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
"...it is the weak who are cruel, and...gentleness is only to be expected from the strong." - Leo Reston
"Cruelty might be very human, and it might be cultural, but it's not acceptable." - Jodie Foster
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.
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.
Wesley Lovell
"Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both." - Benjamin Franklin
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.
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.
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.
Wesley Lovell
"Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both." - Benjamin Franklin
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.
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
