| Click on the listings below to view samples.
Further samples available upon request.
FEATURE COLUMN
"Bindiewood: The Rise of Indian Independent and Crossover Cinema"
I am having an in-depth conversation with my New York cab driver, Vijay, about the quality of music on the soundtrack to "Dil Chahta Hai." It is December 2002. I have just broken my right foot, and he is driving me to the hospital. My swollen stump is wrapped in a makeshift bandage...[more]
"Bindiewood: Crossover Films as the Bad Girls of Bollywood?"
There are two types of women in classic Bollywood films: the Good Girl and the Bad Girl. The Good Girl is virtuous, chaste, and possesses traditional Indian values. In the end, Good Girl is happily married off to Handsome Hero. On the other hand, the Bad Girl is outspoken, often smokes and drinks and dances like her hips are on fire...[more]
"Bindiewood: The Khanvert"
I've lost my best friend. Now, I'm well aware that this column is supposed to be about Indo-American crossovers, but you'll forgive my digression. Besides, as you'll soon discover, this is a crossover story of sorts...[more]
"Bindiewood: The Stranger Everyone Knows"
The scene: A rainy night in New York City. The Dream Hotel. In a room the size of a studio apartment -- adorned with promotional film posters and a large projection screen -- rows of folding chairs spill over with restless locals: members of the press, industry representatives, lucky stragglers... There is not a buzz in the air, there is a breathless anticipation. Commotion. Nervous talking. An announcement is made. The room hushes. Through the doors and onto the platform walks a tall...[more]
"Bindiewood: Digging Deepa - Inside Deepa Mehta’s Elemental Trilogy"
I remember being deeply moved when I first saw Deepa Mehta’s films Fire (1996) and 1947: Earth (1998). Moved enough, in fact, to purchase the DVDs and host screenings for those of my friends who had never seen them. Both films are unapologetically real in their portrayal of human experience. And although they focus on Indian culture and history, they remain appealing to international audiences. Why?[more]
[back to top]
FILM REVIEWS
Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World
It seems filmmaker Albert Brooks is incapable of serving up the kind of films that reflect the comedic status quo. He’s always shaking things up. He has an uncanny ability to make us laugh by showing us a side of life we may not have considered before. “Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World” is no exception...[more]
The Warrior
Asif Kapadia's first feature film is the heroic tale of a man turning from a life of violence to face solitude in the wilderness. At first, the story may sound similar to a Hollywood Western or a Japanese samurai epic. Although the setting of Kapadia's film is the harsh frontiers of Northwestern India, the soul of the story is the same. Director and co-writer Kapadia was...[more]
[back to top]
BOOK/AUDIOBOOK REVIEWS
Mother Theresa’s A Simple Path
We all know of Mother Teresa’s lifelong efforts to help those in physical and spiritual need. With the grace and thoughtfulness she has come to be known for, she gives of herself yet again in this audiobook. Her guiding principles of charity and descriptions of her modest lifestyle are narrated expressively and supplemented by a small, equally adept cast. For each individual listeners hear about, there are hundreds more Mother Teresa has...[more]
The Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr.
This is an essential collection piece for Martin Luther King, Jr., historians and those just becoming educated to the teachings of one of this century's greatest leaders. Commissioned by MLK's widow, Coretta Scott King, Clayborne Carson has compiled a powerful array of King's speeches, written...[more]
Nearly Roadkill (for Lambda Book Report)
It's an old fight, the battle between the sexes. Sullivan and Bornstein's erotic thriller, Nearly Roadkill, takes a very serious yet playful look at the literal definition of that conflict -- the one where people dwell between the hard-and-fast definitions of "woman" and man." As in A Clockwork Orange, a new...[more]
Zen & The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
Although more than twenty years have passed since the book's original publication, Pirsig's philosophies on technology and science, nature and love still offer much to this generation. Lawrence Pressman's delightful performance conveys the author's deep awareness and...[more]
[back to top]
INTERVIEWS
Interview with author Nicholas Sparks
Most writers are driven by the almost compulsive need to communicate what touches them deeply in their own lives. Nicholas Sparks’s novels seem to express the universal desire for love. One of the best ways for Sparks to quite literally...[more]
"Audio English: The Secret of Success"
[back to top]
ARTICLES
"Shakespeare on the Parkway"
"How The Professionals Get Married"
[back to top]
|
