Rapid reaction? Best movie of '08.

I didn't want to post the entire review (which you can read here), or even a trailer because I didn't want to give anything away. These are Ty Burr's words from the Boston Globe. The first sentence sums it up for me...

"I'll keep this simple: Cancel whatever you're doing tonight and go see "Slumdog Millionaire" instead. Yes, you, the girl obsessed with "Twilight" and the guy still hung up on "The Dark Knight." Take the grandparents, too, and the teenagers. Everyone can play.

You've never heard of the actors. A third of the film is in Hindi. Much of it takes place in the most fetid, poverty-ridden corners of the Indian subcontinent, and most of it isn't nice. Yet this sprawling, madly romantic fairy-tale epic is the kind of deep-dish audience-rouser we've long given up hoping for from Hollywood. "Slumdog" is a soaring return to form for director Danny Boyle ("Trainspotting"), but mostly it's just a miracle of mainstream pop moviemaking - the sort of thing modern filmmakers aren't supposed to make anymore. Except they just did."

More New Tunes! It's about time, I know.

SO lazy lately with the blog... But, I've come back with a super strong record for you. Marty Lennartz turned me on to these guys. The Black Ghosts are a couple of dudes from the UK, one of which used to be in the band Simian. The electro-pop thing has been done before, but these guys do it so well, I thought that they deserved a mention on a blog that gets literally tens of views per week. This is the second song on their newest album, which is self-titled.

Can't recommend this movie enough!

Saw it as part of the Chicago Int'l Film Festival, and I'm not quite sure when and where it'll be released in Chicago or on DVD, but if you have Netflix or some other online DVD rental service, set a reminder, save the movie, do something! Just see this when you get the chance. I'm a dork and grade movies after I see 'em and this one was one of a few "A" grades I've handed out this year (in case you were wondering).

Update! It'll be released in Chicago on 11/21 at the Landmark Century Theater on Clark St. just north of Diversey. Now make plans to see it!