Snatch'd To A Movie Club

I rarely write about social events and events. I think there are plenty of well accomplished bloggers out there who can cover these events and give them a more decent exposure.
I am making an exception this time, because the event is something I care about. Fellow blogger, tweep, and good friend, Anis Tabet from "let's tlk abt movies" invited me today to the launch of his new Movie Club in a double event that introduced us to a new app concept entitled Snatch'd.

The Snatch'd promised to be a hub of offerings and discounts but extends beyond that to offer you ideas and suggestions on things to do beyond that Mall you haunt or the usual venues where you have become part of the furniture. The presentation was interesting and included a nicely executed video which I unfortunately cannot find online *cough*Mounir*cough*

Although I am big movie buff, I found myself, over the past years, drifting away from such events, mostly because of the over-philosophical type of hipster-ish audience that can be found there hanging by their checkered all-season scarves (think Empire Sofil), and the choice of movies frequently selected in an attempt to sound filmographically grandiloquent.
However, I have high hopes for this particular movie club, mostly because I know Anis' temperament and penchant for smart and interesting movies along with his usual no-bullshit attitude.

If you have not already jumped off this page to go follow Anis on Twitter then you can see below a couple of snapshots from the event.

Live Die Repeat: Afterthoughts

Many of you who follow me on social media or read the blog know that I am quite passionate about movies. I watch a lot of movies, good or bad regardless of style unless it's a beautiful Italian movie that's been ripped off onto an egyptian version. As a techie (see I avoided using geek) sci-fi has always held a special place in my heart and when I got the chance to get a sneak peak at Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt's latest flick I didn't mind throwing a few elbows to make my way into the movie theater.

I don't want to go throw in any spoilers as most have not seen the movie yet, also since I strongly believe there is a special place in hell (or somewhere in Beirut Traffic, whichever comes first) for people who giveaway plot details. So here are my 2 cents on what I got to watch tonight.

This was an entertaining movie with some cool visual effects, acceptable plot line (with only one major hiccup), some curved balls that break away partially of the Hollywood stereotypes and the same action movie quality performance we have seen before from either star.

The hook, however is in the title and the trailer as you might have already seen it. The possibility of living, dying then repeating things has been toyed with for a while. The temporal loop has been explored before in many movies, my favorite being still "Ground Hog Day" (1993) with Bill Murray.

Although the comedy of Bill Murray does take a jab at analyzing life and exploring the intricate emotions that connect us humans, "Live Die Repeat - Edge of Tomorrow" takes a darker approach to this from the start by setting the action in the midst of war, where there are far worse odds to come up against than meeting Ned Ryerson.

This movie offered a nice trip into a darker future world where hope was scarce but human spirit prevailed but the roller coaster it took me on was not on the silver screen, it was mostly in the afterthoughts of "what if".
What if we were given to relive the same experiences and learn to correct mistakes?
What if we were not able to learn?
What if that was a punishment and not a blessing? I know a few people I would not want to be reliving the same day with and I am sure they feel the same.
But then again, if you really think about it, sometimes real life does need an undo button .

Heritages: More Than A Movie, A Wake Up Call

Disclaimer: This is not an objective movie review, I am not Anis Tabet and you will not get a professional opinion on the cinematographic qualities and shortcomings of the movie.

I watch a lot of movies and consequently, I have become quite desensitized by movie trailers in general. I am also a fan of Lebanese movies, but not necessarily the ones that everyone swoons over. For example, I loved Taxi Ballad way more than any of Nadine Labaki's flicks.

Many who have met me, or read my blog, know how critical I am of stereotypes, especially the very Yippeekayay-ish approach to the proverbial "joie de vivre" lie that we enjoy telling ourselves in Lebanon.
So when I first caught a glimpse of the Heritages trailer in some pre-movie session, I was reluctant on what to make of it: Is it another sob-story on the struggle that many Lebanese-born must undergo or just another cheesy attempt at glorifying feelings of nostalgia for a Land that continuously keeps offering less and less to its natives? It was neither.

On the pre-screening night, I managed to steal a few moments with Philippe Aractingi and we briefly exchanged some ideas which got me even more psyched to see how he had placed those ideas onto film.

I was happy to see that this filmmaker did not slip into every cliche that's been thrown our way, about being the greatest place to live in the world, but instead offered an honest, accurate and enjoyable storytelling experience from his own perspective, while basing it on his own family's past and present, without denying his love for the country he was born into.
The richness of imagery, the candor of the characters and honesty of emotions made me feel privileged to have been given a front-seat ride into this visual autobiography and the plethora of emotions thrown at the spectator along the way.

Lebanese cinema has recently brought us many choices and styles: the touching, the smooth, the badly executed, the same old story and even the doubled-monosyllabic comedies. Far from all that, Heritages stands alone as an honest witness of a person's love and struggle with a country that binds you to it and still pushes you away until you feel like being on the edge of a yo-yo toy.

Heritages is a must-see movie for everyone: the disappointed idealist, the chronic nostalgic, the wannabe immigrant and most importantly the delusional patriotic narcissistic. It's a hangover cure, sugarcoated with honesty and warmth emanating from the lives of a very honest family somewhere between Beirut and Paris.

This movie should make it to the official school syllabus as a valuable educational tool for the young and impressionable minds that, so far, seem bound to repeat the same experiences of their parents, and their parents before them. Perhaps a powerful wake-up call like this might shake the country out of its unpleasant version of Groundhog Day but then again like I started by saying: I watch too many movies.