Slumdog Millionaire

[Postman]

Is it a good movie?

Thinking about going tonight to see this one ......or, The International

[Orangepeel]

1. Rottentomatoes says: Slumdog = fresh; International = rotten

I really liked Slumdog millionaire -- it's a fairy tale, but a well done one. I didn't see The International, but my husband said it had one great scene, but otherwise sucked.

[rrneck]

2. Unimpressed.

Nice escapism, but the plot is so tidy it borders on plot manipulation. Beautifully photographed. The first half is definately better than the last half.

[tigereye]

7. you thought that was escapism? It seemed like the opposite of escapism to

me. Interesting.

[rrneck]

9. Well, we certainly

get a good close look at life in India, and it ain't all roses by a long shot. The outhouse scene serves as quite a metaphor for the entire film.

I was thinking about the happy ending when the protagonist wins the money and gets the girl and even the brother finds redemption through an uncharacteristically selfless act which helps them escape from the crime boss. And that dance number at the end. Oy.

I'm not saying it was a bad movie - the plot just seemed a bit "tidy" for me.

Of course, in my case you have to figure in the curmudgeon factor... :)

damn typos

[nytemare]

10. Tidy is a kinder term than I used.

Contrived is what I called it. Although I thought it was entertaining, I couldn't set aside my disbelief.

[Writer]

13. I think the movie is incredibly overrated. n/t

[tigereye]

15. I didn't think his winning was the point - if it were just that, it would seem

contrived. The knowledge and misery that were required to win were the point.

[tigereye]

14. yeah, the ending seemed pure Bollywood, complete with the dancing..

but I thought the way that he told such an intense story about poverty and violence in the kind of framework that he did, was brilliant.


oddly, folks near Mumbai, where he filmed a lot of sequences, were complaining because they felt he misrepresented vibrant neighborhoods as slums...

[rrneck]

16. I agree. The

cinimatography was over the top and driving the plot in the context of the game show pushed things right along. It was skillfully executed.

Vibrant neighborhoods as slums... That's interesting. It brings into question one's expectations regarding standard of living doesn't it? As I think back, some scenes looked like slums to me, and others just looked like crowds of people who don't necessarily require a lot of glass and chrome in their lives.

[Critters2]

3. I'm dealing with the same dilemma.

Of the two, "The International" looks more interesting to me. But "Slumdog" is getting better reviews. What to do? What to do? Well, at least I get to use a smilie I've never used before: :dilemma:

[tigereye]

6. I thought it was a brilliant juxtaposition of poverty and the strength to escape

[sammythecat]

4. I liked it.

Not particularly memorable, but I don't think you'll be disappointed you went to see it.

[tigereye]

5. it's excellent - very inspiring, although intense

[Gormy Cuss]

8. Yes.

Not a great movie, but a good movie.

[gblady]

11. I did not like SM

too intense...and too graphic depictions of torture and child abuse.
Not my cup of tea.

[Writer]

12. The first half was very interesting, but it became a rather pedestrian love story in the second half

The movie is structured around an Indian game show, which is clever, but completely loses its intrigue when the viewer discovers just how conventional this movie truly is. It becomes cheesy and a bit campy at the end.

What could have been a deeply themed movie washes away with the passing of the boys' years.

Quite frankly, it isn't the best movie of the year.

[fishwax]

17. so -- what did you see (and what did you think?)

:shrug:

:)

[FloridaJudy]

18. I liked SM

The Bollywood ending felt contrived, but I can't really see any other way he could have ended it. It's Oliver Twist in Mumbai: Dickens had to tack on a feel-good conclusion too.

Thumbs up for absolutely stunning acting and cinematography.

[RagAss]

19. Personally, the love angle cheapened it.

[camera obscura]

20. I loved it. But it's not gritty/dark as you may expect. It's a love story and a bit of a fairy tale.