Brunch Anytime

Slumdog Millionaire was fantastic. It had all the elements of a modern fairy tale. It was shot in India which peppered the film with amazing swirling colors and vivid street scenes. I don't want to give too much away but this film totally enchanted me (also the little boys in the movie were pretty much the cutest).

I wanted The Reader to be fantastic but it just wasn't. It felt like it was made purely as Oscar bait and for that reason, it just seemed to be trying too hard. Not to mention the love story between the two main characters, played by Kate Winslet and Ralph Fiennes- which happens over one summer and then supposedly haunts them for the rest of their lives- completely fell flat with me. Also without giving anything away, I was bothered that the horror of the Holocaust, which is a main facet to the story, is largely glossed over. Although with that said, Roger Deakins' cinematography made it beautiful to watch but overall I walked away from this film completely disappointed.

I saw Milk this weekend and while I really liked it, it did feel slightly too long at times but then again to do the real Harvey Milk justice it was probably necessary. The performances were outstanding, namely Sean Penn but James Franco and Emilie Hirsch were also very notable. Van Sant did an amazing directing job and it will definitely be an Oscar contender for 08.