I haven't had a chance to "read" in a while, but then, in my last Alex trip, I gave some time to reading out what I missed. I also had the chance to watch a few movies which I wanted to see. I thought I might as well share some short reviews.
Books:
Brida - Paulo Coelho
- It's an easy read, you find yourself turning pages and feeling fulfilled by the amount of events in each section.
- Discusses a new lifestyle. In this book, it's not a new religion though, it's about magic in a sense that doesn't contradict with Christianity.
- Has a bit of self-help, in a sense that inspires one to take risks, trust oneself, explore the unknown, observe in our journey...etc
- Full of amazing and inspiring quotes, which I realized, if I quote them here, it will be such a cliche, so go read it yourself.
On the other hand, what I personally loved about Brida, was the part about Soulmates. I do believe that each person has a soulmate somewhere. I don't believe in the origin of the idea , as he mentioned, but I understand his point. And I like the fact that by the end of his story *warning, spoiler here* he separated the idea of the soulmate from the idea of the loved one. Maybe perhaps that's what we should all do at some point, accept that our loved one is not necessarily a soulmate and so relieve them of all the pressure of having to change to suit our dreams. Maybe a soulmate could be a friend , a mentor or just someone who you connect with on a mental level. I like this thought. So anyway, Brida is a nice read when you're feeling down or if you need someone to shed a light on things you already know but forgot about who you are.
If you could see me now - Cecelia Ahern
This Cecelia person is the one who wrote "P.S, I love you". The best chick flick ever! I knew I was gonna read a chickflick when I bought it, especially that it comes with a pink beach-bag , as a gift. I mean ,can it get any girl-i-er than that? Now that we have this fact out of the way, it was really a lovely read. I struggled a bit with the typing; too small and pages are too full. But the author has a sense of humor, and a sense of reality. The book is magical in its own way. I wouldn't say it has a message to deliver, but its a happy-feel-good-vacation read. And it talks about imaginary friends, how cool is that! Did I tell you that I had imaginary friends as a child? My mum was worried, cause its natural to have ONE imaginary friend, but TWO!? Well, I have always been special in my own way! Back to the book. Its has a childish charm about it, you'd especially like it if you like "The curios incident of the dog in the night-time". Highly recommended to make you smile, in the least.
واحة الغروب - Bahaa Taher
I heard mixed feedback about this book before I read it. Some said it was brilliant , others said it was too dark and too sad. Well, honestly, it sort of both. It is written wonderfully, the author titles the chapter by the name of the character whose narrating, so we get the complete story through different characters and different perspectives. And although the theme is dark, I wouldn't say sad. It has to deal with people's pasts haunting them, some look for new beginnings and others look for a way out, in other words death. But the way he mentions death for those who seek it, makes it look and feel like the ultimate dream. However, people who are full of love for life are always those who die, just like in life, somethings are just not fair. It also talks about cold wars between tribes and how cunning and scheming people are in order to achieve what they think is theirs . Although it does mention things about history, I totally ignored the historical or political implications and focused on the psychological effect of the mentioned stories on the characters in the novel. Again, a good read. But it would put a dark cloud over your head.
Movies
Alice in Wonderland
The down side, is that I saw this movie in 3D, and the 3D was not good enough (compared to avatar for example). But everything else was super...let's see: The amazing Lewis Caroll's story (Caroll was an Aquarian too.. great minds!)..Johny Depp puts an amazing Mad Hatter act...Tim Burton (If you check his filmography, you'd be amazed how many great movies, i mean pieces of art, he worked on, you'd be amazed)... Helena Bonham Carter puts a superb Red Queen act.. The animation and graphics work was beyond beleif.. and did I mention Johny Depp (said with a smile). Anyway, there's nothing bad about the movie.. so.. go see it!
My Name is Khan
I have not heard one single bad review about this movie. It's emotional, funny, encouraging, and naturally , a happy-ending-feel-good movie. Great performance by the entire cast and a pretty interesting story (think Forest Gump). And although I personally have some comments about some of the practices of Islam discussed, I'd have to ignore those for the sake of the beautiful image of a "moderate muslim" they portrayed. Don't bother trying to understand their English though.. stick to the subtitles.
الوان السما السبعة
I wanted to see this when it was in the theaters about a year or so ago but as always, I never got a chance to. Saw it on cable TV , the day following "My name is Khan". The actors put a great performance, really, even Farouk El Fishawy, who I thought lost his touch ages ago. The soundtrack is so smooth and soothing, especially that the story is about Whirling Dervish and all (not the spiritual practice, just the dance and show). The cinematography was great; it really caught many many different colors of the skies and cloud formation. However, I was disappointed in the movie. It gives you the impression that there's gonna be a piece of wisdom or message to think about , and the plot keeps thickening and thickening, and then boom, nothing happens and the movie ends randomly without a resolution. I hate it when that happens. (Although I keep telling my friends, that I'm more than okay with movies that have no start and no end, rather take a day/week/duration to display of a certain person's life. That.. I understand..)
رسائل البحر
Another open ended movie, but this one, unlike the one above, makes you think about different dilemmas throughout the movie, even if they are not resolved at the end. (The fact that there is no resolution pisses me off though). I heard so many good reviews about it, people saying it was life changing and all, honestly, exaggerated. It is a good movie, don't get me wrong, but not THAT good. Asser, the protagonist, puts a great act , especially the stuttering part. It was a difficult role, I'd have to say, so many feelings, emotions and confusion the he has to face. Basma, not sure, some scenes she's quite good, other's she clearly acting. Mohamed Loutfy never fails to impress me, and Mai Kassab was good. The Italian neighbor was such a grandmother figure and her daughter was playing a difficult role with excellence. I do not relate to any of the characters , the plot, nor the place, but I do understand it and feel for them. Overall, good movie
That's it for now..
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