Two scriptwriters sitting in a room. Scriptwriter A says to the other: "Here's an idea, let's make a quirky, independent film and put every single idea we've ever had in it."
"Yeah, let's choke it with randomness," says Scriptwriter B, rubbing his hands with excitement. "We'll have a homicidal homeless man, a twenty-something man obsessed with the idea of adopting a baby from China, a character called Happy who is actually a bit glum, experiments on a few depressed rats and a party with a Colonel Qadafi piñata."
"Genius, let's get to work," says Scriptwriter A, sitting down and fishing a pencil out from behind his ear.
These, surely, were the brain squawks between Gigantic's two writers, Adam Nagata and Matt Aselton, before they fleshed the film script out further.
Well, what a waste. For the thing about Gigantic is that it contains several good ideas. They're just smothered by the rest of the dross that's packed into the film's 98 minutes.
The star of the show is the somnolent bed salesman, Brian, played by Paul Dano (Little Miss Sunshine, There Will Be Blood).
Does Dano have the kind of face that you want to pinch between two fingers in a grandmotherly fashion or smack? It's a question that you might find yourself pondering throughout the film, because he looks and sounds so downcast in every scene that you spend moments wondering whether a damp flannel could do his job instead.
We're not really told why Brian is so determinedly miserable, but Dano makes absolutely certain that you, poor viewer, will share his pain.
Next, we learn that Brian wants to adopt a Chinese baby. Why? Don't demand silly questions of those inspired scriptwriters - Brian just does and he has done since he was eight years old.
I cannot be the only person to think that handing over a baby to a faintly eccentric, troubled young man is a bad idea, but in Gigantic, the adoptive agency overrides these worries.
Meanwhile, the Manhattan shop in which our hero works is visited by wealthy businessman, Al Lolly (the perfectly deadbeat John Goodman).
This gargantuan, pudding of a man picks out a $14,000 bed and says his daughter will be in shortly with his credit card. Cue the entrance of Happy (Zooey Deschanel), who comes in and naps for a while on her father's new bed in the middle of the shop floor. Why not?
Naturally, as with plenty of past performances from quirk-queen Deschanel (Elf, Yes Man), Happy is pixie-like pretty and outwardly sparky. So following a group visit to her father's osteopath, the script pairs her up as an item with Brian, who is neither attractive nor sparky and needs to give his greasy hair a good wash.
"You're the most interesting person I've ever met," says Happy to Brian.
He's not. He's a drip. But then we learn that Happy has her own inner demons and that Brian is her first boyfriend. The lack of expectation weighing on Brian's shoulders bodes well for their fledgling relationship.
Sadly the romance is interrupted not only by the impending Chinese baby, but by a mysterious homeless man who keeps appearing in different guises and trying to kill Brian. Why? Again, the scriptwriters don't furnish the audience with such details. But it turns out that this homeless man (Zach Galifianakis) may or may not be a figment of Brian's imagination. We know not why.
Then there's the rest of Brian's family. He has an outspoken, dotty father who is responsible for the dictator-themed piñatas, a ruthless oilman for a brother and, thankfully, a peculiarly sane mother - a beacon of light in the darkness and played brilliantly by Jane Alexander.
Oh, and there's also a friend who tests caged rats for depression.
The film is so nearly charming, but just doesn't quite make it. It's too piecemeal, too disjointed for any of its themes - contentment, one's lot in life, parental responsibility - to properly resonate.
Still, Deschanel is reasonably captivating and by the end, watch closely and you'll note even Brian casts off his undertaker guise and perks up a bit.
Seriously, that alone is worth hanging on for.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
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More coverage from the Future Forum
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
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How green is the expo nursery?
Some 400,000 shrubs and 13,000 trees in the on-site nursery
An additional 450,000 shrubs and 4,000 trees to be delivered in the months leading up to the expo
Ghaf, date palm, acacia arabica, acacia tortilis, vitex or sage, techoma and the salvadora are just some heat tolerant native plants in the nursery
Approximately 340 species of shrubs and trees selected for diverse landscape
The nursery team works exclusively with organic fertilisers and pesticides
All shrubs and trees supplied by Dubai Municipality
Most sourced from farms, nurseries across the country
Plants and trees are re-potted when they arrive at nursery to give them room to grow
Some mature trees are in open areas or planted within the expo site
Green waste is recycled as compost
Treated sewage effluent supplied by Dubai Municipality is used to meet the majority of the nursery’s irrigation needs
Construction workforce peaked at 40,000 workers
About 65,000 people have signed up to volunteer
Main themes of expo is ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’ and three subthemes of opportunity, mobility and sustainability.
Expo 2020 Dubai to open in October 2020 and run for six months
The biog
Favourite hobby: I love to sing but I don’t get to sing as much nowadays sadly.
Favourite book: Anything by Sidney Sheldon.
Favourite movie: The Exorcist 2. It is a big thing in our family to sit around together and watch horror movies, I love watching them.
Favourite holiday destination: The favourite place I have been to is Florence, it is a beautiful city. My dream though has always been to visit Cyprus, I really want to go there.
Turning%20waste%20into%20fuel
%3Cp%3EAverage%20amount%20of%20biofuel%20produced%20at%20DIC%20factory%20every%20month%3A%20%3Cstrong%3EApproximately%20106%2C000%20litres%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EAmount%20of%20biofuel%20produced%20from%201%20litre%20of%20used%20cooking%20oil%3A%20%3Cstrong%3E920ml%20(92%25)%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ETime%20required%20for%20one%20full%20cycle%20of%20production%20from%20used%20cooking%20oil%20to%20biofuel%3A%20%3Cstrong%3EOne%20day%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EEnergy%20requirements%20for%20one%20cycle%20of%20production%20from%201%2C000%20litres%20of%20used%20cooking%20oil%3A%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3E%E2%96%AA%20Electricity%20-%201.1904%20units%3Cbr%3E%E2%96%AA%20Water-%2031%20litres%3Cbr%3E%E2%96%AA%20Diesel%20%E2%80%93%2026.275%20litres%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The Details
Kabir Singh
Produced by: Cinestaan Studios, T-Series
Directed by: Sandeep Reddy Vanga
Starring: Shahid Kapoor, Kiara Advani, Suresh Oberoi, Soham Majumdar, Arjun Pahwa
Rating: 2.5/5
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
THE TWIN BIO
Their favourite city: Dubai
Their favourite food: Khaleeji
Their favourite past-time : walking on the beach
Their favorite quote: ‘we rise by lifting others’ by Robert Ingersoll
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
