Review: Wild Wasser - family entertainment at Boulevard World
Updated 31 January 2023
Arab News
Boulevard World presents many experiences and events to surprise and delight visitors as part of Riyadh Calendar.
Wild Wasser, one of the most popular, is ideal for individuals or families who are not afraid to get a little wet — or even soaked.
Vehicles shaped like tree trunks take passengers on an exciting three-minute journey along a stream of water, with the rush of slides and splashes giving way to smooth sections.
Each vehicle can comfortably accommodate five people. The adventure is both safe and pleasant, and is suitable for families and all age groups.
Tickets can be booked through enjoy.sa/en/events/boulevard-riyadh-city/
Wild Wasser is among many entertainment events held throughout the year as part of Riyadh Calendar.
Adventure seekers can also check out Ninja Warriors at Boulevard World, a challenging arena where participants must prove their physical prowess by overcoming obstacles and reaching the finish line to claim the “Ninja Warrior” title.
Boulevard World showcases the cultures of 10 international regions through restaurants, markets and arts, in addition to activities such as a cable car ride and daily shows.
Chairman of Saudi Arabia’s entertainment authority thanks Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan for rare film collectable
‘You are an honor not to India only but to the world. Thank you for the gift that you sent it means a lot,’ said Al-Sheikh
Earlier this year, Bachchan won the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Joy Awards in Riyadh
Updated 22 March 2023
Arab News
DUBAI: Saudi Arabia’s chairman of the General Authority for Entertainment, Turki Al-Sheikh, took to Twitter this week to thank Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan for gifting him his iconic jacket from his 1988 film “Shahenshah.”
“To the legendary and one of the best actors in the entertainment world in all time, you are an honor not to India only but to the world,” Al-Sheikh tweeted. “Thank you for the gift that you sent it means a lot.”
@SrBachchan To the legendary and one of the best actors in the entertainment world in all time, You are an honor not to India only but to the world. Thank you for the gift that you sent it means a lot pic.twitter.com/dB6sCiA4Mu
Bachchan retweeted Al-Sheikh’s post and wrote: “My dear and most considerate friend . . . I am so honored that you have received the gift of the jacket with the steel arm that I wore in my film ‘Shahenshah’ . . . some day I shall tell you how I was able to retrieve it.”
In the film, the actor played a double role: A corrupt police inspector by day and a vigilante at night.
T 4591 - My dear and most considerate friend .. I am so honored that you have received the gift of the jacket with the steel arm that I wore in my film SHAHENSHAH .. some day I shall tell you how I was able to retrieve it .. my love to you .. @Turki_alalshikhhttps://t.co/mfkGijqQue
Earlier this year, Bachchan won the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Joy Awards in Riyadh.
Saudi Arabia has long had an affinity for Bollywood with stars such as Shah Rukh Khan headlining last year’s Red Sea International Film Festival’s red carpet in December.
Review: Keira Knightley shines as dogged reporter in ‘Boston Strangler’
Updated 21 March 2023
Gautaman Bhaskaran
CHENNAI: Although the term “serial killer” wasn’t coined until about a decade after the events of new film “Boston Strangler,” out now on Disney+ in the Middle East, the Keira Knightley-starring thriller delves into the case of one of the US’s most notorious serial killers, who police say killed 13 women between 1962-64.
Writer-director Matt Ruskin weaves this true-crime tale into a film following two female reporters who charted the case for local newspaper the Record American at the time.
What is great about Ruskin’s work is its novel approach — it has a significant splash of gender politics (which is crucial considering all the killer’s victims were women) as we see how reporters Loretta McLaughlin (played with compelling ease by Knightley) and Jean Cole (Carrie Coon) fight a male-dominated police force and to help trap the Boston Strangler.
Besides the police, McLaughlin — who begins by begrudgingly working as a Lifestyle reporter, testing out new toasters — also faces hurdles from her editor, who is reluctant to let her onto the male-dominated crime beat. But after her first front page story draws the ire of Boston Police Commissioner McNamara (Bill Camp), the editor asks another reporter, Cole, to help McLaughlin and there is no stopping the two dogged journalists, whose passion and dedication finally help get the Strangler (well, sort of — real life events saw Albert DeSalvo fail to be convicted of any of the murders, although he did confess to them, before a posthumous DNA test in 2013 revealed he did in fact murder the last victim, Mary Sullivan).
There are dramatic liberties taken as anyone who dives deeper into the real story will realize after a quick Google search, but the film is riveting.
Interestingly, 30 years after the murders, McLaughlin wrote an article in the Boston Globe about what egged her on to chase the case.
“An editor disputed the worth of a series on the four dead women, noting that they were ‘nobodies,’” she wrote. “That was it exactly, I felt. Why should anyone murder four obscure women. That was what made them so interesting… sisters in anonymity, like all of us.”
Paul Leonard-Morgan’s score is creepy enough to get our hair to stand up on end, though Ruskin wisely avoids showing gore, relying instead on lighting and cinematic tension to instill a sense of horror.
Travis Scott, Calvin Harris hit the Formula 1 stage in Jeddah
Updated 20 March 2023
Arab News
JEDDAH: US rapper Travis Scott and Scottish DJ Calvin Harris took to the stage at MDLBEAST’s after-race concert at the Formula 1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in Jeddah on Sunday night, just after Egyptian star Ahmed Saad performed a number of his hits.
Harris performed a number of his chart-topping hits, including “Feels So Close” and “This Is What You Came For,” which features vocals by US singer Rihanna.
Travis Scott got the audience jumping to such crowd-pleasers as “Goosebumps” and “Sicko Mode.”
Travis Scott performed in Jeddah. (Supplied)
US singer Charlie Puth and supergroup Swedish House Mafia performed at the event on Saturday night.
“Light Switch” singer Puth took to the stage with a number of hits from his stellar repertoire — including “One Call Away” — as members of the packed-out crowd held up banners calling for the star’s attention — a play on his chart-topping song “Attention.”
Meanwhile, “Don’t You Worry Child” EDM artists Swedish House Mafia had the crowd bouncing to their anthemic dance music.
Charlie Puth, Swedish House Mafia light up Formula 1 concert in Jeddah
Updated 19 March 2023
Arab News
DUBAI: US singer Charlie Puth and supergroup Swedish House Mafia performed at MDLBEAST’s after-race concert series at the Formula 1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in Jeddah on Saturday night.
“Light Switch” singer Puth took to the stage with a number of hits from his stellar repertoire — including “One Call Away” — as members of the packed-out crowd held up banners calling for the star’s attention — a play on his chart-topping song “Attention.”
Smith was snapped with Beatz who attended the race to watch competitors from his Saudi Bronx team in action at the venue.
In the series of pictures posted on Saudi Bronx’s Instagram, Smith and Beatz were seen sipping Arabic coffee, which is an essential in Saudi culture.
“Today at the first annual Alula Camel Cup, I had some surprise guest that came to support my team,” Beatz captioned his posts with Smith on Instagram.
