Critics Favorite Film Slum Dog Millionaire Is GOLDEN!
by Shannonn Kelly
Winning 4 Golden Globes for Best Screenplay, Best Director, Best Original Score and Best Film, critic’s favorite "Slum Dog Millionaire" came out howling at the top of the heap at the 66th Annual Golden Globes.
"Slum Dog Millionaire" features a relatively unknown cast about the story of an orphan boy who rises from the horrible Mumbai slums to become a champion on India’s version of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire," all the while trying to reunite with a lost love from his childhood. "We really weren’t expecting to be here in America at all at one time, so it’s just amazing to be here," said Simon Beaufoy, who’s winning script, was adapted from Vikas Swarup’s novel "Q & A." "There’s going to be quite a party when we go back for the premiere.”
In the supporting-actor category, a posthumous award was won by Heath Ledger in his much talked about performance as The Joker in the Batman blockbuster “The Dark Knight,” raising his chances to become the second actor to win a posthumous Academy Award. The first one was won by the superb Peter Finch, for his Best Actor performance in 1976’s “Network".
Director of the “Dark Knight”, Christopher Nolan accepted the Golden Globe for Ledger, who died January 22, 2008 from prescription drug overdose. All of us who worked with Heath on ‘The Dark Knight’ accept with an awful mixture of sadness but incredible pride. After Heath passed, you saw a hole ripped in the future of cinema.” Nolan said. Eerily, Oscar nominations will come out on the one-year anniversary of Heath Ledger’s death.
Kate Winslet racked up double wins. One for Best Supporting actress for "The Reader" which is the more challenging role your should see her in this year; as a former Nazi concentration camp guard who seduces a teenage boy played by David Kross, a German actor who was 17 at the time of filming "The Reader".
Winslet also won Best Actress for "Revolutionary Road" playing alongside Leonardo DiCaprio whom she gushed, has ‘loved for 13 years’. "Revolutionary Road" was directed by Winslet’s husband, Sam Mendes, which reunited her with "Titanic”, co-star Leonardo DiCaprio. "Thank you for directing this film, babe, and thank you for killing us every single day and really enjoying us actually being in such horrific pain.” Winslet said in her acceptance speech.
With five nominations each: "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" "Doubt" and "Frost/Nixon" were all shut out of any awards. Woody Allen’s Spanish romance "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" about two girlfriends on a summer holiday in Spain become enamored with the same painter, won for best musical or comedy film.
For me personally the best wins of the evening were for AMC’s slick and satisfying "Mad Men", Gabriel Byrne for his role in the Mark Wahlberg produced series, "In Treatment", the great Paul Giamatti for the terrific period mini-series "John Adams", Sally Hawkins, win for Best Actress in a comedy or musical as an eternal optimist in “Happy-Go-Lucky”.
Particularly satisfying were the wins for Darren Aronofsky’s "The Wrestler" in which Mickey Rourke plays a washed up wrestling star who gets one last chance for glory in the ring, a theme that mirrors the actor’s derailed career thanks to his bad-ass non-conformist antics after his 80’s fame in hits like "Diner " and "9½ Weeks ", the slightly controversial "Angel Heart ", starring Lisa Bonet and Robert DeNiro and The Pope of Greenwich Village .
Bruce Springsteen won for the song he wrote for the film, as a favor to Mickey Rourke who took a chance and called Bruce out of the blue to see if he’d be interested in composing a theme song for the film.
When it came time to announce Best Actor, whose nominees included Leonardo DiCaprio, “Revolutionary Road”; Frank Langella, “Frost/Nixon”; Brad Pitt, “Benjamin Button”; Sean Penn, “Milk”; and Mickey Rourke, “The Wrestler”. You could feel something in the air. When Mickey Rourke’s name was called as the winner, everyone in that room showed their appreciation for a great comeback story.
"It’s been a very long road back for me," said Rourke.
Sincere, and eloquent, Rourke thanked the ‘young, ambitious agent’ who took a chance on him a couple of years back, David Unger and Unger’s superiors at I.C.M. As well, Rourke thanked producers and co-stars such as Marisa Tomei.
But he showed the most heartfelt appreciation to "The Wrestler" director Darren Aronofsky, whom Rourke said, "really, truly great players come around every 30 years, and I really, truly believe Darren is one of those cats."
Rourke also poured his heart into the importance of his dogs as his most faithful companions over the rough years. "Sometimes when you’re alone, all you got is your dogs and they meant the world to Me.", said Rourke. His pet Chihuahua, Beau Jack, passed away in 2002, but Loki who goes with him everywhere was probably not to far away on this monumental night for Rourke.
Welcome back Mickey…!
Below is the complete list of winners for the 66th annual Golden Globes, presented by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association in Beverly Hills, CA, Sunday January 11, 2009:
FILM
- Picture, Drama: "Slum Dog Millionaire:
- Actress, Drama: Kate Winslet, "Revolutionary Road"
- Actor, Drama: Mickey Rourke, "The Wrestler"
- Picture, Musical or Comedy: "Vicky Cristina Barcelona"
- Actress, Musical or Comedy: Sally Hawkins, "Happy-Go-Lucky"
- Actor, Musical or Comedy: Colin Farrell, "In Bruges"
- Supporting Actress: Kate Winslet, "The Reader"
- Supporting Actor: Heath Ledger, "The Dark Knight"
- Director: Danny Boyle, "Slum Dog Millionaire"
- Screenplay: Simon Beaufoy, "Slum Dog Millionaire"
- Foreign Language: "Waltz With Bashir," Israel
- Animated Film: "Wall-E"
- Original Score: A.R. Rahman, "Slum Dog Millionaire"
- Original Song: "The Wrestler" (performed by Bruce Springsteen, written by Bruce Springsteen), "The Wrestler"
TV
- Actress, Drama: Anna Paquin, "True Blood"
- Actor, Drama: Gabriel Byrne, "In Treatment"
- Series, Musical or Comedy: "30 Rock"
- Series, Drama: "Mad Men"
- Actress, Musical or Comedy: Tina Fey, "30 Rock"
- Actor, Musical or Comedy: Alec Baldwin, "30 Rock"
- Miniseries or Movie: "John Adams"
- Actress, Miniseries or Movie: Laura Linney, "John Adams"
- Actor, Miniseries or Movie: Paul Giamatti, "John Adams"
- Supporting Actress, Series, Miniseries or Movie: Laura Dern, "Recount"
- Supporting Actor, Series, Miniseries or Movie: Tom Wilkinson, "John Adams"
| Published on January 12, 2009 - Categories : Actors, Actresses, Awards, Film Critics, Film Directors, Film Related News, Movies, ReelHeART, ScreenWriters, TV - 12 Comments » |
i didn’t think Mickey Rourke would ever show up in public again, then there he was, winning big at the Golden Globes
This is a movie against India & its pride. The British director has shown how India is a horrible country. AR Rahman is a party to that British director, who together want to show our poverty, humiliation and child labor of India. This movie has some shameful scenes- kid jumping in pond of shit, people removing eyes of kids, elders Indian abusing kids, etc. The European and Western world is amused to see how pathetic country is India as portrayed by British director and AR Rahman. They want to give many awards to this movie to keep this dirty image of India alive. They have never chosen our earlier movies for Oscar. But the jury liked this particular move that shows how India is a cave age country. We should reject these awards and ban this movie.
While Slum Dog Millionare is a well taken movie – there are couple of flaws as far as the game show is concerned – which is the fulcrum of the movie… a) Game shows are never telecasted Live !! b) During the last question – where there is a commercial break – after the question is asked wherein the participant is allowed to move around before he/she gives out the answer is not done at all !!
Sanjay,
I am an American and I watched this movie. It was not amusing to see the poverty in the slums of Mumbai. Neither did I see India as a cave age country. What I saw was India’s struggle of becoming modernized but on the same hand the destitute being left behind to live in extreme poverty. This movie, for me, was not only a culture shock but also an eye opener. I was humbled to realize that Americans have no idea what true poverty is. I thought I grew up poor when in reality the poor, homeless children in India would have thought I lived in a palace. I feel humbled to think that I could have easily been born into such a situation. I know that not all of India is a shanty town. I know that it is becoming quite modern and there are beautiful cities there. I know that the people are educated. I know that people who live in India might not be very happy about what was portrayed in the film. To me, though, who has barely stepped across the border into Mexico, it profoundly changed my point of view and provoked some heavy thought.
This is a big banner US movie,which must be banned in India.
Under the reeling US economy these big banners have rigged the oscars to create a hype around the move.Its all about making money. This is shameless capitalism working in the background.
Hi Patriot, while we hard sme of the rumblings of exploitation, we’re just not (currently) seeing any hard eveidence that the kids and the community was exploited in anyway.
It’s really a movie made by an Irish man who knows a thing or two about hardship with all the senseless years long hatred in Ireland over religion.
So lets see what happens and whether there will be concrete evidence if Slumdog Millionaire is or is not the ‘feel good movie’ of the year.
Your comments are always welcome at ReelHeART!
SK
Hi nrichards, what a GREAT comment!!! Really heartfelt and sensitive.
If one movie could move one person to thought like Slumdog Millionaire has with you, I’d say the writer and director have done their job.
Come back anytime you have thoughts on film and social commentary. Would love to read more!
SK
Hello Sanjay,
Much appreciate you visiting ReelHeART Blogs.
Do you feel any differently since the Academy Awards?
Do you feel any differently after reading worldwide press and coverage from places like indiatimes.com
I know that it might seem patronizing to say that some people found the beauty in the cinematography of the slums. There’s no beauty in poverty.
But, I have to say, they found a way to bring the reality of the Dharavi slums to many ’sheltered’ North Americans-
I do feel it’s a fairytale for modern times now that all of us ‘regular folk’ are only a few paychecks away from being ‘poor’
I’d like to know more about your feelings post Oscars. I’d also like to know more if this is a ‘cultural insult’ or a personal opinion.
Please come back and tell us more when you get a chance.
SK
Hi again Coffee
Were you sad to see Mickey NOT win the Oscar on Sunday?
Do you think he’ll stay on Hollywood’s casting rolodexes now?
Stay Healthy and Creative
SK
Hello S N UMA
While I’m not entirely sure about (a), I think you are right about (b).
But they did drag him out to beat him and interrogate him at the police station and I’m not sure that’s game show protocol either.
But, yes, I believe in ‘real life’ they would have a chaperon if a contestant had a ‘call from nature’… So it was poetic license, as the saying goes.
Come back and visit ReelHeART Blogs anytime!
Stay Healthy and Creative
SK
Am Indian born overseas, I was very fond of india and always loved that country , But to my surprise when i visited india, My first impression after i left Airport was horrible in Mumbai.The movie Slumdog Millionaire projects a real image of what india hides in its slums.
And all middle class and rich indians pretend to ignore it. But its shocking for people from overseas to see so much of poverty in the centre of city and so called Mumbai. When india calls itself advanced country, what does that mean for so many poor children and poor people,who don’t even have a good food a day, some dying of hunger.
And i was really shocked ,when tried to help some poor children, people in india excuse is to make as if you do not see them.How can we even eat something,when there are thousands poor little innocent childrens crying of hunger. You indians seems to ignore these facts, but its very hard for anybody else to come accross such things. In most even african countries animals have better living than poor people in india.
The movie projected the real image,which you pretend to ignore everyday.But it hurts other people a lot, Sometimes looks like a forgotten world.Its high time the lazy and corrupt politicians also consider the main problem of india instead of just filling their pockets. India is always seen as a very poor country;Because part of rich people only care for themselves and have done nothing so far ,to solve the problem of poverty.
Its should be the main concern of every patriot indian to seek for solution to help those poor people, born in slums and die in slums. India can never be a holy land till there are so much of people dying out of hunger on road sides and the other part day dreaming in air conditioned rooms.Live your life for your country not for your familly .
All past and present indian leaders and politicians are the real cause for this sorry plight of Maha Bharath.Vande Mataram,
Hi Jay
So glad you visited ReelHeART ReelBlogs and gave your 1st hand experience and opinion. It’s important always to see both sides of a story.
I’ve overheard the same sort of discussions from other ex-patriots from India; that as you said, “The movie Slumdog Millionaire projects a real image of what india hides in its slums. ”
I think if anything, Slumdog Millionaire brought to light the very explosive issue of the Dharavi slums in Mumbai. The fact that even some of the children went back to their ‘ususal way of life’ after filming made this more than just a story about a film…
Please come back and visit again-
Stay Healthy and Creative
SK