Tag: Gender

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: “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. 

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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.)

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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.) 

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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.

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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! 

Spoiler-Free Review: Gone Girl (2014)

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Ben Affleck (Nick) & Rosamund Pike (Amy) meet

Marriage is the main villain (as one film critic noted) in this diabolical film directed by David Fincher (Seven, The Social Network, House of Cards).  What goes on between two people within a marraige is a mystery to outsiders.  And individually, we can be a mystery to our loved ones. It’s not a date movie, though one ad mentioned those words.  I went to see this film during its opening weekend with a group of friends; the two who read the novel (by Gillian Flynn) said it was very close to the book.  One of my friend’s really liked Affleck’s low-key (almost a regular guy) performance, as did I.  I only read a few chapters before seeing the film, but it’s very good (Flynn has a way with today’s modern language and dark humor). 

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Nick wipes away some sugar from Amy’s lips

Fincher knows how to set the mood in his work- he succeeds well here, too.  The music, color palette, pacing- it all works together to keep the viewer interested.  One friend said that it really kept her attention, unlike many recent films.  Rosamund Pike (a Brit who had to gain and lose 15 lbs. twice for this role) gets to showcase her talents with her complex character.  Pike wasn’t well-known to US viewers, though I’d seen her in different films and series before (being an anglophile).   One friend commented: “Women can be crazy!” 

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Amy and Nick at a book launch party

The supporting cast (yes, even Tyler Perry) does a fine job.  There are a few scenes that will be difficult for more sensitive viewers, including one involving a large quantity of blood.  In a pivotal scene near the end, blood is used in a creative (metaphorical) way.  In the middle of this film, I remember thinking to myself that I was glad to be single!