I heard the blue-ray version has a music video of liquid dance!
--- In [email protected], $ Pavan Kumar $ <pawancum...@...> wrote: > > > http://www.411mania.com/movies/dvd_reviews/100120 > > The DVD Dissection: Slumdog Millionaire > Posted by Chad Webb on 03.31.2009 > > The Best Picture winner arrives on DVD! How does it stack up? > > Dev Patel/Tanay Chheda/Ayush Mahesh Khedekar: Jamal Malik > Anil Kapoor: Prem Kumar > Freida Pinto/Tanvi Ganesh Lonkar/Rubina Ali: Latika > Irrfan Khan: Police Inspector > Madhur Mittal/Ashutosh Lobo Gajiwala/Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail: Salim > Saurabh Shukla: Sergeant Srinivas > Directed By: Danny Boyle with co-director Loveleen Tandan > Written By: Simon Beaufoy > Theatrical Release Date: November 12, 2008 > DVD Release Date: March 31, 2009 > Running Time: 2 hours > > > > > > > > R for some violence, disturbing images and language. > > The Film > > > > Now that Slumdog Millionaire swept most of the categories it was nominated > for at this yearâs Oscar ceremony, I was able to watch the film again on > DVD, and let my gripes rest. I must be honest. In my news report and my > weekly rants on the podcasts, whenever I mentioned this movie, it was all > negative. I still feel it was far from the best film of the year, but I did > genuinely enjoy myself when I saw it for the first time. I strongly > considered decreasing my rating, but no matter how much I disagreed with the > amount of statues it took home, the film was indeed well made and thoroughly > compelling. The following is my original review. > > For the majority of moviegoers all over the world, seeing the real India is > not common on the big screen. Occasionally a film is released, but rarely > does its popularity increase enough to show people what the country is > actually like. Slumdog Millionaire reveals India in its true form, the beauty > and the ugliness. This is an adventure of the highest caliber, and a pinnacle > for Director Danny Boyle. It will agitate a wide range of emotions deep > within you to the surface. You will smile, clench your fists, turn your head > in fear, and maybe even shed a tear or two. It is a joyously unique take on > an electrifying story. > > As Slumdog Millionaire opens, Jamal Malik (Dev Patel) has already won > 10,000,000 rupees on the Indian version of the game show Who Wants to be a > Millionaire. We the viewers are even asked a question as one would be as a > contestant, but Iâll leave that for you to discover. Jamal grew up as a boy > from the slums of Mumbai, and would be on the run most of his life. How could > he be answering all these questions correctly when those of higher education > had never attained that level? He must be cheating. To prove this, the Police > Inspector (Irfan Khan) and his Sergeant interrogate and torture him to dig > out the truth. He claims he just knew the answers, and proceeds to express > various instances in his life which relate to the questions he received. This > journey takes him through many adventures with his brother Salim, numerous > villains, and the love of his life Latika. > > The manner in which Slumdog Millionaire is woven together is what makes the > story so enthralling and entertaining. The questions become stories, and the > stories act as a tale from childhood to that of a young man still searching > for his impossible romance. The plot threads lace around one another in such > a glorious and organic way that the suspense becomes maddening, and that is a > good thing. The characters we encounter along Jamalâs path to the chair > make a lasting impact because of what they mean in terms of the money he is > building and the advances in difficulty. Youâll be surprised at how much > you remember since this is divided into sections, but those sections uncoil > as one fine piece of work. > > This is a movie that is sure to make strides with luring more viewers into > watching a story with subtitles. It has that in common with Crouching Tiger, > Hidden Dragon and Panâs Labyrinth. To be honest, this includes many scenes > with the cast exchanging in English, but a huge chunk is communicated in > Hindi subtitles, albeit very creative and colorful ones, and this could > easily serve as an introductory film for those contemplating that leap into > enjoying a full film in a different language. This will attract people of any > language because its themes are universal: rags to riches and love. > > Singling out specific actors in this picture is not easy since the three main > characters of Jamal, Latika, and Salim are played by three different > performers of varying ages. And everyone possesses chemistry like a unit. If > anyone is deserving of individual praise it is Dev Patel, who portrays the > older Jamal, and sits in the millionaireâs seat with the face of a kid who > has gone through hell and back, yet has never given up on his dreams. The > most notable name in the cast is Irfan Khan, who has been developing a solid > reputation after supporting roles in such terrific films like The Namesake, > The Darjeeling Limited, and A Mighty Heart. Most of this journey is > experienced right along with Jamal, but it is important to think from the > Inspectorâs point of view as well. Anyone in that position would assume > foul play is involved. The biggest compliment afforded to those who occupy > one of multiple people in the same role is that they all look and act like > Jamal, Latika, and Sailm at any age. > > This is Danny Boyleâs finest hour. It is his most accessible effort to > date, and easily the one that will age best on his resume. I have always felt > Boyle was very overrated. I admire his cracks at so many genres, but up until > now, I have never felt any of his films were better than average. > Trainspotting, A Life Less Ordinary, The Beach, 28 Days Laterâ¦, and > Sunshine are all either mediocre or given too much credit, though Millions > was commendable. That is neither here nor there though because I can safely > say Slumdog Millionaire illustrates all of the strengths Boyle has expressed > in his career, but has never fully sharpened. With co-director Loveleen > Tandan, Boyle employs a crisp, clean, and bracing pace with fresh visuals, > exhilarating action, and smooth transitions between segments. > > The breakneck screenplay by Simon Beaufoy, based on the novel Q&A by Vikas > Swarup, incorporates an inspiring story with an energizing mood and > hypnotizing characters much like City of God. That really is the only carping > I can throw at Slumdog Millionaire. Its method of storytelling is matchless, > but the plot itself has been done before, just not in India. What Boyle and > company accomplish to rise out of that film's shadow at least a little bit is > unleashing so many unforgettable sequences, such as the one involving an > Indian movie star and one unfortunate toilet trip, or the ruse the brothers > pull at the Taj Mahal, which is priceless. > > Every crew member was no doubt healthy and prepared to dish out their A game > for this venture. Anthony Dod Mantleâs cinematography is stunning and > all-encompassing, Chris Dickensâ editing evokes a snap-crackle-pop like the > 1960 French film Breathless, and A.R. Rahmanâs vivacious soundtrack is > absorbing and utilizes great songs like M.I.A.âs âPaper Planesâ or the > cool Bollywood dance number at the end. Slumdog Millionaire is a sensational > feat, and even though it operates with an unknown cast, subtitles, and takes > place in a foreign country, I urge anyone reading this review to spend the > two hours and to give it a chance. I promise you wonât be disappointed, and > will want to stand up and cheer. > > The Video > > > > Unlike many films which transpire around the slums, or in a poverty stricken > area of a certain country, Slumdog Millionaire is undeniably colorful. >From > the innovative subtitles to the costumes and the glorious camera framing, one > thing is for sure, and that is the fact that Danny Boyle and company made the > slums look as good as they possibly could. Of course they filmed at the Taj > Mahal and other tourist locations, but you get the idea. Slumdog is a > dazzling affair visually, and watching Jamal on the set of Who Wants to be a > Millionaire draws our gaze to him intensely throughout. Boyle utilized > multiple different cameras for this picture, and the avid viewer will be able > to notice this as the polished qualities and grain tend to vary from scene to > scene. I can assure you that the video looks the way it is supposed to, and > if the cleanliness seems unbalanced, it has nothing to do with the transfer. > This is presented in anamorphic widescreen with an > aspect ratio of 2.35:1. > > The Audio > > > > The audio department was sufficiently handled, with a smooth balance in audio > and music. A.R. Rahmanâs award winning score and songs influence and drive > the storyline heavily, and thankfully they do not drown out the dialogue in > this case. I would not label Slumdog as an action picture, but it definitely > provides the thrills, which include fast paced chases and gun fire, both of > which result in a nice assortment of sound effects that come across the > speakers wonderfully. All the characters were completely lucid and clear, and > when the subtitles were used, they were easily visible. This includes a Dolby > Digital 5.1 track that is terrific, as well as subtitles in English. > > The Packaging > > > > Slumdog Millionaire is distributed in a standard black keep case. The artwork > on the cover is exactly like the poster, but makes creative use of popular > criticsâ quotes, and has a bright gold âBest Pictureâ label on the top. > The menu consists of scrolling images from the film and music. They are easy > to navigate. > > The Extras > > > > Audio Commentaries - The first track is with Director Danny Boyle and actor > Dev Patel. It was nice of Boyle to include Patel, so as to have someone > beside him, but he adds very little to this commentary aside from the > occasional observation and agreement with Boyle. Boyle talks a lot, and could > easily have handled the duty on his own. He touches on locations a great > deal, in addition to cast praise (especially minor characters), and smaller > details that only a director would be concerned with. Dev discusses his own > experiences and thatâs about it. > > The second track includes Producer Christian Colson and Screenwriter Simon > Beaufoy. Beaufoy does most of the speaking of these two as he converses about > his script, what was kept, and what was not. They touch on scene transitions > a lot, but also mention trouble with Taj Mahal tour guides that felt they > were disrespected. Beaufoy chats about the last minute jokes, subtleties, and > other intentions. Both commentaries were about equal Iâd say, but I would > urge people to listen to Danny Boyleâs first. He is a bit more enthusiastic > and animated in his discussion, and has more to offer in terms of thoughts on > the entire process. > > Deleted Scenes (33:35) â" You will definitely get your moneyâs worth in > deleted scenes because this DVD is packed with them. The titles of them are > very long, and I would display them, but really why do you need to see the > titles? I will talk about the few I enjoyed. As a whole, this film had > masterful editing from Chris Dickens, which I praised in my review. Most of > the deleted scenes could be described as stating the obvious because they > simply make us aware of things that were better left implied, such as when > Jamal and Salim watch the opera under the bleachers. Among my favorite cut > sequences was one where we see how young Latika gets her yellow dress. > Another is an entire question from the show that was cut, but Boyle did not > want the audience to feel like they were only watching Who Wants to Be a > Millionaire. The last of them is a moment with older Jamal and Salim as they > argue on Jamalâs love for Latika. > > Slumdog Dreams: Danny Boyle and the Making of Slumdog Millionaire (22:56) â" > This is a typical bonus on DVDâs. This is a bit longer, and is divided into > 2 parts. Interviews with the cast and crew cover the adaptation, story > structure, title changes, casting, and the filming process. They also are > very excited to discuss the locations and dancing sequences. This is worth > watching just to see Danny Boyle in action as director. We observe him > instructing the younger performers. Iâm not sure how other people act when > they insert a DVD, but usually at my house, if we really liked the film, we > watch the âmaking ofâ featurette immediately following. This is a good > one to do that with. > > Slumdog Cutdown (5:34) â" This is for all those people that enjoy posting > YouTube videos of films cut down to a few minutes. The crew of Slumdog > Millionaire do it themselves here with this music montage that runs the film > from start to finish. > > Previews - The disc begins with previews of: Notorious, S. Darko, Bottle > Shock, and The Other End of the Line. > > The Film: 9.0/10.0 > The Video: 8.5/10.0 > The Audio: 7.5/10.0 > The Packaging: 7.5/10.0 > The Extras: 8.0/10.0 > > > > The 411: Slumdog Millionaire is definitely a terrific film, just like Crash > was, but what the two have in common is that as the years pass, more and more > will realize that it will not age as well as many other films of 2008. > Nevertheless, it was directed with heart by Danny Boyle, acted with passion > by the cast, and injected with energy by crew. The DVD is fairly basic with > satisfactory technical specifications, and average extras. This is the type > of film, I would not recommend for Blu-Ray, despite the added features they > contain. This edition will suffice just fine. Overall, one could continue the > debate on whether or not it deserved its awards for days, but the movie is > worth owning on DVD. > > Final Score: 8.0 [ Very Good ] legend >
