Reviews

The Bubble

A gay, Middle Eastern Romeo and Juliet

By TOM MEEK | September 26, 2007

3.0 Stars

APOLITICAL EDEN: Love and lust in the Middle East.

Piquant little bons mots like “If a gay suicide bomber goes to Heaven, does he get 72 virgin boys or 72 muscular men?” lighten up Eytan Fox’s gay Middle Eastern Romeo-and-Juliet tragedy in which two men find themselves caught between their Israeli and their Palestinian roots. The title refers to the apolitical Eden a trio of roommates have carved out for themselves in Tel Aviv — that is, till Noam (Ohad Knoller) falls for an Arab, Ashraf (Yousef Sweid), while pulling checkpoint duty. To blend in, Ashraf poses as an Israeli waiter, but in the end the bigger political world bursts their “bubble.” Fox, who made Yossi & Jagger, may be best known for his racy, in-your-face depiction of gay sex, but here he delves into the cycle of never-ending violence with impartiality and compassion. The complexities and the subtle human moments bring new life to gay cinema, and they cast a self-reflective light on the crisis in the Middle East.

13 Tzameti
In the Western world today, where an infantilized culture contends with suicide bombing, it was perhaps inevitable that somebody would combine musical chairs with Russian roulette. Watch the trailer for 13 Tzameti (QuickTime)
Jerusalem Jane Doe
Israeli writer A.B. Yehoshua’s A Woman in Jerusalem is an odd, perplexing novel — but also shrewd and profound.
Israeli and Palestinian women promote reconciliation
Although her daughter was killed by a Palestinian suicide-bombing attack, Israeli peace activist Nurit Peled-Elhanan is part of a group of trying to promote reconciliation among Israelis and Palestinians.
On the ground
Through journalistic instincts, hunches, and sheer luck, Dexter Filkins has, for the past ten years, managed to frequently be in the wrong place at the right time.
Suicide Attacks Target Kabul Peacekeepers
KABUL, Afghanistan - Two separate suicide attackers rammed car bombs into vehicles belonging to NATO-led peacekeepers Monday in Kabul, killing at least one German soldier and wounding at least 13 people in the first major attack on foreign troops in the capital in more than a year.
Gay abandon?
Has gay cinema become a mere ghetto nowadays, of interest to its sexual demographic and no one else?
Brit-hop
For all the ink that’s been spilled over him around the world, you’d think Mike Skinner would be a little better known in the US, a country where TomKat’s new bundle of joy trumps suicide bombings on the news and new American idols are minted each and every season, only to be cut down the next.
Fighting words
Imagine that suicide bombers have just blasted three American shopping malls.
Body of War
Tomas Young volunteered for the US Army right after 9/11, hoping to be sent to Afghanistan and chase down Osama bin Laden.
Spy vs. Spy
When Washington bigwigs want to dispose of a particularly nasty piece of trash, they break the news late in the day Friday.
Casualties of war
The end of the Cold War didn’t bring peace, only a proliferation of conflict.
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[ 05/29 ] Brad Hooper @ Andy's Old Port Pub

[ 05/29 ] karaoke with DJ Ponyfarm @ Slainte

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