The lull between Christmas and New Year is perfect for movie-watching. A lot of potentially award-winning films come out with hopes of staying fresh in the viewers minds when it's time to vote for the Golden Globes and the Oscars. Of course, they have to compete for box office money against some lighter, family-friendly fare.
On my viewing plate are: The Wrestler, The Reader, The Tale of Despereaux, Slumdog Millionaire, Marley and Me. Left on the buffet table are movies with Tom Cruise (Valkyrie), Brad Pitt, (Benjamin Button) Will Smith (Seven Pounds)and Jim Carey (Yes Man). They don't need any more money from me..
So far, I've seen a movie about a dog being treated like a human, and another about a human being treated like a dog:
Slumdog Millionaire.
It's an intriguing title, and because it's directed by Danny Boyle of Trainspotting, and because it has 4 Golden Globe nominations, it was definitely on my must-see list this season.
It starts with a question: how does a poor, uneducated tea boy from the slums of Mumbai come to know the correct answers in “Who wants to be a millionaire?” and win 20 million rupees?
How the protagonist, Jamal, has the answers seared into his brain because of his life experiences is the journey the movie takes us through. The cameras take us through the slums of Mumbai before the plush condominiums took over, and there are no shots of the regal Taj Mahal hotel. There is a scene at the actual Taj Mahal, but the movie does not get sidetracked by beautiful scenery.
In fact, Slumdog reminded me very much of one made a long, long time ago by Filipino movie master Lino Brocka: “Maynila sa mga Kuko ng Liwanag”. While “Maynila” was primarily social commentary, “Slumdog” is a fairy tale. In the end, you expect a “happily ever after” (or in this case a Bollywood) ending, which Slumdog does deliver. But not before it drags you through some very dark places.
There are some very evil characters in this story and you will believe that any moment the hero can lose his life or get seriously hurt. But what keeps you watching is the hope that his honesty and purity remain intact.
Slumdog Millionaire was the People's Choice in the Toronto International Film Festival and it is easy to see why.
Marley and Me.
Choosing to watch this movie on Christmas Day was a no-brainer for me. My sister and I love our dogs and if only the theater allowed canine movie-goers, we would have brought our four-footed friends.
I've read John Grogan's book about what it was like to have “the world's worst dog” and I enjoyed it. The challenge, in translating this book into a movie, was not whether it was going to be faithful. There were a lot of slapstick moments in the book, and it was natural to put them in the movie for some easy laughs. But would the movie have the same heart?
Let me just say that if you love dogs, you should bring a box of tissues with you. Owen Wilson looked very natural when talking to the dog. The dog looked really cute even if it didn't have s speaking part. And Jennifer Aniston, who kept her clothes on, looked really comfortable playing third fiddle.
For people with small children, be warned this is not Beethoven or 1001 Dalmatians. It's a movie about a real dog, and we all know what happens to real dogs in real life.
