The Submission: The World After 9/11

The Submission is a novel that illustrates the wide-ranging impact of 9/11. Written by Amy Waldman, who was co-chief of the New York Times' South Asia bureau, it is a surprisingly intriguing read, a page-turner that gets your emotions pinballing as you empathize with characters who all have completely different viewpoints and motivations.

The novel opens with a great premise: a group of jurors, composed mostly of artists, academics, and wealthy New Yorkers, have been commissioned to select a design for a 9/11 memorial two years after the attack. The entries are all anonymous, so after the jurors pick the winning design, they realize they have a problem. The architect of the winning design is named Mohammad Khan.

Oddly enough, the one person on the jury who champions Khan's selection is Claire Burwell, a woman who lost her husband in the attack and was asked to represent the 9/11 families on the jury. She thinks the design is perfect for the memorial and barely reacts when she finds out the architect is a Muslim. However, a faction of the 9/11 families led by Sean Gallagher, who lost his firefighter brother during the rescue efforts, protest Khan's selection and attack Claire's seemingly frigid and unemotional stance. In addition, there are the vociferous Islamophobes who let loose death threats, protests, and picket lines, craving media attention for their vile rhetoric.

Caught in this maelstrom is Khan, a man who is a thoroughly secular Muslim, born and raised in America, who is startled to discover that his country is turning on him. Even liberals whisper that they are uncomfortable with the choice, and Khan has to join forces with the Muslim American Coordinating Coucil to try and get his work to speak for itself. However, once his design is dissected to reveal possible "Islamic influences," things  can only get worse.

My favorite character is a Bangladeshi woman whose husband worked as a custodian in the World Trade Center - when he is killed, she has to fight for the right to have his name listed among the dead and receive compensation for her and her newborn son, because they were illegal immigrants. There is also a scheming governor whose support for the memorial depends solely on the opinions of her electorate and she tries her best to use every twist and turn in the process to get her approval rating up. And along the way, Mohammad Khan and Claire Burwell undergo a complex evolution as they struggle to understand what stance they should be taking and whether they should bend to public opinion.

The Submission weaves together the stories of memorable characters to tackle the problem of honoring the 9/11 victims amidst social, cultural, and political uncertainty. Waldman writes crisply with a great ability to describe her characters and their circumstances. Her description of the Bangladeshi woman's life in Brooklyn is shockingly spot on and it is clear that Waldman's experience in the South Asis bureau has been put to good use when she has to describe the true nature of Islam versus the terrorists' version. Overall, this is a nuanced and well-crafted novel that illuminates the need to reflect on people's inherent prejudices, opinions, and actions in this post-9/11 world.

The Five-Year Engagement: Love and Wedding Planning Don't Mix

Jason Segel is a lovable man. From Freaks and Geeks to How I Met Your Mother, Forgetting Sarah Marshall to The Muppets, he's the kind of actor who always makes you smile and the person you ceaselessly root for. Emily Blunt is a similarly lovable woman (though that isn't immediately apparent simply because she is British). Therefore, the two of them make a charming couple as Tom and Violet in The Five-Year Engagement. Unfortunately, the movie cannot sustain this charm.

Tom and Violet meet and fall in love in San Francisco, where Tom is a sous-chef and Violet is getting her doctorate in psychology. One year into the relationship, Tom proposes, Violet accepts, and the wedding planning begins in earnest. However, when Violet receives a job offer at the University of Michigan, the supportive Tom agrees to move there for two years and postpone the wedding plans. Sadly, Michigan is not a great place to be a chef, and while Violet's post-doc is going well, Tom is reduced to making sandwiches at a local deli. Although he continues to try to be supportive, Tom is increasingly resentful and miserable about this living situation. When Violet is offered the chance to extend her post-doc and possibly pursue a tenure-track position at the university, things really get serious, and it's not clear that their engagement is going to last.

That above summary doesn't make it very clear that this movie is a comedy. Which is the problem. It is a very funny and effervescent movie at the beginning, but the relationship drama takes its toll in the second act, and the attempts to lighten the tone aren't very successful. The highlight of the film really is its cast. Aside from Segel and Blunt, the supporting cast is stocked with hilarious folk like Chris Pratt, Mindy Kaling, Chris Parnell, and Alison Brie, who offer up irresistible comedy sketches that pepper the movie and prevent it from becoming too angsty. While these moments really liven up the movie and make you laugh (Brie and Blunt having a conversation as Elmo and Cookie Monster might have been my favorite scene), they can't save the film.

The Five-Year Engagement has a great beginning, a sweet ending, but an overwrought middle. I still think it's worth one viewing, simply because of the excellent cast who are clearly having a wonderful time when they get to cut loose and improvise their way through a scene. But like with most romcoms, don't expect a great plot that will revolutionize the way you feel about love and marriage. It's all been done before.

The Prestige: A Magical Mystery Tour

I recently re-watched The Prestige, the 2006 Christopher Nolan movie starring Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale as rival magicians in Victorian England. Those names are enough to tell you that this is a fantastic movie, especially the second time around when you know the story in its entirety and can pick up on all the clues and seemingly confusing details that you missed the first time around. But first let's discuss the novel by Christopher Priest, which I devoured over two days and enjoyed just as much as the movie.

Released in 1995, The Prestige is a bewildering idea for a novel. It tells the story of Alfred Borden and Rupert Angier, two Victorian magicians (or more accurately, illusionists), who develop a bitter feud that lasts until their deaths. Their rivalry involves sabotaging each other's stage acts, trying to figure out each other's secrets, and simultaneously respecting and condemning each other's magical abilities. After years of both dangerous and petty bickering, one of Borden's tricks becomes a source of much torment to Angier. Called The Transported Man, the trick involves Borden entering into a cabinet upstage, then instantly coming out of another cabinet downstage while the first cabinet collapses, revealing that it is completely empty and Borden has seemingly traveled across the stage in the blink of an eye. Angier cannot understand how Borden does this trick, and as the years go on, the trick becomes more sophisticated, with flashes and bangs courtesy of that new-fangled invention, electricity. Angier is eventually led to believe that the secret to Borden's trick is known by Nikola Tesla, the famed inventor and contemporary of Thomas Edison, so he heads to America to convince Tesla to build him a machine that will trump The Transported Man.

These are the plot points that you will find in the movie as well. However, the novel goes one step further by including a plot about the spiritualists who were all the craze in England at the time, tricking mourners with illusions that were supposed to be manifestations of the afterlife. The movie is faithful to much of Borden's family life but cuts out large swathes of Angier's life. As a result, Angier is a much more interesting character in the novel, whereas Borden is decidedly the more interesting one in the movie (that observation might also belie my preference for Christian Bale, who plays Borden). But in either case, the ultimate revelation as to how Borden achieves his trick, versus how Angier achieves it with Tesla's help, is magnificent. One of the tricks involves a simple deception, the other involves pure fantasy (the movie version is slightly more opposed to the laws of thermodynamics than the novel), but both make this a compelling book to read and a compelling movie to watch.

I think the movie does a much better job of surprising its audience than the novel does. Christopher and Jonathan Nolan have done a masterful job of adapting the novel, and the areas in which their script deviates from the novel only serve to enhance the movie. Instead of including the plot thread that involves the great-grandchildren of these two illusionists, the movie is fixed solely on Borden and Angier. And while the novel gives you an idea of how Borden is conducting his trick within the first hundred pages, the movie keeps its secret until the final minutes. Of course, having watched the film prior to reading the book, I have no idea if I would have initially guessed Borden's secret until it was definitively explained  in the final chapters. The novel is largely written as a series of diary entries, and Borden's ramblings made a lot of sense to me as someone who already knew the story, but might be completely obscure to someone who had no idea. So if any readers had the experience of reading the book before watching the movie, I'd appreciate knowing whether you figured out the secret before the end.

No matter which medium you choose, The Prestige is an intricate and wonderful piece of storytelling. The movie has a fantastic ending that ties up all the loose ends with aplomb, while the novel, which has a very different conclusion, leaves you with a spooky yet satisfied feeling upon reading the final sentence. So depending on your preference, watch and/or read The Prestige. It's not just an illusion - it really is magical.

Lost in Austen: Victorians Have Never Been Funnier

After watching Jemima Rooper light up the stage as a cross-dressing gangster in One Man, Two Guvnors, I  realized I should post a review of Lost in Austen, the 2008 ITV series that first introduced me to Rooper. If you are a fan of British comedy, costume drama, or Pride & Prejudice, this series will provide four of the most entertaining hours of your life.

Rooper plays Amanda Price, a woman who is obsessed with Pride & Prejudice and finds herself longing for the world of Victorian propriety and decency instead of the barrage of twenty-first century rudeness and a boorish boyfriend who believes in proposing with the pull-tab off a beer can. In miraculous TV fashion, she hears a crash in her bathroom and finds Elizabeth Bennet in her bathtub. Turns out there's a secret doorway in Amanda's bathroom that leads into Longbourn, the Bennets' house. Startled by this discovery, Amanda enters the house in a daze, but the door slams shut behind her, trapping her in Longbourn while Elizabeth Bennet is stuck in twenty-first century London.

Fabricating a story that she is Lizzie's friend from Hammersmith, Amanda manages to worm her way into the Bennet household. She discovers she is right at the beginning of the story - Netherfield Park has just been let to Mr. Bingley and everyone is too preoccupied by this news to pay much attention to the weird woman who has abruptly shown up wearing jeans and saying decidedly odd things. Unfortunately, Amanda quickly finds herself committing every known impropriety and Mrs. Bennet is keen to get rid of this unwelcome houseguest. Her hostility increases when it becomes readily apparent that Mr. Bingley finds Amanda more fascinating than her eldest daughter, Jane. This turn of events horrifies Amanda, who is desperate to make sure the novel's plot continues undisturbed. She tries to put Bingley off in truly hysterical fashion, but with Mr. Collins arriving on the scene, it seems like she may have irrevocably altered Jane Bennet's fate.

Naturally, the presence of Fitzwilliam Darcy complicates matters. Amanda is thoroughly repulsed by his haughty manner but of course, that initial prejudice cannot last long. Slowly it becomes apparent that she has taken Elizabeth's place Darcy's affections, but Amanda is no Victorian. She is too entangled in this story and busily trying to fix the mess her arrival has caused to the Bennets' lives. There are revelations about Mr. Wickham and a host of other familiar characters that will make you laugh and surprise the most devoted Austen fan. And while the conclusion seems inevitable, it is really a nail-biting finish as you have no idea how Amanda Price will manage to get the happy ending she has always longed for.

The cast are a riot, and include well-known figures like Hugh Bonneville (of Downton Abbey and Twenty Twelve fame) and Alex Kingston (from ER and Doctor Who) who play the Bennet parents. Elliot Cowan is a great Darcy who you will inevitably fall in love with, and Tom Mison is affable and charming as the naive Bingley who can't figure out how to be with Jane, played by the gentle and restrained Morven Christie (who is very different from her character of Fi Healey on Twenty Twelve). Elizabeth Bennet is portrayed by the delightful Gemma Arterton, who undergoes a wonderful transformation from Victorian heroine to modern London woman. But Jemima Rooper is the show's heart, stumbling with well-meaning but clueless intent and making you root for Amanda at every turn.

Adaptations of Pride & Prejudice seem to come along every decade but Lost in Austen is a refreshing take on a well-known story. Forget everything you knew about these characters - they all have hidden facets that Austen couldn't have begun to imagine (Caroline Bingley's secret is particularly surprising). And the plot proceeds with sudden twists and turns that completely alter the novel's story but still stay true to its structure. It's a genius bit of story-telling, and if Jane Austen were alive to see it, she'd laugh out loud.

One Man, Two Guvnors: Belly Laughs in Brighton on Broadway

One Man, Two Guvnors started out in the National Theatre in London, moved to the West End, then came over to New York, where it ends its Broadway run on September 2. So if you're reading this and will be in New York before the 2nd, stop reading right now and run to the Music Box Theater. You need to see this show before it's gone.

I've wanted to see this show for ages, and after James Corden won the Tony for Best Actor in a Play, I was further convinced it would be well worth it. And now that I've seen it, I can tell you that Tony might be the most well-deserved award given out this year. Corden is an absolute dynamo on stage, sweating through his waistcoat and delivering a comic performance that will amaze you with its sheer audacity. The play is an adaptation of the Comedia dell'arte play Servant of Two Masters, and this production fully embraces the music, slapstick, and improvisation that are inherent in Comedia delle'arte. This is fully evident when Corden pulls unsuspecting audience members up on stage or blithely breaks the fourth wall and cracks elaborate jokes, corpses, and basically lets his boundless enthusiasm and delight infect the entire theater.

The play is set in the seaside town of Brighton in 1963 and the plot is as follows: Francis Henshall (Corden) is a slightly dim-witted and perpetually hungry man who finds himself employed by two men. One is Roscoe Crabbe, a gangster who was presumed dead, and the other is Stanley Stubbers, a criminal responsible for Roscoe's death. Francis does not want either of his "guvnors" to find out about the other one, which results in the requisite hilarity and elaborate deceptions that keep crashing about his ears. Things are complicated by the fact that Roscoe Crabbe really is dead, and it is his twin sister Rachel (played by the marvelous Jemima Rooper) who has dressed herself up as Roscoe. She also happens to be in love with her brother's murderer, Stanley Stubbers, and the two of them are planning to run away to Australia, but neither knows the other has come down to Brighton.

Francis is incapable of remembering what tasks he is supposed to do for which guvnor, and a significant portion of the play is dedicated to his attempts to covertly serve lunch to both of them at the same time with the help of Alfie, the world's most incompetent waiter (played by Tom Edden, who received a Tony nomination for his hysterical performance). Oliver Chris (from my beloved Green Wing) ordinarily plays Stanley Stubbers, but when I saw the play, Eli James was standing in for him instead and did a magnificent job. I'm sure Chris is wonderful, but clearly the understudies are more than capable. The rest of the supporting cast also do an excellent job, but special mention has to be given to The Craze, the band that plays music in between act changes, and help to keep the audience amped up with some 1960's British skiffle.

From start to finish, One Man, Two Guvnors is a laugh riot, and because of the improvisational beats and sheer exuberance of the cast, it's a show that you could watch a dozen times without getting bored. No two performances can be the same, but they must all be equally magnificent. This play is a showcase of how witty wordplay, music, and slapstick can be combined in perfect proportions to serve up a comedy masterpiece. My only gripe is that at two and half hours, the show still felt too short. By the end, I wanted nothing more than to just stay in my seat and await the evening performance. If all plays made me this happy, I would never leave Broadway.

WTF With Marc Maron: The Art of Comedy

Podcasts can be a difficult medium to get into. Unlike turning on a radio or a TV and instantly being entertained, subscribing to a podcast requires a bit of legwork. Sure you can go to the show's website and listen instantly on your computer. But most people don't have an hour or more to spare at one sitting, which is why they have to subscribe to the show on iTunes, load up episodes on their iPods, and then listen off an on during the day whenever they snatch a free moment. And if you're like me, you end up with about 30 episodes on your computer before you even look at the Podcasts tab on iTunes and realize there are all these shows awaiting your attention. As a result, you have to be certain about a podcast before you make a significant commitment to this hassle. And WTF with Marc Maron is well worth the hassle.

WTF is an hour-long podcast hosted by stand-up comedian Marc Maron. Each episode consists of Maron interviewing a celebrity guest, usually a comedian, and getting into the nitty-gritty details of their lives to date. If there's something dark and twisty to be found, Maron will find it. Episodes are released twice a week and the 300th episode was released a few weeks ago. So it's doing pretty well for a podcast. And after one listen, you'll understand why. My introduction to the show was Episode 163 in April of last year, which featured an hour-long interview with Conan O'Brien. As a longtime Conan fan, I couldn't help being intrigued, and the interview did not disappoint. It was smart, informative, and funny as hell. And if Conan never writes an autobiography, this podcast would serve as an adequate replacement for any memoir.

I honestly don't know how Marc Maron does it and I don't think he does himself. There's just something about two comedians talking to each other about the craft of comedy that seems to open up possibilities for both serious and humorous introspection. Being a stand-up comedian means exposing yourself to ridicule and judgement every time you go on stage and sharing humiliating life stories for the sake of a laugh. As a result, most of Maron's guests are willing to discuss any and all aspects of their lives. A lot of comedians have surprisingly dark pasts and being funny is their outlet, so this allows for many engaging and deep discussions both about the nature of comedy and the nature of life itself.

I'll admit that I mainly listen to the episodes that feature celebrities I like, e.g. anyone from the cast of Parks & Recreation or Craig Ferguson. I've read Ferguson's autobiography, yet it was amazing how Maron managed to get him to talk about his entire life in one hour so that you could probably just skip reading his book (if you are so inclined). This past January, comedian Todd Glass chose WTF as the forum on which to come out publicly, which made for a very moving episode. The Mindy Kaling episode wasn't dark at all, but was still a great way to learn about her comic sensibilities and journey to The Office. And as I make my way through the backlog of episodes on my computer, I still have interviews with Bill Maher, Diablo Cody, Jon Hamm, and Stephen Merchant to look forward to.

Somewhere in the archive of 300-plus episodes, you are certain to find an interview with a comedian or actor that you love and you'll learn something intriguing and entertaining about their lives and their work. So head to the WTF website and start browsing. There's a whole world of comedy for you to explore.

The Dictator: Democracy is Overrated

The Dictator is everything you would expect from a Sacha Baron Cohen movie. It's wildly inappropriate, bizarre, gross, and hilarious. Depending on who you are, that either sounds appealing or awful.

The movie follows Admiral General Aladeen, the maniacal dictator of the fake African country of Wadiya. Sacha Baron Cohen is having a grand time playing this utterly clueless despot, who enjoys executing people for nonsensical reasons (e.g. making a nuclear missile with a rounded head instead of a pointy one), is guarded by a group of virgin female soldiers, and awards himself Olympic gold medals and Golden Globes for being the best actor in Wadiya. His uncle, Tamir (played by Ben Kingsley, who is clearly enjoying himself), was the rightful heir to the throne and has been plotting to assassinate Aladeen and replace him with a body double. Tamir gets the chance to put this plan into action when they head to New York to deliver a speech at the United Nations. Unfortunately, Aladeen escapes from his would-be assassin and finds himself in the care of Zoey (the charming Anna Faris), an activist who runs a feminist co-op in Brooklyn. Needless to say, they're a bit of an odd couple.

The story proceeds in expected madcap fashion. Aladeen must try and find a way to overthrow his double and regain the throne before Wadiya is turned into a democracy. This entails working for Zoey in the feminist co-op, which is not a role that comes easily to a brutal dictator who is prone to racist, sexist, and generally moronic remarks. He discovers a section of the city called "Little Wadiya," which serves as a haven for Wadiyan political refugees. It turns out that all of the people he ordered to be executed were sent here instead because the Wadiyan executioner was a member of the Resistance. Aladeen finds a scientist who was formerly a member of his nucelar weapons program and the two of them concoct a plan to get him back in power. Naturally, complications arise when Aladeen finds himself falling for Zoey, although love still can't triumph over the ambitions of a power-mad dictator.

Unfortunately, the movie is always seesawing between witty satire and gross-out humor. It has a very Saturday Night Live feel, as though we're watching a series of comic sketches linked by a common story. Some of these sketches are comic masterpieces starring some very funny comedians and others are just inane ramblings that go on for way too long. But overall, the good just manages to outweigh the bad, and I rather enjoyed the movie.

At its best, The Dictator is a sharp political satire and includes a rousing speech on the benefits of a dictatorship over a democracy that makes one wonder if there really is any difference. The actors are all delivering hilarious performances and the soundtrack by Erran Baron Cohen is particularly amusing as it takes well-known English songs and gives them a Middle Eastern twist. So if you can bear the standard Sacha Baron Cohen barrage of shock and ridiculousness, The Dictator is well worth one viewing. But I can't force you to watch it. After all, it's a free country.