Category: film

5 Best Documentaries I watched in 2023-2024 And You Should

WLeave a comment

1. The Settlers (inside the Jewish settlements)

Scary look at the mentality of the Jewish settlers in Israel. A Jewish version of ISIS. More dangerously, it has manifested itself today into the burning of villages and killings innocent Palestinians by the settlers in the West Bank in 2023, which then lead to Hamas retaliation on October 7, 2023, and consequently started the Gaza Genocide which is still on going with over 40,000 civilian deaths mostly women and children so far.

It is a must watch to understand the complexity of the region and the mentality of what is forming the State of Israel.

2. Chimp Empire | Mahershala Ali on Netflix

Enter into the world of our closest cousin. We have 98% same DNA. Understanding them is understanding some of our basic instincts. The largest group of chimpanzees ever discovered have built a complex society deep in the forest of Ngogo, Uganda — but ambition and neighboring rivals threaten to destabilize their empire. Narrated by Academy Award® Winner Mahershala Ali and directed by Academy Award® winner James Reed, Co-Director of My Octopus Teacher.

3. My Octopus Teacher

A filmmaker forges an unusual friendship with an octopus living in a South African kelp forest, learning as the animal shares the mysteries of her world. Gives you a new perspective to look at all creatures around us at a time of environmental crisis.

4. Lakota Nation vs. United States

A provocative, visually stunning testament to a land and a people who have survived removal, exploitation and genocide – and whose best days are yet to come.

5. Navalny

Well, he is dead now. But this documentary was made before his mysterious death in a Russian prison. Poison always leaves a trail. The fly-on-the-wall documentary follows Russian opposition leader, Alexey Navalny, through his political rise, attempted assassination and search to uncover the truth.

Three Movies to Watch by Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne

WLeave a comment

Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne are Belgian filmmakers known for their work in the world of contemporary cinema. They were born in Engis, Belgium, with Jean-Pierre being born on April 21, 1951, and Luc being born on March 10, 1954. The Dardenne brothers have collaborated throughout their careers and are often referred to as the Dardenne brothers in the film industry.

The Dardenne brothers gained international recognition for their distinct filmmaking style, characterized by their realistic portrayals of working-class individuals and their social and ethical concerns. They are known for their focus on social realism, highlighting the struggles and challenges faced by ordinary people in society.

Their films often explore themes such as poverty, unemployment, immigration, and the moral dilemmas faced by their characters. The Dardenne brothers employ handheld cameras and long takes to create an intimate and immersive cinematic experience for the audience. Their approach aims to capture the authenticity and emotional depth of their characters’ lives.

Some of their notable works include “La Promesse” (1996), “Rosetta” (1999), “The Son” (2002), “L’Enfant” (2005), “The Kid with a Bike” (2011), and “Two Days, One Night” (2014). Their films have received critical acclaim and have won numerous awards at prestigious film festivals, including the Cannes Film Festival, where they have won the Palme d’Or, the festival’s highest honor, twice.

Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne’s films have made a significant impact on the world of cinema, showcasing their commitment to social issues and their ability to create powerful and thought-provoking storytelling.

1. Two Days, One Night 2014

2. Rosetta 1999

3. Tori and Lokita 2022

10 Oscar Nominated Films to Watch Now!

WLeave a comment

All Quiet on the Western Front

All Quiet on the Western Front tells the gripping story of a young German soldier on the Western Front of World War I. Paul and his comrades experience first-hand how the initial euphoria of war turns into desperation and fear as they fight for their lives, and each other, in the trenches. The film from director Edward Berger is based on the world renowned bestseller of the same name by Erich Maria Remarque.

Holy Spider

2023 Oscar® Selection, Denmark
Female  journalist  Rahimi  (Zar Amir Ebrahimi)  travels  to  the  Iranian  holy  city  of  Mashhad  to investigate  a  serial  killer  who  believes  he  is  doing  the  work  of  God,  cleansing  the  streets  of sinners  by  murdering  sex  workers.  As  the  body  count  mounts,  and  Rahimi  draws  closer  to exposing his crimes, the opportunity for justice grows harder to attain as the ‘Spider Killer’ is embraced  by  many  as  a  hero.  Based  on  the  horrific  true  story  of  serial  killer  Saeed  Hanaei, acclaimed  writer-director  Ali  Abbasi  (BORDER)  unveils  a  gripping  crime  thriller,  and  a  daring indictment of a society in which rough justice is routinely a fact of life.

ALcarras

2023 Oscar® Selection, Spain
In a small Catalonian village, the peach farmers of the Solé family spend every summer together picking fruit from their orchard. But when new plans arise to install solar panels and cut down trees, this tight-knit group suddenly faces eviction — and the loss of far more than their home. Winner of the Golden Bear at Berlinale, the sophomore film from Carla Simón (SUMMER 1993) is a sun-dappled, deeply moving ensemble portrait of the countryside and a community’s unbreakable bonds.

The Blue Caftan

2023 Oscar® Selection, Morocco
Halim is one of the few enduring maalems, or master tailors, in one of Morocco’s oldest quarters. Along with his wife Mina, he runs a traditional caftan store and services demanding clientele. But when a talented apprentice is hired to help keep up with orders, the young man’s presence and effect on the closeted Halim finally force the couple to face the truth about their relationship. The Blue Caftan is a sensitive, perspective-shifting ode to cultural tradition and the craft of love.

RETURN TO SEOUL

2023 Oscar® Selection, Cambodia
Freddie (Park Ji-Min), a young French woman, finds herself spontaneously tracking down the South Korean birth parents she has never met while on vacation in Seoul. From this seemingly simple premise, Cambodian-French filmmaker Davy Chou spins an unpredictable, careering narrative that takes place over the course of several years, always staying close on the roving heels of its impetuous protagonist, who moves to her own turbulent rhythms (as does the galvanizing Park, a singular new screen presence). Chou elegantly creates probing psychological portraiture from a character whose feelings of unbelonging have kept her at an emotional distance from nearly everyone in her life; it’s an enormously moving film made with verve, sensitivity, and boundless energy.

CLOSE

2023 Oscar® Selection, Belgium
Leo and Remi are two thirteen-year-old best friends, whose seemingly unbreakable bond is suddenly, tragically torn apart. Winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival, Lukas Dhont’s second film is an emotionally transformative and unforgettable portrait of the intersection of friendship and love, identity and independence, and heartbreak and healing.

All the Beauty and the Bloodshed

Directed by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Laura Poitras, All the Beauty and the Bloodshed is an epic, emotional and interconnected story about internationally renowned artist and activist Nan Goldin told through her slideshows, intimate interviews, ground-breaking photography, and rare footage of her personal fight to hold the Sackler family accountable for the overdose crisis.

All That Breathes

As legions of birds fall from New Delhi’s darkening skies, and the city smoulders with social unrest, two brothers race to save a casualty of the turbulent times: the black kite, a majestic bird of prey essential to their city’s ecosystem.

Navalny

Poison always leaves a trail. The fly-on-the-wall documentary follows Russian opposition leader, Alexey Navalny, through his political rise, attempted assassination and search to uncover the truth. #Navalny

BONUS

EO

EO, a gray donkey with melancholic eyes and a curious spirit, begins life as a circus performer before escaping across the Polish and Italian countryside, where he encounters a troubled young priest, a Countess, a rowdy soccer team, and experiences society’s cultural and environmental ills, all on his journey to freedom. Winner of the Jury Prize at Cannes 2022, and Poland’s entry for the 2023 Academy Awards.

The Quiet Girl 

#TheQuietGirl, is a delicate drama that follows a shy nine-year-old who has been separated from her immediate family and left in the care of two distant relatives for the summer. After sun-dappled days spent milking cows, peeling potatoes and fetching water from the well, the Initially uncommunicative child soon opens up to her foster parents. Textural and tender, this award-winning film shows that home is where you feel loved.

10 films to watch in 2022

WLeave a comment

10. The Last Duel

The Last Duel is a historical action drama film directed by Ridley Scott from a screenplay by Nicole Holofcener, Ben Affleck, and Matt Damon, based on the 2004 book The Last Duel: A True Story of Crime, Scandal, and Trial by Combat in Medieval France by Eric Jager.

I would not have added this to my list if it wasn’t that the events leading up to the duel are divided into three distinct chapters, reflecting the contradictory perspectives of the three main characters. This is a depiction of every human story, when there exists different perspectives about them from the same members of the event, sometimes contradictory. I think that applies to all stories from history. If we keep that in mind when reading stories from history, we will give some space for difference in prespective.

Continue reading “10 films to watch in 2022” →

Top 5 Documentaries I watched in 2021-2022

WLeave a comment

First of all, you might think, why 2021-2002 and why now? Well, I have a planner that is my assistant, my manager, my coach, and my mentor … it is called the W Planner, and since it is undated and customizable, I make my “planning year” equal to 11 months (winning a month a year in planning). So the 2021-2022 year was from August 2021 to June 2022, and hence I have made my lists at the end of this “W Planner Year”.

Here are the list from bottom to top:

5. Road Runner

It’s not where you go. It’s what you leave behind… Chef, writer, adventurer, provocateur: Anthony Bourdain lived his life unabashedly.

4. At Berkley

If you don’t know Frederick Wiseman (born January 1, 1930), then you don’t know documentary film making. He is an American filmmaker, documentarian, and theater director. His work is “devoted primarily to exploring American institutions”.[1] He has been called “one of the most important and original filmmakers working today”.

Wiseman uses Observational Mode to craft the theme of the film, which is a prominent style within direct cinema but he doesn’t like to agree:

What I try to do is edit the films so that they will have a dramatic structure. That is why I object to some extent to the term “observational cinema” or cinéma vérité, because observational cinema, to me at least, connotes just hanging around with one thing being as valuable as another, and that is not true. At least, that is not true for me, and cinéma verité is just a pompous French term that has absolutely no meaning as far as I’m concerned. Wiseman has been known to describe his films as “Reality Fictions”, usually in defense that his films are pieces of art

If you are not used to cinema verite, then be ready to be bored to death, unless that is what you are looking for .. being submerged in the topic of the film … in this case it is University of California at Berkley.

3. The Alpinist

I get rock climbing and solo climbing and free climbing when you become a hero and a brand ambassador … but being a solo free climber breaking world records one after the other with hating cameras or celebrity .. that was shocking to me.

I could not stop watching this documentary once I started, and it ends with an existential shock, which I won’t give away for you.

2. The Mole Agent

It is not clear if this is a documentary or a film, but I would like to consider it a documentary. If you have a member of the family growing old, or if you have the concern of being old one day and entering into a nursing home, it is important to take a moment to be there within this documentary, that will make you rethink the meanings of life.

1. I Am Greta

One of the iconic faces of the 21st century bringing the topic of global warming to its appropriate level of urgency. We will remember her more if Global Warming doesn’t stop and we and our children suffer the consequences.

She has done her part. What are you doing?

Best 5 Shows I Watched in 2021-2022

WLeave a comment

5. Call Soul Season 5

Dark, and entertainingly disappointing at times, Call Soul gets too close to comfort but then always manages to depart. A show that will leave you neither happy nor sad. You are not happy because no ending is happy in its numerous intertwined stories; You are not sad because at least it is only a show.

4. Inventing Anna

True story that continues till today to unfold. A classical millennial mix up between reality and delusion, and pop culture unquenched pursuit of fame and luxury.

3. The Squid Game

Existential game that is riddled with symbolism, and too cruel to leave you waiting for the next episode. A game of life, obsessive to teenagers and adults alike.

2. Narcos Mexico Season 3 and 4

1. Lake Ozark Season 4

Leaves you wanting more. It will indulge you to the point of hate and love together. Morality is extremely pragmatic and the whole show rotates around moral judgements and entangles you in them.