Peace Corps Update #2

It looks like I could have an invitation as early as next week. But now it looks like I might be heading to Asia, instead of Central Asia or Eastern Europe; I'm betting it'll be for Mongolia or China.

Why have I been taking Russian?

Mere Action Hero

I love this man! OK, now that I have that out of the way I can begin this entry.



Ajay Devgan, like so many Bollywood stars with familial connections in the industry, is the son of Veeru Devgan, one of the biggest stunt coorinators in Bollywood. It's no coincidence,then ,that Ajay began his career doing action films. To this day, he's still considered an action star. But after breaking about half of the bones in his body, Ajay has strayed from action films and is, arguably, India's best actor today (he's won two National Film Awards, which are more prestigeous than Filmfare. SRK, for instance, has never won a national award).

Two things helped Ajay Devgan's turn from action hero to romance hero. The first was his role in Zakhm in which he plays the son of a woman who is brutalized outside of a temple by Muslim extremists. But this movie is complex, like the Hindu/Muslim divide in India, and Ajay conveys the intensity and seriousness of the political-religious issue with humility and sensitivity. The role earned him his first National Film Award.



Ajay's second right choice was in marrying Bollywood superstar (and my favorite BW actress) Kajol, just when the actress was at the height of her popularity. Though the actors have done five films together, nothing has been as popular as their recent pairing in commercials and magazine ads for Whirlpool and Tata Indicom, a cell phone company. Sales for both companies has significantly increased dramatically with the couples' presence.



Since Zakhm, Ajay's career has had its ups and downs, but Ajay continues to stretch himself both as actor and producer. I think he's best when he's paired with Aishwarya Rai (and even she has admitted he's her favorite actor to work with). They first starred together in the 1999 Best Picture, Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam and have most recently shared the screen in Raincoat, a quiet film about choices gone wrong and the inability to change the past.



Admittedly, when I first got into Bollywood, I thought Ajay Devgan was a funny looking man who had the extreme good luck in marrying Kajol. He's a bit of an acquired taste, I think, because he slowly intrigued me until I thought he was one of the handsomest men in Bollywood. There's just something irresistable about the softness of his voice, the complexity of his eyes, and the subtlety of his expressions. But if that doesn't do it for you, his acting speaks for itself.



My favorite Ajay films:
Ishq (1997)--with Kajol, Aamir Khan, and Juhi Chawla
Pyaar To Hona Hi Tha (1998)--with Kajol
Zakhm (1998)--with Sonali Bendre and Pooja Bhatt
Dil Kya Kare (1999)--with Kajol and Mahima Chodaury
Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (1999)--with Aishwarya Rai and Salman Khan
Thakshak (1999)--with Tabu
Company (2002)--with Manisha Koirala and Vivek Oberoi
The Legend of Bhagat Singh (2002)
Chori Chori (2003)--with Rani Mukherjee
Yuva (2004)--with Esha Deol
Raincoat (2004)--with Aishwarya Rai

**This ends the Bollywood profiles for a while. I'll probably be back with more in the future, as there are many more actors to profile, but I'll need to do a little more homework first. But Beth, rest assured, if I do nothing else, I will do a profile on the wonderfully adorable Akshaye Khanna.

This'll be one of the easiest things you can do...

...to make a difference. Join the ONE campain.

www.one.org

My Cell Phone: a Rant

The face of my cell phone no longer works properly. I'm afraid that a few days from now it will cease working altogether. The reality of two things set in, nearly instantaneously. First, I don't have most of the phone numbers of my dearest friends recorded anywhere but in my phone. When this occured to me I immediately stopped what I was doing and ran to write the numbers down and was almost late to work by doing so.

My second thought was (and is) and bit more complicated. See, I've had my phone for over two years and am eligible for a new contract with Verizon along with a new phone, but that means giving them another two-year commitment. I don't have two years to give them, as I'm leaving the country in months (hopefully). So I can either purchase a phone at full price (remember, I work at Starbucks and don't have that kind of money) OR I can use my phone until I can't anymore and then try to live without it. The latter solution terrified me. And then it terrified me that I was so terrified about not having a phone. I mean, has it really come to this? Am I that dependent on my phone? It's not like I get a lot of phone calls. I'll be honest, there are days my phone doesn't ring, and, if I'm going to be really honest, if it wasn't for Scott there's a good chance my phone wouldn't ring for weeks on end. But then I think of what would happen if I didn't have a phone: what if my car breaks down?; what if I'm sitting at the airport waiting to board my plane and don't have my phone to call Ed, whom I haven't spoken to for years but decide, in my boredom and inability to keep myself occupied, that it's the perfect opportunity to call him?; what if I have to go into a Starbucks (not mine) and have to order a drink when I really can't be bothered to talk to the friendly person in a green apron? How will I give them that look, while I tell the person I'm talking to to hold on while I order, which says: I can't believe you're interupting my conversation--Give me a Venti Carmel Frappuccino Light, extra carmel, extra whip cream!

I can't believe how dependent on my cell phone I've become in four and a half years. It's actually rather ridiculous. So I've decided that once my phone dies, I will divorce Verizon--my relationship with them has lasted longer than some marriages--and return to the 1990s, when I never dreamed I'd own a cell phone. The upside is I save $45 a month!

This is going to be harder than I think, isn't it?

Looking Back on 2005

I love end of the year nostalgia. Perhaps it's because I like making lists so much, but I love looking back and remembering all the important things that happened during the year. And this year I'll have to do it without Peter Jennings. But unless something amazing happens to me in the next few weeks, these are the best things to happen to me in 2005.

5. Completing my M.A.
Though this is really only the first step to fulfilling my career dream, I couldn't help but feel excited when I submitted my thesis... and passed my defense. Grad school was an amazing experience, with a few low points but many high points, and now (or as of this coming Friday) I have a degree to show for it!

4. Figuring out what I'll be doing the next few years of my life.
A year ago I was in a panic about what I should do with my life. It was over Christmas break that I decided the Peace Corps might be the experience I needed. When I got back to Ohio I immediately began the application process on a whim, finally turned it in in March and sort of went with it. Sure, it messes up my career track, not letting me begin my PhD program until I'm 29, but I think (I hope) when I look back on my life, serving in the Peace Corps will have been the most amazing thing I ever did. I just hope Central Asia is ready for me...

3. Brody's successful surgery
My nephew had major heart surgery in February, when he was nine months old (my avatar was taken the night before the surgery). The family congregated in Nashville for the operation and waited to see how he'd do. He recovered faster than estimated. It's hard to explain the immediate impact of this surgery, but if you listened to his heart beat before surgery you heard insecure swishing; after surgery his heart beat rhythmically, strong, healthy.

Fairly recent picture of Brody (if you look closely you can see the top of his scar):


2. Oxford, England
I already wrote about this rather extensively a few blogs ago (read about it here), but this trip is easily one of the highlights of my year, and probably of the last few years. I left California feeling overwhelmed and stressed about life and the trip. I came home relaxed, exhilarated, and inspired. Lisa, I don't know how I'll ever be able to thank you.

1. Finding Leah
It was probably a couple of nights after I saw her for the first time in 3 1/2 years that I understood the enormous void in my life left by her absence. Getting reacquainted has been humbling, comforting, and healing. It's been amazing to have such an important friend back in my life and is, without a doubt, the best thing to happen to me all year.

Defending Pride and Prejudice (2005)

Pride and Prejudice was my most anticipated film of 2005. Since I first read the novel in 1997, I have become a woman obsessed with all things Austen. I have a B.A. in Literature and an M.A. in English Literature. I wrote an undergraduate honor's thesis on Jane Austen and my M.A. thesis on adaptations of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility. I've read P&P nine times and have seen the A&E/Colin Firth/Jennifer Ehle movie more times than I can count (I remember one finals week during college when I watched it three times). When I heard about a new adaptation I was ecstatic.

Now that the film has released, I find myself defending the film to Austen fans who believe the movie should be a certain way or who feel that nothing will ever compare to the BBC/A&E miniseries. Remarkably, P&P (2005) has done exceptionally well among critics and has some people talking about an Oscar nomination for Keira Knightley.

Here's something I wrote on one of the internet forums I frequent. I thought I'd share my thoughts here.

I'm always excited to see films adapted from novels I enjoy because I like watching someone else's vision/interpretation of the novel. I remember when I first read P&P (as a senior in high school) and then shortly after saw the Firth/Ehle version. I was so annoyed by the decision to cast Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy because he wasn't how I envisioned my Mr. Darcy. Of course with repeated viewings of the BBC miniseries, I came to associate Mr. Darcy with Colin Firth,
lol. Anyway, I digress.

Adapting a novel for film is a tricky process because the filmmaker must balance the limitations of the medium with the expectations of the novel's readers and people who don't know that a novel version exists. This doesn't even take into account other sources the filmmaker may be borrowing from to make the film (other adaptations, critical interpretations, plays, etc.) or the filmmakers own interpretation of the novel. Given the difficulty of the task and the immediate negativity this film provoked, since according to many people, the definitive version of P&P had been made just ten years ago, I am amazed and impressed by Joe Wright's Pride and Prejudice. {Btw, I love the BBC P&P, but if I want the definitve version, I'll just read the novel again.}

SPOILERS

No, not every theme Austen writes about is present in the film (very few are there, actually). Yes, the film lacks much of the biting social critique the novel so brilliantly deploys. Yes, I wish the Lady Catherine De Bourgh/Lizzy showdown was more fulfilling. I wish Wickham had been fleshed out better, and if he had maybe the elopement would have had more of an impact on the story. I think making Mr. Bennet an entirely sympathetic character was wrong. Bingley entering Jane's room is inaccurate and completely taboo given the time period, etc., etc., etc.

END SPOILERS

But I wasn't watching this film to see what I see when I read the novel. And as a film, disassociated from its original source (because you must separate the film from the novel if you want to remain somewhat objective), it's very good. The camera work in the Netherfield scene is brilliantly executed and choreographed. The performances, for the most part, are impressive. The score is gorgeous. The pacing, surprisingly, is perfect (and gets better with a second viewing). The cinematography is beautiful. And, though many people won't agree with me, Keira Knightley nails aspects of Elizabeth better than I've seen any other screen Elizabeth do, including Jennifer Ehle, who I thought was a brilliant Elizabeth.

I actually see a lot of similarities (in feel, mood, atmosphere, etc) between Joe Wright's Pride and Prejudice and Ang Lee's Sense and Sensibility, the latter which is my favorite film. Ever.

I understand this film isn't for everyone. And purists will probably hate it. But if you're willing to see this as Joe Wright's Pride and Prejudice, not Jane Austen's or Andrew Davies' Pride and Prejudice, you might really enjoy it.

I just hope filmmakers keep giving me a new adaptation of this novel every ten years.

See this movie if you get a chance. It currently rests atop my Top Ten list for 2005 (bias aside, I think)!