Filed under: the ussh. | Tags: Community, Culture, Documentary, Film, Indian, Life, Movie, Pakistan, South Asian
Ali Jafri is a guy I met back when I was lending whatever arm or leg I could for Ed the Sock and his show. Every now and then Ali will leave me some random tidbit from Youtube, or if I’m lucky, he’ll run into me waiting for the streetcar and offer me a ride to the subway.
He’s just finished his first short documentary, and to be honest, I’m really proud. Double Lives: Lost in Transition focuses on the secrecy and taboo subject of the double life within South Asian communities. It’s about people who are caught between cultures and deals with the lingering question of identity. It’s something I’ve dealt with in my life, and still do. You can view both parts below:
Filed under: the ussh. | Tags: 2009, 9, Animated, Film, Movies, Review, Tim Burton
Ok, Tim Burton really only produced the film, and for obvious reasons got better billing on the posters than anyone else. I went into this moving with two things:
- “9″ is an animated film about a post-apocalyptic society starring gingerbread looking potato sack people.
- it has to be a kids movie.
I guess I was completely wrong about that second point. I also had no idea what the movie was really about. It’s retarded. The movie is Burton’s darkness and weirdness mixed in with some pretty nice looking animation. There were a lot of loose ends that didn’t really make any sense, and the whole gingerbread looking people thing was kind of creepy. I’m realizing now that this really isn’t helping anyone who wants to get a better sense of the movie.
Just go see it and decide for yourself. It’s got suspense and great animation and cool dystopian future written all over it.
Filed under: Film | Tags: 2009, Books, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, Comedy, Film, IMAX, Movie, Review, Trailer
My god. Go see this movie. It’s not what you’d expect. If you’re into copious amounts of food falling from the sky, like I am, then you need to see this movie. Mr. T plays a cop. See it in IMAX. See it in 3-goddamn-D.
Filed under: the ussh. | Tags: Books, Film, Review, Richard Yates, Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet, Revolutionary Road
It’s been a few months since I finished Revolutionary Road and I finally had a chance to watch the film that was made about it not too long ago. Author Richard Yates did a good job of keeping me engaged throughout the plot, and at some times, he managed to get me in a fit of anger over how some of the characters were acting. Good job. I did feel, though, that the ending was just too easy. It was a cheap shot way of tying things up in the end.
The movie was satisfying. Not great and not bad either. Leo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet do a good job of being trapped in this unwanted suburban lifestyle, and at the same time, are able to portray the annoying, romantic idealists in the novel.
Both the book and movie have gotten me more interested in drinking whiskey. I don’t know where to start. All I’ve ever drank is some Jack Daniel’s here and there, and Johnnie Walker.
Filed under: Good Times | Tags: Bon Jovi, Bromance, Film, Friends, Guys, I Love You, Life, Man!, Music, Sante Fe
“They say that no man is an island.” Bon Jovi was right. Philosophy of Jon Bon aside, I came to a realization that every man needs a man friend. A bromance. The one guy you can lean on when times get tough, and the one guy you can trust with everything you have to say.
Even a playboy needs men he can rely on. We all need a man that can understand ourselves, our humour and our faults.
It’s been plaguing my mind since I saw the film, and it’s as if it was written with me in my mind*.
Sometimes our conversations can go beyond normal and almost border retarded mental instability, but we think it’s okay.
Whether it’s a quick phone call or a 3 am chat, drunk and over food, it’s all good times. I love you, man!
*Most definitly not, but I can dream.
Filed under: Film | Tags: 2009, Cinemania, Cinephile, Documentary, Film, General Knowledge, Life, Obsession, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Queen West, toronto, Two Lovers
After spending part of the afternoon scouting out independant fashion stores in the Queen West area, Elena and I spent Friday evening eating way too much KFC and watching movies.
On Monday night we were invited to a pre-screening of Two Lovers, and I was telling Elena how most of the people at these pre-screenings are cinephiles—people who are obsessed with films and will see as many as they can. We talked about how the theatre smelt like feet and cheese, and I mentioned that it was probably one of the cinephiles.
Then I remembered that I have this documentary, Cinemania, that I had taped off of the TV years ago. I love documentaries about people who obsess over something, some crippling fascination with a subject like cinema that it consumes their lives. Cinemania is exactly that.
A part of me likes to think that I have a similar obsession. Not with cinema, but with knowing everything. There are times when Elena or someone will start talking about something and I’ll manage to spew out every fact and detail about whatever it is they wanted to tell me. I’ve always been obsessed with knowing general trivia, and it’s probably why I took part in W5H for so many years. It’s not debilitating, but it can seem obsessive. It’s like I’m a walking wikipedia.
Filed under: the ussh. | Tags: 2009, Animation, Creative Commons, Epic, Film, Free, Full Length Feature, India, Indie, Movies, Nina Paley, Online, Ramayana, Reel 13, Sita Sings the Blues
I’m watching Nina Paley’s animated full length feature, “Sita Sings the Blues” online. Available in its entirety, the movie follows the ancient Indian epic of the Ramayana, and the life of Nina, an animator dumped by her husband by email after moving to India. So far so good.
Filed under: Film | Tags: 2009, A.R. Rahman, Bollywood, Danny Boyle, Diddy, Film, Golden Globes, India, International, Kate Beckinsale, M.I.A., Music, Sharukh Khan, Slumdog Millionaire, Youtube
Slumdog Millionaire took most of the awards on Sunday night, and that’s great. It was a great film. A.R. Rahman won best composer, and that’s great too. I admire him, I love his music. What’s awesome is watching this clip, his acceptance speech, and noticing the almost uncomfortable glares from industry people because they have no idea who these people are giving speeches, or presenting awards. It’s awesome. Couple that with the awkward pronunciation of Rahman’s last name. It’s not “Ramen” like the noodles, it’s “Ray-mahn”. If you listen carefully, I’m pretty sure you can hear Diddy ask Kate Beckinsale if she’ll read the winner’s card. Baha.
I especially loved it when Rahman said, “…And thanks to the billion people in India”. Shahrukh even presented an award!
Filed under: Film | Tags: 2009, Darren Aronofsky, FCC, Film, Finger, Golden Globes, Marisa Tomei, Mickey Rourke, NBC, Stripper, The Wrestler, Viral, Web, Youtube
Darren Aronofsky flips off Mickey Rourke during his Golden Globe winning acceptance speech. All in good fun, but it looks like NBC will be stuck with an FCC fine. If you haven’t seen The Wrestler yet, then I don’t know what you’re waiting for. Get your thumb(s) out of your asses and watch this movie.
SHE'S A STRIPPER IN IT!
Filed under: the ussh. | Tags: 007, alicia keys, another way to die, chris cornell, Film, jack white, James Bond, opening credits, quantum of solace
Elena and I went to see Quantum of Solace, the new BOND film if you’re that out of the loop, on Sunday night. I enjoyed it. What I enjoyed the most was the use of typography in the film, as well as the opening theme. Casino Royale’s was just so fucking lame, I’m glad they went back to form with Jack White and Alicia Keys.
Spoilers past the jump, click at own risk.
