the unborn slumdog millionaire

last week i was able to get to see these movies.. (as to where and how, some people would know but there are also some people i don't want to tell Ü)

¤ slumdog millionaire ¤

since it won best picture in oscar's i was nothing but curious. when the movie started, i said, "astig!" as the story line came to life. and as the movie went on.. i kept on saying that word.. and when i thought i knew how the story would end, it proved me wrong! so, all in all it really was a good movie and deserved winning the award. but it did not made me curious to see the other nominees. maybe because i don't really know what those movies are. or maybe the thought that they're losers, so, i don't think it would be any good. hahahahah!

trivia

• The actor whose autograph young Jamal gets is Amitabh Bachchan. Amitabh Bachchan is a very real, and very famous Indian actor, the original host of the Indian version of "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire", and also the father-in-law of Aishwarya Rai (or Aishwarya Rai-Bachchan as she is known after marriage).
• Director Danny Boyle placed the money to be paid to the 3 lead child actors in a trust that is to be released to them upon their completion of grade school at 16 years of age. The production company has set up for an auto-rikshaw driver to take the kids to school everyday until they are 16 years old.
• In the opening chase scene where Jamal and Salim jump down from a building to the ground is an reference to Danny Boyle's Trainspotting (1996) in which the main character Renton jumps down into the frame at a drug dealers to eventually overdose on heroin.
• The current exchange rate for 20,000,000 Rupees (the grand prize on "Who Wants to be a Millionaire") is USD$411,600.
• Approximately 20% of the movie's dialog is in Hindi (with English subtitles).
• The second Danny Boyle film to feature a protagonist diving into a toilet, after Trainspotting (1996).
• The pile of excreta that the young Jamal jumps into and was made from a combination of peanut butter and chocolate.
• This movie almost was released straight to DVD instead of getting a theatrical release.
• In the scene early in the film where Maman approaches Jamal and Salim to give them a cool drink, the 'Thumbs Up' branding (the Indian version of Coca Cola) had to be removed on the request of the manufacturers who did not want to be associated with the film.
• Ruslaan Mumtaz was selected by director Danny Boyle to play the role of Jamal, however the producer of the film felt he was "too good looking" to play a kid from the slums. Hence, Dev Patel bagged the role.
• This is the first film since Schindler's List (1993) to win Best Picture, Director and Screenplay at the Golden Globes, BAFTAs and the Oscars
• Longiness Fernandes was the choreographer of the dance sequence set to the song "Jai Ho", which is played during the end credits. But his name was inadvertently left out in the credits of the film. Upset with this, Longinus skipped the preview parties. Danny Boyle was also upset over this mistake and promised Lnginus that he would make it up to him, and made he up in style. While accepting the Oscar for the Best Director, he admitted his mistake before the audience and thanked Longinus. The song "Jai Ho" also won the Oscar for Best Song for A.R. Rahman and Gulzar.
• The children on the film were only paid a little above local wages for 30 days of work. One child's father said, "We have barely got any money from the film-makers. In fact, whatever came, has already been spent."
• The film is based upon Vikas Swarup's novel "Q & A".

I loved "trainspotting" a lot.. and it's cool to know that it was a film by the same director. i might check out his other films. Ü

goofs

Plot holes: The original TV show "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" is recorded in studio some days before the actual broadcast. The show that we see in the film is broadcast live, which raises the incongruence that the person from home can easily see the question on TV having plenty of time to come up with an answer before receiving the actual call. this explains the need to have the questions reread on the phone, and the credibility of the time limit. Moreover, the call itself is never directed to a mobile number, to prevent connection troubles, and for the same reason it's never issued directly when the contestant asks for it; the call is first made in the very moment the contestant begins his round and it's then kept live (but soundless) until the contestant calls for the hotline. As a side fact, after the hotline has been used the contact is still kept so the contestant's people can hear live what happens from then on.

Factual errors: In the final question the name of Alexandre Dumas in incorrectly spelled Alexander.

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): in the hotel scene, after the fight, Salim puts the gun to Jamal's head. Salim says that the gun he is using is a Colt 45. A Colt 45 is a handgun, but Salim's gun is a revolver.

Boom mic visible: In the room where Latika is dancing, when Jamal and Salim come to free her and Maman shows up with his tough guys, a boom mike operator can be seen in the mirror in several shots.

Factual errors: SPOILER: In the beginning of the film it says it takes place in 2006. But when Jamal wins the show, the check says 2005.

¤ the unborn ¤

it has been a long time since i was able to see a movie that really scared the shit out of me. i don't want to look up facts about the movie because it still haunts me. maybe some other day. or i would just read it but would not post it here.

i get scared of horror movies that have some truth in it. something that's plausible. and i think the story or the concept behind the movie is.

i was screaming on top of my lungs during a lot of instances and yes, i was not ashamed! because, i sure hell was scared! waaaaaaah!

a very good scary movie.. because it did scare me.. Ü