You just gotta Love this man.

“SAE Institute is the world’s largest audio college, with over 45 campuses on four continents. Creative, practical training in audio engineering, music production, filmmaking, digital video, animation, graphics, multimedia, entertainment business, web design and development since 1976.”

They are opening in kuwait, and the classes will start as soon as the 5th of next month. I was invited recently by them to be a guest lecturer and to work on some intensive weekend workshops. I was brainstorming with the school manager yesterday and guess who was working on his new album at the studios of the school? No other than Star Academy’s Star, Bashaar AL Shati. I even sneaked inside the studio and said hi and wished him good luck with the new album. Nice guy, really down to earth.

Today they are having an open day, from 2-6 PM.If you are interested in audio engineering, music production, filmmaking, digital video, animation, graphics, multimedia, entertainment business, web design and development then pay them a visit today and see for yourself what they have to offer. They are located in the industrial area of Shuwaikh, behind Canada-Dry St, In the same building as Portland Cement. More on the website.

Link: SAE Institute Kuwait

Bravery? like how?

Here’s the plot from IMDB.com:

After studying literature at Cairo University, Dunia, 23 years old, wants to become a professional dancer. She attends audition for an oriental dance contest where she recites Arabian poetry without any body movement. She explain to the perplexed jury that a woman can’t move her body or evoke act of love when society ask women to hide their femininity. She is selected and meet Beshir, an intellectual and activist who will supervise her thesis on ecstasy in Sufi love poetry. Their attraction is mutual. This could be liberation for Dunia but the constraints on women in Egyptian society goes deeper than she suspects.

Well, I gotta admit It doesn’t seem like your average arabic film but that highlighted part in that clip is still puzzling me.

I can’t wait to see this film … and hey since when do we get arabic films screened at Montréal Film Festival?

I was watching some burned copy of Daffy Duck the other day and I noticed one of the episodes has a rather funny title.

Nice article about the technology and methodolgy used in making “Corpse Bride”

… and I thought it’s a CG thing.

Mohammad Khan is giving a lecture TODAY (I don’t know about what) at Kuwait Cinema Club. He directed a lot of big arabic movies (I can only remeber ’supermarket’ and ‘ayaam nasser’).

I don’t have much details really but I heard it will start at 8.30 PM

KCC is located at the geblyah school, across the street from the National Museum/Planetarium’s main entrance. Here’s how I go to that place, I leave majlis al ummah on my right hand (gulf road, yes) and take the right turn next to this old building (national museum, I guess) I park my car there and go to that little building with ‘majliss el funnon wa aladaab’ or whatever their name is.

Sorry for how sketchy this post is, I’m at work and I got loads of stuff to do.

Supposed to be really good, the guy is really famous (if you know shit about arabic cinema).

Ever seen ‘Pulp Fiction’ ? Do you remember the wallet Jules Winfield was carrying? Ever wondered Who else is qualified to carry the bad mothafucka wallet?

Well, wonder no more. This is a list of 100 people who, according to the writer, are qualified to carry the legendary wallet.

You don’t have to be a ‘Pulp Fiction’ fan to appreciate this list, you just need to be one of those pop culture junkies (mostly nerdy pop culture). From marvel comics to 70’s films and TV shows, From Bruce Lee to Bill Hicks. They’re all there.

I was sitting in the almost empty first row minding my own business, when this muhajabah chick who’s somehow related to hala February festival (PR Shit) came and sat next to me. Now I’m ok with sitting next to muhajabaat and everything but I’m not ok with a million fucker trying to get pictures of that muhajabah who sat next to me. I started involuntary shifting in my seat, doing some weird body gestures saying ‘FUCK OFF I DON’T WANT TO BE PHOTOGRAPHED, NOT NEXT TO THIS CHICK’. However they continued taking pictures (Stills & Video). Who knew Kuwait cinema club film weeks are that important to the hala wallah festival. Tell me If you see a weird guy wearing orange shirt with afro sitting next to a muhajbah. It should be in the papers today.

Tangos – Silvana Deluigi & Luis Di Matteo

Gotan Project - La Revancha del Tango

The Soundtrack of ‘Tango’ of course.

BTW, I still want to dance.

Kuwait Cinema Club is organizing a musicals week starting today. Here are the movies.

Sunday – Tango
Monday – Singing In the Rain
Tuesday – Oliver
Wednesday – Moulin Rouge
Thursday – Chicago

Check the old post for the location.

You know the feeling you get after watching a kung-fu flick? When you feel like kicking some ass? Ok, I have a similar feeling after watching ‘Shall we Dance?’ not really kicking someone’s ass but actually dancing, ballroom dancing to be more specific. I think I already know the answer but let me give it a shot, Do you know of any dance schools here in Kuwait? I think I heard of people teaching dancing and stuff privately but they only accept women (as far as I know).

Earlier today and upon the recommendation of one monkified girl I went to see baraka. Click on that link if you need to know about the film because I’m not going to say any thing about it. However I will write about the things bothered me the most while the film was playing, Like how they stupidly censored the film by actually blocking the projector while it was playing, so we were left to the soundtrack and a black screen. I didn’t really get it the first time, I thought it’s some kind of a technical problem but when it happened again (longer) I kinda knew what was happening and my blood was boiling like hell. I was this close of saying something stupid or maybe throwing a shoe at that fat guy in front of the projector. I might write them some hate mail or something like that.

Another thing was the very smart ass who sat next to me (almost next to me, the corridor was between us) he was the only one who had a problem shutting his mouth while the film was playing. There was a scene showing some skulls and he was like ‘جماجم’ … another scene featuring holy Mecca and people around it and he was like ‘حج’. I don’t have to mention the fingers cracking and loud rude yawns and the totally useless and unnecessary comments. I seriously considered shaking his hands and thanking him for his precious information he’s sharing with us.

Today is the first day of a cinematography course which will be held at Kuwait cinema club. Saeed Shimi, the director of photography of many Egyptian films such as الإمبراطور, جحيم تحت الماء، الطريق إلى إيلات and many many more, Will be lecturing there.

It’s been a very cinematic month for me, really. I mean just check the last few posts, this cinematography thing and the job offer I got from … oh well, you got the idea. (no you didn’t, I know). I also made some quick deals with the cinema club manager to do some work for them. (wait for the website)

It will be fun meeting new people with similar interests, we will get the chance to do some shorts maybe. Somebody told me there will be lotsa chicks in there which is always a good thing. :p …. Wella 3ala golat Gigi :PpP”

I will try to write a mini-review of ‘Black Cat, White Cat’, I’m not sure I will remember everything but let’s see.

Now almost familiar with the director’s style and his story telling tricks, I can safely say that “Black Cat, …” have the most realistic story of all emir’s film that I have seen.

You can totally find yourself there and you can see it happening in our daily life. It’s all about الزواج قسمة ونصيب and how it’s destined for people to be with specific people (hence the film title, Black Cat, White Cat) However, Emir doesn’t fall for the same old clichéd ways of telling this kind of stories (heavily used by our local and Egyptian TV directors).

It’s about this guy and his failed investment and how he’s trying to compensate his investor’s loss by forcing his son, who’s in love with another girl, to marry the investor’s (short and supposedly ugly) sister who’s also against getting married with someone she doesn’t love.

The director did a really good job when it came to portraying the lifestyle of the gypsies of … (wherever). I also noticed something about the director’s approach to the soundtrack of his films, mostly music have to be actually played on the set in front of the camera, I don’t know but it just smells like dogme 95.

They are supposed to be watching ‘that singer who can pull a nail out of wood with her ass’. Crazy. That guy on the left is the director.

I should mention that after the screening of “black cat, …”. I “accidentally” met Shadyq80, really nice guy. We both had nothing to do so we went for coffee. So we were talking and getting to know each other and ‘ebgedrat gader’ I turned our first meeting into a brainstorming session for some project I’m working on. You can’t blame me, I mean we were talking about what we are doing and stuff that’s when I mentioned my idea and he was like ‘dude, this got potential’ and started voluntarily thinking for me and he came up with some good ideas too, smart guy indeed. BTW, Is Branka Katic hot or what?

Umm … what else?

I have some other misc shit, I will save it for one of those ‘ramblings’ posts.

Sorry, I was tired yesterday when I came home and I didn’t feel like writing anything. Now, After a healthy dose of sleep and chicken I feel like writing.

Underground, was indeed the shit, It’s about these two friends … their weird friendship, and the underground society which was founded by one of them .. the story is kinda complex and I sure need to watch again to fully understand it.

The music was pumping almost the whole time, Actually it was funny because it wasn’t a pre-recorded tracks or anything It was (supposedly) a live performance. Their was this band (I believe it’s the director’s band) that goes wherever (blacky) might go and they would always play for him whether it was a ride home, a wedding or even a fight “Play Louder and Faster” Goddamn funny. And there was this very cool actor (blacky’s friend) who looked a lot like (saleh el bawi) … he was funny as hell and his facial expressions were an added quality.

The movie can’t be categorized as comedy at all, although there were some light humorous scenes here and there but mainly it was a dramatic story revolving around blacky (an underground manufacture of weapons) and his friend Marko (politician) and Natalija (Actress and the wife of one of them or both of them … really complex shit).

I really appreciate the fact that nothing was censored, they have this nice rule ‘you have to be 18 or older to join the club’, fair enough.

Ok, so here’s a link to amazon where you can order the film on dvd, and when you do please tell me so I can borrow it from you and never return it back. Thanks.

BTW, Don’t you think saleh el bawi is one of the most under-rated Kuwaiti actors out there. You have to read his books to fully appreciate this person. I would kick any judgmental motherfucker in the face if he said “oh that guy is crazy, he’s nuts, cuckoo … ya know’. Just because he didn’t do ‘masterpieces’ like ‘gergai3an’ it doesn’t mean he’s crazy or boring.

Gergai3an my Ass.

It’s raining now, and it was raining when I left our camp 15 minutes ago … Goddamn beautiful. I just love it when it rains, especially at night … Sexxxxxxy In a cute way.
The soundtrack for a ride under the rain is as important as the water drops, The pretenders’ ‘One more time” worked out really well … actually she said something about walking down the rain, yeah. Glorious was the word to describe her voice in that track, Fucking glorious, especially when she goes ‘pleeeeeease’.

Ok, so I went today to the screening of Emir Kusturica’s Arizona Dream. The movie was fucking amazing, the soundtrack kicked major ass and for crying out loud Johnny depp was there as well as the wonder boy Vincent gallo and a slew of talented actors. Now we got that outta the way, When the film started I was the only person who came to watch the fucking movie .. imagine … THE ONLY ONE, well, beside the club manager and the control room guy.

One problem bugged the hell out of me was the sound, the bass was too high that I couldn’t make out what the actor was saying. I even stood up and went to the control room but there was nobody (fuck!) so I came back to my seat to avoid missing anything.

That’s when I noticed a girl in the row behind me. I turned to see her face as it kinda felt familiar, she was checking something on her phone. It was dark but the lighting of the phone was enough for me to see the details of her face, goddamn … she could be … yeah … she could be. I ignored her till the end of the movie that’s when I was totally sure it was her (the one I know) but she didn’t seem to notice me, So I waited outside and I leaned on a wall and I was waiting for her to pass by and I gave her ‘the look’ so she was chatting with her uncle who came with her or something and she was like really distracted but when we had an eye contact she was like ‘damn, what’s wrong with you dude? Why the hell are you …. .. huh … wait a minute … hey’. That’s when we both smiled and walked towards each other … we had a lil chat, we talked some more to chatch stuff up.

So it was really nice, new movie, amazing soundtrack, meeting old friends. Also I should mention that there was no censorship.

By the way Tomorrow they will screen Underground

And on Thursday they will screen Black Cat, White Cat

All screenings at 7 pm, at the ‘geblyah school’.

Hope to see you there, really it’s EMPTY in there.
C’mon it will be fun.

Oh oh oh, I know someone who’s gonna luuuurve this.
Jean-Pierre Jeunet (the director of “Amelie”) Just released a new film starring amelie herself (Audrey Tautou).

Watch the Trailer (QuickTime)

They say it’s a bit like “Cold Mountain”. So good for me that I haven’t seen “cold Mountain”. But hey you can’t say a lot about a film just by watching the trailer.
So Shut up Biyaaaaatch.

While we (you readers and I) seem pretty much into Rock, It’s only logical to tell you about this cool Rocking Documentary.

DIG!, The Winner of Sundance Film Festival’s Grand Jury Prize of the Documentary Category for this year and the Latest Addition to NY MoMA’s Permanent Collection. The Story of Two Rock bands (The Dandy Warhols and The Brain Jonestown Massacre) How they met, How they got a record deal and how they fucked it up.

Download the Trailer (Quicktime)

Check Slate’s Article about it.

I’m not going to say “oh, I’m sorry that I didn’t post anything in awhile…” Cuz it’s not an obligation and I never promised any one to keep this blog updated on daily basis however I will try to update you on what’s going on tatabotataville:
(In no particular order)

• I Just finished a big project and I hope things will go well in the printing press, I’m really scared that they might fuck things up.

• Got ALL of my proposed designs for the Identity of a new pan-Asian fast food chain REJECTED. They are not really “MY” options I just did the art direction part but the concepts were done by another Architect (friend of mine). I think we have the chance for a second round but I’m not sure it’s really worth it cuz we will be competing with this “Architect From Chicago” and as far as I know the owner got “3oqdat el frinjah” or whatever they call it and he will say yes to any thing designed by that “Architect From Chicago”.

  BTW What’s with Architects doing graphic design? I know they studied the same stuff as graphic designers study and every thing, but can’t you just stick to designing buildings? Why do you want to take over our business? Amunki, don’t take it really personal, okay. :p

• Yesterday I invited friends to this fancy show-off restaurant that we wouldn’t go to normally. The reason? The menu was designed by yours truly. The waiter said that the people really liked the menu and it’s much nicer than the previous one.
• I found out that I have a thing for “7adaag” I really enjoyed it and I’m going to do it again tomorrow (hopefully).
• So I just got the chance to see Amelie. What an amazing movie. What I loved the most about it was the cinematography, It was done in a very professional way. The Colors of the movie as a whole, the slow pans, the fast spins and simple yet effective Visual FX.

  I also saw Connie And Carla, I will just give it three stars and a half out of five. One movie to avoid: Garfield.

• I Finally used Bluetooth to connect my PC to my Mac. I can share files now but I have to figure out how to share the net connection.
• Did you notice the shades? Sure thing you did.
  So what do you think?

Damn, this post took forever … I have a feeling that I can add more news and updates but I just can’t remember.

My Friends were telling me that I have a weird taste when it comes to women, I don’t care.
I still think the Irani Director samira makhmalbaf is a sex bomb.

I haven’t seen her films but I’m waiting for Nibaq’s Film Club.

No, i’m not going to talk about censors and censorship here in kuwait. No, i’m not saying they are stupid for cutting a french kiss while leaving all kinds of cursing, bad language and referals for all kinds of taboos. (kuwaiti taboos that is)

I have a question, Why Blockbusters (which means expensive and high budget) like “i,Robot” get released here in kuwait almost the same time as does in the states and sometimes before europe. While Independent Movies (which means cheap and shoe-string-budget) like “Lost In Translation” have to wait more than a year to get released here.

I need some one to answer me or i will go totally nuts.

Quintin Tarantino to star in Larry Bishops’s Hell Ride (2006).

Not realy fond of tarantino’s acting skills although i loved his role in pulp fiction and his explanation of what maddona’s “like a virgin” realy means in the begining of “Reservoir Dogs”.