MplusA92 Reviews

The Invisible Man (I) (2020)

Watch it, your money is not wasted !

[8/10 · 29 February 2020]

Is it "Elisabeth Moss's" face reactions ? Is it the beautifully terrifying way of moving the camera or keeping it still ? or may be the slow increasing thrill that builds up throughout the movie ?

All of the above are elements which made the movie quite enjoyable as a thrill movie and a horror one in the second place.

From the trailer you will have one question, Is she sane or not ? and the director gave us the answer slowly in the last third of the movie, however this interpretation can be predicted by a lot.

"Elisabeth Moss" nailed it here, she showed that she can do more than the famous "disgusting" face in "The Handmaid's Tale", I am looking forward to see her in more engaging roles. All supporting actors really did their best.

The cinematography is creative here, with a lot of moments that make you wonder anxiously a lot about the upcoming event.

The Jump scares are few here but they really effective and deep.

The finale is a little bit predicted and fair for all the sides which may not be liked a lot, and it basically diminish all the possibilities for a sequel.

Finally, It's a worth to watch thrill/horror movie which has the taste of 90's but much more enjoyable.

Baghdad Central (2020)

America can't miss the opportunity to be the heroes even if they are the invaders.

[8/10 · 14 February 2020]

What got my attention to this show that i had the opportunity to attend the first episode as premiere in the theatres, and to be honest i was surprised and attracted to the story of the first episode and had the curiosity to know how this will end.

I would say it has a lot of surprises and twists but some of them are expected if you could just think a little. They summed all the aspects of Iraq War in a story of one iraqi family, and they showed how this war affected everyone both the invaders and the occupied people.

The rhythm of the series is variant, sometimes it's on a high pace with a lot of events and surprises, and other times it goes slowly to the borders of boredom.

"Waleed Zuaiter" was definitely the star here, his reactions and accent are the best in the series, second comes "Bertie Carvel" who nailed the role of the despicable invader. All other actors didn't make impressive nor awful acting.

The music and sound effects play a great role here in attracting the audience, but you may feel annoyed a little bit by the mixed language and accents .

Finally, it's a worth to watch series if you are interested to know more about the internal affairs of Iraq War 2003.

Playing with Fire (I) (2019)

Funny family movie without the cringe in that type of movies.

[5/10 · 11 November 2019]

What else do you need more than watching a funny movie, suitable for a ages, has simple story, may includes some feeling and most importantly it doesn't give you the cringy and awkwardness feeling when you watch those movies with kids acting ?!

It has some moments that may make you laugh out loud, some manners and some sad moments of course.

All the actors were equally good, the characters are built well and they were funny.

Finally, it's a watchable movie without any boring moments, it's suitable for all ages.

Maleficent: Mistress of Evil (2019)

A true Disney movie.

[8/10 · 23 October 2019]

Do you remember those Disney movies where there's an original story, hero and princess, catchy palace, beautifully strange creatures, and classic good and evil?!

Well, all of this is found here, all in right amount, and with a lot of surprises.

The first movie is much simpler compared to this one, here they added more creatures, more villains, more complicated but enjoyable story and we go deeper into the world of Maleficent and her history.

The movie starts with the same style as the first one, a magical opening to a Disney movie,that was preceded by a mysterious scene ,which makes the suspense starts so early. Then the events continue and we see the good and evil sides clearly.

In addition, we see new dimensions of Maleficent, we go deeper into her personality, her past, her roots, and of course we see different and beautiful outfits for her.

The world of Maleficent which was built in the first part is now got bigger, more detailed, and so catchy to the eyes of both adults and children.

What matters for adults here is the story, and it's a great one, very solid and built in a way that keeps your eyes on the screen all the time, and it can make you drop some tears.

Finally, it's a must watch movie for all Disney fans, also for any drama/mystery movie fan that wants to watch some magic moments on the screen. It could be the best movie of the year for me, very entertaining without a single moment of boredom.

Fractured (I) (2019)

Start predicting the end and you will ruin it for you.

[7/10 · 13 October 2019]

The type of this movie will attract you to watch it since watching the trailer, all of this just to answer the question if a specific event is true or not.

Starting from the poster which is not so attractive, to the trailer that has similarities to other alike movie, you will feel how cold this movie is. And you will feel that coldness throughout the movie while you see the face expressions of the actors,which are rigid and unrealistic most of the time.

I believe this atmosphere adds a lot to the movie, it raises the thrill level and catch you more to the mystery.

The movie has multiple twists but they are simple and can be predicted if you just thought about it. But the pleasure arise from the journey to the truth, and the journey here was exciting.

The script is quite simple, the sound effects are not prominent, and all the actors were good without any obvious flaws.

Finally, it's a very good thrill movie, worth to watch and it seems like Netflix level of movies is improving over time.

Joker (I) (2019)

After the hype, all will remember Joaquin Phoenix, forget the Joker.

[7/10 · 12 October 2019]

In order to properly review this movie, you have to isolate yourself, forget all the hype, and watch it as psychological drama movie.

Is it the best movie in 2019? Is it one of the top 10 movies in the history of movies? No, re-watchability is a major key here to get a yes in the previous questions, but I believe it's so hard to re-watch this movie again. It's so dark, depressing, not true and showing the human soul in surrendering positions most of the time.

"Joaquin Phoenix" did the role of his lifetime in this movie, and Oscar is granted here. Flawless performance, amazing facial expressions, beautiful body reactions and great joker make up and hair style. It's one of the most beautiful make up for the joker character in the movies.

But, where are the scars? Shouldn't be some scars on the face of joker? I don't know if people missed this or our 2019 joker is scar-free one and all the scars are psychological and in his soul only.

All the actors did a great job here but no one can beat "Joaquin Phoenix". But the great thing that all of the characters are well written, even the smallest role had great lines.

The cinematography and videography are great here, beautiful coloring and camera angels. The soundtrack is catchy and adds to the atmosphere of the movie.

Finally, it's a psychological movie, not about depression mainly but can get you one if you have a weak heart.

Gemini Man (2019)

An enjoyable movie although the huge missed chances to make it a great one.

[6/10 · 12 October 2019]

You may ask yourself, Is It a worthwhile to watch movie that is independent or Is It fully dependent on Will Smith only ?!

Well, the proper question here should be, Would the movie be watchable without Will Smith?! Yes it has some good elements but Will Smith adds a lot to it with his character, acting, and voice.

Starting from the story, it's quite explained from the trailer, but you have to wait till the end for the justification of each character motive.

The movie has great chase, gun shooting and nature scenes. But you may feel sorry to see how slow and heavy Will Smith became, and what made that worse is the computerized accelerated scenes for the younger Will Smith while the old Will Smith is in so the difference is noticeable.

The movie tried to make everything, but the problem that they put too much elements while not focusing on one and make it superior. For example, the character of "Benedict Wong" who is supposed to be the comedian companion who says some jokes to release the stress in the scene, you will feel that his lines are forcefully put without caring about the quality of the jokes.

All of this happened due to script problems, which didn't give enough space to introduce each character with their motives and drawbacks in the two hours of the movie.

By the way, it's not a boring two hours movie, your eyes will not look away from the screen, all the events are sequential and there is always unanswered question that makes you want to watch it till the end.

Will Smith did a great role here as a guy in his age, all other actors didn't make any noticeable effortful acting.

Finally, it's a watchable action movie that has a lot of elements of Netflix production, which means everything is average but enjoyable to watch in home with your family or friends with a bucket of popcorn.

Venom (2018)

Why they waited that long to release a separated Venom movie ?!

[7/10 · 2 December 2018]

If you have high or low or even no expectations, then you have to watch this movie, not because of the hype about it but because it gives a new perspective about superheros and aliens movies.

The nature of this movie is different than the usual dark one that accompanies aliens movie, this one is finny, light and entertaining.

The movie starts with the story of "Eddie Brock" a journalist who investigates different suspicious cases in the society, he has a successful career but one investigation will lead him to lose everything and turn his life upside down.

The movie runs in a quick pace, it's almost two hours but you will not feel them. The events are sequential, and we move quickly into the action of "Venom".

The CGI and special effects are great, specially the blue fire and the chase scenes.

There are a lot of goofs in the movie, this may disappoint you if you pay attention to details.

"Tom Hardy" performance is great, he is funny, his reactions with "Venom" fit to the role, and they show a lot of chemistry between each other. All other actors didn't affect a lot, they could be replaced by other actors and we may get better results.

The story is kinda short and oversimplified, it's understood that it's only to give an introduction about "Venom", but more events and complications could be added in order to see more sides of the "Venom".

Finally, it's a good action movie, its science fiction part is simple and explained well. I am looking forward to the next "Venom" appearance and of course no space to feel bored here.

In the Aisles (2018)

I want to work with them "In the Aisles".

[8/10 · 2 December 2018]

This movie has a unique nature, it will move your mood to a different level ,it will ring a lot of bills and it will make you wonder a lot about life.

It starts with a beautiful "Johann Strauss" music, then we will be taken into a journey between the aisles of a supermarket, this journey starts with the process of hiring a new employee "Christian", then the events follow to know more about the routine of the employees and their habits during different occasions.

The performance of the actors is the best here, they look as normal people we see everyday, their reactions are normal or not cinematic so they give you the feeling that anyone of us can be in their places.

The background of each character is introduced in a simple way, and to a sufficient extent.

Most of the events happen in the supermarket, but there are some external scenes. However you may wish that all the events remain in the aisles as they have a unique magic that attracts you.

The movie has a message about life that is delivered in a very simple way, but not all of people may catch it in the first time.

The directing added a lot to the nature of the movie, there's a great attention to details and this is clear in the connection between the final scene and the scene in the 9th minute.

Finally, if you ever wondered about the life of people in IKEA or any supermarket, then this movie is recommended for you. You may feel it's elongated as two hours movie, but you may wish if it could stay more. It's not boring and rewatchable.

The House with a Clock in Its Walls (2018)

The house with a lazy annoying kid.

[5/10 · 1 December 2018]

First of all, this movie may be directed to younger age group than 20s, so this review will not take this point into consideration and it will be treated as a regular movie.

The movie starts with the story of the orphan who moves to live with his uncle, without unnecessary drama about him being orphan, but he slept a night at his new house and the next morning he went directly to school on feet as if it's his daily routine for ages.

The movie has a lot of unexplained events and weak points in the plot that resemble the mentioned above, for example how did he see his mother while dreaming ? What is the power on Earth that can let people control dreams ? It may be a movie about magic but even magic has to be explained and guided by some roles that the story itself control them.

Then the events follow to reveal the mystery of the clock in the walls, and there is another line of the kid's life in school which show some awkward and funny situations.

The kid's performance is the worst among all the cast, he is overacting in an immature way, all his reactions are exaggerated, he sometimes acts silly and is being smart sometimes in an unexplained way.

"Jack Black" performance is the best among the cast, but it's one of the lowest among his other movies, he is kinda slow, the jokes he tell are expected and he doesn't perform as a warlock.

"Cate Blanchett" is equally good to "Jack Black" but she is more convincing as a magician.

The CGI and magic tricks are in a good amount here and there is a diversity, but they are not in the best quality.

The directing is the worst part, the movie doesn't have the enough darkness or mystery that accompany that kind of movies.

The dialogue is kinda expected and this is expected in that kind of movies.

Finally, it's an average magic movie that would be perfect for kids below 14, because it sounds better if we neglected all the tiny details we look for in a movie as adults. And it's not that boring if you don't pay much attention to the screen while playing.

To Die For (1995)

Is it watchable in 2018 ?!

[8/10 · 30 November 2018]

The style of movies in 1990s is much different than the movies now, they tend to focus more on the story and the performance, and here you will have both of them in a very beautiful way.

Of course, it's very watchable anytime, anywhere and during any mood you may be experiencing.

The movie starts with a great tempting soundtrack combined with an attractive visual presentation with voiceover of "Nicole Kidman", then you will watch one of the best storytelling styles.

The story is quite simple,a self motivated girl is trying to be a tv newscaster, but how far will she go in order to achieve her goals ?! and Will she achieve her goal at the end ?!

The performance of all the cast is brilliant, the facial expressions of "Nicole Kidman" are the best, and she did great in showing the character of smart blonde girl.

The events run in a perfect pace, and the style of backward, forward and flashbacks added a a lot of excitement to the movie.

The movie has a lot of funny and awkward moments that arise from the interactions between "Nicole Kidman" specifically and all the cast, she showed a lot of controversy by playing a complex role of the smart, blonde, dumb, self driven, and beautiful girl.

Finally, it's one of the underrated movies of the 1990s, well written, well plotted, and will stay in your mind for a while after watching it, and no need to mention that you will not get bored here.

Time Freak (2018)

Light and entertaining teens' movie with deep wisdom.

[7/10 · 28 November 2018]

The good thing about watching a teens' movie that you never put high expectations for it, you only expect light watchable story with acceptable acting and that's it.

This is not the case here, you will watch a good movie that's written and directed well, the cast is funny and added a lot to the movie with their performances, the plot has some weak points and this is expected in sci-fi teens' movie, and above all of this there's a new perspective for time machine using.

You will get the feeling that it's relatable to "About Time" in some points, specially the time travel objectives and the true meaning of living your life as it is.

The comedy here arises from the awkward situations and the interactions between the characters.

The movie starts really well but it doesn't improve or go on a steady level, nevertheless it starts to get worse in the last quarter.

Finally, it's above the average drama/comedy movie with the least amount of sci-fi, so don't expect to see high tech time traveling machines. And after all it's not boring if you are in the mood to watch a light movie.

Jonathan (2018)

Fascinating idea executed in the worst way.

[3/10 · 26 November 2018]

First of all, this is one of the movies that their trailers are much better than the real movies. You will be excited to watch the life of that young man who has two lives, the idea itself is catchy, the cinematography in the trailer look futuristic, but the real disappointment is while watching the movie.

Starting from the story, it's very simple, has a very weak plot, and it's really flat.

Imagine how exciting to make a movie about a guy with two personalities and how much ideas can pop up while writing about this idea, but nothing happened here, I guess the writers were not excited as we were.

Then the acting which is the weakest here, everyone has a rigid face with least reactions possible. It can be understood due to the nature of the movie, but with that case they could do much better acting.

And what makes the scenario worse,which is also rigid and pointless, is their performance while talking to each other. Why are they talking so slowly like that ?

There are some old and new ideas about two personalities movies that were executed here, like the different hair cut,clothes and interests for each personality. But the best one was the blackout moments that appeared as black cuts in the screen.

The directing and cinematography are the best in the movie,watching the lives of both of them from the perspective of one only is great. The use of simple technology and the neutral colors in the clothes' and walls' colors give the movie a unique nature.

The make up of trauma is one of the silliest ever seen in awhile.

Finally, it's below the average drama movie, that runs in a very slow boring rhythm, and what makes it worse that is has kinda open and deep end which may not be liked by everyone.

Blue My Mind (2017)

Philosophical idea about teens' life.

[6/10 · 23 November 2018]

First of all, everything about the movie is explained and spoiled in the trailer, so if you want to keep watching this movie till the end without ruining it, then either don't watch the trailer or just try to forget it if you already watched it.

The movie is about a girl who passes through physical transformations as she hits puberty, in addition to an extra unusual transformation.

All this changes happened when she got her first period, and when she moved to a new city.

The movie explains in details the teenage phase on different aspects, the physical ones and how the female body changes, the emotional ones as teenagers tend to hate discipline and they get involved in multiple relationships, and the behavioral ones as teenagers make silly and extreme acts.

The core of the movie is about the teenagers life, while the girl's transformation is minor. I believe that there is a moral behind this transformation, may be it means, if you can't adopt to your environment then you should change to fit to it or change your whole environment.

The bad thing that the reason for that weird transformation is not explained, but i believe it happened due to the changes in the girl's life. She moved to a new city, a new school, new friends, and new age as she was turning sixteen.

There are some week points in the plot, they didn't mention why she used to go to a psychiatrist ! And of course there's no scientific base for that weird transformation.

The poster of the movie is misleading, it gives a hint to "Blue is the warmest color" but they are not similar at any point, and the two girls in the poster here were not close friends till few minutes before the end.

The cinematography and the sound effects of the movie are good points here, you will enjoy some scenes of nature urban areas.

Finally, it's a good drama fantasy movie, it copies some of its elements from other movies but it has a unique idea. It can be boring if you were not excited to see the journey of the girl's transformation.

The Clovehitch Killer (2018)

Very discreet slow thriller cooked on low heat.

[6/10 · 23 November 2018]

The movie starts with a memorial event about victims who got killed by The Clovehitch Killer, a voice of narrator started to tell us about the story but then it disappeared for the rest of the movie.

The events follow to discover the life of a family who lives peacefully, then the son discovers a clue that leads him to investigate the crimes of The Clovehitch Killer.

The main suspense arises from knowing the killer in first hour of the movie, and then the suspense continues to know how our main characters will deal with the real killer.

Everything in this movie is discreet, even the killer, you may get the feeling that he already did horrible crimes but you see none, this can be a good thing for people who hate bloody wild movies.

The events are slow and can be boring in some parts, even in the most crucial situations, you will not be motionally involved, as the rhythm is really steady without real excitement.

The characters are well written, background to everyone is enough, and most of their reactions were suitable to the theme of the movie.

The plot is good, everything is explained in a good way. The music is not really felt and it didn't have special identity.

Finally, it's an average drama thriller, very comparable to "The Stepfather", but much less tense than it. You can feel bored easily if you are not excited enough to know the fate of the killer.

Hector and the Search for Happiness (2014)

Watch it if you want to know a simple meaning of Happiness.

[7/10 · 22 November 2018]

"Simon Pegg" in a very sophisticated role, is taking us in a journey to discover happiness and its meanings.

The movie starts slowly giving us a brief idea about his life, the complications he faces, and the main motivation to start the search for happiness.

A good thing that you will get an answer, not a direct one, but your inner voice will be satisfied with the definitions given for happiness.

"Simon Pegg" acting is remarkable here, his soul is present in his actions and reactions, which made each scene runs smoothly. All other actors did great and the movie introduced them in a very brief way.

The movie is a very light comedy, you will keep smiling the whole time, and may be laugh out loud in few scenes.

The bad points mainly about the script and the plot, the events run from one point to another very quickly and some of the actions are not justified.

Finally, it's a good light philosophical movie, not comparable to "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty", but they can be categorized together. You may feel bored a little bit especially in the first half of it but then enjoyment is guaranteed.

Threesomething (2018)

Not every sequence of scenes is considered a movie.

[1/10 · 22 November 2018]

This short photographed material which is called a movie deserves a point out of ten, not because there is no zero, but because it carries an idea, so this worth half a point, and another half point for the rare beautiful landscape scenes.

Other than that, everything is absolute rubbish, starting from the acting to the weak story and the missing plot, you get the feeling that it's an episode in a series.

The main idea it carries is, What if somehow during a threesome, the girl got attracted to one guy and neglected the other ?!

If you want an answer for this question, then google it, seriously, it's less painful than watching this movie.

The movie starts with skype call of two guys inviting a girl, who is a friend to one of them, to meet up and they propose a threesome to her.

The events follow up when they meet up, and a lot of awkward situations happen, till you get in a weird meaningless finale.

FYI, no threesome happens here, no severe nudity, except for a pair of boobs and two guys' bottoms.

Also FYI, I had to run the movie in triple the speed in order to reach the end, I just wanted to know how this weird relationship would end !

Finally, not every person with a camera can make a movie, although the high quality scenes that any DSLR can get, it's all about the person who uses it, and unfortunately the final product here was boring poor an hour long movie.

Searching (III) (2018)

Innovation is the key here.

[8/10 · 19 November 2018]

The problem with tech movies that is usually targets specific age group, so when younger or older people watch them, they don't understand nor react with them, but this is not the case here.

The story is quite simple, a father is trying to follow the digital footprints of his missing daughter.

There is excessive use of tech gadgets and apps here as they are the main theme of the movie, but they showed it in a simplified way without going into the complexities of technology which may disconnect you off the movie.

The main attraction here is the storytelling way, you will get involved in every possible way by the tech devices they used for filming. You will feel it's easy to make such movie, but it's obvious how sophisticated to execute such genuine idea.

So the main question is: Would the movie survive without that innovative storytelling style ? I believe yes, it would stand out due to it's solid plot, the perfect rhythm of events, the continuous thrill and suspense, the great cast and the final twist.

Finally, it's a must watch thriller, you will enjoy it till the last scene and no chance to get bored here.

The Meg (2018)

Wait !! This is not a comedy movie ?!

[5/10 · 19 November 2018]

We usually watch this kind of movies to enjoy the light story, the impressive visual effects and the action which is present between the man and the creature fights.

This could be a good movie if some elements which made the experience worse would be absent, like the rush that you will feel from the first scenes, the different proportion of shark sizes, which showed the 70 foot creature small in some angles and huge in others, also the regular size sharks looked tiny and the characters dealt with them as pets, while other movies build their own plot on those regular size sharks.

The background of each character is introduced very briefly, but the main problem that the dialogue is kinda funny and cartoonish. You will notice weird reactions in abnormal situations, for example: when they survive a shark attack and jump to the boat, they start to laugh to each other and celebrate as the shark is dead, but it's still in the water and can attack them again, and by the way this happened a lot.

Most probably this happened due to the chinese touch on the movie, who tend to show cuteness in very intense situations.

The plot is simple but has many layers, once you think they are safe, a bigger problem happens, and this is a good thing. They also did every complication could happen in a Shark movie, even if some of them is copied from other movies.

"Jason Statham" is the main character who always has solid face with least amount of reactions and a smile or two to the female star, all other characters did their roles well, but you may notice similarities between this cast and the cast of "Titanic", it's obvious when you see the man who controls the robot in "Titanic" and the guy in the submarine, is it a chance ? May be.

The visual effects are acceptable here, we didn't have a chance to see the outer shape of the marine station properly, also the meg didn't look scary because we didn't see enough details of it.

The main problem with the script that everything is expected, starting from the winning sides, till the dying characters which are a lot here, that the living ones didn't react to their deaths by even one tear.

Finally, it's an average shark disaster movie, it can be enjoyable if you ignored the little details and looked to the whole movie as one piece. I doubt you will be bored as the events pass very quickly and the fights continue till the end.

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (2018)

A dead movie got alive in the last minutes.

[6/10 · 17 November 2018]

If you decided to watch this movie, then you must have some expectations. Any J.K.Rowling fan would love to see more magic, better characters, exciting story, some humor to lighten the darkness of the events, and of course more beasts.

Unfortunately most of those are absent here, the plot is really foggy, there is no real movers for the events, there are a lot of coincidences, a lot of unjustified actions, and a lot of unexplained reactions.

You will get the feeling that they arranged all the events in order to reach to the final surprising scene, but what's the point of reaching the top of the mountain while the journey is not enjoyable ?!

There are more characters and we get to know more about the background of them, just enough to run the movie but most of them are dark and unnecessary.

The chemistry which was between"Jacob" and "Queenie" is absent here, and this led to lack of humor and funny situations, so you will stay most of the time lost in the dilemma without a single smile on your face.

The magic and beasts are the best part in the movie, although they are not the best in the series.

You will have some nostalgic moments for watching some scenes of Hogwarts school.

They tried to make something new by showing the evil parties as blue, and the good parties as red while they fight, but it wasn't really genuine and it looked like toothpaste commercial.

Finally, it's an average drama fantasy movie, it runs in a very slow rhythm most of the time, it can be boring if you are not excited enough to watch it till the end before entering the theatre, as you will absolutely lose the excitement gradually while watching it.

Solaris (2002)

Dark, slow, boring, symbolic and psychological movie.

[3/10 · 12 November 2018]

To make a movie with an open end is a good thing as it makes you think and search further for some answers, but if the journey to that question which the movie provokes at the end is not enjoyable,then you may not feel interested enough to look for answers.

The movie starts with a brief dark background about the life of "Chris Kelvin" or "George Clooney", then he was sent to the research station for unjustified reason in no time and all the events move to the station.

The movie mainly is about the relationship between Solaris "the planet" and the crew on the station, but this didn't close the door against some sci-fi scenes of outer space and the station, while i found the space suits look silly and outdated.

The characters here are limited, "George Clooney" appears in most of the scenes and his actions and reactions were great, and most probably the movie wouldn't survive without him. However, his character was not introduced in the best way.

All other characters were taste less, they didn't add much soul nor provoke any feelings.

The movie has a message that it wants to deliver, not all of people will get it nor will enjoy it, so this kind of movie is either you will love it or hate it, no grey area here.

They tried to add to the darkness of the movie by the dark colors that covered most of the scenes, the slow motion of camera, and the mystery behind the whole story.

Finally, it's a drama mystery movie, that runs in a single line of actions, it's boring in most of it, and you will be disappointed if you watch it after watching the trailer, as this is one of the movies that the trailer is much better than the real movie.

Diamond Dust (2018)

A genuine idea, great acting team and brilliant director = Great movie.

[9/10 · 16 October 2018]

As a movie based on a novel, the comparison between the novel and the movie imposes itself, and surprisingly both of them are great here.

The movie delivers the story in a very clear manner, everything is connected well and justified.

Usually the movie that starts with a murder catches your attention, but it can easily leave you disappointed if you stayed in the dilemma for a long time, but this didn't happen here.

The sequence of events is smooth and in a very good rhythm, the idea itself is genuine and the components of the movie add more strength to it.

The acting here is brilliant from all of the cast, great face and body actions and reactions, the costumes added a depth to the characters.

The directing and videography were beautiful, they added to the thrill of the story by using fitting angles of the cameras and dim color correction.

Finally, it's a great action and thrill Egyptian Arabic movie, it worths to watch although its long running time, but feeling bored is not possible here except for some scenes.

The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (2008)

The trilogy tomb, who digged its own grave.

[5/10 · 16 October 2018]

There are a lot of "Why" around this movie, Why did they make a trilogy ? Why did they removed "Rachel Weisz" ? Why it's not in Egypt ? Why there's no real Mummy here ? Why there are snow creatures in a Mummy movie ? Why the Emperor is called the dragon Emperor ? And the list never ends.

It's clear by now that it's much worse than the first two, it has a lot of unexplained events, and justifying that by an old curse is the weakest point.

The cast here has a lot of addition that didn't add much to the movie, "Jet Li" wasn't really here as most of his scenes are with him being a rocky mummy. "Maria Bello" was not funnier nor more fitting than "Rachel Weisz", her face expressions were rigid and appeared to be fake throughout the movie, her body actions were not smooth and it looked she was forced to be funny.

"Brendan Fraser" is the only one who gives the movie a strength, and without him it wouldn't survive. Other than that, all other actors were not remarkable.

The plot is very weak here, connecting an Asian Emperor to the Mummy is very silly, not to mention that there is no treasure hunting here nor hidden doors or magical tricks that the Mummy used to have.

Finally, it's an average adventure movie, that lacks a lot of the spirit of the Mummy, it worths to watch if you are a Mummy fan but you will be very disappointed.

The Angel (2018)

A movie about Egypt, without a single native Egyptian.

[4/10 · 16 October 2018]

This movie probably had one of the toughest cast, due to its multinational cast that needed to fit in a movie about middle eastern people, and unfortunately the whole cast wasn't successful here, except for "Ashraf" and "Mona".

Movie wise, it's a good movie with a good sequence of events, good shots of old London and Egypt, good music and coloration, but it has a lot of bad points.

First problem is with the cast, i have the feeling that they got confused or they tried to apply two points of view, they tried to get actors who look close to the real characters, but they ignored working on the accent of the people, so what's the point of getting a foreign actors and make them speak silly Arabic ?! No need to mention how funny and difficult it was to watch the movie while listening to that weird accents.

The other problem is, the makers also got confused here between making it as documentary or a cinematic movie, the connection between real events and told events is not supported by any solid proof.

Story wise, the things get worse, it's very easy to google all the information mentioned in the movie and make sure that most of them are wrong, so putting some false information in a movie don't make them true.

Finally, it's an average spy movie, no gadgets here or special spy tools used, just a simple spy story between two countries in a war, pre-war and post-war period, you can easily get bored here if Egypt - Israel conflict is not your interest, and no much thrill here.

Johnny English Strikes Again (2018)

Just another brilliant acting from "Rowan Atkinson" in an acceptable story.

[6/10 · 22 September 2018]

Enjoying "Rowan Atkinson" or "Mr.Bean" on the screen is a pure pleasure, because it brings to us a lot of memories about the episodes of "Mr.Bean" where he did his best roles and nothing can beat that.

This movie is light, enjoyable and funny ,not to a level that your stomach hurts, especially that most of the funny scenes are already in the trailer, but surprisingly you will laugh again when you see them in the context of the movie.

The comedy here arises mainly from the reactions of "Johnny English", in addition to the awkward situations he always puts himself in, and his facial expressions.

You may feel a little bit of resembling between the body reactions and face expressions of "Rowan Atkinson" here and in "Mr.Bean" series, and he may has also copied specific parts from "Mr.Bean's Holiday", but this is not annoying as already our always reference will be to "Mr.Bean" series.

The story is very simple but well written and well plotted, everything is explained, it follows a single pathway where "Johnny English" is present in most of the scenes.

The actors can't be very prominent here while "Rowan Atkinson" is on the screen,except for "Olga Kurylenko" who did great in adding a feminine soul to the movie. "Emma Thompson" was copying her role in "Men in Black III" as "Agent O" and couldn't add much to the role.

The drawbacks here are: the low density of comedian situations, the weak challenges that the characters experienced, the oversimplified idea which is a little bit repeated and not genuine, and the little amount of spy gadgets used here.

Finally, it's a good movie to spend your time watching while putting a smile on your face, the rhythm here is good and not likely to feel bored.