LA Times: “Fox film unit Searchlight looks to regain its shine”
In the looming shadow of dark times for the indie film world — already discussed here, here, here and here — one of the few remaining Hwood studio speciality divisions Fox Searchlight hopes to jump-start box office with two upcoming highly anticipated releases:
Now Searchlight hopes to finally emerge from the shadows Wednesday when it opens “Slumdog Millionaire,” a film from director Danny Boyle about an 18-year-old Mumbai orphan who has a shot at winning the jackpot on India’s “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.” Then in December, Searchlight will release Darren Aronofsky’s “The Wrestler,” a redemption tale about a washed-up pro wrestler played by Mickey Rourke.
Slumdog Millionaire is the latest from director Danny Boyle and screenwriter Simon Beaufoy. Here’s the plot summary courtesy of Fox Searchlight:
The story of Jamal Malik (Patel), an 18 year-old orphan from the slums of Mumbai, who is about to experience the biggest day of his life. With the whole nation watching, he is just one question away from winning a staggering 20 million rupees on India’s “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?” But when the show breaks for the night, police arrest him on suspicion of cheating; how could a street kid know so much? Desperate to prove his innocence, Jamal tells the story of his life in the slum where he and his brother grew up, of their adventures together on the road, of vicious encounters with local gangs, and of Latika (Pinto), the girl he loved and lost. Each chapter of his story reveals the key to the answer to one of the game show’s questions. Each chapter of Jamal’s increasingly layered story reveals where he learned the answers to the show’s seemingly impossible quizzes. But one question remains a mystery: what is this young man with no apparent desire for riches really doing on the game show? When the new day dawns and Jamal returns to answer the final question, the Inspector and sixty million viewers are about to find out…
It won the People’s Choice Award at this year’s Toronto Film Festival and I have it on good authority from our blog poster Kevin W that it’s a superb movie. Here’s the movie trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIzbwV7on6Q
The other movie The Wrestler from director Darren Aronofsky and screenwriter Robert D. Siegel is also creating quite a bit of buzz:
A drama centered on retired professional wrestler Randy “The Ram” Robinson as he makes his way through the independent circuit, trying to get back in the game for one final showdown with his former rival.
It stars Mickey Rourke and from the trailer looks quite compelling. Here’s a scene from the movie:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_NpL40TS8U
It’s easy to complain about the quality (or lack thereof) of Hwood movies. These two films are different than the usual fare, created by notable storytellers, and look to have strong stories and performances. So support indie movies by going to see Slumdog Millionaire and The Wrestler!