hey where can we get it in sinapore can also some1 uoload all the extras as
well as the bgms in the additional scenes
HARDCORE RAHMANIAC TILL DA VERY END!!!
--- On Wed, 8/4/09, Vithur <vith...@gmail.com> wrote:
From: Vithur <vith...@gmail.com>
Subject: [arr] Slumdog Millionaire Blu-ray Review
To: arrahmanfans@yahoogroups.com
Date: Wednesday, 8 April, 2009, 12:14 AM
Slumdog Millionaire Blu-ray ReviewApril 07, 2009
The buzz and publicity surrounding Slumdog Millionaire (2008) in the last six
months has taken on a life of its own culminating in eight Academy Awards
including top honors for picture, director, cinematography, music, screenplay
and editing. I have been a fan of director Danny Boyle (Trainspotting, 28 Days
Later, Sunshine) following the ups and downs of his career since his debut with
Shallow Grave (1994). However, I had little interest in his latest due to what
seemed a lackluster story and passed on viewing until Fox's Blu-ray release.
The common synopsis is that Jamal Malik (Dev Patel as an 18 year old) is an
uneducated "slumdog" raised in the impoverished slums of Bombay (Mumbai). He is
on the Indian version of "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?" only one question
away from winning it all when he is called into suspicion of how he could
possibly know the answers. Boyle even mentions in the special features that
when originally approached with the script, he had no interest in a movie about
a game show no matter where it was set. The beauty of the way the movie plays
out is that the game show is mostly a prop to tell Jamal's story over the
previous eleven years.
>From the initial scenes, there is no doubt that this is a Danny Boyle film
>with his distinctive style wedding intense visuals and music together through
>kinetic editing. The interrogation sequences and the chase through the slums
>are about as visceral as you could ask for. The movie sucker punches you from
>the get-go and takes off running with it being all you can do to keep up and
>finding yourself breathless at the finale.
As much as I will praise the film, it definitely took a second viewing to come
together for me. The first time through I was impressed with the presentation
but was hung up on the "story" about the game show. It really did not make
sense how this ridiculous confluence of events (technically his existence from
the years of 7 to 18) came together to allow Jamal to know every answer on the
show and trying to absorb the movie in this fashion only hampers its intended
effect.
The story is best described as a melodramatic fable involving true love played
out in the guise of a fairy tale. It delves into the squalor that is the
"slums" of Mumbai with ubiquitous mounds of trash and poverty where Jamal,
along with his brother Salim (who has his own parallel and much sadder tale to
tell), is orphaned due to religious violence at the age of seven leading him to
make friends with young Latika who he quickly realizes as the love of his life.
Soon separated, they are reunited first at the ages of 13 and eventually 18
where the story presently plays out. It is his love for Latika (Frieda Pinto as
the 18 year old) that fuels Jamal's existence eventually landing him on "Who
Wants To Be A Millionaire?" to fulfill his destiny.
It is no surprise why this movie was difficult to market and trying to
encapsulate it in a few lines as a story about a game show or a "rags to
riches" tale does not do it justice. As stated, the narrative is not meant to
be believable as much as effective, and when conveyed through the skill of
Boyle's direction, Chris Dicken's editing, Anthony Dod Mantle's cinematography
and A.R. Rahman's music, you get a harrowing but ultimately uplifting tale that
can in no way be divorced from the arresting visuals, fast paced composition
and driving music. I have minor nitpicks and will not necessarily say Slumdog
was the best film of 2008 (for my tastes I would pick the Dark Knight but that
is not Academy Award fare for such honors), but considering many of the lesser
deserving films to receive the award in the past, I am content with it being
labeled as such.
Slumdog Millionaire comes to Blu-ray with an AVC 1080p encode preserving the
theatrical ratio of 2.35:1. Shot using both 35mm and digital cameras, the
quality of the image can change dramatically from scene to scene. In his
commentary, the director assures us that even though the visuals may often look
less than pristine and show obvious digital noise (somewhat similar to film
grain though more obnoxious to my tastes), this was the intended effect. He was
going for a gritty look that paired well with the lively editing and use of
music.
The sequences shot on film are beautifully rendered with minimal grain, precise
detail, deep blacks and vibrant colors though sometimes stylized choices on
contrast will make whites run hot. The digital footage is hit and miss (again
keeping in mind it was supposed to look this way) with some shots rivaling
those in 35mm and others displaying rampant noise, a washed out palette with
blacks that turn to faded gray and a slight digital harshness to the image. It
you want to call this "gritty," be my guest as it definitely has a "raw" feel;
I am just not sure this is my optimal choice on how to convey that feeling.
While films such as Michael Mann's Miami Vice took this style of digital
shooting to such an extreme as to be distracting, here it blends in with the
aesthetic that Boyle is striving for. The movie is generally so absorbing and
fast paced that assuming this style of photography is at all objectionable to
you, it will likely not be dwelled upon much. This is often a good looking and
consistently colorful transfer that I have little doubt represents Boyle's
vision for the film; the issue is how well you take to it.
I can honestly say I did not expect the window-rattling English-Hindi 5.1
DTS-HD Master Audio track that gives all channels their due. Slumdog has its
share of dialog that comes through cleanly though some of the accents may
slightly obscure it. As easily as it deals with moments of quietness, this
lossless track will suddenly fill the room with resounding presence and bass
coming from all directions, not the least your subwoofer. Whether it is a train
or helicopter roaring by with precise directionality or the driving rhythms of
A.R. Rahman's award winning musical compositions that propel the narrative,
this soundtrack stands toe to toe with the best of modern action films.
If I had any complaints, it is that the dynamic range is so broad it can be
almost disconcerting when the surround experience kicks in with full force. I
almost suspect this is intentional much in the way the digital photography is
to further cement the energetic and realistic texture of the movie. The Hindi
spoken parts are English "subtitled" in caption boxes that float across the
screen adding to the sense of motion. The only other audio is French Dolby
Digital 5.1 with extra subtitles in English (SDH), French and Spanish.
All the supplemental materials (including a short film exclusive to Blu-ray)
are contained on the main 50GB Blu-ray disc with a second DVD housing digital
copies of the movie that work with ITunes and Windows Media Player.
Audio Commentaries: Two commentaries are provided: one from director Danny
Boyle and male lead Dev Patel and another from producer Christian Colson and
screenwriter Simon Beaufoy. The former is one of the better I have heard in
recent memory and strikes a perfect balance between being entertaining and
informative. Boyle and, to a lesser degree, Patel are very engaging and give
interesting context to the making of the film. The only deficit is there are
numerous points where they drop off, but there is more than enough value to
easily recommend this track.
The latter commentary, leaning towards being more informative, is not nearly as
captivating as Boyle/Patel's but does fill in many gaps in the production
background. If I did not have the former track for comparison, I would probably
find the producer/writer input more satisfactory. While not as easy a
recommendation, fans who put in the effort will find much of worth here.
Deleted Scenes (33:51) – 12 scenes that are either deleted or extended covering
periods throughout the movie. All are in standard def 4:3 aspect ratio and
letterboxed with 5.1 Dolby digital audio (though there is little reason for
surround on these). The video quality is not impressive but is passable.
All of the scenes are interesting lending background to the movie with extended
versions of the chase through the slums and the opera scene and removed footage
of an extra question on the show, interaction of Jamal and Prem Kumar (game
show host) and the three children at younger ages. While these are definitely
worth watching, I do not think any should have been included in the film as it
would have thrown off the well balanced pacing.
Slumdog Dreams: Danny Boyle and the Making of Slumdog Millionaire (22:58) –
This relatively short featurette contains interviews from Boyle, writer Simon
Beaufoy and producer Christian Colson. This is very interesting content with no
fluff that covers writing and adapting the script, lots about casting the leads
at all three ages (7,13 and 18), the language barrier among the cast and crew,
using digital cameras, day to day life in the "slum" and the chaos of filming
on location in India. My only complaint is this should have been longer.
Manjha (41:03) – Exclusive to the Blu-ray is an Indian short film by first time
director Rahi Anil Barve. This black and white piece plays as a counterpart to
Slumdog making you realize that even with all the squalor and violence in the
main film, it still ends on a feel-good note. Manjha shows a much darker view
of orphans and life on the streets in India. It is not necessarily easy viewing
but is worth the effort.
>From Script to Screen: The Toilet Scene (5:25) – Boyle and Beaufoy explain why
>the "toilet scene" is pivotal to setting up the background between brothers
>Jamal and Salim. For those that have not watched the movie, this scene is
>cringe inducing to say the least. Thankfully we learn that the "poo" is
>actually made from peanut butter and chocolate.
Bombay Liquid Dance (3:00) – Video for the song by composer A.R. Rahman that
mirrors the movie in style and editing. Presented letterboxed in 4:3 ratio with
2 channel sound.
Slumdog Cutdown (5:36, HD) – A five and a half minute montage of scenes from
the film mixed with Rahman's popular song "Jai Ho."
Trailer (2:07, HD) – The domestic trailer for the film with 5.1 Dolby Digital
sound and an Mpeg-2 HD encode.
European Trailer (1:57) – The trailer for the European market in SD and 2
channel audio.
Slumdog Millionaire is a film that won over both audiences and critics alike
and, while overshadowed by its hype, does a commendable job of living up to its
many accolades. I would suggest not thinking too much about the internal logic
of this improbable love story and possible repeat viewings to absorb the full
effect of the presentation. Considering Boyle's work has covered so many genres
(horror, sci-fi, comedy, mystery) with much success, maybe I need to learn to
trust his decisions going forward no matter how peculiar the story first
sounds.
Fox's Blu-ray delivers an often beautiful transfer that is faithful to the
director's intentions no matter what qualms I may have with them and a lossless
soundtrack that is as dynamic as you could ask for. The extras have some gems
including Boyle's memorable commentary and the short film Manjha. I do wish the
"making of" featurette was more expansive with much of the production
information included in the producer/writer commentary translated into a full
length documentary including more input from the main actors. Still, this
Blu-ray is the premier way to experience this award-winning film on home video.
- Robert Searlehttp://www.thehdroo m.com/news/ Slumdog_Milliona ire_Blu-ray_
Review/4522
--
regards,
Vithur
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