Tag: Movies

Movie reviews

Arabian Sights Film Festival (OCT 16-25)

EmmaLeave a comment

Hey all,

It’s Fall, which means cooler weather and better movies than the past Summer (which is generally geared toward 12 y.o. boys).  It’s also time for film festivals (here in the DC area)!  Last December, I reviewed Rock the Casbah, which was one of the films in the Arabian Sights Film Festival.  Omar Sharif has a cameo in the film.

Official web site of the festival: http://www.filmfestdc.org/arabiansights/index.cfm

*NOTE: All films will be shown at AMC Mazza Gallerie (5300 Wisconsin Ave, NW, Washington, DC 20015); metro riders need to get off at the Friendship Heights station and walk out using the Western Ave exit.

Below are trailers/some info re: the films that I’m MOST interested in:

The Intruder (SUN, 10/18, 5PM)

A Dutch cop of Moroccan descent goes deep undercover to infiltrate a drug-trafficking Moroccan family. The deeper he embeds himself in the family’s inner circles, the more he realizes a sense of belonging and a feeling of brotherhood that has until now eluded him. It is then he begins to question his allegiance to the police force he pledged to serve. 

Eyes of a Thief (FRI, 10/23, 6:30PM)

After ten years in prison, Tarek is desperate to find his daughter who was an infant when he was imprisoned. A lawless lifestyle seems to have seeped into ten-year old Malak, whom Tarek suspects is his estranged daughter. But her adoptive mother is being forced into an arranged marriage with the town’s main businessman with whom Tarek seems to have unfinished business.

Spread the word to those who enjoy intelligent, international cinema!

Thanks for reading,

EMMA

What Should I Watch NOW?

EmmaLeave a comment
  • The Affair (Showtime) – My 2nd blog post on S1 Eps 6-10 will be up soon.  S2 premieres SUN, OCT 4th- YAY!
  • Alpha House (Amazon Prime) – 2 seasons are now up; you can’t go wrong w/ John Goodman; fans of Homicide (like me), will get a treat in seeing Clark Johnson.
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The leads of Alpha House: Who knew REPUBLICANS could be so much FUN!?”
  • Aziz Ansari Live at Madison Square Garden (Netflix) – Who DOESN’T love this guy!?
  • Being Mary Jane (BET/Netflix) – 2 seasons are now up on Netlix; this is a MUST-SEE drama starring the (always FAB) Gabrielle Union; better and even more realistic than Girls & SATC) read my review of S1 here.
  • Black Mirror (Netflix) – Read my review here.
  • Broadchurch (BBC/PBS/Netflix) – Read my review of S1 here.
  • Catastrophe (Amazon Prime) – This show is INSANE… and insanely good; see it RIGHT NOW!!!  Carrie Fisher has a recurring role, too!
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Catastrophe is written by Sharon Horgan (Irish) & Rob Delaney (former theater actor/comic).
  • Daredevil (Netflix) – It’s more like a cop show, NOT a typical superhero one.  This is a MUST-SEE for L&O: CI/Vincent D’Onofrio fans!
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In Daredevil, Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio) is the supervillain who’s awkward w/ women.
  • Empire (FOX/Hulu) – Read my review here.
  • The Fall (Netflix) – Read my review here.
  • Fruitvale Station (Netflix) – A slice-of-life film about Oscar Grant (Michael B. Jordan), a young dad who was killed by a transit cop in San Fran; his mom is played by Octavia Spencer.
  • Grace and Frankie (Netflix) – Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, Martin Sheen & Sam Waterston (WOW, what a cast!) star in this SMART/FUNNY life-after-divorce comedy.
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Grace (Jane Fonda) tries online dating… & meets an overeager beau in Grace and Frankie.
  • Happy Valley (BBC/Netflix) – Read my review here.
  • House of Cards (Netflix) – 3 seasons are now out; def check out S1 (if you don’t have a LOTTA time)!
  • Orange is the New Black  (Netflix) – MUST-SEE for anyone who wants to see diversity/women/& just LOL.
  • The Politician’s Husband (BBC/Netlfix) – A UK miniseries that shows us a V different side of David Tennant, who gets caught up in his ambitions, along w/ his wife, played by Emily Watson.
  • The Slap (Netflix) – I watched the original Aussie version of this miniseries; it’s got a large/diverse cast incl. two FAB ladies: Sophie Okonedo (Brit; Hotel Rwanda) & Melissa George (Aussie; In Treatment: S1).  Each ep is told from a different perspective.
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Essie Davis, Melissa George, & Sophie Okonedo play lifelong pals in The Slap.

Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation (NOW PLAYING)

EmmaLeave a comment

NOTE: This is a SPOILER-FREE review.

I went to see this action film b/c it was FREE (w/ my movie Meetup)!  LOL… I’m NOT a big fan of Tom Cruise, BUT I don’t loathe him (like SO many out there).  I was (pleasantly) surprised that I had a GOOD time; the same goes for the ladies in my group (we’re ALL female, BTW).

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Tom Cruise and Rebecca Ferguson star in “Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation.”

I was esp. glad to see a strong female counterpoint to Cruise in the form of Swedish actress Rebecca Ferguson (who plays a Brit).  Yes, she’s a beautiful lady, BUT she is also tall, muscular/solid build, and does some AWESOME stunts!  Is her character a good spy or a baddie?  It takes a BIT of time for that to be revealed. She and Cruise have TERRIFIC onscreen chemistry.  FYI: This is her FIRST big movie role.

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Actress Rebecca Ferguson at a premiere for the film.

As for the men, I liked Simon Pegg’s computer expert character- he provided a LOT of the humor.  Jeremy Renner- don’t know WHY this guy keeps getting cast in big movies!?  The poor guy just has NO screen presence; forget about ever being a leading man.  Ving Rhames is underused, as is Alec Baldwin (looking good, as always).  Baldwin has one of the funniest lines in the film though.

The soundtrack is one of the BEST things about this movie; one (well-known) piece of opera is woven throughout a pivotal scene.  Also, everyone likes hearing the MI theme song, right?

Check out The Super Fantastic Nerd Hour podcast (Episode 72) if you’ve seen this film and want to hear an in-depth review.

Inside Out (NOW PLAYING) starring the voices of Amy Poehler, Lewis Black & Mindy Kaling

EmmaLeave a comment

Lava_Pixar_short

NOTE: This is a SPOILER-FREE review.

I saw “Inside Out” at a free pre-screening w/ my movie Meetup (all ladies) and a large group of press folks (who were pretty quiet during the film, which is common).  Before the main attraction, we saw a short film (“Lava”) about a lonely volcano that wants to have someone to love.  I’m NOT sure if this story was based on a Hawaiian folk tale.  There was a song all through the short, which was cute and catchy.

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I went in NOT knowing much about the film, BUT I liked it!  Some critics say it’s the best thing since “Toy Story,” which was a big hit for Pixar.  I suggest it for kids 10 and up, especially, as it deals w/ themes that MAY go over the heads of the younger crowd.  There is also a LOT for grown-ups to enjoy.

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Riley, an 11 y.o. girl, goes through a period of displacement and sadness after moving from her suburban home in Minnesota to an apartment in San Francisco.  Aside from Riley, the main characters are the emotions inside her head: Joy (Amy Poehler), Sadness (Phyllis Smith), Anger (Lewis Black), Disgust (Mindy Kaling), and Fear (Bill Hader).  I wanted to see this mainly b/c I’m a fan of Black and Kaling. 

In the beginning, everyone was bummed out by how Sadness (who is blue, wears a turtleneck) was acting, BUT we know that people can’t always be happy.  Riley has to get used to her new room, new school and classmates, and missing her best friend.  She finds it VERY difficult to be her usual positive self, even though she knows that’s what her parents (voiced by Diane Lane and Kyle McLachlan) want.  Joy tries hard to get Sadness out of the way, BUT an accident pulls these two main emotions away from the control room.