Slumdog Millionaire

Much like 2003's City of God, Slumdog Millionaire plunges the audience into unfamiliar territory and provides a cultural contemplation that leaves you wanting more after it ends. Director Danny Boyle (Trainspotting, 28 Days Later, Sunshine) hurls his camera into interesting areas and extracts moving performances from his lead characters; at the same time, the film almost has a documentary feel to it because it is so genuine.

Slumdog Millionaire
Director: Danny Boyle
Starring: Dev Patel, Freida Pinto, Anil Kapoor


Set and shot in India, the story revolves around an 18-year-old uneducated "slumdog" named Jamal Malik, who is on the Hindi version of "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?" If you're doubting the quality of the movie based on that plot description, you aren't the only one: I thought the same thing before I saw the movie. Seriously, "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?" But trust me - the structure of this movie is so awesome that it isn't even an issue. It actually becomes one of the coolest aspects of the film, because every time Jamal is asked a question on the show, there is a flashback to personal experiences that reveals how he knows the answer.


I really can't recommend this highly enough. It reminds me of Wristcutters: A Love Story from last year, a little-known independent film that I ranked as my favorite movie of the year. The story for Slumdog Millionaire is, in its most basic form, a love story between Jamal and a girl he meets as a child named Latika. He gets on the show because he knows she will be watching (the whole country becomes enamored with the program when they find out that this uneducated kid is rocking it so hard) and uses it as an opportunity to reconnect with her after years of tumultuous times.


The cinematography is incredible. The filmmakers used lightweight digital prototype cameras to have the maneuverability necessary to move around in some of those tight spaces in the slums of India, and the results are definitely worth checking out. The editing is great, lending well to Boyle's intense style. But the soundtrack is what really has people talking, featuring a fantastic pulsating mix of songs by composer A.R. Rahman and even features "Paper Planes" by MIA.


This is one of those rare films that pulls you in from the moment it begins and doesn't allow you to even consider stepping away from it. I was utterly captivated the entire time and completely invested emotionally. When Jamal is asked the final question on "WWTBAM," I was on the edge of my seat. The relationship between Jamal and Latika is essentially a modern-day fairy tale: would these series of coincidences actually happen in real life? Probably not, but we don't care - the movie captures a sense of joy and translates it directly to the audience in a way that makes me remember why I love movies so much in the first place. Truly a triumphant celebration of life and destiny, Slumdog Millionaire succeeds for all the right reasons and proves once again the versatility of its director. This is a must-see. Until next time...

2008 In Film

So here's the deal - I'm going to list out every movie that was released in 2008 that I saw during this calendar year, whether it was in the theater or rented at home. A brief account of my thoughts will accompany each film. This way, when I do my obligatory Top 10 of 2008 list, I don't have to tell you what I thought about each one - you'll already know from having read this post. Enjoy.

Cloverfield - Blew me away at the beginning of the year, and I definitely haven't forgotten about it. It's one of my favorites of the past few years, actually.

Cassandra's Dream - This Woody Allen movie with Colin Farrell and Ewan McGregor was really enjoyable and different from most Woody Allen films I've seen. Much more Match Point/Scoop than Annie Hall. Great acting, solid script, good movie.

Rambo - The most violent movie I've ever seen in a theater. Depending on your movie preference (and probably your sex), that will most likely determine if you enjoyed this one as much as I did. Oh yeah - the dialogue was terrible, but no one cared. Freakin' Rambo is back.

Strange Wilderness - Horrifyingly dreadful. That part with the shark laugh was the only truly funny part, and that's simply because we laughed about it from the trailer so much. If you've never seen this, keep it that way.

In Bruges - Colin Farrell's best performance. This movie was funny, violent, crude, and touching. A great film that was very purely written, if I may use that as an adjective in that context.

Definitely, Maybe - Cute chick flick. One of the few that I really enjoy from that genre; my appreciation springs from the inclusion of Ryan Reynolds, Elizabeth Banks, Isla Fisher, and Rachel Weisz being in the same movie.

Be Kind Rewind - Let down. Not nearly as funny/cool/inventive as it could have been.

Charlie Bartlett - Another solid performance from Robert Downey, Jr. Charlie Bartlett is underrated, I think. It wasn't marketed that well, but I think most people will like it if they see it.

Vantage Point - I liked it a lot while watching it, but instantly forgot it afterwards. It was the movie equivalent of a chicken sandwich at Burger King.

The Counterfeiters - Kind of a drag due to its serious subject matter, but it does me good to see a foreign flick every once in a while.

The Bank Job - Not one of Statham's best. Entertaining, but certainly no Italian Job.

21 - Overrated. Decent, but overrated. My feelings could stem from the fact that I've heard the true story recounted so many times by family members and The History Channel, so keep that in mind.

Forgetting Sarah Marshall - One of the more enjoyable comedies of the year. Russell Brand was really funny in this one.

Pathology - It tried to be "edgy" and "crazy," but ended up being another standard in line with Flatliners and other medical based suspense movies like it.

Harold and Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay - Like the first one, but more obscene. Pretty funny, although I would have appreciated a little more NPH.

Iron Man - Awesome. Surprise hit of the summer, and cemented RDJ as a comeback kid.

Redbelt - Chiwetel Ejiofor couldn't save this one on his own. The script was all right, but the ending just left you with that "what just happened?" feeling.

Speed Racer - I don't care what anyone says, I really dug this one. My experience playing Mario Kart Double Dash has a lot to do with it.

Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian - I liked it more than the first one. Better action, better character development.

Indiana Jones and The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull - I am angry just remembering this movie at all. That South Park episode hit it right on the head.

The Strangers - Not quite scary enough, but a good horror movie. I appreciate that movies like this are still being made, and I hope more of them appear soonl

The Promotion - Not as funny as reported, but still worthy of a viewing. Stifler and John C. Reilly go face to face for the same job.

The Happening - Awful. I love Night, but he's testing my patience. This was almost unwatchable.

The Incredible Hulk - Too many stupid CGI scenes. They should have utlized Ed Norton more; when you have a solid lead actor, take advantage!

Get Smart - Stupid, but amusing. Really childish humor, cheesy jokes, etc. If you're in that kind of mood, go for it.

WALL*E - One of the year's best. Heartwarming, topical, and amazing to look at.

Wanted - Shoot 'Em Up meets The Matrix. I liked it in the theaters, but I don't know if it has a lot of rewatchability.

Hancock - The little twist they have was worth it for me. The rest of the movie, not so much.

Hellboy II: The Golden Army - Sorry Jared, this one kind of sucked. I paid $2.50 to see this in a theater and was kind of disappointed it cost that much after I walked out.

The Dark Knight - Yep, it's as good as everyone says. This movie dominates.

Transsiberian - Good cast, decent script, mild suspense. Not quite what I was hoping for, but passable.

Step Brothers - One of the funnier flicks this year. Catalina Wine Mixer.

The Midnight Meat Train - Surprisingly, a good horror movie. Far better than I thought it would be.

Pineapple Express - Overrated and pretty stupid. Rogen and Franco were all right. Maybe I just don't get it because I'm not a pothead, I don't know.

Tropic Thunder - Nicely done, Ben Stiller. This one was hilarious.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars - Definitely a kids' movie, but it didn't have the same magic as any of the original trilogy.

Death Race - Awesomely bad. This was one you could write in your sleep, but Statham made it awesome.

Burn After Reading - A "comedy" that I didn't think was that funny. Sometimes the Coen Brothers just don't do it for me.

Appaloosa - Keeping the western trend of last year alive, this was a solid addition to the genre and a great team-up of Ed Harris and Viggo Mortensen.

Eagle Eye - I liked it. More than I should have. Say what you will, but the kid's got talent.

Quarantine - Scarier than I thought, but full of "jump" moments instead of truly scary things.

RockNRolla - I liked Guy Ritchie's latest a great deal. I hope they go through with the sequels.

Sex Drive - Another one that flew under everyone's radar. This was the Superbad of 2008, and I think it might be better than Superbad.

Pride and Glory - You've seen this storyline 5o times before, but it's watching Norton, Farrell, and Jon Voight do their thing that makes this one worth it.

Saw V - Not as good as the predecessors. I hope they go to into space soon.

Zack and Miri Make a Porno - Like a Judd Apatow movie, but slightly funnier. I like Kevin Smith's older stuff better; hopefully he returns to that before making another one of these.

Quantum of Solace - A good Bond movie, but not as good as Casino Royale.

Transporter 3 - By far the worst of the series. I wish it was more like the second one.

Vince Vaughn's Wild West Comedy Show - A documentary following some protoges of one of the funniest guys around.

August - Josh Hartnett does a great job in this, and if you're a Hartnett fan you should see this. If not, skip it.

Zombie Strippers - Literally one of the worst movies I've ever seen.

Meet Bill - Aaron Eckhart, Jessica Alba, Elizabeth Banks; charming and funny, if not slightly forgettable.

Nobel Son - The mixing was disastrous and the music (by Paul Oakenfold) was unneccesarily pulsating, but aside from that it was a solid heist movie.

Anaconda 3: The Offspring - Terrible. Hasselhoff should know better. Wait, what am I saying?

Role Models - A lot of live action fantasy role playing, but funny stuff nonetheless.

That's it so far. There are still a few that I'd like to see before the year is over, so hopefully I'll get around to them before it gets too far in January to do a Top 10 list for 2008. More reviews are coming soon, along with the rest of our Countdown From Judgment Day series, so stay tuned. Until next time...

Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines

Countdown From Judgment Day - Part 2


Continuing our series of Terminator-themed posts, Ben's Movie Reviews has once again teamed up with The Solar Sentinel to bring you everything you could possibly want to know about the Terminator franchise.

Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines
Director: Jonathan Mostow
Starring: Arnold Schwarzeneggar, Nick Stahl, Claire Danes, Kristanna Loken


STORY: The third installment of this film series picks up in 2004 where we are reintroduced with John Connor (Stahl), who has been living off the grid since the events of T2. Even though the date of Judgment Day has come and gone and the war never started, John still doesn't believe that he is safe. He was right - Judgment Day has not been prevented, only delayed. From the future, machines have sent a new model back to destroy Connor's future soldiers in the rebellion - the TX (Loken), an advanced killing machine the likes of which no one has ever seen. So the rebels send the T-101 (Schwarzeneggar) back to protect Connor and Kate Brewster (Danes), an old friend he is reacquainted with while repairing his injuries. Skynet, the computer system that runs the machines and fuels their takeover, has moved from Cyberdyne Systems to the Air Force's new defense program. When a super-virus threatens the nation, Kate's father (a general) decides to activate Skynet, unaware of the impending apocalypse. T3 is a race against time, a race against fate, and a race to stop the unthinkable from actually happening.


While not as high quality as the second film, this one is still pretty solid. John Connor is one of the most complex characters I can think of in film - how does one live with the knowledge of what's to come, but not tell anybody because they'll think you're insane? Better still, how does he live knowing that he is humanity's only hope for survival of an event that hasn't even happened yet? He's such a well-written character. I thought Nick Stahl (the yellow guy from Sin City) was a good Connor; he played the role with equal parts distance and urgency. Edward Furlong (Connor from T2) was going to reprise his role, but he was having some drug problems so the casting people went with Stahl. Claire Danes was also a good fit for her part. She is the audience-relatable character in the movie: new to the situation, thrown into chaos, and has to be strong enough to take it all in and come out the other side. (Perhaps she was a bit TOO strong - her finacee was murdered and she barely shed a tear.)


Schwarzeneggar returned for his last starring role since he became The Governator. The writers (who are also writing Terminator Salvation) laid on the cheese factor with some of his lines and actions ("I'm back," "She'll be back." The gay bar scene, etc.) but overall it wasn't the worst performance I've ever seen Arnold give. He IS playing a robot, after all. How hard can it be? (Trivia: Arnie received a $30 million dollar paycheck for this film, which was the highest amount paid to a single actor upon the film's release in 2003.) Kristanna Loken plays the T-X, the upgraded model that can reshape her appendages into flame throwers and energy ball launchers. I could spend the next paragraph talking about women's roles in film and the meaning of having a female Terminator, but I'll save that for some feminist blog somewhere else. Suffice it to say that Loken succeeded as a creepy, emotionless, efficient killing machine. Her battles with Arnold were a little unbelievable only because his character is the one who explains how much more advanced she is. So why didn't she just launch an energy ball into his face and be done with it? Because the movie wouldn't have been as entertaining, that's why.


As far as the directing and style of the film, Jonathan Mostow (Breakdown, U-571) did as best he could when coming off the heels of the prolific James Cameron. It seems when Cameron split from wife Linda Hamilton (who plays Sarah Connor in the first two films), she received the rights to the series and sold them immediately. Schwarzeneggar called JC to convince him to direct or produce, but he refused. Cameron didn't take it personally, though, later callling T3, "in one word? Great." This entry is not as heavy on the swearing or violence as the earlier films are, and it has a much more spotless look than the dirty grime of LA in the first one and the blue haze that appeared in much of the second one. The action scenes are decent, but nothing like the awesomeness of T2. The crane chase sequence in T3 stands out, but that's about it. But if the whole movie garners the blessing of the series creator, then I guess it's good enough for this writer as well.

Branz's Comments:

T3 had its high points, especially with the car chase scenes and the appearance of Schwarzenegger one last time. However, it wasn’t as dark as the two predecessors. I mean T1 was pretty scary while T2 had the suspense and darkness of the first film with a light-hearted touch of a child and learning 850 series model 101 terminator. I guess I really can’t be scared of a killing hottie like the T-X, even though Arnold is still at his most destructive. The crane through the building scene was really sweet. I guess my thought is that T3 was good, but not as sinister and enthralling as T2 and T1. Hopefully T4 can live up to its history.

(The) Midnight Meat Train

The circumstances surrounding the release of The Midnight Meat Train have already catapulted the movie into cult classic status. After being advertised as a regular horror film for Lionsgate, the movie was eventually released in only 100 theaters across the country and delayed past its original release date. These behind-the-scenes moves gave the film more attention than it probably would have received normally and succeeded in generating some effective online buzz. Surprisingly, it actually lived up to the hype.

The Midnight Meat Train
Director: Ryuhei Kitamura
Starring: Bradley Cooper, Leslie Bibb, Vinnie Jones


Let's just take a second and remember how awesome it was to hear the late Don LaFontaine say this film's title at the end of the trailer. I've heard that guy utter a lot of movie titles, but no other title has caused this much audible laughter in a theater.



Ridiculous title and strange release circumstances aside, The Midnight Meat Train was actually a competent and well-constructed horror film. I know - I was shocked also. The direction was impressive, the cinematography was ethereal and evocative, and the actors (little known as they are) were up to the task of making the best movie they could. Sometimes with horror films like this, you can tell that the actors cash in their performances because they know the movie isn't going to be worth it in the end - this time, you could tell that the director really concentrated on getting the best performances possible from his actors.


Bradley Cooper stars as Leon, a photographer who yearns to capture the gritty essence of the city. His girlfriend Maya (Leslie Bibb) is supportive while she works in a crappy diner, waiting on him to hit the big time and sell his photos so they can get enough money to get married. The problem comes when Leon follows the wrong dude (Vinnie Jones) on the subway one night, discovering a secret that he wasn't supposed to uncover. Cooper in particular stood out as surprisingly fun to watch in this movie because most viewers will know him as the ultra-douche villian Zack from Wedding Crashers. He does a complete 180 here and plays a likable (if not obsessive) protagonist that you can't help but pull for, even though he makes some stupid mistakes along the way. And Leslie Bibb definitely steps up her acting from the ditzy blonde she portrayed in Talladega Nights, proving that she easily join the ranks of other actresses in her age group that can play decent roles but not quite carry a film on her own just yet.


I can't say much about this film without ruining some interesting (if not completely original) plot twists, but I would definitely recommend The Midnight Meat Train to fans of the genre. It's refreshing to see an Asian director not have anything to do with Sarah Michelle Gellar or black-haired children in a horror film. Ryuhei Kitamura, the director of Godzilla: Final Wars, made his American debut with TMMT, and I hope he sticks around for a while. There's a shortage of well-crafted horror movies out there today, and I think this guy has the chops to bring us a few more. The movie promised to be gory and violent and didn't hold back when it came to the brutality; my favorite shot in the film was from the POV of a victim whose head gets knocked off with a meat tenderizer - but the camera acts as if it's inside her head, spinning around after impact and landing on the ground nearby only to see her own body lying on the floor. It was a rewardingly original idea that I've never come across before, and proved to be one of the coolest parts of the movie.


Vinnie Jones, best known for his bit parts in Guy Ritchie's British gangster flicks, utters only one word as the mysterious Butcher during the course of the film. Honestly, that one word wasn't even necessary. He does his best work looking menacing and being silent, and as much of an insult as that may be, it's also a compliment to his physical stature and haunting presence. Casting directors, take note - this guy needs to be in more movies.

If you're in the mood for some above-average suspense or just want to boost your film geek cred like I did, check out The Midnight Meat Train. The ending may leave you a little confused on how they got there, but give it some credit - at least it didn't go for the boring ending. (This whole movie was based on a short story by The Master of Horror, Clive Barker; it actually reminded me more of an old episode of "The Twilight Zone.") Until next time...