I have to say that in my longstanding tradition of not watching the Academy Awards, my vote for best picture finally won. If you haven’t seen Slumdog Millionaire (and you don’t mind a bit of blood and fast moving action) run, don’t walk, to see it while it’s on the big screen. Well shot, well acted, well told, Slumdog is a brilliant film centered around what’s been the downfall of many a man, mammon. Neither Nate or I have left a movie in a long time that was so satisfying on all fronts. And while on the topic of Slumdog, here’s a BBC story I found interesting,
“Slumdog children to be rehoused
Two child actors from the film Slumdog Millionaire will be moved from slums to new houses by Indian authorities.Rubina Ali and Azharuddin Ismail, who played young versions of two main characters, were discovered by casting agents in Mumbai’s Garib Nagar slum.
There was an outcry when it was found they were still living there after the success of the Oscar-winning film…”
Read more here.
P.S. The first comment has a spoiler so if you plan on seeing it, skip the comments!
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My husband and I enjoyed it too! I only wish I would have known at the beginning that it ended happy as I felt rather sick and nervous for most of the movie. I kept thinking maybe it would turn out to be one of those “art” films that ends in meaninglessness. I was so relieved and happy at the end that I almost danced with them ;o)
My husband and I went to India on a missions trip in 2004. Watching Slumdog was almost surreal in how perfectly accurately it portrayed India and the experience of being there. Although we were on the other side of India, in Calcutta, we most assuredly annoyed our fellow movie goers because we couldn’t contain our mutual amazement over the movie’s portrayal of the busy streets of India. We loved this movie and consider it one of the best movies we’ve seen in years. How wonderful that a movie could so movingly show sin at work in the world and redemption transforming a life without being your typical, poorly made, “Christian” movie that simply preaches it’s message without telling a story. After watching Slumdog, we both are ready to head back on another India working-trip!
I utterly adored that movie! I was very excited that it won Oscar recognition since the Academy tends to favor movies with the most bleak and depressing worldviews.
Sally,
I too enjoyed the ending. However, I also liked that it wasn’t predictable from the get-go.
As for the dancing, I say that no one beats Bollywood for a good, cheeseball, song and dance.
I will put this on our to-watch list…maybe it will hit Rebox soon(I’m too cheap to go to the theater! lol)
My husband and I loved the film. The dancing at the end made me laugh – I loved that they left things on a high note!
I am really surprised to see this movie recommendation on a Christian blog…it had such filthy language listed in the reviews…am I missing something??
http://www.screenit.com/movies/2008/slumdog_millionaire.html
Sarah,
You should check out the review from the screenit folks at,
http://www.screenit.com/ourtake/2008/slumdog_millionaire.html
They end by saying,
Operating on a number of levels, all of which work terrifically, “Slumdog Millionaire” is a superb piece of filmmaking that reassures viewers — usually bombarded with mediocre to horrific cinematic offerings — that movies can still surprise, enthuse and completely capture one’s heart and mind. It’s a must-see and rates as an 8.5 out of 10.
While I believe cuss count sites like screenit.com can be useful at times, especially when considering a movie for kids, the graphic content descriptions are often worse in print than in the film itself.
As for Slumdog, I still heartily recommend it to any adult, especially anyone interested in how to effectively tell a story. The Christian themes run deep. The violence, sexuality, and language are not gratuitous.
Watching “Slumdog” was a mistake for me. I just can’t handle graphic depictions of torture and abuse. This was up there on my list of Movies I Wish I’d Never Seen, right alongside “Bastard Out of Carolina” and pretty much any Holocaust movie ever made. I know that people do horrible things to other people…I don’t want to imbibe images of it in the name of entertainment.
Sorry you didn’t enjoy it, Valerie. Different strokes for different folk, eh? While I enjoyed Slumdog, I’m not one for Holocaust movies either. Reading a few reviews (I’m not speaking just of the screenit variety) before you catch a flick is always worthwhile. Between reviews and previews, I usually check a lot of movies off my must see list.
The one thing to keep in mind in these kinds of discussions is that just because a movie contains content that’s not your best, it’s not necessary immoral. On the flip-side, it’s not necessarily moral either.
Walk in wisdom with movies, just like anything else. And feel free to walk out or turn it off. And remember, usually movies rated “R” are rated “R” for a reason.
‘Zackly. I can understand why others would find this film a winner, but it’s just not something I ought to have watched.