what up?

long time. new year. been awfully bz. no kidding. been up today since 3am. had to come to work early. now it's 8:30am. feeling a little sleepy. no kidding.

ha ha.

back soon w/ my own picks for top hindi and english films of 2006. too tired to think right now.

my favorite film though has to be Babel. And for all those who call it "pretentious" - perhaps it is you who is acting all "high and mighty".

and my fav hindi movie last year had to be "Gangster". superb acting and a fantastic story and great music.

2Q Update

Ha - here's my quarterly update. Finally caught up on all 2005 movies that I had missed ... including Syrianna (which I saw in Delhi two weeks ago), and Good Night and Good Luck. Two very smart movies about very contemporary topics even though one references the Mcarthy era in b/w. Two others to watch: Match Point - a Woodly Allen movie for all haters of Woody Allen movies - since it's nothing like his regular films; and Thank You For Smoking - although the funniest parts are in the trailer - why do they do that?!

3 trips to Asia already this year: China, Japan and India. Hopefully it'll slow down some - want to start writing again. And get somebody else to shoot the other script that's sitting around. Got someone in mind - need to find him! My baby's cryin' - gotta go! ;)

New author I have discovered: Douglas Kennedy. Hard to find his books in the States though. Start with "The Big Picture" - good, gripping, well-written fiction. Read Shantaram yet? Get to it - the movie will be out in 2007!

untitled

We had to move DSAFF to August. Logistics issues. Oh well. Gives us a little more time to prepare and execute. Been so so busy travelling - seems like I am spending more time on planes and in other countries than here - which often is not so bad - however being away from family can have a toll.

Oscars on tonight. First time in a while where I haven't really even seen a bunch of the nominated films. I saw Brokeback ... and I think that's about it. Oh I did see Munich as well. I liked them both. I wish I had seen Brokeback before all the hype - I think I would have liked it even better. I really think Heath Ledger and Michelle Williams both did an outstanding job in a beautiful little simple film. Nice to see Ang Lee returning to form after the disastorous Hulk.

Will it win the oscars though? Don't know. Here's my thoughts on who will win (not necessarily should, but will):

Reese Witherspoon - Walk the Line
Phillip Seymour Hoffman - Capote
George Clooney - Syriana
Rachel Weisz - Constant Gardner
Ang Lee - brokback
mmm and I think either Brokeback or Crash will probably take Best Picture.

I haven't seen Walk the Line yet - but I am a big Phoenix fan. So it's hard for me between Phoenix and Ledger - so? Also I thought Matt Dillon did a nice job in Crash even though I wish they didn't have to give him a "good" side in that script - it'd be nice to see that character just be an asshole - coz that's what he is - an asshole. Anyways - if Clooney's gonna win he will probably win for Screenplay so that may open up the supporting category for Matt or Paul.

Too many movies to watch. Not enough time. Have to make do with Law and Order. Thank god for Dick Wolfe. Otherwise I may have had to watch things like CSI ... aarrgghh!!

What's up with DSAFF?

Hmmm ... I've been so buried with work stuff that the DSAFF part of my life has been almost nonexistant. But I'd like to start changing that a little bit at a time ... As I mentioned before we have moved the 4th Dallas South Asian Film Festival to Feb 2006. Our tentative dates are Feb 10-12, 2006. My goal is to update the DSAFF site this weekend with a brand new Call for Entries and other relevant content. If I don't get to it soon - it will be only become harder as fall goes on - with a bunch of work-related travel coming my way.

As far as my script - Version 1.5 is complete and sitting on my hard drive since last year. Need to do something with it - I think the first thing is to send it out to a few close peers to get feedback. What I still don't know is whether I want to pursue this as my own production or sell it to another production house - maybe only be involved as a writer or director? The latter is appealing because it will allow me to focus on the creative side of the experience - w/o having to drive the production side which is so very much like my daily work life anyways. But who to go to? Any ideas?

How do I spell my name?

Bipasha's blog

Boy - bollywood is really exploring the blogs as a marketing tool for new hindi films. You can check out Bipasha's blog for her upcoming film Apharan. I think reading about an actor's viewpoint as a part of a film production process would be more interesting rather than reading about things after the fact ... the best though would be an individual's blog that is project independent. That is the only way to make a connection with a human being rather than with a project - which is at best transient in nature.

Mangal Pandey Disappoints

Although I appreciate the exploration of a very interesting historical subject, on the whole I was disappointed by Mangal Pandey as a film. Although the acting by both Aamir Khan and Toby Stephens is commendable, the entire film just does not come together effectively. It seems disjointed. Loosely structured. It fails to create empathy for the lead character. It gets lost in building several sub-plots which tend to distract and further remove the audience from the main story in the film. And although the songs are actually pretty good when listening to them on a CD, they become another source of distraction in the film - with several instances where the film cuts from a pretty intense scene directly into a totally unrelated song - wasting the emotional energy that might have been built up by the prior scene.

The canvas of the film did not seem as grand as they could have ... should have been. The trip to Afghanistan seems like a waste - for a meager 5 ordinary minutes in the final cut. It seems that in the interest of casting a somewhat known "white" actor the director lets the story of Gordon Williams dominate the screen - instead of focusing on the main protagonist: Mangal Pandey. My hypothesis is that the script would have been a lot tighter had the movie jumped straight into the main plot - and stayed with it.

I know there is a continuing debate about the historical inaccuracies portrayed in the film. Just google "mangal pandey + historical inaccuracies" and you'll find plenty to read about this subject. My take on this: sure as a filmmaker you can adjust your frame of reference - but ... BUT ... if you start to stray from the essence of history than you are doing your audience a disservice. But let's get real - moviemaking is a business - and producers are constantly going to look for ways to brand a film "as a true story" and yet fill it with "all that sells" ... be it sex, violence or in the case of Mangal Pandey - a girl-on-girl dance that was fun to watch - but did it really belong in the film?

On a technical note, although I was not impressed by the cinematography and sets on the film, I was impressed with the sound design. This is an area where Hindi films have made a lot of progress in the past 5 years - and I was happy to see it take another step forward with MP. So should you go watch it? Sure, why not? At least that way you will have a right to have your own opinion! :)

Mangal Mangal

I have yet to see Aamir Khan's new film: "Mangal Pandey: The Rising" - but it's been getting pretty good reviews - which I have tried to avoid reading. And I read some reports that box office real good on opening day but spattered out a little - which is usually a good sign - from my perspective. Of late the mass and I do not seem to be so aligned.

In any case I ran across a blog that Aamir is running (as a promotion) for the film. Go check it out - we'll see how long he keeps it up. I know they're planning a US release under the name "The Rising" ... hope it's a successful venture. Looking forward to watching the movie (hopefully) this weekend.

Wong Kar Wai on 2046

One of my all time favorite directors new-to-America film "2046" will be released theatrically in August. I have watched this movie on DVD - not one of his best films in my opinion. But even an average WKW film is better than the most.

Here's an article about a screening of 2046 in New York.

The Casual Friday

The Casual Friday: I find this guy pretty funny. Perhaps it is the obsession with farts and alcohol. :)

One of my favs:

7. Took off the door sign from the Work Out room, and put it on my neighbors door.

Mastercard Ad Parody

A friend just sent me this link to a pretty funny parody of the Mastercard commercials - it's a little old - but nevertheless here you go:

http://www.yjd40.dial.pipex.com/mastercard.html

Clip has volume - so be sure to adjust prior to opening.

Weird-ass Day.

Take my word for it. Good night.

Murderball

Get on your wheelchair and race to the nearest theater to go and watch (IMO) one of the best movies of this summer: Murderball. My advice to you - don't read about the film - just go watch it. It made me laugh and cry all within the span of 86 minutes. A great example of how life generates some of the best fucking stories!

PS: Lance wins the 7th consecutive Tour! Zupan in Murderball! Austin, TX - you are represented! :)

Reading List - You've got to read these books!

Shantaram by Gregorgy David Roberts:

One of the best books I have ever read. Beautifully written and based on the author's own life. Made me cry several times. Soon to be made into a major motion picture - bought by Johnny Depp's production company. About an Australian kid who is a heroin addict, commits a bunch of armed robberies, goes to prison. Escapes from prison, somehow gets on a plane to India and lands in Bombay in about 1979. Spends the next 10 years living in the slums, running a free health clinic, working with the mafia, working in Bollywood, fighting with the Mujaheedins against Russia in Afghanistan ... and much more. Its almost 1000 pages long - and I am looking forward to reading it again.

The first page of the book opens beautifully as such:

"It too me a long time and most of the world to learn what I know about love and fate and the choice we make, but the heart of it came to me in an instant, while I was chained to a wall and being tortured. I realised, somehow, through the screaming in my mind, that even in that shackled, bloody helplessness, I was still free: free to hate the men who were torturing me, or to forgive them. It doesn't sound like much, I know. But in that flinch and bite of the chain, when it's all you've got, that freedom is a universe of possibility. And the choice you make, between hating and forgiving, can become the story of your life.

In my case, it's a long story, and a crowded one. I was a revolutionary who lost his ideals in heroin, a philosopher who lost his integrity in crime, and a poet who lost his soul in a maximum-security prison. When I escaped from prison, over the front wall, between two gun-towers, I became my country's most wanted man. Luck ran with me and flew with me across to India, where I joined the Bombay mafia. I worked as a gunrunner, a smuggler and a counterfeiter. I was chained on three continents, beaten, stabbed and starved. I went to war. I ran into enemy guns. And I survived, while other men around me died. They were better men than I am, most of them: better men whose lives were crunched up in mistakes, and thrown away by the wrong second of someone else's hate, or love, or indifference. And I buried them, too many of those men, and grieved their stories and their lives into my own.

But my story doesn't begin with them, or with the mafia: it goes back to that first day in Bombay. Fate put me in the game there. Luck dealt me the cards that led me to Karla Saaranen. And I started to play it out, that hand, from the first moment I looked into her green eyes. So it begins, this story, like everything else -- with a woman, and a city, and a little bit of luck."

I love that line ... so it begins, this story, like everything else -- with a woman, and a city, and a little bit of luck! Love it! And there are so many other lines in this book - over time maybe I'll talk about a few more ... better still - go read the book!

Freakanomics by Stephen Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner:

Which is more dangerous, a gun or a swimming pool? What do schoolteachers and sumo wrestlers have in common? Why do drug dealers still live with their moms? How much do parents really matter? What kind of impact did Roe v. Wade have on violent crime? Do parents really matter when it comes to how kids will turn out?

Levitt looks at data. Distinguishes correlation from causation. And validates some very eye-opening hypotheses. I really liked this book a lot and have been talking about it ever since I read it. Quoting it. Over and over. Ask the people I hang out with!

I have a few more but no time to write about them. Later. Hopefully it will be sooner than 6 months from now. (And isn't that how most bloggers end every single post!) :)

Date with Emily

Been a long time ... busy busy year so far at work. Travelling a bit too - sounds like I'm making excuses. Guess I am. Funny, you read many blogs and most posts start the way this one did ... you know "been so long", "so many things have happened", etc etc etc.

So you get the jist, right?

Move on.

Headed to Mexico tomorrow with the guys. "Guys Trip". 'nuff said. :) However, it seems Hurricane Emily is also headed to Cancun - ETA 2AM Monday. Our flight back to Dallas 6pm Monday. Phew! What do you say when lady luck rides with you?

Moving the festival from Fall to Spring for various reasons.

1. Too many big movies during the thanksgiving/christmas time to compete with.
2. Too many film festivals in the same timeframe as well.
3. Spring is comparitively low key and Hollywood usually saves its duds for Jan/Feb release.

So tentative dates for 4th Annual DSAFF are 10-12 Feb, 2006. Working on getting these confirmed within the next week or so. Missing Sindhu - our hardest working volunteer! Hey Sin - hope med school is treatin u good! :)

Outta here.

3rd DSAFF is here! Nov 5th through the 8th!

People - the 3rd Dallas South Asian Film Festival is here!! It runs from Nov 5th through Nov 8th primarily at the Everest Theaters in Irving with a special closing night film - Ray's Jalsa Ghar - at the Dallas Museum of Art. We've got a really exciting line up with some really unique and very special films. Over the next few entries I will highlight my favorite and ones that you shouldn't miss. But first let me give you an opportunity to check out our program at http://dsaff.org.

3rd Annual DSAFF will be held Nov 5-8th 2004

We had to move up this year's festival since there are a bunch of big Hindi movies coming out starting with Veer Zarra on Nov 12th and more through the end of the year. We have a great line up of films and I will highlight each one that we will be showcasing over the next few days. We are currently working on finalizing our program - more on that by the end of this week.

BTW - run to the theater to watch the following two films: "What the Bleep do you Know?" and "The Motorcycle Diaries" ... Awesome ... awesome! Two of the best films of this year so far ...
Less than a month to go for the 3rd DSAFF ...

Shekhar Kapur in Big D

For all those who keep complaining ... "there's no culture in Dallas" ... "Dallas is so boring, yaar" ... "Dallas has such an uninspiring arts scene" ... and other such useless rants ... I have some news for you.

1) Come to the Angelika Film Center in Plano (Yes I said Plano) and meet Shekhar Kapur on Aug 26th. Yes I said Shekhar Kapur - the director of such films as Masoom, Mr. India, Bandit Queen (huge winner on the Festival Circuit) and of course the Oscar nominated Elizabeth. He will be in town for JUST ONE NIGHT - so come on by and meet him - interact with him - watch his last film (The Four Feathers) WITH him and ask him any question you'd like ...

2) In september we are working with the ASHA folks to screen two very special films ... Bariwali and Kandukondain Kandukondain.

3) And the 3rd Annual Dallas South Asian Film Festival shows up from Nov 19-21 - and we've got some really good content this year. Some very timely films which you can not miss - including Amol Palekar's latest directorial venture which is called "Anahaat".

So stop ranting about the bogus arts scene in Dallas and show up to these events. Ranting and complaining don't do jack.

See ya next thursday night ...

Worked all day

Worked all day today - on some key upcoming presentations for work. Not really the ideal way to spend a Sunday. But the typical workday is usually so disruptive you almost have to come home in order to find undistrubed quality work time. And you can be so much more productive! There must be a way to make yourself more efficient at work - but w/o resorting to not answering calls and completely shutting down email, it's not likely you're gonna be productive.

On friday night I went to watch the premiere of "Deadroom" - the new film by four directors Yen Tan, James Johnston, David Lowery and Nick Prendergast. You may remember Yen and James worked with me on Wedded Bliss - so I was nervous and excited for them. They pulled in a solid crowd and the film was great! What an achievement in such a short time. Definitely worth a watch - keep your eye out for this one. I am looking forward to watching it again. Congrats guys! You should be proud of yourselves! My fav part tho was James' intro to the film - his whacky sense of humor always gets me.

James (addressing the audience): "Is anyone in here a doctor?"Everybody in the audience is shaking their head ... "No".James: "Well then, there's no reason for anyone to have their cellphone on."

Loved that brother! Okay got to go - wifey is waiting on me to do the dishes. Honestly! :)

Aye!

Our screening at the Angelika is all set for June 21st. Word's out. We'll see you all there. Come early and hang out at the bar at the Mi Cocina or the new Cru Wine Bar at the wonderful Shops at Legacy and walk over to the spankin' new Angelika a little before 8pm to get your soda and popcorn and settle in for a free screening of the hilarious East is East.

Watched Shrek II and The Day After Tomorrow. Didn't like Shrek II - too much like the first one. The novelty is gone. Left my brain at the door for Day after Tomorrow - and I still got a headache - this time trying to ignore the obvious logic overlooks in the film. And it makes me sad that there are people out there who are leveraging the "science" in this film to make an environmental statement. Ppppllllllleeeeeaaaaazzzzzeeeeeee! You're better off driving a hybrid car and making a much stronger statement.

Also watched my man - Mani Rathnam's Yuva. Liked it. Although I felt like he was playing with the screenplay structure kinda like in Amorres Perres and 21 Grams - and even something similar to what he did w/ Alai Puthey. I didn't get into the Ajay Devagan story at all ... maybe it would have been better to stick to the Abhishek and Vivek threads. For some strange reason I was really drawn into the Kareena Vivek conversation ... I liked Kareena's no-makeup look. It was refreshing. Good to see her doing different things rather than the same old. And is this FINALLY the Abhishek breathrough movie! It is ... but if the box office doesn't pick up - not many people will remember him in it. And he continues to look for the one.

Current script has moved by one page - have been really busy with work and will continue to be busy through at least the middle of June. So don't expect to make any big strides over the next few weeks. But after that - I'm gonna speed through to finish the first draft. This one is real good. I am pretty excited about it. More on it some other day.

Oh ... tomorrow is my birthday. Happy Birthday dude! Gotta work some in the day but the night calls my name. And I will answer. :)