The Oscar Goes To Slumdog!

In my eyes, the best film of the season is “Slmudog Millionaire” — with a   wonderful setting, exciting story and the usual Bollywood romantic nuances. It’s interesting to hear some of the dialogues in the Hindi language.

Slumdog Millionaire is a 2008 British drama film directed by Danny Boyle, with “co-director: India” Loveleen Tandan, and written by Simon Beaufoy. It is an adaptation of the Boeke Prize winning and Commonwealth Writers’ Prize nominated novel Q and A by Indian author and diplomat Vikas Swarup.

Set and filmed in India, Slumdog Millionaire tells the story of a young uneducated man from the Dharavi slums of Mumbai who appears on the Indian version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? (Kaun Banega Crorepati, mentioned in the Hindi version) and exceeds people’s expectations, arousing the suspicions of the game show host and of law enforcement officials.

The Indian premiere took place in Mumbai on 22 January 2009, and now it’s going to Los Angeles as one of the favorites to win, among others, in “The Best Movie” category, on “Oscar Night”, 22 February 2009.

The Film was made with a budget of $15 million.

Fingers Crossed, Slumdog!

22 James Bonds

1. Dr. No (1962)

The 1st James Bond film

Starring Sean Connery as James Bond, Ursula Andress as the Honey Ryder and Joseph Wiseman as the villain, Doctor No. Directed by Terence Young. With Jack Lord (of Hawaii Five-0) as CIA agent Felix Leiter.
Dr. No intends to destroy a U.S. moon rocket from his nuclear-powered base on an island near Jamaica.

Budget: $900,000. Opening dates: UK October 5, 1962; US May 8, 1963.

2. From Russia with Love (1963)

The 2nd James Bond film

Starring Sean Connery as James Bond, Daniela Bianchi as Tatiana Romanov, and Robert Shaw and Lotte Lenya as the villains Red Grant and Rosa Klebb. Directed by Terence Young.

Budget: $2 million. Opening dates: UK October 10, 1963, US April 8, 1964.

3. Goldfinger (1964)

The 3rd James Bond film

Starring Sean Connery as James Bond, Honor Blackman as Pussy Galore, Shirley Eaton as Jill Masterson (the girl who is painted gold), Gert Frobe as the villain, Auric Goldfinger, and Harold Sakata as the henchman Oddjob. Directed by Guy Hamilton.

Villainous Goldfinger plans to explode a nuclear device in Ft. Knox to create global economic chaos. This film featured an Aston Martin DB5 with ejection seat and machinegun taillights.

Budget: $3 million. Opening dates: UK September 17, 1964; US December 22, 1964.

4. Thunderball (1965)

The 4th James Bond film

Starring Sean Connery as James Bond, Claudine Auger as Domino, Luciana Paluzzi as Fiona Volpe, and Adolfo Celi as the villain, Largo. With Rik Van Nutter as Felix Leiter. Directed by Terence Young. Remade in 1983 as Never Say Never Again.

Budget: $5.5 million. Opening dates: UK December 29, 1965; US December 21, 1965.

5. You Only Live Twice (1967)

The 5th James Bond film

Starring Sean Connery as James Bond, Akiko Wakabayashi as Ski, Mie Hama as Kissy Suzuki, Donald Pleasence as the villain, Blofeld. With Burt Kwouk. Directed by Lewis Gilbert. Screeplay by Roald Dahl. Filmed in Japan.

Budget: $8.5 million. Opening dates: UK June 12, 1967; US June 13, 1967.

6. On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969)

The 6th James Bond film

Starring George Lazenby as James Bond, Diana Rigg as Tracy Di Vincenzo (and the only Mrs. James Bond!) and Telly Savalas (Kojak) as the villain, Ernst Stavro Blofeld. Also starring Joanna Lumley (later of Absolutely Fabulous). Directed by Peter Hunt.

Budget: $7 million. Opening dates: UK and US, December 18, 1969.

7. Diamonds Are Forever (1971)

The 7th James Bond film

Starring Sean Connery as James Bond, Jill St. John as Tiffany Case, Lana Wood as Plenty O’Toole, Jimmy Dean (the sausage guy) as Willard Whyte and Charles Gray as the villain, Ernst Stavro Blofeld. Directed by Guy Hamilton. Filmed in Las Vegas.

Budget: $7 – 10 million. Opening dates: UK December 30, 1971; US December 17, 1971.

8. Live and Let Die (1973)

The 8th James Bond film

Starring Roger Moore as James Bond [his 1st Bond], Jane Seymour as Solitaire, Clifton James as Sheriff J.W. Pepper, Geoffrey Holder (the Uncola man) as Baron Samedi and Yaphet Kotto as the villain, Kananga/Mr. Big. With David Hedison as Felix Leiter. Directed by Guy Hamilton. Theme song by Paul McCartney and Wings. Filmed in New Orleans.

Budget: $7 – 12 million. Opening dates: UK July 6, 1973; US June 27, 1973.

9. The Man with the Golden Gun (1974)

The 9th James Bond film

Starring Roger Moore as James Bond, Britt Ekland as Mary Goodnight, Maud Adams as Andrea Anders, and Christopher Lee as the villain, Scaramanga. With Herve Villechaize (aka Tattoo from “Fantasy Island“). Directed by Guy Hamilton. Filmed in Thailand (including Phuket) and Hong Kong

Budget: $13 million. Opening dates: UK and US, December 19, 1974.

10. The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)

The 10th James Bond film

Starring Roger Moore as James Bond, Barbara Bach (Mrs. Ringo Starr) as Anya Amasova, Caroline Munro as Naomi, Curt Jurgens as the villain, Stromberg and Richard Kiel as Jaws. Directed by Lewis Gilbert.
Generally considered to be Roger Moore’s best Bond film.

Budget: $14 million. Opening dates: UK July 7, 1977; US August 3, 1977.

11. Moonraker (1979)

The 11th Bond film

Starring Roger Moore as James Bond, Lois Chiles as Holly Goodhead, Michel Lonsdale as the villain, Drax and Richard Kiel as Jaws. Directed by Lewis Gilbert.

Budget: $25 – 30 million. Opening dates: UK June 26, 1979; US July 2, 1979.

Trivia: The 11th Bond film was originally supposed to be For Your Eyes Only, but Moonraker was moved up to tie in with the new Space Shuttle program, as well as the Star Wars craze.

12. For Your Eyes Only (1981)

The 12th James Bond film

Starring Roger Moore as James Bond, Carole Bouquet as Melina Havelock, Lynn-Holly Johnson as Bibi Dahl [note the pun] and Cassandra Harris (the 1st Mrs. Pierce Brosnan) as Countess Lisl, with Julian Glover as the villain, Kristatos. Directed by John Glen.

Budget: $26 – 28 million. Opening dates: UK June 24, 1981; US June 26, 1981.

13. Octopussy (1983)

The 13th James Bond film

Starring Roger Moore as James Bond, Maud Adams as the title character, Kristina Wayborn as Magda, and Louis Jourdan as the villain, Kamal. With tennis pro Vijay Amritraj. Directed by John Glen. Screenplay by George MacDonald Fraser.

Budget: $25 million. Opening dates: UK June 6, 1983; US June 10, 1983.

This film was released the same year as Sean Connery‘s return as Bond in Never Say Never Again.

14. A View to a Kill (1985)

The 14th James Bond film

Starring Roger Moore as James Bond, Tanya Roberts as Stacey Sutton and Christopher Walken as the villain, Max Zorin, with Grace Jones as henchwoman May Day. Also starring Fiona Fullerton, Patrick Macnee, Alison Doody and Dolph Lundgren. Directed by John Glen. Theme song by Duran Duran. Moore’s last appearance as Bond. David Bowie had been rumored to play Zorin.
This movie is often argued to be the worst Bond film ever.

Budget: $25 million. Opening dates: UK June 12, 1985; US May 22, 1985.

15. The Living Daylights (1987)

The 15th James Bond film

Starring Timothy Dalton as James Bond [his 1st Bond film], Maryam D’Abo as Kara Milovy and Joe Don Baker as the villain, Whitaker. With Jeroen Krabbé, and John Rhys-Davies. Directed by John Glen.

Budget: $30 million. Opening dates: UK June 29, 1987; July 31, 1987

16. Licence to Kill (1989)

The 16th James Bond film

Also known as License to Kill (variant spellings between US and UK releases). Starring Timothy Dalton as James Bond, Carey Lowell as Pam Bouvier, Talisa Soto as Lupe Lamora and Robert Davi as the villain, Sanchez. With David Hedison as Felix Leiter. Also starring Wayne Newton, Benecio del Toro and Priscilla Barnes. Directed by John Glen. Dalton’s last Bond film.
James Bond seeks revenge on a Central American drug lord who has maimed his best friend.

Budget: $36 million. Opening dates: UK June 13, 1989; US July 14, 1989.

Note: There was a 6-year gap between this film and the next Bond film, GoldenEye, due to litigation.

17. GoldenEye (1995)

The 17th James Bond film

Starring Pierce Brosnan as James Bond, Izabella Scorupco as Natalya Simonova, Famke Janssen as Xenia Onatopp, Sean Bean as Alec Trevelyan (Agent 006). With Robbie Coltrane, Alan Cumming and Minnie Driver.
Directed by Martin Campbell. Screenplay by Bruce Feirstein. Theme song performed by Tina Turner, written by Bono and The Edge from U2.

18. Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)

The 18th James Bond film

Starring Pierce Brosnan as James Bond, Michelle Yeoh as Wai Lin, Teri Hatcher as Paris Carver, and Jonathan Pryce as the megalomaniac villain, Elliott Carver. With Ricky Jay, Joe Don Baker.
Directed by Roger Spottiswoode. Theme song by Sheryl Crow.

19. The World is Not Enough (1999)

The 19th James Bond film.

Starring Pierce Brosnan as James Bond, Sophie Marceau as Elektra King, Denise Richards as Dr. Christmas Jones, Robert Carlyle as the villain Renard, John Cleese as Q’s assistant, Robbie Coltrane as Valentin Zukovsky.

Directed by Michael Apted. Screenplay by Neal Purvis, Robert Wade and Bruce Feirstein. Score by David Arnold, theme song by Garbage.

20. Die Another Day (2002)

The 20th James Bond 007 film

Starring Pierce Brosnan as James Bond, Halle Berry as Jinx, Rosamund Pike as Miranda Frost, Toby Stephens as Gustav Graves, Rick Yune as Zao, Michael Madsen as Falco. Returning are Judi Dench (as M), John Cleese (as Q), Samantha Bond (as Moneypenny) and Colin Salmon (as Charles Robinson).

Directed by Lee Tamahori. Written by Neal Purvis and Robert Wade. Theme song by Madonna. Novelization by Raymond Benson.

21. Casino Royale (2006)

The 21st James Bond film

Directed by Martin Campbell; screenplay by Neal Purvis and Robert Wade, doctored by Paul Haggis.
Starring Daniel Craig as James Bond, Eva Green as Vesper Lynd, Mads Mikkelsen as Le Chiffre and Jeffrey Wright as Felix Leiter. Also with Giancarlo Giannini, Caterina Murino, Simon Abkarian, Tobias Menzies. Theme song by Chris Cornell.

22. Quantum of Solace (2008)

The 22nd James Bond film

Directed by Marc Forster; screenplay by Paul Haggis, Neal Purvis and Robert Wade.
Starring Daniel Craig as James Bond, Mathieu Amalric, Olga Kurylenko, Gemma Arterton, Jeffrey Wright, Giancarlo Giannini, Jesper Christensen.

QUANTUM — THE VERY LAST JAMES BOND?

 

Forest Whitaker Is Louis Armstrong

Forest Whitaker to Star as Louis Armstrong in Major Film

A forthcoming Louis Armstrong biopic will star Forest Whitaker as the revered Satchmo. Whitaker will also direct the film, titled What a Wonderful World after one of Armstrong’s most popular songs. The film is the first major motion picture biography of Armstrong to be authorized by his estate. Now, this sounds better than “Idi Amin”

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