Kathy and I saw SlumDog Millionaire at an independent movie theatre in Asheville, North Carolina a few weeks back while we were on the Christmas break.
I read some reviews and saw some hyped-up ads in the paper and on TV so we went and see this way overrated film instead of Milk. Plus, MILK was sold out. It was a captivating story but in the end the movie felt fake, forced, mechanical, noisy and overly sentimental, kinda like Forest Gump on steroids. Especially to an Asian like me, the movie was racist, exploitative and demeaning to Indians and South Asians. There were a lot of gratuitous violence, murders, explosions, and cheesy car chases. Yeah, I know it was a fantasy or a modern day fairy tale...I also failed to see where the humor was in this movie. Have you seen any other of Danny Boyle's previous films? I thought so. The Beach was a horrendous effort. Trainspotting was pretentious. This director definitely takes himself way too seriously. I prefer Gus Van Sant or the Cohen Brothers or even Woody Allen.
I do understand why the white American public would love this exotic, Bollywood-style, faux-hip MTV editing and self-indulgent glamorizing violence -that is why it just won a bunch of awards at the Golden Globe last night. Who cares? I hated the predictable typical Hollywood happy ending. Oh, and I hope people realize that the dance sequence at the end credits- that's typical of all Bollywood movies, so it's not that earth-shattering or revolutionary according to some of these reviews from major newspapers and magazines. Stereotypical, over-the-top, and catering to the Western mindset. Pretentious entertainment is my final verdict.
Not the worst movie I ever seen but it probably will win the Oscars just like Titanic (one of my all time least favorites).
ReInventing Mojo - Midbrow Humor. NSFW (Definitely Not Safe For Work)
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Movie Slumdogs
Once again I am struck by this rising to the surface of a shadowy battle; the clash of exports from the two great film-producing countries of the world, mediated by the old imperial master, Britain.
There are many good movies on Mumbai, classic like Anand or Kaagaz Ke Phool or Maqbool, but also the more urban-modern: Bombay, Company, Satya. All edgy in different ways, visually arresting, tugging at your emotions, musically vivid. And then, I recently saw Slumdog Millionaire and have watched its Dickensian appeal to the Western media, rising up in waves about the feel-good story of the underdog, the conceits, the pulsating music and truthful view of Mumbai like the Indians would never tell it, and the raw cinematography. The interviews with Dev Patel (where are you from really? London, really? You have never been to India??) and Freida Pinto (are you from India? Really? Sure you are not from Portugal?) and the excitement over Bollywood dancing over the ending credits.
Slumdog Millionaire? A decent Bollywood movie on a $13MM budget. Good production values. But great? Come on! Wake up. Watch a few really good Mumbai movies...like the other ones I mention above. And I am just talking about movies out of Mumbai. Don't get me started on Adoor and Ritwik and the other great movie makers that have suffered the fate of all subalterns. Danny Boyle vs. Guru Dutt vs. Mani Ratnam. Such sadness underlies one of the great loves of my life, and yet so much richness.
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