Netflix suggestion for MENA peeps

[allousa 1]

Hicham and I just watched a really good movie that I thought I would suggest to my MENA peeps in case you might be interested.

It's called Middle East.

Description from Netflix:

Mustafa (Sayed Badreya), a widowed Egyptian immigrant who runs a popular Los Angeles café while trying to find an acceptable suitor for his unmarried sister, must rethink his traditional values when he has the chance to open a restaurant with a Jewish partner (Tony Shalhoub). His belief system is further shaken when his sister reveals that she's fallen in love with a handsome American doctor who is not a Muslim.

Hicham really liked this movie and he is usually very picky. Just thought I would pass along to those interested.

[sereia 0]

Confused.... I typed in "Middle East" on Netflix and nothing like that came up......

Edited to add:

Its called "American East"

Edited February 5, 2009 by sereia

[me_4_musa 1]

Nothing came up when I typed Middle East on Netflix??

We watched "TowelHead" a few days ago - anyone else seen it? It's somewhat provaocative and at times disturbing but realistic with certain issues.

Towelhead - Movie Review from Entertainment Weekly:

The movie tries to put us inside the head of Jasira (Summer Bishil), a 13-year-old Arab-American Lolita who lives in a tract house on an arid suburban Houston cul-de-sac that looks just like the one in E.T. Jasira's fussy, stern father (Peter Macdissi) is a proudly assimilated Lebanese who 
nevertheless rages away at what he sees as the prejudices and permissiveness of the West. He'll do anything to protect his daughter, 
 but he has no idea of the daily torments and temptations she actually faces. There are the kids who pelt her with racial epithets, the buxom models in skin magazines that are the very first images to turn her on, and the squinty-eyed redneck-patriot neighbor (Aaron Eckhart) who fondles her, then tries to go further. The film presents these situations in a state of hiply detached curiosity that's meant to mirror Jasira's alienation from her own body (or something). Yet as it becomes clear that Ball, in essence, has just restaged American Beauty with a socially conscious paint job, the sensationalism of Towelhead looks more and more like a dramatic tic.

[Henna Rose 0]

I liked Towel Head. I thought the poor girl's parents were jerks

[sandinista! 1,816]

everyone i know who's seen towelhead thought it was nauseating. not because of the subject matter- that they can handle- but because of the nauseating way in which those subjects were treated in the film. too bad, cause i like peter macdissi. he was hilarious in six feet under.

[Ahmed N Cheryl 0]

Hmmmmmmm I will look into American East. Thanks for sharing.

[Henna Rose 0]

Hmmmmmmm I will look into American East. Thanks for sharing.

Added to my Blockbuster Queue Looks good ! I liked Kite Runner also. It's good to see more more movies being made with diverse flavors and premises !

Edited February 5, 2009 by Henna Rose

[me_4_musa 1]

he was hilarious in six feet under.

Six Feet Under one of my favorite shows - but still love the Sopranos more!

[allousa 1]

Jeez, I'm a complete idiot!!!!

I even typed that in on the netflix queue to get the description...

You are right, it is called American East.

I've seen Towelhead too. I wasn't that crazy about it, but I can't really put my finger on why I didn't like it so much. I don't think it was quite what I was expecting from the initial description.

[Der Bücherwurm 1]

'The Kite Runner'... but you should read the book first. Then read the other book, 'A Thousand Splendid Suns' which was even better and more heartbreaking than 'Kite Runner.' A while back CNN had some documentaries on the 3 major 'religions' hosted by Christiane Amanpour. For a bit of variety watch Bill Maher's 'Religulous.'

[Henna Rose 0]

Did anyone see Slum Dog Millionaire ? another controversial one

[sereia 0]

I am a big fan of Slumdog Millionaire! Best movie I've seen in a while.

[UmmSqueakster 54]

What's controversial about slumdog millionaire? I heard it was suppose to be fabulous.

Let's see, MENA netflix:

Control Room - documentary about al Jazeera during the beginning of the Iraq war

Lawrence of Arabia - classic

Yacoubian Building - not sure if it's available, but it was good.

Doaa' el Karawan - one of the classics of egyptian cinema, from a novel by Taha Hussein

Salah el Din - directed by Youssef Chahine, based on the novel by Naguib Mahfouz

Anything directed by Youssef Chahine

Anything with Omar Sharif in it

[Henna Rose 0]

What's controversial about slumdog millionaire? I heard it was suppose to be fabulous.

People from India were offended by the title and the way the slums were portrayed. If they are slums and it defines a person's character and environment, how should they be painted? The beauty of films is there's always someone to offend What a brilliant director and trailblazer Chahine

[Carolyn 1]

Ooh, I have a suggestion, especially for anyone who likes quirky movies, beautiful scenery and/or loves soccer:

"The Great Match"--In this unconventional comedy, writer-director Gerardo Olivares tracks the individual journeys of three far-flung groups of soccer fans: a tribe of Amazonian indios, a family of Mongolian nomads and a caravan of Tuareg people in the Sahara Desert. Overcome with a desire to watch the 2002 World Cup between Brazil and Germany play out on television, these unlikely soccer buffs make a 500-kilometer trek to find a town with a working TV set (description from Netflix).

You can rent it or watch instantly on Netflix--my husband and I both loved it!