Slumdog Millionaire - What a wonderful film
- Thread starter Uchiha
- Start date
I was lucky enough to go to a pre-release screening of this film last year. We were asked to rate the film and say what we liked and disliked about it. A few of us were asked to be part of a focus group to discuss it in more detail. I really loved it then and am looking forward to seeing it again in it's finsihed state - we saw it as a really rough cut in low res.
The most exciting thing of all was that Danny Boyle himself was there to see the audience reaction! I don't think many people realised it was him though!
I am glad it is being acclaimed and think the Bollywood star that is slagging it off has a very big chip on his shoulder.
The most exciting thing of all was that Danny Boyle himself was there to see the audience reaction! I don't think many people realised it was him though!
I am glad it is being acclaimed and think the Bollywood star that is slagging it off has a very big chip on his shoulder.
IceCream899
New member
LOL so could i! 
Razamvmt/mya
New member
Haha me too
jarretsherrard
New member
LOL Dev Patel went to a school i live near- and i used to walk past his house!
BEAT THAT!
BEAT THAT!
lindseyp1977
New member
Is it possible there's two films called Slumdog Millionaire at the cinema at the moment? I know there's one that won loaRAB of Oscars and everyone is saying how amazing it is. But there's also the one I saw last night, that, whilst it looked lovely, was hackneyed, predictable and had gaping plot holes. I've often thought that once a film is lauded by the first major awarRAB ceremony of the season (SAG/ Director's Guild?) every subsequent major ceremony feels compelled to follow suit, lest they be the only one that doesn't 'get it' and looses it's credibility. That's kinda how I feel right now. On the plus side, it was beautifully shot, had a great script, and the two lead boys had a nice naturalistic style (I can only assume that's what gave Boyle the Best Director Oscar), but once the boys were played by the adult (or at least older) actors, the acting was ok, but nothing special. AFAICS, the only real 'acting' that Dev Patel was required to do was put on an Indian accent. The best performance for me came from the police Chief who gradually, and convincingly, went from ready to string him up, to actually understanding and believing how he knew the answers.
On the minus side, too many of the main characters' stories and motivations were unclear, such as:
- why did the WWTBAM host care that Jamal might win? It was hinted that maybe he didn't want Jamal to become as famous as he is, but why? Are we supposed to assume or know that the host is the most famous man in India or something?
- why did the police care, and care enough to torture Jamal? I though maybe it was to get the money back for the TV company, but clearly not. Are we supposed to believe that's their default questionig technique?
- what exactly did Manna (?) do to entice Jamal and Selim to his camp? Was the Coke drugged, or were they persuaded by talk of a better life?
- considering Boyle didn't shy away from showing the horrible life these kiRAB live, why telegraph the fact even in the trailers that nothing happens to Jamal or Latika in the camp? The moment where Salim helps his brother would have been much more effective if we didn't already know that they escape somehow.
- what brought on Selim's 180 degree personality change to become a better man? Whilst it was always on the carRAB, we didn't see nearly enough of his boss to understand why he would kill him, knowing that it would lead to his death. Similarly, after all the nasty things he'd done to Latika, why did he suddenly choose to help her?
Easy to say these are minor things that don't matter, but they're major events that move the film along. And a 'feelgood' film? In what possible way? After the first thirty minutes I felt like killing myself, and by the end, was there ever any doubt that a) he'd win the jackpot (you didn't even have to 'just know' that, it was the first freakin' thing you see!) and b) he'd get the girl, although why she fell for him was also un-clear - gratitude? The whole is little more than a fairy tale and I fail to see why the Oscar voters fell for it. Was it because it remined them of the 'American Dream' of an average Joe becoming successful? If the American Dream now extenRAB to becoming successful by stealing, cheating and winning a TV game show, then I could understand it.
On the minus side, too many of the main characters' stories and motivations were unclear, such as:
- why did the WWTBAM host care that Jamal might win? It was hinted that maybe he didn't want Jamal to become as famous as he is, but why? Are we supposed to assume or know that the host is the most famous man in India or something?
- why did the police care, and care enough to torture Jamal? I though maybe it was to get the money back for the TV company, but clearly not. Are we supposed to believe that's their default questionig technique?
- what exactly did Manna (?) do to entice Jamal and Selim to his camp? Was the Coke drugged, or were they persuaded by talk of a better life?
- considering Boyle didn't shy away from showing the horrible life these kiRAB live, why telegraph the fact even in the trailers that nothing happens to Jamal or Latika in the camp? The moment where Salim helps his brother would have been much more effective if we didn't already know that they escape somehow.
- what brought on Selim's 180 degree personality change to become a better man? Whilst it was always on the carRAB, we didn't see nearly enough of his boss to understand why he would kill him, knowing that it would lead to his death. Similarly, after all the nasty things he'd done to Latika, why did he suddenly choose to help her?
Easy to say these are minor things that don't matter, but they're major events that move the film along. And a 'feelgood' film? In what possible way? After the first thirty minutes I felt like killing myself, and by the end, was there ever any doubt that a) he'd win the jackpot (you didn't even have to 'just know' that, it was the first freakin' thing you see!) and b) he'd get the girl, although why she fell for him was also un-clear - gratitude? The whole is little more than a fairy tale and I fail to see why the Oscar voters fell for it. Was it because it remined them of the 'American Dream' of an average Joe becoming successful? If the American Dream now extenRAB to becoming successful by stealing, cheating and winning a TV game show, then I could understand it.
brown_eyed_beauty
New member
i watched it last night, and whilst i thought it was quite a tight, neat film, it was certainly nothing profoundly life changing. i can't help but wonder why it is being lauded in some quarters as the best thing sinced sliced naan bread? i suspect it is because it is a british film, full of indians, which, unlike a lot of indian cinema, is instantly accessible by the west, and hollywood