Jim Carey stars as a man who just can’t so no in this tale inspired by the real life of Danny Wallace. Zooey Deschanel, Bradley Cooper, John Michael Higgins, Terrence Stamp, Danny Masterson, and Molly Sims also star. Check out the official site. The film opens everywhere on Friday. Larger trailer available in the Full Diagnosis.
The film takes place over a period of many years through a series of flashbacks. In the present we see Jamal Malik (Dev Patel) interrogated for supposed cheating on the Indian version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire by a Police Investigator (Irfan Khan) and his subordinate (Saurabh Shukla) who simply can’t believe an uneducated street kid like Jamal could actually know the answers.
In his attempts to prove his innocence we are granted glimpses at Jamal’s early life as a child (played by Ayush Mahesh Khedekar) with his older brother Salim (Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail) through his performance on the show the night before.
What director Danny Boyle and screenwriter Simon Beaufoy give us is a thoroughly engaging and slowly unfolding tale as Jamal relates his story and the events which led to him learning the answers to the trivia questions he was given. Along the way we learn more about his life, his first love, and his tempestuous relationship with his brother.
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Slumdog Millionaire Read More »
At the heart of the film written and directed by John Patrick Shanley, who adapted his play for the screen, is the issue of change vs. the status quo. Set in the Bronx during the 1960’s the film deals with the conflict between the more liberal priest, Father Flynn (Philip Seymour Hoffman), and the older Sister Aloysius Beauvier (Meryl Streep).
Set between the pair is the good-natured Sister James (Amy Adams) who is the catalyst for the story when her observance of events causes Sister Aloysius to believe, with certainty, that Father Flynn has taken improper advances with a young black student (Joseph Foster).
Is the accusation real, or is it simply an excuse for the traditional nun to get rid of the crazy priest and his new-fangled ideas? Is there room, for doubt?
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So I caught the press screening for The Day the Earth Stood Still remake on Tuesday, and while I would very much love to be able to tell you unequivocally that it’s a terrible, terrible attempt at a modern update of a beloved sci-fi classic I’ll confess that it’s just a little sad and disappointing. More than anything I felt slightly embarrassed for the film, as it was much like watching the not-really-that-bright kid in class who tries REALLY hard but still can’t wrap his brain around the science concept, let alone explain it in a presentation in front of the class.
Let’s get this out of the way first and foremost: I’m rather fond of Keanu Reeves. Intellectually I realize that he is at best a limited actor, but I just like the guy. That’s probably got more than a little something to do with the fact that on one hot August night in 1999 I spent the better part of my time signing autographs for the guy at a festival show Dogstar headlined with a band I was working with. While I’m the first guy to admit that Reeves is by far a more attractive man than yours truly, the confusion was mostly due to less than attentive fans and one very impish guitar tech who insisted to every fan that yes, I was Keanu Reeves. It probably didn’t help that I was wearing all black, had close-cropped short black hair, and was easily visible backstage. So for anyone at the Kansas City River Market Dogstar show in August of 1999 still possessing an autograph signed ‘Avoid the clap! – Keanu‘ or ‘Be Cool, Stay in School! – Keanu‘ I’m terribly sorry. Also, you’re an idiot, because that day he was wearing ratty jeans, and orange t-shirt and had a 3-week beard.
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The Day the Earth Stood Still. Or Not. Whatever. Read More »
The Hollywood Foreign Press has announced their nominees for 66th Annual Golden Globes. Who made the list? How about best picture (drama) nominees Frost Nixon (yes!!!), The Reader, Revolutionary Road, Slumdog Millionaire (yes!!), The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, and for comedy – Burn After Reading, In Bruges, Happy Go Lucky, Mamma Mia! (hmm…), and Vicky Christina Barcelona (yes!!!). In terms of nominations, my favorite category (Best Supporting Actor) pits Heath Ledger’s Joker against Robert Downey Jr.‘s Kirk Lazarus from Tropic Thunder (plus a few other recognizable names: Ralph Fiennes, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and Tom Cruise).
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2009 Golden Globe Nominations Read More »
