Jai Ho!!!

I recently saw the Oscar 'best picture' winner, Slumdog Millionaire. I liked it.

For those who haven't seen it the main plot is about an orphan from the slums of Mumbai who gets a shot at the Indian "Who Wants To Be a Millionaire?" (Even though the top prize of 20,000,000 rupees is the equivalent of around $410,000) He is able to apply his knowledge gained from experiences in his harsh life.

The movie's kinda like this, but in India. Remember those long pauses and cliffhangers? Who Wants to be a Millionaire was the catalyst that led to Tivo.


Remember on Oscar night when Slumdog won? It seemed like a thousand little Indian kids were running around like it was a Billy Madison graduation party. I like that the director Danny Boyle and crew were able to fly as many of the cast out as they could. They definitely took it all in. The reason I bring that up is that the movie really gives you a sense that it cares about the actors and the characters they portray. As a result the young actors, especially the children, shine. And since the actors are all unknowns, it reinforces the movie's theme of fate allowing one to overcome difficult odds.

Also, Andrew looks like Samir, the older brother.

Did I say Andrew? He looks more like a goomba. Does that mean Drew looks like a goomba?

The cinematography was great. Most of the movie took place in the sprawling slums of Mumbai. It shows third world poverty and overpopulation at its worst. Those visuals are so striking, all those people gotta be cg, right? It's unbelievable that people live in those conditions. Then they were able to create great chase sequences through this bustle. The setting also changes as time passes, although they do not do this as well as the astonishing City of God.

Speaking of which, Slumdog shares a lot thematically with City of God. Slumdog is set in the slums of Mumbai, City is set in the favelas of Rio. Both focus on the effects of poverty, violence, gangs, overpopulation, the values and flaws, the accomplishments and losses, and the humanity of those who live there. In slumdog, the main character Jamal maintains his purity and innocence. Fate then allows him to instantaneously leave his difficult circumstances behind, and get the girl. (Who grows up to be gorgeous. I wonder if he would still fall head over heels if she turned out to look like Juliet Lewis.) But how many people can fate allow to be on a game show?

She gets easily mistaken for Patrick Swayze

In City of God, all the characters struggled with their circumstances. There was no convenient escape. The characters in that movie had to choose to confront their society, or else be devoured by it. Rocket, the protag in City of God, was the closest to leaving the favela when he got a job as a photographer at a newspaper. But his assignment was to return to the favela to document what was taking place. In a memorable scene, he was stranded as a bystander in the middle of a gunfight.

City of God is a better movie, but Slumdog got the Oscar. It was the one I would have voted for out of those selected. It is more accessible than City of God, I guess. There were some dark and tense moments, but everything falls the way that we would want them to. I think it would be interesting to know what Jamal would do with his money, but unfortunately, the movie doesn't go there. If anything, he should spring for some dance lessons.

Which leads me to my turd in the punchbowl moment. Was the dance at the end of the movie necessary? It was out of place. It didn't fit the tone of the movie at all. I'm sure it was a nod to bollywood style movies, and maybe it was fun for those involved. But its still out of place. It would be akin to Benicio del Toro doing a Mexican hat dance at the end of Traffic. I knew some girls who would love to throw Bollywood parties, because they couldn't get enough of the kitsch and melodrama. I always thought that stuff was annoying.

This is Bollywood's Citizen Cane. I like it better than the American Superman and Spider Man movies,though.

So there we go. I was going to give it an A-, but I have to note that it had one of the worst soundtracks. I've ever heard.

Shudder. It's MIA. She has all the appeal of a kick to the min. Why is she still around?

That knocks it down to a B. But still recommended. Jai ho!!