Tag Archives: West is West

My Review of West is West

Thursday night I enjoyed my second win of the year and went to see an advanced screening of West is West, courtesy of The Vancouver Sun.  West is West is the sequel to the 1999 film, East is East.  In the first film, we meet George Khan and his large family.  Khan is a Pakistani Muslim who came to England, married Ella, and had seven children with her.  That film deals with the culture clash between George and his children who rebel against his traditional values and attempts to arrange their marriages.

In West is West, we see the Khans four years later.  Their youngest son, Sajid, is being taunted and bullied at school for being Pakistani.  He responds by denying his heritage and hurling insults at his father, who still wants to instil traditional values into the last of his children.  George Khan takes his son to Pakistan in an attempt to teach him what it means to be Pakistani.  However, Sajid is not the only one who ends up struggling with questions about cultural identity.

 

I must admit I liked West is West better than the original film.  I found the darker elements of East is East difficult to watch and thought of George Khan as truly unlikeable character.  Yet, in the sequel, he is portrayed in a much more complex way and it is easy to feel sympathy for him, rather than just dislike.  The film is also very funny at times and that makes up for some cliche moments that occur.   I would recommend all of you check it out, especially on a grey day that needs some brightening.

 

Official movie site: http://westiswest.com/

I Won $100 Worth of Cheese!

Today, as I was working diligently on curriculum development, I received a phone call from the Holland Shopping Center.”Hello, you have won $100 worth of cheese,” a friendly voice said. The grey day outside suddenly seemed brighter and the month of March a little less dreary. I remembered lamenting to my mother only a couple of days ago that I guess I hadn’t won the draw prize from one of our favourite shops. Both of us were very delighted and surprised to find out I was wrong.

 

The Holland Shopping Center is an oasis for those of us with Dutch heritage who yearn for the kind of products we only tend to see on the rare occasions when we get back to The Netherlands. They have products that go far beyond wooden shoes: high quality dish clothes, blue and white tiles, liquorice both salty and sweet varieties, stroop waffles, and, of course, cheese!

 

After getting over my initial excitement, I realized that I must have a Dutch cheese party and include my competitor. I will be happy to watch her enjoy some cheese, even if she is tempted to pair it with whine. Just kidding, M.

 

So, watch this space for cheese photos in the weeks to come and my review of West is West later this week.

 

 

 

??

2nd Win for Rsaloust!

I am very pleased to have won two tickets to an advance screening of West is West at Tinseltown, courtesy of The Vancouver Sun! I really wanted to see this movie because I enjoyed East is East, so much. West is West is its sequel. I will be attending the screening with my husband on March 24th, so I promise all of you a detailed movie review soon after.

The approximate retail value of the prize is $25.00. My current total winnings is now: $89.50. This win has definitely made my month!