Posted on Thursday, March 24, 2011

Black Swan (2010)

By Ahmed Al Kiremli

Movie Story

A ballet dancer struggles and works hard to win the lead role as the Swan Queen in Swan Lake. To perform the roles of both the white and black swans, she struggles to control and prepare herself perfectly for the role.

Ahmed Al Kiremli Opinion

Natalie Portman deservingly won the Oscar for best leading actress. The role was not at all easy, or maybe it’s just because she acted so well that you feel the role is so difficult, so complicated. One moment she’s sad; another moment she’s happy. On the other hand, the role took her more than a year to prepare for because she used to be a ballet dancer but hadn’t danced for more than a decade. Such a role is really hard to perform, and again, she deserved the Oscar for it. Mila Kunis and Vincent Cassel also gave very good performances.
The director produced a good movie, but confusing. The script was not so good, but the music was very nice, especially the piano. Is it an entertaining movie to watch? No, because the story is very sad and bewildering. Sometimes you start doubting your own memory because you don’t know if the lead character is in the real world or in her imagination; she fights with her inner self and gets lost in her own mind.
The pressure of such competition is immense. Many dancers lose control and fail to continue, but not to the degree that they kill themselves! What’s so true about the movie is how it shows the jealousy of women; you can feel it in any competitive environment, whether at work or at a ballet studio.

Ahmed Al Kiremli Rating

7/10

Is It In Ahmed Al Kiremli’s Must Watch List?

Maybe

Is It In Ahmed Al Kiremli’s Great Movies List?

Genres

Drama, Mystery and Thriller

Director

Darren Aronofsky, Known for / Requiem for a Dream (2000), Pi (1998) and The Fountain (2006)

Main Cast

Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis and Vincent Cassel

Black Swan Trailer

Posted on Tuesday, March 22, 2011

The Company Men (2010)

By Ahmed Al Kiremli

Movie Story

Three men in different levels are affected by the downsizing of their company and their consequent struggles.

Ahmed Al Kiremli Opinion

It’s a great drama about the struggles that many people are facing due to the current recession and corporate disasters. This movie shows what’s happening behind closed doors at many companies. It will alarm you and make you believe that if you decide to continue as employee for your entire life, you will forever be insecure, regardless of your position, experience, or how good you are, because at the end of the day, your destiny is in somebody else’s hands.
Ben Affleck, Chris Cooper, and Tommy Lee Jones really gave very good performances. The director did a very good job and made the story interesting. The director usually works on series, and you can feel a bit of that in this movie, but he really did a very good job.

Ahmed Al Kiremli Rating

7/10

Is It In Ahmed Al Kiremli’s Must Watch List?

Yes

Is It In Ahmed Al Kiremli’s Great Movies List?

Genres

Drama

Director

John Wells, Known for / ER (1994), The West Wing (1999) and One Hour Photo (2002)

Main Cast

Ben Affleck, Chris Cooper and Tommy Lee Jones

The Company Men Trailer

Posted on Saturday, March 19, 2011

Brave Heart (1995)

By Ahmed Al Kiremli

Movie Story

This legend of freedom follows William Wallace as he seeks revenge for the sake of his love, family, dignity, and people. He fights the English army and their rules to win freedom for his people.

Ahmed Al Kiremli Opinion

Wow, where to start with this movie? This movie won five Oscars

This movie won five Oscars – Best Cinematography, Best Director, Best Makeup, Best Picture, and Best Effects and Sound Effects Editing

– and was nominated for another five – Best Costume Design, Best Film Editing, Best Music, Original Dramatic Score, Best Sound and Best Writing, and Best Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen. I still don’t know why James Horner didn’t win the Oscar for the music because it has one of the best soundtracks ever.

[audio:https://ahmedalkiremli.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/James-Horner-Braveheart-Theme-Song.mp3|titles=James Horner – Braveheart Theme Song]

Mel Gibson is a brilliant director, despite the fact that he is usually an actor. The movies that he has directed create the feeling that the director is acting inside the movie. Examples of this are his films The Passion of the Christ and Apocalypto. I didn’t mention Brave Heart because he both directs and acts in this movie. Mel Gibson won two Oscars for Brave Heart, Best Director and Best Picture.

As far as his acting performance, Mel Gibson portrayed the character better than the character himself could have, so I still don’t know why he didn’t even get nominated for Best Actor! His body language, especially his eyes, was just amazing. The very last scene in the film is especially powerful, when he is being executed and says the word, “FREEDOM!”

The cinematography was excellent, especially during the war scenes and other amazing moments, such as when the handkerchief falls from William Wallace’s hand in the last scene. The makeup and script were amazing.

I don’t know how many times I have seen this movie, but it’s more than twenty. I am not sure because whenever it is on, I just can’t resist it. I love this movie and the deep message it has about fighting for what you believe in, love, revenge, and sacrifice.

Ahmed Al Kiremli Rating

10/10

Is It In Ahmed Al Kiremli’s Must Watch List?

Yes

Is It In Ahmed Al Kiremli’s Great Movies List?

Yes

Genres

Action, Biography, Drama, History and War

Director

Mel Gibson, Known for / 2006 Apocalypto, 2004 The Passion of the Christ and 1993 The Man Without a Face

Main Cast

Mel Gibson, Sophie Marceau and Patrick McGoohan

Brave Heart Trailer

Posted on Thursday, March 17, 2011

Man on Fire (2004)

By Ahmed Al Kiremli

Movie Story

A man hired by a family in Mexico City to protect their daughter from kidnapping decides to take revenge on a gang who kidnaps the girl.

Ahmed Al Kiremli Opinion

I always say that Denzel Washington is my man. He’s getting better at selecting his roles year after year. His performances are so believable; he melts himself into the character, and the way he moves, the way his face looks, the way he talks is just so real. I love him, and he’s still number one in my favorite actors list. This movie is one of his best movies.
Director Tony Scott did an amazing job, like he did before in Enemy of the State (1998) and Revenge (1990). This kind of movie is his specialty. The sound mixing, the script, the music and songs were just amazing and perfect. All these aspects made the movie very touching, real, and believable.
Dakota Fanning is a brilliant actress. I love the way she acts, especially in this movie; her smile, her tears, and her facial expressions were amazing and real.
There’s no way that you won’t be emotionally touched by this movie, and the ending will make you cry for sure. I can’t resist not seeing this movie whenever they show it on TV. The story is simple but there’s so much between the lines. The more you see the movie, the more you fall in love in it.
Ahmed Al Kiremli Rating

9/10

Is It In Ahmed Al Kiremli’s Must Watch List?

Yes

Is It In Ahmed Al Kiremli’s Great Movies List?

Yes

Genres

Action, Crime, Drama and Thriller

Director

Tony Scott, Known for / Unstoppable (2010), Numb3rs (2005), The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 (2009), Enemy of the State (1998) and Revenge (1990)

Main Cast

Denzel Washington, Christopher Walker, Dakota Fanning, Marc Anthony and Radha Mitchell

Man on Fire Trailer

Posted on Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Drive Angry 3D (2011)

By Ahmed Al Kiremli

Movie Story

A man escapes from hell to take revenge on the person responsible for the death of his daughter and the kidnapping of his granddaughter.

Ahmed Al Kiremli Opinion

This is one of the worst movies that I have ever seen with Nicolas Cage, besides his other bad movies (Season of the Witch, The Bad Lieutenant The Wicker Man, and World Trade Center). Nicolas Cage is a very interesting actor and is known for so many good movies, but recently he’s been getting worse and worse. No fewer than half of his last ten movies were awful.
The story just made no sense at all, and the director just made it worse. Nothing was interesting about the movie except for a few good 3D action scenes. I still don’t know how I watched the movie till the end. I wondered whether there might be a good ending to write about at least, but then realized that there’s not even that. So I just wanted to warn everybody not to waste their money and time. The acting performance was so ridiculous and low quality. I still don’t know how or why Nicolas Cage selected such a movie. It was far worse than any commercial movie.

Ahmed Al Kiremli Rating

2/10

Is It In Ahmed Al Kiremli’s Must Watch List?

Is It In Ahmed Al Kiremli’s Great Movies List?

Genres

Action, Fantasy and Thriller

Director

Patrick Lussier, Known for / Scream (1996), Dracula 2000 and Scream 2 (1997)

Main Cast

Nicolas Cage, Amber Heard and William Fichtner

Drive Angry Trailer