Slumdog Millionaire by Danny Boyle

Yeah, when "anyone" can vote, you do get a watered down result.

I remember when Crash and Brokeback Mountain were up for Best Picture Oscars, and someone went to the street to ask who people thought should win. The most common answer was Alien vs. Predator.
 
Brilliantly shot, wonderfully acted, and masterfully directed. This is the best film of 2008 that I have watched. Easily. Just a great film. the end.
 
i am a big danny boyle fan, and i didn't like this movie at all. just goes to show that opinions are just that... opinions.
 
Glad to see Danny Boyle is getting some award recognition. Slumdog isn't a perfect film (is there such a thing?) but it is a fantastic one.

Very few directors can work well in any genre (sci-fi, horror, romance, etc.) but he sure does.
 
PK Gillock said:
Glad to see Danny Boyle is getting some award recognition. Slumdog isn't a perfect film (is there such a thing?) but it is a fantastic one.

Very few directors can work well in any genre (sci-fi, horror, romance, etc.) but he sure does.
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Agreed, and EVERYONE I've recommended to see it have loved it as well.
 
I enjoyed this, but, I dunno, it just didn't slay me and I'm not sure why. I can objectively see how well put together it is across the board - acting, directing, cinematography. Maybe I was expecting something a little deeper and a little more insightful in its commentary but it's not, it's just a simple underdog fairy tale. I guess that's fine, but Boyle did such a great job making the desperation and extreme social disparity of that world so palpable I was hoping in the end it would have a deeper resonance beyond -SPOILER- boy gets rich and gets the girl. For a film as vivid in its depiction of the haves and have nots it's surprisingly shallow.
 
Hey, Batutta, I can completely appreciate your POV. Perhaps letting us see and feel the slums of Mumbai was enough for Boyle to make a "statement." I also thought that the repeated references to the lead character's demeaning job as "chaivalla" to be a commentary of sorts.

But what I wonder is, why do films have to be "deep" (or perceived as such) to be appreciated as great films? Can't a film like Slumdog be a great film because of how entertaining/enjoyable it is?

Not trying to start a flame war/argument here, just curious.
 
stephenmick said:
Hey, Batutta, I can completely appreciate your POV. Perhaps letting us see and feel the slums of Mumbai was enough for Boyle to make a "statement." I also thought that the repeated references to the lead character's demeaning job as "chaivalla" to be a commentary of sorts.

But what I wonder is, why do films have to be "deep" (or perceived as such) to be appreciated as great films? Can't a film like Slumdog be a great film because of how entertaining/enjoyable it is?

Not trying to start a flame war/argument here, just curious.
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I just felt the world depicted was so vivid and extreme it begged for a story with more depth is all. Even the characters weren't that deeply drawn. They all had promising starts but in the end became stock archetypes. Did I want some heavy message film? No. But I was just expecting more at the end. This resolution just felt like dishonest Hollywood Bullsh*t cloaked in indie film drag. Really, what was the point of this at the end? Sometimes everything works out fine on its own. Hell, even in the first Rocky, he loses the fight. The point of the film was HOW he fought the fight, not whether he won it. Here, everything works out for the kid despite everything he does. Sorry, that message doesn't do me much good as a human. I guess that's why I didn't respond to the film, as well made as it is. I don't believe anything 'is written' until we write it.
 
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Agreed (to some extent). But I also think that to seriously analyze a film like this you have to see it in the "Bollywood" context, where most all films have thinly-drawn characters and the obligatory dance number at the end. And (I understand) they usually have a happy ending.
 
stephenmick said:
Agreed (to some extent). But I also think that to seriously analyze a film like this you have to see it in the "Bollywood" context, where most all films have thinly-drawn characters and the obligatory dance number at the end. And (I understand) they usually have a happy ending.
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Upon further deliberation, I think the most basic problem I had with the film is that the protaganist is too passive. The story mostly happens to him, and is pushed forward and resolved by secondary characters and circumstances, not because of him. I'll agree that is sort of the point, as it's made clear by the final title of "It was written", I just don't like it as storytelling or personal philosophy. And this film wasn't made for Bollywood. It was made for Western audiences who have no frame of reference so I don't think the "Bollywood" context is a valid argument.
 
I feel similarly to Batutta.

Their obstacles felt exploited and then guided for some kind of payoff , which cheapened the story for me. Especially since, like Batutta said "the desperation and extreme social disparity of that world was so palpable".

I feel like Boyle didn't balance this very real and intense slum with a direction or path that honored the context of what was shown earlier. It just felt cheap and easy. I just don't think it honored its subject matter.
 
I enjoyed the film quite a bit while watching it, but Batutta stated nicely why it's not one of my top picks for the year:

[The characters] all had promising starts but in the end became stock archetypes.
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Anybody noticed the large number of dutch shot used in this film? It feels like about 3/4 of the film is shot with a tilted camera which doesn't seem necessary.

I have to admit that there are moments in this film that genuinely excited me, but the storyline is just too contrived. Callaghan was right on, I just refused to buy that every single question he was asked comes from his life experience.

MINOR SPOILER
I also feel there was a contradiction in tone that was never quite resolved. For a "fairy tale," the films goes into some dark territory (torture, child prostitution, implied rape, arson, violence etc.) but the ending was wrapped up nice and tight with an extra sprinkling of sugar on top. I mean, was it REALLY necessary to have him correctly guessed the last question? He already got the girl and having him hit the jackpot as well just seems too nice and tidy for a film that went as dark as mentioned. I felt like it would have been a better ending for him to lose but still gets the girl he loves.
 
Huy Vu said:
Anybody noticed the large number of dutch shot used in this film? It feels like about 3/4 of the film is shot with a tilted camera which doesn't seem necessary.
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those kids grew up in a highly destabilized environment. the canted angles, i felt, were motivated.

Huy Vu said:
I have to admit that there are moments in this film that genuinely excited me, but the storyline is just too contrived. Callaghan was right on, I just refused to buy that every single question he was asked comes from his life experience.
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i didn't respond to the love story, but to say him knowing most of the answers was contrived is like saying that the behavior of the shark in Jaws was contrived. certain conceits have to be made for the existence of a plot. besides, everyone who ever went on that show and answered a question correctly, had to learn the answer at some point in their own lives, right? it might not have been as dramatic in real life, but you were sitting in a movie theater.[/quote]

MINOR SPOILER
I also feel there was a contradiction in tone that was never quite resolved. For a "fairy tale," the films goes into some dark territory (torture, child prostitution, implied rape, arson, violence etc.) but the ending was wrapped up nice and tight with an extra sprinkling of sugar on top. I mean, was it REALLY necessary to have him correctly guessed the last question? He already got the girl and having him hit the jackpot as well just seems too nice and tidy for a film that went as dark as mentioned. I felt like it would have been a better ending for him to lose but still gets the girl he loves.
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despite what I didn't like about slumdog millionaire, i never got the impression this was a fairy tale. heavily romanticized and melodramatic at times, yes. but even so, fairy tales ARE very, very dark. grandmas eaten by wolves, a witch in a candy house putting children in her oven, trolls, demons, talking animals, bestiality, the works.
 
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