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MichaelKamalEzzat
Reviews
Nobody Loves You and You Don't Deserve to Exist (2022)
Navigating the garden of Earthly delights in the modern day
Very few are the films in which the narrative successfully channelled my inner rage towards some aspects of our society.
I'm not an Englishman. However, I was able to relate to the protagonist's rant throughout the film whether it was through young Jack who was brought to the screen through quite an absolutely fantastic performance by young man Reuben or whether it was through a slightly older Jack who goes on with another scorching monologue until we finally see the final rage-fuelled rant by old Jack whose performance was gut wrenchinly masterful.
It's an honest movie. Gritty and bleak just like the environment it captures within its beautiful frames. Reminding me of the works of Ken Loach and Lynne Ramsay who were able to capture the lives of the English underdogs who are now joined by the newly coming people from the nearly extinct middle class.
The script was outstanding and what made it stand out was the masterful performances that were able to carry those ranting monologues into the screen smoothly. Such a smart and relatable script that reminded me of the movie NAKED in a way.
I loved the extreme attention to the smallest visual details, the music, the production design.. everything was put in the right place to make a solid film that captures a crumbling society in the times of a pandemic that was able to expose the failure of the governments all over the world and show the world the aftermath of a society drowning in the late capitalism.
Gummo (1997)
A Disturbing sincere dramedy
A dark-humored messed-up sick tribute to all the instances of warmth in the hopeless world of the American people who missed the train of the American Dream.
Sorry to Bother You (2018)
A sneaky Socio-political WTF flick
A Fresh , Bizarre , Electrifying , WTF Comedy with a decent socio-political commentary that flew under the Radar.
Dylda (2019)
Another bleak Ode to the victims of Wars.
A powerful Ode to the unlucky human beings whose lives were wrecked through and after the second world war ,
It's a deeply heart-wrenching well-acted and shot russian Drama that nonetheless has some fleeting glimpses of heartfelt moments.
The New Pope (2020)
ABSURDRAMAGNIFICENT !!
How can something be
so cynical yet genial and warm ,
so emotional yet absurd and ludicrous ,
so weird yet relatable and familiar ,
so sacrilegious yet divine and reverent ,
Only Sorrentino knows as he outdoes himself ,
The dialogue is so smart , nearly every sentence is quotable ..
& The cinematography is jaw dropping , nearly every scene is a painting ..
& The music , DAMN , he uses it in a way that manipulates feelings , nearly every song gives the scene a new Sorrentinoesque dimension ,
& The acting is phenomenal , nearly everyone embodies their characters perfectly ..
John Malkovich & Jude Law are the popes , enough said ..
And that man Silvio Orlando, he brings Voiello -one of the most unforgettable characters- to life , Hats off to that legendary man ,
Thank you for a decent dose of creativity, Sorrentino.
The Young Pope (2016)
One of the coolest religious Dramedies of the decade
I remember watching it back in 2017 because It was from Sorrentino to see his take on Vatican and the Papacy , only to find out that he created
The coolest , smartest , most beautiful , absurdly blasphemous yet spiritually nourishing drama , Jude Law's charisma is unprecedented , he dominates the screen with his presence , everyone nailed it actually ,
Words fail me but this is highly recommended you just have to open your mind if you're christian like I did and not get easily offended,
then you're in for a surprise.
What Did Jack Do? (2017)
Just got Lynched
Five minutes into the film and I felt I'm watching some Artificial Intelligence generated dialogue/Interrogation , then I got hypnotized into the dreamworld of David Lynch , The Lynchian vivid world of dreams where you get lost within, only to realize after finishing your journey through it, that its echoes stay in some distant long forgotten room within your mind waiting for your mind to be clear so that they could get out of that room and tickle your brain cells with the genius of David Lynch who is one of a very few who're capable of making something that wholesome , perplexingly bizzare and absurd at the same time.
Undone (2019)
An aesthetically trippy ethereal cerebral journey through a cynical mind.
I stumbled upon the trailer for this (experience) a while ago , It got my attention though I thought they are using the rotoscoping technique as a gimmick and boy, I was wrong.
The series is an out-of-this-world experience , you are sailing through the vast ocean of the protagonist's mind ,
It's like an astral projection and the rotoscoping technique gives it a fluid like way of moving and sailing through existence and un-existence , dreams and reality, all accompanied by an exquisitely beautiful and ethereal score that reminded me of the late James Horner's score for (A Beautiful Mind) ... I really can't find the proper words to describe the beauty of it.
The casting was perfect , the script and the build-up were amazing ,
This is a piece of art that deserves more credit ,
And It has some of the trippiest and most beautiful sequences ever made.
A must see.
Spider-Man: Far from Home (2019)
Marvel's two-hour-therapeutic session for Endgame's PTSD
By now , In a well established Marvel Cinematic Universe, Any Marvel Production would be a fan favorite and get a wide critical appraisal .. Far from Home makes use of this and , yet, succeeds in pushing the bar even further being the last in phase three , wrapping a semi-perfect era in a decent way .. with the friendly neighborhood spider-man far from his neighborhood with his godfather/father-figure gone against Avengers-level-threats or so they seem (literally) ,
This is a funny high school summer vacation movie with a well established funny spider-man fighting self-doubt and his own demons and proving his eligibility to become the new Iron-Man , The movie is one of many good ways to end phase three , Marvel is continuing to outdo itself in pleasing the crowds and critics alike ,
With a funny smart script ,
Jaw dropping visuals (especially that Mysterio Deceptive illusions' sequence .. Damn .. talking about Dr. Strange Open your eyes level's visuals, here) ,
Decent performances ; the movie has Jake Gyllenhaal and Samuel L. Jackson , enough said ,
An iconic villain who is a true EDITAH
(Even Dead I'm the a**-hole)
I'm sure and happy to see more of him in the future,
A GREAT Mid-credit Scene and a mind-boggling Post credit Scene ,
which is a true Cliffhanger ,
We just miss the Peter Parker/Tony Stark chemistry , The MCU is missing RDJ already .
The verdict (and sorry for the messy review) :
Far from home is a decent funny super-hero movie which knows how to please fans and critics , wrapping up a semi-perfect phase in a smart fashion and subtly paving the road for Phase 4.
Suspiria (2018)
The most realistic footage ever recorded for nightmares
This is your opportunity for a glimpse at the realm of nightmarish imagery
It took me about nine months to watch Guadagnino's Suspiria although I have been waiting for it since they had announced Guadagnino is set to direct a remake to Suspiria which is a classic on its own and supposedly is in no need for a remake , and he didn't dissapoint.
This man knows how to deliver the feel of uneasiness , the violent gory unsettling imagery that seems to be the embodiment of someone's twisted nightmares ,
Thom Yorke and Johny Greenwood channeling their genius in the realm of horror is something I have been waiting for, the haunting Volk and the opening and final song ,DAMN .. They nailed it.
The changes made to the story had its merits and drawbacks , the final twist is among the drawbacks for me,
but overall they nailed it in the new take on the Original film's Mythology.
For me, being a big horror fan and it's nearly impossible for me to get scared , this movie could make my jaw drop open in many instances ,
I think this movie is another proof Guadagnino is a talented dedicated director because it isn't easy for a director to enter the world of horror movies and add his own touch like he did.
Joker (2019)
How psycopaths and serial killers are born
Joker wins its audience by giving its suffering protagonist a satisfying revenge, which is very good but nothing so significant or groundbreaking about it, Nothing except for Phoenix's tour-de-force performance.
The movie came out exactly as I had expected it to be , playing it safe in terms of the story, a pretty conventional one and the trailers obviously demonstrate that, How psycopaths are born? How the society with its cruelty brings out the worst -or maybe the innermost true identities- of human beings ?
Throughout the movie I thought it lacked the uniquely authentic vibes of Scorsese's Taxi Driver & The King of Comedy , Come on you had Phoenix himself , The man who gave one of the best performances I have ever seen in my life in The Master , but I think that's what you get when you -out of craving Hype- propose a daring idea like this to a big studio owning the rights to an exceptional character like DC's The Joker ,you won't make full use of Phoenix's talent, because whatever he does as the Joker , people will approve ..
This is my major problem with this movie , it is craving popularity .. People started comparing Phoenix to Ledger even before the movie came out ,
I think that movie would have worked as a character study away from DC ,
Now for Joaquin Phoenix's performance ,DAMN,
That man is unstoppable since The Master and you were never really here , He keeps pushing the boundaries and he doesn't seem to care about that ,
His crying laughter , his body performance and That scene towards the end of the movie when he shot Murray and then sat still tapping the floor with his feet and then walked around while smiling , I was mesmerized ,
That man is a living legend and he channels his real-life agony through his performance,I really can't find the words to praise it.
As for the Cinematography , JAW-DROPPING
The score suits the melancholic atmosphere of the movie
Todd Philips deserves the credit for giving the role to Phoenix but deserves the blame for directing a movie about the Joker which could have exceptional on its own as a comic book movie and Phoenix could have been any deranged serial killer/Psycopath in any movie and he
would be perfect as usual.
One other thing , Phoenix deserves an Oscar but I think he could be snubbed by the Academy because of the backlash the movie is getting for promoting violence, which I find absurd and silly of course
Midsommar (2019)
Getting Midsommarized: Everything happening around you is *ucked up and you are the only one that seems to notice
This is another proof why Aster is an innovative film-maker ,
Having been impressed by the obvious echoes of a rising new wave of horror in Hereditary ,I waited impatiently for Midsommar since they anounced it as his next movie , and the first trailer made the wait unbearable,
A group of american friends including a couple on the verge of a break-up travel to Sweden to attend a pagan festival , urine on their sacred trees , impregnate them, try their weed, eat their pubes, and eventually getting killed in an aesthetic way influenced by Fuller's Hannibal Lecter one by one as a punishment except for May Queen who had to witness all the madness unfold around her and get more and more fused with the crazy reality around her that is so far from normal till the moment of enlightment and clarity .
I think Aster excels in trying new techniques and invading new territories , Making horror in broad daylight (which I thought would be something new and maybe a gimmick but I found it contributing in positive way to the psychological horror faced by our protagonists, using graphic aesthetic violence that few dared to try and succeeded , the camera tricks while they were under the influence of drugs wass mesmerizing , subtle and well done ..
The sustained daylight even when it was supposed to be dark throughout the movie and the crazy bizzare rituals that are far away from normal yet that is considered to be logical and routine gave me a sense of psychological claustrophobia , I'm imprisoned with the protagonists in a secluded place with all sorts of crazy events that are considered normal by everyone except for us , that is well done psychological horror right there,
The foreshadowing throughout the movie for the ending was a little bit expected but I liked it anyway ,
Florence Pugh was very good,
The set design and Art direction was more than perfect,
I think Ari Aster is going places with his second (innovative) horror movie and he is about to join the ranks of people like Carpenter , Argento and Romero .. Maybe I'm exaggerating but I really hope He would prove me right in the next few years because we are witnessing a new wave of Horror Cinema and he could be one of its pioneers.
The Art of Self-Defense (2019)
Lanthimos meets Chazelle meets Ayoade in a black Comedy about Karate
Jesse Eisenberg snaps under pressure while trying to learn how to defend himself seems to be the role he was born to play in this absurd Drama/Black Comedy that seems to be influenced by Yorgos Lanthimos , the trailer makes it obvious but I wish the movie was that perfect.
This is another movie about lonely people that happens to be a black comedy as well , the exact type of movies that gets me , Eisenberg was the perfect choice although he reminded me of his role in Ayoade's The Double but he proved me wrong ,
Alessandro Nivola played a role that would join the ranks of Simmons in Whiplash , I had many callbacks to Whiplash but he added his own persona to that unforgettable character
Imogen Poots was beautiful and amazing as always although I think she needed more screen-time.
I enjoyed the movie , however, I wanted something more original from a premise like that , towards the end of the movie I felt something was off , I think the screenplay could have been way better , but anyway an entertaining movie that had its unforgettable moments.
Underground (1995)
The Break up of Yoguslavia visually illustrated
Well,I didn't know anything before about the history of Serbia and Yoguslavia and I never thought I would write about Underground ... Until before the last five minutes of the movies. The movie starts with a band playing music and two obviously hyperactive men dancing with the music , which sets the tone for the movie being comedy which is unconventional being a movie set during war. The events continue with a tone of surreal comedy evolving all along with a weak streak of drama which became extremely obvious towards the end concluding a perfect Black Comedy or tragicomedy. I won't talk much about the movie itself, just some random thoughts: Emir Kusturica set most of the underground scenes in a post-apocalyptic theme that reminded me of Jeunet's City of the lost children & Delicatessen. With the movie reaching towards the dark end and Events becoming more tragic , I felt nostalgic to the cheerful music and dancing in the cheerful days of Yoguslavia, So I am thinking about the Serbian people and people who lived during these times they would relate even more and more to the movie of course . and the last scene with the people dancing and singing in a piece of land separating from the rest to be lost in the sea , What a visual masterpiece !! This scene is what made write a review because I was overwhelmed by the greatness of the final scene. A Great movie and a masterful documentation for a tragic era and a lesser known part of the history of Humanity.