Apr 25, 2021“Body of Lies” — a distinctly American Portrayal of the Middle East.The American Thriller Body of Lies is just that — American. Ridley Scott, director of Blade Runner, and the Boston-Based screenwriter William Monohan (think The Departed) are the masterminds behind this ‘08… masterpiece. It is certainly a… movie. Russel Crowe, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Oscar Isaac are working for Central Intelligence…4 min read4 min read
Mar 28, 2021“Where Do We Go Now?” Is a Tragicomedy TriumphThere’s something about the opening scene to Nadine Labaki’s 2011 film, Where Do We Go Now? that is so haunting. A couple of dozen women shrouded in dust and black cloth stomp their feet to the poetic recitation of lead character Amale (Labaki). It’s militaristic the way that their synchronized…4 min read4 min read
Mar 14, 2021“Wadjda”: On Women, Bike-Riding, and Growing PainsOn the surface, there’s not much to say about director Haifaa Al-Mansour’s Saudi Arabian drama, Wadjda (2012). Wadjda, an adolescent on the outskirts of popularity at her primary school, wants a bicycle so that she can race a neighborhood boy. …4 min read4 min read
Feb 28, 2021Three Cheers and Three Stars for “What Did I Mess?”Set in Lebanon, Shady Hanna’s What Did I Mess is a very relevant romantic comedy about love (ex-love and fake love), family dynamics, and Lebanese social concerns. In an adorable attempt to flaunt her new fiance, Nayla (Rola Beksmati) invites her awkward ex-lover, Fares (Junaid Zeineldine) to a dinner party…3 min read3 min read
Feb 17, 2021“Ghadi”: Tastefully Inspirational or Irrationally Optimistic?“Ghadi”: Tastefully Inspirational or Irrationally Optimistic? Ghadi (2013), directed by Amin Dora, is the story of a father’s strategy to get the people in his small, Lebanon town to accept his only son with down syndrome before they follow through on their threats to kick him and his family out…3 min read3 min read
Feb 3, 2021“Amreeka” and Post-9/11 Palestinian TruthsCherien Dabis’ ’09 work of dramatic tragedy, Amreeka is tiers above the expectations of a realistic immigration tale of a mother and son from Palestine making America their new home base. …3 min read3 min read
Published inincluvie·Sep 9, 2020Member-onlyClassic Horror and Modern Femme Fatale in “A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night”Director Ana Lily Amirpour meshes the western genre with film noir in A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night. She creates an Iranian-based feminist masterpiece that tackles the grit of Iranian “Bad City”. With a title like A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night, particularly one that teeters on the…Horror Movies6 min readHorror Movies6 min read
Published inincluvie·Aug 31, 2020It’s Time to Revisit “Pariah” Almost Ten Years LaterDee Rees’s Pariah (2011) is unfortunately a hidden gem among White-centric coming-of-age stories. What is so common in self-discovery among queer women has finally been brought to life on the big screen — and in a big way. Whether it’s the all-Black, predominantly-women cast that gets you or the fact…Film7 min readFilm7 min read
Published inincluvie·Aug 15, 2020Member-onlyA Handshake for “Dallas Buyers Club”Jean-Marc Vallée’s 2013 film, Dallas Buyers Club is a work of riveting drama based on historical events. It tells the true story of rodeo cowboy Ron Woodroof (Matthew McConaughey) and his final decisions after he tests positive for HIV. The film’s depiction of the AIDS outbreak in the 1980s highlights…Film5 min readFilm5 min read
Published inincluvie·Aug 4, 2020If Life Gives You Limes, Make Margaritas: Praise for “Margarita, With a Straw”Kalki Koechlin in Margarita, With a Straw (2014) portrays a queer woman with Cerebral Palsy and her journey with self-discovery while she bounces between her home in Dehli, India, and her time at NYU. Laila (Kalki Koechlin) arrives in New York City with a full scholarship to NYU and a…Film6 min readFilm6 min read
