I just finished the movie and there was not one dry eye in the theater, we all remained seated and stunned at the reality and I am Lebanese !
I wanna reference one amazing review here by HadeelKouta who basically said all the things I wanted about the characters and the stories.
I just want to emphasize the amazing portrayals of characters which are mostly children. Baby Yonas whose relationship with Zain was so heartwarming, what a gigantic effort by director Nadine and the crew to establish that trust between those kids and let them lead the difficult story with such sensitivity.
Zain managed to portray all kinds of mature emotions that sadly kids in his condition has to bear. The huge responsibility of caring for and defending his sister while his parent neglected their kids to taking care of a toddler while trying to survive.
I can't get over some of the scenes that will haunt me and as Nadine said in the intro, I hope this impacts many as it did to me where now I'm looking into organizations that will help children in need and help put a smile on their face.
Finally I have to give high regards to the performance of the Ethiopian mother character Yordanos Shiferaw. I had to look her up expecting she won many awards in the festivals where this film was shown, I was shocked that there was no recognition to her. She definitely deserves an accolade for a breakthrough performance.
Go see this movie, then go make a child happy :)
Reviews
11 Reviews
Suits
(2011–2019)
The Practice and Frasier mashed into 1 great show
5 January 2016
I'm usually biased to law and court series (The Good Wife is one of my current favorites) but this takes it to a whole new level.. You can say it is like "The Practice" and "Frasier" mashed into one series ! The show is sassy, sophisticated, and funny as it could be. It has the smartest dialogue and punch lines delivered perfectly by the cast, they are all brilliant but some shine more than others, specifically Mike and Donna's characters are just over-the-top hilarious scene-stealers with their perfect facial expressions and intelligent delivery of their funny and refreshing scripts. You wanna be friends with all of them ! I'm already in season 3 and I'm glad that the show is still running with season 6 coming out soon and shocked as hell when I found out it was snubbed by the major TV awards, this show should have showers of noms and wins... A must see !
Rock the Casbah
(2013)
Great Theme, great multi-national performances
24 May 2014
I just watched this movie and was shocked to see on IMDb there are no reviews ! The movie takes place in Morocco and deals with many family dilemmas reflected in the lives of a mother and her 3 daughters... I'll leave you to watch the story as it unfolds beautifully with many secrets unveiling at different times that will test the backbone of this family.
The acting is great, all were convincing as Moroccans with good accents and french languages, the highlight was Nadine Labaki's performance, though a secondary role she stole the scenes with her funny "bitchy" attitude and added many comic relief along with her Grandma... Nadine is famous Lebanese director known for "Caramel" but she is also an acclaimed actress. The multi-talented Hiyam Abbas who appears in many foreign movies, she manages to reincarnate the role of a Moroccan mother with strict high values and morals. All in all this movie was a nice surprise and was thoroughly enjoyable from start to end, it is well written, shot, and directed by Laila Marrakchi. Not to be missed !!!
The acting is great, all were convincing as Moroccans with good accents and french languages, the highlight was Nadine Labaki's performance, though a secondary role she stole the scenes with her funny "bitchy" attitude and added many comic relief along with her Grandma... Nadine is famous Lebanese director known for "Caramel" but she is also an acclaimed actress. The multi-talented Hiyam Abbas who appears in many foreign movies, she manages to reincarnate the role of a Moroccan mother with strict high values and morals. All in all this movie was a nice surprise and was thoroughly enjoyable from start to end, it is well written, shot, and directed by Laila Marrakchi. Not to be missed !!!
Mission: Impossible III
(2006)
Great Cast, Good Action, Poor Script/Story
3 May 2006
Went to the pre-screening yesterday. Everyone was on the edge of his seat even before the movie begins. To me, a mission impossible movie should be all about how the IMF team plan and execute an unthinkable heist. The team in this movie was GREAT, JJ Abrams pulled some of his TV star friends in different roles, Keri Russell was a good choice for the role she played. The old returning Ving Rhames is the team coordinator is great as always, two people uniquely shines are Jonathan Rhys Myers and Maggie Q, they had the funny jokes and pulled off their roles perfectly.
Philip Seymour Hoffman was great but seemed to be having fun doing that part, I think his dialogue could have been more powerful, his character is unfortunately forgettable because of the poor writing.
The action sequences were great, the first one in the Windmill field was some what chaotic, but the one in the freeway and bridge was far better. The Vatican scene may be the best part of the movie because it is the only scene relatable to the original series.
I don't want to talk about Tom cruise because I think he had more than his share of publicity lately, his character is still the same but now with a love interest.
Overall, it is a nice fun movie to watch, but very very forgettable because there was no exciting thing about the story nor the missions. I still consider the first MI movie to be the best because of the classic moments that De Palma created, like the "String" hanger scene of Tom in the white room and the Copter scene in the tunnel. This is where you can detect age difference between the experienced Brian De Palma and the very talented but still amateur JJ. De Palma understands that what lasts in the mind of the viewer is not the big explosions or the plane crashes, it is the thrilling chill of a joyride that keeps you hanging (like Tom) throughout the movie.
Philip Seymour Hoffman was great but seemed to be having fun doing that part, I think his dialogue could have been more powerful, his character is unfortunately forgettable because of the poor writing.
The action sequences were great, the first one in the Windmill field was some what chaotic, but the one in the freeway and bridge was far better. The Vatican scene may be the best part of the movie because it is the only scene relatable to the original series.
I don't want to talk about Tom cruise because I think he had more than his share of publicity lately, his character is still the same but now with a love interest.
Overall, it is a nice fun movie to watch, but very very forgettable because there was no exciting thing about the story nor the missions. I still consider the first MI movie to be the best because of the classic moments that De Palma created, like the "String" hanger scene of Tom in the white room and the Copter scene in the tunnel. This is where you can detect age difference between the experienced Brian De Palma and the very talented but still amateur JJ. De Palma understands that what lasts in the mind of the viewer is not the big explosions or the plane crashes, it is the thrilling chill of a joyride that keeps you hanging (like Tom) throughout the movie.
War of the Worlds
(2005)
Action is great......Buttttt!!!
1 July 2005
Warning: Spoilers
The Good thing about this movie that the action starts almost right away and doesn't stop all through the movie. However I have question marks on some scenes and some plot lines.
THIS SECTION CONTAINS SPOILERS....
First the acting, the only decent acting I saw came from Dakota Fanning & Tim Robbins. Miranda Otto was lovely and looked great as always, I'm a fan of hers since Lord of the Ring, but pity she only has two small scenes in this movie. I wasn't convinced by Tom Cruise's crying and caring for his kids after we were convinced at the beginning that he's a selfish bastard that won't hesitate twice about running away to save his own ass and leave his family behind.
The scene were Tom separates from his son was sooo cheesy that I almost laughed when I remembered the scene from "Sophie's Choice" where he had to choose either to leave his son or daughter. The son's patriotic reason to leave was abrupt and stupid, what's he gonna do more than being trodded on by one of the tripods?????? The worst scene in the movie was when Tom blindfolded Dakota and made her sing a song and went to deal with Tim Robbins. Tim was great in his role, but alas the whole scene was better being cut because its too long and not logical. Why Tom was bothered by Tim and not bothered when he was forced to drift away in his car and avoid to hit a civilian and drove to a pillar and lost his vehicle??????? The Aliens million year plan spoiled by lack of immunity, these creatures had tripods since a million year, but they didn't have vaccines against Earth life??? Can't get that either....
Go and see it for the action, for Dakota, for the Spielberg touch. I hope he gets the story better in his next Sci Fi flick.
THIS SECTION CONTAINS SPOILERS....
First the acting, the only decent acting I saw came from Dakota Fanning & Tim Robbins. Miranda Otto was lovely and looked great as always, I'm a fan of hers since Lord of the Ring, but pity she only has two small scenes in this movie. I wasn't convinced by Tom Cruise's crying and caring for his kids after we were convinced at the beginning that he's a selfish bastard that won't hesitate twice about running away to save his own ass and leave his family behind.
The scene were Tom separates from his son was sooo cheesy that I almost laughed when I remembered the scene from "Sophie's Choice" where he had to choose either to leave his son or daughter. The son's patriotic reason to leave was abrupt and stupid, what's he gonna do more than being trodded on by one of the tripods?????? The worst scene in the movie was when Tom blindfolded Dakota and made her sing a song and went to deal with Tim Robbins. Tim was great in his role, but alas the whole scene was better being cut because its too long and not logical. Why Tom was bothered by Tim and not bothered when he was forced to drift away in his car and avoid to hit a civilian and drove to a pillar and lost his vehicle??????? The Aliens million year plan spoiled by lack of immunity, these creatures had tripods since a million year, but they didn't have vaccines against Earth life??? Can't get that either....
Go and see it for the action, for Dakota, for the Spielberg touch. I hope he gets the story better in his next Sci Fi flick.
Equilibrium
(2002)
Average, at Best
22 October 2004
Warning: Spoilers
I heard about this movie on the net, and the buzz it made as a better match to the Matrix Trilogy, as a fan of the latter first episode, and after seeing Equilibrium recently, I have to say this.
THERE'S NO COMPARISON WHAT SO EVER BETWEEN THE TWO MOVIES in term of story, plot twists, directing. Possible Spoilers:
Equilibrium had a lame unconvincing story to hold on, although not new, it was done before in movies like 1984, a society ruled by one called Father (in 1984 he was called Big Brother) who both new best.
The two movies oppose at the concept of war, although both societies are similarly subdued and carefully spied on, in Equilibrium the idea is the society has overcome the concept of war by suppressing their people's feelings and emotions that may lead to murder and eventually war, however in 1984, the people were working to support their soldiers at war with other continents.
I wasn't convinced by the idea that in the future we would ever get barbaric to resort to this method to eradicate war, and so many people would be convinced of this idea and become agents who make sure to fulfill it, and what was so predictable are the underground rebels, very cliché and repeated.
Technically speaking, costumes were stolen from the matrix, the monochromatic lighting of the Dark blue world reminds us of the green world of the matrix. The special effects were limited but maybe the budget wasn't that big, but if I recall well, the first matrix ran out on budget of 80 million and the directors had to end the movie as it ended and rewrite the rest to become a hit trilogy.
Forgive me, I usually adore anything from Spielberg futuristic movies to classic Merchant Ivory masterpieces, all kind of movies in fact, but I just can't find any spark in this one.
What really made me eager to watch Equilbrium is my curiosity of Emily Watson's character, when I heard that she was in it I thought what the hell is she doing here, it was like Helena Bonham Carter doing Planet of the Apes 2001, and what a bad choice for both.
I'll give credit to Christian Bale good acting, Sean Bean was a great addition, the guy playing the leader is weak and had no Leader Charisma, I think an older guy should have taken the role, either John Hurt, Patrick Stewart or Ian McAllen would have done it better with pinch of classic evil. Some of the fight scenes had some originality although lacking credibility, but thats the fault of the story line., and thats were the Matrix overpowers this movie, every extraordinary element in the matrix was supported by the story line, and you had the urge to watch it over and over again and every time you'll discover hidden ideas and clues that give more magic and twist to the story.
Its the difference between imagination and genius.
THERE'S NO COMPARISON WHAT SO EVER BETWEEN THE TWO MOVIES in term of story, plot twists, directing. Possible Spoilers:
Equilibrium had a lame unconvincing story to hold on, although not new, it was done before in movies like 1984, a society ruled by one called Father (in 1984 he was called Big Brother) who both new best.
The two movies oppose at the concept of war, although both societies are similarly subdued and carefully spied on, in Equilibrium the idea is the society has overcome the concept of war by suppressing their people's feelings and emotions that may lead to murder and eventually war, however in 1984, the people were working to support their soldiers at war with other continents.
I wasn't convinced by the idea that in the future we would ever get barbaric to resort to this method to eradicate war, and so many people would be convinced of this idea and become agents who make sure to fulfill it, and what was so predictable are the underground rebels, very cliché and repeated.
Technically speaking, costumes were stolen from the matrix, the monochromatic lighting of the Dark blue world reminds us of the green world of the matrix. The special effects were limited but maybe the budget wasn't that big, but if I recall well, the first matrix ran out on budget of 80 million and the directors had to end the movie as it ended and rewrite the rest to become a hit trilogy.
Forgive me, I usually adore anything from Spielberg futuristic movies to classic Merchant Ivory masterpieces, all kind of movies in fact, but I just can't find any spark in this one.
What really made me eager to watch Equilbrium is my curiosity of Emily Watson's character, when I heard that she was in it I thought what the hell is she doing here, it was like Helena Bonham Carter doing Planet of the Apes 2001, and what a bad choice for both.
I'll give credit to Christian Bale good acting, Sean Bean was a great addition, the guy playing the leader is weak and had no Leader Charisma, I think an older guy should have taken the role, either John Hurt, Patrick Stewart or Ian McAllen would have done it better with pinch of classic evil. Some of the fight scenes had some originality although lacking credibility, but thats the fault of the story line., and thats were the Matrix overpowers this movie, every extraordinary element in the matrix was supported by the story line, and you had the urge to watch it over and over again and every time you'll discover hidden ideas and clues that give more magic and twist to the story.
Its the difference between imagination and genius.
South Central
(1992)
Wonderful Acting, worthy of Acadmey attention
3 August 2004
I just wanna say that I caught the last hour of the movie, I have no idea how it started but I was watching the DVD lady Jane and I paused to see what's on TV and there it was, South Central, and I watched the part in prison where Ali defends his friend from the mob inside by giving them what they need from cigarettes and services in return to stay away from the black inmate. The encounter between Ali and boy's father where he describes what happened to his son was the most powerful scene I've seen in any movie, it brought me literarly to tears. Another strong scene was the final 5 minutes, I'll let you discover it for yourselves because you'll be blown away, I don't know why the rating is so low in quantity and in quality, I'm giving it a 9/10 for its strong performances and also a great theme where it touches the source of Black gang violence and how a small corrupted group can effect the whole community, on the other hand also how a corrupted gang member can also be saved by a strong willful cultured person like Ali.
Great Movie, a must see...
Great Movie, a must see...
The Astronaut's Wife
(1999)
Could have been a Classic Thriller
14 April 2004
I watched this movie yesterday, and I was hooked to its haunting story till the end. First I have to say the performances were excellent, Johnny Depp still surprises me with his variety of roles, I can't imagine he could have done the hilarious role of Captain Jack Sparrow after this scary role.
His eyes were acting more than any part of his body and you could feel the slight change in his character through the stillness of his eyes. Charlize Theron gave a better performance than her Devil's advocate role although they had the same criteria, the disturbed wife. But her genuine agonizing performance distinguished her in this movie.
I noticed the music was a major pillar in this movie, it was like another main character in this movie, the editing was great also especially the scene in the subway. The story was an original also, it had good turn ups and twists.
The movie had all the right elements in general and it certainly doesn't deserve a 4.7 on the imdb. I think the voters were greatly disappointed after seeing all those good elements destroyed by the cheesy and typical ending that only producers could have had a part with, in order to make another sequel.
The ending by all means was bad, it destroyed the originality of the story and the tension build up. I give it an 7.5 for all the good elements, it would reached a 9.0 if the ending was different.
His eyes were acting more than any part of his body and you could feel the slight change in his character through the stillness of his eyes. Charlize Theron gave a better performance than her Devil's advocate role although they had the same criteria, the disturbed wife. But her genuine agonizing performance distinguished her in this movie.
I noticed the music was a major pillar in this movie, it was like another main character in this movie, the editing was great also especially the scene in the subway. The story was an original also, it had good turn ups and twists.
The movie had all the right elements in general and it certainly doesn't deserve a 4.7 on the imdb. I think the voters were greatly disappointed after seeing all those good elements destroyed by the cheesy and typical ending that only producers could have had a part with, in order to make another sequel.
The ending by all means was bad, it destroyed the originality of the story and the tension build up. I give it an 7.5 for all the good elements, it would reached a 9.0 if the ending was different.
Awful, I can't believe this acting came from an Oscar winner!!!
16 March 2004
I don't know from where to begin, I have to start with Angelina, I loved her in the first part although it was badly written and directed, but her character just shines along with her perfect body. I don't know the circumstances of this 2nd part, but I got the feeling that Jolie deliberately gave a bad performance. She had no feelings, no right expressions (if there was any expression at all) As if she was forced to act this second part. In additon to that, the part where she's supposed to have some sense of humor, it was absolutely humorless. Constantly mumbling the words through her fake and unsuccessful attempt of an English Accent. I remember the words "Smashing", very dreadful. I don't know about Jan De Bont either, the effects weren't that great, and the monsters were horribly animated. You need to rethink your career path, or wait for another masterpiece that you could masterfully piece together like one of my favourite movies "Speed". I know you can do a much better movie than the next 4 after your debut hit.
Conclusion, don't waste your time and rent Speed or The Rock instead, I think this Lara Croft business is out of business and Jolie just sealed her third flop if there's gonna be a part 3.
Conclusion, don't waste your time and rent Speed or The Rock instead, I think this Lara Croft business is out of business and Jolie just sealed her third flop if there's gonna be a part 3.
Eye of the Beholder
(1999)
Can't you enjoy the mood?
16 March 2004
Warning: Spoilers
This maybe the most technically artistic movie I've ever seen, the story is vague but thats the beauty of the movie. I salute Mr. Stephen Elliott for his wonderful vision, he puts the camera always in the right place, which brings you to the title of the movie "Eye of the Beholder", the editing is supernatural, where he mixes scenes instead of suddenly cutting to the other scene which at times takes your breath away.
I have to call attention to the soundtrack, the music is haunting and always sets the mood for a new scene and location, the movie by the way has many locations and the scenes are introduced by the Snow globes of the destination cities and a great Sky overview of a landmark of each city.
I don't know why imdb reviewers slammed this movie with a 4.4, I don't know what I missed or didn't miss!!, I greatly enjoyed watching it from every aspect and would watch it over and over whenever it is aired. Casting Ashly Judd was perfect, she had the right age, the right expressions of a psychologically troubled character, the Ewan McGregor character also was right on the notch where he suffers the loss of his family and where he tries to compensate his carelessness towards his family by looking after a "Emotionally Helpless" total stranger.
Some people talked about the strange ending, the ending was logical and couldn't be otherwise, I won't put any spoilers, I just advise the people who badly commented on this movie to immerse into the emotions and into the characters and their facial expressions and see what they have missed.
I'm defenitely getting this on DVD, it is a feast to the eyes (Again the title) with an intelligent director and a haunting story. 8/10
I have to call attention to the soundtrack, the music is haunting and always sets the mood for a new scene and location, the movie by the way has many locations and the scenes are introduced by the Snow globes of the destination cities and a great Sky overview of a landmark of each city.
I don't know why imdb reviewers slammed this movie with a 4.4, I don't know what I missed or didn't miss!!, I greatly enjoyed watching it from every aspect and would watch it over and over whenever it is aired. Casting Ashly Judd was perfect, she had the right age, the right expressions of a psychologically troubled character, the Ewan McGregor character also was right on the notch where he suffers the loss of his family and where he tries to compensate his carelessness towards his family by looking after a "Emotionally Helpless" total stranger.
Some people talked about the strange ending, the ending was logical and couldn't be otherwise, I won't put any spoilers, I just advise the people who badly commented on this movie to immerse into the emotions and into the characters and their facial expressions and see what they have missed.
I'm defenitely getting this on DVD, it is a feast to the eyes (Again the title) with an intelligent director and a haunting story. 8/10
Till Human Voices Wake Us
(2002)
A Beautiful Romantic Tragedy
7 March 2004
Warning: Spoilers
The reason I wanted to see this movie was because of the lead actors, one of my favourite actresses along with Cate Blanchett and the all time Meryl Streep, and the greatly underrated Guy Pierce whom I think deserved to be recognized in his previous roles as Memento and LA Confidential.
I won't put any spoilers, but all I want to say about this film that it had good actors, especially the young cast of Sam and Sylvie, they really grasped their roles, the cinematography was brilliant, I never saw Australia as through the lens of Micahel Petroni, his story also is well told skillfully through flashbacks and current events in the life of Samuel (Guy Pierce).
I really recommend people to see this movie, it is slow at the beginning but after 20 minutes you'll be haunted until the end of it, it is not boring at all, you're not advised to see this movie if one of your favourite movies is Independence Day:):)
Have a nice time
I won't put any spoilers, but all I want to say about this film that it had good actors, especially the young cast of Sam and Sylvie, they really grasped their roles, the cinematography was brilliant, I never saw Australia as through the lens of Micahel Petroni, his story also is well told skillfully through flashbacks and current events in the life of Samuel (Guy Pierce).
I really recommend people to see this movie, it is slow at the beginning but after 20 minutes you'll be haunted until the end of it, it is not boring at all, you're not advised to see this movie if one of your favourite movies is Independence Day:):)
Have a nice time
Tell Your Friends