ijazahmadaqsa Reviews

Corbin Nash (2018)

Needs a Lot of Work

[3/10 · 21 April 2018]

The movie is low budget, the writing is shoddy and the acting is okay. It's nothing special. I tried very hard to watch this movie. I read the reviews that were very positive and took a chance on it and really regretted my decision to watch it.

It has a lot of promise, the sound effects were spot on, the B roll was excellent but the movie really disappoints in the A roll, the acting and the editing. I became really frustrated with the way the A roll was shot for this movie. In the first 10 minutes of the movie they don't consider framing to be important, so things that need to be wide angled are shot closely and things that are shot closely are wide angled. It makes no artistic or functional sense.

There's a dialogue scene in the first 10 minutes where the main character is speaking to another influential character and the acting is just....poor. There is no tension, there is no real emotion being shown, it's like they told the main actor to act conflicted and he took that to mean act as if he was constipated! The line delivery in that conversation was so poor, the timing so bad, I wonder if the person who cast these roles even cared!

Then there's the editing. Oh God, the editing. In that same conversation they switch the A roll (primary shots) between the two characters for every line they speak. For roughly 3 minutes you have the camera going right-left, left-right, back and forth for every....single....line of dialogue, without any transition, it's almost all straight cuts. They do use L and J cuts but sparingly. If you're epileptic and can be triggered, I'd avoid this movie at all costs.

I'll try to watch it again, because I've never felt the need to write such a negative review of a movie before. I want to be fair to the people who worked on this movie, but from my first watch, it was terrible.

Mute (II) (2018)

A Masterpiece

[10/10 · 23 February 2018]

A Clockwork Orange (1971), Blade Runner (1982), Brazil (1985), Strange Days (1995), Moon (2009), Drive (2011), Zero Theorem (2013), Blade Runner 2049 (2017).

If you've seen any of the above movies, then you will absolutely love and be thrilled with Mute. It has countless references to the above movies in so many ways that for those who haven't seen those classic dystopian films, this movie will not make much sense both story-wise and stylistically.

The story-line may confuse a lot of people, but the pay-off it delivers is absolutely stunning and transcendent. The silence of the main character (Leo) is a thrilling plot device in and of itself, hence the very name of the movie. I would suggest the people who had a problem with the silence of the main character watch Drive (2011), you'll get your answers there.

The run time at over just 2 hours might be daunting for a lot of people, but like Blade Runner 2049 the length of the movie is worth it given the expansive story-line and its various important and dramatic subplots. The movie requires patience, it's not flashy, it's not quick, it's a slow burn that is worth it. I have a feeling that the same folks who dislike the slow-burn have not seen or liked Blade Runner 2049 or Brazil (1985), it's on par with Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011) which is highly regarded as a masterpiece in and of itself.

The soundtrack is beautiful, combined with a cinematography that is absolutely spot on and perfect. Altogether, the story-line, soundtrack and cinematography deliver a powerful movie that draws from highly respected classic films and this is where it would lose most audiences because of its complex callbacks to the aforementioned movies. I agree, it's not for everyone but for those who appreciate the kind of cyber-punk dystopian, slow-burn movies listed above then you will absolutely love and enjoy Mute (2018).

War for the Planet of the Apes (2017)

Lazy Writing, Slow Paced, Could've Been Better

[4/10 · 16 July 2017]

If you know the Biblical story about Moses, then that's this movie.

Essentially, Caeser the ape is like the leader of an oppressed people (the Israelites). They are taken as slaves by the humans, to build a wall (Egyptians forcing Israelites to build cities). They are whipped and tortured by the humans, until a plague (surprise surprise) kills their leader (the human army Colonel).

An army of humans come to the place where the apes are and are killed by an avalanche that destroys the human army (much like the Red Sea drowning the Egyptians). Then Caeser the ape leads the freed ape slaves (Israelites) across the desert...to the promised (a new) land. Before joining them, Caeser dies, as Moses died before setting foot in the promised land.

All in all, it's the story of Moses, the Israelites and the Egyptians, but with apes replacing the Israelites.

Lazy writing!

Brazil (1985)

Entertaining, Informative and Thought Provoking - A Must See

[9/10 · 30 September 2014]

Note: This review may contain spoilers but I've been very vague and non-specific.

This film merges some Huxleyan ideas well with some twists to the more common and prevalent Orwellian views of the world. Gilliam really paints a fantastic futuristic world bogged down by bureaucracy and political intrigue. While Orwell constantly paints a world of an outside threat that kept the proletarian and party members in line, Huxley painted a world where individual freedom was not cared or sought after because they (the populace) were led to believe their future had already been perfected and the only threat to their person was non-conformity.

The Orwellian view of a bureaucratic nightmare is mixed well with a Huxleyan threat of unrestricted personal investment and non- conformity within the society as opposed to restricted and checked personal ambition, which the former, in the end served to bring about Sam's end. In a world where the person must restrict his personal needs, wants and rights (remember SUSPICION BREEDS CONFIDENCE) for the greater good of a bureaucracy that is working for the people because of an unmitigated and constant threat; Gilliam has harmonized these two world views into a masterpiece.

At least, that is how I view it.

The world's design, colours and music brings to life a very brutalist world that otherwise would seem dark and depressing. Freedom of thought or having the ability to think for one's self in this world is shied upon, while monitoring or being suspicious of others seems to be encouraged if not a foremost priority of the state itself. This movie raises important questions about the role and function of government, the purpose of free thought and throws into that mix, the issues of unrestricted ambition and its subsequent perils.

Without a doubt, you can watch this movie for just entertainment and you will be entertained. Be warned though, if you watch it once, the movie will captivate you. There will be a second or third viewing, and with each new viewing, you'll discover something new, something interesting, something beautiful. It's a must see.