Slumdog Millionaire

Cafe Society
41

Fantastic movie. I’ve never been to India, but the impression I have is of an overwhelmingly huge and bustling culture, with the most modern, upscale technology in one direction, and a simple turn of your head showing you some of the poorest people on Earth, with the possibilty of medieval religious violence.

When the brothers are at a low ebb, barely surviving by picking saleable items out of a giant trash dump – for years that’s been my image of grinding poverty. There are people spending their whole lives in that nightmare existence.

42

The story was predictable, but the way it was told was captivating. They didn’t hold back on Indian culture and it’s reality.

I love the credits. Possibly the best part of the movie.

43

I wonder if the host of Indian WWTBAM is really that condescending.

I liked that the only question he didn’t have a clue on was the national motto; there was really no reason someone like him should feel patriotic.

44

What a superb uplifting movie.

Nice way of telling a simple story. Danny Boyle is a great film maker, he can turn his skills to anything it seems.

Freida Pinto is simply stunning. She blows all hollywood type starlets out of the water.

45

The credits! Not sure if you mean the actual credits or dance scene, but here’s a video montage someone has put together with the dancing. And I love the music so much! Like I said in another thread, we finished watching Milk in one theater and then snuck into SM just to see the last 5 min. and the credits.

46

Dev Patel is really cute.

I also really liked the movie even though I could see the ending coming.

47

The cricket question. I was thinking the same thing you were.

48

Called a friend in NYC…she and her boyfriend see movies together, but sometime one will see one without the other.

I told her to see this film. She went, and loved it.
Her boyfriend had seen it a few days earlier.

“How did you like the ending credits?” she asked.
“Huh? I left when the movie ended.” he answered.

She told me, “…the asshole always gets up the very second a film ends and leaves the theater…thankgod I saw this film alone!”

49

Thanks for the link beckwall!
I think I might retract my previous comment and say, “Yes, this might actually be nominated as Best Film” come Oscar time.

50

Now? Now you retract? What, you didn’t believe me? You thought I was joshing you? I wasn’t kidding. There’s no way, in this universe, in this dimension, that Slumdog Millionaire will NOT get an Oscar nomination for Best Picture (and Best Director). It’s got more (awards) buzz than a silo full of angry African bees. It’s the one true lock, even above Milk, which is also a lock for BP and BD.

Really, don’t just “might” retract. Fully retract and say “will.” You won’t be sorry. I wouldn’t steer you wrong on this. ArchiveGuy, if you’re reading, back me up here.

51

I still have a lot to see: Benjamin Button, Frost/Nixon, Doubt and probably a few more. We go see a film every Friday and suddenly we have a whole bunch more to see. Yeah, Slumdog is up there, but let me see the others before I decide on the top five…but Slumdog is certainly up there in the running…although I might be one of the few who also think Changeling might be worthy as a nominee as well.

52

Well, the first half of the movie (childhood era) is very well done, but then the treatment in the latter half seems like a tribute to Bollywood tropes. As a Bombayite who’s seen his fair share of Bollywood, I wasn’t that impressed. Overall, a B+.

53

Sure, but this is a film by a Western director for a Western audience and most of them are not going to be aware of those Bollywood tropes, in the same way that most viewers of the original Star Wars had no idea about Kurosawa’s “The Hidden Fortress”.

Gotta go. Off to see Ghajini.

54

What an odd odd movie. It’s like two entirely different movies welded together. Movie A is a rough, gritty street film about an Indian Jason Statham type (played by Aamir Khan) who can’t remember more than 15 minutes in the past, so he tattoos clues on his body, takes pictures and writes copious notes to himself (yeah, I know) as he travels through the underbelly of society killing henchmen of the notorious mob boss Ghajini, who he also wants to kill but he keeps forgetting why. It’s like a cross between Taxi Driver, Memento and Terminator. The other film is a light, bright, Bollywood musical “meet cute” love story between a recluse billionaire businessman and a flaky but beautiful low-level actress (think commercials) who’s also an endearing pathological liar. The girl doesn’t know the guy is a billionaire businessman, she thinks he’s a dorky fellow actor. The two movies intersect at various points and are ultimately connected, but you don’t find out how and why until the end.

I guess I enjoyed it, but I preferred the dark, gritty, violent movie to the dingbatty cutesy movie.

55

Saw it tonight. Loved it! It was very engaging and exciting and romantic.

56

What did people think about Salim’s decision to stay behind after handing Latika the wheels? Other than as a tribute to the Bollywood sacrificial brother trope, it didn’t make sense. Why didn’t he leave with her?

57

I found it a little unbelievable that Latika had been allowed to learn to drive.

58

I assumed that he was going to make sure that they didn’t pursue her immediately.

59

Yeah, but the mob guys couldn’t head back to Mumbai. In fact, wanting to arrange that was what the last cellphone conversation the mob boss had was about. My best guess is that it is just a part of the “it is written” theme.

60

I thought the idea was

that he intended to kill the mob boss, to ensure that not only did he not chase after her now, but never. After all, with the boss dead, would any of the other henchmen really have cared about her?