Ishtar

"The KGB is here. I recognize two agents." - "The ones dressed as Texans?" - "No. The ones dressed as Arabs. The ones dressed as Texans are Arab agents." Not a bad film at all, as is commonly said. It's got pace, the musical numbers of Hoffman and Beatty stealing from Simon and Garfunkel are good fun (not to mention the rather morbid song dedicated to the couple celebrating 53 years of togetherness), the spy plot is fine and many of the scenes are good (the acquisition of a blind camel with bad teeth, the arms dealers). Only there should have been more jokes (especially for Isabelle Adjani's too-dry character) and the runtime should have been shorter. And it could have used a bit better music, not the strange noise that sounds in the film, for example during the scene in the marketplace. (27/09/2011)