Slumdog Millionaire (Danny Boyle/Loveleen Tandan) - 2008

I went to this movie to see why there was such a buzz about it.  I hated it.  In a country where 600 million people do not have electricity, toilets and shoes, am I supposed to rejoice about the protagonist (Dev Patel - "Jamal") who wins fame, fortune and the beautiful girl while 5,999,999 survive by digging through piles of garbage to find the occasional, half-eaten chicken bone?  The depiction of law enforcement officials with a casual attitude toward torture was also especially repugnant.  India ranks on my list of vacation destinations just above Iraq and Somalia.  The best part of the movie was the dancing at the end but I somehow doubt that your average slumdog spends much time on choreography.  Some people are calling this movie: "poverty porn" and I agree - 120 minutes of pain.  [JAM 2/5/2009]