A bit of everything
I had a lovely weekend. With two weddings in two days, I am beginning to understand the appeal of Wedding Crashers. People are so happy, everyone is on their best behavior with lovely clothes, the venues are beautiful, and the food yummy. I could become a wedding-o-holic.
I am biased in favor of the second of the two weddings we went to, and not just because I am a long-time friend of the bride. They picked a spot in some historic inn in the countryside. There was nothing but rolling meadows in sight, as far as the eye could see. It was all green, green, green, a willow tree and a pond with water rippling, and a sunny, blue-sky day. No one but the wedding party for miles. They had a flower archway underneath which they got married outside. It was a small wedding, and the groom cried, and the preacher was one who's known them both for a very long time (they are both very religious, members of the same church, and he is their minister) and was actually pretty young (no more than thirty) and happy for them himself. And kinda cute.
It was a very religious wedding (as I'd said, they are both very devout), with a sermon that was highly tailored to them, a congregational song, and vowthemselves. And it did go into what Christian marriage means (according to the minister, the wife has to submit to the husband, but the husband has to basically die for his wife to keep her from experiencing the least hardship. If he put it that way, it doesn't sound too inequitable. Hmmmmm.) And there was a lot of food and a LOT of dancing. In fact, something happened that I'd only seen in movies before and always thought never happened in real life: a dance-off! There were some amazing dancers at the party, and all of a sudden, one of the guys was doing these amazing moves and the floor cleared for him and everyone was clapping. Then another guy came out on the dance floor, and the first one jumped back into the crowd and this second guy was doing even better moves, so he finished and the first guy came back out, to attempt to outdo and did even cooler moves, and so back and forth for a bit until one of the guys pointed at a third guy who did his really cool moves and pointed at a fourth man who pointed at the groom and after that a woman came out and showed off her moves and it was amazingly cool. Like a Bollywood movie or a musical or something.
And I and a fellow friend got to be hostesses :) And my husband told me he thought I was the prettiest girl there (when I mentioned the bride, he said he wasn't getting married to her :)) So it was a lovely day.
In other news, http://bsg-hate.livejournal.com/292.html is hilarious. It might have exploded into a huge wankfest since I checked it last night, but last time I looked, it appeared to be extremely mellow. Check it out! ETA: apparently it really did go wanky crazy fast, according to flist. Off to check out the train-wreck. And repr0b8, please don't leave! I love your fic and your input too much! And there is a BSG love meme here: http://carrielh.livejournal.com/184532.html?view=1167060
In "people more talented than me" news, fivil wrote an amazing, Rehan-centric Fanaa fic, to be found here. Go read it. It is spoilery though.
I have continued my watch of GetBackers. Ban can sense when Ginji is in trouble? The guys do like women, but I can see why fangirls slash. Ginji is annoying me a bit, though. He is mentally ten or something. And I do love Ban: there is something in him that unleashes only when he fights: there is something really elemental about him that (as crumpeteer pointed out) that Akabane relates to.
And because a day without Bollywood is no fun, today's recommendation and picspam is the delightful Hum Tum. This is a movie with Saif Ali Khan and Rani Mukherji that came out a few years back, and is directed and written by the same person who did Fanaa. It's quite different in tone: it's a sophisticated grown-up romantic comedy that also has some amazing emotional moments that make me melt. It's losely inspired by "When Harry Met Sally" and is a story of two people who keep meeting over the years, sometimes as friends and sometimes not, and fall in love with each other, without knowing it. Karan is a cartoonist and a womanizer and a laid-back goof. Rhea is a perfectionist who has found the perfect man (who isn't Karan by the way). And they keep meeting and meeting and meeting. He tries to pick her up. He organizes her wedding. He tries to get her remarried to a friend. And then...
This movie has nothing in common with Fanaa, except for being very good, and except for also having as the protagonists in its love story two people who are grown-up, adults, complicated.
Well, actually little points about the movie...
1. I actually liked Rishi Kapoor, who played Saif's father, in this one! He was charming, fun and he played his age. He (and his relationship with Karan) actually reminded me of a more cosmopolitan version of Anupam's character in DDLJ.
2. Abhishek. Sorry, but just have to say it: He's hot! Pity he had to get run over. But on the bright side, Rani gets Saif who doesn't look too shabby either. Especially in black.
3. Jimmy Shergill is slowly climbing out of my "bad" list. I liked him in Munnabhai and now this. Plus, he should keep the goatee. But is it me, or is it weird to have a wedding mini-dress?
4. Hum Tum reminded me just how much BW movies rely on the charm and ability of its stars, much more so than HW. The reason this movie works is not the story (which is sweet but fluffy and told a gazillion times before) but purely because of the charm of Saif Ali Khan (who is one of my favorites) and Rani (who grows on me with each role. Initially I did not care for her, but I like her more and more). Rani and Saif have chemistry, look good together, are charming and funny and hip and occasionally vulnerable and so the movie works. Cast some other actors and it probably wouldn't.
5. Amsterdam. That was fun. Not the usual BW place to go. Though for anyone interested the scene on the beach in Amsterdam is actually Scheviringham (spelled all wrong, I know) a suburb of The Hague.
6. I thought the romance was well done. The gradual friendship and relationship was believable and touching. I especially love how the more Karan grows up the less he feels the need to be "cool" and thus he really does become a cool grown-up as opposed to a "trying too hard" Karan of Amsterdam. I loved how he walks Rhea home with the umbrella in the snow and (probably a rare occurrence for him) does not know what to say. And realistically, she likes him all the better for it. I also liked how grief and tragedy softened Rhea. And the look Karan gives Rhea at the (almost) end when he turns around and sees her waiting for him. My knees just melted.
7. Other favorite scenes: Karan going to Paris looking for her. But he didn't find her, which I thought was a nice touch. Karan and Rhea's fight in the washroom, when he slams the mirror asking her "am I the kind of man you want to marry?" is to die for. Karan and Rhea rehearsing 'arrange marriage' and you can tell their feelings for each other (I loved loved loved it). You do believe that they are really good friends. Karan singing that song in Paris to make Rhea laugh...lovely.
8. The scene on the beach. I did not expect it. I was surprised enough by the kissing (you know you've seen enough BW when...), so that was truly unexpected. I especially loved that he doesn't try to excuse himself because he was somewhat drunk. It was loving and they gave in to their feelings and no one got pregnant or died, and he botched his proposal the morning after and she didn't want to marry him just because he had to and it was messy and real.
9. I liked the music and the picturizations. And the cartoon portions that illustrate the story were lovely.
10. I thought a lot of the low-key humor was lovely, and I loved its message about women and widows and women's rights (as Tani points out, why does a woman without a husband considered as nothing?) I loved that the movie explained Karan's attitude to relationships was because of his broken family. The end, with overprotective Karan and his daughter cracked me up. In my experience, guys like Karan are the really overprotective parents.
This is actually a relatively old write-up. Hum Tum is one of the rare movies that grows on me more and more with each rewatch. Go watch now! Saif has seldom looked hotter, btw.
Karan. Just look at that smile:
Lovely Rhea (This is the movie that made me fall in love with Rani):
Younger Karan and Rhea:
And again:
I love this part in the movie!
Older, sadder, and wiser:
Even pneumonia shall not stop the sexing!
Rhea:
Heeee! Join the club, girl!
Hum and Tum, Karan's cartoon protagonists:
Karan in an unfortunate hair phase:
Mmmm, chemistry!
Angst-o-drama!
Sexiness:
Fight, fight, fight!
Various wallpapers:
The elderly gentleman is Karan's father:
And guess who is seeing Fanaa again today?
I am biased in favor of the second of the two weddings we went to, and not just because I am a long-time friend of the bride. They picked a spot in some historic inn in the countryside. There was nothing but rolling meadows in sight, as far as the eye could see. It was all green, green, green, a willow tree and a pond with water rippling, and a sunny, blue-sky day. No one but the wedding party for miles. They had a flower archway underneath which they got married outside. It was a small wedding, and the groom cried, and the preacher was one who's known them both for a very long time (they are both very religious, members of the same church, and he is their minister) and was actually pretty young (no more than thirty) and happy for them himself. And kinda cute.
It was a very religious wedding (as I'd said, they are both very devout), with a sermon that was highly tailored to them, a congregational song, and vowthemselves. And it did go into what Christian marriage means (according to the minister, the wife has to submit to the husband, but the husband has to basically die for his wife to keep her from experiencing the least hardship. If he put it that way, it doesn't sound too inequitable. Hmmmmm.) And there was a lot of food and a LOT of dancing. In fact, something happened that I'd only seen in movies before and always thought never happened in real life: a dance-off! There were some amazing dancers at the party, and all of a sudden, one of the guys was doing these amazing moves and the floor cleared for him and everyone was clapping. Then another guy came out on the dance floor, and the first one jumped back into the crowd and this second guy was doing even better moves, so he finished and the first guy came back out, to attempt to outdo and did even cooler moves, and so back and forth for a bit until one of the guys pointed at a third guy who did his really cool moves and pointed at a fourth man who pointed at the groom and after that a woman came out and showed off her moves and it was amazingly cool. Like a Bollywood movie or a musical or something.
And I and a fellow friend got to be hostesses :) And my husband told me he thought I was the prettiest girl there (when I mentioned the bride, he said he wasn't getting married to her :)) So it was a lovely day.
In other news, http://bsg-hate.livejournal.com/292.html is hilarious. It might have exploded into a huge wankfest since I checked it last night, but last time I looked, it appeared to be extremely mellow. Check it out! ETA: apparently it really did go wanky crazy fast, according to flist. Off to check out the train-wreck. And repr0b8, please don't leave! I love your fic and your input too much! And there is a BSG love meme here: http://carrielh.livejournal.com/184532.html?view=1167060
In "people more talented than me" news, fivil wrote an amazing, Rehan-centric Fanaa fic, to be found here. Go read it. It is spoilery though.
I have continued my watch of GetBackers. Ban can sense when Ginji is in trouble? The guys do like women, but I can see why fangirls slash. Ginji is annoying me a bit, though. He is mentally ten or something. And I do love Ban: there is something in him that unleashes only when he fights: there is something really elemental about him that (as crumpeteer pointed out) that Akabane relates to.
And because a day without Bollywood is no fun, today's recommendation and picspam is the delightful Hum Tum. This is a movie with Saif Ali Khan and Rani Mukherji that came out a few years back, and is directed and written by the same person who did Fanaa. It's quite different in tone: it's a sophisticated grown-up romantic comedy that also has some amazing emotional moments that make me melt. It's losely inspired by "When Harry Met Sally" and is a story of two people who keep meeting over the years, sometimes as friends and sometimes not, and fall in love with each other, without knowing it. Karan is a cartoonist and a womanizer and a laid-back goof. Rhea is a perfectionist who has found the perfect man (who isn't Karan by the way). And they keep meeting and meeting and meeting. He tries to pick her up. He organizes her wedding. He tries to get her remarried to a friend. And then...
This movie has nothing in common with Fanaa, except for being very good, and except for also having as the protagonists in its love story two people who are grown-up, adults, complicated.
Well, actually little points about the movie...
1. I actually liked Rishi Kapoor, who played Saif's father, in this one! He was charming, fun and he played his age. He (and his relationship with Karan) actually reminded me of a more cosmopolitan version of Anupam's character in DDLJ.
2. Abhishek. Sorry, but just have to say it: He's hot! Pity he had to get run over. But on the bright side, Rani gets Saif who doesn't look too shabby either. Especially in black.
3. Jimmy Shergill is slowly climbing out of my "bad" list. I liked him in Munnabhai and now this. Plus, he should keep the goatee. But is it me, or is it weird to have a wedding mini-dress?
4. Hum Tum reminded me just how much BW movies rely on the charm and ability of its stars, much more so than HW. The reason this movie works is not the story (which is sweet but fluffy and told a gazillion times before) but purely because of the charm of Saif Ali Khan (who is one of my favorites) and Rani (who grows on me with each role. Initially I did not care for her, but I like her more and more). Rani and Saif have chemistry, look good together, are charming and funny and hip and occasionally vulnerable and so the movie works. Cast some other actors and it probably wouldn't.
5. Amsterdam. That was fun. Not the usual BW place to go. Though for anyone interested the scene on the beach in Amsterdam is actually Scheviringham (spelled all wrong, I know) a suburb of The Hague.
6. I thought the romance was well done. The gradual friendship and relationship was believable and touching. I especially love how the more Karan grows up the less he feels the need to be "cool" and thus he really does become a cool grown-up as opposed to a "trying too hard" Karan of Amsterdam. I loved how he walks Rhea home with the umbrella in the snow and (probably a rare occurrence for him) does not know what to say. And realistically, she likes him all the better for it. I also liked how grief and tragedy softened Rhea. And the look Karan gives Rhea at the (almost) end when he turns around and sees her waiting for him. My knees just melted.
7. Other favorite scenes: Karan going to Paris looking for her. But he didn't find her, which I thought was a nice touch. Karan and Rhea's fight in the washroom, when he slams the mirror asking her "am I the kind of man you want to marry?" is to die for. Karan and Rhea rehearsing 'arrange marriage' and you can tell their feelings for each other (I loved loved loved it). You do believe that they are really good friends. Karan singing that song in Paris to make Rhea laugh...lovely.
8. The scene on the beach. I did not expect it. I was surprised enough by the kissing (you know you've seen enough BW when...), so that was truly unexpected. I especially loved that he doesn't try to excuse himself because he was somewhat drunk. It was loving and they gave in to their feelings and no one got pregnant or died, and he botched his proposal the morning after and she didn't want to marry him just because he had to and it was messy and real.
9. I liked the music and the picturizations. And the cartoon portions that illustrate the story were lovely.
10. I thought a lot of the low-key humor was lovely, and I loved its message about women and widows and women's rights (as Tani points out, why does a woman without a husband considered as nothing?) I loved that the movie explained Karan's attitude to relationships was because of his broken family. The end, with overprotective Karan and his daughter cracked me up. In my experience, guys like Karan are the really overprotective parents.
This is actually a relatively old write-up. Hum Tum is one of the rare movies that grows on me more and more with each rewatch. Go watch now! Saif has seldom looked hotter, btw.
Karan. Just look at that smile:
Lovely Rhea (This is the movie that made me fall in love with Rani):
Younger Karan and Rhea:
And again:
I love this part in the movie!
Older, sadder, and wiser:
Even pneumonia shall not stop the sexing!
Rhea:
Heeee! Join the club, girl!
Hum and Tum, Karan's cartoon protagonists:
Karan in an unfortunate hair phase:
Mmmm, chemistry!
Angst-o-drama!
Sexiness:
Fight, fight, fight!
Various wallpapers:
The elderly gentleman is Karan's father:
And guess who is seeing Fanaa again today?