Doing Stuff That Scares Me

It's easy to dance like no one else is watching you. Today I tried dancing like I wasn't looking.

Self Realization, Part 4

I would be a terrible Buddhist.

Back from the Bay

About six weeks ago I impulsively purchased a plane ticket to San Francisco to hang out with my best friend from high school, who I haven't been in touch with for nearly four years. I've been to San Francisco once before--a spring break excursion with my college roommates in which we went to some of the city's most recognizable landmarks. This trip wasn't like that; I didn't even see the Golden Gate Bridge.

The highlights:

• Hav's VW Golf breaking down after getting picked up from the airport--a rather inauspicious, but memorable, beginning.
• Not understanding what "What's your story?" means.
• I got this text message from Leah the day before I go to SF which reads: "Yay, the once a month tea dance is this saturday n ur going! Its a daytime drinking eating n dancing people watching event. Don't worry, i won't make u do." Not only was I forced to dance, but I was sandwiched a couple of times in the process--no thanks to Leah, Hav, or Jenny. The evening confirmed what I already knew: hip hop and I don't get along. Bring on 80's pop punk or Bollytunes if you expect me to dance.
• The lesbian fight that erupted and the repeated gatherings at the microphone emploring the combatants that "this isn't how we represent the community!" Gotta love Mango...
• Jenny's prediction--we'll see, but I wouldn't bet anything on it.
• Grabbing the attention of the Indian men at the Indian restaurant when I unconscioulsy started singing a line from the Veer-Zaara song "Lodi."
• Catching up with faces from my past.
• Not understanding the fascination with Anthony's bike.
• The awkward feeling knowing that everyone I met knew way too much about me.

To my wonderful hostesses, Leah and Havilah, thank you for bringing me into your world and spending so much of your time with me. JennyB, I am forever thankful you drove into the city to spend a few hours chatting with me the way we did at PLNU. Jenny, Kimber, Ashley, AshleyB, and Khadeja, thanks for enriching my weekend. I'd love to do it again soon!

The State of Movies--2005

It's nearly November, and I've only seen fifteen movies this year. By this time last year I had seen 23 of the year's releases. I can attribute some of this year's decline to writing a thesis and discovering Bollywood, but I've been done with my thesis for a couple of months now, and while I love Bollywood, I still crave and love to watch Hollywood movies. So I've decided that the problem isn't that I was super busy for a few months or that I watch 2-3 Bollywood movies a week--sometimes even two a day (BW movies average 3 hours in length, btw). The problem is that Hollywood doesn't release their good films until October. And this year there are fewer movies I want to see--or at least fewer movies I'm willing to spend $9 or $10 dollars to see. But I have seen a few films I've really liked, so I present my Top Ten of 2005 of the 15 movies I've seen.

Not making the list (from worst to not nearly as bad): Elektra, Star Wars: Episode III--the Revenge of the Sith, Rory O'Shea Was Here, Bride and Prejudice, and The Upside of Anger.

10. Just Like Heaven, starring Reese Witherspoon and Mark Ruffalo.
When I saw the trailer for this movie I thought it looked cute even if the premise looked stupid. But a couple of recommendations from some trustworthy friends and my undying crush on Mark Ruffalo won out in the end. And what a delightful movie this was! I won't spoil the film or why it works, but if you want to see a movie that will make you laugh and smile, go see this film.

9. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, starring Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, and Freddie Highmore.
Linsey forced me out of my apartment this summer to watch this movie, and I had a great time! The problem with remakes or new adaptations of a novel is the movie will always be compared to the first film. I haven't seen the Gene Wilder version since I was a wee lass, so fortunately I couldn't compare the two. But Tim Burton is a genius with color and the bizarre and Johnny Depp as Willy Wonka is wonderfully creepy. Go see it just to watch dolls burn!

8. Salaam Namaste, starring Saif Ali Khan and Preity Zinta.
This might be the first anti-Bollywood Bollywood film, meaning that SN is very much a Bollywood film but feels a lot like a Hollywood film. For some fans of Bollywood, this westerinzation ruined SN in their estimation, but I don't think a movie has made me laugh so much this year. I still have the songs "Salaam Namaste" and "My Dil Goes Mmm..." in my head (and I don't even own the soundtrack--yet). I saw this on opening night with a theater packed with Indians. I might have been 1 of 5 persons in the room out of 300-400 not of South Asian decent. Scott and I had a blast, even if we were in the front row!

7. Fever Pitch, starring Drew Barrymore and Jimmy Fallon
OK, so I'm a sucker for Rom-Coms, but as I've said before, this year has generally sucked. FP isn't as good as Nick Horby's memoir of his obsession with the Arsenal football club in England, but it is better than the other adaptation of the book starring Colin Firth. But for an obsessive, er, passionate, person like me, this movie is a lot of fun.

6. Saving Face, starring Joan Chen, Michelle Krusiec, and Lynn Chen
Few people have probably heard of this delightful film about a Chinese family coping with their anti-traditional children. But see this film! It isn't about a lesbian daughter coming out to her family and community. It's really about the relationship between mothers and daughters and finding the courage to live. Watch out for a short homage for The Graduate--one of my favorite parts of the film!

5. Bunty aur Babli, starring Abhishek Bachchan, Rani Mukherjee, and Amitabh Bachchan.
My first Bollywood film in the theater remains one of my favorites for this year! It's sort of Bonnie & Clyde meets Catch Me If You Can. It's a lot more fun if you've seen Amitabh Bachchan's early movies, so you can understand the disguises Bunty, played by Bachchan's son, Abhishek, pulls off during the film. But I haven't seen any of Amitabh's early work, and I still loved this movie. Abhishek and Rani are so good together. The songs are also brilliant.

4. Black, starring Rani Mukherjee and Amitabh Bachchan.
Black is essentially a Bollywood remake of The Miracle Worker, about the life of Helen Keller, but that shouldn't diminish the beauty that is Black. Rani Mukherjee is brilliant as Michelle McNally, a woman deaf, blind, and mute. Amitabh Bachchan is also good as Michelle's no-nonsense, washed up teacher. But apart from the film's strong performances, Black is a visual masterpiece, typical of all of Sanjay Leela Bhansali's films. It's amazing what DP Ravi K. Chandran does with shades of black, gray, and white.

3. The Constant Gardener, starring Ralph Fiennes and Rachel Weisz.
Who says art doesn't have the power to effect social change? TCG is an eye-opening film about the evils of government and coporate alliances. Told mostly in flashback, Fernando Merielles follows his brilliant Cidade de Deus (2002), with first- and third-perspective narrators. And though Ralph Fiennes is great in this movie, Rachel Weisz steals the film with her bold performance.

2. Parineeta, starring Saif Ali Khan, Vidya Balan, and Sanjay Dutt.
How Saif Ali Khan manages to make you like his character is beyond me because Shekkar isn't someone I'd usually root for. But then, we like Shekkar because Lolita (Vidya Balan) loves him, and she is the heart of the film. And Balan is revelatory in her first film, giving Lolita subtle grace and strength. Like Black, Parineeta is a visual masterpiece, relying on shades of yellows and golds. It's really a shame India didn't submit this for the 2006 Oscars.

1. Crash, starring everyone.
I don't know that I've seen a movie so honest about humanity. There are no good guys or bad guys in this movie--just people who have been conditioned to be afraid of what/who they don't know. See this film now!

There's still more I want to and will see. I'll wait until the year's end to present my final Top Ten list!

As for me, I'm in San Francisco this weekend!

Bubbly, Lucky, Gutsy, Pretty

Preity Zinta began as a model doing ads in magazines and was discoverd by director Shekhar Kapoor while she was studying Psychology at a Bombay university (a degree she completed, btw). Not sure if acting was something she wanted to do, Preity decided that a flip of a coin would decide if she would take the job offered by Kapoor or do something else. The rest, as they say, is history. The flip of the coin gave us one of the most admirable heroines in the industry.

While I think Preity Zinta is a great actress, it's her off-the-set persona I like more. Preity is unique in Bollywood because she didn't have any familial connections in the industy. (Bollywood is extremely nepotistic. Most of the current actors have parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, or cousins in the industry. Shah Rukh Khan, like Preity, did not have any connections when he forged his way to become the King of Bollywood). She's also very grounded and knows that whatever time she has in the spotlight and whatever time she has to live is limited and a blessing. This world view was shaped at 13, when her father was killed in a car accident. And Preity has had her own brushes with death. She was vacationing on the island of Phuket when the 2004 Tsunami struck.



Often described as bubbly, chatty, and a bit of a tomboy, Preity Zinta sits at the top of Bollywood, signing films with some of the most established directors and production companies. Preity's recent success and acclaim is well deserved for the talented actress, who one journalist called "the only man in the industry." [This moniker was given to her for being the only BW actor--male or female--to testify against the underworld and its industry power in court].

My favorite Preity films:
Dil Se (1998)--with SRK and Manisha Koirala
Mission Kashmir (2000)--with Hrithik Roshan and Sanjay Dutt
Chori Chori Chupke Chupke (2001)--with Salman Khan and Rani Mukherjee
Dil Chahta Hai (2001)--with Aamir Khan, Saif Ali Khan, and Akshaye Khanna
Kal Ho Naa Ho (2003)--with SRK and Saif Ali Khan
Lakshya (2004)--with Hrithik Roshan
Veer-Zaara (2004)--with SRK and Rani Mukerjee
Salaam Namaste (2005)--with Saif Ali Khan

Up next: Hrithik Roshan

Russian Encouragement?

I was sitting at my desk during the class break, letting my mind relax before tackling the second half of the lesson when one of my classmates, who is fluent in Russian, approached me and asked: "Kak pycckuu?" I asked her to repeat the question and figured out she was asking me: How's Russian (coming along for you)? I told her how hard it was and how frustrated I am with the language. And then she asked if I'd ever taken Russian before. I sort of laughed and quickly told her I hadn't, and she told me that she was impressed with my pronunciation and grasp of the grammar. I thought she was kidding at first, but she wasn't. She told me she was sure I'd taken the language before. Her encouragement made my night! Thanks, Nelly!

Kate Winslet

It's Kate Winslet's 30th birthday today! Like Kajol, I was going to compile a list of 30 reasons why you should watch a Kate Winslet film on her 30th birthday when it occured to me that you really only need one reason to watch a Kate Winslet film: She is, arguably, the best living actress today--quite possibly of all time.

As for me, I'll be watching Heavenly Creatures (1994, Kate's first film, directed by Peter Jackson). But I'd also recommend:
--Sense and Sensibility (1995)--my favorite film--ever. Watch it for it's great performances (KW, Emma Thompson, Alan Rickman, Hugh Grant) or it's superb direction (Ang Lee) or it's stunning cinematography (Michael Coulter) or its melodic score (Patrick Doyle) or for Emma Thompson's brilliant screenplay. Kate received her first Oscar nomination for this role.
--Jude (1996)--this underappreciated film is amazing. It's a Thomas Hardy adaptation, so be prepared for bleak, but KW, Christopher Eccleston, and Rachel Griffiths deliver outstanding performances in this beautifully shot film.
--Hamlet (1996)--this is the best version of Hamlet I've seen on film (and it would be even if KW wasn't in it). KW plays Ophelia opposite Branaugh's Hamlet. It's a gutsy and haunting portrayal--well worth the four hours viewing time.
--Holy Smoke (1999)--the movie isn't amazing, but it's worth watching just for KW's performance. She should have been nominated for an Oscar for her bold performance in Jane Campion's film. WARNING: this film contains disturbing images of Harvey Keitel.
--Iris (2001)--In this Oscar-nominated performance, KW plays the young Iris Murdoch, a brilliant novelist who died of Alzheimer's disease. KW is accompanied by Dame Judi Dench and Jim Broadbent (who's performance earned an Oscar win) and is just as good as its cast suggests.
--Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)--KW and a Charlie Kaufman script--there's nothing else to really ask for. It was my #1 film of 2004. KW plays the quirky and unstable Clementine opposite a sober Jim Carrey. It's a performance that earned her a fourth Oscar nomination, making her, at 29, the youngest person with the most Oscar nominations.
--Finding Neverland (2004)--KW is luminous in her quiet performance as Sylvia Llewelyn Davies, the mother of the boys author JM Barrie (Johnny Depp) befriends. This film was nominated for Best Picture last year, and though KW's performance was overlooked for a nomination, it's worth watching so you can see how good her range really is.

Other Kate films: A Kid in King Arthur's Court (1995--please watch only if you're a die-hard Kate Winslet fan), the small film Titanic (1997), Hideous Kinky (1998), Quills (2000), Enigma (2001), The Life of David Gale (2003).

Enjoy! And Happy Birthday, Kate!

Self Realization, Part 3

Whoever said you can't cross the same river twice was right.