Dubai Arthouse (a.k.a. Dubai'en Chic)

After the storm?? or After the Shattering Sound of Silence Comes...

2007-03-09T09:08:00.000+04:00

Hey everyone...
After a long 6 months.. a lot has changed...
I have definitely missed out on a lot of films.. it's become embarrassing to admit how many I've missed out on....
My list is endless, be it from the typical blockbusters or the indies....
My DVD stack is becoming bigger and bigger...

So who's to blame?
time? that doesn't give anyone a chance to breathe these days?
life? that demands so much to survive?
work? that requires you to wake up so early and drill your brain to make the right decisions...
family and friends? who take out that "only" time that's left to myself...
or...
do I just blame myself for not being able to maintain a good balance between all the above...

tricky question.. and I'd rather keep that answer to myself..

so today on a bright, pleasant, Friday morning... I wake up... and decide to give my blog some life again...

and this time.. since I can't blog about a film I've seen recently...
I'm gonna share something different...
a poem.. from a very interesting book I've stumbled across...
so here goes...

I will tell you: I love you
When all old love languages die
And nothing remains for lovers to say or do
Then my task to move the stones of this world will begin.

**

I will tell you: I love you
When I feel that my words are worthy of you
and the distance between your eyes and my notebooks disappears,
I will say it when I am able to evoke my childhood,
My horses, my troops, and my cardboard boats
and able to regain the blue time with you upon Beirut's shores
When you were tired, shivering like a fish between my fingers,
And I covered you
With a sheet made of summer stars.

**

I will tell you: I love you
When I am cured of my schizophrenia
And become a singe person.
I will say it when the city and the desert inside me are reconciled.
When all the tribes leave my blood,
When I will be free of the blue tattoo engraved on my body,
Free of old Arab remedies
which I tried for thirty years
and which told me
To lash you eighty times
For being a woman.
Perhaps I will not say: I love you.
It takes nine months for a flower to bloom,
The night suffers a great deal in giving birth to a star,
Humanity waits a thousand years to produce a prophet,

Why don't you wait then
To be my lover.

Click on the pic to read the original Arabic version (mind the colors, for some reason when I uploaded it, the colors changed to something that doesn't really suit my liking!!)

I have been lucky enough to fall in love more than once in my life...
I have seen the joy, the pain, the wait, and sometimes even the crushing heartbreak..
But isn't that what love is all about.. the experience.. the throbbing of your heart in your throat before you utter a single word...
I used to write poems for myself and for my loved ones.. I read them every now and then and remember how my heart was then and how it is today...

I read this poem that brought back a flood of memories.. some I'd like to remember and some too painful to remember... and some that make me think.. "what if?"
Having said that, I must add that I'm pretty much content with where I am today...

Of course this poem is by a great artist.. a poet some consider to be more than great.. This poem is by Nizar Kabbani...which is why I decided to post it in both languages... the original(Arabic) and its translation...

I hope you enjoy it as much as I did...

Over and out...
Cosmic..

Tsotsi brings me back to Life!!

2006-09-30T23:30:00.000+04:00

Define Tsotsi.. in South African street language, it's a noun meaning thug, gangster, hoodlum.... or so the official site says...

Credits and Awards...
Directed by Gavin Hood
Writing credits by Athol Fugard (novel) and scripted by Gavin Hood
Tsosti..Presley Chweneyagae
Aap..Kenneth Nkosi
Boston..Mothusi Magano
Butcher..Zenzo Ngqobe
Miriam..Terry Pheto
Awards: Best Foreign Film (Oscar 2006) and many others

This film is about a gansta lead, Tsotsi, who has erased his past including his his real name, David. The look on his face mirrors hardship.. and ruthlessness.. being the leader of the pack, his team follows him in everything... in small and and in big crimes...
The gang... compromises of....
Boston... the 'failed' teacher
Butcher.. as the names describes... he's the killer in the group
and Aap... The follower (no questions asked)

No one in this life stays the same.. Our characters, individualities, and personalities are all results of our experinces in life... From childhood upto the day we die... we are what we are today because of the decisions we've made and the mistakes we've made... and we will only change when we are faced with 'life-altering' experiences... some of these experiences hit us hard with immediate effects to our personalities and our perceptions... some of us on the other hand don't learn from the mistakes we commit the first time around... so it turns into a pendulum that goes back and forth until we realise that we are indeed what we are because we allow things to happen to us or we stand in the way of things happening to us...
Through it all... the transformation of one's self... the change that one is willing to do to live his/her life is very often a difficult one... why? Because we've grown accustomed to it... we got used to dealing with things the way we do... we got used to people treating us the way they do... so why change if it's working, if the pieces fit? Well... Life around us changes... People around us change.. Circumstances change...The climate changes... so why can't we? Because it's hard... Because we don't want to.. because we were accepted already.... Because we need to step out our comfort zone... because it means losing friends and at times... losing face...

This story is about change...Tsosti's change.... without realizing how life pushes him to change...when he makes a decision to steal a car...

Little did he know what fate had in store for him...
as he's on the run.. he hears something from the back of the car... a guardian angel maybe? A baby screaming is tears... as if crying for tsotsi for leading such a miserable and useless life...
and this is where the journey of change begins...
First reflex act... abandon the car..abandon the baby .. head back home..as he's walking away, the child's voice screaming stirs something in him... he remembers...

he remembers this...that he was a child once.. a runaway...living in a Pipe and not a home...he remembers David who never had the chance to appreciate what a family meant..He remembers what he used to be and could've been..

So.. he picks the baby, dumps it in a brown grocery bag and heads home...

The details are truly amazing... you'll have to watch the movie to appreciate what it really means...
A bitter sweet tale that resonates the image of change in every one of us... be it with our own will or not...
A truly amazing cast that leave you thinking long after the credits have rolled...

I end this review with the film's tagline, which I think is the perfect ending...

'In this world... redemption just comes once.'

Over and out...
Cosmic

P.S. Now is that a come back or what?

Ramadan Kareem to all...

2006-09-24T20:01:00.000+04:00

Mabrook 3alaikom ishehar...

Cosmic..

My Blog is withering away....

2006-09-19T14:41:00.000+04:00

Hello people...
yup.. I'm been a victim of time...
no time.. no time..and absolutely no time...
so once I get around getting the time to watch the (now) pile of DVDs stacked at home, I will come back...
but if you have anything interesting to tell me.. go ahead...
my comments sections is now open for business or pleasure...

Until I find the time...
Cosmic...

Lady in the water - Out Now @ a cinema near you

2006-08-29T10:03:00.000+04:00

Ok.. so it's time to blog about a movie that you CAN actually go watch in cinemas...
I got the chance to see it last Sunday...
If you're an M. Night Shyamalan fan.. then I needn't write anymore for you to go and see it...
but if you're not.. well... I'm hoping that by the end of my post I would've convinced you to go and see it..

Cast
Paul Giamatti - Cleveland Heap (yes .. yet another film featuring this talented actor)
Bryce Dallas Howard - Story or I should say as the lady in the water
and of course M. Night. Shyamalan himself..
and many others that I doubt any would know...example would be the black guy from Syriana is in it...

What seemed interesting about this film was the fact that it revolved around the elements of a good story...If you remember that while watching, you'd appreciate the film..Specially if you are into writing...I was in between two books on the subject...'On writing' by Stephen King and 'Story: Substance, Structure, Style and The Principles of Screenwriting' so the film described some of the elements that both books were referring to... The characters!!
yes..one of the main elements are the characters... the main character and the supporting characters.. where they all fit together to create a good story..
The Lady was called 'Story' and indeed this was her story...
Cleveland Heap, the lonely s-s-s-t-t-t-uttering caretaker of 'The Cove'.. an apartment block that houses all the characters that will be brought together to save Story...
Story is a 'nymph' or a 'narf' (can't remember, I need to see it again to tell you the exact name).. a creature of the water.. (unfortunately it was translated to '7oriyah' in Arabic which is synonymous to mermaid, which she's NOT)..
Story is from the "blue world' or I should say the swimming pool at the Cove.. She's on a mission.. but nothing goes as she had hoped for her enemies are close.. they do not want her to succeed.. they are the beasts of your worst nightmare.. looking like mutant wolves with red-almost-transparent fierce eyes with a disguise from hell.. their back look like spiky hard grass.... so the best place to hide and wait would be the garden surrounding .. you got it... The Cove's swimming pool...
Lucky for all the characters in this full-of-suspense story.. Cleveland finds out that 'Story' herself comes from an ancient story that one of the Chinese tenants recalls...
though you don't see her much in the film.. she is the key that helps Cleveland to save 'Story' go back to her world... She has one chance now...Will Cleveland be able to summon all the characters he needs to save her? Will he get all the right characters?
You'll have to see to find out...
just another tip... Though this movie has been classified as a thriller... the 'THRILL' was mostly from the sudden movements... And watch out for those sprinklers...(u'll know what I'm talking about when you see it on the big screen)
The cast in general were funny.. you just had to laugh...Giamatti was p-p-perfect.. with his stuttering... another challenging role he managed to ace... watch out for Reggie played by Freddy RodrÃguez... that guy was hilarious... he body builds ... but only the right side.. so his right arm is of a body builder and his left scrawny... it goes the same for his legs.. funny... as were most of the characters that were put together to feature in a 'thriller'.. add a crossword puzzle, some cereal boxes and some butterflies and ofcourse a couple of giant scary monkeys to the recipe...and you get yourself some entertainment..so you will have laughs here and there as well as a few frights...

Verdict:
Not for everyone, you either like it or not...Good storyline... definitely for the crowd that appreciates a good story... If you just want to watch a scary movie...I'd wait another week for 'An American Haunting'.. that should send shivers up your spine...the trailer says it all..
until then..
just sit back and enjoy the show!!
Cosmic

Giamatti is American Splendor!!

2006-08-17T10:10:00.000+04:00

Ok... time to role back into action....
but first I must get one thing off my chest... this blogger thing is cruel.. I typed in the entire review and then I clicked on a link to test it out.. and there went my review... I had to re-write the entire thing again.. from memory.. to me the first draft was better than this.. but what to do...so here goes...

This is the story of a Harvey Pekar... If you don't don't know he is.. you're not the only one... I didn't either... a file clerk at a local hospital...As is the case... this is the story of a nobody who tried to be somebody... through creating comics of his everyday life... and maybe through creating this movie as well..'American Splendor'

but first... the cast...
well mainly Paul Giamatti playing the weird Harvey Pekar... and you'll also get to see the real Harvey Pekar aswell..
along side a few nobodies... all good actors... but none could even come close to the amazing performance that Giamatti pulled off...
the awards are endless including an oscar nomination for best screenplay..

I really loved the way the film was made... the script was very original and maybe did Harvey more than he deserves.... The guy is an absolute dork... and I'm not being nice here... really... The film is narrated by the real Pekar in the flesh.. no cameo roles but an actual one... the movie moves back and forth between Giamatti playing the role and the real Harvey sitting in the Studio adding his comments in... which, in my opinion, was brilliant... It kinda gives you a nice break from the movie but it really isn't.. it's more of an emphasis that truly Giamatti is this guy he's portraying... another point to mention is that in these brief intermissions of a sort... Harvey's friends who featured in his comics are in the film.. One of his friends is an absolute NERD and I couldn't emphasize more on the word NERD.. now you'd think that this is only acting and the actor MUST be exaggerating the role... the guy can't be like that in real life... but.. in comes harvey with his real friend... and guess what... he was exactly as the actor... speaking through his nose... big glasses... and apparently is very passionate about the movie "Revenge of the nerds III'.. go figure...

The movie also had the interviews.. Harvey was a guest (more than once) at Letterman's... the real footage has been fit in... the last one was acted out.. but if the previous ones were real.. I'm guessing that the acted one was as good... no question about it...

An artistic touch... as the pic above.. the film is shot as a comic book... so basically as Harvey is thinking a bubbles appears by his head with his thoughts scribbled in... or the top left hand corner would have a yellow box.. with the words 'Meanwhile...'.. very very original.. so what you see in the pic does NOT apply to the pic only but the entire movie...

Overall... Harvey is a character and half... it's his story on how he started the comics... got married... got cancer... and making this movie...
Giamatti was brilliant... it was this role that got him critically acclaimed.. I like him.. and after watching him in this movie.. I have high hopes for him... he had acted out almost the first half of the movie without a voice.. since something was wrong with Harvey's vocals from screaming too much... add that to the body language.. the posture.. the eye movements... gives you a Harvey Pekar original...

Verdict: a story of a 'wannabe' who managed to become a 'be'... great script... great acting...and worth watching for the acting and the mix between fictionalized graphics and the movie...
just don't buy the comics.. apparently it's not great...
but as Harvey says...
'Ordinary life is pretty complex stuff' for which you can write comics about...

Over and out...
Cosmic..

I'm Back!!

2006-08-14T21:34:00.000+04:00

Hellooo People..
yes.. I had disappeared.. but now I'm back...
I've seen some movies none of which are worth reviewing really...
'Lovewrecked' is one of them.. I sat through the first five minutes and predicted the entire movie.. true enough... what I predicted more or less did happen... 'if you've seen one you've seen them all'... another chick-flick movie for the teenagers or for the girls who still believe they are teenagers...
next thing..
an interesting thing happened to me yesterday... I ran out of gas... and I mean I ran out of gas... at 2:30 in the afternoon... on the side road between Ibn Battuta and Sh. Zayed Road... so my car refused to budge and I could see the petrol station.. it was around 15 meters away... my car is stuck between lanes... (going and coming).. but that's not the story... I put on my hazard lights.. I couldn't leave the car in the middle of the road...or I would've walked to the gas station to get some just to make it for the 'fill-up'..

what to do what to do what to do.. so I wait.. until someone pulls over to help...

NO ONE STOPPED for around twenty muntes... and remember it was at around 20 to three by then...

what struck me about the whole situation was the fact that no one even bothered to stop... instead people were HONKING as if to imply MOVE OUT OF THE WAY!!... the people in the opposite direction could see that there was a woman in the car but didn't bother to ask and just drove by with a sarcastic look on their face...
HELLO!! if my car would move I would MOVE IT... FINALLY.. a taxi driver (from SHJ) stops his car right infront of me and offers to help...
so now I'm HOT, irritated, desperate and clearly couldn't concentrate.. I step out of the car.. tell the guy what the situation is.. he says that his taxi is from SHJ and he can't pick up passengers from Dubai, as it's not allowed...
ok..
Fair enough... take this 100 dhs.. go to the pertrol station get me half a gallon gas to put in the car.. after he leaves.. I realize that this guy can just go with the money.. and I didn't even take the taxi number... ok the heat is getting to me...
5 minutes...Nothing and no taxi in sight...

10 minutes...Nothing and no taxi in sight...

15 minutes...Nothing and no taxi in sight...

20 minutes...Thank God... I can see him...

he come out of the car.. hands me a bottle of cold water.. two receipts.. for the gas and the water.. and the change..and starts filling in the petrol...
I am saved..
By the most unexpected person...
I took the fifty note from the change that he had given back to me.. and gave to him.. and thanked him.. he first didn't want to take the money.. but I insisted and told him that NO ONE had stopped for me except for him and that he really deserved it...
so my friends... my paradigm shift?
after having always cursed the taxi drivers SPECIALLY the ones from SHJ.. from that incident.. I'll always remember that there are some decent drivers (though most seem to be aggressive and bad drivers).. basically not to judge them and hate them just because they are bad on the road...decent because they do lend a helping hand when you need it the most..

and that's my story for the day...

Maria... I've just met a girl named Mariaa..

2006-07-23T10:34:00.000+04:00

If you've seen 'West Side Story' then the title should make some sense.. you have to sing it as in the movie.. if not.. then just move along..

Ok

I've had a gruesomely chaotic weekend... and add in a little dose of 'my maid has chicken pox' makes a perfect recipe for disaster.. the good thing is...I managed to squeeze in one movie.. 'Maria Full of Grace'

First thing's first..
Quick Credits (as recommended by Bandicoot)
Cast:
Catalina Sandino Moreno .. as María Álvarez
Yenny Paola Vega .. as Blanca
Guilied Lopez .. as Lucy Díaz

Written and Directed by.. Joshua Marston

Awards and Nominations (at a glance)
Nominated for Best Actress.. 2005 Oscars
Won the Silver Bear Award for Best Actress.. 2004 Berlin International Film Festival
Won the Alfred Bauer Award (Joshua Marston).. 2004 Berlin International Film Festival
Won the Audience Award for Drama (Joshua Marston).. 2004 Sundance Film Festival
and many many many more.

Maria, a Columbian seventeen year old, is struggling as any other Columbian. With no father or any male presence, she has taken the role of supporting her family.. . Her sister doesn't work and blames it on the fact that she has to take care of her baby.. again no father there..So it's all on Maria's shoulders to make sure the money get through to keep her family alive and well... Not only that.. Maria has just found out that she's pregnant...

and you thought you had problems... WAIT..

Maria works in a flower plantation.. she de-thorns roses.. Maria, though, has a different mentality and you can see that right from the beginning. She is 'stubborn' and strong headed..
So after a quarrel with her employer.. She quits her job and decides to go to Bogota to find a better job.. Her family begs her to go back to the plantation.. she refuses to even think about it.. As she is off to the city, she bumps into Franklin, the guy who was flirting with her a couple of nights ago... He tells her he might know of someone that might help her make money fast...
and this is where the story begins...
the offer... around 5000 dollars(which is millions in Columbian money).. what does she have to do...
she has to become a 'mule'... we've all heard stories about them.. you guessed it.. she has to swallow pellets of cocaine, fly to New York, and give it to the drug lords there...

Before she makes her decision to go ahead, she meets Lucy, who she clearly figures to be a mule... she decribes the process and explains the procedures.. the pellets are HUGE..to practice, Lucy hands her a bowl or purple grapes.. she'd have to learn to swallow them whole first.. Moreno was perfect.. I think she did have to practice real hard to perform this on film... Lucy also warns her that if the pellet breaks in her stomach, she's dead... and and and... they'd have to swallow more than 50 or as much as their body can take or fit...

Blanca, Maria's friend from the plantation, finds out and decides to be a mule as well.. Blanca is not that bright, you can tell that she's a follower.. she'd allow life to take it's toll without the fight.. which gives us the perfect threesome...

Maria - sharp but desperate, contemplating on what to do with her life and the life that lies within her womb..including the responsibity of being the provider of the house..
Lucy - the veteran, she's been a mule twice, and who's simply desperate (also goes to New york to try to make amends with her sister)
Blanca - naive and desperate (she says with that money she can buy her family a new home)

The day comes where they have to swallow and travel... all dispersed to different locations.. they meet in the airplane where they try not to be obvious.. Lucy is not feeling well.. and Maria simply has to go.. what do they do...
I'll leave the rest for you to see...

Verdict: this has to be one truly amazing film... it shows you how desperate people can be.. how ruthless drug lords could be... and at the end of the day how HUMAN we all are..
so how does the story end for these columbians... each differently... and not all stories have happy endings specially when drugs are involved..
the other gripping factor is Maria.. her presence on screen.. simply powerful..her personality.. her reactions.. her strength.. and her will to live a better life.. for her sake and for her child's sake..

and one final note: After seeing how the flower plantations are.. I'll always look at packed flowers differently.. each packed bundle was packed by someone... and each 'someone' has a story and this possibly is one of them.

Check this out...

Makes you think huh?

Yes.. I'm a 'thumbsucker'....but let's leave that between 'me you and everyone we know'

2006-07-16T20:16:00.000+04:00

Another weekend another movie.. well actually two movies... 'Thumbsucker' and 'Me and you and everyone we know'....

Yes I'm a thumbsucker.. When I was a baby, my mom was so happy that I didn't need a pacifier.. little did she know that my thumbsucking habits would be her worst nightmare... and believe me she tried everything to make me stop... nothing worked... I ended up sucking my thumb until the age of seven...what or who made me stop? 'Dracula' but that's another post all together...
But now you'd understand why I just had to watch 'Thumbsucker'..

The movie revolves around a seventeen(not seven) year old called Justin.. Justin is not the cool kid in school.. he's a loner... he'd spend his breaks locked in the bathroom 'soothing himself' by sucking his thumb...it was his comfort...
His family? well the only one who's really concerned about this habit is his dad Mike... one more thing... You'll notice that Justin calls his dad Mike and his mom Audrey(played by Tilda Swinton,the chic who played Gabriel in Constantine and The Witch in Chronicles of Narnia). ..Justin will tell you why when you see the film..

Mike is the guy who almost made it to the big times (in football) if it weren't for the knee injury.. He never knew how to deal with his fate and doesn't know how to deal with justin now... there's a clear ambiguity in his relationship with his son.. He loves his son but for some reason he doesn't show it till around the end of film... Audrey, on the other hand.. was the chic-to-have in highschool... She now works as a nurse.. She's also currently fixated on TV actor Matt Schramm played by Benjamin Bratt.. Though she plays the role of the understanding mom.. she too has her own story.. but I don't want to ruin it.. my hint would be that it has to do with her crush on the actor...
Now you know a bit about Justin and his family...well he has a younger brother as well..
One day, Justin pays a visit to his hippy-happy-go-lucky dentist played by none other than Keanu Reeves.. the dentist is aware of Justin's problem(since he was a thumbsucker himself) so he decides to cure him in his own way(remember he's a flower-child)... On the other hand..The school also diagnose him with ADD(Attention Deficit Disorder) and request that he goes on Ritalin(as another student commented.. SPEED). So, lonely Justin is now transformed into a chaotic individual and a fantastic member of the debate team headed by Mr. Geary (Vince Vaughn)... This transformation was an amazing one
From.. thumbsucker.. to drug addict.. to a normal teenager trying to just be...

Verdict: Good movie, recommended for the movie buff.. if you're into mainstream hollywood... this is not for you... unless you're willing to have a taste of something different..
the only thing I didn't like were the scenes where he was sucking his thumb.. having been a thumbsucker.. he didn't seem to be doing it right...

Movie number two..
'Me and you and everyone we know'...

a contemporary artist, Christine...a newly seperated shoe salesman and father of two boys, Richard... his two boys.. their neighbor, a young girl with her 'hope chest'.. two teenager girls who want to be older and a lonely art gallery owner.. enough characters literaly describe you me and everyone we know...
This is Miranda July's first film.. she wrote it, directed it and acted as Christine... she did a great job.. because this has to be one of the most original screenplays I've ever seen on film...plus she's a true poet..
The story, in essense, is about how difficult it is for people to get together in these today's stressful world ...but despite all the obstacles, we still manage to do so..
All the characters are linked together in one way or the other..in a very scruffy way...

if you're wondering what this pic is.. hold your thoughts..
The hobby the two boy's have (besides chatting with an eldery woman and seducing her) is drawing pictures with the symbols as above.. I'm sure you've seen some with the pics of marylin monroe or some other 3D pics.... the last pic they show in the film is somewhat similar to what I've scribbled on top... when the younger brother asks the elder what it is, he explain that this is the view of people from the sky.. 'See that's you and that's me.. and that's everyone we know'
This movie is truly an 'arthouse' film...I loved Miranda's role as the artist who also runs an 'eldercab' driving eldery people around..and her search for love... the shoesalesman...
I loved one of her videos (her art) where Richard sells her a pair of pink shoes that she thought she didn't need... the pair of shoes become her main actors in her video and marking the words 'You' on one shoe and 'me' on the other.. she wears the shoes and films a sequence of how she's imagine her and Richard get to know one another... very quirky but in a way romantic.. I loved it..

but this is only her role in the movie ... you still have to see the others do their part.. I'm not telling u about them..
another stand out moment... the quest to save the goldfish..very touching!!

Verdict: one of the most beautiful, heartfelt movies I've seen.. Winner of the Camera d'or Award for best first film at the Cannes Film Festival. A magical, funny, bittersweet experience. Definitely recommended.

over and out...

Cosmic

Life is Good!!

2006-07-11T10:44:00.000+04:00

I've been browsing through many blogs the past couple of days.. and I found myself passing through them as one would switch TV stations to find the right channel... 'too controversial.. too loud.. boring.. asking for attention.. too naïve.. too this and too that and and and...'

I must admit it was first interesting to read what people have to say about Dubai and other stuff that interest them.. but after a while (since I'm still fairly new here) it just got boring and the word of the the day REDUNDANT... (balushi, you might want to look this word up in a dictionary)

it was depressing!! the rants.. the compaints.. the cussing.. the yadayadayada..people please!!

I first started my blog for a very simple reason.. I wanted to try it out and I also wanted to know whether I can get a fair idea if anyone in Dubai would be interested in going to an arthouse cinema of course I didn't get the response that I thought I would.. but it was expected I guess...
and then I started posting about movies and some other things that caught my eye and interest...

Today is different!!

This post is for all those who do the above and who are in denial of doing the above!! and yes I mean you too..

I just picked up some of my favorite songs and got into my car... I switched off the 'ranting' on the radio as well.. and I started listening to Andrea Bocelli's "because we believe'
and it goes..

Once in every life
There comes a time
We walk out all alone
And into the light
The moment won't last but then,
We remember it again
When we close our eyes.

...
...
...
Like stars across the sky
We were born to shine
..
All of us here because we believe..

beautiful song..
so..
why are we here..
what are we doing with our life..
where are we heading..
where will we be in the next ten years..
where will we be tomorrow...

and before you start with your next post of endless rants...
remember...
it's easy to talk about something...
the challenge comes when we have to DO something about it..
so what are you going to do?

and now repeat after me...

I am alive..
I am healthy..
I am privileged to do many things other people can't..
and ...you know what...
take a few deep breaths.. feel the oxygen rush to your brains.. feel the blood flow though your veins...
and say..
I am well.. I am alive.. and LIFE IS GOOD..

(now don't you just feel better?)

USE YOUR HANDS!!

2006-07-06T08:13:00.000+04:00

Ok...
My usual outing to Mall of the Emirates starts out with a visit to Virgin Megastore.. and it's a lengthy visit... which involves a thorough search through the DVD section.. my routine after that whether I buy something or not is a short trip to Columbus cafe adjascent to Virgin... I order my usual... a strawberry smoothie(it's absolute heaven!) so I wait for my drink.. in the mean time I quickly scan the people in the coffee shop.. that's when something caught my eye...
this thin omani dude in his local attire sits quietly in the centre table of the shop having a muffin... AH... but how was he having his muffin... well.. he was slicing through it with a fork a knife.. and may I add the paper cup was still around the muffin... he looked as if he was struggling...maybe thinking.. 'why the hell can't I eat this with my hands..damn the english!!'...I almost felt sorry for the guy and wanted to approach him and say.. listen man.. you can eat with your hands..you'll enjoy it better...but then again I've seen worse... I've seen people cut up a california roll before sticking it in their mouths.. by that time it's completely disintegrated on the plate(really beats the purpose of having it in the first place).. or even better.. how about having a hamburger with a fork and knife...what the hell..
So our topic?
When is it ok to use your hands to eat...
The culture that I come from, well.. we always eat with our hands because of the nature of our food... I blame the british who came and ruled for bringing in the cutlery with them.. In addition.. if you go to a really traditional family... we all dig in the same large plate of rice..We stick to our corner... add the 'achar' and the 'salona' (if you're thinking it's discusting.. trust me after you taste the food.. you'll be licking your fingers for more..)But..Gone are those days... I hardly eat with my hands nowadays.. except when I'm eating fish with my rice.. try getting the bones off the fish with a fork, not easy.. so I use my hands.. it's comfortable.. and great once you know what you're doing..
What I've noticed over the years is our people or people from this region think that being 'modern' or 'open minded' means you have to eat with a fork, spoon, and knife..what these 'IGNORANT' people don't know is when to use the cutlery and when to use the hands..
so here's my list of things that can be eaten by hand for those who are too cool to know...
1. buffalo wings
2. Pizza
3. Sandwich (and I mean any sandwich) including Croissants
4. fastfood/junkfood
5. Anything that comes in a paper cup.. such as cupcakes, Muffins, scones..etc
6. Danish Pastries
7. any fruit
8. 'Add yours here'

Now things NOT to eat with your hands...
1. Steak
2. soup (kinda difficult no? but you can sip right through the bowl if you're at a japenese place)
3. any salad.. be it veg or fruit salad
4. and everything else that's not on the previous list...

There...
It's off my shoulder...

Betty Blue, Leila and the Secretary

2006-07-02T17:23:00.000+04:00

Three films.. three women.. three continents...in one weekend...
I didn't do it on purpose but I did end up watching three movies this weekend with women as the protagonists...

Betty Blue...
Country of Origin: France
Director's cut (unrated version)
first of all very long movie... but maybe the original cut may have been different.
I thought the acting was great.. I knew french people are very comfortable with nudity but I really didn't expect to see sooo much in one movie... To me it's the nudity that may have taken over the story...
The story is simple, the only thing that's complex is Betty's character... The movie, in brief, revolves around electrifying Betty and her beau Zorg. Impulsive, stubborn and with a mind of her own, she stumbles across a novel that Zorg had written.. She starts the quest to getting it published.. To save Zorg from a life of nothingness... when in fact she will need saving more than him by the end of the movie..
I really believe that this movie could've been alot more aggressively effective.. without all the nudity.. sure it did play an important part in highlighting Betty's character and personality.. I felt this especially at the end when she completely lost it.. The scene with her make-up all smudged sitting by the table was very powerful and touching, but it didn't balance out with the other scenes... I'm not sure what was going through the director's brain... He must have wanted the story to mesmorise... maybe he thought that he had to expose her beauty with the nudity and then expose her 'imperfection'... I thought that they had chosen the right betty... Because.. she was very vibrant and pretty, but her looks weren't perfect... when she smiles her teeth really stick out... so in a way I thought she was perfect for the role... she looked the part and acted the part very well..
verdict... I don't think I would've nominated it for an oscar or a bafta(which it was)... the story was good but the string of events could've been a lot more better.... for comparison's sake if you have watched 'Of mice and men'(John Malcovich, Gary Sinise) you can understand what I'm trying to say... these were 2 men and I cried.. in betty blue they were lovers... and I wasn't moved as much...

Moving on to the next female..

Leila
Country of Origin: Iran
Very very touching and poignant.. this story revolves around a newly wed couple... Leila cannot conceive... and this isn't her only problem.. he mother in law is selfishly influencing her to make her husband marry a second wife so that he can get kids.. Since he's her only son... She keeps on telling Leila that her son has always loved kids and it would a sin for him not to have any... Reza (the husband)loves leila and insists that they do not need to have kids... His mother on the other hand has other intensions... and so she convinces Leila to agree that Reza marry another to get a child.. but Leila has to approve.. and so the quest begins... her tormented soul numbs.. the acting was superb... What was even more interesting was the way the film was shot... The start and end of the movie start with the same ceremony... Since (I'm assuming) the director cannot reveal the women's hair, all the scenes were shot with the women wearing their 'chadar' scarves.. the scene that would expose Leila's hair was very dim.. her face was hidden by the shadow...
Throughout the film, the director would focus on Leila's face.. refecting her tormented soul... her muted scream...the suppressed tears.. she was absolutely brilliant at it..
excellent film, excellent story.. and gives you an idea of how life may be like in Tehran...
very interesting...

and finally....

Secretary
Country of Origin: America
A very young Maggie Gyllenhaal takes on this challenging role and may I add her first starring role as Lee Holloway.. The movie starts with her release from a mental hospital. Lee is naive, gentle, vunerable and suffers from the lowest self esteem.. her relief?.. self-mutilation(yup.. insertion of sharp objects.. pain...etc..)...She starts working as a secretary for lawyer Edward Grey notoriously played by James Spader...
He perfected sexual torment to a fine degree, and delivered a rather interesting performance.. a sadist who is ashamed of his dark urges.. but Lee is so submissive that he couldn't help exploiting his position as the employer leading to the most bizarre sado-masochistic relationship ever..
The story is very interesting...I think what really made this story stand out is that there was very little talk between the two... you have to read their minds and understand what is going on... just like life itself..
as weird as the relationship was.. I must admit... I was still thinking about it days after I saw it...

there you have it...

and that's a wrap!!

After the block.. comes D!!

2006-07-02T10:11:00.000+04:00

First thing's first... 'Rabbit Rabbit Rabbit!!' I had a teacher who preached that at the beginning of every month a person should wake up and say 'Rabbit' 3 times... or else they'll be cursed with bad luck for the entire month... She also said that the day she forgot to say it.. She had a spider 'greet' her in her shower and she has a phobia for those creatures.... any truth in this? I think she knew how to keep an eleven year old listening...
Now...
Back to my post...
I said I was going to write a post of my friend D... or better known from my comments' section as Dhaheri....

And the story goes...
D is a very nice guy... I'm still not sure why he hasn't blogged for such a long long long time.. well maybe he's busy eating... He loves Food you see...
Having said that...
He is also a very interesting individual... here's why...
He has a picture of a plate of 'qeema' (minced meat ragout Indian style with peas) in his blog...
He is the person to meet if you ever want to laugh... it's a gift, I tell you.. the guy is simply hilarious..
adding to this, he also likes to make shorts when he wants to escape life and its pressures...
his short films are a kaleidoscope of very very funny pantomimes with ninjas and mermaids and ironic parrots..
now the juicy part...
My friend D is the creator and the leader of a very hush hush secret club...
'the no-maams' club...(as D would say... 'yes maam, yes maam.. NOOO MAAM's club)
yes.. you got it... A club against us, women.. hehehehhehe
He even created a site for it and when he found out that the members were all really women (trying to find out what the club was all about), his heart was broken and he closed down the site...
his theory.... 'women are taking over the world... we, men, have to fight this...'
on another note...
D happens to be a loving husband and father of two...
he lives (in his own world)in the basement of his house...most probably humming to 'Vangelis'..or singing with Demis Roussus..need I say more...
So my friend D...
after all that's been said... you're one hell of a guy.. and you can make me laugh anytime...
sorry about your club... maybe the sci-fi one will do better...
and if you find that more chics are trekkies than men... then... uhmmmmm... my condolences to that club as well... sorry we, women, happen to love many things that men like as well...
keep trying!!

Thanx for being such a good sport...
Thanx for starring in my blog!!

Blogger's Block

2006-06-25T23:50:00.000+04:00

I've got nothing to say, except for this...
INSPIRE ME!!
I'm out of words...
just INSPIRE ME!!

Cinema Paradiso

2006-06-19T15:03:00.000+04:00

Hey Buj.. this one's for you since you haven't seen 'Cinema Paradiso'...

If you love movies, it's impossible not to watch and appreciate Cinema Paradiso... It's the story to young boy Salvadore nicknamed Toto... and his love affair with the movies.. and the story of a very special friendship between toto and Alfredo...the projectionist.
If you're ever down.. Cinema Paradiso is just the right movie to brighten up a gloomy day and bring a smile to just about anyone. it's almost magical...

Most of Cinema Paradiso is told through flashbacks. The film opens with Salvatore, a famous director, who has just received the news that an old friend has died. Before departing for his home village(Giancaldo) to attend the funeral, he remembers...his childhood, his adolescence, the places and people he hasn't seen for decades.

Toto loved the movies. He would use the milk money(intended for his younger sister) to go watch the matinee at the local theater, a small place called the Cinema Paradiso screening films starring big actors such as John Wayne, and Charlie Chaplin. His experiences in the theater, watching movies and listening to Alfredo's stories, form a kind of journey of discovery. As Salvatore cultivates his love of movies, you yourself will start questioning the meaning of film to you, especially if you're into this genre of film.

As Salvadore get to his teens, Cinema Paradiso shifts from being a nostalgic celebration of movies to a traditional coming-of-age drama, complete with romantic disappointment and elation. Salvatore falls for a girl named Elena... now depending on which version you see... the original or the Director's Cut... the love story differs.. I saw the both ten years ago and thought the original cut was better... I watched the director's cut recently and vowed that it is the ultimate best... regardless.. the film is perfect...
one other detail...
'The Screen Kiss'
Yes.. they had censorship as well...Early in the film, you'd see the local priest previewing each movie before it gets screened to the public, demanding that all scenes of kissing be edited out. Toto would sneak in and watch the priest ring his tiny bell away, his queue to Alfredo to censor that specific part..
I don't want to ruin in by saying too much... but keep in mind the deal that toto makes with Alfredo... by the end of the movie... it's the sweetest most satisfying ending that anyone could wish for..
Very touching...
Not a lot of people realize what the ending really means.. when u see it maybe then we can talk about it... gotta leave some room for you to enjoy...
and since you're into music... you'll love it even more... here's a sample
simply perfect in every way..

Ahlan's Hot 100?!?

2006-06-18T10:49:00.000+04:00

You have got to be kidding me... I was passed a tape of a documentary made and screened by the BBC about Dubai's Hot 100 according to Ahlan Magazine... Ofcourse this hasn't been aired here, but some of our friends abroad decided to record this one... So I slip in the tape and watch..
half an hour of absolute uhm... how do I term this without being offensive...I can't.. it was absolute BS...

If these are the top movers and shakers in Dubai, man we're in trouble..

If a blonde model who opted to take her pic in a bikini (who changed her mind and wore a loose shirt on it) by mina alseyahi, and who mind you I didn't think had the looks,or the BRAINS, just the body... is a mover and shaker in Dubai...
then boy oh boy aren't we lucky to be in Dubai...

If a french party organizer who had organised the hot 100 party at the one and only royal mirage is a mover and shaker...
then my oh my aren't we lucky to be in Dubai...

“I love throwing lavish parties and equally enjoy attending great evenings like this one,” said His Excellency Kenyan Consul General, Prem Prinja, who is famous for his fabulous parties, thrown in the Emirates Hills.
He's a mover and shaker alright...
I guess he moves and he shakes with this 'lavish parties'..

We also have another club owner on this "HOT" list....

Gives you a great impression of Dubai..
How shallow can we get..This is appalling..

but then again... We are talking about Ahlan... UK's equivalent to 'Hello' Magazine... Now picture this... if Hello magazine decided to throw a party for the Top 100 in the UK, I really wonder where they'd get?!? actually I don't think Hello! would ever attempt such a thing...
This list was created for 2005.. I wonder whether they had one for 2006..

so read and weep...
The Ahlan! Hot 100 Launch Party'
Ahlan! brings together high society

Dedicate 6 hours of your life to watch this film

2006-06-17T00:23:00.000+04:00

I have just watched one of the greatest films ever made... 'The Best of Youth'
how do I describe it? Where do I begin...
poignant.. touching... funny.. sad.. mesmorizing... and surreal... absolutely brilliant...
simply beautiful...
and I laughed and I cried and cried...
(and everyone knows me as stone woman 'cause I simply don't cry in movies)

'La Meglio Gioventù, as director Marco Tullio Giordana calls his prizewinning narrative masterpiece, begins in Rome, in 1966, when the Carati boys — two of four children born into a middle-class family — are just launching their adult lives. Nicola wants to become a doctor (to which end a kindly professor urges the young man to move away because ''Italy is a dying, useless country''); Matteo has more longings — he's a passionate reader of books — and fewer plans. Nicola identifies with liberalism and enlightenment; Matteo becomes a soldier, then a cop. And as the lives and fortunes of the Carati clan wax and wane, expand and intertwine, their intimate struggles, joys, and accommodations reflect the rhythms of societal life on a larger scale: The 1966 Florence floods, Italy's 1982 World Cup championship, the terrorism of the Red Brigades, and the violence of Mafia murders share equal, gracefully apportioned weight with personal history. (The geography shifts too, from Rome to Florence to Turin to Palermo to the Tuscan countryside, with a magical stop in Norway.)
Like a great novel from a more expansive bygone age, The Best of Youth is full of big thoughts; like a great soap opera, it's also full of sharp plot turns, vibrant characters, and great talk. It is, in short, the best of cinema.'

To know more...
The Best of Youth

I know I will watch it again and again...

Be Aware... Torture Aware

2006-06-16T01:53:00.000+04:00

I couldn't find a better song for this purpose...
James Blunt... No bravery

There are children standing here,
Arms outstretched into the sky,
Tears drying on their face.
He has been here.

Brothers lie in shallow graves.
Fathers lost without a trace.
A nation blind to their disgrace,
Since he's been here.

And I see no bravery,
No bravery in your eyes anymore.
Only sadness.

Houses burnt beyond repair.
The smell of death is in the air.
A woman weeping in despair says,
He has been here.

Tracer lighting up the sky.
It's another families' turn to die.
A child afraid to even cry out says,
He has been here.

And I see no bravery,
No bravery in your eyes anymore.
Only sadness.

There are children standing here,
Arms outstretched into the sky,
But no one asks the question why,

He has been here.
Old men kneel and accept their fate.
Wives and daughters cut and raped.
A generation drenched in hate.
Yes, he has been here.

And I see no bravery,
No bravery in your eyes anymore.
Only sadness

Dubai's 'Funkiest' Dentist - dare to try?

2006-06-15T08:32:00.000+04:00

I'm one of those people who has always had terrible experiences with dentists...but my tooth was begging me for some help... so my colleague suggests a dentist that his nephew goes to...apparently this kid is frightened from anything... but the doc managed to treat him nicely..

so I go ahead and book this appointment and I'd leave the rest to fate...

I walk in the clinic with this very old wrinkly filipina with a really hoarse voice asking me to fill out a 4 page application form asking me about my complete history including the prescribed AND over-the-counter medicine I've taken the past 6 months... I ignored some of the questions such as the 'admitted in hospital' and gave the lady my form... she looks at the paper and eyes me again.. ' you've never been admitted to the hospital? you've never had an operation' I said I did.. and to my surprise she says frigidly ' maam I don't want to lose my job, PLEASE answer all the questions' ... 'But I had my operation in 1996... 'It doesn't matter, you write everything here' and I'm thinking 'O.Kaaaay!!! better do as she says'...

as I was filling out the form... this uhm.. 'being' with grey slightly-long hair comes out of the dentist's room wearing tiny white tennis shorts with a T-shirt... and not only that... There was loud techno-lounge music streaming from his office..
I handed in my papers and sat down like a good girl...
'You have got to be kidding me.. is THAT the dentist.. I don't know whether to be scared or not...'

waiting observing waiting anticipating...

'what the hell did I get myself into?'

I mean this guy was a character and a half.. he was literally dashing between the waiting area and his office..leaves the apartment to have a smoke every 5 minutes between patients and between injecting the patient and the actual 'ZZZZzzzzzzzZZZzzz Deal'
and 'Boov Boov Boov!! the music played hard and high'

So I'm still waiting and observing... The guy looked absolutely 'chaotic'... maybe someone who killed way too many braincells when he was in college.... and the receptionist 'OH me dear he's very good he was in New York for a very long time'...
'RIIIIIIGGGGHHHHTTT!!!'
the patient leaves.. she looks happy.. but then again he says 'say hi to your mummy'... they're family he'll be gentle with her...
he looks at me and sways his head to his office just like a footballer would do if he had to hit the ball with his head... not one word uttered... I understood the signal... 'lady, your turn... come in'

'GULP!! here goes nothing.. ' deep breath...
I walk in his office and quickly scan the room.... every wall painted a different color .. I think I counted 5 different colors.. all the shades from yellow to orange to red..
The CD player is stacked with CD cases and around it 5 CD 'pillars'...

I lay on the examination chair... he looks at me... 'ok what do u want?'
'Extraction and implant unless u think otherwise'...
...
...
'By the way, who told you about me?
'long story.. my colleague's brother kid comes here'
he gave me a strange look and dismissed the idea of asking anymore
...
...
after 3 x-rays, one injection (and I didn't feel the needle), and one other tooth fixed..
I thinkin'.....'hey, this guy's not bad!!'
as for my initial predicament... well that tooth is gonna have to wait...
According to my doc I need to come in early in the day.. and in 4 sessions I'll be done with that as well...
*two thumbs up*
verdict:
as psychotic as the guy behaved and looked... as a dentist performing, he was really good...
I just hope it wasn't only for this session...

Dubai Arthouse

2006-06-06T15:18:00.000+04:00

With the frequent hints and articles regarding the mystery behind Dubai's reluctance to set up an dedicated Arthouse, the niche market exists.. and it exists strongly... this is why I have taken up the challenge to create something that everybody is talking about but doingin nothing about... Why can't we have an arthouse.... some of the reasons being that the big guys such as grand Don't want to invest anything in such a project convinced that the only way to make big bucks is through Hollywood releases... and they don't want to waste their time listening why Dubai needs an arthouse... another hurdle would be the amount of money involved in setting up such a venue... Another slasher to this would be censorship... If we're gonna invest big bucks to get this project going and we get the film censored.. that would be the ultimate killer....
I'm not sure how places like Five Green, IBo, and The third Line screen their small version of 'film club' but we're assuming it's through DVD's that may or may not have been censored. The danger here is the fact that it is considered (in a way) illegal to screen these because of the actual copyright laws on the DVD itself.
So who's gonna invest something like 20 million dirhams for a 3 screen cineplex that might have its films sliced by censorship laws. If you know anyone, let me know...I'll set it up today and not waste any more time...
Another issue would be this... where is the best location to set up such a venue....
or has the situation reached such an extent that my fellow movie buffs would drive anywhere in Dubai amidst the traffic chaos just to quench their thirst for some serious Arthouse films...
Would love to know what you think? or any suggestions on the way forward?