Movie Review: From A to B

I've got a confession to make: I was one of the rare few who did not fall head-over-heels in love with Ali F. Mostafa's debut feature City of Life. Don't get me wrong, it's not a bad movie, not by any stretch of the imagination, but it did feel derivative of other films such as Paul Haggis' Crash & centered around characters who, besides sharing a similar backdrop, were simply un-relatable. So with that said I approached Mostafa's sophomore feature with great trepidation, a feeling that I would soon discover to be completely ill begotten.

From A to B centers around three estranged childhood friends; Omar (Fadi Rifaai) Ramy (Shady Alfons) & Yousif aka Jay (Fahad Al-Butairi) who travel on a road trip from Abu Dhabi to Beirut to honor the memory of their friend Hadi, who died five years prior. In a journey that would take them through Saudi Arabia, Jordan, & Syria, the three friends face a number of trials & tribulations that would not only test their friendship, but also challenge them to grow out of their comfort zones.

Unlike City of Life, From A to B presents us with well rounded, charming, & relatable characters. This, of course, wouldn't be possible without an excellent showing by our leads, with Shady Alfons being the highlight of the featured trio, though it was Samer Al-Masry who stole the show as the leader of a Syrian Rebel group. Another area this film scores high points in is its cinematography, with frequent Mostafa collaborator Michel Dierickx utilizing their unique locations for maximum impact. Additionally, the film supported a wicked Middle East-based soundtrack that belongs in any movie fan's collection.

Any issues? Well, a few of the side characters felt underused (I'm looking at you Wonho Chung) some of the dialogue, especially Al-Butairi's, did feel a tad forced,  & I wasn't completely sold with Fadi Rifaai. But overall, From A to B is a commendable entry in the records of Gulf Cinema & one that deserves a lot more love than it was given thus far.

The film is currently screening in cinemas across the Gulf. Check your local listings for show times, trust me on this.

For more information, click here.

By:

Ahmed Zayani

Instagram: @ahmedzayani85

Movie Review: Birdman (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)

Following last week’s Oscar nominations, ‘Birdman’ directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu was a clear standout collecting a number of nomination nods including Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay. Curious to see what the hype is about, I went on an internet scavenger hunt to get a good copy of the film. I call it ‘research’ ahead of the award ceremony happening on 22 February.

‘Birdman’ is a stunning black comedy about a has-been actor’s (Michael Keaton) attempts to put together a Broadway play as a desperate move to revive his career and to shake off his ‘Birdman’ superhero image, which he is famously known as.

The film immediately introduces Michael Keaton’s character Riggan Thomas… levitating in his dressing room as prepares to go to rehearsals, days before the Broadway debut. You quickly notice the camera does not blink, the cut-free scenes takes you through the events that unravel leading up to the opening and you see how different characters unfold and intertwine backstage on on-stage.

It’s not your regular look at a pre-event theatre production, it involves an ‘accident’ on stage, a last-minute replacement in the form of Edward Norton, a disastrous preview and someone shooting themselves in the head. The most captivating storyline is Riggan’s dialogue with his ‘Birdman’ voice in his head that is dead-pan similar to Keaton’s Batman voice.

All the characters pulled their weight in the movie, and you instantly gravitate to each one but the credit goes to Michael Keaton. He seamlessly switches from his disturb character to being wildly funny and back. His Best Actor Golden Globes award makes sense in this challenging role.    

Disturbing at some parts and darkly funny with great comic references, ‘Birdman’ is a unique take on the narcissistic world of actors and actresses and playfully mocks their insecurities to feel relevant. ‘Birdman’ will surely soar through the award season. 

For more info and the trailer, click her.

By:

Karen Nicolet

www.clumsychic.com

Instagram: @clumsychic

Movie Review: Imitation Game

Back again with an Oscar nominee and this time it’s so so GOOOD!!! I was at the edge of my seat! It is for sure one of the Best movies I watched in a while! Ah! So good!! I keep telling people to go watch it. The story on itself is very interesting and put that with Benedict Cumberbatch and Keira Knightley and you’ll get one hell of a movie!

So, to get you hooked, is the story of Alan Turing (Benedict) a super smart mathematicians who was recruited secretly by the British army with other mathematicians to decrypt the most sophisticated encryption German machine, enigma, which change its setting everyday at 12am. So basically, it’s a race against time!  

The movie is so smart and very hooking! You keep hoping they will solve the codes and you wonder how they will do it! It’s like a supper smart puzzle and you’re waiting for all the right pieces to be found! And the best thing, it’s really is a true story! It was very thrilling and they played with the plot very well! The center of the story was World War II, but flashes here and there show us more about Turing life. The other thing that made it more of a drama thriller rather than just a drama, was the scenes with the actual war happening. The movie showed us more than just the office those guys and lady (Keira) worked in.

With the plot, I was very much enjoying the smart script! Ah, I love me a good script! Smart, sharp and really represent the tone of the movie! And Benedict was amazing with his lines! I mean give the man an Oscar already! He, for me, is one of the most brilliant actors we have right now. He completely immerses himself into the character. Keira was pretty awesome too. I’m not a huge fan of most of her movies, but when she participates in something like this, she truly shines!

The movie was brilliant from all aspects! The cast was great, the scenes sequences made sense, the colors theme was so pretty and the cloths really caught my eyes! Even though they're simple, but it all fit in one picture! It all just pulled me from my seat and threw me right in the middle of the story. You know I cried a little bit too!

It’s good for those who want to watch a well-constructed movie and those who just want to go watch something fun and exciting! Go watch it! And you won’t regret it!

For more info and the trailer, please click here.

Till another one!

Kemz

Movie Review: Boyhood

It’s the Awards Season, which means pretty red carpet dresses and filmmakers accepting trophies and saying the speeches they practice all their lives. For that, I wanted to review an Oscar Nominee, and this one actually won the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture.

Boyhood, directed and written by Richard Linklater, follows the story of Mason (Ellar Coltrane) and his family since he was 5 years old till he graduated from Highschool. The movie if you believe it was filmed through 12 years with the same cast, so we literary saw Mason and his sister, Samantha (Lorelei Linklater) grow old in the almost three hours movie.

When I heard about this movie, the first thing I imagined was, different cinematography and different definition because cameras and editing techniques have evolved in the last 12 years, but the movie kept it consistent. You won’t feel the difference at all. I mean it makes sense for them to think of that. 

The movie is long, but it’s so sweet and you can’t help but get attached to the characters and you want them to be happy and go to school and clap when they graduate. It really is a journey and it feels special to see them grow up and how the setting and cloths were true to the year they were in that specific time. I mean it was as real as it gets. I really enjoyed that.

Also I enjoyed watching how the characters developed through the years, because they won’t be the same, and to see what contributed to each new development. It was a good plot build up and again, still consistent. The cast was pretty good too and I’m happy they all stayed with the project or else it’d be a complete fail. You’d expect the grown ups (Patricia Arquette and Ethan Hawke) to be good and continue with their character, but I was happy to see that even Ellar kept it straight with his character Mason and you believe it’s the same boy from the beginning till the end. Good casting choice!

The movie had already won 3 Golden Globes and it’s on its way to the Oscars and after watching it, I can say it’s a good chill movie, where you live someone else’s life for a while as you relax on your couch. It’s one of these movies that are casual and quite, yet something special about them that makes you watch till the end.

For more information and to catch the trailer, click here.

Till again!

Kemz

Movie Review: The Hobbit The Battle of the Five Armies

The journey to Middle Earth has finally ended! My heart broke and bled for it!! There is no world like Middle Earth for me! It’s so amazing! The final chapter of The Hobbit is not as strong as Return of The King (last of Lord of The Rings movies), but it was still full with The Hobbit spirit that just overwhelmed me with emotions!

It’s the end! The finish line of Bilbo Baggins’ journey with his 13 dwarfs companions as they face the dragon and the armies of men, elves, dwarves and orcs who want the treasure of the lonely mountain. And in the background the scary rise of Sauron is happening!

After watching this part I so wanted to go home chill and just have a marathon of Lord of the Rings! Because the movie is such a build up to that! It shows all the details of how Sauron came to be again! It’s so good.

It wasn’t a strong final part, I still think the second one was better, but it’s Middle Earth! You can’t go wrong with it! I was so excited to see how the dwarves fought the orcs and omg the ELVES!! The way they choreographed the fight scenes were eeeeeh! Awesome! I was like, please rewind this!! I need to see it again! It’s so remarkable. They really showed the different technique each race use to fight and talk.

The movie even though it’s suppose to be intense and on the verge of war, it still kept some of the humor we got used to in the first two movies. You should keep your eyes on Bilbo who was played by Martin Freeman! He was so great, funny and full with heart! Martin really nailed it!

It will make you cry! I couldn’t cry much cause my nose was blocked and I was sneezing like a crazy woman hahahhaa but I watched the movie with Abby and you should hear her sob! It was just emotional! Ok, now I’m crying!! Ah! I wanna watch it again!! When I’m done with my Kemz DVD Pile challenge, I will watch Lord of the Rings again and write about it! And that trilogy really REALLY makes me cry!

On this part particularly, why I didn’t think it was the best? It was cause I could tell they used some computer-generated scenes (I dunno what the right term for it) and that made me feel weird. And also some of the script lines in the end felt that it’s not middle earthy for some reason. But I should read the book to be sure.

However, this is a CLASSIC! Like I said, there is nothing like Middle Earth! I wanna go live there! J.R.R. Tolkien really created one amazing world. I only wish that one day I could be half as good! A true MUST WATCH trilogy!

On the ending songs of the trilogy, I have to share the one from the second movie, I See Fire by Ed Sheeran. This song is so magical! I can’t express how amazing it is. If I ever had the pleasure of meeting Ed, the only question I would ask him would be: HOW? How did you manage to sum all the emotions in the story in this one amazing song?! Me and Abby have been obsessing about it for the past year!

For more info on the movie, please click here. If you haven’t watched any of the previous movies, you have to do so before watching this part of else you won’t like it. For my review on the previous parts, please click here.

Till again ^-^

Kemz