*** Official SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE Discussion Thread (1 Viewer)

[teapot2001]

I'm going to try to watch it this weekend.

Is the trailer for The Wrestler attached to it?

~T

 

[Greg Layton]

Yes, at least it was when I watched it last weekend.

Oh, and four out of four stars from me. It's really an amazing piece of filmmaking... and now that I think about it, I guess I haven't seen a bad Danny Boyle film either.

My top 3 of the year are now The Visitor, Slumdog Millionaire, and TDK FWIW.

 

[Robert Crawford]

This thread is now designated the Official Discussion Thread for "Slumdog Millionaire". Please, post all comments, links to outside reviews, film and box office discussion items to this thread.

All HTF member film reviews of "Slumdog Millionaire" should be posted to the Official Review Thread.

Thank you for your consideration in this matter.


Crawdaddy

 

[Jose Martinez]

Best Film at NBR!

NBR goes for 'Slumdog' | Academy Awards | Oscar Watch | EW.com

 

[Patrick Sun]

Freida Pinto (adult Lakita) reminds me an Indian version of Sarah Shahi, both women are gorgeous, though.

In light of the current events in Mumbai, the city became an even more heightened character within the story for me.

Loved the Bollywood ending credit sequence. I think every film should have such a number for their ending credits.

 

[Holadem]

I have been recommending this wonderful film to any and everyone who would listen, and many who wouldn't. I saw it at a free advance screening last week, and will be paying to watch it again, but this time hopefully in a better theater. Here is hoping it goes wider.

I am in love with Freida Pinto.

--
H

 

[Michael Reuben]

It's such an astonishingly rich and multi-layered film that I could see it again and again. But one thing in particular hit me a day or two after I saw it.

It's a modern-day Grimm's fairy tale -- the original ones that were later deemed too scary for kids.

Think about it. You have these innocent children left on their own, wandering through a harsh and hostile landscape. You have a wide assortment of dangerous demons and monsters, some of whom initially present themselves in pleasing and tempting shapes. You have riddles to solve in order to reach a fabulous treasure. And in the end, true love prevails, though not without losses and sacrifice.

By passing this classic narrative through the twin filters of Mumbai and modern pop culture (notably, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?) director Boyle and screenwriter Beaufoy have blown off all the Disneyfied cobwebs and made it almost unrecognizable. And yet there's a classic resonance to the story that helps to suck you right in and keep you there, and only later did I realize how much I was responding to a story that felt in equal parts wholly new and, at an almost unconscious level, deeply familiar.

 

[teapot2001]

The story is definitely something we've seen many times before, and don't forget the main character reflecting on his past due to being interrogated.

~T

 

[Walter Kittel]

Viewed this film earlier today with a friend. Wonderful piece of filmmaking and easily one of the best films I've seen all year. The visual aesthetic, performances of the entire cast, and the shifting tones of the film were all strong features that contributed to a fine viewing experience. The film never felt predictable (which is not an easy thing to accomplish, IMHO).

On a technical note, the subtitles were wonderfully integrated and were fashioned in such a manner that I never felt torn between attempting to focus on the scene in question vs. the content of the dialog. Other filmmakers could take a cue from Boyle and this film when constructing their subtitle sequences.

This is a small nitpick to be sure, but the probability of the order of the questions matching the chronological progression of Jamal's life seems exceedingly slim. I realize why it was done in this manner as a (more) fragmented narrative would not have developed the found/lost/found nature of Jamal and Latika; but this thought did occur. Extremely small criticism in any event.

All in all, a wonderful film that I would easily recommend to anyone.

- Walter.

 

[mattCR]

Beautiful filmmaking. This is in my top films of the year; and this & WALL-E stood apart from everything else in the crowd by breaking all of the rules of what people expect. WALL-E did it by going silent for so long, expressing only through how we felt about the the actors. Slumdog does it by taking a Grimm story, a dark, dark tale and make it such a gut-check that you find yourself constantly rooting for the protagonist and hoping this would change.

I've heard tons of talk about how "down" this film is; I found this to be one of the most uplifting films I've seen all year.

 

[Ray H]

What's the talk about this one being a downer? From the get go, I've only heard of the movie being referred to as feel-good.

Anyway, it's a very good movie. Very well made. There are quite a few plot contrivances, but I'm willing to let them slide since it was so delightful.

 

[teapot2001]

I haven't heard anything about this movie being a downer. There are other "best of the year" movies that are downers, but certainly not this one.

~T

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Just screened this film earlier today.

I still have a few Oscar-caliber titles to view over the next day or
two, but to date, this was my favorite film.

If anyone considers this film being a "downer" it may be over the
film centering around the slumdogs of India and the lifestyle that is
heavily represented here. On the other hand, the story itself is
extremely uplifting and even rewarding.

I do hope this film nabs some nominations in February. This is the
one everyone should go out and see.

...I also loved the closing credits.

 

[Hatim]

Origanally published in novel form as Q and A (Question and Answer) by Vikas swarup in 2005, Slumdog Millionaire has become an international bestseller and Academy Award winning film, Thematically, Slumdog is more than a 'crime-drama-romance' as listed on p.113 of screenplay script or an inspirational Horatio Alger 'rags of riches' story or an underdog hero overcoming all odds...Slumdog is an allegorical Vedic morality play combining elements of karma and dharma.


Do u agree or disagree? if so why?