Change Your Image
MidooAshraaf
Reviews
El Ghaleb Ghaleb (2024)
El Tabe3y Ghaleb (The nature is dominant)
I've always believed not to judge a book by its cover, but this time the rule does not apply.
When I watched the first teaser of the show I was excited that we finally establishing our first efforts in the performative-documentary-reality-shows in The Middle East, but after watching only the first two episodes I'm hesitated should I even take it seriously and review it professionally?
First rule of reality shows is the viewer shouldn't feel like it's all made up, but you gonna notice that all the show is fake and they're making very hard efforts to make you get into Hadia's experience, but you gonna feel how fake it's because obviously... the main character is fake!
Technically the show makers failed to make me feel the the reenactments are real, I can tell how fabricated this was, even when they tried their hard to put this within the dramatic line (which is silly btw and not worthy to watch), she and her family are bad actors so filmmakers shouldn't think about reenacting style.
Although I'm Egyptian, I didn't know much about Hadia before the show, but I can feel how poor-human-being she's and even not worthy to continue in her journey unless there's a huge plot-twist at the end of the show.
The videography and the editing style doesn't support the dramatic sequence, as they're so much set up like a fiction film.
Finally, if you're a documentary aholic like me, you'll find yourself mocking the project instead of being proud of it. And if you're a fan of Hadia you'd probably continue watching the first few episodes until you decide it's enough for fake acting.
Giving this 2 out of 10 only because we need to see more attempts.
To Kill a Tiger (2022)
Despite the difficulties...this movie is just amazing
Under normal circumstances, viewers from first and even second world countries would not understand the difficulty of producing a non-fiction film in the most conservative, intolerant, and stubborn environments, but fortunately this film documented that.
The film perfectly captured the long journey of a father's fight for his daughters who were raped, with all the difficulties you will understand through the film.
All the elements that entered into the film were of high importance to the context of the story to complete an ideal format for documenting one of the most important stories that you deserve to see in your life.
The filmmakers took good care of the ethical issues during production.
The only reservation for me is that the film gave too little space to the girl herself around whom the film's story revolves, and the greatest interest was in the father's journey to defend her right and the journey of some civil institutions to intervene in rural society and confront the destructive common ideas in it.
For me, this movie deserved the 2023's academy award.
Sirens (2022)
Not music documentary or a documentary about a band... so what it's?
Undoubtedly if you expect a music documentary you will be very disappointed, but this is not the filmmakers' trespass because they didn't pledge any music-genre film.
So is this a movie about a band?
At one point during the film it may seem like a documentary about a band, but also it's not, because you'll finish the film with nothing you knew about the band.
The film only captures the story of two main characters from a female-metal-band in a society that still shows something of conservatism. Lebanon is far more culturally open country compared to its neighbors, so you won't understand wither this movie about the culture challenges that could face a female metal band? But this is not well introduced and captured in the film.
Is it about the freedom of emotional practices in the country? But this is a case discussed timidly during the film.
Is it about the relationship between two main characters in the band? Maybe
I think that the film is about all of that but very cursory with a technique will not satisfy your ambitions. And the usual cliché scenes of revolution and demonstrations in the Arab world without using them in a real way within the context of the story.
Finally I found the film tickles my desire to know the stories, but does not satisfy it, just like a large number of teen indie films in the Arab world.
And I quote from another review "interesting but noting much"
What Jennifer Did (2024)
An average crime documentary
Very good production design but with few story production material and this is the result!
Only scenes from Jennifer's interview worth to be watched and contemplated, the other interviews is lifeless with few footage about Jennifer herself but only footage about the investigators and police chiefs that makes you feel the film is about their work and not an attempt to discuss a crime about a young girl and trying to get into her mixed, complex and deviant feelings which led her to commit this crime.
The film doesn't have a lot of plot twists or introductory scenes and that's maybe it's forgivable for the crew because there probably aren't many archival scenes of the girl and the story is straightforward and not serving any twists.
20 Days in Mariupol (2023)
If you're looking for a film, sorry this is not
I started watching this documentary with big expectations about non fiction film, dramatic threads in the twenty-day journey under siege in Mariupol that leads to a film out of these stories, but all I found was a-day-to-day Press video clips that were previously broadcasted and now it's compiled to make an audio narration for the clips with voice over instead of news broadcaster commentary, and very shallow pieces of stories.
War always generates many stories, and this was discussed superficially. Even the story of the city itself was discussed in a journalistic and not dramatic manner.
My expectation would have leveled up to "Winter on Fire: Ukraine's Fight for Freedom - 2015" which is one of my all time best and unfortunately didn't win the oscar.
Anonyma - Eine Frau in Berlin (2008)
So far from Marta
I watched the movie the same day I fonoshed readind the diary
I loved the book so much, the movie wasn't that good, many important events were not captured in the movie
Although in cinema you have more factors to attract and affect the audience, but the director messed it, the main important thing for me was Marta's complicated feelings during her journey to survive not the rape scenes, I felt it so much in the book but not in the movie
Unfortunately I expected more for one of the most important historical diaries ever in my opinion when you can live the author's life and know how much war costs in your soul.
Fi Altariq Le West Elbalad (2011)
Fondling the heart of my memory
As a downtown rambler, this is not a showing off by the director, this film touches a part started fading out of my memory after 9 years of the revolution changes. A film with a mixture between freedom and chaos.. correlation and heartbreak.. legacy and modern joy.
With a variety of characters, you can absolutely feel the exclusivity of this place, with a flexible transitions between every movie-line.
If you haven't watched it yet, go ahead and have a great nostalgic trip. After watching it you will definitely look forward to visiting the places you seen in the film even if you know it well.
Twenty Feet from Stardom (2013)
Too long
Great topic, amazing cinematography, excellent editing, First i was so interested, but after 30 minutes I thought that it was too long to be a feature film!
Everything is brought back But with new artists.
Black Mirror: Men Against Fire (2016)
What the hell is going on with Netflix audiences!!!
People used to rate stuff as an epic! But when we have a serious case with an outstanding production, people underrate it!!
One of the greatest episodes ever, you should go back and rethink how this episode captures a serious crisis
Daisy Diamond (2007)
Daisy Difficult
One of the most difficult movies to be excited for the end, good story, bad storytelling
The Bridge (2006)
Media ethics!!
If you are looking for fame and controversy then don't care about media ethics and human feelings, the director made some tricks to build up a controversy content which is needed sometimes, but he doesn't care about the families and relatives who will see those painful scenes.. all that movie is built on lies
In Dire Need of Compassion (2017)
not that bad!
A great soundtracks that absolutely make you passionate, personally i have no problems with the black fades and long scenes, good director and Lighting technicians destroyed by a bad scenario and that makes me upset about their talents before my time