Ryan Kanno: The diary of an Enginerd in Hawaii

The Namesake

So two weekends ago, Shaks, Suds, Michelle, Karlyn, Shane and I went to Varsity Theatre on University Ave. to watch The Namesake starring Kal Penn. (Yes, yes… the same Kal Penn of Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle and Van Wilder fame).

Based on a book by Jhumpa Lahiri bearing the same name, the movie chronicles the immigration of a first-generation Bengali family, the Gangulis, and their struggles here in America. I must admit, I initially had a difficult time imagining Kal Penn in a family drama - but once I got over that conundrum, I found his portrayal of a culturally conflicted teen and young adult - one torn with internal strife between his Indian and American heritage - extremely raw, emotional, and realistic.

I was very impressed. So with that said, I give this film a Kanno two thumbs up seal of approval!

And if you ever do get a chance to see the movie, don’t forget to check out these links:

» 21 things you didn’t know about The Namesake
» Kal Penn’s blog about The Namesake

Last Saturday, Shaks (aka ‘Iron Chef Gangjee’) invited a few friends over to his place in downtown Honolulu to eat some of his (in)famous Indian curry. A night of good friends, good food, and good fun - I think we need to do it again. Here’s a pic of the attendees.

As always, take a look at my flickr set to check out all the pik-chas!