I can’t contain myself, I HAVE to live-blog the Golden Globes. That statement itself might be a spoiler, I know. If you’re on PST, have this isht on DVR or otherwise loathe learning something before you’re supposed to, don’t go past the jump.
[And if you are a Wesssssider, then come on. You’re used to this, so no need to complain…I’m from there, I remember the feeling, but there’s nothing to be done. Except move here. Which is what I did. ;)]
If you’re on the right coast and feel like gettin’ your Mutiny on…party over here!Simon Beaufoy just accepted a Golden Globe award for “Best Screenplay”, for Slumdog Millionaire.
My hasty attempt to transcribe his remarks:
“Thank you very much, Hollywood Foreign Press Association. It’s an absolute honor. We really weren’t expecting to be here in America at all at one time, so it’s just amazing to be standing here. It started with Vikas Swarup who wrote the novel “Q+A” that amazing book about Mumbai, it went to Tessa Ross (?) the cleverest film woman in Britain, who gave it to me, who sent it to a man called Christian Colson, who produced the film and it went through many many other peoples hands, too many to say thank you to, but to all of them, thank you. And finally it got to Danny, there are some people…there are some directors who shoot a screenwriter’s script and there are once-in-a-blue-moon a director who comes along to make it fly and I don’t need to tell you that he made it fly. Thank you Danny, Thank you to Jane, my wife and my children.”
Felicitations to Freida Pinto, who is beautiful– and elated. Sweetly dorky Dev Patel looks dashing in a cutaway collar and I want to kiss him for it– that table is always sadly ignored at my local Thomas Pink. Then again he’s from England, so they’re not terrified of them over there.
Aside: am I hallucinating or are non-brownz wearing desi clothes? I rushed home but missed the first hour, so I did not get to see the red carpet, and thus, no full-length views to confirm. Haven’t seen Freida’s entire dress, either.
Totally unrelated aside: Renee…fire your makeup artist AND your stylist. Ugh, ugh, utterly fug.
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Annnnd…A.R. Rahman, who is up for “Best Score”, gets his name mangled by Kate Beckinsale/Puffy. A.R. Roomin’? Like, I’m roomin’ with a total slob? Awesome.
I shall overlook such stupidity, however, because I get to transcribe an ACCEPTANCE SPEECH! 馃榾
“Unbelievable. Uh, I’ve got this long list I thought I won’t win so anyways thanks to the almighty God for bringing me here, Danny Boyle, Kristin from Cellar Door (?), Fox pictures, all my musicians in Chennai, Mumbai, Samuel Long, Karan Grover, M.I.A. for the collaboration Sam Schwartz (?), Allison and the billion people from India. Thanks for all your prayers.”
I’ve never seen him live, so this is mad exciting for me. His happiness and nervous energy are cute. I like his tux, but a mutineer who is here says the tie reminds him of an undertaker’s. That same mutineer is another ABD of Tamizzhrl extraction, who is now mocking me for my inability to understand some of what A.R. ROOMIN’ was saying.
He actually had to translate for me, especially after he heard me mutter, “Karen WHO?” when Karan Grover was what had been uttered. I didn’t even understand M.I.A. the first time I heard it (Em, em, eye, eye, ay, ay…MIA. zomg. Me. Her stalker. I should give back my CDs.)
I am shame spiraling accordingly. Said spiral commenced after hearing, “look at who thinks she’s a gully South Indian, who can’t understand what my Tamil compatriot is saying…”. Oy. Pwned.
Uh, David Duchovny, thanks but no thanks for your INACCURATE clarification?!
“Um, a slight correction, the gentleman who just won the last award his name is A.R. ROOMIN’, I’m told, so…thank you.”
Wtf?
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Mutineer apsara77 points us to the High Heel Confidential blog, which is currently featuring this picture:
Hrm. Freida’s dress looks okay from that angle, but I’m not a fan of its view straight-on. Decking those hips with boughs of…chartreuce silk? Why?
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DANNY BOYLE!!! Well at least they pronounced HIS name correctly. :p
I’ll try and transcribe his thank-you speech soon, but my helpful, remote-control-pausin’-friend ran off to get Five Guys and I can’t do it on my own. No woman is an island. Especially when she’s craving a grilled-cheese with peppers and tomatoes. Live-blogging makes me hungry!
“Listen, thanks ever so much, Golden Globes or the GGs as we very affectionately refer to them. Your mad, pulsating affection for our film is much-appreciated. Really deeply appreciate it. Um, I have to thank Tessa Ross, who has been thanked before and there’s a reason for that, she’s an extraordinary person. I have to thank uh, Peter Rice, from Fox Searchlight, without whom I wouldn’t be here, standing here, absolutely, I have to thank Cellar Door, I have to thank Pathay (?), um there’s so many people to thank, which I know everybody goes on about. I’ve got to thank my agent, Robert Newman, again, without whom I wouldn’t be here. Um, making a film is a family affair obviously, and the people in Mumbai, who are all watching by the way, big shout of love to them and particularly Loveleen Tandon…?…?…and our three musketeers, Tabrez, Pervesh and Sanjay (?) and finally, and most appropriately in this house, to the actors, particularly Anil, Dev and Freida and Madhur (?) and the six, the six young actors who played the other parts in the movie, who were fantastic. Um, I just want to finish by thanking my kids, Grace, Gabriel and Galen and Gail who is their mom and anyway thanks ever so much. Bye-bye.”
I have had to sit here (while starving) smelling fresh, hot cajun fries while typing all that. Never question the sacrifices bloggers make for you. Never. 馃槈
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Lesson learned. Never leave a Five Guys grilled cheese to sweat in foil while typing furiously. I was so sad about my mushy sandwich, until I looked up at the screen. Wait. Could it be? Was such a thing even possible?
Was Shah Rukh Khan wearing a sequined tie under his shirt?
Wow.
Maybe wearing it under his shirt is better than over, come to think of it.
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Wot’s this? An even BETTER distraction from my soggy sandwich?
BEST PICTURE!!!
A standing ovation for the other SM, Slumdog Millionaire. 馃檪 Christian Colson accepts the award:
“Come on guys, get up here…Dev. Uh wow, thanks so much to the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, that’s quite hard to say after a few martinis. It’s an enormous honor for me to be collecting this on behalf of everyone involved in making this film. Um, I’d like to say a few very big thank yous to a few very big cheeses, first of all, Peter Rice of Fox Searchlight, Jeff Robinoff at Warner Brothers…uh…Paul Smith at Cellar Door films, Tessa Ross at Film Four…uh…???…we couldn’t have had a smarter or more supportive bunch of partners watching over us as we made this film so thanks to all of them. Um, we had the great privilege of working for a fantastic cast and crew in Mumbai who will be going nuts as they watch this tonight, they will be going absolutely mental, so Hello to all of them and we’ll see you next week when we come out for the opening of the film in India next Thursday…uh…and that’s going to be some party, I think. Um, our fantastic cast, Dev Patel, Freida Pinto, Madhur Mittal and everyone else, all our young cast, Anil and Irfan, Simon Beaufoy who gave us all an incredible opportunity by writing an extraordinary screenplay and the great Danny Boyle, who brought it so miraculously to life. My mum, my dad, my girlfriend for only dumping me once. Thank you very much. Good night.”
Again, I may not have caught every word of the speech, but that should be most of it. FOUR! They won FOUR! Who’s ready to party in the bunker?
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I love how wiki is already updated with the news. Here’s the list of trophies won:
* Won: Best Motion Picture – Drama
* Won: Best Director – Motion Picture – Danny Boyle
* Won: Best Screenplay – Simon Beaufoy
* Won: Best Original Score – A. R. Rahman
[wiki]
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I think it’s safe to update the title at this point. So I did.
100 脗路 SSK
Nice try. Next time, try harder:)
101 脗路 NaraVara said
But now you’re into strumming the organ. Win-win!
80 脗路 KXB said
The X-factor is whether the portrayal of Hindus rampaging in the Muslim jhopdis with a child in Ram costume shouting murderous slogans, and killing Jamal’s mom among others, without adequate “balance”, triggers a political outcry. Honestly, I am surprised it hasn’t yet, maybe because the movie is not yet part of the Indian consciousness.
(not making this comment as flame bait, just an observation)
103 脗路 million nair said
I walked right into that one didn’t I?
105 脗路 Nara Vara said
A dick joke is a terrible thing to waste.
104 脗路 million nair said
Does anybody know how faithful the movie was to the book? Because while it was filmed in India with Indian actors and Indian music, the only things culturally Indian about it would be some of the cliches Boyle used to point out to Western audiences that “Yes. This is, in fact, India in case you didn’t know.” So I guess if it was in Beijing he would be bringing green tea to t-shirt makers.
It was a bit self-consciously cliched in a way that I wouldn’t expect from an Indian author.
The only thing that stops me from seeing this movie is rushing to the theater and looking like the Indian guy that is only watching this movie because it has Indians in it.
107 脗路 NV said
my understanding was that the movie borrowed the idea of who wants to be a millionaire as scaffolding, but significantly reworked the surrounding story and incidents. the book isn’t considered particularly good either, though i think compared to chetan bhagat, it is nobel material. no idea if it is cliched, though – indian authors are perfectly capable of cliched writing about india, depending on the market they’re interested in, or their particular skills.
80 脗路 KXB said
I haven’t seen the movie, just the trailer. But KXB, I don’t think the average Indian is quite as bigoted as you appear to imply. Any bigots would also note that the ‘Muslim’ male lead is actually played by a Hindu, and they will probably also note that the ‘Hindu female lead’ is actually played by a Christian! So it’ll be fine on that account. Not to deny that there is bigotry in Bollywood, as well as in India at large – note what AR Rahman said on his new name after converting to Islam. Just not so much as to sink the movie on that account alone. But it is not impossible for the movie to sink if its plot were to be seen as thin or artificial, or if the Western take on the movie’s artistic value diverged significantly from the Indian. And the Indian mass audience probably won’t care much about the Golden Globes (as opposed to the Colaba crowd). Come to think of it, until this year, I didn’t think very much of, or about, the Golden Globes, or conceptually distinguish them much from Oscars, or other movie-glam-self-congratulatory-promotional commercial awards.
i’ve been wondering about this, esp. since it is danny boyle, who has never, to my knowledge, co-directed a movie before – seems like loveleen tandon must have put in a large amount of work to get a co-director credit alongside somebody like danny boyle. also, the first part of the film, showing the youngest jamal et. al. was very different than the rest of the film – most obviously for its use of hindi, but also the general ambience of it all. so i’m wondering if she basically directed that segment, and then danny boyle directed all the english portions. can anybody comment on this?
Are we sure the codirector was not just an assistant director?
In one interesting controversy, the lady who codirected City of God had hurt feelings when she was not credited at the Oscars as a codirector.
It was hilarious how Duchovny smugly corrects Rahman’s pronunciation only to ruin it further. I am thinking someone played a joke on him and he fell for it.
I love Danny Boyle movies and think Trainspotting is one of the top 10 movies of the 90s. Yet, it says something when one of the biggest stars of Bollywood looks all grateful over one movie “Oh thank you white people in America for acknowledging us as an interesting country worth celebrating with your good movie. Very nice”. OK so that’s not what he said. But that’s what he seemed to imply. Though it was nice to see Shah Rukh Khan to be more articulate on stage than some American actors who mumble and fidget their way through presentations at awards shows(I am talking to you Pacino).
I thought Kate Winslet lost some cool points for doing a Halle Berry like meltdown for a FREAKING GOLDEN GLOBES award.
Hi, ak! Loveleen is the one who found all the young actors and who suggested to Boyle that he’d get an authentic performance if they spoke Hindi linkage
And here. Pravin you are hard to please bro!
115 脗路 Pravin said
I’ve always maintained that Kate Winslet has 2 golden globes, and yesterday I was proved right.
Arre! Anil Kapoor on the red carpet, must be having the time of his life.
As an aside, Slumdog: It all goes downhill when they start speaking English. Dev Patel is an idle, unexpressive actor. He is very lucky though. Danny Boyle hasn’t done anything worth your time since Trainspotting (28 Days Later, What the hell was that?). The slum kids (the youngest incarnations of the actors) did a marvellous job. This film could have been an Indian City of God, instead it turned out to be a slighly improved and a better funded City of Joy.
We should feel free to enjoy it in our diasporic glee though. The West actually cares about India now.
116 脗路 bess said
It’s not clear from her interviews, but it seems like she directed scenes involving the kids, because she had a good rapport with them, as well as scenes requiring filming around India. It also seems like she is not entirely impressed with Danny Boyle’s choice of going with English for a significant part of the movie.
Million nair, here’s what I read and for the link lazy types here’s some of the article:
Tandon, who has earlier served as casting director for films by Mira Nair and Steven Spielberg, had a lot of arguments over the socio-cultural nuances of Boyle’s cinema.
“Specially the fact that the kids had to speak in English. How could kids from Mumbai slums speak in English? It would’ve become stagey. I suggested Danny turn the kids’ dialogues in Hindi. I prepared a scratch tape for Danny with real slum kids.”
Tandon wrote about 30 percent of the film in Hindi. “Danny wanted to be culturally correct. He offered me the part of the co-director. I was blown away. I was never meant to be part of the shooting. I didn’t participate in the shooting of the scenes at the police station and the sets of KBC (Kaun Banega Crorepati).
“I was out directing the second unit. On my own I shot all the scenes showing people shooting KBC all over the country. Also the girl protagonist Latika had very sensitive sexually-suggestive scenes at age 13.”
I think the little ones made that film! And everyone I know who’s seen it – can’t stop talking about the kids – they were brilliant.
WTF? Does anyone know shrinks that specialize in post-colonial anxiety? Ask them to advertise here!
Well said Million nair! The English robs the film of its essence. If Loveleen is responsible for the slumkids part, kudos to her. In any case, she’ll have the freedom to make all the socially-aware and meaningful indie films she wants thanks to the exposure that Slumdog’s got her.
In fact, it’s not just the English. The Colourless and soulless “acting” of Dev Patel, the epitome of Bombayite slum-induced class-anxiety destroys the film.
123 脗路 Vijay said
I was just interpreting her comments, but as bess points out, she might have been talking just about the children, not the whole movie. The English was a distraction, but it was hardly the reason I didn’t think the movie was all that.
Paging SSK #122!
Vijay, sweetie, you sound like a spurned actor.
First of all, the if the movie doesn’t grab you, it doesn’t grab you. That’s just the way it is. I always want to like Jane Austen more than I do, but…..
This film did grab me. I thought the English and Hindi mixed together was interesting, I liked the subtitle things popping out here and there, completely randomly, I love the way the credits at the end had this mad collage like graphics with the actors that zipped onto the screen and cut up with the dance, which was cheerily rough and hokey.
I liked Dev Patel’s performance – I think it if was bigger, it would be a mistake, and not be the center of the film. The quietness grounds the film, as do some of the key scenes with the children at the beginning. Also, in Ty Burr’s review in the Boston Globe (again, from memory so I may be wrong) he said something along the lines of, “Patel is introspective and that quiet introspection works.” Or something like that.
Anyway, if your mileage varies, it varies. That’s just the way it is. I also liked Vicky Christina Barcelona, so, I dunno, maybe I’m not the best judge of these things 馃檪
Felt like Slumdog Millionaire is the movie equivalent of Booker winner, White Tiger – artistically brilliant, but the depiction of India is a little too much to stomach for many Indians. (Englishspeaking) Idnia does not seem to have embraced the latter with open arms, (impresssion based on Indian magazines etc.) Slumdog could receive the same treatment too.
126 脗路 bess said
Well, I’m more of a spurned foreign policy analyst. But, Ok I’ll take actor 馃檪
. Patel was a perfect blank canvas – I could totally project on that. I like what you’re saying onparkstreet!
Spurned foreign policy analyst is way sexier!
@128
Heh, me and my brother were talking about that. White Tiger would translate very nicely into a film as well. Just imagine, Irfan Khan as Balram Halwau, sitting under that ridiculous chandelier, writing a letter to Jiabao. (We decided that because of Adiga’s cinematic description, that the movie should follow the structure and the narrative technique of the book.)
128 脗路 Keralite said
Disagree. White Tiger was nowhere near artistically brilliant, it had a few good flourishes in adopting such a matter of fact, almost innocent sounding writing style for describing the protagonist’s macabre doings, but overall, I didn’t think it distinguished itself much in either technique or content. Slumdog definitely had style and was filled with vitality, but there wasn’t much underneath. In the pointless sweepstakes of incomparables, I’d rate Slumdog well above White Tiger.
128 脗路 Keralite said
Hmmm interesting comparison. I think it’ll hold true for many people. It just so happens that I liked the White Tiger, it was a brilliant depiction of the underbelly and it was perfectly acceptable to have the protagonist communicate with you in English. Cinema is another matter though, you simply cannot have Jamal Malik from the slums go on “Who Wants to be a Millionaire” (instead of Kaun Banega Crorepati) speaking in tones that only 18 years of petit-bourgeoise upbringing in the South of England can inculcate.
Don’t worry, the eager-to-globalize Indian middle-class audience is going to lap this film up.
@ 134 “you simply cannot have Jamal Malik from the slums go on “Who Wants to be a Millionaire” (instead of Kaun Banega Crorepati) speaking in tones that only 18 years of petit-bourgeoise upbringing in the South of England can inculcate”
Why not? It’s a movie. 30s-40s Golden Age Hollywood did this all the time. Realism in film is over-rated, IMHO.
“When critics decry cinematic manipulation, one wonders just what, exactly, they are complaining about. Cinema is an inherently manipulative art form, a sensorial undertaking above all else, a roundabout submission to the subconscious, which, with its endless torrent of streaming perceptions, is the longest running motion picture of the mind.” from this review, I found randomly, on the internets. I do not vouch for the site, no nothing beyond the linked review.
I now have to stop because people will think I’m being paid to talk up the film…..
We get too caught up in what didn’t happen and miss out on the present. I say enjoy the flick for nothing more than what it is.
And for the very fact it isn’t City of God, it’s probably got a wider appeal. There is plenty you, me, or someone else would like a moviemaker to do. However, judging the movie on what it actually is, not what one would want it to be, it’s still pretty damn good. There are a myriad of topics the filmakers could have dug deeper for, but it never seemed like that was their goal. They set out to make a movie that would depress, infuriate, disgust, humor, and above all – entertain. On those grounds, I think Slumdog Millionaire was a damn good film. It’s a simple story executed with excellence including the soundtrack and visual settings. The kids most definitely steal the show.
Some movies the film geeks will enjoy, some are mindless manufactured flicks for the masses. This movie, IMHO, straddles the sweet spot between both. It isn’t going to make anyone vested in a particular vision happy, but if you look at its box office returns, this thing has been batting steady in/close to the top 10 for weeks now. Yahoo movies lists it showing on 600 screens and this past weekend it seems to have pulled in 3.7 million bucks. Seven Pounds is showing on 2400 screens and barely pulled in more at 3.9 million. The appeal for Slumdog Millionaire has only grown.
A quote from the movie Ratatouille comes to mind. I’ve seen it used in similar context before…
Unfortunately, the Oscars only allow ONE director to be entered, something with the rules and what not.
@Guju 136
I can live with that. It’s definitely got a wider appeal thanks to it’s mindless execution. I overheard the most unlikely human being (a Scottish blonde) raving about the film yesterday. It helps get your average Westerner hooked on the Emerging India story. It’s almost a propaganda film. I can just imagine “Slumdog Tours” popping up all over Bombay with eager Westerners queing up to gawk at the 2 million strong (and growing) Dharavi slum. The film is good for India, it’s cool, it’s new and has mass appeal. But, a complete let down as a piece of cinema.
outraged by this article in UK’s Telegraph today. typical from the land that gave us Prince Harry I guess…have they seen a Tamil movie recently? Special effects are world-class.
“In many respects, Slumdog Millionaire could only be British. It is technically adept in a manner that still eludes India’s Bollywood cinema; Boyle is at the top of his form. “
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/4224827/Slumdog-Millionaire-the-first-film-of-the-Obama-era.html
This is the talking/doing distinction. The discussion here is between different talkers’ perceptions, so this doesn’t really apply.
Amir Khan made a pile of money the last few weeks on the Hindi remake of the Tamil remake of Memento. So I guess a British remake of Salaam Bombay getting Golden Globes, and maybe the Oscars, sort of evens the ripoff balance.
BTW, some say Ghajini should be sent for Oscars, now that would be interesting! 馃檪
140 脗路 Bleah said
Interesting judgment from one who hasn’t even seen the movie, and has decided not to. Apparently, there is only one possible movie about slum kids in Bombay. Who knew?
Re the English, perhaps Boyle thought he’d have a better chance to compete at the various award shows if the film was mostly in English? Haven’t seen the film but agree with the comment above that realism is overrated.
Indians: We will only see the new malls built when we walk by while ignoring the rest of the population
Westerners: We will only see the slums while ignoring the improvement in only 60 years
That makes me laugh – Slumdog Tours. And here I was just thinking of the contrast btwn the India of this film and the one I see in Bollywood movies. My guess is the Slumdog Tour would not be popular with the Scottish Blondes but maybe the Scottish blonde missionaries – you know the ones who want to save India and her slum children.
I wouldn’t be surprised about the commercial aspects that would prop up around the film. I guess it’s the comical side of success, having said that, I do disagree with the part that is bolded. It’s a discussion that’s probably out of the scope of this particular thread, but what is “good” cinema? That’s a very subjective term, but the most basic definition would be a movie that has good viewer feedback (not necessarily box office, Office Space is a good DVD hit example), editing, sound, a compelling story, cinematography, etc. There are plenty of flicks that are really good at some of those categories and not so at others. Sometimes a director will give it his all and make a masterpiece from a technical and artistic side, yet the movie in its totatily falls short as the story itself isn’t all that great. Even good acting and directing can’t save a film with a flimsy story. There are many movies that aren’t masterpieces from an “art” side, yet have endured the test of time (Animal House).
Do we judge a piece of fiction on realism? To a certain degree, especially if the movie is about non-fictional events (war movies like Black Hawk Down for example), we do. I think the goal wasn’t to show case India, rather to just tell a good story in a setting most people don’t normally see and do it well. Everything to me seemed to be tuned towards that end goal – a simple, fun, story about a dirt poor kid who simply believes he can find his childhood love. An undereducated chaiwalla going on the show and winning is unrealistic, as well as every question being one that he just happened to know due to circumstances.
There is also creative license people take and tough decisions one has to make with a limited budget. You’re probably not going to get everything you want. But it’s a pretty tough stand to say this was a complete let down of cinema. That’s generally reserved for movies with bonafide actors and directors that completely mail in a performance (De Niro, Pacino movies lately). One has to have a very high expectation to begin with for something to be a total let down. I don’t know what hype you’ve been hearing. Personally, I try to tune all that out to avoid biasing my opinion before I get to judge the film.
My 2 cents, YMMV.
144 脗路 bess said
Been there, done that.
147 脗路 Jef Costello said
Maybe is the White Tiger!
I can understand why the movie showed the events in chronological order unlike the book, but I don’t understand why they had to change the story to the extent that they did, i.e. adding characters, removing others, making Salim the scumbag brother instead of Ram Mohammad Thomas’ loyal sidekick, and changing most of the episodes. In the book it’s explained how the main character is fluent in English, but the movie leaves anyone with half a brain wondering how a slum dweller speaks it so well.
The movie was pretty good by itself, but I wonder if all the positive attention will make the Orientalists cream their pants over India the same way that Crouching Tiger made them do over China.
million nair:
Now I’m not laughing.
150 脗路 bess said
Yep! 馃檨
147 脗路 Jef Costello said
I’ve heard the kids in SDG are not getting paid, lest their parents take the money and use it up etc. Instead their schooling is being paid for through college. Anyone else heard this? I think it’s a great idea, because it’s a way for those kids to get out of the slums.
And they totally made the movie. The youngest kids I think were the best and most amazing actors of the bunch.
Is the word “slumdog” actually used to describe someone from the slums, or was that made up for the movie?
87 脗路 saa said
AR Rahman became famous and well accepted after ROJA itself. And that was before anyone who writes on SM was born (exaggerating).
How come Frieda is getting all the attention….its like hollywood adopted her…and kinda ignoring my boy dev…anwyaz i hope Frieda makes good decisions and not end up as playboy spread in 3 years…