Slumdog Millionaire by Danny Boyle

wow, this movie is insanely overrated. if i didn't know any better i would have thought this movie is the second coming of christ
 
I saw this last night. In my opinion...

The screenplay was really, really good. Have not read the novel, tho.
The cinematography was good.
I'd prefer subtitles in a fixed location than changing places every line, this got pretty annoying.
The guy playing the older Malik (Dev Patel?) wasn't that bad at acting.
Was better than most trash that's come out recently.
I didn't agree w/ it taking home best picture or director.

IMO it was good.
 
Loved it! Not entirely sure if it deserves all the acclaim but I've still yet to see all of the other nominated pictures.

Pretty good film though. I was thoroughly interested throughout. :thumbup:
 
Cinematography and music was great! But from the middle film becomes borring. Because I know where he gets the right answers. That type of luck reminds me Forrest Gump. The chase scene in the begining reminds me City of God (they even had a running chicken). The love story is dull, nothing new, nothing "wow" here.
 
I felt that Button deserved best cinematography. I also agree there's too much of City of God in this film. For me, best picture should be Milk. Not that I particularly like the subject, mind you, but because it was very well shot, it was an "auteur" movie (Gus Van Sant's cinematic language was always present) with fantastic performances, not only from Sean Penn (well deserved Oscar) but from the Green Goblin Jr and the rest. Fantastic movie, excelent music, great editing and also great art design. As an heterosexual raised in a Catholic background society (but I'm agnostic), this movie was hard to get into, but it turned out to be a very well told story and a great film.
 
I wasn't pumped about seeing this film before hand from the trailer or clips or the hype, but I'm glad I decided to see it. I thought the cinematography was great, the camera work, the way it was shot...I loved the dynamic crazy camera moves, I usually don't like it, especially in movies like the Bourne ones which I really don't like. Here though it seemed very creative and stylish, went well with the film and was inspired movement not just "Shake to create tension".

Definitely not on my top 20 favorite films or anything but I did quite like it. The way people were talking about it, I expected something really amazing. I still liked the film, though.

The subtitles did not bother me, I hardly noticed they were moving around the screen like that, it seemed to fit well.
 
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Subtitles in Slumdog. Subtitles was not in the fixed location, and we see many shots where landscape is leaning. I think it means that Jamal's world is unstable, moving (alive).
I liked the scene, where in the skyscrapper Jamal's brother was dreaming about new buildings ant in his sun glasses were reflection of those buildings.
 
Finally got around to seeing this. I enjoyed it, but movies this hyped rarely live up to nearly impossible expectations. It was a very well crafted film, but I believe it got the Oscar for sentimental reasons.

I loved the colors and lighting, but I thought the dutch angles were slightly overplayed.

Loved the editing and felt the music worked well.

As for the money/kids discussion, I don't know the details of the trust fund issue. But I have to say that paying 3x the average annual salary for 30 days work turns out to be 36 times the average salary. I realize that 36 times poverty level is hardly life-long wealth, but it doesn't seem like taking advantage of people either.

And the destiny thing...well, this movie has nothing to do with destiny. Whatever the flaws in the script, it's all about the choices Malik makes, which rule out destiny. My wife and I used to counsel couple who were getting married, and the first thing I would tell them is that I think the whole notion of "we were meant to be together " is not only a steaming pile of crap, it's the least romantic notion in the world. Real romance is waking up next to someone that spends as much time pissing you off as making you smile and saying "I choose you"

I'll take that over the illusion that someone was chosen for me six days a week and twice on Sunday.
 
CallaghanFilms said:
I still don't get it.

Granted I'm drunk, but I still don't gett it,,,
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To be honest, neither do I. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed it, but I don't see the big deal. My only explanation is that all of us have a difficult time differentiating between what we like and what is really good. (Half the world seems to love Knowing, and I think it's a steaming pile of poop. I love Highlander, but would never say it's a great movie) Despite its dark themes, this was more like a Disney movie than anything else.


Spoilers below:



Lots of plot elements bothered me.

For street kids, they aren't very smart. Do they really think they can walk in to a brothel and take out a virgin?

They miss a great opportunity to explain Salim a little better. The brothel scene is an obvious turning point for him. But he never would have been there, or felt like he had to kill that guy except for Jamal acting like an idiot. Salim was perfectly content scamming tourists at the Taj Mahal, but he went back to Mumbai for Jamal. Then Jamal puts him in that situation in the brothel, and Salim saves him, again. Then, much like he sold the autograph in the beginning, he takes Latika as payment for his service. I am in no way justifying what he did, but I would have loved to have seen something like a Michael/Fredo scene in Godfather II. We don't agree with his choice, but I think we deserved an understanding of it, or else he is just a cardboard cut-out plot device. There was a depth and complexity that could have fed this story at a more meaningful level, because that was where the real character growth and development came from. We never really know why he is obsessed with Latika, because we never know her (except to know that she is stupid enough to get followed to the train station, despite knowing how dangerous her captor is). But we do have an understanding of the Salim/Jamal relationship. That's where it really misses the mark for me.

ChipG said:
Jim, I can't quit you!
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:thumbsup:
 
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Brandon Rice said:
Still love the film! :D
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And so you should Brando. If it moved you, it moved you. That's the magic of these things.:thumbsup:

I always feel weird dissecting films, because so much of it is subjective. But I always get something out of it. These type of dialogues help me learn how to refine and define my own work.
 
I tried to hang with it. Dozed off about an hour in.
Seemed like a student film on acid to me. I didn't like how the closed captioning was done and I kept waiting for the dude to beat his brother's ass. I guess thats what I gave up on.
I could watch bad movies without renting them.
fooey.
 
Not a very good film. Hollow, standard hollywood love story. His obession with this girl was just that- and obsession, not love. Love isn't destiny- like someone else said, real love is when you spend just as much time hating the person as loving them. It's a big struggle, not some goofy idea of destiny.

What is this film even saying? He gets rich and "gets the girl" at the end because of a series of coincidences. How about the obession with money and concepts leading to disaster? How about showing how the real India isn't just one giant slum? How about showing how bad the slums REALLY are, in a ruthless, scary, unflinching way like in City of God? The main character made it out of the slums in that film not by luck or coincidence or "destiny"- he did it by risking his life and having a personal passion to hold on to- for himself.

Anyway, whatever. When have the Oscars been a barometer for good films? Rarely- very very very rarely.
 
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