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Showing posts with label Arab. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Arab. Show all posts

Sunday, May 30, 2010

Sex and the City 2


Q: What’s the movie about?

A: Samantha (Kim Cattrall) gets invited to Abu Dhabi and invites Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker), Charlotte (Kristin Davis), and Miranda (Cynthia Nixon), on an all-expenses paid vacation where they can get away from their marital problems only to be reminded of them, while Samantha struggles with the de-sexualization of women in this part of the world.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Sarah Jessica Parker, Kristin Davis, Cynthia Nixon, Kim Cattrall, Chris Noth, John Corbett, David Eigenberg, Evan Handler, Willie Garson, Mario Cantone, Jason Lewis, Alice Eve, Max Ryan, Alexandra Fong, Parker Fong, Raza Jaffrey, Walton Nunes, with Liza Minnelli, Penelope Cruz, Miley Cyrus

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: PhotobucketProceed with Caution. Aside from the anticipation, the most exciting part of seeing this movie is watching all the packs of pre-arousal women entering the theater dressed up like they are characters from the film (myself included). It reminds me of another campy and oftentimes boring movie that has made an event out of audience participation. So watch out Rocky Horror Picture Show! You're getting old, and you may soon be replaced by a younger batch of overly sexed, pre-menopausal ladies, who look like they're in drag most of the time.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: Some. But a lot of the jokes try too hard to be witty, young, and hip, and in so doing end up looking like old people dressing too young for their age. If you want to make up cute little terms like "friendtervention," save it for when you get hired to write Bring It On 7.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: I cried when I realized how blatantly the character and dialogue wreaked of having been written by a gay man. Gay men and straight women do not think or act the same way as each other, because gay men are still men. Sex and the City came to prominence because women were starved for stories that dealt with their issues and dilemmas in a real way. So if you're gonna have a gay man writing and directing, at least get a woman consultant on board and listen to what she has to say... And this in a film that talks about women not having a voice.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: The MacGruber Award. For a scene so ridiculous, it would only be appropriate if it had been in MacGruber. Did you know that according to this movie, the women in Abu Dhabi wear big furry Versace outfits underneath their burkas? Yeah, they do that because it's not hot enough being in 109 degree weather covered from head to face to toe in a black sheet. You know what, while we're here, lets just give all the fashion in this movie the MacGruber Award.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: The girls do a good job of bringing back their characters like not a day has gone by. Separately, at the ripe age of 43, I think British actor, Max Ryan, may have finally gotten his breakout role. Move over George Clooney, there's a new silver fox in town!

Q: How is the Directing?

A: Considering some of the themes that are broached in this movie, it could have been great if only Michael Patrick King had cut about 45 minutes out of it, so he could have actually delved into the broached themes. Here are some of the obvious cut suggestions: 1) the gay wedding-- which doesn't advance the story in any way whatsoever, 2) the karaoke scene--which advances nothing, 3) the scene where they ride camels in the desert-- which seems to only be set there so that Samantha can say "Lawrence of my labia," 4) the tour of their hotel room-- which is only fun for the first 15 seconds of the 3 minute long sequence, 5) the 4 Maybachs-- if I went on vacation with my friends, I would want to sit in the car with them, and it's clear that the only reason they each get their own is so the director can shoot endless montages, that look like car commercials, of them driving together and pulling up together, 6) the extraneous costume changes-- yes we know the movie is about fashion, but we don't need to have scenes about changing into another outfit at the airport and in the desert. Nobody does that. Not even them. They know where they're going, they dress for it, and when they get back to the hotel, they change into new clothes for the next event. That also avoids clunky dialogue like, "Oh, but I can't ride a camel in this!" As well as voice overs like, "12 hours and one outfit change later, we were in Abu Dhabi."

Q: How is the story/script?

A: Sure there are a couple of classic S&TC scenes, like when Charlotte and Miranda discuss the difficulties of motherhood, and when Carrie and Aidan go on a date, but most of the drama is so light and surface-scratching that I actually thought I was watching an episode of The Hills at times. The Really Old Hills. If Michael Patrick King had cut some of the above mentioned scenes, he would've had time to get into the women's dramatic struggles in ways that had, well, drama. And I'm not into spoilers, so don't get me started on Carrie's plot's resolution!

Q: Is there anything else worth mentioning about the movie?

A: What is the appeal of Mr. Big? He has no personality, and never has. He just looks like a giant-sized wallet to me, and that makes Carrie look like your run of the mill gold-digger. She has always had way more chemistry with Aidan.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: http://www.moviefone.com/movie/sex-and-the-city-2/35814/trailers

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Wednesday, March 3, 2010

A Prophet (un prophète)


Q: What’s the movie about?

A: A young Arab man (Tahar Rahim) goes to prison, where he is forced to kill or be killed. Before he knows it, he is rising through the ranks in a gang of Corsican natives who hate Arabs.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Tahar Rahim, Niels Arestrup, Adel Bencherif, Hichem Yacoubi, Reda Kateb, Jean-Philippe Ricci, Jean-Emmanuel Pagni, Leila Bekhti, Slimane Dazi, Rabah Loucif, Frederic Graziani

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: PhotobucketGo! Navigating politics is never easy, but navigating prison politics is so hard, you'd have to be some kind of prophet to do it. This film plays out like a season of Survivor, where if you get caught lying and manipulating, you get your flame snuffed out-- but literally.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: More than you'd expect from a film filled with blood and murder. But for me the funniest bit was a conversation about conjugating the French subjonctif plus-que-parfait, which reminded me of the time I spent in French school asking the teachers why, if nobody used it anymore, I (along with every other French child in the world) was required to learn it? It would be like Americans having to learn old English... or new English, for that matter.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: If you didn't want to go to prison before seeing this, then after seeing this film, you really won't want to go there. You might even get scared right into passing your GED.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: All of them. Here's a condensed list of the ones it's already won: BAFTA, Cesar, National Board of Review USA, European Film Awards, Cannes... And this weekend we'll see if it adds Spirit Award and Oscar to the list. I think it will.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: There were actors in this film? I didn't recognize any of them.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: The movie is way too long, but there is a lot of information to get out, and certainly some moments when you notice how interestingly that information is gotten out.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: Intricate, intense, original, and with an Arab protagonist, who is not a good guy, but only doing bad things because he has to. He is also smarter than anyone else in the room, and more honest, so you never stop feeling for him, despite the fact that he's not usually doing anything that commendable.

Q: Is there anything else worth mentioning about the movie?

A: As a native French speaker, I wondered if it would be confusing to mono-linguists watching subtitles where the Corsicans often speak their language, and the Arabs often speak their language, and there is no differentiation on screen for those who don't know that they're no longer speaking French-- which is relevant because it means certain people in the room can no longer understand what is being said. And what is being said could potentially at any time be, "Kill that guy."

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: http://www.moviefone.com/movie/a-prophet-un-prophete/38552/trailers

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Thursday, January 22, 2009

The Class (Entre les Murs)

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: Based on a book that's based on a true story, this movie about a French teacher (François Begaudeau) who  struggles to get through to his upstart students, in an underprivileged upper school in Paris, is entirely improvised.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: François Begaudeau (writer of the book, teacher of French, and now bona fide movie star), Franck Keita, Rachel Regulier, Wey Huang, Boubacar Tour, Carl Nanor, Louise Grinberg, Esmeralda Ouertani,

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: PhotobucketProceed with Caution. The film holds your attention over the course of the school year, even though it is more like a string of interesting moments than an over-arching story. The banter and impromptu dialogue between the teacher and the students is witty and engrossing, as we watch these kids try to bully their teacher into losing complete control of the situation.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: If you speak French you will laugh a little. If you don't, you will laugh a little less. What I'm trying to tell you is the subtitles are terrible. Some of the most hack-job translation I've ever seen.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: If you've ever been a kid who's been accused of being bad, when you know in your heart that you're good, or if you've ever been a teacher who's been accused of trying to make a difference, when you know in your heart that it's not possible.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: It was nominated today for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Film (France). Allons enfants de la patrie le jour de gloire est arrivé! (Sorry, I'm just getting a little patriotic on my French side-- Hi, Mom!)

Q: How is the Acting?

A: The teacher, François Begaudeau, who plays himself, and the students, who are also non-actors, are unreasonably comfortable and natural in front of the camera.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: Between the hand held camera and the shakiness of the teacher's hold on his students, you will definitely feel the squirm factor, as you worry that at any moment, he could go too far and misspeak, with that fast talking mouth of his, or his students could waft him a verbal blow so severe that he might never recover.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: As I watched it, I kept thinking the story would build to something. When it didn't, I left the theater feeling cold. But as the days have gone by, since I left the theater, I've found myself thinking about it more and more, and bringing it up with passion in conversations. So if you're planning to see me anytime soon, be warned.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: http://www.moviefone.com/search/the%20class/trailers

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