Scattered Thoughts about What's Coming

[Okri]

I guess I just don't see why that would boost Slumdog that much more than Prop 8 did for Milk, and I think the correlation with the latter is much stronger.

[Big Magilla]

I am just as amazed at all this interest in Slumdog as all of you. Could it be the Mumbai blasts that has made the film stand out?

I intimated that and practically got lynched.

Certainly it's not the only reason, it just gave it more of an immediacy that it might not have otherwise had IMO.

But of course films made in and about India and Pakistan have been gaining in visibility in the last decade or so. It was only a matter of time before one of them broke through to mass market recognition.

[Reza]

Why do you think so, Reza? I think it's a possibility but how many times have the music branch passed over a composer seeking his first-time nomination...

I am just as amazed at all this interest in Slumdog as all of you. Could it be the Mumbai blasts that has made the film stand out?

Anyway, A.R. Rahman...although VERY famous in India, has won (or been nominated) for a number of awards now for this film and the Academy will follow suit. Remember he also has a Tony nod under his belt and, I think, an Olivier nod as well. So he is fairly ''international'' and a recognised name now. Though why the song from this film is being mentioned as a possible nominee is beyond me.

Bollywood has been on the ''brink'' for sometime now. Watch it amalgamate with Hollywood now.



Edited By Reza on 1232159366

[Okri]

I think a newish composer (not to India, obviously) working predominantly within a song score with a lot of people (it seems that every track on the CD is "Rahman feat. somebody") could easily hurt the film, but yeah - Popular films tend to get their scores swept in regardless (I'm thinking The Full Monty in particular, though that was back when there were two scoring categories.

Okay, so looking at the competition, it seems more likely now.

[rain Bard]

Because the majority of musical cues (often the most striking ones, though I know OscarGuy vehemently disagrees with me on this point) were reused from previously-composed Phillip Glass and Burkhard Dallwitz scores to other films. The Academy music branch deemed that voters would have too much trouble differentiating the newly-composed music from that originally composed for the film.

I could see something like that happening to the Slumdog Millionaire score, with its reliance on M.I.A., the game-show theme music, etc. But I do imagine we'd have heard about it by now if that were the case.



Edited By rain Bard on 1232148292

[Zahveed]

Plus, the Globe score winner usually gets the nomination if it is a film that is coming with other nominations (Atonement, Lord of the Rings, Gladiator, etc.). It is when they pick obscure choices (Legend of 1900, Painted Veil) or films deemed ineligible (Truman Show) that they falter. Their nominees don't necessarily have an impact, though.

Why was Truman Show ineligible?

[Big Magilla]

Barring some scandalous suggestion that the score was cribbed/plagiarized from another source I can't imagine it not being nominated. The score is a major component in the success fo the film. It's what gives it its bouyancy.

[FilmFan720]

Plus, the Globe score winner usually gets the nomination if it is a film that is coming with other nominations (Atonement, Lord of the Rings, Gladiator, etc.). It is when they pick obscure choices (Legend of 1900, Painted Veil) or films deemed ineligible (Truman Show) that they falter. Their nominees don't necessarily have an impact, though.

[OscarGuy]

I'll give you that, rain Bard, but the score has received 6 awards so far: Los Angeles Critics, New York Online Critics, San Diego Critics, Satellites, Broadcast Crtiics and Globes. That's not an insignificant number of awards... It's not like last year when Painted Veil took the Globe and one other award only.

[rain Bard]

The Globes are notoriously poor at predicting the Oscar's score category though.

[OscarGuy]

I'm going to have to agree with Reza to a small extent. While I am fairly certain it will get nominated for score, I'm not certain it's a lock. I think the song from the film is far more likely to get left off. Many of the precursors I see it down as a Score nominee, if they have a Song category, it's missing (the Globes, for example).

The music branch is just fickle in general, though. So anything is possible from them.

[Greg]

I think Greg probably overshoots in predicting $200 million, but $100 seems eminently doable.

You might find this an odd connection; but, seeing all this coverage of the successful airplane rescue in NYC reinforces my belief the Slumdog Millionaire will top $200 million.

[rain Bard]

Why do you think so, Reza? I think it's a possibility but how many times have the music branch passed over a composer seeking his first-time nomination...

[Reza]

I think art direction, score and the other song ("O Saya") are longshots, but within the realm of reason.

You are totally wrong about A.R. Rahman's score. It is a lock.

[Okri]

Right now, regarding Slumdog, I see eight nominations.

Best Picture/Director/Adapted Screenplay/Editing and Cinematography seem to be near certainties. Patel is in a solid position for supporting actor (enthusiasm for the film seems to be what will sweep him in, a la 02 for Chicago/John C. Reilly), sound design (busy work here) and song for "Jai Ho" are also major candidates.

I think art direction, score and the other song ("O Saya") are longshots, but within the realm of reason.

So 8 to 11 nods. If it happens to break the double digit barrier, no other film stands a chance.

Oh and BAFTA nominating Pinto made me laugh because really, even fans of the film will have to admit her work is nothing special (though she's gloriously beautiful and needs to present an oscar).