Thursday, February 26, 2009
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Comic Relief #154
Finally maanged to give Kerri a distinct look. Here she is in her "favourite" jeans. And yes, be afraid.Monday, February 23, 2009
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Comic Relief #151
My first attempt at a video version of everyone's favourite true-life stick figure web-comic. A disclaimer, though: She didn't FORCE me to make the diabetically sweet video (thanks, Jeremy). It was done out of love!
Sunday, February 15, 2009
An Indian Summer
Yesterday was Valentine's, or rather, overpriced roses day. What occupied the bulk of the planning for Khadi and I this year was the debate on which movie to watch: The Wrestler or Sulmdog Millionaire. Checking the movie listings, though, quickly disqualified Micky Rourke's flick, much to my chagrin. I then made my way to the theate, fully expecting to be less than thrilled, considering The Wrestler got a staggering score of 98% on Rotten Tomatoes.
The film started out well, with Khadi squealing excitedly that Anil Kapoor was on screen, and that she knew him. Of course, I assumed she meant she knew of him rather than that she knew him personally, but one can never be sure with the ladies. Dev Patel also made an early appearance, and indeed, he's the star. The star.
Slumdog Millionaire, as any generic movie rater will tell you, revolves around a guy (Jamal) who is accused of cheating his way to the final question of India's version of Millionaire (hence half of the clever title). Him being a mere "slumdog" (the other half, yay!) attracts suspicion, and almost the whole movie is then a recap of his life in the bowels (literally!) of India, battling gangs, disease, crime, and falling off trains.
Most places will have the phrase "critically acclaimed" somewhere in the vicinity of the desciption of this film, directed by Danny Boyle. I would have to say that that tag is a deserved one. The cinematography, while not as stunning as, say, 300, is done very very well. Stories which jump through events happening throughout different periods in time can often leave the audience going "Eh?" but this one leaves you with "Oooh" and then some.
There's very little that is anything but enjoyable about the film, really. It's a gritty, immersive and engaging account of life in India, though I've never actually been there, so all I can say is that the illusion of realism is very much present, and if you told me that it was a true story, I would find it very hard to disagree or doubt it. The plot is unique, even if the ending was predictable down to the specifics had you paid attention to the dialogue like I tend to do, much to Khadi's annoyance.
The acting is top-class almost throughout, especially the kids. I can't really do justice to the performance here, except to say that you can laugh and cry and cringe at nearly every corner, every plot twist. The three main characters display more depth than you'd expect in a movie about a gameshow, and Jamal's older brother Salim is especially awesome in this regard.
To those who will eventually end up catching this film - and that should be nearly everyone - remember to stay to the credits, and your appetite for the traditional sterotypical Bollywood film will be sated.
Overall, 4.8/5
The film started out well, with Khadi squealing excitedly that Anil Kapoor was on screen, and that she knew him. Of course, I assumed she meant she knew of him rather than that she knew him personally, but one can never be sure with the ladies. Dev Patel also made an early appearance, and indeed, he's the star. The star.
Slumdog Millionaire, as any generic movie rater will tell you, revolves around a guy (Jamal) who is accused of cheating his way to the final question of India's version of Millionaire (hence half of the clever title). Him being a mere "slumdog" (the other half, yay!) attracts suspicion, and almost the whole movie is then a recap of his life in the bowels (literally!) of India, battling gangs, disease, crime, and falling off trains.
Most places will have the phrase "critically acclaimed" somewhere in the vicinity of the desciption of this film, directed by Danny Boyle. I would have to say that that tag is a deserved one. The cinematography, while not as stunning as, say, 300, is done very very well. Stories which jump through events happening throughout different periods in time can often leave the audience going "Eh?" but this one leaves you with "Oooh" and then some.
There's very little that is anything but enjoyable about the film, really. It's a gritty, immersive and engaging account of life in India, though I've never actually been there, so all I can say is that the illusion of realism is very much present, and if you told me that it was a true story, I would find it very hard to disagree or doubt it. The plot is unique, even if the ending was predictable down to the specifics had you paid attention to the dialogue like I tend to do, much to Khadi's annoyance.
The acting is top-class almost throughout, especially the kids. I can't really do justice to the performance here, except to say that you can laugh and cry and cringe at nearly every corner, every plot twist. The three main characters display more depth than you'd expect in a movie about a gameshow, and Jamal's older brother Salim is especially awesome in this regard.
To those who will eventually end up catching this film - and that should be nearly everyone - remember to stay to the credits, and your appetite for the traditional sterotypical Bollywood film will be sated.
Overall, 4.8/5
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Sunday, February 01, 2009
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