|
Post by ronnierocketago on Feb 2, 2009 6:27:42 GMT
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE (2008) - ***1/2"It is Written."After my screening ended, the audience applauded. When was the last time you been to the movies and your rather large crowd honestly clapped, as if they thought the film deserved it? I had great bad vibes about SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE, especially after KNIGHT got shut out of most major Oscar nominations. What must be the appeal with SLUMDOG? There were so many conspiracy theories out there on the Interet, in trying to compare with previous winning scenarios. Were Academy voters wanting to feel good about themselves by celebrating a picture making an issue out of foreign poverty (like CRASH with racism?) Did some silly folks confuse run-of-the-mill foreign storytelling with exotic quality because they lacked an adequete frame of cinema context from that nation? (CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON?) Plus, me and director Danny Boyle haven't been on the best of terms, whatever its his silly pointless attempt to arty legitimize the Romero zombie movies (they already were) with 28 DAYS LATER or his infamous THE BEACH fiasco. Now I understand why SLUMDOG is favored to win the Oscar, for it's now like ROCKY was back in 1976. That particular rich year gave us reel classics like Martin Scorsese's TAXI DRIVER, Sidney Lumet's NETWORK, and Alan Pakula's ALL THE PRESIDENT'S MEN. I still think any of them should have won Best Picture, and yet I've never really had a serious problem with the ROCKY victory because it was an earnest feel-good drama. Alot of us movie buffs are just so used to despising hollow "uplifting" packages, usually because they simply don't deserve that artificial happy ending, but when we get genuine honest pictures that do earn that finale, like ROCKY or THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION, my heart is there. The cynic in me before SLUMDOG would have sneered that with the awful economy, several wars and endless hostilities, people may have been geared up for such a well-timed Charles Dickens story. I still keep that opinion, but why was the Obama Inauguration from weeks ago such an unprecedented national party, even in parts of America that voted against him? Because it was an ardent opportunity for which we could celebrate ourselves, whatever as Americans or not. Several Indian friends of mine have derided SLUMDOG as a dime-a-dozen story often told in Bollywood, and only honored it because a British director was involved, and also we goofy westerners have never previously really taken seriously Indian cinema, and they do have a point because we don't hold them on the same level as we might with European or Japanese works. Plus, how many of you have seen the works of say Satyajit Ray? I haven't. We simply dismiss Indian pictures with the popular Bollywood stereotype, that they all are a lightweight, all-dancing musical gay time at the movies. Thankfully, no such sequences occur in SLUMDOG until the credits. Sooner and I probably would have thrown my shoe at the screen, for it definately would have been absolutely inappropriate within the narrative. I guess I'm then woefully ignorant about Indian movies, which I apologize because I quite liked SLUMDOG. Yes it holds no surprises at all, but with only a particular number of stories always told in cinema (what, 23 or 24?), I say that if a picture hits all the right formula moments, it'll always succeed every mother fucking time. SLUMDOG seem to be successful with my audience at least, who were gripped with the high and lows, and cheered after the all-or-nothing climax. Hell, a Dickens-esque tale is probably more appropriate for modern India, for that country is much more social class-concious than Victorian England ever was. But like that epoch, contemporary India and their billion people are on the surface becoming a global cultural (Bollywood), financial (corporatized urban centres), and military superpower (they have nuclear weapons), which SLUMDOG conflicts nicely in great contrast with the impoverished and overfilled street nation where social justice is denied and which is quite frankly ignored by the upper-classes who are too busy watching game shows and football or driving BMWs. Amazing how as a nation, they have such great (well-deserved) hatred at the British for what those imperialists did to their country, yet their well-off seem as snobbish, elitist, and "cultured" as the Limeys. A good scene is when the middle-class cop mocks the hero (Dev Patel) for being clueless about such an obvious question about the country's flag and not recognizing Gandhi, then which the kid quizes the policeman about the local "ground," which he is glaringly ignorant about. My favorite shot though is when his older gangster brother who before a fateful confrontation, fills his bathtub full of money which he then jumps into, as if that's what he felt his life always revolved around. That's something you would have expected in SCARFACE, no? So like a Dickens urban melodrama, the kid is born into dire straits and suffers tragedies but with wits, luck, and keeping his essence of goodness, he ultimately triumphs after a lengthy epic journal where has has adventures in confronting utterly good and utterly bad characters, and maybe even an acquitance of his who has a change of heart to do the right thing at the right time. What I dug though was when as a boy, the hero is locked in the latrines as his favorite Bollywood movie star is nearby. The kid is determined at all costs to get that all-important scribble from his hero, so Like Tim Robbins in SHAWSHANK, he crawls through shit. I mean it's blunt sublety, but it's a nice quick visual summation of SLUMDOG that this guy will always persevere no matter the odds against him as he chases throughout his life for this one girl. Now one misconception I had heading into SLUMDOG was that the guy got onto the Indian version of WHO WANTS TO BE A MILLIONAIRE? because he cheated, but more like he used basic logic and certain questions tied coincidentally into previous episodes of his which aide him. Folks, Dickens was never called realistic for a reason. I doubt he would have done so well on THE PRICE IS RIGHT, with their fictional and unrealistic suggested retail pricings for cars, dish washers, and Hawaiian vacations. He definately would have bombed on JEOPARDY! though, but maybe win WHEEL OF FORTUNE. Is SLUMDOG as technically well-shot and made as David Fincher's BENJAMIN BUTTON? No. Is it as well-round packaged overall as THE DARK KNIGHT? Oh No. It's just going to be a sad casualty like what happened to JUNO last year. You know, an unimpeachable pretty good little picture that gets overhyped and overloved, which reachs a breaking point and a severe backlash then erupts against it because it was labeled as the best or important. Forget the Oscars, forget THE DARK KNIGHT snub, forget all the Internet bullshit. Ignore all that loudnoise, accept for better or for worse what SLUMDOG is, and maybe you'll end up clapping yourself, and afterwards wonder how the hell Ron Howard got nominated again.
|
|
jrod
Ghost writer
Posts: 970
|
Post by jrod on Feb 2, 2009 7:45:04 GMT
If this is a dime a dozen movie in Bollywood, Ill be watching more Bollywood movies. I don't understand why there's such backlash against this film by the community it is providing more exposure to. Whatever, not my problem.
I had fun with Slumdog. Was it my favorite 2008 film? No. Did I like it better than all of the other Best Picture nominations and the apperently 6th place Dark Knight? Yes (havent seen Milk yet though)
|
|
|
Post by ronnierocketago on Feb 2, 2009 7:55:23 GMT
If this is a dime a dozen movie in Bollywood, Ill be watching more Bollywood movies. I don't understand why there's such backlash against this film by the community it is providing more exposure to. Whatever, not my problem. Why? Because (A) it beat out TDK and (B) they're being assholes over sillyness. Really, I was being a dick myself, with all those conspiracy theories I listed in my review. Now I can't believe I broke one of my core tenets of criticism: Fuck the outside noise, be fair to the inner qualities, if they exist. Remember JUNO last year? Ignore the awards and Oscar buzz or that the film and its soundtrack became hip. Forget that over-covered scriptwriter. What was it? A pretty good and charming little picture. THAT'S IT. Nothing wrong iwth that at all, but once something like that is thrown into the Oscar machine, it gets mauled for silly reasons. As for the "dime-a-dozen" comment, go ask svsg. He gets Bollywood up the ass in India, while we don't. I had fun with Slumdog. Was it my favorite 2008 film? No. Did I like it better than all of the other Best Picture nominations and the apperently 6th place Dark Knight? Yes (havent seen Milk yet though) My rankings of those 4 I've seen (not seen MILK or READER): 1 - TDK 2 - BENJAMIN BUTTON 3 - SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE 4 - FROST/NIXON BTW jrod, what was your favorite movie last year anyway?
|
|
jrod
Ghost writer
Posts: 970
|
Post by jrod on Feb 2, 2009 8:00:51 GMT
its funny, Im usually more or less a mainstream movie whore, but this year its been all over the place. Very little violence in my favorites this year too. Odd for me.
I liked Paranoid Park, The Wrestler, The Bands Visit, Man on Wire, and Chop Shop a whole lot.
|
|
jrod
Ghost writer
Posts: 970
|
Post by jrod on Feb 2, 2009 19:12:55 GMT
Really, I was being a dick myself, with all those conspiracy theories I listed in my review. Now I can't believe I broke one of my core tenets of criticism: Fuck the outside noise, be fair to the inner qualities, if they exist. There is nothing wrong with discussing the information surrounding the movie, as long as you are fair to it yourself when watching. For example, a review for Valkirye that immediately discusses the preconcieved notions about Cruise's performance wouldnt be misguided. If you like a movie and think people should see it, its not a bad idea to disqualify the ridiculous speed bumps holding them back. The notion that Slumdog Millionare is typical or minor Bollywood fare might hold people back from watching it. If you think that is a bad thing, nothing wrong with expressing that.
|
|
|
Post by ronnierocketago on Feb 2, 2009 20:05:34 GMT
There is nothing wrong with discussing the information surrounding the movie, as long as you are fair to it yourself when watching. For example, a review for Valkirye that immediately discusses the preconcieved notions about Cruise's performance wouldnt be misguided. If you like a movie and think people should see it, its not a bad idea to disqualify the ridiculous speed bumps holding them back. The notion that Slumdog Millionare is typical or minor Bollywood fare might hold people back from watching it. If you think that is a bad thing, nothing wrong with expressing that. Both are good points. Thanks.
|
|
|
Post by arkadyrenko on Feb 10, 2009 20:47:04 GMT
Not to go out of a limb in here, but the more i think of BENJAMIN BUTTON, the less i like it. FOREST GUMP Part 2: Gump Harder.... only it was directed by a director who actually is intelligent, instead of the make believe fraud that is Robert "I can't believe i fell for his hype" Zemeckis.
|
|
|
Post by arkadyrenko on Feb 10, 2009 20:48:16 GMT
And by the way, the actress' family name is Pinto, which is a portuguese name. If you wonder how come an indian can have a portuguese name, go check India's history. It's fun.
|
|
Capo
Administrator
Posts: 7,847
|
Post by Capo on Feb 11, 2009 23:32:34 GMT
The gameshow tagline for this film is nauseous. I'm watching it over the weekend.
|
|
|
Post by ronnierocketago on Feb 12, 2009 0:39:18 GMT
And by the way, the actress' family name is Pinto, which is a portuguese name. If you wonder how come an indian can have a portuguese name, go check India's history. It's fun. You nationalist. ;D
|
|
|
Post by ronnierocketago on Feb 12, 2009 0:38:40 GMT
The gameshow tagline for this film is nauseous. I'm watching it over the weekend. I've already predicted your review.
|
|
|
Post by arkadyrenko on Feb 16, 2009 18:08:56 GMT
You kidding? I hate nationalism, be it from whatever country, even mine. I hate portuguese nationalism, and form any and every country. Nationalists are cunts.
I finally saw SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE. One of the very few movies where it earned the happy ending. In many ways, it gave me mora satisfaction watching it then BENJAMIN BUTTON (the fact it's not FOREST GUMP Mk II always helps).
Saying that, i can't understand why this movie is being nominated for best movie. And really, the more i know the nominated movies, the more puzzled I am with THE DARK KNIGHT's exclusion.
|
|
Capo
Administrator
Posts: 7,847
|
Post by Capo on Feb 16, 2009 18:09:14 GMT
The gameshow tagline for this film is nauseous. I'm watching it over the weekend. I've already predicted your review. Haha, yeah. It's pretty shit. This is the kind of film that's so shit it becomes interesting; ten minutes in I became preoccupied by how I might word a review. It falls apart at the seams on so many levels. The initial premise, of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, falls apart because there's absolutely no tension involved whatsoever; partly because no fictionalisation of a current cultural phenomenon can match or replace the original - I felt the same way here as I did towards Frost/Nixon - partly because each answer forms the basis of an episodic flashback, which in turn justifies the answer. We know Jamal is going to get the question right, which makes the cardboard histrionics of the host so unendurable. The acting is bad. Plain and simple. Even with such one-dimensional material to work with, it's clearly horrific. Unless somebody wants to disagree, I'll consider that matter closed. The story is pieced together in such a haphazard way that I wouldn't be surprised if the questions were thought of first, and then the necessary part of Jamal's life conjured to fit as required. That would be an obviously silly way to construct a script, but it wouldn't at all surprise me here, considering how implausible and nondescript the flashbacks are. Also: how does Jamal having a gun pointed at his face justify his knowledge of who made the revolver? That's quite a leap in logic, but I won't go further than this because the film would surely become too ludicrous for discussion. So we'll give Boyle a little poetic license here and there, so what? Hey, he can even make a film about 'destiny' and things being 'written', right? But Boyle the pseudo-auteur is too determined to stamp his mark on the work, evident in the extreme angles and Anthony Dod Mantle's colourful photography. There's such a polished verneer on display here that any serious plight - a boy emerging from the Mumbai slums to win a top TV show's prize and the love of his life - is aestheticised to the point of distraction. The imagery and sound design are getting praised by everyone, but both seem misplaced in the whole; the former almost makes this life attractive, the latter gives it a hip MTV feel that's only emphasised by the slick editing. Even on a basic mainstream narrative level, none of the characters are characters at all; we know absolutely nothing about the psychology behind their actions or why they're doing what they're doing. Why does Salim let go of Latika's hand? Jealousy? Okay: What sorts of things are causing his blatant jealousy? Why is Jamal 'in love' with Latika? He barely knows her. Does she represent his own absent personality? Why does Salim finally 'come good' and make the ultimate sacrifice, despite everything suggesting its impossibility? Why does the 'destiny fulfilled' conclusion feel undeserved? Because the flashbacks are so disparate and fragmented, so contrived so as to have some sort of Q&A purpose, that as a result character is completely neglected. Jamal's climactic declaration of love for Latika is an absolute joke. Boyle's old-fashioned romance doesn't wash with me. I can't see how anybody may endure this film with delight unless they're taken in by the idea of determinism, by fantastical portraits of destiny or by wishy-washy love-at-first-sight parades.
|
|
Capo
Administrator
Posts: 7,847
|
Post by Capo on Feb 16, 2009 18:10:57 GMT
Saying that, i can't understand why this movie is being nominated for best movie. And really, the more i know the nominated movies, the more puzzled I am with THE DARK KNIGHT's exclusion. Yeah, it may as well be up for nomination, to be honest. They're all as shit as each other this year.
|
|
|
Post by svsg on Feb 16, 2009 18:42:04 GMT
I can't see how anybody may endure this film with delight unless they're taken in by the idea of determinism, by fantastical portraits of destiny or by wishy-washy love-at-first-sight parades. Capo (and others), have you guys seen any mainstream Bollywood films?
|
|
jrod
Ghost writer
Posts: 970
|
Post by jrod on Feb 16, 2009 19:53:38 GMT
it is curious that the questions were asked in the exact order that they apply to his life
|
|
Capo
Administrator
Posts: 7,847
|
Post by Capo on Feb 16, 2009 19:56:36 GMT
I can't see how anybody may endure this film with delight unless they're taken in by the idea of determinism, by fantastical portraits of destiny or by wishy-washy love-at-first-sight parades. Capo (and others), have you guys seen any mainstream Bollywood films? No, none. it is curious that the questions were asked in the exact order that they apply to his life ;D
|
|
jrod
Ghost writer
Posts: 970
|
Post by jrod on Feb 16, 2009 19:57:27 GMT
I can't see how anybody may endure this film with delight unless they're taken in by the idea of determinism, by fantastical portraits of destiny or by wishy-washy love-at-first-sight parades. Capo (and others), have you guys seen any mainstream Bollywood films? Please recommend a dozen or so. I dont know where to begin
|
|
|
Post by svsg on Feb 16, 2009 20:57:48 GMT
jrod, i can't recommend a dozen mainstream films, as the mainstream is at best mediocre. Some intro here... Most films are romances, other genres get made in smaller numbers though. Songs (mostly with dances) are an integral part of the films. Unlike musicals, these songs do not necessarily further the plot/theme, but they serve to promote the films in ads/trailers. With these in mind, a few films (from the last 10 years or so) to sample, to see if you like the Bollywood style... 1. Satya (a favorite) 2. Sarfarosh 3. Rang De Basanti 4. Omkaara 5. Maqbool (a favorite) 6. Dil Chahta hai 7. Virasat 8. Munnabhai MBBS 9. Lage Raho Munnabhai 10. Vastav
|
|
|
Post by svsg on Feb 16, 2009 20:59:11 GMT
I haven't included most of the popular movies, which in my opinion are ridiculous.
|
|