Category: Movie Reviews

Rock the Casbah (2013)

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The acting is great- all were convincing as Moroccans with good accents and French language.  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 Hiaam Abbas who appears in many foreign movies, she manages to reincarnate the role of a Moroccan mother with strict high values and morals.  -IMDB reviewer

Miriam (Nadine Labaki) and Kenza (Lubna Azabal) sit at each sside their mother Aicha (Hiam Abbas) during their father's wake.
Miriam (Nadine Labaki) and Kenza (Lubna Azabal) sit at each side their mother Aicha (Hiam Abbas) during their father’s wake.

This stereotype-defying film (a mix of comedy and drama) was part of the Arabian Sights Film Festival in DC.  It was written/directed by Laila Marrakchi, a young Moroccan woman.  I saw it this Fall (with 2 members of a movie Meetup) at the French Embassy; the main language in the film is French (with a good mix of Arabic and English). 

The ladies of the Hassan family find their thoughts drifting to the past.
The ladies of the Hassan family find their thoughts drifting to the past.

When patriarch Moulay Hassan (Omar Sharif) dies, his extended family, employees, and community gather at his palatial estate (in Marrakech by the coast) for his funeral.  We meet his strong widow, Aicha (internationally-renown Israeli Arab actress, Hiam Abbas, from The Visitor).  Moulay’s daughters are all quite unique women; there is NYC-based actress/black sheep Sofia (Morjana Alaoui) with her young son, glamorous/dramatic housewife Miriam (Nadine Labaki)- on the verge of an affair, and straight-laced/religious professor Kenza (Lubna Azabal) whose teen son wants to act on Broadway.  Sharif appears in a few scenes, adding a magical element of this fine film.       

Three sisters with very different lives come together.
Three sisters with very different lives come together.

We are put in the shoes of the outsider, Sofia, who has recently separated from her director husband (an Irish-American).  She hasn’t been home in many years; it was too painful to face the past (we learn why) and she has made a moderate success of herself in the U.S. (usually playing a terrorist).  Sofia’s adorable 6 year-old son, Noah, is excited about experiencing a new culture and playing with a large crew of cousins.  He’s hesitant to eat the new foods. 

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Noah bonds with his grandfather, Moulay (Omar Sharif), in a few scenes.

When her reddish-haired grandmother comments that Sofia shouldn’t have married a “foreigner,” Sofia good-naturedly reminds the older lady that she was once a foreigner (being a French woman).  “But I married a Muslim and an Arab,” the grandmother says with a sly smile.  As the days go by, secrets are revealed about another sister, their beloved housekeeper Yacout (who raised all the girls, as well as her own son), and Moulay.  Sofia, who yearns for openness and honesty, is frustrated by (more conventional) sisters.  However, she doesn’t have to live in the strictly stratified, dualistic society (people pray in the morning, but don’t necessarily shy away from alcohol and dancing later in the day). 

Beyond Bollywood International Film Festival

Emma9 Comments

Meet the Patels (2014)

MeetThePatelsPosterThis documentary from LA-based brother-sister team, Ravi (actor/main subject) and Geeta (director) Patel, is scary relatable for desi (and other singles) all over the US!  When he turned 30 a few years ago, first gen Indian-American Ravi (who’d had only one real relationship with a white woman) agreed to try the traditional Indian way of finding a wife; this (of course) brought joy to his mother and father in North Carolina.  Geeta, his older sis, came along to film the experience. 

The family went off to the Punjab region of India to look at eligible single ladies (fellow Patels); Ravi felt odd about the scenario.  However, he also admitted that he loved the way he grew up- with a strong sense of pride in being a Patel and having an extensive community; he wanted that for his future.  After the trip to India (doesn’t work for him), Ravi says he’ll accept arranged introductions to women born/raised in the U.S.  He also attends a large marriage conference (for singles of the Patel community in the U.S.); it looks very similar to ISNA. 

We learn that as tough as it is for Ravi, Geeta went though the same situations (she thinks she’s had 200 arranged dates since age 20- wow!)  The true stars if the doc are the parents- Champa (mom) and Vasant (dad), who proclaims that being single is akin to being a “loser.”  But they are no stereotype- they are loving/caring/thoughtful parents who want their kids to be happy… and someday soon give them grandchildren.  In the end, Ravi does find his match, but she’s not who you’d expect!  This film is laugh-out-loud hilarious; my friends and I all thought so.

Brahmin Bulls (2013)

brahmin-bullsThis is a powerful (yet subtle) film from a husband-wife team (Indian-Americans) who are friends of the lead actor (Sendhil Ramamurthy from Heroes fame; he is American with South Indian roots).  Director/writer Mahesh Pailoor and Ramamurthy have known each other since undergrad; this role was written for the actor.  The focus is on the strained/distant relationship between 30-something L.A. architect, Sid Sharma (Ramamurthy) and his professor father, Ash (internationally-acclaimed Indian veteran actor, Roshan Seth).  Mary Steenburgen has a crucial role in the film, too.  Wow, what cast!  (By the way, if you’re a fan of tennis, you’ll especially enjoy this film.  Ramamurthy had a scholarship in undergrad, he said in a post-show panel interview).

When Ash drops in from Boston to attend a conference in LA. (you’ll discover the reason why), Sid is very taken aback.  He’s going through a transition in his marriage and at work, and doesn’t feel comfortable having the old man around in his house.  Both men are brooding, charming, intelligent, but also quite stubborn; this is the making for great dramatic conflict.  However, they have more in common than you’d expect!  My friends said they liked the movie a lot, as did I.

 

Spoiler-Free Review: Gone Girl (2014)

Emma4 Comments
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Ben Affleck (Nick) & Rosamund Pike (Amy) meet

Marriage is the main villain (as one film critic noted) in this diabolical film directed by David Fincher (Seven, The Social Network, House of Cards).  What goes on between two people within a marraige is a mystery to outsiders.  And individually, we can be a mystery to our loved ones. It’s not a date movie, though one ad mentioned those words.  I went to see this film during its opening weekend with a group of friends; the two who read the novel (by Gillian Flynn) said it was very close to the book.  One of my friend’s really liked Affleck’s low-key (almost a regular guy) performance, as did I.  I only read a few chapters before seeing the film, but it’s very good (Flynn has a way with today’s modern language and dark humor). 

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Nick wipes away some sugar from Amy’s lips

Fincher knows how to set the mood in his work- he succeeds well here, too.  The music, color palette, pacing- it all works together to keep the viewer interested.  One friend said that it really kept her attention, unlike many recent films.  Rosamund Pike (a Brit who had to gain and lose 15 lbs. twice for this role) gets to showcase her talents with her complex character.  Pike wasn’t well-known to US viewers, though I’d seen her in different films and series before (being an anglophile).   One friend commented: “Women can be crazy!” 

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Amy and Nick at a book launch party

The supporting cast (yes, even Tyler Perry) does a fine job.  There are a few scenes that will be difficult for more sensitive viewers, including one involving a large quantity of blood.  In a pivotal scene near the end, blood is used in a creative (metaphorical) way.  In the middle of this film, I remember thinking to myself that I was glad to be single! 

Belle (2014)

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Portrait of Dido Elizabeth Belle and her cousin Lady Elizabeth Murray

This film, released early in 2014 in the US, is a must-see, especially for fans of historical dramas and Jane Austen!  Issues of class privilege, marriage/property, and slavery arise.  In the portrait (above), the viewer’s eye is drawn to Dido, who seems full of vivacity, while her cousin seems more proper/sedate. 

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The poster for the film

The poster itself intrigued many people walking through theater lobbies- a pretty biracial woman dressed in finery.  The film was directed by Amma Asante, the daughter of Ghanian immigrants to England; she is also an actress and writer.  The luminous lead actress is Gugu Mbatha Raw, the daughter of a black South African doctor and white British nurse.  (FYI:  That’s natural beauty- Gugu wore no makeup during filming, since there was none for Belle’s complexion.)

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Belle & Elizabeth all grown up

The young Belle is brought by her naval officer father (Matthew Goode) to live in the household of his childless uncle, William Murray, the first earl of Mansfield (Tom Wilkinson, superb as ever) and his wife (Emily Watson, in a low-key role).  All we know is that the child’s mother was an African slave  found aboard a Spanish vessel.  Already living on the vast country estate is another girl, Elizabeth Murray (newcomer Sarah Gadon), the daughter of another of  Lord Mansfield’s nephews.  The girls grow up together, like sisters, though Belle is of a different status (too high to dine with the servants, yet too low to dine w/ the family). 

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Lord Mansfield & Belle talk

Lord Mansfield is also Chief Justice of the Royal Court, and as in the film, the real Dido assisted her great-uncle w/ his daily correspondence.  I especially enjoyed the debate/discussion scenes between these two! 

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Belle & John

 The idealistic son of the local parson, John Davinier (newcomer Sam Reid, a solid performance) comes to study law with Lord Mansfield.  He mentions an important court case involving slave cargo, and she wants to learn more.

Related Links:

All Things Considered (NPR): Film review by critic Bob Mondello

Morning Edition  (NPR): Interview w/ director Amma Assante

Tell Me More (NPR): Interview w/ actress Gugu Mbatha-Raw

The Lunchbox (2013) starring Irrfan Khan

Emma3 Comments

Viewer comments:

…this gentle and thoughtful director shows human nature running a very natural course.

It had humor, seriousness, lessons, insight, beauty, love, family, decision-making, sadness, reflections, invisibleness, self-doubt, invention, perseverance, respect, aging, determination, coming to terms when enough is enough and genuine affection in how feelings grew by words alone…

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Here is the perfect film (from a first-time director) for smart/sensitive viewers who want an alternative to Bollywood.  Neglected middle-class housewife/mother, Ila (Nimrat Kaur), yearns to win back the attention and love of her husband Rajeev, one of the many strivers in the new India.  Rajeev barely looks at Ila, is glued to his cell, and often comes home late at night.  With the help of her (unseen) upstairs neighbor, she creates delicious (vegetarian, as she’s Hindu) recipes, and packs them in his tiffin (lunchbox). 

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This lunchbox is supposed to be picked up each afternoon and delivered (via rickshaw, truck, and bus) to his office.  However, it goes to a Sajaan Fernandes (Irrfan Khan from The Namesake, Life of Pi, etc.), a lonely/Christian government accountant just a month away from retirement.  He likes the food, so an empty lunchbox is delivered back to Ila.  Feeling appreciated, she decided to write him a thank-you letter. 

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The two lonely people begin a correspondence, bringing (much-needed) hope and optimism into each other’s lives.  They share thoughts in their letters that no one else knows, from the mundane to the deeply personal.  Are they just pen pals?  Or is there possibility for more?   

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Saajan is dreading retirement, and postpones the training of his replacement, Shaikh (Nawazuddin Siddiqui), a younger Muslim man eager to learn/succeed. I enjoyed the slow reveal of Shaikh’s life- he’s got a fascinating story under that big grin.  His character’s struggles and yearnings embody that of many modern, urban men.  Siddiqui (still in his 30s), played a pivotal role in Midnight’s Children, and is an actor to watch.   Nimrat Kaur is very easy to relate to; I’d never seen her before.  She had a make-under for this role; she’s a very glamorous woman in real life.  Irrfan Khan continues to (quietly) create magic- he simply becomes the character!  He still has a long career ahead (only in his mid-40s).  This  is a must-see!