Lemon Tree

Director: Eran Reklis
Starring: Hiam Abbass, Ali Suliman, Rona Lipaz-Michael, Doron Tavory
Year: 2008

**

An Iserli film about an Iserli Minister of Defense having to face a lemon grove owned by a lonely, quiet Palestine woman who has tended the land for 50 years.

In the name of security, a lot of things happen. But the real battles are fought internally, or with eyes and unspoken words. Abbass is a master with such expression. She draws the audience close, but keeps them at an aloof distance sinultaneously. It's... beautiful to watch her skill. Lipaz-Michael is a match! She plays her role as quietly as Abbass presents hers. Both women are powerful in their presence.

The artistic beauty is not lacking, though there is nothing that striked me more than the wall. How immense and frail a wall can be...

Don't doubt lemons!

**

Rate: 7/10

Hunger

Director: Steve McQueen
Starring: Michael Fassbender, Liam Cunnigham
Year: 2008

**

The sensuality of this film is so intense I'd warn you if you have a weak stomach... at least, don't eat too much before.

What's strange and captivating is that it's horrifying but so... beautiful in its ugliness. The level of artistry somehow... ~glorifies~ the otherwise disgusting... things that are shown.

The 17 min shot is... fantastic. It is the crux of the film, and also the single piece of dialogue you'll hear uptil that point and after that point. There is a lot of silence... and it's perfect.

Hollywood might be a little scared seeing this film!

**

Rate: 9/10

The Invention of Lying

Director: Ricky Gervais, Matthew Robinson
Starring: Ricky Gervais, Jennifer Garner, Jonah Hill, Louis C.K., Christopher Guest, Rob Lowe, Tina Fey
Year: 2009

**

My humor isn't exactly deep. I laugh a lot. But not for the same reasons a groomed American would. And I accept it. This is a brilliant comedy, but I probably didn't get half the things going on...

What I did get was the fantastic deadpan artistry of Gervais, the uber cuteness of Garner and the utter satire of the whole thing. Look for the pizza commandments! And 'The Quiet Place to Think about The Man in The Sky." And Gervais' bear story. And all that!


Go ahead, laugh. It's good for you.

**

Rate: 7/10

This Revolution (2005)

Director: Stephen Marshall
Starring: Rosario Dawson, Nathan Crooker, Amy Redford

The idea behind this film is solid, but its delivery is disappointing. This low-budget semi-documentary, semi-film is set in New York City during the 2004 Presidential Election, amid a politically divided nation with growing civil unrest in connection to the widespread opposition of US military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The events unfold as a young journalist, working for a large media corporation, is assigned the task of covering the anti-State, anarchist, Constitutionalist, and the collective urban underground revolution against the Bush Administration's imperial foreign policy. Little does he know the hidden motives of his corporate superiors as he discovers he's fueling the very powers he's attempting to fight.

Distracting side plots aside, there are some really nice scenes of riots and protests and clashes with NYPD, but its delivery was disappointing and anti-climatic. The idea and concept behind this film is what gives it value, but I think a lot more could have been done to deliver a real adrenaline punch.

B- for acting and screenplay.
C for directing.
B- for plot.

The Fountain

Director: Darren Aronofsky
Starring: Huge Jackman, Rachel Weisz
Year: 2006

**

"Did you like it?" she asked as I check it back it. "Yes, it was alright." I smiled back. "I really liked it... it was so sad!" she sighed.

It doesn't irk me much when people like sad things, but it irks me that it's the only thing that people sometimes judge a film after. To me, "sad" would be the last adjective to use on this work.

Death, to me, is fascinating, and Aronofsky only intensifies the fascination with his own twisted imagination! The most attractive aspect was the layout of the simple plot. Your brow is perhaps wrinkled in confusion when you start the film, but as the pieces fit togehter slowly, you might find yourself laughing at the simplicity of it all. I personally revel when all the parts are neatly tied by your mind as the ending credits are rolling.

Jackman is fantastic, and Weisz is such a queen... watching them perform is beautiful... Love is so real in their hands.

And so, finish it.

**

Rate: 7/10

The Hurt Locker

Director: Kathryn Bigelow
Starring: Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie, Brain Geraghty
Year: 2009

**

I have generally avoided war films focusing on the current ongoings in Iraq. The politics give me a bad headache. But this one isn't about Washington like "Lions for Lambs." And it isn't exactly a film of heroism as much as it is about the humaness and skill of the men on the front.

I was immediately drawn to the fact that I could see everything around the focal point of the camera, as if I had a perfect 360 view... there wasn't a single corner missing in some of the most intense scenes. Also impressive was the perfection of watching a bomb blow up and seeing the effect it had on dust particles on the hood of rusted cars. I wish I had seen this in the theatre... I am sure the experience would have been priceless. The only other film that had me feeling like this is "Rendition," also a work of perfection visually.

All three major actors played their part well, resonating with the character in thought, expression, blood and sweat! Renner's was a face to see in front of a row of cereal boxes.

See it! It will not disappoint.

**

Rate: 8/10

Land and Freedom (1996)

Oh boy, what a treat. A hidden gem from the 90s. A story of love, war, and passion.

Deep in the middle of the Spanish Civil War of the 1930s, this is the story of a truly grassroots movement for freedom. A local militia, composed of people of various blue collar backgrounds in 1930s Spain, unite under a common banner. Fighting fascism and the corporatism that had come to power it, the story of these freedom fighters for the empowerment of the working classes continually reminds you of the well-known words of wisdom: give me liberty, or give me death.

Although there are some slow parts, the group encounters a number of setbacks and challenges from powers far greater than them. It's at this point where the film does a remarkable job of depicting what a united effort of fighting for individual civil liberties is capable of doing. Overall very inspiring.


A- for acting and screenplay.
A- for plot.
A- for directing.