Syriana

After months of anticipation we finally got to see 'Syriana', a political thriller whose Middle East scenes were mostly shot in Dubai. I have to tell you I was disappointed. Either the film was so badly hacked by the censors that you could not follow the plot, or it was so badly written and directed that you could not follow the plot. Either way, a lot of people in the cinema seemed to be having trouble following the plot, and at least half of them had wandered out before the end.

I'd be interested in seeing an uncut version, so if any Chinese DVD ladies are reading this, you know where I live...

But spotting the bits of Dubai was interesting, especially as we were at Ibn Batutta and a lot of the labour camp scenes were shot not half a mile away with magnificent views of the Jebel Ali Power Stations, the Ibn Battuta flyover, and a historical perspective of the Dubai Marina when Gotham City (the incredibly dense Jumeirah Beach Residence) was still an invisible baby. Deira by turns became Teheran with mountains in the background and Beirut with snipers on every rooftop.