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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