Here it is. The final Skins Rewind for series 1. What’s in store for the finale? Anwar’s 17th birthday party and a whole lot of relationship drama. And lingering stares from across roadways. And trucks. And unexpected musical numbers.
If this episode doesn’t cement your love for Skins, nothing will.
Welcome to the most ridiculous episode of Skins in the history of Skins. On one hand, it’s about the wonderful romance – okay, friendship – between Anwar and Maxxie. (Aside: I’m convinced that Dev Patel and Mitch Hewer should star in a buddy cop movie together. It needs to happen.) On the other, this episode sets off the major events that happen that have the most lasting impact on the first Skins generation. And it’s all set in Russia. Sorry Russia, you never knew what was coming. Or did you?
I’m bored. What a perfect excuse for me to rewatch Series 1 through 4 of Skins. Again. (You know how I love my Skins.) First up, Series 1, Episode 1 – Tony.
In the very first episode of the series (the episode the US version would do a severe disservice to), we got our first glimpse at the original Skins gang – Tony, Sid, Michelle, Cassie, Chris, Jal, Maxxie and Anwar.
Let’s get into it.
Continue reading “Skins Rewind: Season 1, Episode 1 – The Gang’s All Here”
Directed by Danny Boyle (Trainspotting), Slumdog Millionaire is stunningly simple story about friendships, family and love.
Jamal Malik, a former street child from the slums of Mumbai, is a contestant on Kaun Banega Crorepati, the Hindi version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. With the odds stacked against him, Jamal has somehow makes it to the final question and now stands to win 20 million rupees. Naturally, Jamal is accused on cheating and is brought into police custody for an interrogation session that slowly weaves the web of Jamal’s past.
We learn about his childhood in the slums, his relationship with his brother, Salim, and his love for a local street girl, Latika. The events from his childhood provide enough clues for Jamal to know answers to the questions.
Jamal is played by Dev Patel, who is best known for his role on Skins, a British teen drama that I love. Slumdog Millionaire has provided Patel with the breakthrough role of a lifetime, earning him a Screen Actors Guild nomination.
There is a risk with Slumdog Millionaire. As a story about India set in Mumbai, Western audiences are likely to become entralled by the film. Especially after the Mumbai terror attacks last months, audiences will go in expecting this exotic tale about India. But Slumdog Millionaire is not an Indian film.
The movie is a typical Hollywood melodrama aimed at hooking an audience in but it ends with a typical Bollywood dance number in order to remind us that this is a movie about India. In many ways, this could be the movie that finally gives Bollywood a mainstream Hollywood audience. But is this a bad thing? Not really, as long as audiences are able to recognize this.
At the end of the day, Slumdog Millionaire is an intense experience; it will literally have you at the edge of your seat. Simon Beaufoy’s script, Anthony Dod Mantle’s cinematography, Chris Dickens’s editing, and A. R. Rahman’s soundtrack all come together to tell this wonderfully romantic story and simple reminder about the power of the human spirit.
I think Todd McCarthy of Variety sums up the film best when he wrote about the film in September. “As drama and as a look at a country increasingly entering the world spotlight, Slumdog Millionaire is a vital piece of work by an outsider who’s clearly connected with the place.”
It is hard to resist and hard to forget the charm of Slumdog Millionaire.
Updated December 2, 2010
@Cinefille 