Oscar Contenders.. Maybe???

In my most esteemed opinion (Modesty be damned), I really think that the Oscars ought to provide a better platform for movies. With the number of awesome movies being made across the world, it is morally, ethically and most importantly cinematically superfluous if some of the best movies of the year are not even nominated and some of the most ordinary ones win popular acclaim.

Cases in point; Rocky over Taxi Driver, Crash, Sideways even getting nominated, Crouching Tiger getting accolades whereas Hero scrapes in a nondescript nomination and the piec' de resistance - A Beautiful Mind winning (Seriously.. U have got to be kidding me!!) . And let me not even get into how hypocritical it is for the jury to not even consider movies like A Scanner Darkly, Fight Club and Memento for the top accolades while the Coen fuckers winning another Academy for No Country!!!

This year I have just etched out some of the movies that would be vying for the top spot across categories. Hopefully the Academy reads my blog of shame. Might I add I haven't seen any of these movies because good pirated copies havent yet surfaced... Axxo thy humble servant awaits thee. So dont be surprised if I diss them a couple of weeks later. Happy viewing:

Slumdog Millionaire:

Set in India, the story revolves around Jamal Mallik who participates in Kaun Bangega Crorepati with his love interest rather than the prize money in mind. Captures the energy, filth and intoxicating beauty of India like no movie before this. Rich in pure adrenaline pumping electricity the trailer is bloody inviting.
Danny Boyle of Trainspotting fame (another victim of the Academy's hypocrisy) directs. Music by A.R. Rahman, the movie sports an all star Indian star cast which inludes Anil Kapoor, Irrfan khan and Saurabh Shukla.
If this movie is half as good as its trailer betrays it to be my recommendation to Johnny Depp would be "Dump Mira Nair. Get Danny Boyle on board for Shantaram... Wassup with that movie anyways... was looking forward to Bachchan winning the Best Supporting Actor Academy.



Some insane trivia from IMDB

• Mercedes-Benz asked that its logos be removed in scenes taking place in the slums. The company, according to Danny Boyle, did not want to be associated with the poverty-stricken area, fearing that that might taint its image.
• 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',

Also check out this awesome song from the movie:
http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=ejKfQpzIdIY

FYI... The movie has won several awards including British Indie Film Awards (Best Film and director), and has 4 Golden Globe nominations including a nomination for A.R Rahman.

Keep watching this space for more