slumdog millionaire

Discussion in 'New Movies' started by Luxiebow, Jan 9, 2009.

  1. neim

    neim Member

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    i feel this movie fills pockets at the expenses of a very real situation.

    admiring this movie is jacking off to the mirror.
     
  2. bluesafire

    bluesafire Senior Member

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    Haha! Good job saying SPOILER WARNING. :D I overlooked your post because of it.

    I have a feeling I'm really gonna like this movie. I tend to be pretty forgiving and easy going with my criticisms of movies, as I prefer to enjoy them as much as possible. Especially given the quality of movies they're making in general these days...
     
  3. bluesafire

    bluesafire Senior Member

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    I LOVE jacking off to the mirror!
     
  4. nakedtreehugger

    nakedtreehugger craaaaaazy

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    i fucking loved this movie. i saw it yesterday, knowing almost nothing about it. i watched the oscars, and saw how much acclaim it got, and got a little of an idea what it was about (the slums in india) and figured it was time to go see it. for me to go see something in a theater is really something, because i almost always just wait until it comes out on DVD so i can just go ahead and burn it and not waste my money lining the pockets of extra rich actors and movie companies.

    that said, i'm SUPER glad i went to see it in the theater. it really brought the experience of running around a slum into my personal space. it got to me in a deep and emotional place, more than most movies.

    to all those who say that movies like this do nothing to help the world... i feel this is untrue. even if ONE person is opened up to the reality outside the bubble of their comfortable life, something good has been done. and the sheer volume of positive energy that movie sent... the idea that life isn't about money or winning or having a big fancy house or physical protection from gang leaders... it's about love. finding what makes you happy and following that with the utmost dedication. now THAT is an energy that this world needs more of, and i'm really glad to see that hollywood is in it's own fucked up and somewhat greedy way, is actually helping to spread the goodness. awesome things come in really strange packages sometimes, but i think that's good. :)

    but to speak about the movie itself. in cinematic terms, it was brilliant. filmed well, edited extraordinarily well, soundtrack was awesome, and i thought the actors were phenomenal. those kids did a fantastic job. i just wanted to take them home and adopt them. i also really liked the way the story was told, non-linearly. it made the film much more interesting. it told a story in terms of relevance. you have this whole story, which involves pretty much this kid's whole life. which is both daunting and kind of boring, to be told a life story from start to finish. but the story was told in such a way that groups of relevant themes and memories and tidbits get tied together regardless of time and space, and we get to see it in a whirling mix that feels much like a conversation. truly artistic and beautiful.

    if you haven't yet, GO SEE THIS FILM!!! it'll probably be out of the theaters by the next week or two, and it's amazing in the theater setting.
     
  5. bluesafire

    bluesafire Senior Member

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    Hey NTH do you think it's mild enough for a child of about age 9 to see it? We're not real strict with our girl, just don't want her to see the strong sexual or extra violent content, but would actually like to expose her to more realistic living conditions around the world.
     
  6. Luxiebow

    Luxiebow Senior Member

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    om, no I am not a control freak. I said in my post that obviously people will do what the want. Just felt like you were writing off words for no real reason and I don't like wasting my time. I don't expect everyone to agree w me, I would be interested in how or why someone didn't like this movie explaining it better than 'it sucks'.
    Don't know what Neim is saying about jacking off in front of the mirror, anyway. I have a son, he's only 6months but I probably would bring him to it. I plan on going to India w the charity zest for kids w him so he can realli see how lucky we are and what the world can be like and to fill him w as much compassion as we should have.
     
  7. Mountain Valley Wolf

    Mountain Valley Wolf Senior Member

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    Oh mannnn, Shale, now I don't need to go see it!!! (JUST KIDDING!!!)

    I read your spoiler post, but I knew it wouldn't change my mind about wanting to see it, but I was curious to hear what you were going to spoil---but it sounds even more interesting after reading that.

    As far as bringing young kids to the movie----I would say go for it (even though I haven't seen it yet). My son was born in the Philippines but we left when he was about 3. We went back last summer, and he saw the conditions for the first time at about 11---he was really touched by it. We took food and clothing to an orpahanage while we were there, and he vowed to come back and adopt as many of those kids as he could and bring them to America when he gets older. We were at a restaurant on the beach of Cebu Island, and he asked if he could take some food out to the poor kids trying to sell things they caught on the beach. We bought an extra couple of meals (of very delicious blue marlin steak) and brought them out to the kids.

    Movies have a big impact as well----we recently watched Killing Fields together. He thought it would be boring, but he really got into it, and we had a long conversation afterwards about the Khmer Rouge, and America's selfish and short sighted involvement. This lead into discussions about the bad things that America did in Vietnam. He began to really understand that the Vietnam war wasn't a cool combat thing (like kids his age think about wars, thinking how cool all that military stuff is). He really began to understand that the VC were largely South Vietnamese peasants suffering under the tyranny of a US lead government. He realized the sad situation of all the innocent people---kids, women, fathers, who were killed. And the sad loss of young American boys too. This turned into a really good in-class conversation with his Junior High social studies teacher who told me at a later conference how impressed he was on his knowledge of what went on then. But it really got him to thinking about the horrible injustice that goes on in this world.

    I would take them, and then talk to them about it afterwards. I hope I can get a chance to see it this weekend. I will surely take my son.

    But for Neim's sake----I'll try very hard to be disappointed if anyone turns into a millionaire at the end of the movie, or achieves any success. I mean, what kind of happy ending is that, right Neim? A happier ending would be like the ending suggested in an old National Lampoon magazine article on how to write good----it said when you run out of ideas, just have everyone get runover by a truck. Yes---that would be better. And then they could cut like an hour off the movie, right Neim?

    And why shold moviemakers be paid, right Neim? You know, they should be incented to make movies just to make movies----why should they expect money to make good movies?

    Too many happy movies? Most movies I've seen come out of Asia have sad endings. The Japanese and Filipino's both thrive on hopeless stories, that suddenly things seem to be going right, but then everything turns bad----and it ends in a hopeless sadness where the only choice is to go on with life after having suffered a great loss. It seems to me that the world's bars are filled with these stories. And then on top of that... ...suddenly everyone got hit by a truck
     
  8. bluesafire

    bluesafire Senior Member

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    Please don't presume to know my reasons for anything. And how you spend your time is completely up to you, but dictating to others how they should post is a control mechanism and only appropriate for mods. Are you a mod?

    Well it certainly works to request that information, not to demand it.
     
  9. bluesafire

    bluesafire Senior Member

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    If I get a chance I may go ahead and take her, but it may work out that we'll have to go without her, depending on the logistics this week.

    I think I see Neim's point actually. (Neim, please correct me if I'm not reading your right.) It's not so much about someone becoming a millionaire, it's about the fact that one person achieves a level of affluence that isn't shared by so many (who are actually doing without some basic needs), creating a situation of inequality and heirarchy. Like, how can we celebrate one while ignoring all the rest?

    That's the perspective anyway. There are other perspectives of course.
     
  10. lavender waze

    lavender waze Member

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    aw come on, neim. no need namecall. was addressing only your specific post regarding the money/good karma.
    we're just sharing our different views and so what if we disagree? about this one thing? SO FAR! :D
     
  11. bluesafire

    bluesafire Senior Member

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    We decided to watch it on the internet last night. Not the ideal movie watching experience, but sufficient I think, especially for the $ we saved. There are few movies I care to see in the theaters these days. I'm holding out for the next Harry Potter film.

    Anyway, I liked the movie. I don't think it's the best one I've ever seen or that it was excellent, but it was good. What made it good, in my opinion, is the glimpse into the lives of people who experience true deprivation and danger on a regular if not daily basis. Especially when witnessing this from the perspective of children, that sense of inequity is communicated even more vividly, drawing forth our empathy and compassion, or at least ideally so. I especially liked the main character and his fierce loyalty and determination regarding the girl. This movie really tugged at the heartstrings.

    By the way, that girl (older version) was just gorgeous! Did anyone else think so? (sorry if I missed prior posts if someone already said that.)

    What made the movie shy of excellent, in my opinion, was the fact that it was rose-colored and idealistic. I know the intent was to make it a feel-good movie at the end, and they achieved that, but at the expense of authenticity. This is a story of what people DREAM would happen, not what actually happens in real life. Perhaps the idea of it was that it's a way for people to stomach looking at the realities by having a happy ending they can focus on, otherwise just the harsh realities themselves would be too much to bear and people would turn off due to too much "negativity".

    This was a story of a "hero" who was destined for the "good life" at the end of a time of trial and suffering. He becomes a symbol for people to identify with in order to escape their misery. But does that really help? Escaping into a fantasy? The message was that luck and money is the salvation that people are looking for. Perhaps a better message would be to help people see the opportunity that exists in their lives right now, as they are, where they are. The opportunity to spiritually surrender in a way that transforms the suffering into a different experience of life. Now that kind of movie I would call "excellent".
     
  12. Mountain Valley Wolf

    Mountain Valley Wolf Senior Member

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    Bluesafire, have you seen Salaam Bombay?
     
  13. neim

    neim Member

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    its silly to applaud a movie that uses an actual and terrible situation just for the fake movie emotions... i mean i would feel dirty to take an award for this movie...

    i love art and i love movies, but this is cheap.


    lol i imagine some couple going out the theater and the man going to his wife:"i'm happy things turn out ok for them..."
     
  14. lode

    lode Banned

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    I disagree with Blues completely. The movie had no responsibility to show rough street life of India, nor offer people advice on transcending it, it was a personal tale of the fortune of Jamal, not a moral homilie on poverty.

    It was a comedy and it stayed true to that the whole way through. It was just unwilling to hide from the slums... I think it would have been dishonest to the film to attempt what you'd call 'excellent.'
     
  15. lode

    lode Banned

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    I could have saved more!
     
  16. Shale

    Shale ~

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    I guess being much older than you I have become numb to this. I grew up on dreadful movies that exploited my emotions.

    Old Yeller ... boy had to shoot his own beloved dog that saved his life. Bambi ... momma got shot and died leaving Bambi an orphan. Disney is a fiend!

    Life is full of actual and terrible situations. Like I said earlier, just watch or read the news.

    Now, are you proposing that we not dramatize any such actual and terrible situations for entertainment? I know that argument came up with Platoon even tho it was over a decade removed from the Vietnam war. It also came up with 911 just a couple years removed.

    Frankly, I like escapism. I would just as soon see romatic comedies, sci-fi and superhero movies myself and almost didn't see this one because it seemed too steeped in the actual and terrible situation.

    This weekend the only movie that seems worth seeing is Two Lovers with Joaquin Phoenix (who at present is acting like a nutcase). It got good reviews but I think it portrays a terribly dysfunctional family like so many that are actually around. Should I avoid this movie?
     
  17. neim

    neim Member

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    hey i'll say it again...

    A-people are like you and me.
    B-people are living like SHIT.
    C-people are now bored.

    C-people are paying A-people for a history based on a fake, entertaining version of a current, real and morbid truth witch compromises the health and wellbeing of B-people.

    A-people are rich now and searching for new ideas.
    B-people are still suffering with no clue of what just happen.
    C-people are now entertained.


    yes, i also blame your age.
     
  18. bluesafire

    bluesafire Senior Member

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    I think you misunderstood me. I don't hold the opinion that the movie "should have" or "had the responsibility to" do anything other than what it did, I simply rated it according to my personal opinion.
     
  19. bluesafire

    bluesafire Senior Member

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    no, I haven't.
     
  20. bluesafire

    bluesafire Senior Member

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    We can say that there are 2 main purposes for making movies:

    1. entertainment value
    2. promotion of awareness

    Sometimes the two are blended together, but usually one stands out as the predominant focus. In the case of Slumdog Millionaire, I believe entertainment was the primary focus of the producers, which is fine for what it was. Some of us prefer entertainment value more, some prefer promotion of awareness more. That doesn't mean we can't enjoy them or find value in both, which I do.
     

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