A Tale of 2 movies

And 2 very different movies at that!! The hubby and I clearly have too much time on our hands - we took in 2 movies on Saturday and Sunday. Saturday was District 9 and Sunday was Wake Up Sid. Completely different movies and genres but both kind of enjoyable. Wake Up Sid was more enjoyable for me versus District 9 - but let me not get ahead of myself.

We were all set to watch Wake Up Sid on Saturday but we heard mixed reviews so, at the last minute, we decided to switch to District 9 - the hubby has been wanting to see this movie ever since it released so needless to say he was very happy. The movie, we discovered, was running in just 1 theater in the vicinity - in Mountain View - so we get to the Century Cinemas and end up sitting in this row of seats with very very little legroom - and I mean very little - so while I watched the movie, my primary concern was to save my knees from the seat in front of me every time the woman pushed her seat back or stretched. When the movie began, my first thought was that it was very much like 'The Office' - as in the camerawork and mode of shooting were very realistic - like someone was given a video camera and told to go interview a few people. The movie is set in Johannesburg and has a very interesting plot line - it's about aliens stranded here on earth in South Africa, in an area called District 9. Their integration into society is not very smooth and a decision is made to evict them from District 9 and move them into District 10 - away from the city and more confined as such. There are some twists and turns and the person in charge of the eviction ends up empathizing and identifying with the aliens. I'll say no more so as not give away the plot. The movie is clearly an "indie" science fiction movie - it appears to be made on a shoestring budget. I was engaged throughout the movie (while not trying to protect my legs from the afore-mentioned seating situation) and it was a pretty interesting concept - I would recommend it for sci-fi lovers looking for something that is not the run-of-the-mill alien/predator situations.

Come Sunday, we met up with friends for brunch and heard that Wake Up Sid was indeed a decent movie so we decided to check it out for ourselves. The theater was pretty packed (and this is a mainstream theater that predominantly plays western flicks - so it's been very pleasant to note that big desi movies are also making their debut here - we had Kaminey, Love Aaj Kal and What's Your Rashee showing here in recent times) so we were glad we made it in plenty of time to get good seats. The movie was super-enjoyable and a great first-time directorial effort by Aayan Mukherjee - Ranbir Kapoor is yet to make a bad decision as far as movies go after the debacle of Saawariya. The movie belongs to him. Konkona Sen does a great job - am glad the girl is able to showcase her talent in more and more mainstream movies. The movie is about an aimless spoilt brat finding his path in life. While the story-line is not anything new, the treatment of the subject matter is dealt with in a very realistic manner - there are no melodramatic scenes and no over the top acting by anyone in the movie (okay maybe Supriya Pathak's character as the mom and her relationship with Sid was a little too contrived but in the grand scheme of things it can be overlooked). It's refreshing to see new blood in Bollywood that can shoulder a movie and bring it to success - I mean frankly, I was a little tired of seeing the same old faces on the big screen - the Khans and Hrithik are too old to play 20-something 30-something characters so to see this new generation of heroes and heroines making it in the big bad world of Bollywood has been invigorating. The soundtrack is nice - loved iktara especially - good music by Shankar Ehsaan Loy. I would recommend it to people that enjoyed flicks like Dil Chahta Hai, Rock On and Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na.

Now to prepare for my week ahead - as someone once said "Yeh Sunday ke baad Monday kyon hota hai?" (translation for my non-Hindi speaking readers and I'm not sure that I am doing justice to the line and the sentiment it conveys - Why is it that we have a Monday always following Sunday?)

All time faves

I recently met a couple of friends who were out of the movie loop and were wondering if I had any recommendations as far as movies go - as I was listing some recent movies they could watch, I decided to come up with a top 10 movie list.

My Top 10 Hollywood movies in no particular order:
1. Speed (1 not the sequel) - don't ask me why - I watched this flick 10 times - loved the chemistry between Keanu and Sandra Bullock
2. Say Anything - A very precocious movie about opposites attracting
3. When Harry met Sally - love the idea of destiny bringing you to the same person again and again.
4. Terms of Endearment - keep those tissues handy - you will need them.
5. Steel Magnolias - see note about tissues above.
6. Crash - what a unique concept - loved this movie.
7. The Holiday with Kate Winslet and Cameron Diaz
8. Diary of a mad black woman/Why did I get married - both movies by Tyler Perry - I liked the quirkiness of both movies.
9. Top Gun - fell in love with Tom Cruise - of course this was much much much before the couch jumping antics.
10. Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants - Part I - I watched it on the recommendation of a very good pal/relative and I loved it.

Now that my top 10 Hollywood list is done, I suddenly remember a ton of movies that could have made the list but since I had to limit it to 10 (and I know I cheated by adding 11) I have to at least give these an honorable mention - The Magnificent 7, While you were Sleeping, Juno, The Family Stone, Mr. & Mrs. Smith (for its sass), He's Just not that into you, Pretty Woman, 3 Fugitives (haven't watched this in a long time but I remember it being a very funny flick), Ghost, The Bourne series, Sleepless in Seattle, The Hangover, this tiny movie called Slumdog Millionaire, The Sound of Music (one of the earliest movies I remember watching - this was probably what started my love affair with movies) and the list goes on and on and on.

So if you read this post, leave me some of your favorite all-time flicks!

Pay It Forward...

I watched the Oprah show today and realized how incredibly lucky I am that I was born where I was and am living the life I am. The show today was all about the power of hope and how every bit we can do will help transform the lives of women around the world.

The show started with the story of Tererai, from Zimbabwe, who basically had nothing but her dreams to egg her on and ultimately managed to pull herself out of stark poverty and earn a Bachelor's Degree in Agriculture, followed by a Master's Degree and in the immediate future, a Ph.D - all this despite a father that did not allow her to go to school, marriage to a wife abuser at the age of 11 and supporting 5 children. Watching this story unfold made me realize how truly inconsequential my problems are. This inspirational story was followed by the introduction of another story where a $5 loan changed a woman's life forever. The show then took us to the women in Congo where unspeakable acts are perpetrated against them by a militant group called the FDLR - it was sad to see the burn-ravaged face of a young woman who was raped and brutalized because the FDLR chief's dog died and he decided to exact vengeance on that particular village. I know - HORRIBLE!! You can review the show here.

By the end of the show I was moved to tears and silently thanked God for all my blessings and resolved to do my little bit to publicize the cause by virtue of this blog. Next stop FB status message. But first, here's a little more information on how we can change the world - one tiny step at a time. For as little as $5 one can provide a midwife with a birthing kit, for as little as $15 one can help a rape victim get hospitalization and medical care - the various tabs give you the different options/causes available to donate.

So many gods, so many creeds,
So many paths that wind and wind,
While just the art of being kind,
Is all this sad world needs.
~ Ella Wheeler Wilcox

Oprah, Ash and AB's baby!!

I just watched the Oprah episode where Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai were invited on a show about International celebrities. Aishwarya was her usual giggly self - mercifully a lot more toned down version of what we saw on 60 minutes a couple of years ago. Abhishek was poise personified.

Watching them together made me realize that he is not afraid to call BS on Ms. Rai's affected mannerisms which is what probably makes them tick. For instance while she giggled about his proposal being very "real" - he asked audibly "Real?". I respected the dude a little more in those couple of seconds. A guy who could easily be overshadowed by his dad's meteoric fame and his wife's global popularity (she is definitely much much more famous than he is) appeared to hold his own and then some on the Oprah show. Now for Ash, Ash fans brace yourselves. While she appears to have improved a lot with respect to her interview skills, she still has a long way to go. A simple question from the other International star showcased on the show, the Oprah of China, regarding when they would come visit China met with a long convoluted response which had little to do with the question itself. I wonder if Abhishek cringes internally every time his beautiful wife speaks. She appears to be very fake and very calculative with her responses - it's almost as if she does not answer the question straight from the heart - it's more like what does my audience want/expect to hear and how can I exceed those expectations... I think I like her a lot more when she keeps her mouth shut.

Overall though I thought the interview went well and they were able to represent India adequately - at least I, as an Indian, did not want to crawl into a hole as I've been want to do whenever I've watched Aishwarya on international TV (60 minutes, The David Letterman show anyone?) and for that I have to give kudos to Abhishek Bachchan. On behalf of avid celebrity watchers everywhere, I demand that the lady never be interviewed by herself anymore - gimme more of AB's baby on all her appearances.

Ode to Twilight

One of my co-workers is reading the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer and conversations with her remind me of my introduction to them. I have to credit my very good friend at work with first introducing me to Twilight - she was so insistent that I read it and, since I was #107 in the queue for it at the library, managed to get a copy for me from her sister.

First off, I was not too sure if I would like it as much as my friend did, but I decided to give it a read anyway - to make a long story short, I got it on a Friday, finished reading it that Saturday, got on Amazon and ordered the next 3 books in the series immediately - New Moon, Eclipse and Breaking Dawn (in my hurry I ended up ordering the Spanish version of the third book Eclipse and was so disappointed that I had to wait some more to get a version I could actually read and comprehend).

Twilight and the related books are all about the intense love story between human Bella Swan and vampire Edward Cullen. There are other pivotal characters in the book like the werewolf Jacob who pines for Bella, Edward's vampire family with Carlisle and Esme Cullen at the helm and his 'siblings' and her father, Police Chief, Charlie Swan. The story draws you in with a first person narrative and progresses rapidly and the intensity is breath-taking - you cannot put down the book and want the next one and the next - you get my drift. I am glad that I was introduced to it this late in 2008 because I cannot imagine waiting for a few months to read the next sequel. Now I do want to point out that her writing style is not great - on any given page, the staple words you will find are 'grin', 'chuckle', and 'sigh' but as you move from book to book, you do get, dare I say it, a little bit obsessed with it (I admit it - for a few weeks I only had Twilight on my mind and youtubed every interview with Robert Pattinson and gang).

The movie version catapulted its stars Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson to overnight global fame and beat out James Bond in the opening weekend. The sequel to it is eagerly awaited this November. This book has spawned many obsessions (Twilight moms anyone?, warring teams of 'Team Edward' and 'Team Jacob' and stampedes everywhere the cast for the movie visited).

Every now and then, I will re-read a book in the series and am amazed at how it will still draw me in into this world of true but forbidden love and vampires. It doesn't matter what your age, but if you are a woman/girl and even if you don't really love to read, I highly recommend this book series. For the guys, not so much unless you are man enough to admit to liking "chick lit" - that you will go watch the movie when it releases for your wife is good enough :)

My big fat Greek tv marathon

It took me the better part of 3 weekends but am finally caught up with Season 3 of the ABC Family tv show Greek. Never having been a part of undergrad college life in the US, I was not exposed to the 'Greek' way of fraternities and sororities etc. So one weekend when I was sleeping at all odd hours due to jetlag, out of sheer curiosity, I decided to start watching Greek on Hulu.

I didn't think that I would be too engrossed in this show since, well, let's face it, I'm not exactly the demographic for this series (ABC family - teens and their hapless parents maybe?) but I was pleasantly surprised. The show follows the lives of the 4 main protagonists - college students Casey Cartwright (played by Spencer Grammer and yes if you recognize her last name, she is the daughter of Frasier's Kelsey Grammer and looks a lot like him too), her geeky brother Rusty Cartwright, Evan Chambers (played by the handsome Jake McDorman) and "Cappie" (played by the adorable Scott Michael Foster; Cappie also has the best lines on the show) - as they balance student life and academics with their respective sororities and fraternities. The show is thoroughly entertaining, the dynamics between the characters are believable (what with Casey being so embarrassed about him, that she has never mentioned her younger brother Rusty, or the relationship between BFFs Casey and Ashleigh - they're always there for each other - minor tiffs notwithstanding), the chemistry between the leads (the triangle between Casey, Cappie and Evan) is palpable and all in all enjoyable fare. The supporting characters also do a fabulous job - my current favourites are Dale - who can help loving him and Ashleigh. As we follow the characters through the various rituals such as hazing, friendly competitions between fellow Greek houses, first loves and heartbreaks, one can't help but get a little involved.

This show took me back to my college days when events that seem so silly/trivial 10 years later took precedence over our lives back then - at the same time, college was also where we experienced the first taste of relative independence after 12 years of school and got to meet and interact with people from vastly different backgrounds. It's a story about growing up, making mistakes and finding your own way through this big, crazy maze called life. So, my recommendation - if you have some time to spare and want to watch a show that has dollops of good humour and the potential to take you down memory lane, do watch it!!

Another teen movie...Not

Back from a great vacation/work trip, no longer fighting jet lag and with nothing interesting to watch on TV, I sat cross-legged on my couch to browse through my list of Instant Netflix movies to select one worth the next 2 hours of my time. I stopped at 10 Things I Hate About You - I had watched this flick a long long time ago and now with the introduction of a new series on TV based on this movie, I decided to give it a second watch. And I'm glad I did :)

The movie essentially starts with the entrance of new student Cameron (played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who I've loved since his '3rd Rock from the Sun' days) to the same school attended by sisters Kat and Bianca Stratford (played by Julia Stiles and Larisa Oleynik). As he is being given the tour of the school by AV nerd Michael (the curly-haired guy from Numbers) he notices Bianca Stratford. Cameron is smitten - it's love at first sight. However he soon finds out from Michael that Bianca is not allowed to date. Kat is shown to be sort of a hard-ass, no-nonsense girl who is not interested in boys or the prom or other trivial things. When Bianca protests to being the only girl in school that doesn't date, her dad stipulates that she can date only when her sister does. At this point, Shakespeare readers realize that this movie is a modern-day take on 'The Taming of the Shrew'. Cameron is now faced with the task of finding a guy who can take on the older Ms. Stratford. Enter Heath Ledger, playing Patrick Verona who takes on the Herculean task of asking Kat out on a date. He is persuaded to do so by way of a bet with the quintessential baddie (every romantic movie worth its salt has to have a villain in the mix), which also sets it up for a giant misunderstanding in the end before all things end well.

The dialogues are witty. The roles are essayed pretty well. Julia Stiles is perfect for the part - it's her eyes and mouth that give her the naturally snooty look. For instance, I could never imagine her in a soft, lovey-dovey romance movie, 'The Prince & Me' notwithstanding. Refreshing to see Heath Ledger in a sunny happy-go-lucky role. This movie reminded me a lot about 'Clueless' - another classic redone for modern times, but then that is another review :)

Some of the highlights of this movie:

# Alison Janey in a crazy cameo as the guidance counselor who also doubles up as a porn writer.

# Heath Ledger singing "Can't Take my Eyes off you"

# Michael to Cameron, while talking about Bianca (sarcastically): She's deep for sure.
Bianca overheard in conversation with friend (who, incidentally, is played by Gabrielle Union): Yeah but there is a difference between like and love - because I like my Sketchers but I love my Prada backpack
Her friend: But I love my Sketchers
Bianca: That's because you don't have a Prada backpack.
Friend: Oh...

# Ms. Perky to Bianca: People perceive you as somewhat...
Kat: Tempestuous?
Ms. Perky: "Heinous Bitch" is the term used most often.

#Patrick: Was that a yes?
Kat: No
Patrick: Well then, was that a No?
Kat: No

#Kat to Bianca: Bianca, wait!
Bianca: Please do not address me in public!

#Patrick to Cameron: Secondly, don't let anyone make you feel like you don't deserve what you want.