of the Madea character in most of his films. Even those where he played a different character, it wasn't on the level of his character on Star Trek 11.

The Star Trek fans will enjoy the movie with much more appreciation that I did because they obviously know the story more intimately. However, this is not to say I didn't find it intriguing and interesting. Although it may have been another good versus evil tale, the way the ambivalence was carried out relatively well.

The elevent episode of Star Trek, also dubbed The Future Begins, opens at cinemas throughout the country on the 08th of May 2009.

Angels And Demons worth every bit of the anticipation

It's finally here!!! Angels and Demons takes you through a whirlwind of suspense, drama and mystery . I have just returned from the press screening of the movie where the theatre was filled up with press members (even people I had never seen in these screenings before) as if it was an opening day at the cinemas for a big blockbuster that the film actually is. Although the producers and everybody involved have been tight-lipped about the latest Ron Howard feature film, they had every reason to, to create the great deal of anticipation that it deserves.

Tom Hanks is in his element, way better than what he did with Ron Howard on their last collaboration on The Da Vinci Code. The rest of the cast, including Ewan McGregor, also display a great level of realness from their acting flair that brings out the authenticity of the film.

The suspense, the thrill, the mystery, the controversy, the debate about religion and science is sure to erupt, especially from the assortment religious groups, and particularly the Roman Catholics. The pacy nature of the film makes for riveting viewing. The ability to keep your attention for well over 130 minutes in itself is something not easy to do, but Angels And Demons did it so perfectly and effortlessly. Maybe it was the brilliant photography (cinematography), combined with the exceptional acting, the meaty plot, not to mention the exceptional music scoring and cohesiveness of the scenes from start to finish.

Angels And Demons opens at cinemas nationwide on Wednesday, 13 May 2009. If you enjoyed The Da Vinci Code, you are going to love Angels And Demons. And if you didn't, you are still going love this one the same.