L.A. DINE-N-CLUB FAVORITE COMING SOON

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THE TAQWACORES
Strand Releasing – 83 min; Unrated
Now Playing At Sunset 5 & University Town Center in Irvine

If you look at certain indie films as almost pertaining a cultural education quality, then The Taqwacores should be really eye opening as first time filmmaker Eyad Zahra deals with the complexities of being young and Muslim in modern-day America.

Based on the 2004 novel by author Michael Muhammad Knight, The Taqwacores has actually gone on to inspire a real-life punk-Muslim scene, resulting in the formation of bands such as The Kominas.

An official selection of the 2010 Sundance Film Festival, the film follows Yusef, a first-generation Pakistani engineering student who moves off-campus with a group of Muslim punks in Buffalo, New York. His new “unorthodox” housemates soon introduce him to Taqwacore - a hardcore Muslim punk rock scene that only exists on the West Coast. As the seasons change, Taqwacore influences the house more and more as the living room becomes a mosque during the day and hosts punk parties at night.

“The point of the film was to portray Muslims in this whole new way,” filmmaker Eyad Zahra recently told the L.A. Times. “There’s a notion that Muslims are zombies; they only regurgitate what they’re told by the leaders of their community. But there’s a huge spectrum. We’re showing an extreme of it.”

Brash, yet hardcore in their beliefs, these aren’t the stereotyped Muslims the media likes to portray. There’s a Skater Punk, the Skinhead, the Riot Grrl feminist Muslim, albeit camouflaged in a burka at all times, and the Queer Punk. And their beliefs and lifestyles meet head-on with Muslim dogma that states homosexuality is a sin, and that a man is justified to beat his wife to discipline her. Amidst the punk rock soundtrack and the cartoonish punk caricatures, there really is an interesting way to look at the new Muslim counterculture in America.

Click here to watch The Taqwacores trailer.

Now playing at Laemmle’s Sunset 5 and University Town Center in Irvine.

 

 

 

 

THE FATHER OF MY CHILDREN
(LE PERE DE MES ENFANTS)
(IFC Films – 110 min) Not Rated
Now Playing at The Landmark in West L.A.

A poignant and tender family drama, The Father of My Children (Le Pere De Mes Enfants), in true French fashion, the film is in French with English subtitles, never gets too sentimental.

The story of Paris-based film producer Grégoire Canvel, a man who on the outside appears to have it all, a loving family and a successful career, often, appearances can be misleading. With his company on the verge of financial ruin, pressure gets to the charismatic producer and he finds himself desperate for a solution. The film, which midway takes a sharp dramatic turn, aptly becomes the story of how a family deals with tragedy and loss.

Director Mia Hansen-Love (best known for her acting role in Late August, Early September) was recently cited as one of Variety’s “10 Directors to Watch.” Only the young filmmaker’s second film, The Father of My Children was winner of the Un Certain Regard Special Jury Prize at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival. With potential to fall into the “chick flick” category, my most hated genre, the film expertly avoids that trap and instead delivers a engaging and engrossing story that really delivers.

The Father of My Children is now playing at The Landmark at 10850 W Pico Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90064. Call 310-281-8233.

Watch the trailer for The Father of My Children here.

 

 

HARRY BROWN
(Samuel Goldwyn Films – 102 min) Rated R

People have been comparing Harry Brown as the British version of Gran Torino, retiree decides to stand up to gangs and kicks ass, but it’s more along the lines of vigilante classic Death Wish.

Whereas Clint Eastwood never really killed anyone and played it for uncomfortable laughs, Michael Caine as Harry Brown is a no-nonsense widower/pensioner who has ‘had it’ after the brutal and senseless murder of his best friend. As gang life in Harry’s British community, the ‘estate’ as they call it, has gotten completely out of control, the 76-year-old ex-service picks up arms and takes to the streets.

Once again Michael Caine delivers a knockout performance as he has been doing for years. His Harry Brown is reluctant to turn vigilante and you can appreciate his situation thanks to Caine’s honest portrayal. The story slowly builds allowing you to identify and care for Brown before his world turns completely upside down and gang members begin to get their brutal comeuppance.

Director Daniel Barber, making his feature film debut, notes, “I hope when people see Harry Brown they are forced to ask some difficult questions and it’s important to me that the film is thought-provoking. On a personal level, I think many people will see Harry Brown and ask some searching questions: ‘What would I do in that situation?’; ‘How would I react?’; ‘What would it take to push me to the limit?’ Collectively, we need to ask ourselves how we got to this point – the point where it’s easier for kids to make a living for crime and drugs that a nine-to-five job. What can be done to stop this downward spiral?”

Those are some big questions but it you don’t want to think at least you can hopefully identify with a man who has had his fill of everything around him turning to pot and decides to standup and do something. Sure, we shouldn’t consider it our civic duty to leave a body count behind but then again, that’s why we go to the movies, for the fantasy aspect. While Harry Brown isn’t a bloody or gory film, it is intense so be prepared.

To see the Harry Brown trailer click here.

http://www.harrybrown-movie.com/

 

AFTER.LIFE
(Anchor Bay Films – 103 min) Rated R

The new thriller After.Life may find itself dead on arrival this weekend. A macabre take about a girl named Anna (Christina Ricci) who wakes up on a cold morgue slab is told by a creepy mortician (Liam Neeson) that she’s dead and that his gift, or curse, is the ability to talk to the dead to transition them into the afterlife.

Not sure what to do, Anna whines a lot that she can’t be dead and throws the occasional tantrum. Meanwhile, her boyfriend Paul (Justin Long) feels guilty after a misunderstanding led to an argument that eventually led to her deadly traffic accident. Justin Long must really like these sad sack boyfriend roles because he practically played the same part in Drag Me To Hell.

As the film plays out, no real big, life-altering answers about the afterlife are addressed but some sick and twisted questions about the creepy mortician guy come into play. There just may be more going on than we’re lead to believe. However, the film never really pays off with a big bang to prove anything one way or another.

Stylish, some might consider the film borderline necro-porn as we often seen a nude, or scantily clad, Christina Ricci hopping on and off the morgue slab. While eye candy never hurts, there just aren’t enough big pops to keep you going. And while creepy is a good start, you want more bang for your buck and After.Life just doesn’t quite deliver.