BHUTTO, NR ( 1 hr & 55 min )

June 21st, 1953 - December 27th, 2007

where:  SHATTUCK  CINEMAS in Berkeley,  CA
when:  Thursday, January 20th, 2011
show:  9:15 p.m.
costs:  $10.00 Ticket + $5.50 small Popcorn w/ Butter + $0.00 ( Free on a Movie Rewards Card ) medium Sprite Zero +  $8.73 Lee's Big Burger w/ drink ( Sobe Lean Cranberry Grapefruit ) @ Alohana Hawaiian Grill + $3.50 Bart Train Ticket + $5.00 Carquinez Bridge Toll = $32.73
auditorium:  8
seat:  Left section,  3rd column

synopsis/overview:   This is a documentary on the life, and the assassination, of  Pakistan's champion for democracy and the first-ever  female Prime Minister of a Muslim State, Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto.


noteworthy scenes:  1.) "Three weeks in mourning"; 2.  Without compare; 3.) "I'm better than you"; 4.) "Kennedys of Pakistan"; 5.) "Not a lesser creature"; 6.) Burqa; 7.) Power of the people; 8.) No surrender; 9.) Nuclear power; 10,) "We will make a horrible example out of you"; 11.) "Tonight, I'll be free"; 12.) Like father, like daughter; 13.)  Sharia Law; 14.) Soviets in Afghanistan; 15.) University of Nebraska; 16.) Class "C" cell; 17.)  Lockjaw; 18.)  Mujaheddin; 19.) House arrest; 20.) Poison; 21.) Groundswell of support; 22.)  Overwhelming odds; 23.) Arraigned marriage; 24.) Wedding/Campaign; 25.) Vote over Bullet; 26.) Switched pregnancy records; 27.) Plane crash; 28.) Avenged; 29.) Polio eradication; 30.) Women police; 31.) "Democracy is the best revenge"; 32.) "Mr. 10%"; 33.) Disqualification; 34.) Alleged corruption; 35.) "The Princess and the Playboy"; 36.) Sacrifice; 37.) Frankenstein; 38.) Family feud; 39.) Reconciliation; 40.) Corruption; 41.) Benazir's niece; 42.) Political victimization; 43.) "Islamic Bomb"; 44.) Addendum; 45.) Political madrassas; 46.) "We must be parties with the United States on this"; 47.) "Not the source, not the cause"; 48.) "'Religious pilgrimage' to North Korea"; 49.) "Eleven years in prison, no conviction"; 50.) Homeward bound; 51.) "Behind the glass"; 52.) "Rose petals" [ i.e. human flesh ]; 53.) "Life is in God's Hands"; 54.)  Ominous 'Happy Birthday' greeting; 55.) Invincible; 56.) Assassination; 57.) E-mail; and 58.) "The day does come when you see the response to your struggle."

audience reaction:  The audience liked this Documentary.  But we all left the auditorium in a somewhat somber mood.

recommendation:  I liked it, too.  Watching this Documentary is well-worth anyone's time.

spoiler alert!  There are three  grisly scenes:  That which shows two cadavers of men killed by the Taliban; and the gruesome aftermath scenes of  two  suicide bombings.

And I guess that they don't like using seatbelts in Pakistan.
 
fyi:  I was saddened upon hearing word of  Benazir's assassination for, you see, I admired her and even had a crush on her.  I felt  sorry for the Pakistani people and grieved with them on their great loss, a senseless hate-filled Tragedy.  Seeing this movie was my way of  paying my last respects to a great woman.

I didn't know that Benazir was half Iranian, on her mother's side.

I had two male Pakistani Muslim co-workers at one time.  I asked them what they thought of  Bhutto.  They both said that she had a corrupt government because of her husband, Asif Ali Zardari.  Interestingly,  even though Zardari was jailed for eleven long years  he  was never convicted of any crime; most likely, he was an innocent victim of  a smear campaign by Bhutto's political opponents.

Benazir's  bedroom in the Bhutto residence in Dubai is permanently locked because her widower,  Asif,  and their children don't want her "scent" to fade away.

One of Benazir's website is offered for sale.  I think that they should just keep it as a legacy to the Pakistan Peoples Party ( PPP ) until her son, and political heir, Bilawal, is ready to assume the role  as its leader.  Then, they can just update the website and keep it current.

Don't think for a moment that Russia is no longer a superpower.  It is actually more powerful now than it ever was during the Cold War.

word of advice:  Don't take anyone at face value.

tidbits:  I arrived in Downtown Berkeley about an hour before the movie was to start.  I double-checked with a Bart Train Station Agent to make sure that there were late trains running since the movie would end at 11:10 p.m.  The agent told me that the last train was scheduled to arrive at 12:45 a.m.

Since I had time to grab a bite to eat before the movie started, I decided to try out the Alohana Hawaiian Grill.

Don't waste your money on a Lee's Big Burger.  It doesn't come with  "secret sauce" ( thousand island dressing ) or ketchup and mustard; the only condiment slathered on it is mayonnaise.  Yuck!  But the chunky-cut French Fries that it comes with is tasty and not salty.

Before dawn today, I signed-up for Landmark's Movie Watcher Rewards Card on the Internet approximately 19 hours before this movie's 9:15 p.m. showtime. 


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