nicolaspiere
Lifetime Total
1+
IMDb Member
21 years
Reviews
The Infidel (2010)
Poor and flat
I had high hopes for this film as I thought it would be a great clash of cultures comedy, especially with Omid Jalali as the star.
Regrettably, to my disappointment it fell very flat.
The film started off quite well and was humorous, but it soon became dry and felt like an old fashioned TV sketch. Hence, the camera was just filming dry witty dialogue exchanges of the same thing over and over again with limited change in camera angle, which made it boring.
Despite being fiction, the set up of the characters depicted were confusing and consequently hard to believe. Omid Jalali is supposed to be a London born Pakistani, despite being adopted from Jewish descent from a very young age. However, any Islamic references from Omid sounded very Arabic/middle eastern, which contrasted greatly with his family who were clearly British Pakistani and felt like they were non-Londoners particularly with the Northern Burke friend. Consequently, I wasn't sure if I was in Bradford or London.
Furthermore, I found it hugely Ironic that the fanatic Egyptian cleric sounded heavily Israeli!!! It was even more ironic that he was suppose to be Egyptian but had a daughter and wife that looked clearly Pakistani/Indian rather than Egyptian! Nothing wrong with make believe but all of it didn't gel and soured the movie.
If Omid Jalali's family was set up as a London Arabic/Persian family, I think this would have had a huge positive difference to the film by making it feel more real and funny! Mainly because this is what Omid knows and he could have exploited a lot of the day to day humour without having to make spoofed Jewish/Muslim references all the time that soon got dull.
The film also conveyed the impression that all Muslims were anti-Jewish and all Jewish people were anti-Muslim just because of the Israeli – Palestinian conflict. Consequently, I thought this was very two dimensional and unrealistic and it put me off the film.
Some positive points, the climax was quite entertaining and the first 10 minutes were good to watch. It also had a nice dramatic undertone as Omid Jalali goes on his quest for his roots. There were also humorous moments throughout, but they would only earn a smirk rather than laughter.
Overall, this could have been such a great film if it was done in a better way and I think it's poor performance at the box office reflects that. However, If you have a British Pakistani background, I'd suggest watching the film as you may enjoy it as it seem's more tailored for a British Pakistani audience. If you're easy going and enjoy dry British or ethnic humour you may also enjoy it.
However, if you're having a night in and you want a good comedy to enjoy, avoid this and pick up something like "Knocked Up" for guaranteed entertainment.
Regrettably, to my disappointment it fell very flat.
The film started off quite well and was humorous, but it soon became dry and felt like an old fashioned TV sketch. Hence, the camera was just filming dry witty dialogue exchanges of the same thing over and over again with limited change in camera angle, which made it boring.
Despite being fiction, the set up of the characters depicted were confusing and consequently hard to believe. Omid Jalali is supposed to be a London born Pakistani, despite being adopted from Jewish descent from a very young age. However, any Islamic references from Omid sounded very Arabic/middle eastern, which contrasted greatly with his family who were clearly British Pakistani and felt like they were non-Londoners particularly with the Northern Burke friend. Consequently, I wasn't sure if I was in Bradford or London.
Furthermore, I found it hugely Ironic that the fanatic Egyptian cleric sounded heavily Israeli!!! It was even more ironic that he was suppose to be Egyptian but had a daughter and wife that looked clearly Pakistani/Indian rather than Egyptian! Nothing wrong with make believe but all of it didn't gel and soured the movie.
If Omid Jalali's family was set up as a London Arabic/Persian family, I think this would have had a huge positive difference to the film by making it feel more real and funny! Mainly because this is what Omid knows and he could have exploited a lot of the day to day humour without having to make spoofed Jewish/Muslim references all the time that soon got dull.
The film also conveyed the impression that all Muslims were anti-Jewish and all Jewish people were anti-Muslim just because of the Israeli – Palestinian conflict. Consequently, I thought this was very two dimensional and unrealistic and it put me off the film.
Some positive points, the climax was quite entertaining and the first 10 minutes were good to watch. It also had a nice dramatic undertone as Omid Jalali goes on his quest for his roots. There were also humorous moments throughout, but they would only earn a smirk rather than laughter.
Overall, this could have been such a great film if it was done in a better way and I think it's poor performance at the box office reflects that. However, If you have a British Pakistani background, I'd suggest watching the film as you may enjoy it as it seem's more tailored for a British Pakistani audience. If you're easy going and enjoy dry British or ethnic humour you may also enjoy it.
However, if you're having a night in and you want a good comedy to enjoy, avoid this and pick up something like "Knocked Up" for guaranteed entertainment.
The Heartbreak Kid (1993)
I didn't know this led to the creation of 'Heartbreak High'
I saw this film a few days ago by accident on late night TV. As it was starting it looked kind of dated and I thought it was a 50's film of some sort. But then i saw the Greek family and as i'm from a Greek background i thought it was gonna be an interesting watch.
Then after I saw about 15 minutes i knew it was based on the TV series "Heartbreak High" or should i say the series was based on the film. I never knew this film existed or that the series was based on such a film so it was a bit of shock.
It's an interesting fictional film that takes place in the Greek community in Australia. However, it felt a bit corny in places only because it was made 10 years ago and it's really dated.
Then after I saw about 15 minutes i knew it was based on the TV series "Heartbreak High" or should i say the series was based on the film. I never knew this film existed or that the series was based on such a film so it was a bit of shock.
It's an interesting fictional film that takes place in the Greek community in Australia. However, it felt a bit corny in places only because it was made 10 years ago and it's really dated.
Napoleon Dynamite (2004)
Quirky and Funny!
I saw this movie the other week at a screening in the 20th Century Fox studio lot in Los Angeles.
Despite getting there 10 minutes late it was easy enough to catch onto the story. The quirkiness of the story and the characters really grips your attention and keeps you enthralled. The directing is a bit bland, but this add's to the characters awkwardness in their situations. The main character is hilarious especially near to the end of the film when he does his funky dance to help his Mexican friend. Sounds odd, but you have to see the film to see what I mean. I don't know who to give the credit to, the main lead or the director.
Great little movie which I enjoyed, and to think i didn't even want to go to the screening!
Despite getting there 10 minutes late it was easy enough to catch onto the story. The quirkiness of the story and the characters really grips your attention and keeps you enthralled. The directing is a bit bland, but this add's to the characters awkwardness in their situations. The main character is hilarious especially near to the end of the film when he does his funky dance to help his Mexican friend. Sounds odd, but you have to see the film to see what I mean. I don't know who to give the credit to, the main lead or the director.
Great little movie which I enjoyed, and to think i didn't even want to go to the screening!