percy toboggan
11-Jan-09, 20:35
Many of you will have deduced I love my dvd's and often wax lyrical within my limited abilities to do so. I'm becoming a bit of a couch-slouch of late but today resolved to 'get out more' I managed it to the flicks....
Some films seem to cry out for a first viewing at 'The Cinema' ...'Saving Private Ryan' ...'Titanic' ...and into this category slides 'Slumdog Millionaire'...no so much a film as a cinematic experience.
The theatre was cold...outside it was yet another cheerless Lancashire afternoon with an increasingly bitter wind that carved lumps off you as it went straight through. We arrived a little too early at the third of our choice of local 'multpilex' paying just over a tenner to get two of us in out of the cold.
Legroom was incredible - about ten feet...and the place was less than half full in spite of my dire warnings of it selling out - no chance....not enough people interested I guess in the fate of an Indian slum kid...but word will spread. The seat was comfy...might I fall asleep (again?) no chance...not to-day. As the ads - many funded to my bafflement by the BBC in a search for younger viewers - passed over my head I was mildly surprised to see a fairly graphic anti-gonnorhea / chlamydia film - we never had those back when going to ther flicks was a weekly passion of mine. The Usherette at the Essoldo in Chorlton-cum-Hardy would have dropped her lollies!
Apologies if I've spelt 'em wrongly - they're strangers to me. My life has been sheltered...a bit like a bus stop really. One shiney good looking one came along... I got on it and bought a ticket to the terminus.
Any road up back to Slumdog.. - - you have to go and see this film if...
a) you care a fig about people, no matter their skin tone.
b)you like Indian music
c) Don't believe the stories about this beinbg a 'feelgood' movie because it isn't. I'd not have gone to the trouble of going to the cinema to see a 'feelgood' film...I'm happily grumpy much of the time. Those who think this is 'feelgood' lack a social conscience...assuming they have a brain in which to house one.
d)You enjoy quizzes
e)like most people with an ounce of human decency you enjoy the triumph of good over evil.
This is no 'Mamma-Mia' it won't plaster a silly grin over your face nor will it give you good dreams.
The scenes of the aforementioned slums are an affront to decency. Acre upon acre of corrugated tin rooves which shelter millions of the helpless and the truly hopeless. For hope must be in short supply in such a terrible place. The high buildings which are rising alongside the shanty might offer some of course...a job in a call centre as a 'phone-basher' perhaps.
From such a hive of overcrowded industry comes our hero. In unlikely guise.
The film is a series of flashbacks detailing Jamal's life so far. And what a life it had been. I'll not spoil it for you but he somehow survived childhood with only mental scars and many of his contempories were not so lucky. His big brother Salem had a hand in said survival and the love of his like Latika drove him on. The evil that men do is well depicted. It doesn't stop the lad arriving on the telly facing a 20,000,000 million Rupee question before a 90,000,000 audience. Add to the mix a quiz host who makes Chris Tarrant look as innocent and charming as er...Michael Miles anyone?
Any fantasy can engineer the outcome. This one was unlikely , but apt. Two hours plus flew by...
...We exited in darkness talking about what we'd just seen - always a good sign. My Shining Omnibus was gushing in her praise. I was slightly taken aback by this down to earth woman's enthusiasm but had to admit we'd just enjoyed a film extravaganza.
A decidedly human story in a place where humanity teems, and the currency of survival is a little less of a lottery now that prosperity for some is knocking at the door but they have a long, long way to go. This was an eye opener and puts the credit crunch in perspective.
If you DO go then DO NOT LEAVE before the end credits have rolled.
Some films seem to cry out for a first viewing at 'The Cinema' ...'Saving Private Ryan' ...'Titanic' ...and into this category slides 'Slumdog Millionaire'...no so much a film as a cinematic experience.
The theatre was cold...outside it was yet another cheerless Lancashire afternoon with an increasingly bitter wind that carved lumps off you as it went straight through. We arrived a little too early at the third of our choice of local 'multpilex' paying just over a tenner to get two of us in out of the cold.
Legroom was incredible - about ten feet...and the place was less than half full in spite of my dire warnings of it selling out - no chance....not enough people interested I guess in the fate of an Indian slum kid...but word will spread. The seat was comfy...might I fall asleep (again?) no chance...not to-day. As the ads - many funded to my bafflement by the BBC in a search for younger viewers - passed over my head I was mildly surprised to see a fairly graphic anti-gonnorhea / chlamydia film - we never had those back when going to ther flicks was a weekly passion of mine. The Usherette at the Essoldo in Chorlton-cum-Hardy would have dropped her lollies!
Apologies if I've spelt 'em wrongly - they're strangers to me. My life has been sheltered...a bit like a bus stop really. One shiney good looking one came along... I got on it and bought a ticket to the terminus.
Any road up back to Slumdog.. - - you have to go and see this film if...
a) you care a fig about people, no matter their skin tone.
b)you like Indian music
c) Don't believe the stories about this beinbg a 'feelgood' movie because it isn't. I'd not have gone to the trouble of going to the cinema to see a 'feelgood' film...I'm happily grumpy much of the time. Those who think this is 'feelgood' lack a social conscience...assuming they have a brain in which to house one.
d)You enjoy quizzes
e)like most people with an ounce of human decency you enjoy the triumph of good over evil.
This is no 'Mamma-Mia' it won't plaster a silly grin over your face nor will it give you good dreams.
The scenes of the aforementioned slums are an affront to decency. Acre upon acre of corrugated tin rooves which shelter millions of the helpless and the truly hopeless. For hope must be in short supply in such a terrible place. The high buildings which are rising alongside the shanty might offer some of course...a job in a call centre as a 'phone-basher' perhaps.
From such a hive of overcrowded industry comes our hero. In unlikely guise.
The film is a series of flashbacks detailing Jamal's life so far. And what a life it had been. I'll not spoil it for you but he somehow survived childhood with only mental scars and many of his contempories were not so lucky. His big brother Salem had a hand in said survival and the love of his like Latika drove him on. The evil that men do is well depicted. It doesn't stop the lad arriving on the telly facing a 20,000,000 million Rupee question before a 90,000,000 audience. Add to the mix a quiz host who makes Chris Tarrant look as innocent and charming as er...Michael Miles anyone?
Any fantasy can engineer the outcome. This one was unlikely , but apt. Two hours plus flew by...
...We exited in darkness talking about what we'd just seen - always a good sign. My Shining Omnibus was gushing in her praise. I was slightly taken aback by this down to earth woman's enthusiasm but had to admit we'd just enjoyed a film extravaganza.
A decidedly human story in a place where humanity teems, and the currency of survival is a little less of a lottery now that prosperity for some is knocking at the door but they have a long, long way to go. This was an eye opener and puts the credit crunch in perspective.
If you DO go then DO NOT LEAVE before the end credits have rolled.