My So-Called Life

On second thought.... maybe this show is making a statement about teenagers in a unique way... because at the end, by not making it obvious who Angela ends up with, the director is making it all the more realistic... 

As teenagers we haven't really found ourselves. We don't really know what we want... yet. 

My So-Called Life

Now, in 21st century serials, we see teenagers use words like "pirana" and "extortion". Words that we, as normal teenagers would have to look up in the dictionary to confirm. 

After watching "My So- Called Life" from 1994, it seems as though in the early 90's, this was the opposite.  

It's interesting to see how the characters in this show are very slow with their talking.

 "why are you, like the way you are?" (took a pause in between)

"why do you like, say things like that?" (another pause)

"what?" "huh?" (three minutes to just let this out)

"like.... whatever"(same thing)

I for one think that teenagers speak a bit more fluently than just three-five words at a time with swaggering stances. 

But you see, although I am a bit ticked off by the dialogue, I am impressed by the way the show leaves the audience hanging- who will Angela (school outcast) end up with? Jordan, the popular burnout? Or Brian, the sensitive nerd? Neither of the resulting relationships would be normal..

I believe there's been a lot of fanfiction about that...  

Ordinary People

“Ordinary People” is a deep film with significant nuances but not much entertainment. The protagonist is Conrad (Timothy Hutton), a sad sad teenager suffering from low self-esteem, fear and guilt of his older brother’s sudden death. Conrad’s feelings and relationships are complicated- especially the one he has with his mother, which he feels has died along with his older brother. In my opinion, his mother is a scary cookie. She puts on a cheerful façade and serves breakfast to Conrad, but when he says he’s not hungry out of clear emptiness, she nonchalantly dumps his French toast down the sink. She is obviously so selfish that she doesn’t care about anyone. I hate how the movie shows her being nice and polite to Conrad when all I really want her to do is strip off and show her true colors.

Conrad visits a psychiatrist who is a HUGE disappointment. I just watched Goodwill Hunting yesterday, and with the enthusiasm, energy and skill Roger Williams uses to deliver his lines as Will’s psychologist, this movie’s shrink definitely falls short. “I’m your friend Conrad,” he says in a monotone drab, and the kid has to act as though he has a life changing experience… HOW LAME.

“Ordinary People” won four Oscars and is definitely not a bad film. There were many elements to it that were impressive. Timothy Hutton was amazing as Conrad and there were touching scenes: my favorite one is the ending, when Conrad’s dad who was always shy and reluctant in expressing his love, finally shows it. 

Brokeback Mountain

Oftentimes I wonder why I like this movie so much. It is so poignant.... Yet, there is something special that makes it more than just a "gay cowboy" movie.

Ennis and Jack meet as teenagers when they get their first job herding sheep in an area amid mountains called "Brokeback Mountain." The isolated atmosphere of Brokeback Mountain and the confidence that these two characters cultivate in each other, results in a passionate affair that is unforeseen. This brief but significant affair creates an unavoidable force that draws these two men together every four years, even when they have their own wives and children. Yet, we sympathize with these characters because of their forbidden love. We buy into the hardcore determinism and realize that both Ennis and Jack are doomed in their forbidden love because Ennis cannot accept his homosexuality and Jack cannot resist being away from Ennis long enough to keep his dignity. At least Romeo and Juliet's plan could have worked, if that stupid letter came on time. But here, there is MORE complexity, and an issue with accepting these feelings itself. 

I recommend this movie to those who like watching hard and realistic films. What I mean by "hard" is intense. There is a lot of emotional tension in the air and the movie has a big possibility of either making you feel sad, frustrated or empty. 

Watching this was definitely a good experience though because it got me thinking of what it really means to sacrifice your passion for convenience, wealth or money... 

The Namesake

"The Namesake" directed by Mira Nair, is an interesting and slow film, and it is relatable in a way because as American Desis, we all feel  at one point in our lives that our parents are too old-fashioned or superstitious. Gogol Ganguli, the main character, takes this very reason to avoid his parents completely after getting involved with an American white woman, Maxine. However, this only creates more pain after a tragedy strikes his family.

"The Namesake" has a dramatic pace to it, and most of what occurs is quite extreme, as the protagonist goes through a huge and frustrating transformation.  After his father dies, Gogol tries to abstain from his erratic western way of life by sticking strictly to Indian culture and living with his mother, but when he marries a Bengali woman who ends up cheating on him, he realizes that life is more than just following traditions... 

The sweetest character is probably Ashima Ganguli (played to perfection by Tabu), the mother of Gogol, whose kindness eventually makes her open-minded enough to accept her son's liberal views. She comes to accept her son's mediocre identity, and even asks him to make up with Maxine after noticing his loneliness. I can see my dad making the same compromises for me if I was really intent on getting a degree in art (which is never gonna happen cuz I SUCK at art or making things...). 

So okay... the movie is a relate-able to me, and I am sure it may be to anyone who's parents are immigrants.

Kotha Bangaru Lokam (telugu movie)

There is something about conventional telugu movies that makes me wanna barf.  Perhaps it's the overacting and extraneous sentimentality that pervades every two minutes of these dragging pieces of crap. Well, this one stars Varun Sandesh, probably the best looking telugu actor in tollywood, who I liked much better in "Happy Days" where he was a nice and shy college student. In this movie, he is a teenager, which is very unconvincing, since he looks like a college student and acts like a five year old. But what I find annoying might be normal: for Sandesh is simply following in the footsteps of the top telugu actors, making bizarre gestures that most people would find inappropriate... 

the heroine (who HAS to be his lover) is depicted as "cool" and "innocent," code words for "boring" and "dumb."

I suggest that you don't watch this movie if you are not a regular viewer of telugu movies, and if you are, then please don't get offended by my review. I was somehow really frustrated by this film, and its strange dimensions..