NEW YORK // The Sex and the City women who made Manolos and the Magnolia Bakery famous have another indulgence on their list this time around: Abu Dhabi.
However, most of the women who flocked to see Sex and the City 2 on its opening day in Manhattan were more interested in the clothes worn by the four stars than they were in the foreign city.
Women carried cupcakes as they queued for more than 45 minutes at the Lincoln Square Movie Theatre on Manhattan's Upper West Side, while chatter from the women who exited the theatre after seeing the film were mostly about the wardrobe assembled by the movie's famous stylist, Patricia Field; they gushed over those "beautiful flowy dresses" and "amazing Louboutin shoes."
"The best thing about the movie was the fashion," said Aliyah Donn, who will be visiting family in Dubai with her friend Jenna Wojciechowski next month. It will be Ms Wojciechowski's first visit to the UAE.
"I definitely won't kiss anyone over there," Ms Wojciechowski said. While the two girls lusted over the dresses and the "ethnic spice market" portrayed in the film, their friend Alexa Voskerichian, who was quiet for most of our brief conversation, interrupted to add her two cents: "I don't know how accurate all the portrayals were."
Her friends then paused for a moment and nod at the thought. "I haven't been to the United Arab Emirates in 10 years," Ms Donn responded. "Maybe it has changed so much since I last saw it."
Twenty or so blocks south, in Times Square, two mothers in their thirties, Kimberly O'Conner and Jennifer Jordan, are standing outside a cinema. Both women are dressed to the nines. Mr O'Conner is wearing a satin emerald-blue dress and open-toe heels, while Ms Jordan is decked out in a glittery dress, pearly gold shoes and a Gucci handbag.
In addition to the fashion, the mothers connected with the movie's portrayal of motherhood through the characters of Miranda and Charlotte. "We both totally related to them," Ms O'Conner said. In the film, Miranda and Charlotte bond over drinks as they lament how difficult it is to be the "perfect mother".
"I would love to go there one day. The scenery was wonderful and the culture is interesting," Ms Jordan said of Abu Dhabi. It was the first time either woman had heard of the emirate, though both were aware of Dubai.
Ms Jordan said the movie made her want to learn more about the UAE, and when I asked her if she could locate the Emirates on a map she immediately turned to Ms O'Conner for guidance. "Well," the latter said, "in the movie they say they were flying over Africa, so it should be somewhere around here, right?" she asked as she points to a spot on the map.
Though the fashion got a thumbs-up from the women of Manhattan, people in the UAE are not missing much else, according to critics. Since the movie premiered on Thursday, a slew of scathing reviews have been published.
Claudia Puig, a critic at USA Today, called it "tasteless," while The New York Times added its own critique of the much-awaited movie. Besides lamenting that the franchise has "diminished charm" the second time around, the Times concluded that the movie simply "isn't much fun at all."
Nevertheless, Sex and the City 2 is already a hot topic on Twitter, and stores such as Magnolia Bakery, which created a "Carrie cupcake," have capitalised on the buzz surrounding the movie.
No, the reviews haven't stopped women of "the City" from heading to the movie theatres. When she went to see the first SATC film Jordan Dottley stole into the theatre and had to share a seat with her friend, because she had failed to buy a ticket to the (sold-out) screening in time.
This time around, Ms Dottley is sitting on the floor of the Lincoln Square theatre with another friend, Brittany Blake, on opening night, a full 45 minutes before curtain, even though she said the first movie did not live up to its expectations. Ms Blake says she's here because "it's one of these movies that you just have to see."
"I liked the first one even though they said it's bad, and I heard this one is even worse," she said with a chuckle. "But whenever you see the skyline of Manhattan and hear the movie's soundtrack, you can't help but get excited," she added.
Except, this time, most of the movie is based in an entirely different continent. "Didn't they shoot the Prince of Persia there? Or the Prince of Egypt?" Ms Dottley asked rhetorically about the new locale.
She searched for the United Arab Emirates on the map and points to Egypt. "It should be here, right?" After scrambling for a few moments, she looked up and said, "it definitely isn't here, so where exactly is Abu Dhabi?"
* The National
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
Jigra
Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Harsh Singh
Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
Tips for job-seekers
- Do not submit your application through the Easy Apply button on LinkedIn. Employers receive between 600 and 800 replies for each job advert on the platform. If you are the right fit for a job, connect to a relevant person in the company on LinkedIn and send them a direct message.
- Make sure you are an exact fit for the job advertised. If you are an HR manager with five years’ experience in retail and the job requires a similar candidate with five years’ experience in consumer, you should apply. But if you have no experience in HR, do not apply for the job.
David Mackenzie, founder of recruitment agency Mackenzie Jones Middle East
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 201hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 320Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 6-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 8.7L/100km
Price: Dh133,900
On sale: now
UAE FIXTURES
October 18 – 7.30pm, UAE v Oman, Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
October 19 – 7.30pm, UAE v Ireland, Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
October 21 – 2.10pm, UAE v Hong Kong, Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
October 22 – 2.10pm, UAE v Jersey, Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
October 24 – 10am, UAE v Nigeria, Abu Dhabi Cricket Oval 1
October 27 – 7.30pm, UAE v Canada, Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
October 29 – 2.10pm, Playoff 1 – A2 v B3; 7.30pm, Playoff 2 – A3 v B2, at Dubai International Stadium.
October 30 – 2.10pm, Playoff 3 – A4 v Loser of Play-off 1; 7.30pm, Playoff 4 – B4 v Loser of Play-off 2 at Dubai International Stadium
November 1 – 2.10pm, Semifinal 1 – B1 v Winner of Play-off 1; 7.30pm, Semifinal 2 – A1 v Winner of Play-off 2 at Dubai International Stadium
November 2 – 2.10pm, Third place Playoff – B1 v Winner of Play-off 1; 7.30pm, Final, at Dubai International Stadium
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
'Midnights'
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
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'Avengers: Infinity War'
Dir: The Russo Brothers
Starring: Chris Evans, Chris Pratt, Tom Holland, Robert Downey Junior, Scarlett Johansson, Elizabeth Olsen
Four stars
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The biog
From: Upper Egypt
Age: 78
Family: a daughter in Egypt; a son in Dubai and his wife, Nabila
Favourite Abu Dhabi activity: walking near to Emirates Palace
Favourite building in Abu Dhabi: Emirates Palace
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
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The biog
Name: Atheja Ali Busaibah
Date of birth: 15 November, 1951
Favourite books: Ihsan Abdel Quddous books, such as “The Sun will Never Set”
Hobbies: Reading and writing poetry
Thank You for Banking with Us
Director: Laila Abbas
Starring: Yasmine Al Massri, Clara Khoury, Kamel El Basha, Ashraf Barhoum
Rating: 4/5
Frankenstein in Baghdad
Ahmed Saadawi
Penguin Press
Padmaavat
Director: Sanjay Leela Bhansali
Starring: Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone, Shahid Kapoor, Jim Sarbh
3.5/5
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Joker: Folie a Deux
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson
Director: Todd Phillips
Rating: 2/5
Company%20profile
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SPECS
Engine: Two-litre four-cylinder turbo
Power: 235hp
Torque: 350Nm
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Price: From Dh167,500 ($45,000)
On sale: Now
SPECS%3A%20Polestar%203
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