Current release: SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
So I finally get to see SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE, the forerunner for the big Oscars, having already scooped some major awards, not least the Golden Globes for best film, director and screenplay.
I like Danny Boyle. I can't say I like everything he's done - THE BEACH was a stinker - but in TRAINSPOTTING he created one of the most famous (and critically acclaimed) Scottish films; in 28 DAYS LATER he totally revitalised the zombie genre (yeah, they weren't technically zombies... whatever); SUNSHINE was a sci-fi flick whose lack of originality was all but forgotten about under the sheer thrill of it all; and MILLIONS is one of the best feel-good family flicks in many a year.
And those films sum up another reason why I like him - the guy just likes to try his hand at everything.
This time it's the story of a young lad from the Mumbai slums who somehow manages to get all the way to the end of the Indian version of WHO WANTS TO BE A MILLIONAIRE?, only to be accused of cheating and getting a nasty run in with the law. Flashbacks reveal his life story and how he really knows all the answers...
I'm not the first person to say this and I won't be the last, but leave all thoughts of reality at the door. The film hinges on such ludicrous coincidences that unless you buy into it completely you'll spend the rest of the film waiting for it to end.
The good news is that suspension of disbelief is easily done once the film gets going. An intriguing premise, a great young cast and pacing that moves the film along at a fair old clip does the job.
On top of that, the photography is stunning. You can almost feel the searing heat radiate throughout the cinema, whether it's in the filth of the Mumbai slums or the towering majesty of the Taj Mahal.
Unfortunately it's a victim of its own hype, or at least was for me. With the other Boyle films mentioned above, I knew little of them going in, so the surprise was all the more pleasant. SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE on the other hand comes into cinemas on a wave of awards season hype which, in my humble opinion, it never quite lives up to.
It is a joy, it is an excellent film and it probably deserves to win awards too. By all means stick this on your must-see list... but I still prefer MILLIONS.
I like Danny Boyle. I can't say I like everything he's done - THE BEACH was a stinker - but in TRAINSPOTTING he created one of the most famous (and critically acclaimed) Scottish films; in 28 DAYS LATER he totally revitalised the zombie genre (yeah, they weren't technically zombies... whatever); SUNSHINE was a sci-fi flick whose lack of originality was all but forgotten about under the sheer thrill of it all; and MILLIONS is one of the best feel-good family flicks in many a year.
And those films sum up another reason why I like him - the guy just likes to try his hand at everything.
This time it's the story of a young lad from the Mumbai slums who somehow manages to get all the way to the end of the Indian version of WHO WANTS TO BE A MILLIONAIRE?, only to be accused of cheating and getting a nasty run in with the law. Flashbacks reveal his life story and how he really knows all the answers...
I'm not the first person to say this and I won't be the last, but leave all thoughts of reality at the door. The film hinges on such ludicrous coincidences that unless you buy into it completely you'll spend the rest of the film waiting for it to end.
The good news is that suspension of disbelief is easily done once the film gets going. An intriguing premise, a great young cast and pacing that moves the film along at a fair old clip does the job.
On top of that, the photography is stunning. You can almost feel the searing heat radiate throughout the cinema, whether it's in the filth of the Mumbai slums or the towering majesty of the Taj Mahal.
Unfortunately it's a victim of its own hype, or at least was for me. With the other Boyle films mentioned above, I knew little of them going in, so the surprise was all the more pleasant. SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE on the other hand comes into cinemas on a wave of awards season hype which, in my humble opinion, it never quite lives up to.
It is a joy, it is an excellent film and it probably deserves to win awards too. By all means stick this on your must-see list... but I still prefer MILLIONS.
Labels: oscars
posted by Alan at 7:01 pm
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