Oscar night is just a few days away and fans of Slumdog Millionaire can't wait to find out how director Danny Boyle and his crew fare at the Academy Awards, where they have a whopping 10 nominations.
And this enthusiasm for the `rags-to rajah' film is evidently echoed throughout the world. Here is what US-based film critic David Thomson had to say about the movie winning big at the awards in his column for the New York Times: David Thomson says, "The morning after its seven-Bafta triumph, here are 10 reasons why Danny Boyle's crowd-pleaser is unsurpassable in the race for the little gold men." 1: It is good enough to win and it helps that it has poor competition this year. 2: Like its hero, it is the dark-horse, outsider candidate that has come out of nowhere with no stars. 3: In the crucial voting period, it is the film that continues to do great business wherever it plays. 4: The people who like this film adore it there is no other film in contention that has such an enthusiastic following. 5: For years now, the Indian film industry has been a much discussed but marginalized phenomenon. Now the western audience begins to see what "Bollywood" is like and is reminded of old Hollywood. 6: The fable-like structure of the film has the strength and simplicity of a fairytale. 7: The film is full of delightful newcomers. It is all about money at a moment when no topic concerns us more. 9: The profound hatred or mistrust of corrupt wealth and the consequent adoration of lucky poverty could not have a better dramatic demonstration. 10: The new air of magical realism is about to crush photographic realism in the movies. About David Thomson: Born in London, David Thomson is a film critic based in the United States and a regular columnist for The New York Times. He is also the author of more than 20 books, including The New Biographical Dictionary of Film, lauded as one of the best reference works on the cinema. http://www.starboxoffice.com/oscars/newsdetails.aspx?xfile=2009/February/News_20090219_143
