Wael Khairy

Film Review: “Iron Man 2” ★ ★ (2/5)

When “Iron Man” was released two years ago, I remember leaving the theater hungry for more. Now that Jon Favreau has come up with the sequel I can’t help but want less. By less I mean less of a lot of things. Less characters, that’s for sure. The film introduces so many new characters withoutContinue reading “Film Review: “Iron Man 2” ★ ★ (2/5)”

EBERTFEST: Wael vs. the Volcano Vol. 2- The Uplifting Sequel

By now most of you must have heard of my success of getting to Ebertfest. For those of you who don’t know here’s what happened. I had lost all hope and went to the airport in Doha to buy a ticket back to Egypt. I was standing in line to get that ticket when myContinue reading “EBERTFEST: Wael vs. the Volcano Vol. 2- The Uplifting Sequel”

EBERTFEST: Wael versus the Volcano- The Quest to Ebertfest

This blog post has nothing to do with the feel good motion picture “Joe versus the Volcano”. In fact, it’s far from a feel good story. This is my way of expressing my inner feelings about how the volcano in Iceland ruined my trip to Roger Ebert’s film festival, Ebertfest. The purpose of it isContinue reading “EBERTFEST: Wael versus the Volcano- The Quest to Ebertfest”

Film History: The Story of “Hollywood”

At first the iconic sign read “Hollywoodland” after that “land” was removed and it has been known as “Hollywood” ever since. When one hears the word’ Hollywood’, the first thing that pops in mind is movies. There’s a reason why Los Angeles became the center of motion pictures. It all started with a few independentContinue reading “Film History: The Story of “Hollywood””

Dialogue At Its Cinematic Best: “In Bruges”

When a movie deals with such heavy topics as atonement, redemption, the after life, death, guilt, honor, friendship, and suicide, it’s naturally becomes hard for a viewer to swallow such heavy subjects in an hour and a half, which is why the hilarious humor of the most original screenplay of 2008 makes it a piece of cakeContinue reading “Dialogue At Its Cinematic Best: “In Bruges””

Film History: From Vaudeville Houses to Deluxe Theaters

Vaudeville houses existed long before nickelodeons and movie theaters. The main idea behind a vaudeville house was to display live acts, each lasting between five to ten minutes to an audience. While the upper class wouldn’t venture into these houses, by the late 1800’s they were the dominant form of mass entertainment. TheContinue reading “Film History: From Vaudeville Houses to Deluxe Theaters”

Film Review: “Shutter Island” ★★★★★(5/5)

Teddy Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio) walks the dark empty hallway of a mental institution. The tiny flame of his match goes off. He lights another one. A couple of minutes later a man behind bars tells him “Don’t you get it? You’re a rat in a maze.” So is the viewer.“Shutter Island” is a psychological thrillerContinue reading “Film Review: “Shutter Island” ★★★★★(5/5)”

Oscar Update: The Winners of 2010.

The winners are finally announced. This year seemed like the most predictable. However, there were some surprises that no one saw coming. Particularily “Precious” winning Best Adapted Screenplay over “Up in the Air”, and “El secreto de sus ojos” winning Best Foreign Film over “The White Ribbon” and “A Prophet”. As for the upsets, for meContinue reading “Oscar Update: The Winners of 2010.”

Film Review: “Alice in Wonderland” ★ ★ (2.5/5)

Tim Burton’s “Alice in Wonderland” begins ten years after the events of the original tale. In that sense, it is a sequel or a return to wonderland. However, Burton’s film is full of scenes and lines of dialogue lifted directly from the original books by Lewis Carroll. It is here that the film fails. IContinue reading “Film Review: “Alice in Wonderland” ★ ★ (2.5/5)”

Film Analysis: Alejandro Amenábar’s “The Others”

*WARNING CONTAINS STRONG SPOILERS* Alejandro Amenabár’s ‘The Others’ opens with a series of spooky hand drawn title shots. The last of these images is that of an old house. An excellent use of transition follows, as the hand drawn house fades into an actual house. ‘The Others’ feels like a Victorian ghost story writtenContinue reading “Film Analysis: Alejandro Amenábar’s “The Others””