The Academy made a choice this year; one that will be echoed by millions. They set a dangerous precedent in making that choice, but it is not hard to understand why. I'm speaking of course about the Academy choosing Slumdog Millionaire as its Oscar pic - best movie, best director and so on. It was either Slumdog or, of course, Dark Knight. Sure, many who haven't seen the movie (or don't know better) would have 'blamed' any Dark Knight win on Heath ledger's death.
So what is Slumdog Millionaire about and is it worth watching? I give credit to film that directs our attention to the slums of Mumbai. Any film that gets Europeans and blacks thinking about other people is worth its salt.
The problem with Slumdog is similar to the one of Valkyrie. You know what's going to happen. It wouldn't be called 'Millionaire' if the hero didn't answer all his questions correctly, so you know you're going to see a happy ending. In Valkyrie everyone knows Hitler was never assassinated so you know Tom Cruise is going to fail.
And so you can epitomise Slumdog as 'wishful thinking' and Dark Knight as 'dystopian'. What does the Academy choose as the best movie? Wishful thinking, because they believe that is what the audience wants. If you want to be rich, if you want a pretty girlfriend, just wish with all your heart and your dreams will come true.
There are some good visuals and the story is not too bad. I enjoyed a glimpse of the Proteas - Andre Nel I think - when one of the mobsters turns on the TV to watch cricket. The premise - anecdotes surrounding each question - is interesting but not really worthy of all the hype and hubris we've seen.
We learn a lot more in Dark Knight, and why we ought to take what is happening a little more seriously. Instead, as our circumstances deteriorate the Academy expects us to maintain a Jiminy Cricket Syndrome, and I think they're right. Good luck with that.
7.5/10
[I gave Dark Knight 9/10]
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