tony-farah Reviews

Top Gun: Maverick (2022)

An era defining movie - An experience to live

[10/10 · 23 June 2022]

This is not a 1.5 hours time movie to see for entertainment . This is an experience that will stay with you for much longer. I remember seeing Top Gun in the 80s. I was 11 years old and I remember it defined an era. When I became a a teenager , I wanted to dress and be like Captain Pete Maverick Mitchell. Seeing this unbelievable sequel 36 years later , leaves me speechless.

Distinguished, distinguished , distinguished ....yet, here we are , it is only rated 8.6 why is that?

I... For Icarus (1979)

Defining the genre : conspiracy-thriller film

[9/10 · 9 July 2019]

No car chase. No fights. No explosions. Yet, amazing doze of suspense and thrills The camera filming techniques are wonderful from beginning to end. The scenario is to the point. I highly recommend seeing the film in French even if you don't understand any french. I saw this film when i was just a kid and since then , I developed a high interest in all the theories regarding JFK assassination. This film concludes to one of the 3 conspiracy theories. i will list the 3 theories and leave it for you to find out which one it is :

1- The Vice president did it 2- Secret Service & MOB did it 3- Secret Service Alone did it

The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

Breaking free from injustice

[10/10 · 3 September 2016]

This is a movie that you don't see only once. This is a movie that you keep seeing and enjoying every single time. I remember when this movie was in theaters; I haven't seen it back then and was not interested at all. I saw Forrest Gump in 1994 and for years I didn't care much about this movie that was nominated for 7 Oscars and didn't get a single one. I saw this movie for the first time somewhat 6 years after its release. Shaw-shank leaves you with unbelievable feelings of hope, freedom, friendship and an intense desire to unchain yourself. I can fairly say, with no overstatements here that the impact of this movie stays with me for several days every time I see it. It all comes down to one simple choice " get busy living or get busy dying". The key word here is "busy". When Andy finally breaks free, you don't see him at the end sipping vodka on the beach; he is working polishing an old boat and restoring a hotel in the "hope" of running a successful business.... Finding peace and happiness after overcoming an injustice needs you to set goals and work to achieve them. Happiness is found in the journey, on the way, not in the goal itself. Brooks failed to see it. Andy learned it the hard way and the viewers are lucky to learn it the easy way.

UFO Robo Grendizer (1975–1977)

Grandizer and the Lebanese war in the seventies and eighties

[10/10 · 3 September 2016]

To all of you Lebanese people born in the seventies or late sixties, this review goes to you. Picture this: finally being able to set a TV inside a shelter of reinforced concrete in the basement of a 7 stories building in Beirut, watching Grandizer with all the building residents while bombs are falling on that same building and carelessly enjoying it! That's me from 1981 and 1989. The duke of Fleed cares about the earth and its people , Daisky cares about the flowers and birds and yet he is so courageous and powerful and protective. Damn, who cares about real wars, the war of Grandizer to defend the earth is all that matters. A big salute to all Lebanese actors who gave their voices to the Arabic version particularly Jihad Al Atrash and the great Sami Clark. Not less than 10 for the best cartoon ever.

Hell or High Water (II) (2016)

Voyage to the heart of Texas and Texans

[8/10 · 3 September 2016]

You got to love Jeff Bridges performance and the way he walks and carries his lips all movie long . The guy embodies a ranger about to retire so beautifully you can almost feel the retirement depression coming. And when I saw him near the end of the movie sitting on a sofa (not a rocking chair) watching TV, I said to myself "that's me in 15 years only". You don't need to be from Texas or even have visited the state to understand the way of thinking of the Texans; " the lords of the plain". Right from the start, the movie takes you there and makes you appreciate the empty plains the empty streets, the small businesses, the oil rigs, The bank clerk, the branch owner, the burger joint waitresses, the old men depositing some valuables , The Comanche chief, the "half breed" Indian Mexican, the locals...All these characters were beautifully portrayed and studied versus the influence of their surroundings and the movie excels in that regard.

Goodfellas (1990)

Couldn't bring myself to watch it in one go

[6/10 · 21 January 2016]

I am really sorry but this iconic movie is unbelievably flat. I know this movie means a lot to many people. I was pretty disappointed when I saw it. I forced myself to see this movie in 4 stages just because It had a rating of 8.7. I couldn't sit and see it all at once. I know it is based on a true story, but it would have been much more exciting if the narrator dies at the end to break the monotony of the story line. Everything about the script was predictable. I raise my hat to Joe Pesci's performance and the exceptional skills of Martin Scorsese ...Other than that, I can't find a reason to give a rating higher than 6. May be it is a just me seeing this movie in 2016 i.e. 16 years after its release...

Scent of a Woman (1992)

save me from me

[9/10 · 26 February 2015]

What would you do for a person who saved you from you? Easy. Protect him, embrace him. Watching the bond between Charlie and the Colonel develop is great. Go ahead and call me a wimp, This movie makes me cry. Possibly the best performance by a leading actor ever. If Al did not win the Oscar for this, I definitely would have stopped seeing the Oscars. No one, I mean, absolutely no one, could have portrayed the character of Colonel Slade the way it was done by Al. No stunts , no special effects, just marvelous script delivered by one marvelous ACTOR. No Not only one, James Rebhorne is insanely just as good. So, what you do when you make a mistake in life? You go ahead and Tango on.

A Walk Among the Tombstones (2014)

You gotta see Liam Neeson's performance

[7/10 · 24 September 2014]

I went to see this movie only to see if Liam Neeson still got it. The plot is not something of an innovation. the story happens in the late 90's and you gotta like the Y2K hints. The bond that starts to build up between Liam Neeson and the boy is very much believable. The alcoholics anonymous sessions are nice. Liam's drunken character is believable. The plot is intriguing although a little bit predictable. Nonetheless, I recommend to see this movie to appreciate how serial killer movies are treated differently nowadays in comparison with the 90s. And yes, Liam Neeson still got it. There is no way this movie could have been rated above 7 hadn't been to this excellent actor.

The Matrix (1999)

why do sequels fail when the first is so brilliant?

[10/10 · 24 September 2014]

If you look at Godfather, most of the viewers will tell you that part II is even better than the first one. In the case of the Matrix , the sequels are not that good. Why is that? The Matrix movie blew the viewers away because of one simple idea. A groundbreaking innovative yet very simple idea. What if all what we are living is a lie? What if all what we know about physics and all our life experiences are just an illusion? What if some higher intelligence is using us ? What If all what surrounds us is only a fiction made and maintained by a higher beings we only serve without knowing? What if all our prophets and deity were people who could see that reality and who did give us some indications of the "truth". Now how can you top an idea like that. It is over. That's it. The movie is all if not only about this idea. It is surely not about the performance of Keanu. The storyline is no longer important. Once you think about it , it blows your mind and keeps you interested to see how this idea is being presented to you in the movie.

The Godfather (1972)

Insane Performance

[10/10 · 10 September 2014]

When reviewing a classic masterpiece like the Godfather, it is hard to believe that there is still something left to say. Well, to me , movies are all about performances and how a viewer can relate to a character. I am fascinated with actors. Marlon Brando has showed us that in order to be believable one has to search deep down his soul even look for a crazy version of himself in order to deliver a believable character. Directors should give the freedom to the actor to deliver a character that has to come somewhere from within the actor himself. Any judge of talent in an audition will tell you that a performer has to lay down his emotions on the floor and be true to himself so that the audience can feel his truth and relate to it. Marlon Brando has just showed us what acting is all about. The Godfather is now , thanks to Marlon, a man who knows that by lifting a finger his will shall be executed and the "scum who ruined your daughter would be suffering this very day"...Marlon Brando doesn't need to convince us how powerful the Godfather is, we are already convinced , he won us in just a few lines. Now we believe he is trying to bring Bonasera back to the "family" under his power and to the business of trading "services". The magic of the Godfather is right here and there.

Life Is Beautiful (1997)

Human Love

[8/10 · 16 October 2007]

In my opinion, this film is all about Love. Human Love. The special kind of Love a father has to his son. After seeing this movie, I understood more about this human faculty called Love. I understood that Love is a distortion of reality only Humans are capable of. This father distorted and twisted the awful unbearable reality of being captivated in a concentration camp. Why did he do that? For his son not to be scared? Maybe. I think he did it so that his son does not live in hatred which is self destructive and for his son to find joy in the most awful of situations. The thing that moved me the most is that until the very last moment, the father continued playing the game of twisting the reality preserving the emotions of his son. The lesson learned from this movie is that "Imaginary" is necessary to beat unbearable reality and it is even better when it is done for others ...That's love.