Tag: Actors

Actors I like

The Theory of Everything (NOW PLAYING)

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Stephen and Jane falling in love
Stephen and Jane falling in love

NOTE: This review contains MILD spoilers.

This is a feel-good love story that’s suitable for all ages (if you need something to watch w/ the family).  The film is based on the autobiography by renowned physicist Stephen Hawkings’ wife, Jane.  In 1963, Oxford Ph.D. student, Stephen (Eddie Redmayne), meets pretty/approachable undergrad Jane (Felicity Jones) at a school dance.  Since he’s not much of  dancer, they spend most of the night talking.  There is mutual interest, though Jane’s gal pal calls Stephen “odd, but clever.”  We learn that Jane also wants to get a Ph.D. though she’s in the arts.

Reality vs. film wedding photos
Reality vs. film wedding photos

Stephen’s closest pal, and fellow physicist, Brian is played by up-and-coming Harry Lloyd (who I’ve watched in Robin Hood and Dr. Who).  His role wasn’t too big, but he added touches of humor to the film.  Solid character actor David Thewlis plays Stephen’s supportive advisor, Dennis Shiama.

Stephen playing with his kids
Stephen playing with his kids

Stephen collapses one day in the yard.  A doctor tells him that he has a rare, early onset form of ALS (a condition that will weaken his body, but leave his mind intact).  He doesn’t want to talk, even w/ Brian, and decides to avoid Jane.  Being a concerned, Jane seeks Stephen out in his dorm.  He tries to get rid of her (thinking that he’s gotten a death sentence), but she won’t have it.

Eddie Redmayne & Felicity Jones at Toronto International Film Festival
Eddie Redmayne & Felicity Jones at Toronto International Film Festival

Over time, they date, marry, have children, though the road is not smooth.  Studying for Ph.D.s, living on a small budget, and raising a family is very challenging/stressful; my parents did it as immigrants to the US.  Along with that, Stephen copes with his disease, writes a book about his black hole theory, and (slowly) makes a mark in the field on cosmology.

Eddie Redmayne on The Daily Show
Eddie Redmayne on The Daily Show

Before I watched this film, I didn’t even know that Hawking was British!  I’m not knowledgeable about his work, but science is only a small part of this story.  The focus is the love between two very mentally strong, caring, resilient, and intellectual individuals.  The leads have great chemistry- they fit perfectly as a couple.  (I’ve been following these actors for some years, so was glad to see them in these meaty roles.)  Redmayne, who always has an innocent and likable quality, must’ve worked very hard on his physical transformation! Some critics call this type of movie “Oscar bait.”  The colors are saturated, the music is very well-suited, and there is a very rosy outlook throughout the film.  My friends and I liked it a lot.  Stephen Hawking commented that watching this film “was like watching myself as a young man.”

Imran Siddiquee: How Hollywood Can Tell Better Love Stories

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NOTE: I recently learned that Imran is the son of one of my dad’s pals from since his childhood days at school in Chittagong. Dr. Siddiquee is a retired economist from the University of Illinois in Springfield.  He studied with my Uncle Shan-Shah (one of my dad’s younger brothers) both at high school in Chittagong and Jahanagirnagar University, Savar, and Dhaka.  Also, Dr. Siddiquee’s father was my dad’s high school teacher (Pahartali High School, Chittagong).  Wow, what a small world, especially for Bangladeshis (all over the world)!  You can follow Imran on Twitter.  Imran’s younger brother, Yusuf, is a musician.  Check out Yusuf’s music on Soundcloud.

 

Beyond Bollywood International Film Festival

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Meet the Patels (2014)

MeetThePatelsPosterThis documentary from LA-based brother-sister team, Ravi (actor/main subject) and Geeta (director) Patel, is scary relatable for desi (and other singles) all over the US!  When he turned 30 a few years ago, first gen Indian-American Ravi (who’d had only one real relationship with a white woman) agreed to try the traditional Indian way of finding a wife; this (of course) brought joy to his mother and father in North Carolina.  Geeta, his older sis, came along to film the experience. 

The family went off to the Punjab region of India to look at eligible single ladies (fellow Patels); Ravi felt odd about the scenario.  However, he also admitted that he loved the way he grew up- with a strong sense of pride in being a Patel and having an extensive community; he wanted that for his future.  After the trip to India (doesn’t work for him), Ravi says he’ll accept arranged introductions to women born/raised in the U.S.  He also attends a large marriage conference (for singles of the Patel community in the U.S.); it looks very similar to ISNA. 

We learn that as tough as it is for Ravi, Geeta went though the same situations (she thinks she’s had 200 arranged dates since age 20- wow!)  The true stars if the doc are the parents- Champa (mom) and Vasant (dad), who proclaims that being single is akin to being a “loser.”  But they are no stereotype- they are loving/caring/thoughtful parents who want their kids to be happy… and someday soon give them grandchildren.  In the end, Ravi does find his match, but she’s not who you’d expect!  This film is laugh-out-loud hilarious; my friends and I all thought so.

Brahmin Bulls (2013)

brahmin-bullsThis is a powerful (yet subtle) film from a husband-wife team (Indian-Americans) who are friends of the lead actor (Sendhil Ramamurthy from Heroes fame; he is American with South Indian roots).  Director/writer Mahesh Pailoor and Ramamurthy have known each other since undergrad; this role was written for the actor.  The focus is on the strained/distant relationship between 30-something L.A. architect, Sid Sharma (Ramamurthy) and his professor father, Ash (internationally-acclaimed Indian veteran actor, Roshan Seth).  Mary Steenburgen has a crucial role in the film, too.  Wow, what cast!  (By the way, if you’re a fan of tennis, you’ll especially enjoy this film.  Ramamurthy had a scholarship in undergrad, he said in a post-show panel interview).

When Ash drops in from Boston to attend a conference in LA. (you’ll discover the reason why), Sid is very taken aback.  He’s going through a transition in his marriage and at work, and doesn’t feel comfortable having the old man around in his house.  Both men are brooding, charming, intelligent, but also quite stubborn; this is the making for great dramatic conflict.  However, they have more in common than you’d expect!  My friends said they liked the movie a lot, as did I.

 

National Theatre Live: “The Tempest” starring Roger Allam (Game of Thrones)

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roger_allam_GoT
Viserys (Harry Lloyd) laughs w/ Illyrio (Roger Allam) on HBO’s “Game of Thrones”

Recently, my mom (a fellow fan of Shakespeare) and I saw a filmed version of The Tempest (from the remade Globe Theatre) at Landmark Bethesda Row.  The role of Prospero was played by Roger Allam, who some of you know as Illyrio Mopatis from HBO’s Game of Thrones.  Illyrio is a wealthy and powerful Magister in Pentos; he is a dealer in spices, gemstones, dragonbone, etc.  For a time, he served as custodian of the exiled Targaryen children and seeks to return them to the Iron Throne.  Illyrio also arranged the marriage between the Dothraki leader, Khal Drogo, and the teenaged Danerys Targaryen.

the-tempest-shipwreck

I’ve seen Prospero played as a benign schoolmaster, colonial overlord and Faustian necromancer.  But Roger Allam brings something new to the party by suggesting that Prospero is first and foremost a father: what we see, in this riveting performance of Shakespeare’s usurped protagonist, is a man torn between possessive concern for his adored Miranda and recognition that she is an agent of reconciliation with his enemies.  -Michael Billington (The Guardian)

The Tempest, in essence, is a small story-  the exiled Duke of Milan, Prospero, and his teen daughter, Miranda, are living on a secluded island peopled by magical spirits (including Ariel) and the son of a “witch” (Caliban).  Propero carries a wand and wears a cloak when he’s performing magic in this version of the play.    

tempest-story
 Magic is created through simple means, such as a shower of petals descending from the sky or Stephen Warbeck’s music emanating from every corner of the building. Herrin sometimes slows the pace to maximise the laughs, but he gets good performances from Jessie Buckley and Joshua James as the enraptured lovers, Colin Morgan as a nimble Ariel and James Garnon as a Caliban who burps and spits in the groundlings’ faces.  -Michael Billington (The Guardian)

This play contains some of The Bard’s most-quoted lines, including “Oh, what brave new world with such people in it!”  Miranda exclaims this when she first sees the men from Milan up close.  Until then, she’d only seen her betrothed- Ferdinand, who’s used for comedy in this production (youthful earnestness with wide eyes).  Ariel is not feminized, as is often done- he’s handsome, limber (does some acrobatics), and slyly funny.    

National Theatre Live: “A Streetcar Named Desire” starring Gillian Anderson

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streetcar-posterThere’s no one Hamlet, there’s no one… Lady Macbeth, there’s no one Blanche DuBois.  -Michael Kahn, artistic director (Shakespeare Theatre Company, DC)

Gillian Anderson is one of several middle-aged actresses (she’s American) who have gone “across the pond” to work in the UK, France, etc; another example is Kristin Scott Thomas (who has lately been acting in her adopted second language- French).  I’m sure that many of my regular readers know of Anderson (now 46 y.o.) from The House of Mirth and Bleak House.  While mainstream Hollywood ignores women over 40, even beautiful and talented ones, the stage is another case.  There are more roles in the theater, many have argued, including that of Tennessee Williams’ sensitive, troubled, and ultimately tragic- Blanche DuBois. 

A_Streetcar_Named_Desire251.jpg

I’ve wanted to do Streetcar for many years.  It’s kind of the next thing I needed to do before I aged myself out of the role.  I had a conversation with [director] Benedict Andrews, and he was interested.  It was a matter of finding a theater.”  -Gillian Anderson

Last month, I saw a filmed version of A Streetcar Named Desire (from London’s Young Vic Theatre) at Landmark Bethesda Row with a small audience.  Many people don’t know about these screenings, but I learned about it via an email newsletter from Landmark.  (I’m a big fan of the movie version; you can read my review here.)  I was surprised to see that Stanley would be played by Ben Foster, the star of one of my all-time favorite films, Liberty Heights.  (Recently, Foster made news with his engagement to actress Robin Wright.)

streetcar-blanche-kimono

The play takes a bit of time to get going (as expected), but Anderson is superb throughout.  She knows how to play the different sides of the character: alcohol-dependent, literary, sensitive, witty, etc.  Stella escaped from Belle Reve (the family home) into the brutish arms of Stanley.  Blanche is the one that had to deal with its “ruin” and their dying parents.  (Williams grew up in a highly dysfunctional family with an alcoholic father, repressed/hysterical mother, and younger sister who eventually was put in a mental asylum.  He came out in his mid- 20s and began a healthy relationship with his male partner in his 30s.) 

streetcar-sisters

Blanche DuBois, the fallen Southern belle, has been a character so rich and so complex that bringing her to life is one of acting’s greatest challenges.  Playing her is like climbing Mount Everest, both physically and emotionally demanding.  Actresses talk of losing their voice, suffering bouts of depression or having anxiety attacks while playing the part.  Yet they covet the role.  -Lynn Neary (NPR)

I especially liked the scenes between Blanche and Stella (played by Vanessa Kirby), the little sister who “sells her out” in the end.  Kirby is tall and stunning, yet vulnerable, resembling Michelle Monaghan to a high degree.

streetcar-fight

Character actor Corey Johnson (you’ve seen him somewhere before) does a fine job as Mitch, Blanche’s awkward/hesitant suitor.  Both Mitch and Blanche, though opposites in many ways, have lost someone they loved as very young people.  Yes, this play is quite heavy, but it’s definitely worth a look or two!