Slumdog Millionaire

It isn't hard to imagine what my opinion of this movie was. I'm with the 94% on Rotten Tomatoes that thought it was excellent. I was captivated by the way the story shows all sides of India and that so much of the background is true. I'm sure that many of the people who live in India were upset at this film. It shows the gritty underbelly and if they wanted a pristine image of the country to be presented to the world, this was not the movie for India. However, it shows how resilient and resourceful their people are and I think that speaks volumes more than a series of pretty pictures. I have a feeling that more people will be intrigued by the idea of India as a place to visit than will be discouraged from it after seeing this film.

What was most striking to me was the way in which this movie conveys the information that you would find in a heartbreaking documentary about a child's life in the slums of Mumbai, but at the same time it is uplifting, funny and heartwarming. Amazing. The careful balance of pain and pleasure that makes this movie not only one that that you should see but one that you will want to see again and again.

Playing Catch-up Since The Oscars

Such excitement on Oscar night! I did not win our friendly little bet here at home but I did get an amazing number of answers correct. Guess I'm a good guesser!

I've actually watched quite a few movies since then but haven't gotten around to writing the blogs for them. I'll try to get back on the ball and write reviews for them over the next few weeks, but thought I could at least list them for posterity or general curiosity. On 2/23, we watched Transformers again (saw it in the theater), Michael Clayton sometime that week, American Gangster 2/28, Outfoxed 3/1, G.I. Jane 3/2, Across the Universe 3/7. I feel like there were some others in there, too, but can't think of any more at the moment. Henry has now gotten me hooked on Dexter and I will be watching way too much of that for the next month or so.

No Country for Old Men

Terrifyingly awesome.

That was the entirety of my review of this movie for about a week after watching it. Javier Bardem is still haunting my dreams and not in the cute Canary Islander way that he could be. He is quietly, methodically, yet also indelibly, terrifying in this movie as the character Anton Chigurh and I'm thankful that I'll never have to cross paths with that man or his freaky hair or the incessant coin tossing.

One of the aspects that I loved about this movie was the ending, or lack of one. Many people want there to be a pretty ribbon tied up around the stories of life and that just isn't how things play out. I like when art imitates life in this way and doesn't give us the ending we are expecting. I am a fan of this ending (and won't go into detail to avoid being a spoiler) but know that many people probably aren't as pleased. Those people probably also don't like thinking too much as a general rule in life, but I guess I'm being too hard on the general population. Ahhh... I digress... I also love the work of the Davids - Lynch and Cronenberg - and neither of them likes a pretty bow ending either, so maybe it just comes down to one's personal taste for the macabre, for which I have many taste buds in my being.

If you are going to see this movie you probably have a taste for violence on some level, since they don't shy away from it in the trailers and teasers. Overall, I thought it was quite good and so did Henry, as well as our movie-going friends, including my brother, Davis. Three thumbs up! I will say that I'm surprised by the number of Academy Award nominations it has received (tied for the most this year, that'd be 8, with There Will Be Blood). I am pretty sure Javier Bardam will win for Best Supporting Actor, but I'm not sure how it will fare in the other categories (Best Picture, Cinematography, Directing, Editing, Sound, Sound Editing, and Adapted Screenplay). We'll find out tomorrow night and I will update you then! Enjoy the Oscars!

Juno

This movie is hilarious. Going off the poster I would never have seen it. I knew nothing about it when I went to see it this past Thursday with my girl's night out group but I figured it couldn't be too bad. It is instead... wonderful! I can't wait to see it again! I would never have thought that about a movie about a pregnant 16 year old. However, as I type this I realize that one of my favorite t.v. shows was Gilmore Girls (also about a 16 year old who got knocked up).

The main character of this movie, Juno, has a similar sarcastic, almost acerbic, humor to the cast of Gilmore Girls and Veronica Mars. She struck me as a Daria come to life or even a young Janeanne Garofalo. I would have loved to have been her best friend in school and I'll find myself wondering and wanting to know what Juno is doing now that she's out of high school and making her way to stardom in a rock band or whatever her destiny may be.

Speaking of music, I want this soundtrack! It is very much Velvet Underground inspired and is filled with the sounds of the Moldy Peaches' Kimya Dawson. It quite a lot of fun. I look forward to owning both the soundtrack and the movie. Yes, this is a go see! (I'll have to review a crappy movie soon or you'll all think I've got no discerning taste!)

Here is a preview for you, in case you haven't seen it, or if you are like me and just love watching snippets over and over since you can't go pop in the DVD quite yet.