Last Seen Movie - The Latest Movie You Have Seen; ratings

dreaMaker · Post by **dreaMaker** » Fri Dec 05, 2008 5:30 pm

Burn After Reading

7.5/10

Original (The Coens...), intelligent and fun!
McDormand is great.

danfrank · Post by **danfrank** » Wed Dec 03, 2008 9:26 pm

I also thought Dev Patel's was a very wooden performance. The kid who played the littlest Salam (I think that was his name), however, was just a delight. I'm generally not much for cute screen kids but I have to say I kinda fell in love with this kid. The movie, though, not so much. Did anybody else have problems with the pacing? It started out gangbusters and then lost its momentum somewhere in the middle. I think it's crazy that this is being considered for Best Editing.

Post by **Okri** » Wed Dec 03, 2008 8:47 pm

But we've been discussing the oscar prospects of Revolutionary Road damn near a year now. The Reader is on it's fifth page in our movie thread, and only one to two people have seen it. I find it odd that Slumdog Millionaire is the target of people's "oh, that AGAIN" complaints, as if it were The Dark Knight or something.

Sabin · Post by **Sabin** » Wed Dec 03, 2008 7:31 pm

Interesting. I had the complete opposite reaction -- I thought the material was very interesting but think Dev Patel would be a strong candidate for Damien's Mechanical Performance Award.

Let me amend that: Dev Patel is fine. There's not much for him to do and quite clearly this is the performance that Danny Boyle wanted. He's not fantastic but he's pretty good. Compared to Gabe Nevins of 'Paranoid Park' and Alejandro Polanco of 'Chop Shop', he's absolutely nothing to talk about.

The problem the romance doesn't work is that it's not in the script! There's no foundation in their childhood for such lifelong obsession and for such a flashback/forward-happy film, Boyle doesn't even deign to show his obsession building amidst shenanigans with his brother. it's not on the page and it's not on the screen. The two leads generate no chemistry but when could they as adults? They're barely in any shots together. They just gaze at each other. It's because Danny Boyle isn't interested in their love.

Edited By Sabin on 1228350886

Post by **Penelope** » Wed Dec 03, 2008 7:14 pm

The Original BJ wrote:I'm puzzled that people are sick of hearing about this film. I don't know a single person in real life who's seen it yet, and barely anyone on this board has commented on it -- and certainly no one here has proclaimed it as the second coming.

It's been buzzed about on the net--and here--for at least the past 3 months. To me, it's at the point of overhype. And, yeah, I still haven't seen it.

Edited By Penelope on 1228349685

Post by **The Original BJ** » Wed Dec 03, 2008 7:03 pm

Sabin wrote:Dev Patel is fantastic with what he is given but his character is a total blank slate.

Interesting. I had the complete opposite reaction -- I thought the material was very interesting but think Dev Patel would be a strong candidate for Damien's Mechanical Performance Award.

Actually, I think the main reason the central romance doesn't absolutely soar is the flatness of the two lead actors.

I'm puzzled that people are sick of hearing about this film. I don't know a single person in real life who's seen it yet, and barely anyone on this board has commented on it -- and certainly no one here has proclaimed it as the second coming.

Post by **OscarGuy** » Wed Dec 03, 2008 6:59 pm

I think the title is the whole reason I have had a problem with the film. I do get tired of hearing it...and it's gotten that early buzz that tends to annoy people when over-emphasized. I also think that could be one of the reasons A) why people don't actually watch it no matter how much it's recommended to them and B) why it could lose because people might like the film, but hate the title.

Sabin · Post by **Sabin** » Wed Dec 03, 2008 6:49 pm

Just hearing it? It's like the name 'Little Miss Sunshine' or 'Doctor Zhivago'. It conjures an emotional sensation completely anathema to the moviegoing experience. "Oh, 'Slumdog Millionaire! It's a beautiful story of love and destiny!"...in which destiny and love aren't even set-up rudimentary.

Post by **flipp525** » Wed Dec 03, 2008 6:45 pm

The title is starting to annoy me, frankly.

Sabin · Post by **Sabin** » Wed Dec 03, 2008 6:43 pm

I understand why people like it but if you are going to go overboard on the hyperkinetic excesses of Danny Boyle's stylings of which I have enjoyed in the past, then there must be the foundation for relatable characterization and 'Slumdog Millionaire' is strongly lacking in some of those areas. I don't blame the actors, I blame the script and the director's lack of interest in character. Dev Patel is fantastic with what he is given but his character is a total blank slate. I don't think it's outwardly a bad movie but I was disappointed its simplistic intention to fetishize slumdog rise and fall. I like 'City of God', and didn't like 'Across the Universe' for many reasons, but I think those movies were far purer in at least filmic intent.

Post by **OscarGuy** » Wed Dec 03, 2008 5:34 pm

I've seen Slumdog and I like it. I don't love it, but I like quite a bit of it. Dev Patel does turn in a wonderful performance, though some of the rest of the cast are less than impressive. I think if you took the frenetic storytelling of City of God and blended in the Aww Gosh romanticism of Across the Universe, you might have Slumdog Millionaire.

Sabin · Post by **Sabin** » Wed Dec 03, 2008 5:18 pm

I'm surprised that it seems not many on this board has seen it already. It's not just that 'Slumdog Millionaire' isn't the second coming. It's that I struggle to even recommend the damn thing. One would have to be positively inept to fuck up the most charming aspects of the film, but it's something of a jittery disaster that's intermittently ranging from enjoyable to very enjoyable. I think it has a strong chance of winning Best Picture but it will rank beside 'Crash' and 'A Beautiful Mind' as infuriating winners; at least one can sit through 'Crash' and 'A Beautiful Mind' and not throttle into seizure.

The score by A.R. Rahman is very good.

Post by **Heksagon** » Wed Dec 03, 2008 5:12 pm

I haven't watched a lot of films lately... these are five most recent ones:

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (Robert Wiene, 1919) 10/10

One of my personal favourites, I hadn't seen it in a long time.

Man of Aran (Robert J. Flaherty, 1934) 9/10
Seven Brothers (Wilho Ilmari, 1939) 5.5/10
The Five Venoms (Chang Cheh, 1978) 5/10
The Moment of Truth (Francesco Rosi, 1965) 5.5/10

Post by **Penelope** » Wed Dec 03, 2008 11:23 am

flipp525 wrote:
Sabin wrote:Slumdog Millionaire
5.5/10

Probably not this bad but despite moments of grandness, as disingenuous as anything this year.

Good. I'm sick of hearing that it's the second coming of Jesus Christ already.

Amen to that.

Post by **flipp525** » Wed Dec 03, 2008 8:42 am

Sabin wrote:Slumdog Millionaire
5.5/10

Probably not this bad but despite moments of grandness, as disingenuous as anything this year.

Good. I'm sick of hearing that it's the second coming of Jesus Christ already.

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Last Seen Movie - The Latest Movie You Have Seen; ratings