Why Anne Hathaway?

This week I am not looking forward to Wednesday at all. Yeah that’s right. Usually, Wednesdays are my favourite day of the week since Wednesday means we’re halfway through the week and Friday nights seem just round the corner.  But this Wednesday, it’s the first screening of “One Day”. My love of last summer made into a movie. I was absolutely thrilled, after the overwhelming success of this David Nicholl’s book, to have found out that there will be a movie adaptation of the book only to be disappointed later. 

Movie adaptation of a favourite book can be a thrilling experience for any book lover especially if the book was one of the much favoured. But it can be equally despairing if the adaptation turns out to be nothing more than a lousy attempt. And the movie “One Day” is what exactly it seems set to be. 

To start with, why did Lone Scherfig cast Anne Hathaway for the role of Emma? It’s one of the mysteries doing rounds these days, among book lovers like us who think Anne Hathaway doesn’t justify the role of Emma. And the Yorkshire accent ? After seeing the trailer, I’m thinking, which accent is the director talking about? Those of you who’ve read the book will understand why Anne Hathaway is so inappropriate for the role. Our beloved, dear, warm and average-looking Emma, not some doe-eyed American ,with a wide smile; who have had perhaps a little less training on accent?

Now I am not complaining that Americans shouldn’t have been given the role at all. Renee Zellweger performed brilliantly in Bridget Jones’ Diary (and Yes, I mean the accent too).

And Jim Sturgess as Dexter? Lets not even get there. Dexter , from the book, is painfully handsome with striking features. Couldn’t they have done with Jake Gyllenhaal or maybe some fresh face?

It’s like having a bad taste left in the mouth after a sumptuous meal. But oh well, like my cousin suggested, it might be a little too late to write to the director about the disapproval of the readers regarding the cast. So I might as well just shut up and go watch the movie. Although I don’t know how much I will be moaning throughout the 108 mins. Will post my review after I watch the movie.

Meanwhile check out some more articles suggesting maybe Anne Hathaway wasn't a great choice.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2010/sep/29/one-day-anne-hathaway-emma?intcmp=239 

http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2010/sep/28/anne-hathaway-scherfig-one-day

http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2011/aug/21/pass-notes-anne-hathaway-one-day

Of love and Loss ( One Art by Elizabeth Bishop- one of my favorite poems)

One Art

The art of losing isn't hard to master;

so many things seem filled with the intent

to be lost that their loss is no disaster,

Lose something every day. Accept the fluster

of lost door keys, the hour badly spent.

The art of losing isn't hard to master.

Then practice losing farther, losing faster:

places, and names, and where it was you meant

to travel. None of these will bring disaster.

I lost my mother's watch. And look! my last, or

next-to-last, of three beloved houses went.

The art of losing isn't hard to master.

I lost two cities, lovely ones. And, vaster,

some realms I owned, two rivers, a continent.

I miss them, but it wasn't a disaster.

-- Even losing you (the joking voice, a gesture

I love) I shan't have lied. It's evident

the art of losing's not too hard to master

though it may look like (Write it!) a disaster.

Fake or Awake??

Skepticism has become a way of life for me- unfortunately inseparable too. I can't help notice how fake people can be. Are they becoming what they think they should be and embodying their ideals or are they becoming what they think will be perceived by others as ideal? Sometimes I think maybe that's the real them and me failing to see it because of my blocked mind. But at other times I can't help notice the fakeness. And I wonder, am I the only one actually spotting how people are trying hard to be something that they are not or are the others/the admirers pretending to admire as well? Pretty complicated world huh!!!

World is indeed a stage and each of us playing our part, sometimes playing the part that we think is desirable (carved out of our own narrow preconceived ideas) by others or what we consider to be desirable by ourselves instead of what we actually should be playing. Confused? So am I.

Why can't we just let loose and be ourselves? Or why can't we just be accepted for who we are?

Till death do us apart?

Yesterday, on my way to Kew Gardens in an ever-slow District line, one of my friends exclaimed, "Oh! did you know Amy Winehouse is dead? "

"What?"

"When?" I couldn't hide my surprise at the news. Something remotely thought of and imagined and a totally unexpected news to hear on a rare sunny day in London.  But thinking of it, who expects of a death?

Don't we all choose to live with a naivety that we will die one day, but sure enough in our mind that day can't be tomorrow or even today for that matter. Life can be unfair although we choose to believe the opposite. We are optimistic creatures I think, to think that we have our share of time, here on earth but failing to either realise or ignore that this time can be extremely short.

This sudden demise of a true talent and few other acquaintances of mine within a short period of time, has seriously made me question myself on this inevitable truth of life. I have constantly come across the line "Life is short". But I never gave it a thought without realising how short can be so short sometimes.

And now, with an uncertainity looming over our own existence, what should be our approach towards life? Do we live like there is going to be no tomorrow or do we live with a positivity that our actions today will shape our future tomorrow which we are sure we will get to see?

And in all this confusion over how one should live their life, should we make "death", THE DEFINING TRUTH in our life?