Mr. Darcy and the Single Man

So I'm a little late catching up on my 2009 nominated Oscar movies and roles but better late than ever. This lazy afternoon (we have the week off from work so it's awesome to be a couch potato in this cold weather) I received my Netflix movie and it was "A Single Man" directed by debutant director Tom Ford. Now I have to be truthful and say that the main reason I watched this movie is for Colin Firth who in my mind will forever be THE Mr. Darcy (no matter how many men have played and will continue to play this character). I was also curious about the movie because it seemed so far from the genres that I usually watch. This was an out and out "art film" - an "art film" is a term we use in India to describe a movie that is not meant for the masses. The pace was super slow but I don't see how it could have been any faster but all said and done I liked the movie - hated the ending...

**Spoilers ahead** Colin Firth plays George, a university professor, who has recently lost his partner of 16 years Jim. The entire movie takes place on 1 single day - Nov 30, 1962. George wakes up with a start after dreaming about his dead partner's body. George lets the viewers know that he is considering suicide because he cannot endure life after losing Jim. He chats with his friend Charlie played by Julianne Moore, fellow English ex-pat and tells her that he will meet her in the evening. He then goes to his class as usual and ends up chatting with one of his students Kenny who seems to be very interested in George and seems to want something beyond a regular student-teacher relationship. During the course of a day he also meets a young male prostitute Carlos who is surprised to be treated so kindly by a stranger. George then heads to Charlie's house where we see that Charlie wants to have something more than a platonic relationship with George. He leaves her place angry. He runs into Kenny again and the 2 go swimming together - we then see that Kenny is sleeping in George's house in a different bedroom and George sees that Kenny is sleeping with the same gun that he wants to use to kill himself. George then sees that suicide is not his way out and decides that life is worth living after all and tears up the suicide notes he had left behind. And then ironically he dies from a fatal heart attack.

Colin Firth was amazing. His acting was subtle and his grief palpable. He transforms himself from the young dashing Mr. Darcy to the older, proper University Professor with ease. Julianne Moore is awesome but then she always is - I just couldn't stomach the accent from her though... but that's just because I know what she really sounds like in other movies. Tom Ford I thought, did an absolutely wonderful job - from fashion designer to director - the transition appears super smooth.

So to sum it up, this movie is not for everyone - watch only if you can be patient and allow it to slowly unravel.

Koffee with Karan

Breaking my blogging silence. I know its been a while since I wrote in this space but something I watched on Sunday jolted me into writing again - and jolted not in a good way...

Many of you know that I have been a huge fan of Koffee with Karan - I like his wit, and sparkle and how he uses his friendships with the celebrities to make them reveal to him (and the audience) more than they intend to. Season 3 began Nov 7, 2010 - 4 long years after season 2 ended. So to say that I was awaiting the premiere eagerly is an understatement. I set my DVR to record the show, told the hubby not to watch it without me (not that he watches it anyway), made some chai and snacks and plonked myself in front of the TV to soak in as much Koffee with Karan as I could...

The guests were Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bachchan - I was of course not thrilled... I have never been a fan of Aishwarya Rai on talk shows. She is very giggly, and comes across as completely fake and studied - if you don't believe me watch any of her old interviews on youtube especially the 2005 60 Minutes appearance (I cringe even today!!). However, on this particular episode while she was tolerable (perhaps because I had low expectations of her to begin with), the person that made her look more genuine, sadly, was her husband Abhishek Bachchan. I have always thought of Abhishek as poised, in control and tolerably intelligent as a conversationalist from watching prior interviews of his. I was less than impressed with him on this show - the initial 10 minutes after his entry on the show were almost too hard for me to watch. His attempts at humor failed miserably and he came across so completely different than he usually does. While I must admit that it definitely got more bearable as the interview went on, I was hugely disappointed. When will actors learn that they don't have to don a role for an interview - an interview is to talk to the "real" person behind the face. I suppose that they have been "actors" for so long that they can't help but act (and to be honest I do think everyone "acts" a little bit to put their best foot forward - be it for friends or business colleagues). I think little B should take a page from Big B's book. Senior does not have to rely on gimmicks and poor jokes to get his point across - he always comes across as uber-elegant and suave in almost all interviews; all the while looking like he does not have to make an effort. That is the charisma of a true star. Some other desi celebrities who give a good interview are Bipasha Basu, Katrina Kaif, Lara Dutta, and Aamir Khan. I watched an interview of Kangana Ranaut with Koel Puri ("On the couch with Koel") and even Kangana, despite her less than average grasp of the English language, conversed with Koel Puri so intelligently and with so much dignity, that I was hooked and watched the entire show.

The next week's episode of KWK promises to be better with Imran Khan and Ranbir Kapoor as the 2 guests. These are interesting talented young men that seemingly have the whole world at their feet - it will be a treat to see them in action on Koffee with Karan as Karan tries extract their deepest darkest secrets as only he knows how ;) - there I go again, expecting the world from a talk show... Here's hoping for a season that is as good if not better than the first 2 seasons!!