This had to be one of my favorite movies we’ve watched this year, I definitely understood why it got all those awards! It was the same comedy as some American movies that we see today and reminded me a lot of Napoleon Dynamite. The actors did a great job, I wonder how many takes they had to do until they stopped laughing since the whole movie was filled with random, funny interactions. It was interesting to see how each of the characters interacted with each other and where they all went through out the night. I’m curious to know if the band ended up staying together or if that was the last show they played. All in all, I’d definitely recommend this movie.
I thought the movie was very quiet and had a slight monotone feel to it. Some parts were extremely funny though. I like how the woman in the film was a very free and open spirit. At first I had thought she was going to be rude, but she definitely proved me wrong. That town the band was staying in was so dull!!! Where was that town? I don't think I recall them saying the name of the town in the movie. I liked how the further into the movie we got, the more the conductor of the band opened up. It seemed like the woman helped the conductor to become a happier person after staying in the town.
I thought this movie was a battle of new vs old school arab culture. This movie had a lot of monotone tension. The conductor didn't approve of the young officers flauntingly, flirting style. The young officer (Halib) represent the new Arab culture. Halib was promiscuous and a skirt chaser. The funniest part of this movie was at the roller rink when Halib coached the other guy on how to pick up a girl. This dry humor reminded me a lot of Napoleon Dynamite or other Sundance films. The conductor represent old Arab culture. The 2 cultures come together over the love of Chip Bacon? or that trumpet player. Halib's love for old classical arabic music create a bond between the conductor. The women in this film represent both of these 2 cultures. She was hospitably and went above and beyond helping these band members. She represented the new curious arab style by being a free spirit and a self taught. I found the ending of this movie off putting. I like how these movies don't have a clear ending but leave it up to interpretation like Greek comedies use to. Music is truly one thing that every culture can relate to. The universal language that can make us stop and forget the worries of our day, and reminisce on what we are listening to.
For me, this movie was not my favorite the movies we have seen. I thought it was quite dry. There were some funny parts, but overall I thought it was a very slow story. One thing that was surprising in the story though was that I thought Halib and the woman, Dina, got together. I for sure thought that maybe Tawfiq and her were. Another thing I did like was that I liked the way Dina was portrayed. I feel like she did encompass an Israeli woman very well. Very up front and straight and to the point. No beating around the bush about anything. It was interesting to see though how each member of the symphony reacted in their new environment for the night. They had split up and it was interesting to see what each did for the night.
Robert Miller Arabic 1001 I really enjoyed this movie. It was a very interesting story about the Alexandria police department's orchestra. I agree with what Aaron said previously about this movie being a battle between old school and new school Arabic culture. If you look at the two main characters of the band ,the old man and the young kid, they are two very different people. The young kid is somewhat of a ladies man and is more interested in having fun than the police orchestra. The old man is obviously very passionate about the orchestra and is very proper in his mannerisms. The movie took a dramatic twist when we learned about how the old man lost his family. Overall I think this movie was a good look into the real Arabic world. They are people with problems just like everyone else in the world.
So, I didn't like this movie very much. Yes it was funny and it wasn't horrible to watch, but I feel like nothing really happened. I liked how the relationship between the older man and woman slowly opened up the man to be himself and share his story. But the ending was kind of strange and didn't really add anything to the story, at all. I don't really have much to say about this movie. I liked the scene at the roller skating rink, when the young musician helped the other guy console the girl who was crying. That scene was pretty funny! Other than that though I didn't really like this movie.
I really enjoyed The Bands Visit. It was a very funny movie (a better alternative than the usual Arab movies that are shown, although the ending was still a disappointment, but it was still an enjoyable movie. I liked how the older man opened up to the woman about his wife and son.
I thoroughly enjoyed this movie as comedies are my favorite film genre. It's interesting to see how easily humor crosses language and cultural barriers. My favorite scene had to be the silent part at the skating rink with Haled guiding Papi; the humor was in the same awkward style of a lot of American comedies, two that come to mind are "Little Miss Sunshine" and "Napoleon Dynamite". Also the whole reason the band is in Bet Hatikva instead of Petah Tiqva was the "p" getting mixed up the "b", which is something we talked about in class, but I didn't think it would lead to something like what the band went through.
I'm not sure how I feel about this movie. I feel like it lacked a plot. Normally, I would be all about a comedy and be thrilled to watch it but I didn't find this one that funny. The whole movie was somewhat awkward, however, I can see that they attempted to be funny. I also felt like the movie was trying to make a statement about some kind of moral lesson and I think in all of the confusion of the plot I missed it. Maybe it was the language barrier that prevented me from grasping the entire movie. It is not a movie I would recommend. Although, the ending was as quite as sad as previous movies we have watched.
I felt that The Bands Visit was by far the best movie we have seen all year. I laughed so hard I fell out of my seat several times. In the scenes where the men sang and the wife left and the roller skating ring, I completely lost it. The movie was absolutely hilarious in an awkward way. I did not feel like there was ever a real plot, it seemed like there was no overall moral or ideal conveyed through the story, but to me this didn't matter, I was far too busy catching my breath from all the laughing.
One of the things that stuck out to me the most was the use of English as a lingua franca. This is mostly because it amazes me that a language as (in my estimation) cumbersome and irregular as English could ever be widely used in such a way. As concerns the movie itself, I liked both its style of comedy and its seemingly ambiguous/anticlimactic ending. I remember seeing an episode of the Canadian sketch comedy program Kids in the Hall wherein one of the actors portrays a caricature of a French-Canadian who mocks American films, referencing its tendency towards "happy endings" and clear-cut denouements. I've heard it described as "Tell them what they're going to see. Show it to them. Then tell them what they just saw". Because we're conditioned to expect every "loose end" to be tied up in this fashion, an ending like that of this film can be difficult to process. But I think ambiguous endings mirror real life far more accurately, as we often don't have the benefit of the absolute closure we're granted by Hollywood productions before leaving the theatre. Instead, we have to decide for ourselves what it is that we've just seen.
This isn't to say that I haven't seen an American film that ends like this. Young Adult, starring Charlize Theron, is somewhat similar to this film, although very loosely, and largely in the female protagonist's similarity to Dina.
I loved this movie. It was a simple but interesting plot. But I was mad that the lady ended up sleeping with the young band member. I want her and Turfew to fall in love and be together. The birthday scene was really funny though. The movie had just enough humor. Great pick although I do wish there was a little more background on the band as a whole with the police academy budget and cut backs. So sad this is the last movie :(.
I have to admit that out of all of the movies we’ve watched this semester, this was by far the most entertaining and funniest. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that the other movies weren’t good, it was just that this one was more so on the comical side. At first I thought it was going to be boring but it proved me wrong. My favorite scene in the movie was when the “rebel” band member went out to see the town with the two couples and he had to help that awkward guy make his move on the cousin. That was so funny to me.
I was truly surprised at how talented the musicians were the other night. I enjoyed the music more than I thought I would and it was a great first experience at listening to live Arabic music. The rhythm was really nice and I liked the beats that the songs had. My favorite though was definitely العود. I cannot remember the gentleman's name who played this instrument but he was extremely talented. His solos were very impressive and he really had the crowd engaged because we were so impressed. People were clapping and Asshad was dancing alot. I could tell he played a few popular songs as well because some of the Arabic people in the audience were singing along with him as he played and sang. I hope that we can have these performers come back again next year and hopefully the crowd will be even larger. I could tell everyone was impressed when the show was over.
Sandra Hendow
ReplyDeleteArabic 1001
This had to be one of my favorite movies we’ve watched this year, I definitely understood why it got all those awards! It was the same comedy as some American movies that we see today and reminded me a lot of Napoleon Dynamite. The actors did a great job, I wonder how many takes they had to do until they stopped laughing since the whole movie was filled with random, funny interactions. It was interesting to see how each of the characters interacted with each other and where they all went through out the night. I’m curious to know if the band ended up staying together or if that was the last show they played. All in all, I’d definitely recommend this movie.
I thought the movie was very quiet and had a slight monotone feel to it. Some parts were extremely funny though. I like how the woman in the film was a very free and open spirit. At first I had thought she was going to be rude, but she definitely proved me wrong. That town the band was staying in was so dull!!! Where was that town? I don't think I recall them saying the name of the town in the movie. I liked how the further into the movie we got, the more the conductor of the band opened up. It seemed like the woman helped the conductor to become a happier person after staying in the town.
ReplyDeleteARAB 1001
ReplyDeleteAaron Ward
I thought this movie was a battle of new vs old school arab culture. This movie had a lot of monotone tension. The conductor didn't approve of the young officers flauntingly, flirting style. The young officer (Halib) represent the new Arab culture. Halib was promiscuous and a skirt chaser. The funniest part of this movie was at the roller rink when Halib coached the other guy on how to pick up a girl. This dry humor reminded me a lot of Napoleon Dynamite or other Sundance films. The conductor represent old Arab culture. The 2 cultures come together over the love of Chip Bacon? or that trumpet player. Halib's love for old classical arabic music create a bond between the conductor. The women in this film represent both of these 2 cultures. She was hospitably and went above and beyond helping these band members. She represented the new curious arab style by being a free spirit and a self taught. I found the ending of this movie off putting. I like how these movies don't have a clear ending but leave it up to interpretation like Greek comedies use to. Music is truly one thing that every culture can relate to. The universal language that can make us stop and forget the worries of our day, and reminisce on what we are listening to.
Darby Galler
ReplyDeleteArabic 1001
For me, this movie was not my favorite the movies we have seen. I thought it was quite dry. There were some funny parts, but overall I thought it was a very slow story. One thing that was surprising in the story though was that I thought Halib and the woman, Dina, got together. I for sure thought that maybe Tawfiq and her were. Another thing I did like was that I liked the way Dina was portrayed. I feel like she did encompass an Israeli woman very well. Very up front and straight and to the point. No beating around the bush about anything. It was interesting to see though how each member of the symphony reacted in their new environment for the night. They had split up and it was interesting to see what each did for the night.
Robert Miller
ReplyDeleteArabic 1001
I really enjoyed this movie. It was a very interesting story about the Alexandria police department's orchestra. I agree with what Aaron said previously about this movie being a battle between old school and new school Arabic culture. If you look at the two main characters of the band ,the old man and the young kid, they are two very different people. The young kid is somewhat of a ladies man and is more interested in having fun than the police orchestra. The old man is obviously very passionate about the orchestra and is very proper in his mannerisms. The movie took a dramatic twist when we learned about how the old man lost his family. Overall I think this movie was a good look into the real Arabic world. They are people with problems just like everyone else in the world.
So, I didn't like this movie very much. Yes it was funny and it wasn't horrible to watch, but I feel like nothing really happened. I liked how the relationship between the older man and woman slowly opened up the man to be himself and share his story. But the ending was kind of strange and didn't really add anything to the story, at all. I don't really have much to say about this movie. I liked the scene at the roller skating rink, when the young musician helped the other guy console the girl who was crying. That scene was pretty funny! Other than that though I didn't really like this movie.
ReplyDeleteMelanie Steinke
ARAB 1001
I really enjoyed The Bands Visit. It was a very funny movie (a better alternative than the usual Arab movies that are shown, although the ending was still a disappointment, but it was still an enjoyable movie. I liked how the older man opened up to the woman about his wife and son.
ReplyDeleteElizabeth Gunnels
Arabic 1002
Adam Weiss
ReplyDeleteArabic 1001
I thoroughly enjoyed this movie as comedies are my favorite film genre. It's interesting to see how easily humor crosses language and cultural barriers. My favorite scene had to be the silent part at the skating rink with Haled guiding Papi; the humor was in the same awkward style of a lot of American comedies, two that come to mind are "Little Miss Sunshine" and "Napoleon Dynamite". Also the whole reason the band is in Bet Hatikva instead of Petah Tiqva was the "p" getting mixed up the "b", which is something we talked about in class, but I didn't think it would lead to something like what the band went through.
Kelsi Leverett
ReplyDeleteArabic 1101
I'm not sure how I feel about this movie. I feel like it lacked a plot. Normally, I would be all about a comedy and be thrilled to watch it but I didn't find this one that funny. The whole movie was somewhat awkward, however, I can see that they attempted to be funny. I also felt like the movie was trying to make a statement about some kind of moral lesson and I think in all of the confusion of the plot I missed it. Maybe it was the language barrier that prevented me from grasping the entire movie. It is not a movie I would recommend. Although, the ending was as quite as sad as previous movies we have watched.
I felt that The Bands Visit was by far the best movie we have seen all year. I laughed so hard I fell out of my seat several times. In the scenes where the men sang and the wife left and the roller skating ring, I completely lost it. The movie was absolutely hilarious in an awkward way. I did not feel like there was ever a real plot, it seemed like there was no overall moral or ideal conveyed through the story, but to me this didn't matter, I was far too busy catching my breath from all the laughing.
ReplyDeleteJohn Howard
Arabic 2002
One of the things that stuck out to me the most was the use of English as a lingua franca. This is mostly because it amazes me that a language as (in my estimation) cumbersome and irregular as English could ever be widely used in such a way. As concerns the movie itself, I liked both its style of comedy and its seemingly ambiguous/anticlimactic ending.
ReplyDeleteI remember seeing an episode of the Canadian sketch comedy program Kids in the Hall wherein one of the actors portrays a caricature of a French-Canadian who mocks American films, referencing its tendency towards "happy endings" and clear-cut denouements. I've heard it described as "Tell them what they're going to see. Show it to them. Then tell them what they just saw". Because we're conditioned to expect every "loose end" to be tied up in this fashion, an ending like that of this film can be difficult to process. But I think ambiguous endings mirror real life far more accurately, as we often don't have the benefit of the absolute closure we're granted by Hollywood productions before leaving the theatre. Instead, we have to decide for ourselves what it is that we've just seen.
This isn't to say that I haven't seen an American film that ends like this. Young Adult, starring Charlize Theron, is somewhat similar to this film, although very loosely, and largely in the female protagonist's similarity to Dina.
I loved this movie. It was a simple but interesting plot. But I was mad that the lady ended up sleeping with the young band member. I want her and Turfew to fall in love and be together. The birthday scene was really funny though. The movie had just enough humor. Great pick although I do wish there was a little more background on the band as a whole with the police academy budget and cut backs. So sad this is the last movie :(.
ReplyDeleteKelsey Henderson
ReplyDeleteArabic 1101
I have to admit that out of all of the movies we’ve watched this semester, this was by far the most entertaining and funniest. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that the other movies weren’t good, it was just that this one was more so on the comical side. At first I thought it was going to be boring but it proved me wrong. My favorite scene in the movie was when the “rebel” band member went out to see the town with the two couples and he had to help that awkward guy make his move on the cousin. That was so funny to me.
I was truly surprised at how talented the musicians were the other night. I enjoyed the music more than I thought I would and it was a great first experience at listening to live Arabic music. The rhythm was really nice and I liked the beats that the songs had. My favorite though was definitely العود. I cannot remember the gentleman's name who played this instrument but he was extremely talented. His solos were very impressive and he really had the crowd engaged because we were so impressed. People were clapping and Asshad was dancing alot. I could tell he played a few popular songs as well because some of the Arabic people in the audience were singing along with him as he played and sang. I hope that we can have these performers come back again next year and hopefully the crowd will be even larger. I could tell everyone was impressed when the show was over.
ReplyDeleteAbdullah Horne
Arabic 1002