Uzair Mohammad

Yesterday, I attended a film screening at the Doha Tribeca Film Festival. It was a unique screening, different from anything else I have ever watched, because what I went to see was a 1929 silent film presented at an open air theater with a new music score composed by Nitin Sawhney and performed live by the Qatar Philharmonic Society. That is a lot to say in one sentence, but really, it was awesome.

The original film is set in India though it is directed by German directors and would be considered a Western film. So there is a hint of orientalism in it but it really is minimal and should be expected to a degree because, well, it was 1929, and that is just how some stuff played out. It was a good film I have to say, I mean as a person used to watched movies with sound and pretty much never having watched anything other than Charlie Chaplin clips from the silent movie era, it was strange for me to sit through a whole 90 minute long film with no one saying a word. There were moments when I took my eyes off the screen and was able to come back and catch the story just fine, and then at other times, if I missed a shot, I was lost for a few minutes because what had happened on screen was it, that was the only remnant, there was no other cue to catch you up. So from that perspective, it was kinda cool to see how people used to watch movies in the 1920s. And then there was the orchestra, which was, simply amazing. From the vivid violins to the booming oboes, from the drums to the tabla and the flute which were incorporated into the orchestra especially for this presentation, it was all simply awesome.

I really really enjoyed the screening. It must have taken so much time to set that up and to practice for it, I can’t even imagine. Plus to have included Nitin Sawhney, the renowned composer and performer, to write a special score was a great idea and it panned out really well. Its too bad that it was a one-off screening and those who missed it will not be able to catch it at another time. The standing ovation at the end spoke volumes about how much people had enjoyed it despite feeling a little surreal right afterwards which I would attribute to sitting through a whole silent movie for the first time ever. The performance was great and I do have to tip my hat to the organizers for a really good idea and a well-executed presentation. I hope this type of performance becomes the hallmark of the Doha Film Festival because it will catch on if they do it every year and word will spread that people should come and check it out.

All in all, an excellent night out with the siblings and a much needed dose of film, music and culture.

Original Film Review: IMDB

It is only fitting the definitive documentary film about street art was in the end compiled by one of its greatest practitioners. It is even more appropriate that the film is not about him, rather that it is about the movement in general, the low points and high are all included.

If you dabble in the world of art, even if only as a casual viewer from afar, it is almost impossible that you have not heard of Banksy or come across a picture/poster/news piece about his art. His body of work, short lived and quickly destroyed as it may be, has become the hallmark of a growing genre of street art which colors the grey walls of our increasingly boring urban landscape. His art is as much about subversion as it is about mind revolution, as much about truth and it is about provocation.

But this is not a movie about Banksy. Its about the world of street art as seen through the eyes of a man who till recently was not even a street artist, just the person who was filming the artists for no particular reason. Over the course of a decade he collected footage that would criss-cross the continents while tailing artists pushing the boundaries of what was legal or even what was considered to be art. In the process, he captured the world of street art from its most nascent beginnings to its most sensationalist chapters.

Yet, like much good art these days, this film is hard to categorize. It is a documentary, yes, in that it documents the process the artists undergo, and that it does so for many years. It is also a comical look at what the world of street art has become, going from a its early-days role as a counter-culture bent on disturbing the false peace of mind of the modern citizen to the modern art investment worth of millions of dollars and chic gallery shows of today. Even that does not encapsulate the film well thought. Because besides all that, it is a look into the life of one man who chose to give up his day job and his family life to go out and document the budding genre of street art– year after year, artist after artist. Over time, he fell into the art he was drawn to, eventually becoming an artist himself. Through his story is unveiled the story of street art. Through his time behind the camera we get a rare look into the unlit back streets and rooftops where street artists ply their art form.

The music selection is impeccable as you would expect from any urban environment film. The artists featured are ground-breaking celebrities in their own right and their stories are particularly compelling throughout. The style of the film is very personal and up-close, i.e. hand held camera shots, some dating back to the early 90s, so in that regard, each scene is a breath of fresh air with its mishmash of colors and moods and of course its colorful characters. The story-telling is particularly great because the film rolls along to a surprising end, one that you wouldn’t expect if you don’t know much about street art– I was certainly taken aback. So in the end, I guess you can expect a well-compiled, first-hand look into the world of street art with a lot of detail, a lot of art and a hell of a lot of fun along the way.

Above all though, what I found refreshing is the stinging honesty of the film. What is/was cool is portrayed as so. What is/was fake is called out into the open. What is/was a bunch of crap is labeled as so. Opinions are honest, criticisms are poignant and portrayals of all the people involved are down-to-earth, with no flattery included for any measure. It is a look by those inside the scene, about the scene. It has a certain liveliness to it that can only come from passion, but it also has sobering reality to it, which only comes from being part of the scene for years and having learned from the experience. And that, I think, is why this is an excellent film.

Review: IMDB | CBC | The New York Times
Download: The Pirate Bay

This is one of those movies that I have caught bits and pieces of here and there. A recent viewing of director Wes Anderson’s other classic movie, Bottle Rocket, led me to decide to finally sit down and watch this film. And I was not disappointed.

First of all, Bill Murray is the shit. I don’t think I have ever watched a movie of his that I have not thoroughly enjoyed. He is the quintessential anti-Hollywood actor while also embodying everything that is good about film. He is enigmatic as a person, a virtual recluse to boot, and his on screen presence is simply fantastic. I just absolutely love him. I would remiss to not mention Wes Anderson while I speak of everything that is good in Hollywood. He is a director who ability to capture everyday moments and interactions far surpasses others in the industry. While every other director tries to make every scene epic, he tries to make them real– his movies are refreshing for that reason. I absolutely love his body of work, from Rushmore to The Royal Tenenbaums to Bottle Rocket and The Fantastic Mr. Fox, each film is a pleasure to watch.

To me, and I know a lot of people will disagree with me on this, The Life Aquatic is Wes Anderson’s best movie. I say that realizing that I absolutely adore his other films. The reason I say this is because it is in this film that we see the breadth and scope of his imagination. From the tiniest of creatures to the most amazing of beings, he pours a child’s imagination into this film, and though the spectacle is not epic, it is awesome. Wes Anderson wrote, directed and produced this film. His imprint is all over it. From the most random of dialog to the location choices, everything points to him and his imagination.

The cast, photography, script and anything else you can think of are brilliant. And so is the music. I have a rule relating to movie soundtracks which I try to follow studiously. If I notice the music in a movie moe than three times during the course of the film, I mean truly notice it as in enjoy it as part of the film, and consciously think of how good it is, then I go out and get that soundtrack. And this movie has a sick soundtrack. From David Bowie songs translated into Portuguese to awesome instrumentals that dot the adventures of the Steve Zissou crew as they sail the open seas in search of a mysterious animal that only Steve Zissou has seen, the music is part of the storytelling. It is not a companion to it, as many soundtracks are and it is not an afterthought. It melds seamlessly into the film, and if you notice the music despite that fact, then you have a great soundtrack.

A great film and an enduring film experience is made in the details. And this movie is chock full of them. From matching shoes to tiny animals that catch your wonder, from crew uniforms to memorable expressions, this film is filled to the brim with sequences and characters that you can back to again and again and enjoy repeatedly.  Its sn excellent film from start to end. Thoroughly enjoyable. Its not a heavy film as most of the movies I usually review are, but to me, it definitely is a classic.

Review: TIME | The Los Angeles Times
Download: The Pirate Bay
Soundtrack: The Pirate Bay

There are extreme difference between the nations of the world. From one country to the next, we can find major differences in terrain and lifestyle, from customs to governments. You can find a mind-numbing freeze in Siberia, but you don’t have to travel far in relative terms to find the all-consuming sweltering heat of the Middle East. You can find richly democratic nations such as Sweden and Denmark on one end of the spectrum, and on the other end you have a nation like Somalia, which has no government. Somewhere, you can find children attending public school and in other places you can find children living and servicing the prostitution industry. That this world is a planet of extremes both through natural and man-made causes is no secret, what is secret perhaps is the levels to which these extreme can go to.

If there is one nation that is utterly different from the rest of the world today, it is North Korea. On TV, almost monthly, we see stories about North Korea, but they usually wind down after the customary lines about its dictatorial leader. Most news stories have few lines of new substance, with the rest being what is already known. North Korea is thus rightfully known as the hermit nation. It is completely secluded from external forces. Cell phones are banned, internet is not available, radio transmissions are controlled. The number of foreign visitors to the country is strictly monitored to the extent that multiple North Korean “minders” accompany the foreigners everywhere they go. Mobility to the outside world is forbidden, in fact attempts at escaping result in instant death if caught. The whole nation is fenced in, completely isolated from even its neighbors to the south and the north, South Korea & China respectively. A roll of photography leaving North Korea is a case of mass-interest, imagine enough footage to surpass any previous attempt.

From these conditions begins the tale of one camera crew which visited North Korea as part of a humanitarian vision. They shot footage which has never been seen or attempted inside the country. It gives an unprecedented look into the lives of millions of North Koreans who live under a brutal dictatorship while submitting to it in every aspect of their lives. The most striking chord the film hits on is the complete and utter supplication, almost glorifying love that the North Koreans feels for their leader. It is strange for us, of course. Even the most brutal dictatorships of Europe and South America garnered some form of dissent, usually in massive numbers leading to widespread massacres and incarcerations en-masse. But here we see a different dynamic as the North Korean leadership moves towards its third full generation in power. It is a look into a dark and twisted world, one where image is supreme, and nothing is as it seems.

Review: IMDB
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Some topics of inquiry are so infuriating and so potentially saddening that it is sometimes a burden to look into them– a mental burden that scares you off before you have even looked into the matter. This documentary has been sitting on my desktop for almost a year. It has been on my to-watch-list ever since I heard of it, but every week, every day, I have chosen to ignore it and have watched something else instead. Today, I did the opposite. And by doing so, I realized how stupid I have been for so long for judging a documentary merely by its name.

This is not a documentary about prostitutes. It is a film about their children, who live in and around the brothels of India, who have been born into brothels, and many of whom will spend their whole lives in the brothels. It is a film about one woman’s quest to teach a handful of these children how to photograph the lives they live, the people they see and the world around them. This is a film about their journey in photography while they try to battle the demons that plague them. There is hope here, faint yet enduring.

Right from the start, there is a permeating, almost engrossing sadness to the film. This is to be expected of course, but it is much more than your average sad tale of woe, it is a sadness of normality, of acceptance, of coming to terms with pain. Its not a sadness borne of anger, it is a sadness of playing out the cards one has been dealt in life. These children are so casual about their status in the world, so capable of expressing how they view their lives and where they see it going, that it touches you to the core. Kids barely 11 and 12 speak of the pressures on other children, of the threat to join the family business, of filthy lifestyles and dark prospects, of broken dreams and dead ends. It is enough to make you want to cry. And all the while, they show you how they live through their own pictures, they create art where there is nothing but darkness, they find hope in images that are seared into their minds, that will impact them forever.

This is the story of just one red light district in just one city of India. There are probably hundreds in that city, thousands in that province, hundreds of thousands across the nation. And so many more across this planet. The reality is sobering. But for these kids it is life, and life as one child puts it, “is painful, but it needs to be accepted”.

The depth of experience these children possess just from what they have seen during their short lives is astounding. We see children that have sold liquor and harassed people that don’t pay. We see children talking openly about how their relatives want to sell them into prostitution. We see children that leave the house when their mother is working. We see children that have ceased to be children, and have become mere characters, as if in a play, devised by a demented human, bent on hurting the characters as much as the audience.

As a documentary, this film is shot remarkably well. As a film about children, their innocence, their lives, it is wonderfully interpreted. As a documentary about India, it is astutely presented- music, scenery, crowded lives, narrow pathways and dirty neighborhoods all factor in prominently. It is not an exaggeration, it is a depiction of reality. As one child puts it, “wherever you see dirty dishes, there you will also see a pair of shoes.” Life is harsh but it has it funny moments- this film factors them all in and presents a composition that is visually stunning, emotionally uplifting and crashingly sad at the same time. A rare mix it must be said, but then this is not ordinary tale. This is India, and it has many faces, some good, some painful– all yearning for something better.

I really should come up with a system of rating that I can apply to movies. Because here I stand, wanting to tell you all that this is a must-watch film, but I realize that I have said that to you numerous times before too. So what do I say that will make you go out and watch this film over any other, I don’t know. I don’t have a classification above “must-watch”. I need to find one desperately. Till then, I can only persuade you by saying that this film made me cry, several times. I had to take breaks, I had to stop and reflect, I had to digest.

We live beautiful lives. Despite our most arduous of lives, despite our biggest hurdles and our moments of despair, we live beautiful lives. These children do not have that luxury. But here, for just a few minutes we get to see them enjoy life for what it is and try to make it in the world. Some fail, some keep trying, some live on. It is a beautiful film that will haunt me for weeks.

Review: IMDB
Download: The Pirate Bay

I have a terrible memory. I mean, really really terrible. I can remember things well enough, but if I don’t come across a certain thing/event/person for a long time, or even intermittently, chances are very good that I now have a vague memory of it, and that too only by name– no details, no specifics, and no regret at having forgotten either. This can get embarrassing when it comes to people, but is a very good characteristic to have when one enjoys movies, especially good movies. And so it was, that over the past few months, for some reason, I was pining to watch Munich again, a movie I had seen before, and remembered the premise of, and that it was directed by Spielberg, but nothing other than that. It was an excellent time to watch it again, and this time, to decide once and for all, what I had been wondering for some years now, if the movie takes a decidedly Israeli side, or if it manages to remain as neutral as possible given its story line.

In 1972, at the Munich Olympics, a Palestinian terrorist group known as Black September, took  9 Israeli athletes hostage and demanded the release of 200 political prisoners in return. As the world watched, the hostage crisis unfolded on TV sets in homes across the globe. When it was all over, all the terrorists except three were killed. And so were the athletes, 11 of them in total. What followed this attack was a systematic campaign by the Israeli government to kill the masterminds of behind the attack. This is the story of that revenge, which was exacted by Israel through 5 operatives working together all over Europe.

There is a clear inclination for any filmmaker to take sides with this type of story line. And I will not say that the directors/writers/producers balance themselves flawlessly, but given the clearly anti-Palestine reality of the whole event, they do a really good job. In the end, I would say that the movie takes no sides. It reaches the logical conclusion that anyone would reach, perhaps the same conclusion that many of us have reached about the Middle East peace process, that “there is no peace at the end of this”. We may hope otherwise, but we also realize that violence begets violence and so the wheel turns, the years pass on, one massacre is countered by another. The death of a mother here, the murder of a child there, the end of a short life, the destruction of another dream.

I felt that the film’s strongest ability was to juxtapose ideas. Assassins argue between themselves of how Israel and “them” are alike. “How do you think Israel was formed?”, one of them asks the other, then goes on to explain, “We are just like them”. Another of the assassins questions the morality of the murders they are committing by virtue of what Judaism says and what Jews are supposed to be, “righteous”, he says. There are also discussions between Palestinians and Jews, one poignant exchange is so accurate in its banter that if you put two youth of the opposing sides into a room in this day and age, it would probably be about ten minutes before they enact the scene for you verbatim. Even the Palestinians who were behind the hostage act are shown to be well-read, well-spoken men of the world. They are writers and diplomats, men of stature and respect. They are not shown here to be savages thirsty for blood, just humans put in extraordinary positions spurred on by extraordinary circumstances. Not unlike their assassins. The parallels are well made, the story telling is somber, and the buildup of emotions, frustrations, and characters is slow yet steady, culminating in a tumultuous wave of self-doubt and a need for justification.

The writers did a good job, and the director did a better one in making sure that the passion of either side was not downplayed, that neither came off as the Barbarian or the culprit. This is history, others have passed judgment and will continue to do so, you came here to watch what happened, so watch and take away you own lessons. No didacticism when it comes to the Middle East, no one listens to authority here anyway.

Munich is a great action drama. It is a testament to its longevity that I have remembered its name and premise in the years since I last watched it. Not everything is perfect mind you, some of the characters are weak, but I am sure that is a result of the movie being too long at the end of the editing. It is highly unlikely that Spielberg did not build some characters and made the others too strong. But when you have a story line that needs to go through so many events in a certain amount of time and also juggle the emotional battles of the characters, there are bound to some weak points. But they are also just that, just weak points, not large enough to notice, not important enough to ruin the movie. In the end, I would say that the next time you don’t know what to watch, and you could do with a true-events inspired action drama, you probably could do much worse than Munich.

Review: IMDB
Download: The Pirate Bay

I have never been a student in the United States. So when I first started watching this documentary, I really did not know what to expect. I knew it was about schools and so I thought it may be about the education system and the quality of the teaching that kids are being put through nowadays. I have heard much about how the quality of education in the US has deteriorated, so it was natural for me to think so. But once this documentary began, the true nature of its message became clear very quickly.

The War On Kids is an eye-opening investigation into how US school are now run. Its conclusion is that the US education system is failing its kids completely. The quality of education is just one part of a much larger degradation of the public school system. Kids in America today are subject to demented forms of control, from prison-like security measures to over-medication for made-up ailments, to theories of social behavior that are wrongly applied and improperly though up.

I couldn’t believe my eyes during this film. I mean, I saw little kinds getting arrested for drawing pictures of guns. I saw little kids being watched on cameras all the time, resulting in anti-social kids who are not comfortable at school. This film has clips of teachers and principals explaining how schools are run like prison. Hell, it even has one section which shows how inmates go into a prison and compares that to how kids go into a school. Guess what, the prison looked a lot better. This movie is simply astonishing. Its ridiculous what is happening. Big corporations are making tons of money off these security measures, from cameras to steel bars to metal detectors to tasers and even security personnel. Pharmaceutical giants are making billions of dollars by medicating almost 4 million kids in the United States annually, and that is some of the best, most vivacious, most inquisitive children, the ones that do not fit the mold and break the norms- what in the past would be considered ingredients for people that will one day break barriers and lead the pack in society. This movie is astonishing, troubling, saddening, I can’t even begin to describe how disturbing it is. But the fact is that this is not happening in one school or one district. This is happening everywhere in America.

This is just one of those shocking movies that has made me think about what kind of education my brothers are getting and how I am going to deal with the prospect of one day education my own as yet unborn children. I may have to brush up on my math if I happen to be in America at that time, because to me, homeschooling would be a much better option than sending my kids off to schools so full of hate, control and fear. It doesn’t surprise me that The New York Times call this movie “a shocking chronicle of institutional dysfunction”. After watching it, I have to pity the children of America who clearly go through hell on a daily basis while they try to learn in a highly warped educational environment. If you care to know what your kid is facing on a daily basis and if you care to know what future generations are learning in their schools, how they are learning and from whom, this documentary is a must-watch.

I can’t help myself when I say that something needs to be done. I have always felt that to get a sense of how developed a nation is and how forward-thinking it is, all you have to do is look at how it treats its women, its poor, its minorities, and its children. If you are satisfied that all of these sectors of society are treated in a manner which affords them the right to be the best they can be, then you can be sure that the country in question has a bright future. From what this movie clearly shows, America’s children are being let down completely and unless this changes significantly, the future of the country will suffer for generations to come.

Review: IMDB | The New York Times
Download: The Pirate Bay

Imagine a world where you can change the ability and the anatomy of your brain using just your thoughts. Imagine a world where stroke patients can learn to master their previously held skills and return back to their lives as if little has changed. Imagine a world where children born with debilitating brain trauma/injuries can live full, complete lives because their brains can function at normal levels. If you find the possibility of such a world amazing, you can then imagine the surprise of leading neuro-scientists when they realized that all this and more is possible. Not only is it possible, it is happening, and there is evidence of it, not researched evidence min you, but actual living people that are proof this is amazing step forward in our understanding of the human brain.

This short documentary is Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) production and was first broadcast as part of David Suzuki’s long-running The Nature Of Things series. Its one of those pieces that doesn’t really delve into the hysteria that some other pieces do, but in the end, the scientific breakthroughs it imparts are enough to make you giddy. It is also enough to make you realize that what we know of the world and especially about the human body is far from the complete story. The journey of discovery continues.

When it comes to science docs, there is a tendency for people to recommend it only to other science nerds, but I think that this documentary is different and in fact should be watched by everyone. This is because it touches on such an integral part of the human being, the brain, that it impacts everyone. Your child’s learning disabilities could be impacted by this research. Your grandmother’s struggles after an accident or a stroke could be alleviated because of these findings. You could start thinking in a manner that makes a positive impact in your relationships and in your work by watching this documentary. The brain is so basic, so common and so important to our well-being that to recommend this doc only to some people is to not understand its true scope and its amazing potential. Hence, I will just say that this is a very good, informative documentary that you should not miss.

Description: The Nature of Things
Watch online: CBC Videos (only available within Canada)
Download: Torrent Reactor

“If you wan go wash- water you go use
If you wan cook soup- water you go use
If your head be hot- water it cool am
If your child dey grow- water you go use
If water kill your child- water you go use
Nothing without water
No go fight am, unless you wan die
I say water no get enemy”

- Fela Kuti, Water No Get Enemy

These words uttered by Fela way back in the 1970s are just as true today as they were then, just as true in fact as they have always been throughout the animal kingdom. We need water. We are made of it, we cannot exist without it. These are essential truths which when uttered sound so basic and simple to us that talking of them too long sounds odd. But we live in a world today where our fresh water resources are being depleted rapidly, and where fresh water is being taken away from public control and being handed over to private interests. Not only are we wasting water and destroying our reserves, we are also losing the right to speak up when corporations needlessly destroy water resources. Blue Gold: World Water Wars is a documentary which looks to shed light on this alarming subject while addressing the myths about our water resources, our consumption and shockingly reveals how some areas in the world are already crumbling due to inadequate sources of water.

Activists, scientists and water conservationists have claimed for years that fresh water will be the source of future conflicts. Wars are sometimes masked as disputes over land, sometimes as religious conflicts, they are almost always clashes over an incredibly fragile resources which we continue to overuse and misappropriate. Water is no exception, in fact in some places of the world, it is the primary resource being fought over. If you don’t know anything about this subject, or even if you are looking to find out more, you really could not do better than this documentary which provides an all-encompassing look into the world of water management going back centuries and features some of the leading thinkers on the subject of current water depletion and usage. This documentary will make you realize the depth of the issue and how alarming its advance has been in recent years.

Issues such as this take a long time to seep into the public psyche (pun intended). It doesn’t click that water exploitation can have such a huge impact because we think of it such an abundant resource. What is the big deal, a lot of people will ask. But imagine that I buy a gun, and kill you. In another scenario, imagine that I come into your community and pollute the water in your area knowing full well that there is no other source of water you can afford over the long term. What is the difference between the two different ways in which I have killed you? There is no difference, you still died, one method just took longer and probably killed many other people too.

Water exploitation and control is a form of terrorism in my opinion; it is of no consequence who is doing it, whether its governments or corporations of even people in a neighboring province. It is wrong and it needs to be addressed. But that can’t happen if we don’t even acknowledge that there is a problem.

In the end, all I want to say is that you should watch this film. And you should watch it because the world water wars have already begun, and its not just in far off India or Kenya or Bolivia, its focal points are also in California and France and Russia. Water affects us all and hence, the overuse of water in one place will impact you in one way or the other. Since water is such an integral part of our lives, if we don’t know what the conflict is about and what helps to continue it, then how can we address it? The problem is Fiji water bottles, the problem is Dasani water, the problem is imported water from across world, the problem is over-population of areas with limited water resources, the problem is water pollution from our industries, the problem is increasing desertification of the earth because we are using fresh water and then dumping it into the oceans; the problem takes many shapes and sizes, and we need to know what these are so that we can realize the full scope of the problem and start addressing this basic need that we will have forever and ever.

Review: IMDB
Download: The Pirate Bay