Slumdog Millionaire

Slumdog Millionaire: An extraordinary motion picture from director Danny Boyle (Trainspotting). The premise of the movie is one that will have want-to-be screenwriters asking “why didn’t I think of that”. The story centers around Jamal Malik an Indian teen that grew up in the slums of Mumbai (Bombay) India and now finds himself on the game show Who Wants to be a Millionaire. The film is brilliantly structured. After each question that Jamal is asked on the show, the film cuts to a flashback of his rough childhood. In each circumstance we get an understanding of why Jamal knows the answer to the question being asked. The flashbacks also reveal more about Jamal’s life and his resilience to succumb to the evils around him while he pursues his true love, Latika. Latika was born in the same slum as Jamal, but circumstances separate them on more than one occasion. As Jamal answers more questions, the story completes itself by leading up to the 1 million dollar moment. The film is more than just rooting for the underdog, it is ultimately a salute to love and to the beauty of life itself. The cinematography, editing, and music have to be noted as they turn this remarkable story into a masterpiece. With the movie taking place in India over the span of roughly 15 years, it is easy to see the correlation between Jamal’s life and the progress the country made during that time. Simply put, this is one of the best films of 2008. It will make you want to cheer in the aisle. So if the question is: Ry, what should I go see at the theater this weekend? Slumdog Millionaire ......and that is my Final Answer.

Ry's Rating: A

If this movie had parents they would be: Born into Brothels & Quiz Show

With a runtimes of 118 minutes

This film is rated R

Religulous

Religulous: Bill Maher goes out on a ledge and dare I say - questions the validity of religion. He does so in a very Michael Moore kind of way, using tongue and cheek humor to prove his point. He opens up with a very strong statement – “Religion is a detriment to the progress of humanity”. This is a very fascinating point of view and one that most people are scared to touch, even with a ten foot poll. Over the next 90 minutes, he highlights how silly it is for people with any amount of intelligence to “literally” believe in some of the more bizarre stories of each religion. As I sat and watched him talk to people about various religions, I could not help but feel uncomfortable. I think that is fact enough that questioning the idea or truth of religion is taboo in our society. This is way too touchy of a subject for me to take sides on. I will just say that I am glad to see that someone finally had the guts to come out and make a film that will actually get people talking about the role religion should play in our day-to-day lives, politics/government, and humanity as a whole. This is in no way an attempt to smear a particular religion and favor another. Bill Maher is looking at the larger picture and questioning all religions and their motives. He also looks at those who profit in many cases from people who have strong faith. Not to be overlooked is the fact that this a very funny movie and this is coming from a guy who does not care for…..no, actually I should say hates Bill Maher. In the last 5 minutes of the film he gives his closing argument: so many religions speak of the Armageddon coming, but the fact is that the Armageddon may come as a result of people not being able to sort out their religious differences. This movie hopes to help people put everything into perspective…….lets pray it works.

Ry's Rating: B+

If this movie had parents they would be: The Passion of the Christ & Bowling for Columbine

With a runtime of 101 minutes

This film is rated R

W.

W: An Oliver Stone film about George W. Bush……is this going to be a thrashing or what? To my surprise, Oliver Stone took the straight road instead of taking his normal path that always bends around to the left. The result is a tamer look at W. the man with more of an emphasis on explaining the motives of his actions than making fun of him. Prior to seeing the film, I thought it was going to be a political satire. A satire it is not, making the film all the more interesting. Stone made a film that takes a much more serious look at the 43rd President of the United States. Josh Brolin plays George W. who did an excellent job playing him at many different stages of his life. The film goes back to George’s sloppy college days and does not try to conceal his partying lifestyle. These younger Bush scenes, drunk and out of control, are the funniest moments of the movie. Throughout the course of the film we see the strained relationship between George W. and his dad George Sr. (played by James Cromwell). The movie’s thesis is based on this relationship, suggesting that many of W’s actions were based on his desire to prove something to his dad and make him proud. The story ends with Bush leading the country into the Iraq war. It is these scenes with his cabinet (Cheney, Powell, Rice, Rumsfeld) that I found the most insightful. In the end I came away knowing a little more about Bush and strangely….I felt sorry for him.

Ry's Rating: B

If this movie had parents they would be: Nixon & Fahrenheit 9/11

With a runtime of 131 minutes

This film is rated: PG-13

The Wrestler - early review by CK

The Wrestler: Last Friday The 44th Annual Chicago International Film festival gave the Midwest its first look at “The Wrestler", directed by Darren Aronofsky (Requiem for a Dream, The Fountain) and starring the great Mickey Rourke (Angelheart, Sin City). Rourke plays professional wrestler Randy “Ram” Robinson 10 years past his prime. We follow him (the camera is literally behind Ram a good portion of the film) as he tries to regain old wrestling glory while attempting to mend a personal life that has left him broke and alone caused by his career as a professional grappler. Marisa Tomei also stars as his favorite stripper and Evan Rachel Wood as his daughter. We’ve seen this story before, but what sets this movie apart from the others is Rourke’s performance and the minimalist, slice-of-life filmmaking approach.

A Q & A with Aronofsky followed the screening. I asked him what his approach was when coming to the set everyday. He told us how “Pi”, “Requiem”, and “The Fountain” was his first trilogy and “The Wrestler” will start his next series of films. He talked about reinventing his filmmaking approach. I can’t wait to see what’s on the horizon. The Wrestler opens in December.

CK