CAPTAIN JACK'S BACK!!!

Me finally learning how to put youtube videos on the blog happened along with the release of the trailer of one of the most anticipated films of next year, starring the best actor of all time playing the best character of all time.
Coincidence? I think not.

It had never occurred to me that our lives, which had been so closely interwoven, could unravel with such speed.

     

      Never Let Me Go is based on the novel with the same name by Kazuo Ishiguro. It tells the story of three "special" people- Kathy, Tommy and Ruth. They are special because they are "clones" made for organ transplantation for "humans" suffering from incurable diseases. When these clones grow-up, they give "donations" and eventually "complete" after a few of them. However, in the school where Kathy, tommy and Ruth grew up, Hailsham, there runs a rumour that if two of the students are in "verifiable love", these donations can be "deferred". I put these words in quotation marks because the whole story is based on our understanding of these words.

*SPOILER ALERT*
      The film is narrated by a twenty-eight year-old Kathy, who is a carer of the donors now. She is soon going to start donating herself, and now she looks back upon the lives of her two best friends, Ruth and Tommy, and hers. Kathy was always a passive, introverted but affectionate girl who fell for the sensitive and misunderstood Tommy since they were kids. But the more extroverted Ruth vies for his attention early on and they become inseparable until they reach their late teens. By the time they're all eighteen, they leave Hailsham and go to this place called the Cottages, where they meet other clones and hear for the first time about the deferrers. Tommy works out that the artwork that was taken by the students in Hailsham to be put in something called the Gallery, was a way to look into the souls of the students and see if they were truly in love. He tells this to Kathy, and also that it could not happen for him and Ruth, but rather with him and Kathy as she had submitted many of her sketches to the Gallery. Ruth however intervenes and due to an incident with a porn magazine, manipulates Kathy into feeling miserable about herself and her feelings for Tommy. Their friendship breaks, along with the separation of Ruth and Tommy. Kathy starts her job as a carer, where she's rather good, until nine years later when she runs into Ruth. Ruth has already donated twice and is very weak unlike Tommy, as she informs Kathy, who has also done two donations and is doing very well. They all embark on a trip together to see a washed-up boat they had heard about and here Ruth apologises to Kathy for keeping Tommy and her apart all these years. She admits that they always belonged together, but due to the deferrers story, and a fear of being left alone if they both got together, she had done everything. She now wanted to make amends and so she gives them the adress of the Madame who represented the Gallery so that they can apply to get deferred. Kathy and Tommy finally come out with their feelings towards each other, and go to see Madame, only to find out that the whole deferrers story was indeed a rumour, and the Gallery was a way for them to try and show others not what was in the children's souls, but that like normal children, they had souls. Kathy and Tommy leave the place empty-handed and with a bleak future ahead of them.

      The basic plot of the film, if you notice, is very similar to Michael Bay's The Island. Except, the story  isn't. Never Let Me Go is the most poignant film I have seen about matters of life and death, mixed with science fiction and a truly dystopian world. Beautifully written, the story touches the very core of your heart and leaves a permanent mark, very much like the scars on the donors' bodies. The existential metaphor of what our lives on this earth is like, the role of love, the role of those in charge, and our "completion" or death is so fitting, it's amazing. I don't remember actually crying throughout a film, but I did for this one. I mean, I knew the story as I have read a bit of the book and searched on it, but it is really frightening and touching at the same time. Two things made me weep- the metaphor, and the relationship between Kathy and Tommy.
      The metaphor was just so fascinating and terrifying. Everything in the story- the children who wear these tracking devices on their hands, who are scared to cross the fence of the school, who wait for days when the old clothes and toys from other people arrive for them as gifts, the grown up kids so uncomfortable in the real world, the fascination with sex, the idea that all of their "originals" are from the trash of the society like prostitutes and thieves, the deferrers rumour, the donations, the Gallery and the completion; just everything stands for something in this world. I especially loved the deferrers story. The idea that somehow our lives can be better, or in the case of the characters in the story without donations, for even a few years because we're in love, I mean isn't that what we live for? And of course the whole significance of art, that it is the only way to reveal if we have hearts and souls in us, because only through art can you show your love to others.

      Kathy's and Tommy's relationship has to be one of the most heartbreaking love stories I have ever seen. They were always supposed to be together, but never got the chance. The way Kathy looks at Tommy, especially after he and Ruth start going out, is so sad. She regretfully remarks, "I think girls are always mean to the boys they like. So maybe Ruth had liked him all along. Maybe I should have teased him too." Instead she was his truest friend, and treasured the cassette he had bought for her. This cassette, called Songs after Dark by Judy Bridgewater, contains the words "never let me go" and Kathy is shown often listening to it in the dark, thinking about Tommy. When they finally get together, their life together is cut short by the donations and the disproving of the deferrers rumour. When Tommy cries out in anguish, much like how he did as a child, Kathy as always comforts him. Kathy is shown looking at him when he has his operations done. The film ends with her thinking about him.

      All the performances were brilliant. Carey Mulligan has such a beautiful voice, and her narration is very impressive. She is the observer, and we feel her sentiments by the way she views things. I personally liked this performance of hers much better than in An Education, and she really has a long long way to go. I hate Keira Knightley and I hated Ruth, so that's that. Now coming to Mr. Garfield, well, he's simply splendid. Tommy is slightly confused, very innocent and emotional, and Andrew plays him perfectly. His character in this film, to me, was a mixture of Eduardo Saverin in The Social Network and Sheldon in I'm Here. And have I mentioned before how much I love his voice? A great deal to answer that question. He and Mulligan had excellent chemistry. One of my favourite scenes in when they have been told about how the deferrer story is untrue, and they both are sitting on the sofa holding back their tears. While Kathy is reserved as usual, trying to still smile, Tommy's face is full of hopeless sorrow. The child actors- Izzy Meikle-Small, Ella Purnell and Charlie Rowe, who played Kathy, Ruth and Tommy as students in Hailsham were really good too. Purnell actually reminded me of a smaller Eva Green, but Small (??) looked exactly like a younger Mulligan. Rowe was just adorable.

      The settings are breath-taking, especially the boat on the beach. The whole film has a very mellow cinematography, sort of like a grey dream, which is exactly what it was for the clones. The music is lovely, moreso whenever the "never let me go" song plays.

I definitely recommend everyone to watch it. With a box of tissues by your side.

Silence is the most powerful scream

Video- Classic Silent Types

WATCH THIS!!
NYTimes made 14 actors act out 14 silent movie types in segments of 1 minute each. The only silent movies I've ever seen are Charlie Chaplin's and Laurel and Hardy's. So I cannot say which film or which actor the actors in the video are portraying. Hence I decided to give each segment my own name, just based on the story being told.

1) Javier Bardem- Bittersweet Symphony
2) James Franco- Mirror Mirror on the Wall, who's the Dreamiest of them All?
3) Natalie Portman- The Drama Queen/Too Gorgeous for Her Own Good
4) Jesse Eisenberg- I'm CEO Bitch!
5) Chloe Mortez- Anger Management
6) Matt Damon- Read the Curse Words off My Lips
7) Michael Douglas- The Chair/ The Boss
8) Jennifer Lawrence- Thriller/ Rape in the Valley
9) Noomi Rapace- Total Effect (everything together makes the shot work- the singing, her earing, the cigarette, the perfectly polished nails, the dazzling microphone)
10) Vincent Cassel- Happy Feet/Fly Me to the Moon
11) Anthony Mackie- Run Forrest Run!
12) Robert Duvall- Gilette/ Shaving for Dummies
13) Lesley Manville- Telephone Conversation/ Wrong Number
14) Tilda Swinton- Angels with Dirty Faces/ A Prayer


My absolute favourites have to be Natalie Portman, Noomi Rapace, Vincent Cassel and Tilda Swinton. I was very happy that younger actors like Jesse Eisenberg, Chloe Mortez and Jennifer Lawrence got a chance too. Vincent Cassel is bloody sexy. And Tilda Swinton is an absolute Goddess, I love her to bits.

He looked like the love thoughts of women

So, the Sexiest Man Alive thing is out again, coinciding with this rather wonderful quote I found and put as the title. This is my own little list of faaaiiiinnneee men (actors only). I made it under 40...just so that I put pics of people other than Johnny Depp..
Enjoy!

Tom Sturridge- though he is practically a beggar, god does he look good....

Ryan Gosling- My earthquake man, I can never get enough...

Andrew Garfield- Pretty darn perfect

Daniel Radcliffe- 'Cuz being funny does matter.

Ian Somerhalder- Them eyes...

Joseph Gordon-Levitt- adorable till the end of days. Love his smile!

Matthew Goode- Brits make me go high

Leonard Di Caprio- He is my Jack and my Romeo

Jensen Ackles- I like manly men...sometimes

James McAvoy- The accent kills me.

Ewan Mcgregor- He's brilliant!

Jesse Eisenberg- I love Nerds



Of course I missed out someone...who??

The Greatest thing you'll Ever Learn, is Just to Love and be Loved in Return

This short film shows that you don't need elaborate sets or groundbreaking story to show what a romantic movie can be. It shows how simple and how difficult love can be. It shows the beauty of the world through two robots.

I'm not going to write about as it will defeat its purpose of being so special.

Spike Jonze is a genius and Andrew Garfield is lovely...

THE SOCIAL NETWORK

*Insert Rocky's Victory Music*
       So I finally finally finally watched The Social Network yesterday. I've waited for a year for it to come out and on 28th October, 2010- a full month later than its release in US, I finally saw it...and was it any good? YEAH BABY!! It was everything I imagined it to be and so much more(if there ever was a more clichéd line, I would've written that too).


       I'm not going to really write the plot- Wikipedia and the million other reviews that I've personally read on the film will fill you in on that. I want to write about why I liked this film so much. It's because it is current. If you know me at all, you would know how much I love the 60s and well almost every other time period in history except now (and the 80s as they sucked). This is because, as is the case with almost everything and me, no films have really captured the essence of this decade, or rather the people of this decade. Up in the Air came pretty close in grasping the idea of surviving in the 21st century, but again it was for an older audience. True Anna Kendrick was adorable and George Clooney is an evergreen hunk, but the youth of today have never truly been portrayed in a film. And this is exactly what The Social Network achieves. It is not the Facebook part, as I've been trying to explain to countless number of people, it's the story behind it.


       What The Social Network shows us is how people fit in in today's world. Mark Zuckerberg made Facebook over an angry break-up with a girl. He made it to become cool. He made it so that, as it is being drilled into our genertaion's head everyday, he can be unique. It is the paradox of today's youth that we all want to do something individually so we can all fit in together. From this we see that Zuckerberg's only friend Eduardo Saverin becomes his most fatal enemy. The film mirrors our world, one which is obsessed with the internet, statuses, social standing, shares, achieveing numerical extremes etc. And on the contrary to what you might think, I really liked all of it. I like the What You See Is What You Get idea...and this is very splendidly captured in the film, making it more real and understandable to me than any other work of fiction made about my generation. Also it was refreshing to see how it is the simple matters that bring about big changes. Zuckerberg made Facebook because he had been refused by a girl and was drunk and needed social acceptance. Sort of like how in A Beautiful Mind John Nash refuted some Adam Smith concept based on techniques on picking up girls. But then again this is Facebook, and that was some economic principle.

      The characters in the film are all real people (except Erica Albright) but as it is based upon the book "Accidental Billionaires" which was mostly written in Eduardo Saverin's POV, they might not be exactly like this in their real lives...but I sure do hope so.
      So first, Mark Zuckerberg- give me a flawed hero and I'll give you a devoted Nikhat. I don't know how many people will agree with me here, but I understood Mark. On two levels. First, I like his whole straightforward way of thinking and talking, even though it gets him into trouble with people. He is a science person, a math person and somewhere in his mind it is right to call a spade a spade and I get it. He talks not to impress people, but to truly state everything going on in his head, even when he is being mean. Second, I understand his whole need to fit in by doing somethig extraordinary. I mean that's what I try to do through this blog, something unique that people would like, though on a microscopic level when compered to Zuckerberg (I actually have a mild phobia of computers for that matter). Also he is a geek and for decades now the whole geek becoming a cool dude has been a popular subject in films. It is very obvious with Zuckerberg too as he was fixated on the super-exclusive Harvard clubs and keeping Facebook cool. He is Facebook in the film, starting at a point and not really being sure of what he'll turn into. Despite all his misgivings, he is very likeable and one feels for his "social" awkwardness.
      The next character is that of Eduardo Saverin, the protagonist of "Accidental Billionaires". He is the ex-bestfriend of Zuckerberg and like him, being cool is very important for him. Though unllike Zuckerberg, he gets into one of these coveted Harvard clubs, but he values his friendship more. He is the sweetest character in the film, who is also a very wonderful friend. He does a lot for Zuckerberg's sake, but gets screwed in the end...well sort of- he did get 5% of Facebook's shares amounting to 1.1 billion dollars. I loved Eduardo because he was such a nice guy and also damn cool as an angry young man.
      Sean Parker is the next character. He is that guy who was the very first to rebel and becomes an instant idol to everyone. He has all the charisma and all the stories and all the girls, but in the end he is not all that what he seems. I liked him at first, but he is a completely horrible person towards the end.
      The final two main characters are the Winklevoss twins. They were funny. I liked the whole subplot about them as the priviledged, good-looking, perfectly brought-up "gentlemen of Harvard" and how they have to tackle the problem of being intellectually robbed of an idea.

       David Fincher is GOD! When I heard that he was making a film on Facebook all those months back, I was psyched and apprehensive at the same time. This is because this film is so unlike all his previous films. Though the testosterone level is high in this film too, as it is in most of his other films, it does not have the dark and gritty feel to it. As the film shows only a period in the lives of the characters, albeit the most important one, it was not very biographical. Fincher had a very youthful approach to it. Yes there was college rivalry and legal drama and corporate disputes involved, but it was all done in a very calm manner, so the film does not seem angry, but rather a chain of events following a group of people who are neither right nor wrong. The only other Fincher film it can be compared to is The Zodiac as it was also sort of a journalistic look on true events, but it is so much more modern and approachable. This might be the most congenial film that Fincher has ever made, and it was expertly done so. As Ebert said, "The Social Network is a great film not because of its dazzling style or visual cleverness, but because it is splendidly well-made."


      Aaron Sorkin's screenplay is impeccable. Fincher could not have done this without him. Though I had been "warned" by people that I might not understand it because it is computer-jargon filled, none of that happened. My 10 year-old brother understood all of it...well mostly. It has some fantastic tongue-in-cheek and high-level humour which might have passed over his head, but did not fail to impress me. Lord knows I'm 18 and I still laugh on "chicken" jokes. It also has many unforgettable lines, and the dialogue is what keeps the film going, in a way that no other Fincher movie has. The film is well-structured, though it follows a non-linear timeline. This is because the story obviously focuses more on the people, like Facebook itself.

      And now the actors. You must understand that though I consider myself a film buff, what I am first and foremost is... a girl. And this film was absolute candy for my one fine and other infected eye. Except Panic Room and Alien 3 (the only Fincher film I haven't seen) all of his films have faaaiiine men, and The Social Network most definitely takes the cake. Jesse Eisenberg is so adorable! He is a very good actor and I thought that no other "geeky" actors like Michael Cera and Shia LaBeouf etc. could have played Zuckerberg like he did. He was fun, condescending, brilliant and pityful all at the same time. Andrew Garfield is my future husband...he is so hot and cute at the same time, and those sexy suits are plain orgasmic. He is definitely an actor to watch. I loved him as the senstive and loyal Eduardo and unlike Zuckerberg/Eisenberg's rather stoic display of emotions, he was very expressive and it was just transplendent! Armie Hammer, who played both the Winklevoss twins was quite sexy. Just something about very tall guys in Ivy League rowing teams, you know. I've read people who want an award to be given for creating this effect of twins, but honestly Leaves of Grass came out this year and it has Edward Norton in a double role as twins- one as a professor and the other as a drug pusher. 'Nuff said. Finally, if Justin Timberlake can bring Sexy Back, he can definitely play Sean parker. I thought he was very convincing as the charismatic bad-ass, and his looks did help. Oh and Rooney Mara, who played the fictional Erica, is gorgeous and I cannot wait to see her in Fincher's next, the film adaptation of "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" along with Daniel Craig.


       My Oscar predictions for the film- it should be nominated for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Actor for Eisenberg and Best Supporting Actor for Andrew...and I really hope that it wins Director, Screenplay and Supporting Actor.


      So in the end of all this, I must say to one and all that please go watch The Social Network. It is the story of our generation and one of it's biggest milestones. Comment when you do.


Love,
Mrs. Andrew Garfield