Tuesday, January 25, 2005

A review... There might be a post later...

If I hadn't had to watch it for class, I probably never would have picked up Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India. Even if I'd known it existed, flipping over to the back and seeing the running time (224 minutes) would have probably made me put it back. After all, running time is the biggest reason I haven't seen Sunshine yet. But it was assigned, and so I watched it, and since I liked it, I thought I would review it.

Lagaan is by no means original or surprising. It's an underdog sports movie, with a cultural love triangle, discernable familial and cultural conflicts, and a very strong nationalist sentiment. Does the fact that it reminds me a little of Canadian films mean that the post-colonial experience is Empire-wide? I have no idea. But although there were parts of the culture that flew by me, I identified very strongly with the Indian characters and their struggle with identity and power.

I was, of course, watching it from a post-colonial theoretical standpoint. But whatever else it might be, Lagaan is an easy-to-watch sports movie, where the sport is cricket, and something more important than bragging rights are on the line. And in the same way as Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon can make people believe they speak Chinese, this one almost made me believe I could speak Hindi. It's well acted, well conceived, and even the musical numbers (yes, there are some) are believable in context.

That said, it's FOUR HOURS LONG! There are some scenes that are repetitive and could have been cut or rewritten to introduce something novel to the story. But it could have been a lot worse. I've seen two-hour movies that are a lot worse, actually...

I do recommend it, if you have the time and inclination. It really is an enjoyable watch.

Tuesday, January 04, 2005

I was right...

...sleep is definitely low man on the pole. I'd best get used to it, I suppose. But no reading tonight, Ness, no matter when that book is due back at the library!

2005

Happy New Year! These are my wishes for a joyous and prosperous 2005 for one and all!

I rang in the new year with jazz and good company. Despite the less than ideal seating and the at-times interminable wait for food, I had fun. Now, however, I'm looking forward to settling into some kind of routine for the next four months. I have a feeling that sleep will be the low man on the totem pole, unfortunately. So many other things will take precedence.

In other news, I've been asked for anecdotes of myself behaving in a less than angelic manner in my youth, and I'm having trouble coming up with some. I think I was always the good girl, but I must be wrong. I must have behaved somewhat badly at some point in my past. I must have just blocked them all out. If anyone has any examples for me, please email me or post them in the comments.

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