karthig Reviews

Dave Chappelle's Block Party (2005)

Entertaining and thoughtful

[9/10 · 13 September 2005]

Saw "Block Party" at the Toronto Film Festival as a work-in-progress. You will laugh until your stomach hurts watching this film. Chappell's comedy provides the balance this film needs to serve as an entertaining reflection of the segregation and urban neglect the exists in America today. This message exists as the subtext, and sometimes bluntly, in the humour, interviews, and the music.

Michel Gondry did an amazing job capturing some rather beautiful images. In one shot, it lasted for only a few seconds, a beautiful young woman rocks out to Mos Def while perched on her boyfriend's shoulders.

Whether or not you're a fan of the music, it's hard not to be totally engrossed by this film. Plus Dave Chappell's in it!

Arna's Children (2004)

See it if you can.

[10/10 · 16 May 2004]

I was fortunate enough to catch this powerful documentary at the 2004 Hotdocs festival in TO. The film was shot over a period of ten years from 1992 to 2002, and follows a group of Palestinian children as they grow up and turn to violence to guard their refugee camp.

Go see this movie if given the chance. It provides a rare and refreshingly caring glimpse into the personal lives of people usually portrayed as terrorists and monsters. The movie works especially well because the director has a personal relationship with the kids-turned-fighters in the film.

This is not self-indulgent "stick it to the man" left wing propaganda; it's one of the most human films you'll ever see regardless of your political views.

Peace.

Kanehsatake: 270 Years of Resistance (1993)

Upsetting

[8/10 · 22 January 2003]

I just came back from a screening of this film for a Canadian film class. Although one can have an understanding that terrible things happen all the time that you never hear about, it's still very disturbing and upsetting to finally see these things for yourself. The standoff documented in this movie occurred only 13 years ago. I guess the liberal 90's have created such a sugar coated view of Canada that the carnage of this movie seem surreal. The media was restricted access to record the events; citizens of the country were completely robbed of their basic rights; and a community sank to very low levels of existence.

This film serves as a reminder that one's rights are not as infallible as you are led to believe. The soldiers were pawns throughout the entire ordeal, but that does not excuse their unnecessary acts of violence. Some of the town's people behaved like savages (Throwing stones at Natives leaving the area). I can't understand how people like that can live with themselves. All this over a golf course/ p***ing contest. Watch it if you get the chance, especially if you're patriotic. I still think Canada is among the best places to live in the world. But injustice and idiocy are not easily avoided.