Before rediff publishes it.... Story is about a new born baby who's born old. So its almost an 80- 90 year old baby which's born on the day World War-I ends to Mr. Button's house. Mother dies immediately after birth and father is horrified and leaves it on the steps of an old age home. Taraji P Henson plays the african american step mom (And she does a great job but I didn't find its worth a nomination for Oscars..don't know how she got it) to this old baby who's considered as suffering from all old age ailments including cataract in eyes, arthritis in legs etc. and given time of few days to live. But baby grows up and mentally he's just a kid of 7 years while body of 70 person. Old age home is full of oldies who keep on dying one after the other as years pass by and our baby keeps getting younger. Great makeup by the artists in Hollywood. From the oldest to youngest..their face resemble Brad Pitt so much that even he'll be surprised. In this old age home our old baby meets an 8 year old grandchild of an oldie and makes friends when they are roughly 12 each. Few more years later when his head is covered with Hair our Brad pitt goes out to see the world on a small sailing ship (kind of big boat actually) after making friends with captain and working for him. Meets up with Tilda Swanson and falls in love with her..she's already married they do those things...she leaves him....his ship and crew enlists in World War-II to beat the japanse so our hero takes part in little action
Re: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
by Test It on Jan 24, 2009 08:01 AM
Basically he doesn't do anything except to be at the side of his dying captain. After war is over he leaves for old age home again. He kept on sending the picture post cards with little messages to the young girl allthis while as she asked him to. Young girl becomes ugly Cate Blanchett who is a free spirited woman dancing away her time in some dance troupe. She happens to drop by and meets him. Brad guy is falling in love with her but she has no time cause she has lots of other male friends. Interestingly if this was to happen in real life even in 1940s this would have become a scientific wonder but nobody who knows it like Brad's mom or girlfriend care about it. Brad keeps getting younger day by day and likes it very much..Starts riding bike and again meets the ugly Cate blanchett and this time around both are in their late 30s or early 40s and they start living together..lots of those kind of scenes follow and then after a baby...one fine day Brad leaves the ugly Cate. He had a discussion beforehand that she can't raise two kids cause he was to become a kid sooner. Then they show Brad roaming around the world again..even in India washing dishes outside his jhuggi...that was funny..he comes back again as very young teenager Brad. By this time Cate has married a guy but both again meet in Hotel room..do that for one last time and she leaves...After few minutes they show a yound kid with amnesia is found somewhere and he is allowed to live in old age home as per a directive
Re: Re: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
by Test It on Jan 24, 2009 08:09 AM
left by the old caretaker..his step mom. From here on Cate takes care of him and later when he forgets everything as he grows younger because mentally he's become 80-90 yr old she takes him home. One fine day a new born baby with blue eyes closes his eyes in Cate's lap. I didn't tell you that movie runs in narrative left by Brad while he could still remember and is being read by his daughter who didn't know anything about him. She's reading it out to old Cate on deathbed when hurricane Katrina is approaching. Later on some part of story is told by Cate and her daughter is angry cause when she met Brad he was just few years elder to her and Cate introduced him as some nephew etc...Overall a nice movie with a unique plot. Decent performances by everyone. Fun part is limited to a old guy who was hit by lightning 7 times and keeps narrating how it happened every time. Opening and closing of the movie was great than overall movie. This movie is better and may win an award or two in Oscars.
I saw this movie last year along with "the curious case of benjamin button". After it won Golden Globe I watched it again to see what was in it that it won a Golden Globe. Trust me nothing except great camerawork. Nothing at all. And I saw the true to original print just in case you want to know. Nominated movies are easily available for download on torrent as they are ripped from original dvds which goes out for juries review.
Slumdog indeed is a good movie and I would rate is 3 stars. However there is nothing so great or exceptional about the movie that it could even be nominated for an award except for cinematography. Rahman's music is substandard and I doubt if its his or his juniors. Now, I know why on his photos he appears as if he's sorry to have won it.
If this movie can win so many awards then I'm sure awards are rigged. Its a Warner Bros movie and they might have pulled some strings. Danny Boyle's earler movie Trainspotting was also no great masterpiece as the few people call it. If you are the one who believes it was a great masterpiece then you'll find this a masterpeice as well. Again I am repeating movie is good so don't feel you'll loose your money but if you actually want to see a movie which moves you; you should be watching some other movie.
Re: Factual review
by Prabhakar KRISHNA on Jan 24, 2009 07:40 AM
The test of a hit/good music is that how many discs have been sold. I doubt if you would buy this. Rahman has done much better work. Si I agree with T I that this is a rigged award. It always was !! Go through the great movies of yesteryears and you will find that some of them were not even nomonated for oscar !!!!
I think Taare zameen par would have also been nominated for oscar if the child was shown as a filthy starving slum boy and the the teacher a slumdweller teaching in toilet shed and as a slumdweller shitting on the roadside. It would hve caught the ATTENTION of the jury !!!!!!!!!!
Re: Slum fest
by Guest on Jan 25, 2009 07:24 AM
I agree. TZP was definitely a better movie than Slumdog. In spite of being an intense movie, SM fails to evoke the emotions. You can watch SD and forget about it in an hour. TZP stays with you for a much longer time.
to all people who suport slumdog shit, watch curios case of benjamin button instead . The story dont have any logic at all but the way they have tshot the movie is brilliant, making u belive that this can actually happen. brillaint acting from brad pitt & co and awsome photography....n those who cry about the slum and slum life in India, where were u when Madhur Bhandarkar came out with his TRAFFIC SIGNAL......?NO body made such a fuss about that movie at that time...or is it like we can only sympathise when some western director makes a movie on that subject>?the story line of slumdog is pretty predictable which is like any of the 80s bollywood movies.....so why making such fuss guys.....appreciate some good movies not som hyped ones
Re: oscar nomination
by Chaman Bahar on Jan 24, 2009 02:04 AM
it's not about the slums you moroon, it's the script and direction. slumdog has nothing to do with slums. Traffic Signal LOL!
Re: Re: oscar nomination
by Prabhakar KRISHNA on Jan 24, 2009 06:38 AM
I think Taare zameen par would have also been nominated for oscar if the child was shown as a filthy starving slum boy and the the teacher a slumdweller teaching in toilet shed and as a slumdweller shitting on the roadside. It would hve caught the ATTENTION of the jury !!!!!!!!!!
Re: Re: oscar nomination
by antony jacob on Jan 24, 2009 10:15 AM
i pity u mate ...if u were so much into screen play nn direction watch benjamin button n then reply...n u tell me wats so special in the story ...brothers gettin seperated ...lost in love n finally everything comes to a happy ending ...how many times u have seen these kind of movies in bolly wood? open ur eyes n watch some good movies also n then try to reply...i did n try to justify traffic signal as a movie..i jus mentioned it cos everyone was talking about the slumb and the kind of life people lead over there....understand u f face
I watched this movie today and wasted my 2hours of sleep, so why not write a bit here to save time for others? The reviewer is bang on target w.r.t the shortcomings of this film.illogical,incoherent and many loopholes as well.First of all,the reality show is for 1Million dollars=almost 5 crore rupees.And they keep repeating 1 crore.The final prize money should be almost 10crores!There are many editorial slips as well..while the kids have acted nicely,the grownups are very average.The storyline itself is so predictable and bland.This may appeal for the west for whatever reason, but its as gooor bad as any average Hindi/Indian film. We have made much better films in India than this.If this movie gets an oscar for any reason,that must be for India apeacement and nothing else.
Re: Super hyped trash!
by abhishek on Jan 24, 2009 01:08 AM
Would be a lot better if you keep watching Rajni and SRK movies. Do not waste your time on movies which you can not appreciate.
Re: Super hyped trash!
by Rekha on Jan 24, 2009 01:01 AM
Why would a reality show based in India give prize money in dollars??? They keep repeating 2 crore rupees..maybe you slept off during the movie since you found it trash ;)
Re: Re: Super hyped trash!
by Prabhakar KRISHNA on Jan 24, 2009 06:32 AM
sri is right and the Abhishek and Rekha denouncing him ?? well there is no dearth of yuppies blinded by everything WEST !!!???
Re: Re: Re: Super hyped trash!
by Prabhakar KRISHNA on Jan 24, 2009 06:36 AM
I think Taare zameen par would have also been nominated for oscar if the child was shown as a filthy starving slum boy and the the teacher a slumdweller teaching in toilet shed and as a slumdweller shitting on the roadside. It would hve caught the ATTENTION of the jury !!!!!!!!!!
Gem of a movie. Excellent direction and fine performances by all the actors including the slum children. I would like the group to perform the dance number Jai Ho at the Oscars. The lead actors along with the slum actors and Bollywood dancers should recreate the dance number on stage at the Oscars with a Railway Platform setting as was in the film. I believe that all numbers nominated are performed live at the Oscars. What better way than than this opportunity to showcase our Bollywood dancing to North American audiences ? They may pick up the moves after watching the dance at the Oscars.
the review is quite engrossing and well written..but then slumdog millionaire is heartwarming at its core..the kids in particular are more enchanting than the adults..but the scene where the kid dives into a pool of shit to get big b s autograph was so puke inducing..outright disgusting.none of the adult performances stay with u and a.r .rehmans music is strictly ho-hum..just listen to his delhi-6. its awesome and so much more fresh and innovative. must say frieda pinto looks very photogenic and can try her luck in bollywood.too over-hyped.
sumit's review is very bold and informative but yet exaggerated at some points.we indians only know how to hype.............and eventually dilute the theme and feel of the movie.I agree that over hyping will definitely spoil the mood of the film
But at most critics aspect the movie has come out well.
He has tried to do the usual reviewing formula of logic reasoning.tats actually good and innovative.but he has just done a fugging piece of reverse psychological review.
watch the next crtically acclaimed movie without hype and learn how to shun the usual indian masala crap.
Re: what a review..............
by abhishek on Jan 24, 2009 01:12 AM
Bang on target! The reviewer went along with his pre conceived notions due to all the hype. Yes, there are some things illogical in this movie, but isn't this fiction? Is it a documentry? Overall the movie was excellently made. Screenplay, cinematography, editing, sound mixing, everything was amazing. Special mention to the child actors, they were the life of the movie.
