Thursday, January 1, 2009

Flick: Slumdog Millionaire

So, my friend/neighbor and I went to have a New Years Day coffee this afternoon and decided we'd take in a flick. After pursuing the options via my little iPhone app, Flixster, we opted on Slumdog Millionaire. Neither of us knew anything about the film, though Amy thought she had heard good things. The brief description sounded appealing and fun, and the timing was right, so we decided to give it a go.

It was a really good film and not at all what we expected. First of all, I wouldn't exactly call it fun, per se. The premise is that a young man, who grew up in the slums of Mumbai, has made it to the Indian equivalent of So You Want to be a Millionaire, but how is it this came to pass? So the film unfolds with the telling. As you can imagine, growing up in the slums of Mumbai doesn't necessarily bring out the laughs and fun -- though there are some truly wonderful moments as we witness, in an almost voyeuristic way, how this boy and his brother survive. All I have to say on that is if you ever visit the Taj Mahal, keep your shoes with you. Anyway, the film has intense moments, tender moments, love, loyalty, faith, hope and despair all piled in together. I highly recommend the film.

In terms of reading, still haven't done much. You'd think being at home as much as I am these days I'd find time to read, but my efforts so far haven't been very rewarding. I can only seem to keep my attention on the book for so long before I fling it down. Maybe I'll try another book...

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